Rayan Kolli scored his first senior goals for Rangers, and the club record run of home games without a win was finally broken, as Norwich were beaten 3-0 in W12 on Saturday.
A walk through old Shepherd’s Bush on Saturday morning did little to dissuade the notion it might be better for all concerned if this one was called off. Wind whipped in from the west and Loftus Road’s ageing frame creaked under the strain. Vague talk of a safety inspection at the ground wasn’t exactly dominating the morning yak among the middle class mums at Proud Mary’s breakfast café, but it didn’t feel like the worst idea in the world.
It had been 225 days since the locals last tasted victory on their own ground. Two hundred and twenty five days since we descended the Wegerle Stairs in joy, elation, relief… Two hundred and twenty five days since we went down a bumpy hillside, in our hippy hat. QPR’s start of 11 home matches without a win, ten of those in the league, is the worst in club history.
You start to believe you’ll never see them win again and a visit from Norwich didn’t exactly scream immediate improvement. The last time Rangers won against this opponent James Maddison was playing for Daniel Farke’s fledgling team, Ebere Eze was gliding around for us, and Ian Holloway was the manager. Eight meetings have passed by since, including three last season, without a Rangers win.
This a battle between the Championship’s top scorers (35 goals) and its lowest (15). Norwich the division’s best shot conversion record with 15.66%, QPR the worst with 6.38%. Norwich scored ten goals in two games last week, as many as QPR have scored since August. This lot have a geezer, Borja Sainz, who has scored 16 goals by himself, which is more than our entire team put together. He has two hat tricks this season, while Rangers collectively hadn’t scored more than two goals in a game yet.
So, yes, let’s come back and do this another time, when Jake Clarke-Salter and Michy Frey aren’t injured, when Sam Field isn’t suspended, when Sainz isn’t running his own goal of the season competition, and when the rain isn’t lashing in sideways and eating away at your skin. We’ll go down the Crown, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over.
I was reminded of Gerry Francis’ second spell as manager here when, having inherited an injury-riddled squad on a run of three wins in 19 games and five straight defeats, legend has it he tried to get a crunch Tuesday nighter with Barnsley waterlogged off by leaving the sprinklers on for two days. In biggest small club-smallest big club news this succeeded only in forcing QPR play at home to Barnsley… on a waterlogged pitch. Stupid bloody football club, honestly.
Gerry’s men did beat Barnsley though. With his back to the wall and few other options available, the manager turned to a teenager the reserve watchers had been raving about. Richard Langley marked his full QPR debut with a goal after 11 minutes. Sometimes you beat somebody almost by accident. Sometimes it is written. Little did we know, Rangers were about to go on JustEat and order a 24-inch Chicago Town deep dicking for their guests. And on their bench lurked another teenager making his way in the world ready to do the damage.
Much has been said and written about Rayan Kolli in recent months. Far too much, in fact. About his contract situation, and how much he’s been offered to renew it. About his unavailability, and reasons other than form and fitness that may be causing that. About his father’s social media posts, and interviews with Algerian press. Christian Nourry said at the fans forum Kolli was "acutely aware” what he needed to do to get in the team. Marti Cifuentes said after Saturday "some things have been slowing the process of him getting minutes again”. This a 19-year-old boy we’re talking about. Unhelpful.
On Saturday, through circumstance, Kolli finally got to play some football. Zan Celar’s hamstring explosion just ten minutes into the game was disastrous for him just as green shoots of improved form were starting to sprout, and not much less catastrophic for a club that chose to go into this season with just two senior strikers and has now lost them both to injury ahead of the busiest period of fixtures. A spate of muscle injuries that have dogged this side continued when Kenneth Paal was withdrawn at the break. Your choices now were 80 minutes for Alfie Lloyd, himself just back from a groin issue, or break glass on the emergency Kolli and see what transpires.
