QPR left it agonisingly late, but ultimately came up with the goods in a 1-0 home win against Leicester City at Loftus Road on Saturday.
Devon White, a man known as ‘Bruno’ to the Loftus Road faithful, was the focus of a former player feature in the match programme on Saturday. By the end of this nerve jangling encounter with Leicester City it was White’s, and Bruno’s, lookalike Ishmael Miller who had grabbed the headlines with a late knockout blow.
Miller wasn’t the only man on show here who would look more at home in Madison Square Gardens than Loftus Road – Yakubu, Danny Shittu and Sol Bamba all played starring roles in a heavyweight encounter. Were this a boxing contest for real Leicester would have been well on course for a comfortable points victory after going the distance prior to Miller’s intervention.
Denied a fight finishing punch of their own in the third only by an outstanding save by Paddy Kenny the Foxes had continued to enjoy the better of the goal scoring chances thereafter and Martyn Waghorn was dreadfully wasteful with not one but two one on one opportunities after his fellow substitute Matthew Connolly had erred to allow him a sight of goal twice in quick succession.
Leicester had been as tough in defence as they had been inventive in attack and QPR were repeatedly frustrated by a high quality back four assembled by Sven Goran Eriksson, whose honest pre and post game assessments of this encounter have won him many friends in West London.
Kyle Naughton now resides in the shadow of his former Sheffield United team mate Kyle Walker who has progressed faster since they both moved to Tottenham, but he’s no fool and was posed few problems by Adel Taarabt and others. On the other side Man City’s Ben Mee, not even the first choice left back at the Walkers Stadium and merely filling in for another loan Patrick Van Aarnholt, impressed going both ways. Another Chelsea loanee Jeffrey Bruma cut a dominant figure at centre half alongside Sol Bamba, a rare good import from the wastelands of the Scottish “Premier League”, who was almost faultless for the majority of this match.
“Almost”, and “majority” the key words there because for all their impressive performances at both ends of the field Leicester were left to succumb to a complacent “the job’s done” attitude that was last displayed on this ground by Nottingham Forest who celebrated their draw at Loftus Road like a World Cup win and have since drawn three and lost two of six matches.
It is tempting, and former Leicester striker Steve Claridge is happy to do so to the tiny number of people still listening to his nonsense, to say that QPR are a one man team and once Adel Taarabt has been stopped so have they. Leicester clearly thought so, their 3,200 away fans cheered loudly as Taarabt was removed. And then, everything they’d done before was wasted, because they couldn’t deal with one simple ball in behind their defence which was seized on by Miller, Taarabt’s replacement, and buried into the Loft End goal for a decisive, undeserved but tremendously satisfying and potentially crucial late winner.
Routledge’s pace, Taarabt’s tricks, Buzsaky’s ability – Leicester had seen everything off, but they just got too pleased with themselves and ended the afternoon with nothing after succumbing to a goal a Conference North side might have created.
Rangers were unchanged to start with, although having managed two full games the inevitable injury to Fitz Hall was overdue and quickly arrived forcing a reshuffle. Hall had started in defence with Danny Shittu, a partnership yet to yield a goal against in 180 minutes of football prior to this one. Bradley Orr and Clint Hill were the full backs ahead of Paddy Kenny in goal, Shaun Derry and Alejandro Faurlin anchored the midfield. Up top Akos Buzsaky started his first game at home since Norwich in October with Taarabt and Routledge in support and Heidar Helguson employed as the focal point.
Leicester backed their defence up with former Portugal international goalkeeper Ricardo – a frustrated outfield player if ever there was one – and loaned Everton striker Yakubu led the attack. Andy King is a shoo in for the divisional team of the year and started in midfield with support from the more workmanlike Matt Oakley and Richie Wellens, who was sent off on this ground in a 5-0 defeat in Blackpool days.
Precedents were set early by the two goalkeepers. In the first minute Ricardo collected a back past, held onto it too long, and then gave Taarabt a taste of his own medicine by tricking him with a shoulder drop before finally clearing down field. Ricardo uses his hands so seldomly the Leicester fans actually cheered him when, some 20 minutes later, he finally admitted defeat in his quest to get through a whole game using his feet alone and picked the ball up. At the Loft End Paddy Kenny emerged quickly from his line to clear a through ball away from the onrushing Darius Vassell – another recurring theme.
