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I’ve literally just walked in through the door from today’s game, and have to say I am left extremely disappointed on so many different levels.
For anyone interested, here is my take on today’s game against Peterborough.
When we eventually arrived at the ground, it was as quiet as I have seen it all season. There didn’t seem to be an awful lot of fans there, which I found quite surprising coming off the back of the International break, and not forgetting our first league win of the season.
Once we arrived in our seats, we listened on as the teams were read out. There were no real surprises, but a few eyebrows were raised when it was made apparent that Leigertwood would be filling in at right back in place of Ramage. Personally speaking, I thought ‘Rambo’ had been one of our most impressive players this season, so it was quite a shock to see him dropped/rested to make way.
Either way though, the side lined up with Cerny in goal, Borrowdale at left back, Connolly and Stewart in the middle, and as already mentioned Leigertwood on the right.
In midfield we had Routledge on the right wing, Ben Watson making his QPR debut alongside Faurlin, and Hogan Ephraim on the left wing.
Up front we had Jay Simpson making his home debut, alongside Taarabt.
After both Simpson and Watson received warm welcomes it was game on…
We had our first attempt a mere minute into the half. After Simpson was bundled to the ground outside the box, we were awarded a freekick around 25 yards out slightly to the left of goal. Watson was clearly keen on making an instant impact, and was intent on taking the freekick. As the wall lined up, he sent a dipping shot goal wards… it seemed to just nick off a defenders head, but spun straight into Joe Lewis’s hands for what was a comfortable save.
Again, what could have been only a matter of minutes later, it was Taarabt who had the next effort on goal. I believe it was Watson who fed him with possession, and after dazzling past the defender he approached goal around 30 yards out. He feinted to shoot with his right foot, and as the defender committed himself with a sliding tackle, he simply sidestepped to the left… again he looked to shoot… the defender scrambled to his feet and this time hurled himself to his left… cheekily Taarabt sidestepped to the right and let fly with a drilled shot which was well saved by Lewis in the Peterborough goal.
Taarabt was clearly brimming with confidence, and he got an enormous cheer for one of the most delicate and intricate pieces of skill that only he is really capable of. After shielding the ball on his chest (along the half way line), a defender bustled into him with a strong shoulder charge. Cleverly, he somehow managed to shield him off while doing a couple of kickups - as the fans clapped in admiration. Another defender strongly came to challenge him, but incredibly he turned him while still continuing with this set of kickups along the half way line… the ball hadn’t even touched the floor at this stage! The first defender then charged into his side, but Taarabt then slid the ball through his legs and knocked it short to Watson who was on his left. “It’s just like watching Brazil” was the chant, and it truly was a magical piece of play… and the kind of thing you can’t help but have a smile to yourself about.
Continuing with this early swagger and dominance, Faurlin was next up to have an attempt at goal. After gaining possession in the middle of the pitch, he continued forward unchallenged. The crowd urged him to shoot, and he let fly with a shot from around 25 yards out. Again, as had been the case with both Watson and Taarabt – his effort wasn’t enough to really test Lewis and brought a comfortable save.
In typical Rangers fashion, we then conceded a goal while enjoying the lion’s share of possession. We were actually awarded a freekick in the left back position in front of the Loftus Road end. Borrowdale looked to take it short, and knocked the ball central towards the direction of Watson… unfortunately the latter didn’t see the pass coming and we surrendered possession straight to Mackail-Smith. Watson eagerly tried to make amends, and while challenging to win it back, Mackail-Smith knocked the ball out wide to former QPR player Tommy Williams. He drifted in a superb cross into the box, and McLean made no mistake from a mere 6 yards out and simply headed the ball past Cerny who has no chance. It was an absolute gift.
Looking over at Watson, he looked absolutely gutted… especially considering that he had been bossing the middle of the pitch up till this stage, almost single-handedly.
You did wonder what conceding the goal would do to our confidence – especially considering we had been playing so well up till this stage, and we were grateful to Cerny for keeping the score at just 1-0 almost straight from the kick off. I can’t remember much from the build up, but one of the Peterborough players let fly from what must have been at least 30 yards out... Cerny got down well and managed to tip the ball round the post. But we could ever so nearly have been 2 goals down here!