Out he came. Sideshow Bob hair, Donald Duck waddle, no shortage of self-belief and a first touch you could take to the bank. He made a difference right away. Norwich’s centre back pairing of Callum Doyle, who looked unsure of his footing all day, and Shane Duffy, who probably had a couple of extras on Friday night thinking the game would be off, weren’t having him at all. The corner he won to begin with came from a suspiciously offside position, one of several marginal calls given Rangers’ way by the linesman on the Ellerslie Road side of the ground, and Jimmy Dunne was able to take advantage of that good fortune and the bounce of the ball in the box to slam in the opening goal. In an age of intricate set plays designed by dedicated coaches on laptop programmes, QPR like a good old-fashioned bundle.
Kolli then added two goals of his own, both quirkily scored in the 49th minute either side of half time.
The first, a flashing header at full stretch from Kenneth Paal’s inswinging free kick, owed almost as much to the quality of the delivery and Kolli’s movement as it did to Angus Gunn’s bizarre positioning in the Norwich goal. Where’s he going, and what’s he doing when he gets there? Paal had almost caught him out wandering off prematurely towards the back post with an earlier reversed cross-shot into the near. Gunn, on his 150th appearance for the club, had only just finished a bout of bizarrely inept histrionics trying to get Kolli booked so the identity of the scorer and manner of the goal was almost as sweet as the timing. Kolli, full length dive, hair trailing behind him like a parachute, Loftus Road erupts, might today finally by the day?
The second, and Rangers third, all but confirmed it. Doyle the defender taking time when no time was available, Kolli stealing possession from him on a high press, and then setting off into the headwind on a long, clear run on the goal while the natives held their breath/each other. Please Rayan, please. There was little finesse in the finish, boot through it hard and low, but Gunn’s positioning and attempt at a save was once more helped Rangers on their way. Is that Tony Roberts I spy down there on the Canaries’ bench? Explains a lot.
In these conditions, and with jobbing lower league referee Anthony Backhouse still finding his Championship feet, there was always likely to be a chaotic element to proceedings. QPR adapted and revelled in that chaos, while Norwich lost heads and tempers in an afternoon of spiteful toy throwing.
You’d have been angry too had Harrison Ashby punching the ball behind for the most obvious handball penalty I’ve seen since this time last week at Watford been awarded as a corner at the other end. The visitors surrounded the referee, with Emiliano Marcondes’ meltdown particularly hysterical and worthy of a yellow card. They had two goals disallowed for offside either side of that incident, the second of which looks level to me with Steve Cook playing Crnac on. But then Fisher showed all six studs to Nicolas Madsen’s shins at the end of the first half, Kieran Morgan took a forearm to the side of the face, and neither of these apparently warranted so much as a free kick. It was an afternoon of big misses by the match officials, who put up with Sainz’s spoilt bitching and moaning throughout, and as usual allowed Ashley Barnes to try and referee the game himself once he’d trundled on after half time.
Despite the one-sided scoreline, it was still a game that could have potentially gone in a very different direction. As well as two goals disallowed and an obvious penalty shout, Norwich missed a very presentable first half chance when Slimane fired Jack Stacey’s cross over the bar, and were denied well by Paul Nardi at the near post in the second half when Ashby was caught not concentrating on the near post at a corner. Jonathan Varane continues to improve, but his moment of pisballing about in the first half also set Sainz up for what looked a clear run on the goal until Jimmy Dunne swept in from right back with a fierce covering challenge. To play as Dunne did here, making big impact at both ends of the pitch, having spent the week dealing with the death of his father, I thought was a mark of the man and the player. Borderline man of the match, even with Kolli’s heroics up front.
Perhaps though, instead of the multiple hissy fits and complaints, Norwich should be looking inwards. The conditions were never going to befit good, attractive, progressive football. QPR were physical, niggly, pressed high, and went on the wind up. This is the sort of game is where Steve Cook eats – a footballing mixed grill special at the Bournemouth Harvester. The visitors fell into every trap. They continued to play out from the back when it obviously wasn’t suitable for the conditions or opponent and they took every bit of bait Dunne and Smyth chummed into the water. There was zero pragmatism or game smarts on show here. This is obviously a debate in the Premier League at the moment around the struggles of Ange Postecoglou and Spurs and Russell Martin at Southampton. To refuse to deviate from your ideals even a little bit, even in extreme circumstances, even for a few minutes, even when getting heavily beaten away from home, even when playing in a howling gale, isn’t smart or laudable or admirable – it’s arrogant pig headedness. One of football’s most ridiculous current trends.
