Time to Start Again

This week’s blog is a little late as I have been waiting in anticipation, monitoring the media desperately seeking confirmation that Leslie Mark Hughes has finally parted company with our beloved Queens Park Rangers. It’s now Tuesday afternoon and apart from a speculative frenzy last night, when the social media was frantic with rumours of Leslie’s demise, the latest from the Club, is that Hughes is still in his position.

Time to weild the Axe... NOW
 

Looking back to the debacle that was last Saturdays game against Southampton, which I’m sure you all know, was a game in which we were comprehensively beaten in what I think was our worst performance since we were promoted back to the Premiership. Worse even than the disgraceful displays away to Fulham and Chelsea and they were bad as well as painful and embarrassing. 

Hughes managed to surpass even his dizzy heights of ineptitude as he failed to inspire his team of now demoralised players. From start to finish we looked like a team beaten, without spirit or fight. These are the same players that looked to have turned a corner at Spurs, the same players that looked like they were going to take QPR to the next level. Sadly that no longer looks the case. Hughes has managed to take a group of talented and proven players and turn them in to quivering wrecks, devoid of any direction or hope and with no idea how they are supposed to be playing. Like us R’s fans they have also had to endure the complete rubbish that Hughes continually churns out. They now know he’s not up to this task, they have seen through all the spin and patter that he used to entice them to sign for QPR. We all fell for it, especially Fernandes and Beard.

The players, like the rest of us, have now realised there is no substance to Hughes, so imagine how they must feel. If we the fans are sick, angry and gutted,  imagine how the players feel. Imagine running your socks off in training working really hard only to see him pick SWP. Imagine how the likes of Hill, Derry and Mackie feel and in particular Hill who obviously doesn’t like playing at full back or he wouldn’t have publicly admitted his short comings in that position. (Hughes wasn’t happy with that) Imagine how Ferdinand felt when Zamora  said Terry was a top bloke before we played Chelsea this season, not the most tactful act in the interest of team harmony. How did  Granero, our best  central midfielder this season, feel on Saturday when Hughes played him on the right effectively taking him out of the game. The same applies to Hoilett, removed from the left (where he made his name at Blackburn) to do an unconvincing job playing just off Cisse, even though he did score. Hughes again wasted Taarabt by playing him wide and when we did attack there was never more than one man in the Saints area, why wasn’t  this addressed during the game?  I could go on but you’ve all seen what a mess he makes of picking this team. The point is he has unsettled the players (And that is putting it mildly). Many of  us have worked at places where the management hasn’t got a clue what they’re doing and meddling with what works. Sooner or later that wears you down and you can’t be bothered or at the very least you do not work at your best, it’s human nature. That’s what we have here,  the players have lost faith in Hughes and his staff. Nelson, Taarabt, Mackie are still fighting for our cause but they can’t do it on their own. It’s even got to the fans, the atmosphere on Saturday was far from what it should be at QPR. Even when we scored early in the second half, the R’s faithful seemed subdued, worn down and battered by Hughes repeated failings. Deep down we knew we weren’t going to turn this around today.

Some people feel the players are to blame, that they are showing no passion and are just here for the money. But it is also a fact that these players with the exception of Bosingwa and Traore( who should never wear  the hoops of QPR) started off playing well for QPR, but I think they are now completely demoralised and have no faith in the management.  Some of the players just are not good enough (SWP, Ferdinand, Traore, Bosingwa, Onuoha and Zamora) and are part of QPR’s flawed transfer policy (or lack of policy). The rot started with Warnock’s panic buys of Barton, SWP and Traore and continued with Hughes even worse transfer dealings. Quite simply Hughes was given too much power and secured “jobs for the boys” as he brought in his equally useless  backroom staff and he has had far too much input in the infrastructure that we are putting in for the future.

Taxi For Leslie
 

Hughes said he would complete QPR’s transfer deals early in the summer so that we could hit the ground running. We all new that the defence needed to be strengthened, but that did not happen. Not until Swansea destroyed us in August then it was more panic buying. Despite having the best ever transfer budget and resources in QPR history, Hughes has continued to make bad decisions and has wasted the talent and resources he has been afforded by Fernandes and the board. Ultimately this has culminated in Hughes being the worst manager in our history and his excuses for his continued failings no longer wash with us. (His latest was that it was difficult against  the Saints because we failed to perform. I thought it was his job to get the players to do that.) As I said before, Hughes and QPR peaked at Spurs,  (and we still lost) it was the only time we looked like an established premier league side, but that was the peak. It’s been all downhill from there with Reading in the cup being the catalyst in our downturn and Hughes had no answer or idea how to pick the players up after that disappointment. (This is the cup Hughes thought we could do well in) I thought that we might just get up to the next level after the Spurs performance, but now think we are fated never to have it good at the Bush, not while Hughes is at the helm. The time to have acted  was after the Everton game, but I think it may now be too late and we should be prepared for the worst.

