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Comment | Sublime Kranjcar ensures unhappy return for Hughes — report
at 23:43:53
My first visit to Loftus Rd this season, and it looked alarmingly like some of the Hughes era matches to me. The 3-2 defeat to Reading in the League Cup particularly comes to mind. A mediocre team with plenty of pace made it look like a fox had got into the Rangers hen-house with every counter attack.
A great free-kick from Nico saved the day. But as he said himself in his post match interview, the quality of football needs a lot of improvement.
Maybe as you say we had too many natural number 10s and no holding midfield players (until Henry came on). But certainly that type of performance won't help us out of the bottom 3.
Oh - and I liked your piece in the programme about clapping former players. I always clap former players unless they have done something pretty inexcusable. I remember being in the Loft when Phil Parkes first came back with West Ham. That was the first time I experienced a former player getting warm applause and it had a great effect on me. Maybe that's why I still like doing it today. |
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Comment | End of term report — attack
at 14:56:47
The following may be considered sacrilege, but here goes... Charlie Austin is brave, a hard worker, a popular player with team-mates, and scored 20 goals for us last season. All good. But I don't think we will stay up if he and Bobby Zamora are the sum total of our striking options. I thought that the better teams kept Charlie pretty quiet last season, and the stats back me up. In the regular league season the highest placed team he scored against was Bournemouth, who were 9th, and of his 17 league goals 12 were against the bottom eight. Who knows what he can achieve next season - I certainly don't - but we can't hope to rely on him for goals to the extent we did last season. |
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Comment | End of term report - midfield
at 10:26:36
I have to be honest - I voted for Joey Barton as player of the season. I thought we looked a far poorer team without him (admittedly I didn't see Ipswich away though), and he deserves an A for me. Kranjcar I always loved watching - but I take your points about fitness and end product. I'd have given him a B but perhaps I'm just a shallow individual who likes seeing players doing clever things for no good reason. But Karl Henry getting the same rating as Nico??? I honestly thought he was one of the least technically competent midfielder players I have ever seen at this level. His ability to dwell on the ball long enough to get caught in possession was a sight to behold. And his more "combative" qualities didn't make up for it. D for me I'm afraid. |
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Comment | End of term report — defence
at 10:03:29
I was right with you to almost the end of this. Green, Hill, Simpson, Chief, Dunne - spot on. But imo you're more than a little hard on BAE. I agree the feigning injury when missing a vital tackle stuff was laughable, as was nearly ending up in a fight with your own team-mate (which evidently isn't limited to his club appearances...), but for the first half of the season I thought he was a key player. Nobody's perfect, being on loan it was bound to be unsettling when Tottenham changed their manager, but I think over the whole season he deserves a more favourable verdict. C at least. |
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Comment | A way to win - report
at 10:43:43
Your report says it all. An atmosphere I thought I would never experience - having previously only made it to Wembley for the damp squib of 86, although I was also at Highbury for the semi in 82.
I can't pretend to be a die hard supporter. My trips to away games are few and far between, and I long ago left the Loft for a vantage point in the sedate peace and quiet of Ellerslie Road. But to experience the atmosphere and be part of that 38,000 - and witness such a win against the odds, it was just the most amazing thing.
No point in commenting on the match itself - it's all been said. But as for the atmosphere: I think the flags on all the seats were a great idea. It gave our end of the ground a definite advantage. I spoke to a good mate of mine who is a Derby fan afterwards and they felt under pressure from the start when they had expected to out-cheer us easily. That was the effect of the flags.
I've made a vow to enjoy next season whatever happens. Hope I can keep it - but reading Loft for Words will definitely help. |
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Comment | Derby County 0 — 1 Queens Park Rangers : As it happened
at 23:44:45
Without any question the most amazing experience I have ever had at a football match in the 43 years since I first set foot inside Loftus Road. I thought I was too long in the tooth to be so completely taken over by the emotion of an occasion like that. What did I know?
The writers of Roy of the Rovers would never have dared to come up with something as implausible storyline, but despite it all we will be back in the Premier League next season.
As Marshy so accurately says, performances this year have been pretty unimpressive on the whole, and, as Harry will know better than anyone, quite a few new players will be needed if we are to hold our own next year. But all that is for later!
Saturday was just a great day - both on the pitch and in the stands. Something I thought I would probably never experience again as an R's fan. As good as, indeed eclipsing, that rather enjoyable 1-0 win against West Brom at Highbury in 82 (I'm too young to remember 67).
I'm particularly pleased for Junior Hoilett, who I think has worked hard all season and never shirked from taking people on - even if it hasn't always worked out. On Saturday he did that one last time, got a cross in, and somehow something quite remarkable happened.
Only sad thing is that possibly as many as half the players who played at Wembley may never pull on a Rangers shirt again.