We were clearly rattled, and again we were fortunate to have not conceded. It was the former R Tommy Williams who was again causing the danger. This time he flashed a cracking cross across the 6 yard box at pace, Cerny seemed to just stand and watch as Stewart and Connolly desperately tried to divert the ball from danger… there was a whole host of Peterborough players just waiting to prod the ball into the empty net, and how none of them met the cross is a minor miracle. We were extremely fortunate here, any other day and that’s a goal! I still don’t know how they didn’t score here.
We did finally muster another attempt at goal soon after. This time it was Borrowdale of all people, and he ever so nearly scored what would have been a cracking goal. After picking up possession in the left back slot, he played the ball into Ephraim and continued his run forward. He seemed to just proceed unmarked, and Ephraim simply played the ball straight back to his feet as he ran through on goal. Lewis came sprawling out of his goal, but Borrowdale saw his effort go agonisingly wide of the post. Terrific pass from Hogan, but it wasn’t to be.
McLean had another chance to increase the lead with a strong volley shortly after, but it flew over the crossbar. This was far from comfortable viewing…
Next up was one of the turning points in this game. Peterborough were now flooding forward, and credit to them because they were far from sitting on their 1 goal lead… and they were really pushing for another. A simple long ball up field caught our backline alarmingly off guard, and while they were at sixes and sevens one of the Peterborough players charged through unmarked and was left with just Cerny to beat… he was at this stage just approaching the edge of the box, and just as he looked to shoot… Watson came flying in with a masterful tackle, and while taking a fair amount of the player, the ball dribbled into Cerny’s grasp. It was a hard but fair challenge, and he received an enormous amount of applause from all 3 home corners of the ground, as he then bursted towards the middle of the pitch to take up his position. It was without doubt a goal saving challenge, and certainly showed us part of what he is capable of.
From the resulting goal kick, the ball eventually landed at the feet of Taarabt on the left hand side. The defender stood off him, almost in expectation of some form of classy showboating… but he simply drilled the ball central right to the feet of Simpson, who was virtually in the goalmouth. A mixture of a pass and a defenders foot eventually saw the ball fall to the feet of Routledge, and after adjusting his body to shoot, he drilled the ball goal wards, and it zipped straight through a defenders leg on the goal line and we had clawed back the goal deficit.
The QPR fans were almost sensing that this could possibly change the tide of the game, and crazy celebrations followed. We looked to our right, as one man had climbed to the top of the iron mesh separating the Q and R blocks, and was celebrating like we had won promotion… which we had a good laugh about!!
That was about everything for the first half, and the referee blew time shortly after.
It had been a strange half, we had completely dominated for the opening 20 minutes or so – but after conceding we could easily have gone at least a couple of goals down… and in truth it was all one way traffic. Really we were perhaps fortunate to still be in the game at this stage, remarkable when you consider the bright start we had made to this game.
During the break, I was fortunate enough to meet ‘rblockells’ by pure accident. I can safely say (and I’m sure that any other people that have had the privilege of meeting him will confirm) that he is just as quick witted in the flesh, as he is on various message boards – and as I said, a real pleasure to have met.
Onto the second half, and Magilton seemed to have kept the players in the dressing room for as long as he possibly could. The Peterborough players were out on the pitch long before ours were, but we eventually kicked off with no changes for either side.
Tommy Williams was greeted with a chant of “Squared it to Furlong! You should have square it to Furlong!” and a host of boos as he ran out in front of the R block. He gave virtually no reaction to the chant though, which just made the fans sing it all the louder at him.
Our first attempt at goal came a few minutes into the half. We had been awarded a corner, and after Watson put a great delivery into the box, Connolly watched on as his header sailed harmlessly over the bar for a goal kick. He possibly could have done a little better, but he was under pressure and did well just to get anything on the cross really.
There must have been about 15 minutes gone in the second half, and Magilton opted to make a couple of changes. The mood was sour when number 39 was shown on the board… Taarabt was clearly frustrated at being substituted, and the fans were too as booing rung out from different areas of the ground. I have to say, I thought it was a strange decision as well personally. Faurlin was also taken off, and introduced was Martin Rowlands who received a terrific ovation from the fans.
Despite having that extra bite in midfield which Rowlands provides, I would say that Peterborough probably just shaded it for the next few minutes. There weren’t any major chances, but we just couldn’t seem to hang onto possession, and Peterborough were looking threatening.
The fans were singing for Buzsaky, and Magilton decided to bring him on shortly after at the expense of Ephraim. Routledge switched over to the left hand side of midfield, and Buzsaky filled in on the right wing.