The time has come for us to start again and this has to be done now to have any chance of avoiding relegation or a good chance of promotion should we fail to survive. This all starts with  the dismissal of Hughes and his staff. But will Tony Fernandes have the balls to fire him. We don’t want to make the same mistakes as Bolton and Blackburn where they did not fire a failing manager or worst still as Wolves who fired their manager too late. All three were relegated. On the other hand Sunderland successfully took evasive action in time last season, when they replaced Bruce whilst hovering at the bottom of the table and Chelsea sacked AVB and won the Champions League.

So Mr Fernandes you have to bite the bullet and remove Hughes from our club…NOW. It takes a big man to admit when something isn’t working and I believe you are big enough to do that. Failure to do so will only alienate you from the supporters you claim to listen to. The same supporters you have been trying to get to fill Loftus Road, a task you still find difficult to do, alienating them will only keep them away.  The stability  you should be aiming to achieve is continued membership of the premiership, essentially next season for the enormous amounts of money that will provide financial security as the new TV deal kicks in.

We at QPR have been the subject of ridicule in recent years due to the very instabilities that Fernandes fears, but at the moment some people pity us for the plight we find ourselves in, others are gloating and wish total oblivion on us and we are again  seen as a laughing stock. This is not good for the brand Fernandes is trying to cultivate on the world stage. Either way R’s fans love our club, but QPR is the cause of misery in the lives of many a QPR fan at the moment and that is down to one man.

As I come to the end of writing this blog, the media is reporting rumours that Beard asked Hughes to resign in a meeting yesterday but he refused. Has he got no shame. No one wants him at QPR, why doesn’t he do the honourable thing and go before Fernandes comes back to England and eventually sanctions the millions it will cost us to get rid of Hughes. A small price to pay for the chance to get someone else in to try and save us and the reward of next season’s multi millions on offer.

Here’s hoping to QPR being a Hughes free zone very soon.

Come on you R’s 

The Bush Ranger.

The End is Nigh....but for Hughes or QPR?

Wasted chance
 

One week on in the season and I made my way to the Britannia Stadium to see the R's, armed with blind optimism, a characteristic of R's fans, having convinced myself (again), that this will be the day QPR win. I arrived in the Potteries to be greeted by arguably the glummest match day ambiance I've encountered anywhere. Everywhere , Potters fans were trudging their way toward the ground, hands in pockets staring at the ground in silence like the matchstick men in LS Lowry's industrial paintings. Where was the match day buzz? And this was just outside the ground! Yes they are the loudest fans in the country, its just that it doesn't happen for long or that often. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the poor Stoke fans have only seen them win once in sixteen games but fortunately for them QPR were in town today to gift them a rare three points. 1200 or so faithful R's made the trip knowing their support was unlikely to be rewarded with points. In fairness to our Chairman, Tony Fernandes, he made the effort to thank us by visiting the R's in the away end, I even got to shake his hand but stopped short of asking him why Hughes was still with us, as up to that point I was still on the fence. After 90 minutes of football I had no option but to plant both feet firmly in the Hughes out camp.

The game itself was much like the season so far, with QPR seemingly unlucky to come away with nothing again. Stoke for their part, choose to play an ugly style of football, hoofing the ball long up to Crouch to knock down for Walters to gobble up. Ironically, on the odd occasion they decided to keep the ball on the deck and pass it, they did it quite well. But Stoke value their Premiership status above football so will not risk playing a prettier game for fear of ending up like, dare I say it, QPR.

Hughes made only the one change from the Reading game bringing back Faurlin at the expense of Mackie. Hoilett predominantly played on the left, as he used to at Blackburn last season and Taarabt played behind Cisse. (It has only taken MH 11 games to work that one out) On the whole the back four coped pretty well with Stokes aerial bombardment and set pieces, which was surprising after the failings against Reading. Bosingwa was wasteful and made too many wrong decisions, Traore ruined his first full 90 minutes in a while by being at fault for Stokes goal. Cisse was woeful, spending too much energy doing the wrong things whilst most of the R's chances went through Taarabt who was guilty of missing a guilt edged opportunity of giving QPR the lead by opting for an opulent chip instead of just slotting the ball home, which ultimately proved to be the difference between a point and nothing.

