A fabulous unbeaten January that catapulted QPR into automatic promotion contention has now been undermined by a hectic and largely disappointing February, which Steve Hardy reviews for us.
After one fantastic January we seem to have suffered a relatively miserable February. However, it is worth noting that in this crazy division things can change between positive and negative as quickly as Watford change their manager. Let’s take a dive into a month that consisted of seven games including four defeats, two draws and the solitary victory, more worryingly however it also included four games in which we were shut out.
Considering how much has happened since the beginning of February it is mad to think that at the start of the month we were still in the FA Cup, although another defeat at bloody Peterborough put paid to that. I don’t think there is any need to criticise either the team or manager for the performance or team selection here as on another day we take some of those chances and it’s a different game - what became more worrying as the month progressed was those chances seemed to dry up.
Following the round of games that weekend it transpired that had we made it through we would have faced Man City under the lights at the Kiyan Prince, an opportunity missed some may say, but I genuinely think this may have done us a favour considering how the rest of the month panned out. Let’s face it, sevem games in a month that is only four weeks long is going to put a huge demand on any squad let alone one as small as ours. Now February is out of the way we start the first two weeks in March with no mid-week games, further time to allow players to recover and precious time on the training pitch. There is still a long way to go and it may not have seemed it at the time but that defeat to Peterborough could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Following the FA Cup exit we headed back to W12 for what I would call the game of the season in terms of entertainment value. We beat Middlesbrough away back in August but they are now a completely different beast since Chris Wilder has taken the helm, playing on the front foot and pressing us high up the field it made for a great game with both teams playing how they wanted to. Middlesbrough did play well however I thought we matched them for large periods of the first half. We did tire as the second half went on and unfortunately this saw us sit deeper and deeper resulting in the inevitable equaliser. Warburton claimed it was two points dropped at the time, but I thought it was a useful point as long as we could pick up points on the road against two supposedly weaker sides. Now, with the benefit of hindsight this point looks even more valuable considering how we fared in the next two matches.
So, Barnsley away. What more can I really add to what has already been written about this, Charity Park Rangers and all that malarkey. But I think what really frustrates about this was just how flat and devoid of ideas we looked, bar the Lyndon Dykes chance with the last kick I can’t actually remember us threatening at all throughout the game and when you saw some of the results of the teams around us after the game this was a huge opportunity missed. This result doesn’t seem as bad now when you look at Barnsley form since, but it really should have been a game where we were up for it right from the start looking to really get a solid foot in the top six, but it just wasn’t to be. A real disappointment for another very impressive travelling support.
Another quick turnaround in games meant we were off to lovely Bermondsey the following Tuesday and if we thought the Barnsley performance was bad this was absolutely woeful. This felt like one of those games where we’d lost before the game had even kicked off, it was really poor. It reminded me of some of those abject away days that we suffered under both McClaren and Holloway and the only positive was that the defeat wasn’t heavier than 2-0. I was really disappointed coming away from The Den after this one, it felt like we’d been bullied out of a game that we were never in and similar to when I came away from the Peterborough defeat in October I was questioning whether we were actually as good as we think we are. With two home games on the horizon, despite only being February, there was now added pressure on them.
Back in the bush for our first Saturday 3pm game since Reading and it’s amazing how quickly the mood and feeling can change in this division. A mere three weeks since our thrashing of The Roayls you could sense the nerves in the air around the place and matters weren’t helped with us falling a goal behind in the first half. A lot has been made about our ability to win points from trailing positions this season and you do have to give credit to the team for getting something out of this game when it did seem that we could have thrown it away but you still couldn’t help but feel this was two points dropped. We don’t seem to have much joy with linesman on that Ellerslie Road side of the ground this year and had we had a competent one during this game we would have come away with the three points after Adomah’s goal was incorrectly flagged offside. At the time I thought this was an awful decision as the ball deflected off a defender during the first passage of play but when you see the stills of it then it really was a poor decision from the official. Those fine lines that I have mentioned in the past really showing themselves during the month. However, the age old cliché of it evening out over a season seemed to take place, for example if Joe Lumley doesn’t pass the ball to Chrissy Willock we lose to Middlesbrough and if the linesman against Hull actually understood the rules of association football we win that game. I suppose it’s just another firm example of the rank standard of officiating in this division.
I feel like this post has taken on a rather negative feel although I hope that has not come across as me writing off the team like some of the naysayers you get on social media because it isn’t the case at all. Ultimately a Championship season is a long old slog, filled with teams all very similar to each other trying to beat a visiting team that is holding out for a nil nil, your form will vary no matter who you are and that is why one good January does not make you a world beater and one average February does not make you the worst team in the league. It’s all about staying level headed. Saying that though, how good was that Blackpool game? Under the lights in W12, only 12,000 there making that noise, only ten men on the pitch for over half the game and yet we still muster a victory. In the last minute. Out of nowhere. One of my highlights of the season this game was, not only for how we won it but the fact that part of that winning effort all came from players that have been on the fringes this year. The reaction at the end showed how tight this group is, every player happy for George Thomas. It’s why I love this team so much and no matter where we finish this season they’re a bunch we should be proud of, especially when you consider some of the absolute garbage we have had stealing a living from this club in the recent past.
We started the month with two games against teams that ended with Borough and finished the month with two teams than began with Black, which is quite possibly one of the most boring and pointless observations ever, but I couldn’t help but feel that Blackburn game was one too many for our tired troops. We were never really in it and again hindsight is easy here as had that game ended deadlocked we would be toasting to a solid end to the month and good battling point at a ground we never win on. But I just couldn’t help but think how tired we looked, not just after the exertion of the Blackpool game but also with the sheer amount of football we had played over the previous four weeks — I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that enough. Not the result anyone wanted but another away game that we didn’t deserve anything from.
So, with 12 games now remaining where does this leave us? Ultimately we’re still in a fantastic position and we must not forget that. To use the age old adage we are never as good as we think we are after a victory and we are never as bad as we think we are after a defeat. Warburton has preached calm and that’s what we need. There are still 12 games to go and now February is out of the way the volume of fixtures eases up, I spoke earlier about having two weeks straight with no midweek games and I believe we’ll see a real difference in energy and tempo in those games. February was always going to be a tough month irrelevant of who we were playing due to the sheer volume of games we had, professional athletes they may be but they are still mortal beings and seven games across four weeks is enough to have anyone blowing out of their arse. Onwards we go and now is the time we really need to get behind the boys as we enter that home straight. That atmosphere against Blackpool was something special and that needs to be maintained. Come on you R’s.
Before I go just a couple of housekeeping points. First of all a massive congratulations to Ale Faurlin on a fantastic career, easily the best passer of a ball I have ever seen at our club and may his retirement be as glorious as that left foot of his. And finally best of luck to everyone climbing Mount Snowdon on March 1 for Dottie’s journey, a fantastic cause and hopefully everyone can dig deep to help them achieve their goal — another fantastic example of why we all love this club so much.
February grade — C
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