His impression was instant, and with the fans still singing his name loud and clear, he picked up possession on the right hand side of the pitch. As he ran down the line, he was left with 2 defenders coupled together on the right hand side. In classic Buzsaky fashion, he somehow dinked the ball past the both of them and charged through at goal. He was at a tight angle (not dissimilar from where Leigertwood scored against Forest), and he unleashed a venomous drive at goal – unfortunately the ball cannoned off Vine before it could test the keeper and the ball was scrapped clear for a corner kick.
Buzsaky ran over to take the corner kick, his name still being sung! He sent another cracking ball into the box, and as Stewart rose it looked destined to find the back of the net… agonisingly the ball was just robbed before he could meet it though, and was hoofed clear for a throw in.
We had a fright shortly after though, with Cerny pulling off one of the most bizarre saves I have personally ever witnessed. It was a long range drive from McLean that caused the danger… and while I did have a pole in the way, it looked a fairly routine save for Cerny to make (despite the enormous amount of power generated in the shot), and for some reason Cerny did what I think is best described as a flying karate kick to edge the ball away from goal. I may have missed a deflection or something, but it was a strange option to take, and extremely risky ball game to play. Leigertwood sweeped up the loose ball, but it was a close shave.
Despite that chance though, with Buzsaky now introduced, we did actually look like we might end up nicking all 3 points. Vine was propping up all over the pitch, and looked very lively to his credit. You did just get the impression that maybe; just maybe we might get another goal, as we were just starting to play some good stuff.
As the clock ticked down towards the final whistle, Mackail Smith found space just inside the box. He sent a shot goal wards, which Cerny managed to get a hand onto… but pushed the ball straight into the path of Mackail Smith who had followed up on his shot, we watched on as he buried the ball into the bottom corner and ran off celebrating wildly. I looked over at the Peterborough fans, some of which had actually got onto the pitch such was their jubilation!
The sinking feeling of conceding so late was sickly, but I looked up to see Cerny attempting to take a goal kick, and the lino’s flag waving furiously for offside! It was a major major let off, and the QPR fans gave their fair share of stick back to the now silenced Peterborough fans. The clock was now approaching 90 minutes… how sweet a winner would be now.
Buzsaky was again the inspiration, and after breaking free on the right hand side, he bent a wicked cross right in at the feet of the keeper. As a Peterborough defender flew with a diving header to meet the ball… it looked as if he would divert the ball right into his own net, but he just got enough on it and saw the ball fly wide of the post for a corner kick.
From the resulting corner, Simpson had a great chance to win, but his volley flew wide of the post from what must have been about 8 yards out.
We continued to heave forward, and after Vine managed to beat his marker on the left hand side, he sent a superb cross into the box… Simpson was again there, but his header flew over the bar, and with that our last chance of winning the game had came and gone.
The referee blew full time on the game from the goal kick, and a loud chorus of boos could be heard from what seemed all corners of the ground.
We watched on as the players shook hands etc. An anger fuelled chant of “Clap your fans! Clap your fans! Clap your fans!” bellowed out from the corner of the ground we were situated at. A mere four players took the time to come over… Martin Rowlands, Rowan Vine, Radek Cerny and Matthew Connolly. As they looked up, the fans sang “Four of you clapping! There’s only four of you clapping!” towards their direction. I was eager to note their reaction, and Vine made an attempt to understand what was being sung. He turned towards Rowlands and muttered something in his ear, to which Rowlands responded by looking to the floor and shaking his head in disgust.
I haven’t mentioned about the atmosphere above, but make no mistake it was absolutely abysmal today!
I’m sure we have all experienced the electrifying atmosphere that Loftus Road and the fans can generate… but today felt more like a bubbling cauldron of bitterness, resentment and hostility. I’m not knocking the people that chose to sing it, I think in some ways they actually make a very good point. But there is now a clear divide, when once the players and the fans were proudly united as one, now it has more of a feel of ‘them’ and ‘us’ which I just don’t think is the QPR way, and certainly not healthy for a football club.
I was delighted to be able to say in the last report about the players giving away their shirts at the end of the S****horpe game, but would a quick 10 second jog and clap be so much to ask when we draw/lose as well? In fairness to the people chanting, from what I saw each and every one of them clapped the 4 brave enough to come over, so maybe this argument of them not wanting to get anywhere near us because they will only get booed might be irrelevant?