QPR played well from the back, through the middle but when the ball got to the front to Hoilett, Taarabt or Cisse never had an answer to beat a well organised and committed defence. When we did get to the final third we ran out of ideas, lacked direction and rarely got numbers in the opposition penalty area. Diakite played a more defencive role and his darting runs forward were missed today, but Granero was again clever with the ball and was unlucky not to score when his shot inside the area was well saved after good work from Taarabt. In summary we played the better football to a point, but couldn't score and conceded due to a mistake again and lost in true Mark Hughes style. Sound familiar?

Decisions to make
 

It would seem that this loss is the turning point for Hughes and his relationship with the fans as the final whistle was the cue for many R's fans to scream their displeasure at some of the players but reserved their most vociferous and bilious abuse for Mark Hughes. Scores of R's fans, their faces contorted with hate, mercilessly bombarded Hughes with verbal hostilities as he shook his head in disbelief as he scurried off down the tunnel. Bosingwa sprinted off the filed at full time and had been the first to receive the not too subtle opinions for the R's and looked visibly shaken by the abuse he had to entail, as were the likes of Ferdinand, Traore and Cisse, with the latter staring daggers at his tormentors.

This was a significant incident as it shows that Hughes has now lost the fans and if he stays and things don't improve, then the treatment that Steve Keane got at Blackburn will seem like a lovers courtship, compared to what he will get from R' fans whose patience has been stretched far beyond breaking point.

I also watched the players body language and how they interacted with Hughes and his staff in the warm up and the subs at half time and the impression I was left with was that they seem a little disillusioned with it all. They look as if they're not sure what they're supposed to be doing and are not enjoying playing for Hughes. I looked at the broken figure of Robert Green as he walked off the pitch after his half time warm up. His face looked haunted as he walked down the tunnel oblivious to the R's faithful in front of him. He looked hurt and broken by his experience at QPR as if living a nightmare. I get the impression the patience of the players is running out and think its just a matter of time before Hughes loses the dressing room. Mark Hughes has reached the end of the road and this is why I think he has to go.

What we have at the moment is as good as we are going to get from Mark Hughes. When we are not committing harikari in defence we will play the ball out through midfield up to the top and then it will all break down. That's it, he cant get us past that, his plan A in not good enough and he does not have a plan B. It's not just this season, the writing was on the wall last season. Of his minuscule six victories, only the win against Swansea was earned without a degree of good fortune. This season, of the goals we have scored, only the goals against Spurs and Man City were crafted as a result of a team move opening up the opposition and not having to rely on a piece of individual brilliance.
Look at his under achievement at Man City and all the players he bought that he could not get to fit in, but then did well when they moved on (eg Joe). Look at the players he bought that didn't play well for City until he left (eg Kompany) He avoided relegation with Blackburn playing a physical direct game and did similar at Fulham. He earned the one of the leagues poorest away records with Fulham a feat he's managed to make even worse at QPR, but he hasn't actually achieved anything. He's full of spin and talks a good story but he never delivers. I believe he's done all he can at QPR and that he and his staff a have run out of idea's. If I thought for one minute that they had a chance of turning things around I would keep quiet. But I haven't seen anything to suggest they can or will.

Hughes has more in common with Father Ted than just looks
 

If forty points is the magic figure to achieve for Premier League survival we will have to win 12 of our remaining 27 games. That's almost  a win every other game. Do you honestly think Mark Hughes has got what it takes to deliver that kind of ask? I don't think so and his record certainly suggests not. Hughes is now statistically the worst manager in the history of QPR.(Points achieved from those available ratio) Worse than the likes of Mullery and Burkinshaw and believe me that is bad. The worrying thing is that when things don't go according to his game plan he hasn't got a clue what to do. More worrying is his delusional reasoning, one of the latest being that Zamora has been effected by AJ's injury and that AJ was bought as Zamora likes to play with him. No Hughes, Zamora is not good enough,and never has been, for the Premiership, but you were too lazy to look for a more suitable striker, preferring to take the easy option and signing your former strike force. Not the best strategy for identifying players to purchase. Hughes won a few trophies as a player but as a manager he is a loser, a habitual loser who's habit rubs of on everyone. A loser that is turning our club and a team of proven winners into losers. His latest comment re the Stoke game was that he was "happy with the performance". We lost, again. He would rather we "play poor and win." Well yes Hughes you often get us to play poor, but we still lose.