QPR on the other hand, having started the season losing games for fun with a similarly wide open midfield and hubristic attitude to possession, have gone full on need’s must. Marti Cifuentes has gone back to a lot of the basics that dragged this team out of the mess of its own creation last year. They compress and crowd the pitch and let opponents have the wings, they’re pressing a lot higher and with greater energy and physicality, and they’re chucking themselves in font of danger in defence. It’s proper Geoffrey Boycott, straight bat, long hot afternoon at Headingley stuff – centre guard umpire, straight down the middle of the pitch, go on then get past that. Possession’s actually declining, here just 37% of the ball in a performance more akin to a Neil Harris Millwall side, but results are improving regardless. From no clean sheets in the first 14 games, Rangers now have five in eight and three in a row. Liam Morrison is quietly unbeaten in six QPR starts.
Not that you’d know any of this from the nervousness of the crowd. Three nil up, five minutes left, opponent clearly done for the day, just have a nice time. Enjoy yourselves. Kolli twice went close to a memorable hat trick, curling only just wide on both occasions as he sought out that far corner for a glorious third. Instead, we collectively rock back and forth and will the time away. "Wouldn’t want them to pull one back now”. It’s supposed to be what we do for fun this. Grown men collectively praying. And in the back, a mad panic over who last saw the Silver Lining LP. Well, I thought you had it. Haven’t seen it for ages…
Gerry’s team not only beat Barnsley, but then went on a winning run. Three in a row that week, and six from ten over Christmas. Given the appalling results before it, and after, it was this sequence which ended up keeping them in the division – that and a memorable last day thrashing of Crystal Palace. Marti Cifuentes’ lads need to turn this into a similar moment, continuing with a crunch game here on Wednesday against Oxford.
Links >>> Ratings and Reports >>> Message Board Match Thread
QPR: Nardi 7, Dunne 8, Cook 7, Morrison 7 (Fox 67, 6), Paal 7 (Ashby 46, 6); Varane 6, Morgan 6; Smyth 6 (Bennie 80, -), Madsen 6 (Andersen 67, 6), Saito 7; Celar – (Kolli 13, 8)
Subs not used: Santos, Dixon-Bonner, Walsh, Lloyd
Goals: Dunne 22 (unassisted), Kolli 45+4 (assisted Paal), 49 (unassisted)
Yellow Cards: Morrison 39 (foul), Nardi 43 (time wasting), Dunne 52 (foul), Smyth 64 (foul), Ashby 84 (time wasting)
Norwich: Gunn 3; Stacey 5, Duffy 4, Doyle 4 (Cordoba 87, -), Fisher 4 (Chrisene 46, 5); Nunez 5 (Sorensen 67, 5), Slimane 5 (Barnes 46, 4), McLean 5; Marcondes 5, Crnac 5 (Hernandez 78, 5), Sainz 6
Subs not used: Forson, Hanley, Long, Schwartau
Yellow Cards: Marcondes 54 (dissent), Sainz 66 (foul)
QPR Star Man – Rayan Kolli 8 And then a hero comes along.
Referee – Anthony Backhouse (Carlisle) 4 Not an easy game to referee in the conditions at all, and rather felt like he was clinging onto it with his fingertips throughout. Missed a very obvious Norwich penalty in the second half for the Ashby handball, and both disallowed goals are highly debatable – linesman on that side had quite the afternoon. The fouls on Madsen and Morgan in the first half were nasty and worthy of greater punishment as Norwich lost their collective heads. An afternoon of big misses all round by the officials.
Attendance 15,688 (Norwich 1,800 approx)
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