Well adrift of safety with only three games left to play, there's an inevitability about QPR's fate now as they head into Sunday's game at Manchester City.
Conceding a late goal to lose a match against Liverpool eh? Novel idea. Shame QPR had already tried it out twice previously this season before Steven Gerrard rose to head home at the Kop End last Saturday.
That goal brought about the long weary sigh of somebody subjected to a five day insurance seminar, rather than the crushing disappointment such footballing moments usually induce. There was just an inevitability about it. Not even Matt Murray could raise an eyebrow at it.
It followed Chelsea's eighty eighth minute winner at Loftus Road, Aston Villa's eighty sixth minute equaliser the game before that, Hull's last minute winner in February, Southampton's injury time decider in the home game before that, Swansea's equaliser during the second reading of the classified football results over Christmas and Sergio Aguero's second equaliser in the corresponding fixture between these two in November. I make that 11 points surrendered after the eighty third minute of matches this season which, if maintained, would put the R's fourteenth on 38 points and almost safe.
Chris Ramsey seems highly likely to be given the manager's job at QPR despite the impending relegation — a two-year-contract has been prepared according to Darren Lewis, a friend of Ramsey's, at The Mirror. The results — two wins and two draws from 12 games — suggest that would be foolish but Ramsey has undoubtedly brought a lot of good things to the role and perhaps deserves a chance to carry things on with his own team and a new season. There is a perception that he, and QPR, have been unlucky, not only with the points lost late in games but also with incidents like the penalties not given against Tottenham and an early disallowed goal at Anfield last week.
When asked why Rangers are struggling the manager almost always reaches for the late goals conceded as the prime reason, saying it shows the team lack sufficient quality and concentration to go "right to the end" with Premier League teams. It will be all those last-second heartbreaks this season that Rangers will regret the most on the long Tuesday night trek up to Rotherham next season.
I also see it as a season of what might have been, but not because of that propensity to panic and hide in the airing cupboard just when the games get to a really crucial moment. I think back to the first meeting between these sides this season and can’t help but think we'd have been better served by a more gung-ho attitude to it all. A more carefree, attacking approach to games could have yielded greater reward.
Let's not forget just how well QPR played in that match back in November, alcohol hanging in the air, Loftus Road gleaming under the lights, supporters peering through the bonfire smoke at a fabulous spectacle. City are a billion pound team and reigning champions, but Rangers certainly weren't in the mood to respect reputations that night. Joe Hart had already made two fabulous saves, and Charlie Austin had two goals disallowed, before the striker slipped in the first goal after twenty minutes. Rangers were at it, tearing into their opposition, taking no prisoners. They were going right for City's throat and sending the blood gushing far and wide. It was raucous stuff, riotously entertaining, fiercely exciting. In the end, only the brilliance of Sergio Aguero ensured City left with a point.
When you think of that performance, it's amazing to think that QPR will be relegated this season. But, to a large extent, they're going to die wondering.
Harry Redknapp's approach to the early away games — "bonus games" — should be right at the front and centre of any inquest into the 2014/15 campaign. As one message board poster pointed out this week, even a team as awful as Sunderland (who QPR have comfortably beaten twice) have been able to dig in and get eight draws on the road this season. Still, like Rangers, just the two wins, but six more points through drawn away matches. Could QPR really not have done the same? When you think of how limp they were in average games at the likes of Everton, Burnley and Newcastle.
But while Ramsey has certainly brought a vastly improved attitude, and more attacking outlook on the road, he too has been consumed with caution on occasions — no more so than the last two games against West Ham and Liverpool which QPR needed to win but took just a single point from with Karl Henry at left wing and four centre halves along the back four.
Would QPR have done any worse had they just gone at every game like they did that City fixture? Load the torpedo tubes and prepare to fire, to hell with what they throw back at us. Given that we're second bottom, probably not. Would we have had a lot more fun and lot fewer regrets? Almost certainly.
As we head to City again, almost certainly relegated, two doubts about Ramsey niggle away at me every time I sit down and consider whether I want him to be our manager next season.
Firstly, is this hoof it long to Bobby, play four centre halves across the back four, play Karl Henry at left wing stuff simply a man working with what he's got? Or would he, next season, given the chance to make his own signings, go out and get another Bobby Zamora, another central midfielder for the left wing, another load of centre backs for full back? Because I can quite happily pitch a tent in Aidy Boothroyd's back garden a lot cheaper than buying a QPR season ticket if I want to watch that sort of monotonous shit for a full season.