Harsh words some may think, but I've sat of the fence for long enough in the hope that Hughes could turn this around. I've come to the conclusion its not going to happen for he is as calamitous as his look a like Father Ted. Replacing him with someone else is no guarantee, but it is the only chance we have of survival. Stick with Hughes and its bye bye Premiership football and the financial security of next seasons most lucrative ever premier league TV deal. The kind of money that will give Fernandes the kind of stability QPR FC really need.

So Mr Fernandes you have to decide whether Mark Hughes is going to keep QPR in the Premier League so that this club can become financially viable. Surly this is the kind of stability that is more important than managerial continuity.

Yes I am angry at the way things have gone and yes some of the players are to blame, but ultimately its the Manager that has to sort it out, so lets get a manager who can.
Strong views this week and its been difficult not to litter this piece with expletives but these are my views.Views that I am sharing with you reader and I welcome your comments and views via the source you found this blog on or on the comment option on this blog.

So next game is a sell out at home to Southampton and I refuse to even contemplate the possibility of defeat for my own sanity. But should it happen expect the hostilities to be stepped up against Hughes.

Its got to come right soon... right?

Come on you R's


The Bush Ranger.

NOT What the Doctor Ordered

One week on from the Arsenal defeat and the misery continues as QPR's quest to win a game continues. The QPR faithful turned up in slightly lower numbers to another Sky Super Sunday game, as a paltry Reading away following failed to even fill up  the top tier of the School End, giving more R's fans the opportunity to see the Rangers at Loftus Road. After a week of listening to Mark Hughes wax lyrical that he was pleased with the players hard work in training and how the players confidence and morale was high, you could be forgiven for thinking the Reading match would be "the day every thing comes right."  "A must win match" Hughes assured us and "the players know what they've got to do". However, the game turned out to be not what the doctor ordered, as QPR produced a lack lustre and limp performance against an awful Reading side.

An uninspiring 90 minutes of poor football saw QPR recover from yet again conceding a poor early goal whilst the watching TV audience were left with the impression that QPR are prime relegation candidates, as the R's rarely achieved the standard of football we have played this season that has lead to many R's fans feeling confident of survival this year. A better R's starting eleven (ie no SWP or Zamora) failed to show any of the said confidence and looked as if they were unsure of how they should be playing as it took them most of the first half to get going. The back four didn't cope adequately with Readings set pieces and aimless balls punted up field were easily dealt with by Morrison all afternoon. Only the impressive Diakite and Taarabt could hold a claim to have done well today although Granero, Nelson and Mackie did little wrong. The remainder did little of any note with Hoilett disappointing today and Ferdinand showing he is just not good enough for the Premiership.

Suffice to say, although QPR didn't play very well they still could have and should have won this game and this was certainly a valuable two points dropped. What I found more disappointing was Mark Hughes perception and comments on the game. He said Reading "didn't let us play our game." As if they were going to come to Loftus Road and let us do what we want, wise up Hughes. What that tells me is that he didn't have a plan B. Sadly it's starting to look as if Hughes or more importantly his coaching staff are running out of ideas. Surely Hughes is better than this. Personally I am not comfortable with his coaching staff and think this is where our failings mainly lie. I am not a great lover of "suited managers", much preferring "the track suit manager". Could it be that Hughes has delegated a large portion of the coaching and tactics to the likes of Bowen, Niedzwiecki and Hitchcock. Either way I feel that the reasons this group of talented and more that adequate players are under achieving is because of our Manager and his coaching team. I am now so frustrated that I now am left asking this question. Is STABILITY a good enough reason to continue with a seriously under performing management team? What I can tell you is Hughes took the helm at Loftus Road on January 10 2012, since then our Premier league record is W6 D6 L16 with only 2 points gained on our travels. I sincerely hope Hughes can turn this around and Tony Fernandes much coveted stability can be maintained. However, I have yet to see this manager do anything to convince me this is going to happen. Sadly, contrary to his pledge at the end of last season, I think this is going to be a season of much disappointment and frustration unless Hughes and his staff up their game and get this team to achieve their potential. Maybe it would be a little more palatable if Hughes was to show some emotion or even passion to the club, but as I said before I find him somewhat sterile and uncharismatic.

Fernandes is insistent that Hughes is the right man for the job and has been vociferous in the media in his support for his manager. Amit Bhatia has been uncharacteristically quiet of late on all things QPR and has not publicly endorsed our Chairman's faith in Hughes. I wonder if he or his wealthy father in law share Fernandes's view on the manger. Who knows for sure, but if rumours about the Mittals wanting out are true I doubt a difference in opinions will be of any benefit to QPR as a club. I watched Tony Fernades on London Call In on Thursday and he was his usual genuine self and I do like him, in fact I don't know how anyone couldn't like him. I just hope he knows what he is doing and that, should the worst happen, we survive as a football club and hopefully can come back. I do worry that should this happen his relationship with us fans could be damaged if ultimately, Hughes is reasonable for relegating QPR.

