Comedy of errors... not funny anymore

Following the great performance (but still a defeat) at Spurs last week QPR suffered a morale destroying defeat against Reading midweek. This was further compounded by an unacceptable first half performance and yet another defeat to West Ham, that leaves QPR rooted to the bottom of the table after the worst start to a season in our history.

How can this be? How can the attitude and belief of this team have been swept away in just a week? In my last post I waxed lyrical about how the R's had turned a corner and moved on to a new kind of mentality. Well its seems the Reading defeat has kick started a step or more backwards. Was I wrong in my conclusion? I hope not, but it seems clear that confidence and momentum has been lost for the moment. We didn't play well against Reading conceding stupid goals (again) and the West Ham game left me feeling sick at half time.(Two more goals gifted to the visitors.)

The last week has been painful. Just when I was beginning to feel that watching the R's wouldn't be so tortuous, R's fans are again in chronic agony. We have arguably the strongest squad in our history. We have signed players from, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Man U, Marseilles and the like. We have rich owners that care. So where has it gone wrong?

Well for the West Ham game Hughes has to carry the can for that. He simply got his team selection wrong, very wrong and subsequently the first 45 minutes were an embarrassment to QPR.
We cant defend at the best of times, so of late we have played higher up, at higher tempo in order to give the back four some respite but this tactic was not employed. We were second to everything and lost the physical battle. Faurlin and Granero were below par and nowhere near what we have grown to expect from them. Onuoha was woefully inadequate and Hill is better employed as a centre half and is not the player we know he can be when playing at full back. SWP, lots of work rate no end product, you know the script. Park just couldn't get in to the game. Cisse and Zamora just didn't do enough. They have got to make more of an impact every game. West Ham are not a good side, but they are effective and employed spoiling tactics that earned them no less than eight bookings. It's ironic that it was QPR that were reduced to ten men when West Ham looked the more likely to lose a man when you consider how cynical they were.

On the plus side Mbia showed signs that he could prove to be quite an astute signing and his distribution was clever and accurate. Taarabt came on and rubbed Hughes face well and truly in it, scoring a fantastic goal and more importantly putting in an industrious shift noticeably contributing to defending deep in our half for the half hour he played. Diakate too, was effective for his brief 20 minute cameo before being dismissed for two yellows. That was the point when the R's second half improvement and revival was halted and hopes of getting anything from the game were ended. Such a silly boy when will he learn.

Needless to say, people will be calling for Hughes head. Personally I didn't want him in the first place, but he's here now and I don't see how sacking him will help. The fact is we are crippled with injuries, more so in defence which is why we have conceded five sloppy goals in the last two games.
Basically to score against us just get in our box and let us do the rest, as the inevitable ensuing comedy of errors will lead to QPR conceding. This is the team Hughes has built and he knows what he wants to do with it. He hasn't done anything wrong (yet) so deserves a chance with a fully fit squad. He normally gets his game plan right although not today against West Ham. We cant afford to keep chopping and changing managers like we normally do. We are supposed to have turned a corner. This is supposed to be the start of taking QPR to the next level. Last week it looked that way, this week we look like the same old QPR. That's called a step backwards. I just hope over the ensuing weeks and months we take a lot more steps forward than backwards.

Hughes said we will never be in "that" position again while he's in charge. Well we are, so do something about in now Hughes before its too late. I still think we'll be fine, but when you're bottom of the league it makes you feel worse. We lost to Spurs but I still felt alright, I had hope. But after the debacle against West Ham I have to admit I am crestfallen, so gutted. R's fans all know that feeling. I thought the QPR revolution would stop days like that.

Still I'll be there at West Brom on Saturday to see if we can get our first win of the season. By then I should have replenished my hope and optimism. In fact we all will have. We're QPR fans, that's what we do.

Still early days yet

Blog to you soon.

The Bush Ranger

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