Manchester official Andy Taylor is in charge of this weekend’s game at Molineux after making an eccentric start to the season.
Referee >>> Anthony Taylor (Manchester), a relative newcomer to the Premiership list who has so far shown 16 cards in two matches this season, including three reds.
Assistants >>> Dave Bryan (Lincolnshire) and Darren Cann (Norfolk)
Fourth Official >>> Mike Dean (Wirral), highly experienced official but not listed for a match this week.
West Brom 2 QPR 2, Monday December 14, 2009
On the rare occasions Rangers attacked they looked firstly to Taarabt’s skill and then to Agyemang’s power. That strong running of the target man almost yielded a penalty just before the break when Mete got caught the wrong side and then climbed all over Agyemang in the penalty box. Had the QPR man gone down a penalty would have been almost certain but he was honest, stayed on his feet and fired a terrible shot wide of the goal. This was the second time in the game Agyemang could, and probably should, have made more of serious contact in the penalty area and while his honesty is commendable we deserved at least one spot kick for the fouls on him if not two. There was less honesty on show from Taarabt a moment later as he first of all dived for a free kick that was given, and then jinked into the area and dived again after receiving it short but referee Anthony Taylor waved the appeals away.
Having weathered the initial storm Rangers then took the lead in fortuitous circumstances just before the hour mark. Adel Taarabt saw an ambitious long range shot deflected wide and while he was complaining about a perceived stamp from Mattock in the build up Watson hit a corner towards Gorkss and heavy pressure from the Latvian forced Olsoon into a flying header into his own net. Replays suggested that Gorkss had been very physical with Olson and in all honesty had probably fouled him but referee Taylor gave nothing and there were few complaints from the home side as QPR players gathered around the penalty spot for a sheepish celebration.
Di Matteo removed full back Zuiverloon and sent on giant driveway drug dealer Roman Bednar while QPR replaced Agyemang with Pellicori. I would say ‘the tiring Agyemang’ but it’s impossible to tell with Dave as he looks knackered pretty much from the kick off. He had tried his best to lead the line but should have gone over for at least one penalty and I still cannot shake the belief that he should only ever be used as a 20 minute impact sub towards the end of matches. Had we started with Simpson, who looked a little lost wide in midfield, up front alone and then replaced him with Agyemang late in the day on Monday we’d have been much better off I think and that idea was given further weight by Pellicori’s completely ineffective nine minutes on the field during which time only his chronic lack of pace and fitness were on show. He too looked completely knackered within seconds of arriving on the field, not a desirable attribute for somebody presumably sent on to work the centre backs and prevent them knocking long balls into our area unchallenged.
Still for all of that criticism one reasonable penalty shout from Roman Bednar, who fell like a mighty oak under challenge from Gorkss in the penalty area, was about as scary as the final five minutes got for Rangers as stoppage time approached.
West Brom: D Kiely 8, G Zuiverloon 7 (R Bednar 85, -), A Meite 5, J Olsson 6, J Mattock 5, C Brunt 6, G Jara 6, G Dorrans 7, J Thomas 8, L Moore 5 (C Wood 64, 6), S Cox 7
Subs not used: R Allsop, M Cech, F Teixeira, Y Mulumbu, S Martis
Booked: Brunt (foul), Cox (dissent)
Goals: Thomas 67 (assisted), Cox 90+3 (assisted Bednar)
QPR: R Cerny 6, P Ramage 5, D Stewart 7, K Gorkss 8, T Williams 6, Routledge 6, M Leigertwood 7, B Watson 6, J Simpson 5 (F Hall 90, -) A Taarabt 7 (A Faurlin 81, -), P Agyemang 6 (A Pellicori 84, -)
Subs not used: R Taylor, R Vine, M Alberti, J Parker
Goals: Olsson own goal 56 (assisted Watson), Gorkss 62 (assisted Watson)
Referee: A Taylor (Manchester) 7 Not too bad overall although he turned down very decent penalty shouts from Agyemang twice and Bednar late in the game. It could easily be argued that Gorkss fouled Olsson for his goal but Taylor was at least consistent in always allowing physical contact from corners and that’s all you can ask really. Allowed the game to flow, showed few cards, hardly noticeable for long periods.
QPR 0 Derby 2, Saturday September 27, 2008
Ledesma picked up another silly booking, for dissent this time, ten minutes before half time when Parejo was harshly penalised for a foul on Jordan Stewart and he disputed the award of the free kick. Typical all round really – Parejo had a poor match, Ledesma doesn’t know when to shut up and the referee was over fussy and whistle happy all afternoon. Derby had a half hearted appeal for a penalty in their final attack of the half, Damion Stewart tussled with Ellington under a cross from his namesake Jordan but there were few appeals and it looked like six of one to me.