Whether it should come down to the players, management or even the board I don’t know… but I strongly feel this bridge HAS to be gapped, or I just can’t see us going anywhere this season… and Magilton could well be packing his bags sooner rather than later.
I do try and put it in perspective though, and had Simpson buried either of his two chances at the end, or Buzsaky’s cross come shot ended up in the back of the net – spirits are sky high, and nobody is complaining. It’s an extremely fine line, and one that we were just on the wrong side of today… But let’s not forget it could have been oh so different.
Player Ratings –
Cerny – Thought he flapped quite badly at a couple of crosses, but had no chance with the goal. His distribution was pretty good, and did make a couple of good stops.
Leigertwood – I felt absolutely gutted for Ramage today. I think he has been in excellent form this season, and thought it was a strange decision to drop him. Take nothing away from Leigertwood though, he filled in admirably at right back. He did lose possession in threatening areas on a couple of occasions, but I thought on the whole he was pretty solid today. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him continue here against Palace.
Connolly – Solid and dependable as ever. His distribution and passing was spot on, and won a fair amount of headers as well. Might be slightly disappointed to not net his first goal, but proved what a top class defender he is.
Stewart – Had a couple of scary moments as well, but on the whole he did a good job. Was very unlucky not to have scored, and had it not been for a couple of last ditch headers from the box, Stewart would no doubt have got on the score sheet. Not quite in the form he was last season yet though.
Borrowdale – Gave away a couple of sloppy free kicks, but in possession he was excellent. He ran at players with confidence, and sprayed the ball about well. I still think he is the weak link in this team, and we did almost pay for it a couple of times. Still seems unable to header a ball, but had one of his better games for us today in my eyes.
Routledge – He has been taking every game by storm this season, and I think today was probably the quietest I have seen him this season. He finished his goal well, but just couldn’t seem to get into the game today. Plenty of running, and also an awful amount of tracking back and tackling, so credit to him. I’m sure he will be firing all cylinders against Palace on Tuesday.
Faurlin – Judging by his performance today, I think we probably should have started Rowlands. He didn’t do an awful lot wrong, and did delivery one good cross from a corner, but I think he was outshone by Watson.
Watson – Well, well, well. We waited long enough to see him play for QPR, and if this debut is anything to go by… I think we are in for a treat. His range of passing is phenomenal; he doesn’t stop running, and tackles as well as anyone. He was awarded man of the match today, and I would have to agree. Shame he was responsible for giving the goal away, but he had a terrific debut and I’m looking forward to more of the same.
Ephraim – Bit quiet for me today. He looked interested, and was full of effort but like Routledge he just couldn’t seem to get into the game. Few nice passes and touches, but didn’t really light the game up as he can.
Simpson – Works extremely hard. He should have laid the ball off to Vine on one occasion, as it would likely have seen us win the game. Held the ball up quite well though, and as mentioned he worked tirelessly. I do think we need to give him a run of games before we see his best. One worrying aspect was he came in for a bit of stick from various fans… fully unjustified in my opinion. He doesn’t have any Parejo like attitude, and just looks like he really wants to get his head down and work. It’s far too soon to make a judgement on him. Should have scored at least one goal today though.
Taarabt – I’m absolutely baffled why on earth Magilton insists on substituting him all the time!? Take opinions out of it for a second, here we are talking about a player that scored our winner in our last league game, scored a wonder goal while on International duty for Morocco, and is just starting to hit top form. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest that the fans let him know their thoughts on the substitution. Just hope he has a strong enough character to bounce back against Palace, because he looked gutted when taken off. Terrible management in my eyes.
Substitutions –
Rowlands – Looked quite lively when he came on. Had a long range attempt on goal which went just wide, but chased down loose balls and would expect for him to start on Tuesday night.
Vine – Strongly disagree with taking Taarabt off, but Vine did look sharp when he came on. Couple of nice runs, and build up play. Wouldn’t have done his chances of starting in the next game any harm at all.
Buzsaky – Looked SUPERB when he came on. Should be starting every single league game in my opinion… and how/why he is on the bench I can’t understand.
In summary, apologies that this might not have been the nicest report to read. But that is the game/current situation as I see it… Today we were very poor, and for the players on show (and wages being dished out) I would expect an awful lot more.
I’m hoping for a massive performance against a tough Palace side on Tuesday – lets just hope we can turn it around.
