Chris King on the remarkable turnaround in QPR’s fortunes on their own patch and what still needs to be done to secure Premiership survival.
Four wins on the bounce at home are unusual for any team. Even more incongruous, however, is that three of these victories took place against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool. Perhaps the above title may need to be added to a plaque above the players’ entrance, just as a memento of this most incredible run of results.
Saturday’s game followed a similar pattern to the Arsenal and Liverpool ties. Allow the opposition plenty of possession on the edge of the area, and organise in such a way as to nullify the threat posed by their creative outlets, while maintaining a sense of urgency in the final third of the pitch. On Saturday, it was panic stations at the back for Spurs almost from the off, with Brad Friedel being forced into a succession of poor clearances and mistimed kicks into Row Z by the pressure of Bobby Zamora, Adel Taarabt and Jamie Mackie, who had a whale of a time forcing Benoît Assou-Ekotto and his comedy hairstyle into hurried clearances and a couple of untimely slips.
Taarabt, being asked to fulfil an unfamiliar defensive role by Mark Hughes, was the catalyst for all that was good about the home side’s sporadic attacking forays. His sublime free kick, curled past Friedel following a questionable handball decision against Sandro, made it 1-0 after 24 minutes to set up the most agonising hour or so of the season.
It was a heroic effort to keep the visiting side at bay, and Luka Modrić, Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon (a second half substitute), and Rafael Van Der Vaart were made to look incredibly ordinary. Spurs had no answer to the R’s defensive wall, marshalled expertly by Joey Barton, who since his self-imposed Twitter moratorium has been a far better on-pitch presence and mercifully begun to resemble a proper, inspirational captain. Taye Taiwo’s jittery beginnings in W12 were long behind him, as he superbly neutered the threat of Lennon following his introduction after the break, and the Rangers goalkeeper illustrated to the assembled footballing press and television cameras just who the real King Kenny is with a series of tremendous saves, and that ever ready nature that is the mark of a top ‘keeper.
When the whistle blew after an inexplicable five minutes of added time, the relief and tumult around the stadium was evident on the faces of every QPR supporter. The R’s had done it, despite a late sending off for Adel Taarabt, which referee Mark Clattenburg managed to make an absolute mess off, when he first booked the R’s playmaker and then “remembered” he’d brandished the yellow in the first half, forcing him to dismiss Taarabt amidst bemusement and fury from fans and Hughes alike.
Not all the results went Rangers’ way at the weekend, particularly Norwich City’s dismal surrender in their clash with Blackburn Rovers, which brought Steve Kean’s side closer to QPR and Wigan, who occupy sixteenth and seventeenth places respectively. Despite the run of results, and this most unexpected of victories, Rangers will still have to pull off one of the greatest escapes in Premier League history to avoid the drop. Hughes side are, infuriatingly, still hamstrung by an absolute inability to play away from home.
The R’s haven’t won a match on the road since November, 3-2 against Stoke City, and have lost their last five games away from Loftus Road. Something has to give, but with Chelsea and Manchester City the remaining trips to be made, we might have to wait until next season to correct that abysmal record by which time we may be in a different division. A crumb of comfort lies in the fact that Chelsea could, if successful against Barcelona in their midweek Champions League showdown, be somewhat distracted and “less bothered” about chasing fourth spot.
It is difficult to create the sort of intensity and vitriolic atmosphere for the opposition that the supporters managed on Saturday, in grounds that are not our own. Despite this, it certainly appears that Hughes is bedding into the role slightly more than he was in the early months of the year. Rangers have spirit, belief and tenacity, but also the sort of organisation that has been lacking from so many games this season. A slow starter, undoubtedly, but Hughes’ Premier League experience cannot be doubted. With the tantalising prospect of a potential double over Chelsea, and the personal glory for the boss to be garnered through coming away from Stamford Bridge with even a point, stopping the away rot cannot be entirely ruled out.
One minor snag will be the absence of Taarabt, which may well see Akos Buzsaky brought back into a narrow five man midfield alongside Barton, Mackie, Derry and the wonderfully combative and mobile Diakité, supporting lone Ranger Bobby Zamora up front. Zamora’s hold up play against Spurs was sublime, and could prove pivotal in ensuring that Chelsea don’t rule the possession statistics as playing Cissé might enable them to. As for the Frenchman, his suspensions looked to have doomed QPR to relegation a few weeks ago, but he is available again just in the nick of time.
The Stoke City game on May 6, which worryingly some appear to be labelling a “forgone conclusion”, will, if not decide whether the R’s stay up, condemn us to relegation if it is lost. All those of a blue and white persuasion will be watching Aston Villa-Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday very keenly indeed. With two games in hand on Rangers, Bolton could either profit from this, or it could well be the nail in their coffin. Playing catch up is difficult enough at any time of the year, particularly with a small squad still reeling from the near-tragedy of Fabrice Muamba, and one playing on tired legs.
Still, for now, the haunting echo of “The R’s are staying up” will be the soundtrack to many a Queens Park Rangers fan’s week; at home at least, there’s no stopping us right now.
Tweet @chriskking, @loftforwords
Pictures – Action Images