QPR: Cerny 5, Connolly 6, Stewart 8, Hall 7, Delaney 6, Mahon 5 (Leigertwood 70, 6), Parejo 5, Rowlands 6, Ledesma 5 (Agyemang 77, 5), Buzsaky 5 (Cook 56, 7), Blackstock 5
Subs Not Used: Camp, Ramage
Booked: Ledesma (dissent)
Derby: Carroll 6, Connolly 7, Leacock 8, Albrechtsen 8, Stewart 7, Barazite 7 (Davies 84, -), Green 8, Addison 8, Pearson 7, Ellington 6 (Villa 76, 7), Hulse 7
Subs Not Used: Bywater, Kazmierczak, Nyatanga
Booked: Leacock (foul)
Goals: Albrechtsen 80 (assisted Barazite), Villa 89 (assisted Barazite)
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Greater Manchester) 5 Didn’t do a great deal wrong but he was often over fussy for me and a little whistle happy – blowing for fouls that could easily have been allowed to play on and generally interrupting the game when there was no need. The booking for Ledesma after a free kick was wrongly given against Parejo summed it up really, although Ledesma really must start keeping his mouth shut. Not too bad but not great either.
Southampton 2 QPR 3, Saturday February 9, 2008
Although QPR do have an excellent record on the south coast in recent years, they also have a habit of allowing the Saints to get an early goal. Saturday was no different with the home side in front inside the opening 60 seconds. Saints kicked off and knocked the obligatory long aimless ball down to the corner. Matthew Connolly allowed the ball to run past him and back into the area for Lee Camp to claim but the R’s stopper slid out of his penalty area on the greasy top conceding a free kick wide left.
Camp was lucky to escape without a card from rookie ref Anthony Taylor but his reprieve lasted barely another 20 seconds as Hammill delivered a low ball into the six yard box for Darren Powell to bundle into the bottom corner after being left completely unmarked. Not for the first time at St Mary’s Rangers were behind before many supporters had even taken their seats.
As with the start of the first half though it was Southampton in the ascendancy early on, pressing QPR back as they searched for a way back into the match. Unlike the first half though they didn’t create any clear cut chances. Lee Camp made an awesome point blank save from Wright Phillips after a quickly taken free kick but referee Taylor had already decided the set piece had been executed too quickly and he hauled the Saints back for another go. That, and an incident where he failed to allow Southampton to play advantage and then made them retake a free kick deep in their own half, summed up an overly fussy display from the official. Buzsaky fell foul of the rookie official with a fifth booking of the season (including one for Plymouth) for a foul, and petulant reaction to the decision, on fellow half time sub Saganowski.
The referee wasn’t helped by the linesman at the QPR end in the second half to whom the offside law was an inconvenient distraction to his watching of the game for free.
Things went from bad to worse for the home side when they were reduced to ten men with 20 minutes left to play. Agyemang went up for a bouncing ball with Andrew Davies and then spun round to try and get a boot to the subsequent loose ball. Safri beat the QPR man to it and hooked the ball back to his keeper but then inexplicably followed through with a crude, thigh high, studs up lunge that left Agyemang writhing in agony on the turf. There was only one decision Taylor could give and once the melee had died down the red card was flashed in Safri’s direction. Agyemang wasn’t fit to continue and was replaced by Dexter Blackstock – QPR fans were relieved to see their red hot striker out on the touchline warming down a short time later. Wright Phillips was also lucky to get away without further punishment for a petulant flick out at Zesh Rehman but Safri could have no complaints about his fate.
Southampton: Davis 5, Thomas 4 (Viafara 52, 6), Powell 5, Davies 6, Wright 3, Hammill 7 (Saganowski 46, 6), Safri 5, Euell 4, Surman 7, Wright-Phillips 5 (Lallana 68, 6), John 6
Subs Not Used: Bialkowski, Idiakez
Sent Off: Safri (78) (violent conduct)
Booked: Powell (foul) , Viafara (foul)
Goals: Powell 1 (assisted Hammil), John 90 (assisted Viafara)
QPR: Camp 7, Mancienne 7, Rehman 8, Connolly 7, Delaney 8, Lee 6 (Buzsaky 46, 7), Mahon 7, Rowlands 8, Ephraim 7 (Leigertwood 83, -),Vine 8, Agyemang 8 (Blackstock 79, 7)
Subs Not Used: Pickens, Stewart
Booked: Buzsaky (dissent), Delaney (foul)
Goals: Rowlands 38 (assisted Vine), Agyemang 45 (assisted Ephraim), 60 (assisted Camp)
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Greater Manchester) – 5 - Over fussy at times and seemed to give Southampton the benefit of the doubt on numerous occasions in the second half Missed Wright Phillips kicking Rehman off the ball in the second half. Had no choice with the sending off.
Championship >>> A couple of highly charged local derbies stick out like a sore thumb from the Championship fixture list this weekend – both with early kick offs. Premiership referee Lee Mason is charged with keeping order at Millwall v West Ham while the experienced Scott Mathieson has Forest v Derby. Jon Moss, promoted to the Premiership list this year but still without a top flight game to his name, takes Blackpool v Cardiff.
League One >>> Another Premiership official yet to do a top flight game this season is Chris Foy and the St Helens official is two leagues down this weekend for MK Dons v Huddersfield. Our old mate Andy D’Urso has Brentford v Preston and QPR fan Iain Williamson takes Walsall v Scunthorpe.
League Two >>> Tony Bates, recipient of a rare 1/10 mark on LFW at Barnsley away last season, has Bristol Rovers v Aldershot.
Andy Impey follows @loftforwords on Twitter. Is there a bigger endorsement than that?