#23 Not Cutting the Mustard

QPR have played four crucial games since my last blog post with twelve valuable points up for grabs in our quest to stave off relegation. Two of those games were six pointers against fellow strugglers at the bottom of the Premier League. Games we went into on the back of our first back to back successes in the premiership and in good form by our recent standards. So how many points did we amass out of the twelve up for grabs.......one. One solitary point from twelve despite our efforts, that now leaves our beloved QPR staring relegation certainty in the face. I, like many fellow R's have been gutted to the core since the Villa game and I have not been able to blog about the R's until now, simply because I was just too upset. But now on the eve of our home fixture against Stoke, I like many other R's, am beginning to come to terms with the almost certain prospect of QPR playing back in the Championship next season.

Why did we fail so miserably to earn the required points in those games? Well a mixture of bad fortune, failure to execute chances and same terrible mistakes, pretty much like the rest of the season. Villa away should have seen us home and dry by half time, as chance after chance went begging with the woodwork also chipping into to deny the R's, whilst the Villa keeper was in inspired form. This was compounded on the stroke of half time when the R's failed to deal with a harmless Villa threat and conceded the equaliser. The second half saw a rejuvenated Villa get another two goals as a lack luster second half performance saw R's players guilty of unforgivable defensive errors that cost us dearly. Spur's loanee Townsend was again in inspirational form as he bagged another goal for the R's along with Jenas. Ultimately the game ended in defeat for QPR as three thousand plus crestfallen travelling R's made their way home wondering just how we managed to throw three points away. Down but not out, yet, and a two week wait for our next fixture away to Fulham.



Jenas celebrates his goal at Villa

True to form the R's managed to mess this game up in even more spectacular style than the previous game at Villa as the two break appeared to have not been of any benefit to the team. Two calamitous mistakes by R's record signing Samba saw him concede a penalty after 8 minutes and get caught in possession to gift Fulham's second goal on 22 minutes. This was further compounded by a Clint Hill own goal on 41 minute to see QPR go 3 nil down echoing memories of our disgraceful drubbing at the Cottage last season. After Zamora had  already wasted our best chance in the first half, the look on Harry's face when the third goal said it all. You just can not plan for individual errors like the ones that littered QPR's first half performance. However a determined Taarabt pulled one back for the R's on 45 minutes after a good finish to give us a glimmer of hope.

Undeterred, the magnificent R's away support remained in fantastic voice throughout, and at half time you would have thought it was the R's that were winning. A more determined R's came out in the second half and with nothing to lose the pressure was now on as wave after wave of QPR attack was launched on the hosts resulting in QPR being awarded a penalty. Sadly, Remy failed to convert as Schwarzer parried and one of four encroaching Fulham players cleared away the subsequent rebound. Undeterred, Remy made amends for his missed spot kick by converting another great chance minutes later, to reduce the deficit to one goal. The R's huffed and puffed for the remainder of the half, easily hammering Fulham in the second half but a combination of great saves from Schwarzer and the R's failing to finish saw the R's leave the Cottage with no points again and a second consecutive three two defeat.



Taarabt - on target again against Fulham

The following week QPR played hosts to perennial strugglers Wigan, in a game that simply had to be won. It would have been a sell out had Wigan managed to sell more than three hundred and forty tickets and the atmosphere was anxious. This was further compounded when Zamora was sent off for an inexplicable high footed challenge on Wigan's Gomez after twenty minutes. With everything for QPR to play for, Wigan failed to take advantage of the extra man and a blood and guts performance from the R's in the second half saw than take the lead with a a fantastic wonder goal form Remy with 5 minutes remaining. This sent the R's faithful into a frenzy as the atmosphere suddenly ignited to a crescendo of sound. As the clock ticked over for 90 minutes, a further 4 minutes of injury time was to be played. The R's back four were coping with Wigan assaults with Samba launching the ball to safety a few times in the dieing moments. Than in the last minute of injury time, QPR's resident clown, Mbia, gave away a needless free kick in a dangerous position. Mbia is a bit like Marmite, in that you like him or you don't. He is a nice bloke but, as a midfielder in the Premier League he is sadly lacking and naive. He persistently fouls and is always left on the deck whilst being guilty of many shameless dives. I have often said he is not ready to be a  midfielder yet and he would be best employed as a right back this season, as we have other players than can do the midfield job. Needless to say the resulting free kick was converted by Maloney to earn Wigan an undeserved point and silent the Loftus Road faithful. This proved to be the last kick of the game and looking around you could see on everyones faces, that they know the game is up for QPR and we are all but down. So very, very disappointing and so very, very painful. Not only did we fail to get the results we needed now,we have failed to get the results all season and the mess we are in is a result of the failings since August when the season began.



