Tweet
Following yet another stunning 3 point victory and increasing that cushion at the top of the table, I find it difficult putting into words quite how good we have been performing so far this season. To say I was delighted would be a complete understatement – I’m walking on air at the moment!
For any of those interested, here was my take on yesterday’s game at Portman Road.
The day didn’t get off to the best start for me personally, having agreed to take half of the day off work to get up-to Ipswich, I was horrified to find that ALL car ferries across to both Southampton and Portsmouth were fully booked up until 6pm. That left us with no option but to travel to the other side of the island and catch a ferry over to Lymington (adding another 40 minutes or so onto our journey in the process). We left on the 1:15 ferry going across – which in typical island fashion was running late.
We eventually made it up to the ground at 6:45 and parked literally straight opposite the ground. With the rain absolutely storming down, despite having little over 20 yards to go, by the time we got into the ground we were literally drenched to the bone.
There were no huge surprises in the starting line-up, with the only change being Kyle Walker in at right back for the injured Bradley Orr.
Kenny again continued in goal, with Hill at left back, Gorkss & Connolly in the middle and as mentioned Walker making his debut at right back.
In midfield we stuck with Derry & Faurlin in the middle, with Hogan & Mackie on the flanks.
Adel was playing just off of Helguson.
Looking round just before kick-off, I was mightily impressed with the away following that we had taken up there for a Tuesday night. I don’t know the exact number, but I would say that it was a good 1400 or so (hopefully the thrill of the performance hasn’t clouded my judgement there).
Onto the game and we were on the front foot right from the off, with our first effort on goal coming a mere 5 minutes or so into the game. In what was a nice flowing move, Hogan burst from midfield and ran at the composed Ipswich defence. Helguson had made a great run to his left hand side which Hogan spotted by sliding a great ball into his path... As Helguson latched onto it, he looked up and drilled the ball goal wards – but unfortunately he could only manage to direct it into the side netting from an acute angle.
Ipswich looked a well organised outfit and did enjoy a fair amount of possession in the middle. The partnership of Derry and Faurlin was again completely watertight and more often than not any time that they did manage to venture into our half – another crunching tackle was on its way.
We continued to look the more threatening though, and after Walker had blasted forward, he slid the ball through to Mackie who was literally brushing the corner flag with a defender tagged onto him. He simply kicked the ball against him and won us a corner kick.
Taarabt curled the ball into the box and Connolly rose above everyone, but unfortunately he could only direct his header over the bar for a goal kick. It looked an excellent chance, on another day he might have managed to get a goal here.
It only served to fire up the already buoyant QPR support though, with the muted Ipswich fans located to our left simply looking up as they reeled off song after song.
Shortly after, Ipswich were awarded a throw in along the near side. There seemed to be a pause for a couple of minutes until we noticed that the linemen had pulled up with what looked like a hamstring problem. As he limped off in front of us “Lino lino give us a wave!” was sang by the travelling support, unsurprisingly he didn’t oblige.
Soon after we had what was probably our biggest chance of the game so far. Taarabt had played a neat one-two with Mackie, with the latter taking up his position in the penalty area. As the defence stood off from Taarabt, he glided in a superb swerving cross which looked to be flicked on by Mackie and powerfully headed goal wards by Helguson… Fulop was equal to it though and managed to fly down to his right hand side and push the ball round the post for a corner kick.
We were by far looking the more dominant side and I can’t think of a single occasion where Ipswich had even came close to hurting us at this stage. The only thing that comes to mind was when they hit us on the break following a corner kick, I believe it was one of their wingers (Carlos Edwards?) that was running down the flank, and with Scotland waiting in the area he looked to cross… But Clint Hill came lunging in with a blistering tackle that saw the ball go out for a throw-in and left the player crumpled on the floor. He eventually made it back to his feet, and I think that was pretty much as close as they came.
With QPR bossing the game on the field and the fans pulverising the Ipswich support in terms of atmosphere, you could have been forgiven for thinking we were playing at home. That trend continued when Taarabt also came close to giving us the lead. Having won back possession back in our own half, Derry played the ball through to Faurlin who was located around the half way line. Spotting a nice run from Adel he laid the ball into his path, with the Ipswich back-line now at sixes and sevens. Mackie had darted in from the wing, and after again playing a neat give and go it left Adel with just two players to beat… After managing to get past one of them, he drilled the shot into the bottom left hand corner with Fulop did well to claim and hold onto.
As Taarabt walked back with his head bowed following his effort, Mackie pumped his fist at him and encouraged him to keep going before speeding off around 60 yards to cover the left winger who had advanced further up the pitch – how I relish seeing Mackie’s enthusiasm and work rate!