A quarter of the season has gone. Mark Hughes should be good enough to keep us in the Premier League. We have players good enough to keep us in the Premier League, but there is now a gap of six points between QPR and safety. If results continue as they have, time will soon begin to run out. So sooner rather than later something has got to change, be it our form or the Manager. The next two games see us at Stoke and then Southampton at home. Six points is a must if Hughes is to abate the poor run of results and achieve the target of seven points from three games including Reading.

Its been painful being an R's fan this season,since right from the off when Swansea hammered us at home, seriously denting all that hope and optimism we had built up in the summer. But like I said before, we are QPR fans, this is our lot. Who would have dared think we'd be in the Premier League now when Warnock took over in 2010. Our time is yet to come this season and I'll be there at the Britannia on Saturday to see if we can get our First win of the season and our first away win in a year. I just hope we can get our game back up to the same levels as at Spurs away. As I write this, there are still two hundred tickets left for our trip to Stoke, which will be on sale on the day if still available. Sometimes things happen when you least expect them and being a QPR supporter, you just can't help thinking this is going to be the game. God I hope so. Come on you R's.



The Bush Ranger

QPR Still Self Harming

The R's made the short trip to the Emirates not expecting to get much and duly obliged with another self inflicted defeat to halt any progress or realisation of the potential that is locked within this team.



Mbia' s moment of bad tempered petulance

QPR having managed to stop gifting goals to the opposition reverted to their old way of self harming by having a player needlessly sent off. Not only were they reduced to ten men for the last 10 minutes or so, but the man dismissed, Mbia, was our best defender on the day and was more than adequately dealing with all Arsenal had to offer on the day. On reflection things looked ominous from the moment Hughes announced his starting eleven, as he inexplicably recalled Wright-Phillips to replace Park and persisted in selecting Zamora to lead the line. Sadly though, Hughes game plan was to play for a draw and this negative approach saw the R's rarely utilise Zamora and Hoilett or the talents of Taarabt, when this was not one of the Gunners better teams and today was a good opportunity to get a rare three points at the Emirates.

Although negative in our approach to the game Arsenal were not much better until the second half when, as the home team should, they took the initiative and after some iffy handling in the first half Cesar made three or four class saves to keep QPR in the game. The back four were playing like a solid unit with the centre half pairing of Nelson and Mbia developing into a reliable partnership until Mbia's was sent off for a moment of bad tempered petulance that seems to be a trait of our imported footballers. Granero was good but not at his best playing the way Hughes had set us up. The main problem defensively is when we have to defend in two banks. The the rear bank of four seems to have settled but its the bank in front that is still naive in its defencive duties with far too many errors and this needs to be worked on. The hapless Wright-Phillips was again ineffective and gave the ball away needlessly so many times in the second half. Sadly, he is finished at this level and I cant think of any other team in the Premiership that would start him, in fact he would find it hard to get in a Championship side. Zamora, when given the opportunity, didn't do anything to justify a starting place next week. In fact it was only with the introduction of the energetic Mackie that we started to do anything positive coupled with the withdrawal of Zamora for Cisse. The R's two best chances of the game came late on when Granero shot wide after a great forward ball from Taarabt and then from Mackie who picked the ball up just inside the Arsenal half and beat off  three challenges before shooting at the lunging keeper from six yards. Arsenal's goal came from a scrambled effort that proved later to be offside, but should have been dealt with long before Arteta put it in.



Arsenal goal offside

In contrast to our recent visit to Arsenal's North London neighbours in Tottenham, this Rangers side played nothing like as well as they did at White Hart Lane, although we did what we were asked to do by Hughes well and could have, maybe should have got a point from this game. The atmosphere at the Emirates was again sterile and unfootball like, unlike at Spurs, but the travelling R's did their best to improve it. Personally I think the additional fan base Arsenal acquired to fill this stadium are not the kind of fans we are looking for at QPR, if we are to follow suit with our stadium ambitions. In fact if a new, larger stadium will result in an experience like the Emirates, you can keep it and I'll stick with my nice little Loftus Road with its real football fans.