Remy scores wonder goal v Wigan

Harry and his troops headed to Everton the following week, still hurting after the cruel way in which fate conspired to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory the week before. The performance was predictably poor. As QPR rolled over and died after going one down just before half time to a wickedly deflected shot. The remainder of the game saw the R's offer very little and we ended the game losing 2 nil. The result leaves QPR ten points off safety with five games and fifteen points to play for and the likelihood of QPR's short Premiership tenure coming to an end soon.

To me, the last two seasons in the Premiership have been the most miserable in over forty years following the R's. For me it has been a nightmare and I've never felt comfortable with our Premiership status, something just didn't seem right. Yes there have been some good bits but on the whole it has been a horrible time compared to all the other years. This has been more painful than the other relegation's I've supported the R's through and that is because of the hope that we get from an era when we have been afforded the best resources and financial backing in our history. That hope fuels the agony and things have gone so very badly and wrong.

Most R's fans seem to have accepted that QPR will be relegated and many are talking of looking forward to next season in the Championship. I myself am reasonably optimistic about our prospects in the Championship, but then again I was optimistic about this season due to signings and the like. We should have done much better this season, but we have not. We should do well next year in the Championship, but will we. This is the QPR roller coaster and who knows who will still be with us next season on the playing and management side. We must wait and see. But we must get it right next time.

In the mean time, although there is a queue of fat lady's waiting to sing, it ain't over yet. And while there's a chance you don't give up,  because you never know.

So,Stoke at home tomorrow and three points to be won. Should we lose, its possible we could be relegated on Monday should results go against us. But, should we win, the fight is still on and Stoke are dragged into even more trouble.

What ever division we are in I'm QPR till I die.

Here we go again. Come on you R's.

The Bush Ranger

#16 The one that DIDN'T get away

Queens Park Rangers finally ended the agonising misery that has been the R's fans lot this season, with a convincing victory over local rivals Fulham, as Harry Redknapp's unbeaten start to his tenure was stretched to four games.

Taarabt
 

The R's started their 17th game of this campaign making two changes to last weeks starting eleven with Onuoha replacing the woeful Bosingwa (who had a torrid second half at Wigan last week) and R's favourite Faurlin coming in at the expense of Derry. Harry kept faith with Wright-Phillips as the team was again built around QPR's mercurial genius that is Adel Taarabt. Taarabt's task was to exploit the space behind front man Cisse and generally terrorise Fulham through the centre. Mackie and SWP were utilised wide, with Faurlin back in his familiar holding role assisted by Mbia, with the latter contributing to our attacking options as Taarabt occupied opposition defenders.

QPR hit the ground running for the second week in a row, quickly taking the initiative and forcing Fulham back, as Cisse and Taarabt both forcing saves from the Fulham keeper. Taarabt was orchestrating most of the R's attacking play as he dominated the hole from the centre circle up to Cisse and for 25 minutes Fulham could not cope as they were forced into making errors. QPR continued to create chances and Mackie uncharacteristically missed a golden chance to put the R's one up with only the keeper to beat, after cleverly capitalising on a Fulham error. Fulham's eventual response was to take the sting out of the game, trying to keep possession deep in their own half in the hope of frustrating QPR and the fans. This had a detrimental effect on the game and the last 20 minutes of the first half became a scrappy affair with silly errors from both sides. The sides went into half time level, with the R's a little aggrieved not to be leading as they had mustered six shots on target and another six off compared to Fulham's no efforts at all.