Thanks for reading. WE ARE QPR!
For anyone interested, here is my take on today’s game against Peterborough.
When we eventually arrived at the ground, it was as quiet as I have seen it all season. There didn’t seem to be an awful lot of fans there, which I found quite surprising coming off the back of the International break, and not forgetting our first league win of the season.
Once we arrived in our seats, we listened on as the teams were read out. There were no real surprises, but a few eyebrows were raised when it was made apparent that Leigertwood would be filling in at right back in place of Ramage. Personally speaking, I thought ‘Rambo’ had been one of our most impressive players this season, so it was quite a shock to see him dropped/rested to make way.
Either way though, the side lined up with Cerny in goal, Borrowdale at left back, Connolly and Stewart in the middle, and as already mentioned Leigertwood on the right.
In midfield we had Routledge on the right wing, Ben Watson making his QPR debut alongside Faurlin, and Hogan Ephraim on the left wing.
Up front we had Jay Simpson making his home debut, alongside Taarabt.
After both Simpson and Watson received warm welcomes it was game on…
We had our first attempt a mere minute into the half. After Simpson was bundled to the ground outside the box, we were awarded a freekick around 25 yards out slightly to the left of goal. Watson was clearly keen on making an instant impact, and was intent on taking the freekick. As the wall lined up, he sent a dipping shot goal wards… it seemed to just nick off a defenders head, but spun straight into Joe Lewis’s hands for what was a comfortable save.
Again, what could have been only a matter of minutes later, it was Taarabt who had the next effort on goal. I believe it was Watson who fed him with possession, and after dazzling past the defender he approached goal around 30 yards out. He feinted to shoot with his right foot, and as the defender committed himself with a sliding tackle, he simply sidestepped to the left… again he looked to shoot… the defender scrambled to his feet and this time hurled himself to his left… cheekily Taarabt sidestepped to the right and let fly with a drilled shot which was well saved by Lewis in the Peterborough goal.
Taarabt was clearly brimming with confidence, and he got an enormous cheer for one of the most delicate and intricate pieces of skill that only he is really capable of. After shielding the ball on his chest (along the half way line), a defender bustled into him with a strong shoulder charge. Cleverly, he somehow managed to shield him off while doing a couple of kickups - as the fans clapped in admiration. Another defender strongly came to challenge him, but incredibly he turned him while still continuing with this set of kickups along the half way line… the ball hadn’t even touched the floor at this stage! The first defender then charged into his side, but Taarabt then slid the ball through his legs and knocked it short to Watson who was on his left. “It’s just like watching Brazil” was the chant, and it truly was a magical piece of play… and the kind of thing you can’t help but have a smile to yourself about.
Continuing with this early swagger and dominance, Faurlin was next up to have an attempt at goal. After gaining possession in the middle of the pitch, he continued forward unchallenged. The crowd urged him to shoot, and he let fly with a shot from around 25 yards out. Again, as had been the case with both Watson and Taarabt – his effort wasn’t enough to really test Lewis and brought a comfortable save.
In typical Rangers fashion, we then conceded a goal while enjoying the lion’s share of possession. We were actually awarded a freekick in the left back position in front of the Loftus Road end. Borrowdale looked to take it short, and knocked the ball central towards the direction of Watson… unfortunately the latter didn’t see the pass coming and we surrendered possession straight to Mackail-Smith. Watson eagerly tried to make amends, and while challenging to win it back, Mackail-Smith knocked the ball out wide to former QPR player Tommy Williams. He drifted in a superb cross into the box, and McLean made no mistake from a mere 6 yards out and simply headed the ball past Cerny who has no chance. It was an absolute gift.
Looking over at Watson, he looked absolutely gutted… especially considering that he had been bossing the middle of the pitch up till this stage, almost single-handedly.
You did wonder what conceding the goal would do to our confidence – especially considering we had been playing so well up till this stage, and we were grateful to Cerny for keeping the score at just 1-0 almost straight from the kick off. I can’t remember much from the build up, but one of the Peterborough players let fly from what must have been at least 30 yards out... Cerny got down well and managed to tip the ball round the post. But we could ever so nearly have been 2 goals down here!