When I'm sitting in the Ellerslie Road stand next January, the ground is quiet as the grave, we're 2-0 down against Hull (or whoever) and the league table doesn't make great reading, I will remember May 24th... |
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Comment | Fool me once… - Opposition profile
at 11:51:05
The "Karl Henry could be in line for a start" bit is in there to put the opposition off the scent presumably.
Mind you the question of who should play alongside Joey has dogged us all season and I'm not in possession of a magic answer. Carroll? Too lightweight and I've only seen him play well when he had to take responsibility because Barton wasn't in the side. Jenas or Ale Faurlin? Injured. Kranjcar? Has done pretty well there imo but I agree with your points in the Wigan home leg report - if his fitness doesn't prevent him finishing the game his over enthusiastic tackling probably will (especially if it goes to extra time). So I would play him elsewhere.
Which leaves Henry or O'Neill I suppose. In the land of the blind the one-eyed man in King, and so O'Neill gets my vote. Better first touch, better distribution, reasonable ball winner and less prone to getting caught in possession or giving the ball away.
Not an option that fills me with confidence - but the best available imo. |
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Comment | Austin beats QPR’s path to Wembley Way — report
at 13:37:41
Spot on report. If all the players can match that level of commitment, energy and self-belief at Wembley then we must have a chance. It was a real old-fashioned frenetic cup tie from the moment Wigan scored. I agree with all your player ratings except one. I thought Junior Hoilett never gave up, was always trying to take people on, and ultimately won the penalty which turned the match around. He deserves an 8 imo along with almost everyone else.
My abiding memory is of Joey Barton twisting and turning in the centre circle to get some space to make a telling pass - but everyone was terrific. First time I've seen Yun Suk-Young for more than a cameo and I thought he was excellent.
And like you I was really surprised that Ravel Morrison didn't start - but actually when he did come on he was poor. He's a great talent but starve him of space as Wigan did and he vanishes.
Just hope I can get decent seats for the final by the time Phase 4 comes around. On my only previous visit to the new Wembley I was in the back row of the upper tier behind the goal. It was like watching subbuteo... |
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Comment | Unlikely heroes to the fore in five-star QPR victory — report
at 13:03:43
Great for 20 mins, ok for 20 mins, awful for 45 mins and then unstoppable for 5 mins plus injury time. For me the hour in the middle of the game was largely Forest's, and that was because Henry and Carroll were totally overrun in midfield. I accept he's a trier but for me Karl Henry is such a limited player - receives the ball, dwells on it, and with luck finds a team-mate somewhere nearer our goal to pass to. And his tackling doesn't make up for it imo. I just hope Joey Barton is fit and free from suspension for the play-offs.
When we had the ball in Forest's half I thought we looked excellent and fair play to Zamora - he came on and made a real difference. But for me Ravel Morrison was the talisman. Get the ball to him in space and defenders start to panic as soon as he runs at them. And that in turn gave space for Carroll, Benayoun and Hoilett to create plenty of opportunities.
If we can control midfield (which Barton can do at this level imo) and sort out the defending at set pieces then I think Morrison gives us a decent shout in the play-offs. |
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Comment | Green’s heroics preserve win for spirited QPR — report
at 12:43:19
The best goal I've seen us score this season - although admittedly I don't get to every game. It was only when I watched the 60 seconds on YouTube afterwards that I saw Clint Hill's back heel. Magic!
However, as you say Clive it was a moment of real quality and understanding that we didn't really repeat - although everyone worked hard. And although Ravel Morrison faded badly - and is as you say very like Tarrabt - we desperately need someone like that. As soon as he starts running at defenders they are back- pedalling and being pulled out of position, which creates space for others to exploit. I think he is a potential match winner in every game provided he can maintain his focus and confidence.
I am still concerned about all the chopping and changing of players. I did a tot up and that was the 33rd different combination used in midfield and up front out of our 38 league games. It cannot be possible for players to develop real understanding with each other in that situation.
Mind you a lot of it is down to injuries. When you look at the decline at Nottingham Forest, whose injury crisis is similar to ours, you could argue that Harry has done an excellent job recruiting players at short notice to keep us as high as third.
Beating a top six team was a big plus at this stage - and if players regain fitness and Morrison is on his game I don't see why going up via the play-offs should be impossible. |
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Comment | Late heartbreak for Hill as QPR continue to stutter - report
at 10:41:30
Yes - I agree with all the other posts. 7 points above Reading with a game in hand gives us a fighting chance of making the play-offs, and in a lottery who knows?
As for the game, Leeds are bang on mid-table for a reason and the draw didn't flatter them. We all know the problems: no pace, no continuity of selection resulting in no understanding between players and as a result laboriously slow build-up play which is easy to defend against. The injured players were missed of course, but I'm not sure it looked that different from games earlier in the season when everyone was fit.