Jeffrey Bruma, one of several Premiership loans brought in by the Foxes since Eriksson took over, found blood gushing from a wound to his face that required treatment and a new shirt and this stoppage and period where Leicester were down to ten and happy to keep everybody behind the ball and hold on for a minute or so disrupted the early flow of the game. Their willingness to pass the ball out from the back at all costs almost cost them an early goal when Matt Oakley’s bizarre lofted back pass in behind his own defence was seized on by Heidar Helguson but the newly patched up Bruma swooped in and cleared robustly.
Leicester’s first attack of note came with the time fresh into double figures – Yakubu went to ground in the area rather more easily than a man of his size really should have done but the contact from Fitz Hall was sufficient to warrant more significant appeals than Leicester offered and referee Roger East was happy to let play go on when he could easily have pointed to the spot. This referee turned down a more blatant penalty appeal from Doncaster early on in his last visit to Loftus Road back in September – the R’s would certainly have taken the 3-0 scoreline they went on to achieve that day had it been offered to them at this stage.
The Foxes had clearly settled to their task, buoyed by a run of one defeat in ten league games. QPR were ten games unbeaten themselves prior to this one but, as they had done in the first half of their last home game with Ipswich, looked nervous and laboured early on. After a quarter of an hour Yakubu showed all the experience of his ten years in the professional game to reach the byline and cut a ball back into space in the penalty area. Andy King, 14 goals to his name already this season, sliced his shot so badly it didn’t even go out of play and he should have done so much better after arriving in the area unchecked.
Three minutes later Mee, who’d already laid a marker down with thumping, old fashioned tackle on Taarabt tight to the touchline, got away with a handball as he accelerated down the left flank and delivered a deep cross which Clint Hill headed behind for the game’s first corner. Leicester played it short, QPR cleared the resulting cross comfortably.
This served as something of a wake up call for the home team and they finally started to string together a few bits and pieces and get their key men into the game. On 19 minutes Buzsaky and Faurlin combined in eye catching style around the edge of the area but the Hungarian fired very high and very wide indeed from 20 yards out. Two minutes later Bamba, clearly full of confidence and playing the game in an all action domineering style not dissimilar to that we associate with our own Danny Shittu at the height of his game, was penalised for a foul on Taarabt on the touchline when he appeared to get a good foot on the ball. Taarabt took it himself and found Hall in the area and although his header appeared to be deflected over a goal kick was awarded – the first in what would turn out to be a long, long list of basic, but nonetheless important in their own right, decisions that Mr East got obviously wrong on the day.
Rangers’ best chance came at the midway point of the half when Taarabt combined with Buzsaky who held the ball up on the corner of the six yard box and then teed up Helguson who struck it cleanly through a gaggle of players and forced a fine leg save from Ricardo. One of those instances where a muckier contact may have yielded greater rewards.
From the corner Hill headed it down into the six yard box and Hall hooked over from close range – although it was a more difficult chance than that perhaps makes it sound and Hall couldn’t be faulted for not finding the target on that occasion. He can however be faulted for his fitness record which I would describe as a joke if his weekly wage didn’t make it such an absolute pain in the balance sheet. Every first team appearance Hall makes just brings him closer to his next six week absence and sure enough after two full games, and decent performances, Hall, one of the club’s top earners, signalled that he’d pulled/tweaked/imagined something in trying to convert the half chance at the School End and his afternoon was over.
This situation is now no longer sustainable. We cannot have a player earning the money he is earning while only being capable of playing two and a half games every six weeks. If it is a genuine medical issue then operate on him, if it can’t be operated on then either persuade him to retire and take the insurance money or settle up and send him on his way. If it’s a mental issue, and it was said by those at the club at the time that Marc Nygaard would pull up and stop if ever he thought he might be about to get injured while in the same team Gareth Ainsworth once infamously tried to run off a spiral fracture of his leg, then either send him to hypnotherapy, kick his arse or settle up and send him on his way. I’ve long since gone beyond caring with Hall so I’m not bothered which option it is or which decision we take but we cannot possibly continue with this situation where one of the club’s top earners is so embarrassingly susceptible to injury. I hesitate to brand him as weak as a kitten for fear of action by a militant group of kittens who’d probably give him a good fight – if his bloody hamstring could hold up long enough for him to take part.
Matt Connolly came on to replace him and if you thought he looked short of confidence and a little unsure of himself before being dropped prior to the Ipswich game well, as the song goes, you aint seen nothing yet.