We were clearly rattled, and again we were fortunate to have not conceded. It was the former R Tommy Williams who was again causing the danger. This time he flashed a cracking cross across the 6 yard box at pace, Cerny seemed to just stand and watch as Stewart and Connolly desperately tried to divert the ball from danger… there was a whole host of Peterborough players just waiting to prod the ball into the empty net, and how none of them met the cross is a minor miracle. We were extremely fortunate here, any other day and that’s a goal! I still don’t know how they didn’t score here.
We did finally muster another attempt at goal soon after. This time it was Borrowdale of all people, and he ever so nearly scored what would have been a cracking goal. After picking up possession in the left back slot, he played the ball into Ephraim and continued his run forward. He seemed to just proceed unmarked, and Ephraim simply played the ball straight back to his feet as he ran through on goal. Lewis came sprawling out of his goal, but Borrowdale saw his effort go agonisingly wide of the post. Terrific pass from Hogan, but it wasn’t to be.
McLean had another chance to increase the lead with a strong volley shortly after, but it flew over the crossbar. This was far from comfortable viewing…
Next up was one of the turning points in this game. Peterborough were now flooding forward, and credit to them because they were far from sitting on their 1 goal lead… and they were really pushing for another. A simple long ball up field caught our backline alarmingly off guard, and while they were at sixes and sevens one of the Peterborough players charged through unmarked and was left with just Cerny to beat… he was at this stage just approaching the edge of the box, and just as he looked to shoot… Watson came flying in with a masterful tackle, and while taking a fair amount of the player, the ball dribbled into Cerny’s grasp. It was a hard but fair challenge, and he received an enormous amount of applause from all 3 home corners of the ground, as he then bursted towards the middle of the pitch to take up his position. It was without doubt a goal saving challenge, and certainly showed us part of what he is capable of.
From the resulting goal kick, the ball eventually landed at the feet of Taarabt on the left hand side. The defender stood off him, almost in expectation of some form of classy showboating… but he simply drilled the ball central right to the feet of Simpson, who was virtually in the goalmouth. A mixture of a pass and a defenders foot eventually saw the ball fall to the feet of Routledge, and after adjusting his body to shoot, he drilled the ball goal wards, and it zipped straight through a defenders leg on the goal line and we had clawed back the goal deficit.
The QPR fans were almost sensing that this could possibly change the tide of the game, and crazy celebrations followed. We looked to our right, as one man had climbed to the top of the iron mesh separating the Q and R blocks, and was celebrating like we had won promotion… which we had a good laugh about!!
That was about everything for the first half, and the referee blew time shortly after.
It had been a strange half, we had completely dominated for the opening 20 minutes or so – but after conceding we could easily have gone at least a couple of goals down… and in truth it was all one way traffic. Really we were perhaps fortunate to still be in the game at this stage, remarkable when you consider the bright start we had made to this game.
During the break, I was fortunate enough to meet ‘rblockells’ by pure accident. I can safely say (and I’m sure that any other people that have had the privilege of meeting him will confirm) that he is just as quick witted in the flesh, as he is on various message boards – and as I said, a real pleasure to have met.
Onto the second half, and Magilton seemed to have kept the players in the dressing room for as long as he possibly could. The Peterborough players were out on the pitch long before ours were, but we eventually kicked off with no changes for either side.
Tommy Williams was greeted with a chant of “Squared it to Furlong! You should have square it to Furlong!” and a host of boos as he ran out in front of the R block. He gave virtually no reaction to the chant though, which just made the fans sing it all the louder at him.
Our first attempt at goal came a few minutes into the half. We had been awarded a corner, and after Watson put a great delivery into the box, Connolly watched on as his header sailed harmlessly over the bar for a goal kick. He possibly could have done a little better, but he was under pressure and did well just to get anything on the cross really.
There must have been about 15 minutes gone in the second half, and Magilton opted to make a couple of changes. The mood was sour when number 39 was shown on the board… Taarabt was clearly frustrated at being substituted, and the fans were too as booing rung out from different areas of the ground. I have to say, I thought it was a strange decision as well personally. Faurlin was also taken off, and introduced was Martin Rowlands who received a terrific ovation from the fans.
Despite having that extra bite in midfield which Rowlands provides, I would say that Peterborough probably just shaded it for the next few minutes. There weren’t any major chances, but we just couldn’t seem to hang onto possession, and Peterborough were looking threatening.
The fans were singing for Buzsaky, and Magilton decided to bring him on shortly after at the expense of Ephraim. Routledge switched over to the left hand side of midfield, and Buzsaky filled in on the right wing.