We left White Hart Lane in defeat but filled with hope and expectancy having witnessed a progressive and positive display from the R's. We left the Emirates also in defeat, but with many questions that need answering. Why, in his press conference, did Hughes say he did not set up the team negatively? Why did he say he could not recall Arsenal having any chances apart from the one blasted over the bar from twelve yards by Cazorla? Why did Hughes start with SWP and Zamora? Why is he in denial over what actually happened in this match?.

Why is this talented QPR team under achieving and not winning games? Why do we continualy conspire to find ways of self harming ourselves in the form of throwing points away? Why have we only got three points in nine games? Why did Mbia, when playing so well, lose the plot and get sent off? Why have we gone eighteen premier leagues away games without a win (equivalent of a season)? Why did Mark Hughes sign Zamora? Why doesn't Hughes admit when he's wrong? Why has Mark Hughes only won one away game in almost eighty premier league outings? Why doesn't he have a plan B for matches? I could go on but these are the burning questions that need answering and addressing now and need discussing across the QPR forums.

We have a better squad than at least eight to ten other teams in the premiership and should be and could be much better. So where is it going wrong? Yes we have had a lot a bad luck of late and injuries but this is a results business and I'm finding it incredibly hard to defend our manager, Mark Hughes. Hughes has been given the best resources in the history of this club. He's been given the opportunity to build his own team, brought in his own people in the form the unimpressive "Taffia" Welsh/ex Chelsea contingent and been give time, lots of it. But his record at QPR is absolutely diabolical. Only 6 wins since he took over almost a year ago and just 2 points away from home, A worse record than Warnock had, when he got his marching orders. By anyboby's reckoning that is not good enough and any credibility he once held is negated by his continued insistence on picking players that aren't good enough and harm QPR. You could almost forgive the abysmal lack of away points if the home form was any good, but its not and to survive we have got to pick up our points at home. (Sooner as well as later)

Questions need answering. Does Hughes have the answers?
 

They say the table doesn't lie, however it is too early for it to tell the truth and we have certainly been worth more points than we have. I, like my fellow R's, am expecting a change in fortunes and for a run of form that will take us to the promised land of mid table mediocrity. Every game we hope this will be the game it starts to go right, but it doesn't. How long do we wait before we change it? I didn't want Hughes in the first place, but have been reluctant to get rid of him because of the unsettling effect that sacking a manager has. This has been all to familiar in our recent history. I really hope Hughes can turn it around for us. His biggest opportunity to redeem himself is about to be afforded to him in the next three games against Reading, Stoke and Southampton. Get this wrong Hughes and there will be nowhere to hide, no more excuses.  If he doesn't get the right results he will really feel the wrath of the QPR fans. The same QPR fans that I am yet to hear sing Hughes name in adulation.

We are still more than capable of staying up, we are a good team, but it will only happen under the correct stewardship. Now is your time, Mr Hughes, to prove you are that man and to lead QPR to its destiny on the journey that we know as the QPR revolution. For the sake of continuity I hope it is him.

Onwards and upwards, come on you R's.



The Bush Ranger.

A Step In The Right Direction

As the monotony of the international break came to an end, the R's played host to our visitors from the blue half of the Merseyside capital in the shape of high flying Everton. The Toffeemen, in stark contrast to the R's, are enjoying their best ever start to a Premier league season and a packed Loftus Road paid host to the Sky cameras as we waited in anticipation to see if we could pick up our first three point haul of the season.

The international break, normally unpopular with fans and disruptive to the clubs came at the right time for QPR as Mark Hughes and his "Taffia" coaching team were given an extra opportunity to work on our pitiful defence and the players fitness, all be it at the expense of QPR shoring up the table for another week. It would seem the break also gave Hughes the chance to do a little bit of thinking as he finally dropped Wright-Phillips from the starting eleven along the unreliable Ferdinand, opting instead to partner Mbia with Nelson. Hoilett, Diakite and Traore got starts as Hughes team selection took a step in the direction of what most R's fans have been crying out for.

QPR had a dream start, taking the lead within 3 minutes as Hoilett won a half clearance from an Everton corner deep in the R's half and ran the length of the pitch before unleashing a shot from the edge of the area that took a fortuitous deflection sending Howard the wrong way. This took a little pressure off the R's and enabled them to settle early, whist blowing Everton's game plan out of the window. The R's were steady without being spectacular for the next 30 minutes until Everton were awarded a free kick outside the R's area.  Zamora was busy barking orders at his team mates to mark their men only to do the opposite and let Distin, the man he was supposed to be marking, have a free header that hit the post only to rebound off the back of the unfortunate Cesar for the Everton equaliser. The next 5 minutes saw Everton come very close to getting a 2nd goal, hitting the bar as Rangers began to panic. The back four until then had been pretty solid and we only looked under threat from set pieces and when the defence needed support from elsewhere in the team. Neslon was again solid at the back and Mbia didn't put a foot wrong.