While that reshuffle was taking place Leicester twice came within inches of taking the lead through Yakubu. He may have a waistline that requires special shorts to be ordered in for him but he has always, always known where the goal is and possessed an ability to find it in a series of spectacular ways. After 26 minutes he made an arced run out towards the corner of the penalty area to retrieve a bouncing through ball that any other striker in this league would have looked to hold onto and await reinforcements from down field. Yakubu though assesses situations differently to other strikers at this level. He’d already surveyed the goalkeeper’s position and the angle before arriving at the ball and all that remained to do when he did get there was execute the perfect lobbed volley that had goal written all over it from the moment it left his boot. Paddy Kenny’s save – made with one hand, while fully airborne, having scrambled back towards his goal frantically in the fractions of seconds he had to spare – was one of the best ever seen on this ground and drew applause from all three sides of the home support. Kenny, like Yakubu, is a cut above the average for this level in his chosen position.
The Nigerian striker could have been forgiven for giving up and walking off when, from the resulting corner, he hit a powerful volley straight and true but about half an inch over the bar. What did he have to do to score? We would never get to find out.
Refereeing error two of several on the day came on the half hour. Clint Hill betrayed his age with a heavy touch on halfway, and then executed a wild lunge attempting to retrieve the situation. This was a fool’s mission from the very beginning and it sent Oakley flying through the air in dramatic fashion. This was certainly a yellow card, and the Leicester players appealed with some justification that it should have been even more than that. Certainly Hill couldn’t have had too many complaints had he found himself splashing around in some early bath water and yet Mr East elected to have a quiet word with the player. I’ve said before I don’t come to games to see players booked and sent off but short of shooting the Leicester player in the back of the head I’m not sure what more Hill could have done here to deserve stricter punishment.
Hill perhaps wished he had been sent off when just seconds later he found himself in a foot race with centre half Bruma of all people, who rampaged forward and caused panic in the home ranks as he carried the ball almost the full length of the field to the QPR byline before winning a corner which Rangers cleared. A corner at the other end found Danny Shittu, 40/1 for the first goal with BetFred, at the back post and his looping header troubled Ricardo who had Helguson for company in the six yard box. His fumble enabled Rangers to mount a sustained period of pressure for the first time in the game resulting in a free kick on the edge of the area for a foul on Helguson. Faurlin took the set piece and searched for a hole in the wall created by two parting QPR players without success.
The sides exchanged near misses as thoughts began to turn to half time pies and pints. Andy King let rip with a 25 yard volley the screamed somewhat closer to the top corner than the deathly silence which greeted it suggested. Then at the other end Taarabt played a beautiful through ball into Routledge who was denied by Ricardo in a one on one situation but he’d already been flagged offside.
Three minutes before the break Mee burst into the area and his low cross was partially cleared to Yakubu who tried a curling shot from the edge of the area that landed straight in Paddy Kenny’s bread basket. Within 60 seconds Bamba produced the same outcome with a back post header from a corner.
QPR weren’t doing enough – Danny Shittu apart, whose powerful sprint and body check to deny Vassell a clear path into the penalty area on the stroke of half time summed up a performance of total command and control. They weren’t troubling Leicester enough in attack, or getting to grips with them in wide areas in defence. Eriksson had set his team up very well and can’t have had too much to say at half time.
QPR signalled their intention for second half improvements with three very different attacks in the first five minutes. First a long free kick from Matt Connolly served as bait for Ricardo who raced from his line to try and claim over the top of Danny Shittu – the result was a predictable fumble that caused a scramble around Danny’s feet which Taarabt showed interest in but found the ball pinched off his toes by the relieved, recovering goalkeeper. Then a more attractive passing move saw Faurlin play in Helguson but he chose to switch the play back to the left when Akos Buzsaky had several acres of real estate all to himself down the right – he’d have been through on goal had he been passed the ball. And finally the resurgence was confirmed when the previously unflappable Bamba was booked for a crude chop on Helguson as another counter attack flowed forth – play on had been waved but the move eventually came to nothing.
It was better, but Vassell’s cross shot that looked for all the world like it was going to be converted in the six yard box by King until Derry nudged him past it after working hard to track back, reinforced the threat that faced QPR at the other end.
I was starting to wonder whether Shittu and Bamba had been separated at birth such was the similarity in their play. Bamba has played in the middle of midfield in the past (admittedly in the Scottish “Premier League” where Michael Duberry is still able to earn a living) but Shittu showed a few ball skills of his own before the hour mark when he dropped four and a half stone of shoulder, causing Heathrow bound planes to swerve the other way, and ghosted past Yakubu before delivering a long ball into the penalty area. Leicester failed to deal with that and Rangers worked it to Buzsaky in the right channel - his powerful drive to the near post was parried down into the danger zone by Ricardo but no home player had gambled on a rebound and the Foxes were able to clear.