Having said all that I am looking forward to seeing Kranjcar and Morrison on the pitch together. Probably none of the other 20 players on the field will know what either of them will do next - but it should be fun to watch. |
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Comment | McCleary’s rocket helps Reading slay ragged Rangers — report
at 13:04:05
Excellent report. As you say, the basics of a well organised, hard-working and reasonably mobile defence, combined with a willingness to counter attack in numbers with pace, movement and good understanding between players has done us again. For me the Leicester, Burnley and Reading games had a very similar pattern - only the scorelines differed.
Personally I don't think it makes any odds whether it's 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. We played 4-5-1 against Leicester and it was just the same. We have good technical players but very little pace and they don't get enough time on the field with each other to develop a good understanding. By my reckoning Keane was the 21st player we've used in a midfield or striking role in a league game so far this season.
And I know we were 3-1 down by then, but leaving Joey Barton as the man on the half-way line while the rest went up for a corner was asking for trouble against a quick counter-attacking team. The inevitable happened - he was beaten for pace and booked 10 secs later playing emergency right back and is now suspended.
On paper we've got some easier games coming up, but this is where we'll start to really miss Charlie Austin imo. All his 14 league goals have come against teams currently in the bottom half of the table. That's a goal a game compared with none in 12 against the top half. So Doyle, Maiga and Keane really do need to do it now, or games we would expect to win will become draws or worse.
Personally I reckon we'll make the play-offs, but there is no evidence that we will get beyond the semi-finals. |
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Comment | Boardroom uncertainty threatens Reading return attempt — opposition profile
at 09:31:55
I take the point that we are having a better season than Reading, but "top 2 all season" is over-egging it a bit. A quick tot up from the fixtures and results page of my most recent programme (and adding the two results since) shows us top 2 for just under half the time - after 14 of our 29 matches in fact.
That feels more like it to me. "Up there challenging", "as good a chance as anyone bar Leicester" -I'd go along with that. But top 2 all season we neither have been nor have deserved to be... |
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Comment | New boys shine in pulsating six goal thriller — report
at 22:50:17
A thoroughly absorbing game from my vantage point on my sofa, which gave me a lot of hope. Couple of things struck me that haven't been mentioned yet:
1. Assuming we'll be seeing 4-4-2 pretty regularly for the rest of the season (and presumably Harry didn't sign 4 strikers with the intention of only playing one a time), then for me Kranjcar has to play centrally alongside Barton. Wide on the left (as against Bolton) didn't really work as he was forever coming infield, congesting central midfield. But against Burnley he was excellent.
2. Bit controversial this one but here we go. Good as Charlie Austin has been I saw an immediate understanding between Johnson and Doyle which created far more chances than in any previous game I've seen. So in 10 games time his shoulder injury might seem not have been such a disaster after all. |
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Comment | Henry’s surprise strike brings just reward to Austin’s bravery — report
at 22:42:00
Yes - the atmosphere was pretty subdued. Highlight for me was the Bolton fans singing their version of Blaydon Races - which unless I'm mistaken refers to their previous ground. So who's for a chorus of "Coming along the Uxbridge Road to see the Queen's Park Rangers" while it's still true? |
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Comment | Here’s what you could have won — preview
at 09:58:32
Your fears about an immediate return to the Premier League - £50 a ticket to watch another season of ultimately futile struggle - match my own. Still it could be worse. When we went up in 1973 I and my friends (age 13) spent the first half of most "big" games wandering around the Loft trying to find our own fans while avoiding the sporadic outbreaks of fighting. So I missed most of the action... |
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Comment | QPR finally cut loose and demolish in-form Ipswich — report
at 10:40:52
Good to see Tom Carroll as your MOTM. I actually thought that on an otherwise dire evening he looked the pick of the players in the second half against Forest. I wonder whether he struggles to "express himself" when he's got Joey Barton for company, taking every set piece and generally being in charge. Perhaps Saturday will be his coming of age. Hope so. "Who should play alongside Joey?" isn't a question I've been at all able to answer so far this season... |
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Comment | The most inevitable 0-0 draw in the history of the sport — report
at 10:37:55
Excellent match report as ever - particularly for those of us who were saved the tedium by not having enough loyalty points to get a ticket. But from the games I've seen this season (only 6 I admit), I disagree with one point you make. Personally I like it that Matty Phillips and Junior Hoilett vary what they do, sometimes cutting inside to shoot, sometimes getting to the byline and crossing. Playing only one striker we need variety and we need goals from midfield, and they offer a bit of this (2 each to date...). Two decent central defenders can usually stop Charlie Austin finding any space, so if all we do is cross we won't get very far imo. |
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