QPR continued to labour in the second half with Diakite lively and creating chances whilst the majestic Granero was in control in midfield, distributing the ball accurately and intelligently always keeping the ball moving and not afraid to compete with his Everton counterparts. Taarabt played well for periods and worked very hard again without making the spectacular impact he had done in his previous two outings. Sadly Park was disappointing again, although he worked hard he wasn't really effective and has yet to demonstrate the leadership qualities that are required to be skipper, personally I would have made Nelson captain. Zamora was poor (again) today and I have grave doubts about him. Yes he is good at holding the ball up but when we attack at pace and inter pass, the move always breaks down and the fluency is lost when it gets to him. His touch is awful and he can't lay the ball off at higher tempos and panics. He is much better as the last man in the move, as in the goal he got at Spurs. I really don't think he's the answer up front and think Hughes was very lazy signing him when looking for a striker. Hoilett did more than enough to prove he should start next game and should have had a penalty but was denied by the ref who also failed to give Everton a penalty in the first half.

Hughes was forced into two defencive substitutions late in the game with Nelson (Ferdinand) coming off with tight calf's and Traore (Onuoha) not up to 90 minutes yet. Zamora eventually came off for an enthusiastic Cisse who still doesn't seem to have mastered the rule of off side. Everton had Pinaar sent off for two yellows with around a quarter of the game left but QPR failed to capitalise as Everton put two resilient banks of four in front of the R's and QPR didn't want to take any risks although both teams had good chances to increase the scoring but on reflection a draw was a fair result.

It was a decent performance from QPR but we have played better this year and lost. We did show a few more glimpses of what we can achieve this year and it was disappointing not to win the game but at least we've stopped the rot. We can go to the Emirates next week with something to build on and are capable of taking a point at least.  Remember this is still a work in progress, all be it a slow progress. We are still bottom but still in touch with the pack. Just one or two wins can make a big difference to the table, our confidence and the perception of our club. Time is not running out for QPR yet, still 30 games to go and a winnable run of three games after Arsenal. But is time running out for Mark Hughes? No doubt the drama will unfold in the next 4 games. I'm still sure we'll be fine.

Come on you R's




The Bush Ranger

Same Old Story

Premier League matchday seven saw the R's travel to the Hawthorns for a winnable away fixture that frustratingly ended in another defeat continuing our dismal run of results but leaving us all puzzled as to how we still only have two points to show for our efforts to date.

For the second game in five days, QPR found themselves two goals down within 30 minutes after yet again gifting our opponents the lead as a result of defensive inadequacy. The 1400 travelling R's had only to wait 5 minutes to see a repeat of the now all too familiar defensive lapses that inevitably end with a goal conceded. Clint Hill was left to deal with (the annoying) Shane Long by Nelson when the latter was better placed to have dealt with him. Long left Hill for dead to cross a quality ball to the oncoming Morrison to nod past the helpless Cesar. I personally think Ferdinand could have busted more of a gut to try and win the header, but Long should have been dealt with before he could cross. From then on the R's were playing catch up. Hill for the remainder of the half had a torrid day at left back, but he has my sympathy as Hughes should never have picked Hill at full back, he's immense as a centre back but sadly lacking as a full back. Bosingwa returned to the side at right back and looked miles from fitness and also performed very poorly, not winning a header all day and frequently going missing in the first half as the Baggies hit us on the break. It looks like he was rushed back from injury as he didn't look ready to play today. Hughes also opted to play Mbia in the holding midfield role but alarmingly didn't look like half the player he was against West Ham. Twice in the opening minutes Mbia gave the ball away and never looked convincing whilst his distribution was not up to scratch. Its early days for him but on this showing he looks like a better centre back than midfielder and I would play him there next to Nelson.

15 minutes later an innocuous cross from the right was not dealt with by Ferdinand as he completely fluffed his clearance straight in to the path of Gera to slot home past the again helpless Cesar. 22 minutes gone, two nil down with only two away points since Hughes took charge at QPR, things were looking all too familiar and the likelihood of a point let alone three were remote at best.