There was a sense that Rangers were starting to move through the gears a little now, turning the screw as they had done in recent second halves against Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Ipswich. Wayne Routledge found some space to accelerate into and his pass to Helguson set up a crossing opportunity that Taarabt pictured ending in a half volleyed goal from 12 yards out until Bruma cleared it off the end of his boot. Then Taarabt sent a glorious whipped free kick into the near post after he’d been tripped by Oakley and Helguson headed over – the enigma of the Moroccan couldn’t possibly be summed up any better than the next free kick which was from almost exactly the same position but was this time inexplicably hacked high into the Q Block which I don’t think has seen a ball during the match since the last time Karl Ready appeared on this pitch masquerading as a footballer.
Memories of Danny Shittu’s 45 yarder that snapped the crossbar into three pieces in a pre-season friendly against Charlton years ago were reignited as the big man stepped forward and tried his luck in the next attack but this shot was mishit and flew wide. Maybe one day it will happen again, God I hope I’m there when it does.
Eriksson, perhaps sensing the game was starting to get away from his side a little, took off Vassell and sent on Waghorn in response and although the next chance in the game fell to Routledge – fired high into the side netting from a tight angle after being played in by Helguson – the former Sunderland man was to have an immediate impact.
Three minute after climbing off the bench Waghorn got the sniff of a chance as a routine long ball drifted down the field towards Matthew Connolly. Whether it’s a lack of confidence, over confidence, indecision, or an unwillingness to just clear the bloody ball down the field once in a while possibly fostered in Connolly’s mind during his Arsenal days the QPR defender, as he has done so often since Christmas, allowed the ball to bounce and short of posting an invitation to Waghorn earlier in the week by recorded delivery he could scarcely have given his opponent more encouragement. Waghorn was on the scene in a heartbeat, muscling, hassling and harrying Connolly into what was now an inevitable mistake. He got goal side of the stricken defender and now with only Kenny to beat and the distance to the goal being measured in feet and inches rather than yards a goal looked almost certain until he lifted a powerful volley over the bar.
Amazingly neither Connolly nor Waghorn learned a damn thing from the incident. Ten minutes later a long ball from Ricardo seemed to be heading plum onto Connolly’s head to be returned straight down the field but again he allowed it to bounce, this time literally ducking out of the way so it could do so, and Waghorn could barely conceal his delight. In raced the pint sized, pot bellied striker again and once more he lashed a more than presentable chance over the bar with the goal at his mercy. If Hall is out for six weeks as per usual I’d expect it to be Gorkss partnering Shittu rather than Connolly on this evidence – he looks like a man shorn of all confidence in himself.
In between those two gilt edged chances we’d had a ludicrous booking for Heidar Helguson who was accused of fouling Wellens when he’d clearly and obviously taken the ball. The teams had also had a near miss each – QPR’s came when Faurlin recognised the potential in a seemingly aimless long ball from Shittu and kept it in tight to the corner flag before setting up Taarabt and his dragged cross shot narrowly eluded Helguson at the back post. Leicester responded with an Andy King header against the cross bar after Yakubu crossed. Kenny didn’t get anywhere near it but a corner was given anyway – our referee based very few of his decisions on actual facts – and although Rangers were initially able to clear the ball was returned with interest by Yuke Abe but his shot flew over the bar. Like many Japanese players who come to the European game Abe was technically proficient, but physically lacking in this match.
Sensing Waghorn’s pace was unsettling Connolly (and as the little Wearsider had sparked further panic a goal mouth scramble a moment earlier why not?) Eriksson brought on our former loanee Lloyd Dyer with five minutes to go, but it was the withdrawal of Taarabt that drew the most attention. The Leicester fans cheered as the man they’d been told to fear was withdrawn, it seemed the hardest part of their work was done. Three minutes later, it was Miller time.
Initially QPR should have been awarded a foul as the ball dropped from a Clint Hill throw deep in his own half. Wayne Routledge was clearly tripped but East showed no interest and play went on. Routledge got to his feet, regathered possession, turned and then knocked a ball in behind the Leicester defence with the outside of his right foot. For the first time in the game Bamba suddenly found himself against a player in Hoops with more pace and power than he possesses. Miller sprung the offside trap, accelerated away from Bruma and Bamba, held off the latter and was able to stay within striking distance of the ball despite a heavy first touch on the edge of the area. And then… well, to describe it simply and dissect it scientifically he slid the ball calmly under Ricardo and into the back of the net with the outside of his right foot, losing his shorts in the process. To describe what it felt like, what it sounded like and what it meant is difficult in mere words. A similar goal scored on this ground by Paul Furlong in a play off semi final sprung to mind. A magical moment in a magical season. A gift wrapped twenty fourth birthday present for the loaned West Brom striker.
