Here's how Steve McClaren is rediscovering his mojo at QPR

[QPRDave]

Read and enjoy, positive read

https://www.thesackrace.com/news/22n...is-mojo-at-qpr

[QPRDave]

Queens Park Rangers are currently among the Championship’s in-form teams - we explore how Steve McClaren has turned things around at Loftus Road.

Nightmare start

When a manager has not been able to succeed in high-profile jobs, as was the case in McClaren’s tenures with England and Newcastle, they sometimes struggle to re-discover their mojo in lower-profile jobs due to the increased scrutiny on them.

Many questioned QPR’s decision to appoint McClaren and there must have been doubts about his future after even the first four games; not only did they lose each of those encounters, they conceded 13 goals including a shocking 7-1 defeat at West Brom, where they gave their opponents wide open spaces to attack and score six second-half goals.

After that result was followed by a 3-0 home loss to Bristol City, any pre-season optimism of a more possession-based style of play went out of the window.

The subsequent turnaround shows that no conclusions should be drawn in August.

Improved defence

Nobody could have predicted what followed. Over the last nine rounds of Championship fixtures, QPR have taken 17 points – only Sheffield United have accrued more – and they have only conceded six goals.

Angel Rangel completes on average 2.4 tackles per 90 minutes – only three second-tier right-backs with more than five appearances to their name have made more – and Maxime Colin, Pawel Olkowski and Eric Lichaj have all missed a larger proportion of their attempted challenges.

Rangel, who played in the Premier League with Swansea for seven consecutive seasons, looks a shrewd addition. While Joel Lynch and Toni Leistner struggled to defend open spaces in August, they have recently benefited from playing in a tighter unit and are finding life easier heading balls away from the box; Lynch has won 78 aerial duels this season, the 3rd-most in the Championship.

Gary Marsh @superhoopsaQPR
Steve McClaren’s Blue & White Army.
Two home games incoming, currently standing only four points off the play-off positions. Come on you Supa.... #QPR
QPR FC✔@QPR
'Slowly but surely...'

Steve McClaren reacts to #QPR's 2-0 win at Portman Road.

http://qprng.rs/McClarenIpswich #IPSQPR
11:34 AM - Oct 21, 2018

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Absolutely Fabulous Joe Lumley

This improved defensive record has coincided directly with the introduction of Joe Lumley between the sticks.

Matt Ingram was very highly-rated by Gareth Ainsworth whileat Wycombe but he has not kept a Championship clean sheet since May 2016, which suggests he might have to prove himself again in League One.

Lumley, however, is proving to be one of the finest young goalkeepers in the EFL.

He made an excellent impact at Bristol Rovers in the second half of their 2016-17 campaign in League One before catching the eye at Blackpool the following year in similar circumstances.

The 23-year-old therefore fully deserves his opportunity in the second-tier and is, quite literally, grasping it with both hands.

The academy graduate came in at a very uncertain time and, in an imperfect performance against Wigan, he made five key saves to preserve a 1-0 win and has since grown in confidence.

He organizes the defence better than any goalkeeper the Rs have had for some time and his quick, accurate throwing sets up attacks.

Making it look Eze

One of the highlights of QPR’s season so far has been the form of Eberechi Eze.

The versatile forward initially caught the eye with his performance in the first home game of the season, a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United.

View image on Twitter

QPR FC✔@QPR
@EbereEze10 made his @England U20 debut on Thursday evening in the young Lions 2-1 win against Italy.

Congratulations Ebere

http://qprng.rs/EzeEngU20Debut
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A lot of budding Championship stars rely on pace, but Eze has more of a graceful style.

He likes to influence the transition into forward areas through clever movement, quick footwork and fine technique.

Against Derby for example, he had more touches in his own half (15) than he did in the final third (12) and his average position was inside the centre-circle.

That shows that although on paper he’s listed as a number 10, he’s not the type that will break ahead of the ball too often and can influence games in different ways.

Eze is the West Londoners’ top league goalscorer with three, yet there are suggestions that his finishing can improve which shows that, even after receiving international recognition, he still has room to develop further.

One-striker systems

The challenge for McClaren has been to get the best out of both Eze and Luke Freeman, the latter having been a key creative influence.

The duo, theoretically, are capable of fulfilling wide midfield roles in a 4-4-2, but in practice, those duties require defensive discipline which means they aren’t able to do what they do best, which is drift into central areas and set up attacks.

Although target man Tomer Hemed and mobile forward Nahki Wells arrived in late August, therefore, QPR’s better performances have tended to come when just one of them has started up top.

With Freeman on the left, Eze in the hole and Jordan Cousins offering selfless movement down the right, McClaren seems to have found the perfect balance. Right now, he is proving his doubters wrong.

[Ginger Ninja]

Good read, I like it.

[Gtleighsr3]

we doomed if he starts wearing a baker boy cap

[Stanley]

McClaren began the season with a totally different approach to the one he has now. He attempted to play a possession based game, passing it out from the back and then through the thirds. Those first four disastrous games taught him that with the best intentions and plans, he simply did not possess players of high enough standard to play in that style with confidence.

And so he scrapped that approach, bought in some new players to strengthen the squad, and the turnaround begun, the fruits of which have been gradually unfolding, albeit work in progress with the remaining lack of more goals. But that will come as the form and confidence improves further. The hard work on the training ground, with better organisation, a clear game plan with everyone fully understanding their roles as it's drilled and coached into them.

And herein lies the main difference between McClaren and Holloway - a superior tactician who knows how and when to change things when they are clearly not working, rather than stubbornly waiting until 3/4 of the way into a season before changing his approach, and even then it being down to pressure from above and not because he could see it for himself, and regardless how obvious the problem was to most of the fans.

[vespa]

Nice one Dave

[SheepRanger]

Just bet £50 at 14/1 that we'll finish in the top six.

[Greg1882]

Just bet £50 at 14/1 that we'll finish in the top six.

I actually think that’s a good bet. Is a #### division and the last couple of play off spots are anyone’s

[Hitman34]

we doomed if he starts wearing a baker boy cap

First, we had beanie.....................................




Then, we had the ####inthehat




Dare i suggest for shteeeeve....................

[CroydonCaptainJack]

I actually think that’s a good bet. Is a #### division and the last couple of play off spots are anyone’s

It's what you might call a value bet given the Division once again looks like one where anyone can beat anyone. Consistency will determine those top six places so if we can get some we are in with a shout and 14-1 seems decent odds. When you look at where Sheff Utd are, I thought they looked bang average despite us losing to them.

[Stanley]

When you look at where Sheff Utd are, I thought they looked bang average despite us losing to them.

And as Luke Freeman points out on the offish yesterday, they were very lucky to take 3 points against us, with their first goal being clearly offside and the second never being a penalty. So even in those first four games there were elements of bad luck over the results.

[lymehoop]

I think this season we have a bang average Championship. Good luck to the three sides who get promoted

[hal9thou]

I think this season we have a bang average Championship. Good luck to the three sides who get promoted

Which would be a massive improvement on the trash we've put up with in recent times.

[SheepRanger]

It's what you might call a value bet given the Division once again looks like one where anyone can beat anyone. Consistency will determine those top six places so if we can get some we are in with a shout and 14-1 seems decent odds. When you look at where Sheff Utd are, I thought they looked bang average despite us losing to them.

I thought it was good value. Forest have two points more than us but their odds are 3/1. Worth a punt....

[Shepherds Mush]

This league is never bang average. Consistently tough week by week as everyone can beat everyone bar the exception of 1 or 2 at the top and 1 or 2 at the bottom.