His impression was instant, and with the fans still singing his name loud and clear, he picked up possession on the right hand side of the pitch. As he ran down the line, he was left with 2 defenders coupled together on the right hand side. In classic Buzsaky fashion, he somehow dinked the ball past the both of them and charged through at goal. He was at a tight angle (not dissimilar from where Leigertwood scored against Forest), and he unleashed a venomous drive at goal – unfortunately the ball cannoned off Vine before it could test the keeper and the ball was scrapped clear for a corner kick.
Buzsaky ran over to take the corner kick, his name still being sung! He sent another cracking ball into the box, and as Stewart rose it looked destined to find the back of the net… agonisingly the ball was just robbed before he could meet it though, and was hoofed clear for a throw in.
We had a fright shortly after though, with Cerny pulling off one of the most bizarre saves I have personally ever witnessed. It was a long range drive from McLean that caused the danger… and while I did have a pole in the way, it looked a fairly routine save for Cerny to make (despite the enormous amount of power generated in the shot), and for some reason Cerny did what I think is best described as a flying karate kick to edge the ball away from goal. I may have missed a deflection or something, but it was a strange option to take, and extremely risky ball game to play. Leigertwood sweeped up the loose ball, but it was a close shave.
Despite that chance though, with Buzsaky now introduced, we did actually look like we might end up nicking all 3 points. Vine was propping up all over the pitch, and looked very lively to his credit. You did just get the impression that maybe; just maybe we might get another goal, as we were just starting to play some good stuff.
As the clock ticked down towards the final whistle, Mackail Smith found space just inside the box. He sent a shot goal wards, which Cerny managed to get a hand onto… but pushed the ball straight into the path of Mackail Smith who had followed up on his shot, we watched on as he buried the ball into the bottom corner and ran off celebrating wildly. I looked over at the Peterborough fans, some of which had actually got onto the pitch such was their jubilation!
The sinking feeling of conceding so late was sickly, but I looked up to see Cerny attempting to take a goal kick, and the lino’s flag waving furiously for offside! It was a major major let off, and the QPR fans gave their fair share of stick back to the now silenced Peterborough fans. The clock was now approaching 90 minutes… how sweet a winner would be now.
Buzsaky was again the inspiration, and after breaking free on the right hand side, he bent a wicked cross right in at the feet of the keeper. As a Peterborough defender flew with a diving header to meet the ball… it looked as if he would divert the ball right into his own net, but he just got enough on it and saw the ball fly wide of the post for a corner kick.
From the resulting corner, Simpson had a great chance to win, but his volley flew wide of the post from what must have been about 8 yards out.
We continued to heave forward, and after Vine managed to beat his marker on the left hand side, he sent a superb cross into the box… Simpson was again there, but his header flew over the bar, and with that our last chance of winning the game had came and gone.
The referee blew full time on the game from the goal kick, and a loud chorus of boos could be heard from what seemed all corners of the ground.
We watched on as the players shook hands etc. An anger fuelled chant of “Clap your fans! Clap your fans! Clap your fans!” bellowed out from the corner of the ground we were situated at. A mere four players took the time to come over… Martin Rowlands, Rowan Vine, Radek Cerny and Matthew Connolly. As they looked up, the fans sang “Four of you clapping! There’s only four of you clapping!” towards their direction. I was eager to note their reaction, and Vine made an attempt to understand what was being sung. He turned towards Rowlands and muttered something in his ear, to which Rowlands responded by looking to the floor and shaking his head in disgust.
I haven’t mentioned about the atmosphere above, but make no mistake it was absolutely abysmal today!
I’m sure we have all experienced the electrifying atmosphere that Loftus Road and the fans can generate… but today felt more like a bubbling cauldron of bitterness, resentment and hostility. I’m not knocking the people that chose to sing it, I think in some ways they actually make a very good point. But there is now a clear divide, when once the players and the fans were proudly united as one, now it has more of a feel of ‘them’ and ‘us’ which I just don’t think is the QPR way, and certainly not healthy for a football club.
I was delighted to be able to say in the last report about the players giving away their shirts at the end of the S****horpe game, but would a quick 10 second jog and clap be so much to ask when we draw/lose as well? In fairness to the people chanting, from what I saw each and every one of them clapped the 4 brave enough to come over, so maybe this argument of them not wanting to get anywhere near us because they will only get booed might be irrelevant?
