QPR survived a second half onslaught in sub-zero temperatures at Upton Park on Saturday to escape from their latest meeting with West Ham with a point.
Queens Park Rangers must wait until May to discover whether this was a point well won as part of an ongoing resurgence, or another damning indictment of the lack of ability in a team destined for the Championship.
Manager Harry Redknapp has good reason to think it’s the former. There was a determination and resoluteness about his team that has only been present since the turn of the year and a five match unbeaten run against three teams in the top seven of the Premier League, and a West Ham outfit that belied its own recent declining form to provide stiff opposition, is no mean feat.
This Hammers side may not be as aesthetically pleasing as some of the others to have graced the Upton Park pitch wearing claret and blue through the annuls of time, but it’s a team that knows its play-book inside out and operates like a machine. The play goes forward directly and early, second balls are won on the edge of the attacking third and worked into wide areas so that crosses can be delivered into the box where knock downs are collected and chances created. Purists wince and criticise, but a promotion and current position of twelfth in the first season back in the top flight tells its own story.
For the first 15 minutes of the second half on Saturday the ball rarely left West Ham’s possession, and stayed almost exclusively in the QPR red zone. A fifty fourth minute scramble of biblical proportions left bodies strewn across the penalty box after goalkeeper Julio Cesar saved from Marouane Chamakh, Ryan Nelsen blocked the follow up from Mo Diame, and Kevin Nolan headed over from close range. A minute later the ball was pinging around the danger area again until Stephane Mbia swooped in with a brave clearance that left him laying motionless in the goalmouth. Mbia later blocked a firmly struck Winston Reid volley that appeared destined for the net while Cesar saved another shot from Joe Cole at the near post after a handball appeal fell on deaf ears. The Mexican troops at the Battle of the Alamo would have been impressed with the relentlessness of it all – but QPR held on.
At Loftus Road in October Rangers, then under the management of Mark Hughes whose oft-stated defence of his dreadful reign in charge was that he prepared meticulously for every game, were disrespectful to Sam Allardyce’s men. They fielded a lightweight midfield four of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ale Faurlin, Esteban Granero and Ji-Sung Park that was wholly inadequate both in shape and physical presence to cope with the same West Ham three that started again in this return meeting: Diame, Nolan and Mark Noble. The result was a 2-1 away win that flattered the home team. Redknapp knew his team would have to be more streetwise for the trip to East London and they were certainly that with a tight, deep midfield two of Mbia and Shaun Derry providing stiffer resistance assisted by the hard work of Wright-Phillips and Jamie Mackie in wider areas.
And they weren’t hanging on for a point during that siege after half time either. By that stage QPR were actually winning. Club record signing Loic Remy combined well on debut with Adel Taarabt who was returned to a deeper lying attacking role after a recent spell as a lone striker. The Moroccan fed the Frenchman with cute through balls twice in the opening quarter of an hour only to be pulled up by offside decisions. When the home defence lazily pushed up looking for a flag on a third occasion Remy checked his step, sprung the trap, marched onto Taarabt’s exquisite pass and finished calmly past Jussi Jaaskelainen from 20 yards as if he was rolling the ball into an empty net in a training game. That was some start, and gave hope that a third consecutive hard-fought 1-0 away win could be Rangers’ for the taking.
But there was also plenty of evidence here to suggest that QPR are a million miles away from being good enough to successfully fight their current relegation battle in their present form. West Ham may indeed be well drilled, hard working, and extremely awkward to play against, but they’re no all conquering heroes and with just two wins from their previous 12 matches were in worse form than their visitors prior to the start of this game.
They fielded Chamakh as a lone striker with support from Matt Jarvis, Nolan and Cole who was booed throughout by the visiting fans for his decision to return to his boyhood club rather than sign on at Loftus Road at the start of the transfer window. Chamakh has, along with the likes of Gervinho and Aaron Ramsey, come to symbolise the flawed squad building policies that Arsenal are employing while desperately praying for strict financial fair play regulations to bring other clubs back towards them in the hunt for honours. The Moroccan striker has been farmed out on loan to West Ham after a lousy 18 months at Ashburton Grove and was welcomed to the east side of town by a Twitter message from the son of chairman David Sullivan criticising his ability and the club’s decision to sign him.
Here it was all QPR could do to hold him at bay – often literally. Clint Hill and Wright-Phillips were fortunate to survive to penalty shout on the half hour when the former had both arms around Chamakh as he received the ball with his back to goal, then the latter arrived on the scene after the West Ham man had turned and appeared to trip him as he prepared to shoot. It fell into the ‘seen them given’ category rather than any kind of stone wall appeal and Rangers were grateful that referee Howard Webb ignored the home team’s prolonged pleas for a spot kick.