In a half of four substitutions (two of them made at the same time), one goal and no injuries Mr East added four minutes for reasons known only to himself, and then awarded Leicester another one of those corners that the rules of the game suggest should probably have been a goal kick, but it was to no avail, City’s chance had gone. Ultimately the referee played almost five extra minutes (perhaps he was enjoying himself) before bringing to an end a titanic contest that QPR barely did enough to win and Leicester will wonder how they lost. Results from elsewhere, on a day when QPR had the hardest fixture and everybody else was expected to win, appeared on the scoreboard to the audible delight of the home fans. The Rangers players down on the pitch surveyed them with smiles. When Swansea are losing at Scunthorpe you know it’s your day.
Did Leicester have the better of this game? Yes, for long periods of the game they were on top and they certainly created the better chances. A Leicester friend who drank with us before the game called it a “travesty” afterwards, Sven Goran Eriksson is always slightly more cautious with his choice of words but even he admitted that defeat was “hard to take” and “undeserved”. This result was many things, but one thing it wasn’t was a surprise.
The league table tells you everything you need to know about how QPR overcame a serious test and emerged from the other side the victors. I’m not so much referring to the positions (first v seventh at the start of play) as the wins, draws and losses column. QPR have only lost three times this season – you’d be wrong to assume that the other 32 games have all been sunshine, lollypops and walks in the park. Some of them have, like Middlesbrough last week, but many of them have been attritional wars and battles settled by moments of brilliance, mistakes and refereeing decisions. QPR keep going right to the end of games (18 goals in the last 15 minutes of matches so far this season) and find a way not to lose, often against the odds.
Leicester on the other hand have lost 11 away games this season the same as Sheffield United and Scunthorpe who are in the bottom three and two more than rock bottom Preston – only relegation haunted Crystal Palace have been beaten more on the road, 14. For all the talent they have, for all the chances they created here, for all the praise I’ve given them, the Foxes continue to find a way to lose games away from home.
This result gives QPR an eight point lead at the top of the table with healthy goal difference in their favour. Put another way, if Cardiff and Swansea both win all their remaining games QPR can lose two of theirs and still be promoted. It sounds so tantalisingly close when it’s put like that but if Leicester have taught us anything this weekend it’s that the job’s never done, until it’s done.
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QPR: Kenny 8, Orr, 7 Shittu 8, Hall 6 (Connolly 31, 5), Hill 7, Derry 7, Faurlin 7, Routledge 6, Taarabt 6 (Miller 86, -), Buzsaky 6 (Ephraim 90, -), Helguson 6
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Hulse, Smith, Moen
Booked: Helguson (foul)
Goals: Miller 88 (assisted Routledge)
Leicester: Ricardo 7, Naughton 7, Bruma 8, Bamba 8, Mee 8, Oakley 6, Wellens 6, King 6 (Gallagher 79, 6), Abe 6, Vassell 6 (Waghorn 65, 7), Yakubu 7 (Dyer 86, -)
Subs Not Used: Weale, Miguel Vitor, Teixeira, Berner
Booked: Bamba (foul)
QPR Man of the Match – Paddy Kenny 8 A close un thing between him and Shittu, with Kenny shading it for the astounding first half save which kept the score level and laid the platform for the win. I’ve seen some rather bitter sounding Leicester fans on their forums describing him as “an average Championship keeper.” The Oxford English Dictionary will include these posts in its next edition under the word ‘Wrong’.
Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire) 5 Infuriating at times, and a man who seemed to have no real feel for the game. He got several simple decisions wrong, awarding goal kicks for corners and vice versa – one or two are forgivable, three is maybe unlucky but when you start talking about a fourth or fifth one wrong then I’m afraid marks have to come off. Clint Hill could have been sent off for a foul in the first half that he wasn’t even booked for, then Helguson got booked for a tackle that, while robust, won the ball. Leicester had a good shout for a penalty in the first half too, although it was more than 20 minutes before QPR got a free kick of any sort so there was no bias involved. Basic bog standard Championship official really.
Attendance: 18,068 (3,200 Leicester) An excellent following from Leicester and a tense atmosphere inside Loftus Road. Hard as it is we need to support our lads more when the going is tough – the noise after the goal was unbelievable and I know the overriding feeling prior to that was terror but it may help the players if we could maybe quell that a bit and get behind them some more. Easier said than done as I spent most of this match trying to eat my own fist.