On the pitch QPR were out passed, out classed, out scored and out thought by a vastly superior Nottingham Forest team. Off the field things weren't much better for the LFW travelling group.
1 – The Match
The most one sided match you’re ever likely to see, possibly the most one sided match ever played. Forest were right on their game from the first whistle – hustling and harrying QPR out of any brief possession they did get and then passing the ball around superbly, creating chances at will. They scored three quick fire goals before half time – a stupid foul by Hill gave Earnshaw a chance to curl home a free kick, then almost straight from the kick off woeful play in possession from first Leigertwood and then Quashie sent Cohen and then Earnshaw through for a second, and then a clumsy foul in the area by Gorkss gave Blackstock a chance to get a goal against his former club from the penalty spot. That flattered Forest really an when Carl Ikeme hopelessly flapped at a long range shot from Cohen straight after half time it was 4-0. That became five through Perch near the end after a period of quite astounding defensive incompetence. Rangers were lucky to get their nil, Forest unfortunate not to score twice as many.
4/10
2 – QPR Performance
Ha, what performance? Seriously it’s impossible to rate. Not a single player had a good game, we didn’t put a move together in the entire match, we didn’t create even a decent chance – Lee Camp had two saves to make all night, both comfortably done off half chances. We were absolutely abysmal. Lacking effort, ability, commitment, confidence, drive, determination, skill. Anything really. We looked like 11 idiots roped out of the nearest pub ten minutes before kick off. Of the worst offenders, the central midfield pairing of Quashie and Leigertwood was an embarrassing farce that Forest absolutely annihilated. But they were by no means on their own – the worst QPR performance for ten years I would say.
0/10
3 – QPR support
Unbelievable really. Considering the form of the team, the way we are treated by our owners and the distance to travel on a Tuesday night to a ground we’ve never won at before and certainly didn’t look likely to on this occasion taking more than 600 fans to the City Ground was admirable. The majority stayed for the second half despite the score and sung songs of past legends, as well as self deprecating numbers about winning six five and the like. Terrific support, badly let down by the team.
9/10
4 – Atmosphere
Well for the first hour the place was rocking, as you would expect with the goals flying in. The away fans were all forced up to the back of the stand by the police and stewards, under the cover of the upper tier, which removed that intimidating element of previous seasons when we have had Forest fans on both sides and above us. Strangely though, at 4-0 up, when Forest did have a little period, and I mean literally 45 seconds, where they just cleared their lines with a boot down the field the home fans actually started to groan and get on their own players’ backs. I couldn’t believe it, at 4-0 up. They scored a fifth though which restarted the party, still come on – how spoilt can you get?
6/10
5 – The Ground
Exactly the same as it was the last time we visited. Quite an imposing place with the two tiered Brian Clough stand to the right of the away fans, stretching round behind the goal where the away fans are located in the lower tier. Normally that means Forest fans are right, left and above the away supporters but with QPR fans forced to bunch up under the covered section by the stewards that wasn’t the case on this occasion. The tired looking, more traditional main stand remains to the left of the away end with a large gang of vociferous Forest fans standing throughout at one end of it and doing a good job of generating atmosphere. The Trent End opposite us is the newest stand, I remember coming her for a televised game in 1994/95 when we lost 3-2 and that stand was just being built. Overall a good, solid ground with few obstructed views, a good atmosphere and plenty of pubs and transport links nearby. The tickets were reasonably priced as well.
8/10
6 – The Journey
An absolute nightmare. Working just across the M1 in Ripley I thought this would be easy enough but it actually took me more time to do the 14 miles from my office to the ground than it does for me to get to a home game from Sheffield. Firstly some silly bint in a purple mini had broken down on the A610 near the junction with the M1 that stacked the traffic up solidly past Eastwood and keep us stationary for a good 45 minutes. Then the drive into the city centre was a procession of average speed checks and traffic lights permanently set to red. When we did eventually get round the shopping centre, railway station and car parks the place was jammed solidly with, presumably, a mixture of people going home and to the match. In the end, two and a half hours after setting off and with just 30 minutes until kick off, we ditched it in the ice arena car park over the bus station and walked out to the ground.
Things weren’t much better on the way home either. We made it back out to the M1 reasonably easily however when we got there we had to endure ten miles of carriageway widening up to Mansfield with a 50 miles per hour average speed check to “protect the workforce” even though the workforce had packed up and gone home at half five and there were few other cars on the road. No sooner had we escaped that at Alfreton then another set of roadworks appeared, this time keeping us at one lane and 50 miles per hour right up past Chesterfield, some 15 miles of the stuff, to protect one group of five workmen doing some work on one overhead gantry about eight miles in. Driving in this country is a total farce. .
1/10
7 – Pre Match
Well as you can tell from the journey Lindsey and me didn’t have time to do anything other than leg it from the car to the ground when we arrived. What we had planned to do is leave work, and go in the Royal Children pub in the middle of Nottingham – one we have used before that did a wicked plate of sausage and mash on our last visit. Paul and Owain were coming by train from Sheffield and due to arrive at 6pm, at about the same time as us, and we would all meet in there. Obviously our end of the arrangements were taken out of our hands by the traffic, Owain’s day was taken out of his hands by Paul. They arrived in Nottingham just after three and parked themselves in the Hooters bar near the station where Paul proceeded to run up a large bar bill on beer and chicken wings from a buxom waitress who seemed quite keen for Paul to go home with her at the end of her shift – or so he reckoned anyway. The pair of them emerged, Paul looking very pleased with himself and Owain slightly scared, as we walked past at about twenty past seven. They said it was very enjoyable if a bit on the expensive side so I will mark accordingly. .
7/10
8 – Police and Stewards
The stewards were overzealous before the kick off, forcing QPR fans to sit in the increasingly crowded middle blocks of the stand to the point where the game kicked off with lots of late arrivals standing in the aisle trying to find spare individual seats away from their mates. Then as soon as the match did kick off the stewards vanished and the side blocks became available to sit in. Now why that is necessary I do not know, f you’re just going to open them up anyway why waste time and effort before the game irritating people and forcing them to cram together?
4/10
Total - 39/80