And, for all the positives, this would have been a defeat every bit as comprehensive as the one at Loftus Road earlier in the season had QPR fielded a less able goalkeeper than Cesar. The Brazilian, man of the match in a 0-0 draw with Spurs last week, had to watch on Tuesday night as Rob Green pitched for inclusion against his former club with an outstanding performance in an FA Cup win at West Bromwich Albion. Redknapp’s decision to stick with the former Inter Milan man for the league games was quickly and repeatedly vindicated.
There were moments when Cesar rather rode his luck. A sixth minute corner was played short to Mo Diame who beat two men on his way to the byline and then sent in a low cross shot that Matt Jarvis somehow failed to poke in from almost on the goal line at the near post. Unsighted and with little time to react, Cesar allowed the ball to run between his legs, right along the line, and out for another corner on the far side. Later a long ball forward took one bounce in the six yard box and hopped into the goalkeeper’s arms when any slight touch from a plethora of players immediately in front of him would have sent it skimming into the net.
But more often the stopper was in outstanding form. After Diame’s near miss a second corner was nodded down by centre half Winston Reid and Kevin Nolan – an omnipresent threat to QPR – turned it goalwards from inside the six yard box but Cesar saved well with his legs. Later in the first half he highlighted his growing comfort with the physical side of the English game by rushing out of his goal to meet a high ball lofted towards Nolan with a punch over the former Newcastle man’s head. On the hour a firm header from Chamakh, intelligently directed and placed towards the bottom corner, looked like a goal for all money but Cesar executed his footwork well and dived down to his left to save the ball right on the line – an excellent save made to look far easier than it really was. Six minutes from time Mark Noble must have through he was about to win the game when Cesar rather rashly came out to meet him on the edge of the area but the goalkeeper remained upright to block the first shot, and then when Noble regathered the rebound and tried to run around the formidable Brazilian he quickly retook his position and was able to simply catch the chipped second effort.
And he can consider himself very unfortunate with the equalising goal too – scored at the midway point of the second half. Allardyce had replaced Chamakh with Carlton Cole by this stage and with almost his first touch of the ball the new arrival powered a header towards goal only for Cesar to produce a miraculous one-handed save to his left at no kind of range at all. You couldn’t help but feel sorry for the gloved warrior when the rebound fell plum onto the foot of Joe Cole who could scarcely miss from three yards out.
Nobody could deny the Irons deserved that equaliser. Rarely has a goal felt so inevitable. It might have come at the end of the first half had Diame not been dispossessed at the crucial moment by a fine covering tackle from Mbia after skipping around two would-be challengers at the edge of the penalty area; or during the waves of pressure exerted at the start of the second half; or ten minutes before the end when Diame shot wide with better options for a pass; or when the Hammers played a training ground free kick routine into Matt Jarvis who’d run free into the left channel of the penalty area but skewed a first time shot hopelessly wide; or right at the death when Cesar didn’t get sufficient distance on a punch and Clint Hill had to block a low shot away in the six yard box. West Ham certainly didn’t want for chances.
QPR on the other hand struggled to pose any threat whatsoever for long periods of the game. Centre backs Nelsen and Hill – selected between full backs Nedum Onuoha and Fabio Da Silva – were heroic in their efforts but their lack of pace not only requires the presence of Shaun Derry in front of them for extra protection against a massacre similar to the one Louis Suarez carried out on them three weeks ago, but also means Rangers are far, far too deep defensively and struggle to clear their lines.
Adel Taarabt running with the ball is one way the R’s can consistently maintain possession down field and relieve pressure on themselves, but West Ham’s method of dealing with him was predictably brutal. After setting up the first goal for Remy, the Moroccan could easily have doubled his assist total for the day with an outrageous flick to Shaun Wright-Phillips on the edge of the area after 21 minutes but unlike at Stamford Bridge, where the pair combined for a memorable winner, the much-maligned winger fired horribly high and wide. When they linked up again in similar style moments later Wright-Phillips fed in Mackie for a shot that was blocked behind for a corner by O’Brien. Five minutes later a nutmeg and dropped shoulder carried Taarabt past three men in the centre circle and Howard Webb’s decision not to then show a yellow card to Mark Noble for deliberately and cynically hacking him down was at best generous and, in actual fact, wrong. Noble was one of several players to have a crack at Taarabt’s shins on the day, but in the end the only booking of the game went the way of James Tomkins for a lunge on Armand Traore in the second half.
Redknapp had introduced Traore for Wright-Phillips on the hour to add extra guile and defensive nouse to the left flank and it had a good deal more positive impact than his other two changes. The decision to send Jay Bothroyd on for Jamie Mackie was no doubt done with the striker’s much improved display at West Brom during the week, but here he was largely back to his bad old self with a lethargic approach to lone striker play that did his team mates few favours. It also meant that Remy moved – for a brief time – to the right wing which you sense really isn’t his game and, even if it was, he was always going to struggle to match the work rate and defensive ability of Mackie. Sure enough, the equalising goal came down that side with Nedum Onuoha, who’d been struggling to keep tabs on Matt Jarvis even with Mackie’s help, now badly exposed. Ji-Sung Park was utilised for the last eight minutes, presumably for fresh legs, but he replaced Adel Taarabt who took what little creative ability and attacking intent QPR had shown to that point with him when he left.