And they still could't stop him

QPR began the second half much the same as the first, with most of the offencive success happening centrally as the R's continued using Taarabt down the middle, following our unsuccessful   attempts attacking with width in recent weeks. The breakthrough moment came in the 52nd minute, when Taarabt again picked up the ball centrally and headed down the middle at pace, before unleashing a shot that deflected off Hangeland to send Swarzer the wrong way and Loftus Road ignited.

Fulham failed to respond, as QPR continued to control the game and rarely looked threatened as the R's looked capable of keeping a lead for the first time this season until the 68th minute, when the lead was doubled. Taarabt was fed by Mackie, who again went on another central run, keeping the ball as he bundled into a Fulham midfielder. Tab's took the ball further forward as the R's fans stood up in their seats in anticipation, Cisse made a cross run into the area, (Would have been off side if he got the ball) screaming for the ball as he took a defender with him, thus leaving just enough room for Tab's to stroke the ball into the bottom corner with the outside of his boot as the stadium erupted once more.

The Cottagers were again non responsive and on the whole were very negative (which is surprising when you consider they can be quite decent at home) and never looked like scoring until a deflected shot beat Green from outside the area with their first shot on target from open play. Personally, I think Green should have done better with it, as it was far enough out for him to respond. He was also responsible for a rare threat from Fulham when he kicked the ball straight to their forward in the first half. I don't think having Green in goal instills any confidence in the side and he is not an improvement on Kenny, but Cesar is, and I look forward to seeing Cesar back between the sticks asap.

Mackie and Tab's celebrate R's second goal

This unlikely goal in the 87th minute made for a nervy ending, but this was one lead that didn't get away, as we saw out the final minutes for our first victory. The team had worked hard ,the defence were sharper, more focused and committed, as were the midfield. Harry got the team pressing for the ball earlier and higher up the pitch, enabling Taarabt and the like to see much more of the ball and in turn created more chances than we had been creating of late, whilst restricting the opportunities against us. The performance today was in stark contrast to the lack luster shambles when we lost to Southampton and the improvement reaped the rewards it deserved.

We are not there yet, but it's a start.  We will need to have alternative options as Taarabt won't be able to do this every week and the team has to work very hard to accommodate this option. (Hence SWP's inclusion) SWP did work hard today, but again made mistakes and gave the ball away, as did Traore on the occasions we did go forward with any width. Surely the time has come to try a different option at left back. Having said that, Harry did drop our other inadequate full back, replacing him with Onuoha, who he did a better job than Bosingwa has been doing. (He's much better at FB than CH) Mbia had a better game, but I would still prefer to see him in the back four, where he only has to think about what's in front of him, at least until he's had a season to adjust in the premier league. 

QPR earned a deserved three points today, made all the sweeter as it was against our nearest rivals, was a good performance in front of a full house and ended our dismal winless run. Harry has now got the R's on a run of form. Four games undefeated with six Points, two more than his predecessors managed in the other thirteen games. As I have mentioned before, it was vitally important that Harry started picking up points straight away, so that we can have around fifteen or sixteen points come January 1st. We have three games until then, two at home against WBA and Liverpool and one away at Newcastle on Saturday. I don't think five points from nine would be an unrealistic ask. That would put us on fifteen and in with a chance. Confidence is on the up and the team is looking more solid and working for each other, why can't this run of form continue. All I know is, the last few weekends have not been ruined and last weekend was superb... and we're not bottom any more... and we're above Chelsea in the recent form table.

It's never an easy trip up at Newcastle, but if there is a good time to play at St James I'd like to think it is now with the Geordie's having lost six out of the last seven. If we can start in the ascendancy like the last two games and get an early goal, we should have a good chance, however unlikely that may seem. We're into the second half of the big seven games to the transfer window since Harry took over and have picked up half the points available whilst improving game by game. The R's fans confidence is building up again, are we going to do this? Newcastle will be a big indicator. Can we follow up our first victory with our first away victory? There's a good chance.

Come on you R's



The Bush Ranger