The next chance came shortly after and we got the goal that our complete dominance from the first whistle had richly deserved. Kenny had rolled the ball out from goal and played the ball long up field into their half… Helguson had been dominant in the air up until this stage, and he managed to flick the ball onto Mackie leaving him inside the area with 2 players closely marking him. He managed to make the space to have an effort on goal - falling to the ground in the process, but his initial shot was blocked by a sliding tackle… Undeterred Mackie got straight back to his feet, and after faking to shoot he again sent the defender back to the floor, before confidently slamming the ball into the bottom left hand corner leaving Fulop no chance.
It sent the QPR fans into complete delirium with a healthy bruise on my leg the only thing I had to show for it! The already vocal support now exploded into noise and frantic celebration which was the pattern for the rest of the game from here on in.
As the players walked back towards our half following the goal “There’s only one Jamie Mackie, one Jamie Mackie… Walking along singing a song, walking in a Mackie wonderland!” was now being sung by the whole away end who were on their feet, and beaming faced he looked up towards us and applauded in our direction and celebrated his goal yet again – heightening the decibels of the chant even further.
“Taarabt, Taarabt, Taarabt, Taarabt, Taarabt, Taarabtt, Taarabbbbt, Adel Taarabt” (to the tune of the pink panther) started shortly after which after raising a few laughs/smiles actually seemed to catch on really quickly.
Despite the festival atmosphere in the stands, the reality was that Ipswich were just starting to show little signs of coming back into the game. The following 10 minutes or so they really did put us under a lot of pressure. The long throws by Edwards on the near side meant that any time they won anything in our half – it would result in an aerial bombarding of long balls into the box. In truth, Gorkss & Connolly managed to win the first header almost every single occasion. But there were a couple of close calls, with Kenny doing well to smother a loose ball on one occasion with a whole host of Ipswich players lining up to shoot in what was an extremely crowded penalty area.
Derry also managed to slide in and prod the ball out for a corner when it looked for the world that the Ipswich played would tuck the ball in from close range.
There were further concerns raised when Alejandro Faurlin limped off with an injury (didn’t look too serious). Akos Buzsaky was brought on to replace him, which meant that Derry was going to have to do a lot of leg-work with the more attack minded Buzsaky partnering him in the middle of the field.
Watching from the stands, I was certain that this was now going to become a very different game – especially with no Faurlin.
How wrong I was… A matter of minutes after we managed to double the lead!
Ipswich had been awarded a corner kick, and following a good clearance by Connolly the ball fell to Taarabt who was just behind the half way line. After spinning goal wards, he played the ball to Mackie who had broke forward following the corner kick… He ran and ran and ran unopposed, with the Ipswich defence holding their lines and not committing themselves… Walker had blistered his way down the right hand side, and with what felt like the whole stand urging him to play the ball out wide, Mackie took one touch to compose himself before again sending the ball low into the bottom corner and under Fulop.
The celebrations for the first goal were crazy – this though was just frantic! A whole surge of fans above us fell forwards onto where we were stood, with my brother ending up in a different row of supporters!!
After taking a couple of minutes to all roughly find our way back to where we were stood, the Mackie chant bellowed out from the away end with him returning by pumping both fists almost jumping on the spot with excitement!
The noise generated just went through the roof with “We are top of the league!” boastfully blasting out from the stand in which we were located. Looking around, the whole away end was on its feet in applause and unrelenting support as the clock ticked down towards half time. What an atmosphere!!
As the referee blew time on the first half, we celebrated it like a goal had gone in. I noticed a fair number of QPR players looking back towards our end on the way to the tunnel, many of them very quick to applaud the terrific backing they had received throughout the half.
On reflection of the first half, I can’t really praise the players enough. They were just outstanding, with the away supporters more than playing their part on proceedings as well.
Ipswich made a couple of changes at half time, with Wickham and the lazy Priskin being introduced to the game.
Wickham made an instant impact and there couldn’t have been more than a few seconds pass before he showed what he was capable of... The ball was free down the right hand side – with Hill and Wickham racing for possession. Wickham simply shouldered Hill onto the floor and neatly played the ball across the goal mouth which Scotland horribly scuffed wide for a goal kick.
Ipswich continued to pour players forward, with our midfield retreating back to support the defence which was starting to struggle. Wickham was at the heart of everything positive that they were doing, and without really getting many efforts on goal – they were by far looking the more threatening team.
Again a low ball was drilled into our box and following some last ditch defending we eventually managed to clear our lines. This continued for what seemed like an eternity (in reality probably around 20 minutes or so) but we were riding the storm and Ipswich were beginning to get frustrated with cynical fouls and dirty challenges starting to creep in from them.
The majority of the game was being played in our half though - this game was far from won.
You sensed that we needed just one goal to put this game firmly to bed and it ever so nearly came in the form of a Mackie hat-trick.