And yet… and yet it could all have had a fairy tale ending for the Hoops. As the fourth official readied the stoppage time board Stephane Mbia suddenly found himself in possession, accelerating down the centre of the field into an under-staffed West Ham half with Bothroyd supporting to his left and Remy to his right. Bothroyd made an intelligent run to draw defenders away and leave space for Remy but it actually seemed to confuse Mbia more than help him and after mis-controlling the ball once and then appearing to fall over it he played a poor pass which caused the new French striker to check his run and cut inside before shooting and by that point Reid had been able to scramble across and block.
That would have been daylight – or winter gloom – robbery had it nestled in the back of the net but it will take a string of remarkable results and occurrences like that to get QPR out of the situation they find themselves in and better decision making and control of the ball from Mbia could have created a gilt edged chance rather than the half one it turned out to be.
So Rangers are left to wait and see whether this was a point well won or simply more water pouring into a stricken vessel. There is organisation and defensive steel to the team that simply wasn’t present before Harry Redknapp arrived. It should have been the first thing Mark Hughes instilled in a club that is always going to be an underdog in most Premier League matches, but apparently the last thing he thought of on his arrogant mission to show what a fabulous manager he is when he’s allowed to spend freely. It’s taken until January for QPR’s defence to start functioning as a unit but sadly it remains flawed by a lack of pace, it may all be in vain because of the results that have gone before, and it’s currently being done at the expense of attacking ambition and drive further down the field.
That considered, a point at Upton Park against that West Ham team playing as it did is probably a result worthy of praise regardless of how it was achieved or what it means in three or four months time.
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West Ham: Jaaskelainen 6, Demel 6, Reid 7, Tomkins 6, O’Brien 6, Noble 7, Diame 7, Nolan 8 (Vaz Te, 88 -), Jarvis 7, Cole 7, Chamakh 6 (Cole 62, 6)
Subs not used: Spiegel, Potts, Collison, Taylor, Diarra
Goals: J Cole 68 (assisted Jarvis/C Cole)
Bookings: Tomkins 72 (foul)
QPR: Cesar 9, Onuoha 6, Hill 7, Nelsen 7, Da Silva 7, Derry 6, Mbia 7, Mackie 5 (Bothroyd 67, 5), Wright-Phillips 5 (Traore 58, 6), Taarabt 7 (Park 82, -), Remy 6
Subs not used: Green, Ferdinand, Faurlin, Hoilett
Goals: Remy 14 (assisted Taarabt)
QPR Star Man – Julio Cesar 9 Not the most challenging decision on a Star Man award I’ve had to make this season it must be said. Rode his luck when he needed to, made outstanding saves the rest of the time, and while not quite winning the point single handedly he certainly had more to do with it than most. As the debate about David Da Gea’s future at Manchester United continues – another flap for a goal at Tottenham today – and with QPR reasonably likely to be a Championship team next season, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Old Trafford scouts aren’t having a little sniff around this situation by the end of the campaign if he keeps playing like this.
Referee – Howard Webb 8 It was something of a surprise to find Webb in charge of this one with Chelsea v Arsenal and Tottenham v Man Utd to come on the Sunday – and given the way Martin Atkinson and Chris Foy handled those fixtures I wonder if the authorities regret their decision. But this was a fixture that needed a strong referee and got one. I felt he should have produced a yellow card earlier and more often for the fairly obvious targeting of Taarabt, and West Ham will no doubt feel aggrieved by the first half penalty incident, but otherwise I felt he controlled the game well, was rarely more than ten yards away from a decision, and did his job extremely well.
Attendance 34,962 (2,000 QPR approx) There was much discussion before the game about just why QPR had decided to take a lower allocation of tickets for this fixture than they could have done. The club continues to air on the side of caution after being stung when a large allocation at Man City back in August didn’t sell – although for a 5.30pm ESPN kick off 200 miles away that was a fairly basic error on Rangers’ part and greater consultation with fans groups would help them get these allocations right in the future. I don’t know whether it was the cold, or the fact that QPR were on the back foot for the entire game, or a bit of both but I thought those of us who did get tickets were much quieter than we needed to be, and have been at most of the recent games home and away. It’s tough when you’re standing there watching your team get battered for a full game – the nerves and sense of inevitability about the defeat gripped me for most of the game – but in such circumstances the players could do with the vocal support and I felt it was lacking slightly from all of us. Totally understandable though.
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