Secondly, are the things I like about Ramsey - solid coaching, giving youngsters a chance, representing the club well, speaking well, scouting future opponents, holding the players to high standards in training - just basic things that any manager would bring. Is it simply that two years of Harry Redknapp sticking his head out of the portacabin every now and again to ask Bondy where he's put the red sauce has made even the very, very basics of modern day football management and coaching look like some unattainable, exotic dream to us at QPR?
Given that, after this, we're likely to have nothing to play for against a dire Newcastle side and then at Leicester, I'll find the approach of the team and management to those games very interesting indeed.
Links >>> Pellegrini's harsh reality — opposition focus >>> Hamstrung by a poor summer — interview >>> Jamie Pollock, bigger than Jesus — history >>> Dean gets City game again — referee >>> Chris Ramsey's election round-up — presser
Jamie Mackie flies through the air to put ten-man QPR into an improbably 2-1 lead against Man City on the final day of the 2011/12 season. Everybody knows what happened next…
Bobby Zamora will play through his various bumps and bruises once more and Leroy Fer should be able to start his second game in succession as he comes back from injury.
City lost Samir Nasri for the rest of the season with an ankle knock sustained three seconds after coming on as a second half substitute in the win at Tottenham last weekend but other than that have a fully fit squad to choose from. Gulp.
Elsewhere: At the business end of what Richard Keys used to call "the best league in the world" (he'd certainly smash it) hearty congratulations must go to Sky Sports for succeeding in picking four matches with absolutely nothing at stake for their subscribers in the month when they announced an increase in their fees.
Once they've finished picking you up by the ankles and trying to shake the change out, you can settle back down to enjoy Crystal Palace (safe) v Louis Van Gaal (almost guaranteed fourth) on Saturday evening. Waiting to pounce in the unlikely event that Van Gaal loses two of his final three matches, are the collective men of Liverpool together as one and you can see them go to see Big Racist John and the Referee Baiters on Sunday knowing that if Van Gaal has won the day before their task is almost impossible, and even if they haven't they still need to win all their remaining games and hope for favours.
That comes after Man City (second) v QPR (almost certainly relegated) and before Arsenal v Swansea on Monday night, which is about as pointless an exercise as you're ever likely to see in football.
It's BT that have spotted that five into one doesn't go at the bottom and plumped for Everton's home game with Sunderland. Any kind of result for the Wearsiders in that early game will put the frighteners on the teams above them, particularly Newcastle who are two points ahead and on a run of eight straight defeats. Carvs Carver says he's the best coach in the Premier League, but admits there's a chance his players are no longer listening to him. Steady down Poirot.
The other sides involved in that shemozzle all have winnable games — Jack Grealish at home to Big Fat Sam's Big Fat Farewell Tour, Tigers Tigers Rah Rah Rah at home to Burnley and Leicester at home to Southampton who have one eye on the beach. It could be a very poor week for North East football supporters this weekend — not inconceivable that Newcastle and Sunderland be left on their own to slog out that final spot.
There is also — brace yourselves — Meticulous Mark and the Taffia v Tottenham. If you're going to that you need to reassess things.
Referee: Just for a change, a meeting between these two sides is refereed by Mike Dean. You may remember him, justifiably, dismissing Joey Barton in this fixture the day Man City won the league and, somewhat less reasonably, booking Sandro for QPR's first foul of the game in the first meeting this season after previously letting three City players off with a warning for worse offences. The ego has landed, and you can read his full QPR case file here.
QPR: QPR have only won twice away from home this season — at West Brom and Sunderland — and have only managed one draw at Aston Villa. The other 14 away fixtures have all been lost. The West Brom victory snapped a run of five straight defeats, just as the Sunderland win had done immediately before that, and the R's go to Eastlands ona run of four without a win. Bobby Zamora’s last seven Premier League goals have all been away from home.
Predictions: Reigning Prediction League champion WestonSuperR tells us…
"Is there a single QPR fan that genuinely thinks we can do it? If so get to the bookies because if you are right you will make a fortune.
"We are of course are all but down and playing against a Man City side who are second in the table and thoroughly decent at home. I would be amazed if we are still playing for anything in our next match against Newcastle. Rather than holding anything back I'd like to see us have a real go at Man City but little hope of this when we didn't manage to do this v West Ham.
"Man City to cruise to an easy victory."
John's Prediction: Man City 2-0 QPR. No scorer.
LFW's Prediction: Man City 3-0 QPR. No scorer.
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