Whether it should come down to the players, management or even the board I don’t know… but I strongly feel this bridge HAS to be gapped, or I just can’t see us going anywhere this season… and Magilton could well be packing his bags sooner rather than later.
I do try and put it in perspective though, and had Simpson buried either of his two chances at the end, or Buzsaky’s cross come shot ended up in the back of the net – spirits are sky high, and nobody is complaining. It’s an extremely fine line, and one that we were just on the wrong side of today… But let’s not forget it could have been oh so different.
Player Ratings –
Cerny – Thought he flapped quite badly at a couple of crosses, but had no chance with the goal. His distribution was pretty good, and did make a couple of good stops.
Leigertwood – I felt absolutely gutted for Ramage today. I think he has been in excellent form this season, and thought it was a strange decision to drop him. Take nothing away from Leigertwood though, he filled in admirably at right back. He did lose possession in threatening areas on a couple of occasions, but I thought on the whole he was pretty solid today. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him continue here against Palace.
Connolly – Solid and dependable as ever. His distribution and passing was spot on, and won a fair amount of headers as well. Might be slightly disappointed to not net his first goal, but proved what a top class defender he is.
Stewart – Had a couple of scary moments as well, but on the whole he did a good job. Was very unlucky not to have scored, and had it not been for a couple of last ditch headers from the box, Stewart would no doubt have got on the score sheet. Not quite in the form he was last season yet though.
Borrowdale – Gave away a couple of sloppy free kicks, but in possession he was excellent. He ran at players with confidence, and sprayed the ball about well. I still think he is the weak link in this team, and we did almost pay for it a couple of times. Still seems unable to header a ball, but had one of his better games for us today in my eyes.
Routledge – He has been taking every game by storm this season, and I think today was probably the quietest I have seen him this season. He finished his goal well, but just couldn’t seem to get into the game today. Plenty of running, and also an awful amount of tracking back and tackling, so credit to him. I’m sure he will be firing all cylinders against Palace on Tuesday.
Faurlin – Judging by his performance today, I think we probably should have started Rowlands. He didn’t do an awful lot wrong, and did delivery one good cross from a corner, but I think he was outshone by Watson.
Watson – Well, well, well. We waited long enough to see him play for QPR, and if this debut is anything to go by… I think we are in for a treat. His range of passing is phenomenal; he doesn’t stop running, and tackles as well as anyone. He was awarded man of the match today, and I would have to agree. Shame he was responsible for giving the goal away, but he had a terrific debut and I’m looking forward to more of the same.
Ephraim – Bit quiet for me today. He looked interested, and was full of effort but like Routledge he just couldn’t seem to get into the game. Few nice passes and touches, but didn’t really light the game up as he can.
Simpson – Works extremely hard. He should have laid the ball off to Vine on one occasion, as it would likely have seen us win the game. Held the ball up quite well though, and as mentioned he worked tirelessly. I do think we need to give him a run of games before we see his best. One worrying aspect was he came in for a bit of stick from various fans… fully unjustified in my opinion. He doesn’t have any Parejo like attitude, and just looks like he really wants to get his head down and work. It’s far too soon to make a judgement on him. Should have scored at least one goal today though.
Taarabt – I’m absolutely baffled why on earth Magilton insists on substituting him all the time!? Take opinions out of it for a second, here we are talking about a player that scored our winner in our last league game, scored a wonder goal while on International duty for Morocco, and is just starting to hit top form. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest that the fans let him know their thoughts on the substitution. Just hope he has a strong enough character to bounce back against Palace, because he looked gutted when taken off. Terrible management in my eyes.
Substitutions –
Rowlands – Looked quite lively when he came on. Had a long range attempt on goal which went just wide, but chased down loose balls and would expect for him to start on Tuesday night.
Vine – Strongly disagree with taking Taarabt off, but Vine did look sharp when he came on. Couple of nice runs, and build up play. Wouldn’t have done his chances of starting in the next game any harm at all.
Buzsaky – Looked SUPERB when he came on. Should be starting every single league game in my opinion… and how/why he is on the bench I can’t understand.
In summary, apologies that this might not have been the nicest report to read. But that is the game/current situation as I see it… Today we were very poor, and for the players on show (and wages being dished out) I would expect an awful lot more.
I’m hoping for a massive performance against a tough Palace side on Tuesday – lets just hope we can turn it around.
Thanks for reading. WE ARE QPR!
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