The R's tried to press but were continually caught on the counter attack with both full backs often out of position and we could easily have been three or four goals down. Park had started the game playing off the striker and was mainly ineffective, whilst Taarabt was wasted out on the left.  Zamora continually dropped far too deep looking for the ball, but this changed when (now facing a two goal deficit) Taarabt started to drift inside switching with Park. Granero along with Taarabt  were the most effective for QPR and in the 35 minute Granero's deft little chip forward was met on the chest by Taarabt who then volleyed the ball home from 15 yards to send the travelling faithful wild.

Hughes mercifully replaced Hill with Traore at the break as QPR dominated possession looking for a equaliser, but without creating any clear cut chances. West Brom at this point were quite happy to put everyone behind the ball, making it very difficult for Rangers. SWP was again full of energy, but completely ineffective and should have done better with one of our few shots at goal. Thankfully he was finally replaced by Mackie who managed to be more effective on the right hand side. Nelson, easily our best defender on the day, comfortably dealt with West Brom's rare second half forages into the QPR area but going forward the R's always wanted to make one pass to many sideways and made it easy for the hosts to deal with. Zamora had a quiet day as we failed to play to his strengths. The excellent Taarabt put in an industrious shift and worked very hard continuing in his commitment to improve his work rate. Park was replaced by Hoillett after the R's fans had been chanting for his introduction to the game, however he did not have the time to effect the game significantly.

As the game approached the last five minutes a West Brom counter attack was not dealt with by a static, ball watching R's defence, with Traore not committed enough to try and win back the ball. As a result some quick inter passing found Mulumba unmarked to tap in from six yards to restore their two goal lead. This triggered a mass exodus of R's fans who missed the excellent Granero curl in his first goal for QPR in the 92nd minute. Then just to compound the way things are going for the R's at the moment Bosingwa wasted a chance to get QPR a draw with the last kick of the game, blasting the ball over the bar from seven yards.

To surmise, its pretty much been the same old story for the season so far. Yet again we have conceded goals from teams on the break as a result of pitiful defending and individual errors leaving ourselves mountains to climb. The R's had a go and were dominant for much of the second half but lacked the cutting edge in the last third. Defensively we were again diabolical, but we knew that last season. All through the summer we knew we needed a centre back but all we bought in was Neslon, who has been our best centre half this season followed by Hill. Ferdinand, in my opinion is sadly not consistent enough to do what we need in the Premier League. He makes too many errors and has a degree of naivety to his game. Traore and Onuoha are also inconsistent and the former is often guilty of being lazy and ball watching and seems disinterested in defending.  Hughes must be tearing his hair out because he has not been able to pick his best defence because of injuries and although we have improved the squad, he has been let down by them. Hughes needs to find a settled back four and stick with them (injuries permitting) as this is the part of the team that needs to gel most.

Hughes finds himself under increasing pressure and many R's are calling for his sacking. On Saturday I heard people moaning about the team selection, but I never heard anyone chanting for Hughes head. Some of his decisions are questionable. Why does he insist on starting SWP, does he not remember it wasn't until he dropped him last season that we started winning. Why does he play Hill at full back? I said before I'm not his greatest fan and find his management style sterile and emotionless. But has he really had a fair crack of the whip. Injuries have meant the defence has been unsettled and we have giving goals away for fun.We have shown glimpses of what we can achieve. The QPR revolution is still on and I believe this side will go on to the next level. It just starting to look as if its going to take longer than we all hoped. Like him or not Hughes is more than capable of keeping us up. In August I had not even contemplated the possibility of even flirting with the bottom three this season so the position were find ourselves in is painful for all R's fans. We all know we're playing well on the whole. The midfield is better than last year, but the defensive frailties have not been fully resolved. Personally I have reservations about some of Hughes back room team and would be happier if they got a good defencive coach in. I still believe QPR will avoid relegation because this team can play football. They now have to learn how to win games.

We are rock bottom as we go in to the international break. I, like my fellow R's, was so gutted on Saturday. We are still in pain. We are angry, I know I am, so feelings are running high, that's why I left it three days until I published this blog post for fear of saying something I might regret. I was mad at Hughes on Saturday, but I don't think sacking him will help QPR. I would like to think he knows what he is doing, please don't let me be wrong. The anti QPR brigade are slaughtering us at the moment, but there are thirty one games to go and come the end of the season I'm optimistic that we will comfortably survive and I will gladly stick my two fingers up at them. We know how we feel at the moment, so imagine how Hughes feels. The last thing he needs is the supporters on his back, so if you can't support him, it would be better to say nothing, the job in hand is hard enough.

Hopefully this two week break will give the injured players time to fully recover and for Hughes to iron out the problems besetting the defence. The only way is up now, starting next game against Everton.

Blog to you soon

The Bush Ranger

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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