Taarabt was again the provider, and after picking up the ball on the edge of the box he cutely flicked it through to Mackie who was just to the left of the penalty spot… after getting the ball onto his right foot and beating the man, he was left with just Fulop to beat.. The ball seemed to almost get stuck under his feet though and he saw his tame effort comfortably punched clear by the keeper. This time it was he who had his head in his hands after what was a great great chance to earn his first ever hat-trick and seal the 3 points.
With the confidence at a premium, we then really started to pile the pressure firmly back onto Ipswich. Following a lung-busting run by Walker, he flighted his cross over to Helguson who gently cushioned his header into the path of Adel who was little more than 6 yards or so out from goal… The ball was just to high for him to manage a shot and he instead arrowed a diving header goal wards… Fulop was at full stretch to deny him and the ball was eventually booted up field clear of danger.
Taarabt barely acknowledged the superb chance created by Helguson (who had put it on a plate for him) and was absolutely killing himself for missing it.
Shortly after Warnock substituted him for Mikele Leigertwood – pushing Buzsaky further up the pitch in the process.
Soon after and we were 3 goals to the good. After the ball had been pushed clear to the edge of the box, Buzsaky sent a supreme shot ripping into the top hand corner of the goal with Fulop not a chance in the world of getting anywhere near it. It was one of those goals where you just stand and look jaw-dropped – a complete stunner!
We looked on in disbelief as the referee actually awarded a penalty kick?! I’m still none the wiser on what actually happened, and despite Helguson managing to tuck the ball into the bottom right of the goal (yep, same place again!) I couldn’t help but feel gutted for Buzsaky… that would have been some goal.
Despite that though, at 3-0 the game was one and the fans couldn’t have been happier. One group behind us all linked arms and made their way up and down the stairs in celebration before being ushered back up to the top by the stewards.
We did have a couple more chances as the clock edged towards the 90th minute mark.
Walker had again managed to get down the right hand side, and after his cross was miss-kicked clear by the Ipswich defender, he won back possession and played it along the edge of the box to Helguson who dragged his shot wide.
Finally, after Hill had won the throw in on the near side… he threw it quickly towards Buzsaky – who masterfully controlled it past the defender with his chest and swung the ball into the box, leaving Smith (who had been introduced for the tireless Mackie) with an open chance to net his first goal for the R’s… Frustratingly he also missed the target and the ball went out for a goal kick.
For the final few minutes we played one touch football around Ipswich, with “Whey, whey, whey” following every pass and touch by a QPR player. “It’s just like watching Brazil” came next… before ending on “It’s just like watching Rangers!”
Shortly after the referee blew time on the game, and the now sparse Ipswich crowd were left looking at the away end bouncing in jubilation and uncontained celebration.
The players came over to applaud us all, naturally with Jamie Mackie being THE player that was getting the praise lavished on him until he disappeared into the tunnel.
“Rangers are back, Rangers are back!” was the chant as we cued to get into the car park and off back home.
This was where things were going to get tight for both me and my brother, as we had until 1:30am to make it back down South or the next ferry wasn’t until 4:00am - and with work in the morning that was one thing I could have really done without!
After waiting around 40 minutes or so, we eventually made it onto the main road and waited at the traffic lights to head onto the motorway. While we discussed what we had witnessed, a smart looking Mercedes pulled up in the other lane. Having looked over, I noticed it was none other than Ishan Saksena in the passenger seat and Amit Bhatia in the back of the car – grinning from ear to ear as it happens!
We wound the windows down, and cheered in their direction… Amit caught site of it and gave us a thumbs up, before prodding Ishan and the driver and telling them “Look QPR.” The frantic Ipswich supporter in the car behind got a little… well angry that he was being made to wait, as little did I know but the light was green! I think Amit had clicked on to what the driver behind was expressing and laughed before clenching his fist and laughing in our direction, before we raced off before things got nasty!
We managed to get back down to the ferry at exactly 1:24, with literally 3 minutes or so until they close the gates – which was an enormous relief and perfect end to the perfect day.
Player Ratings –
Kenny – Didn’t have an awful lot to do in honesty. Did well when called upon though, and did well in claiming crosses and relieving the pressure.
Walker – Harshly speaking, I don’t think he is quite fully fit as yet. His raw pace and ability is there for the world to see though, and he will certainly give us something different on that right hand side. He read the game marvellously considering his youthful age, and looked more than comfortable out there. Definitely one worth keeping an eye on.
Connolly – Exceptional. Won every single header in the air, and didn’t put a foot wrong all game. Could and should have possibly done better with his header, but you could ask no more from him. Bought the ball forward into midfield on occasion and complimented Gorkss exceptionally.
Gorkss – Like Connolly he made the defence look unbeatable. Impeccable performance by him as ever, Warnock will be a very happy man!
Hill – Ever so strong at left back, bringing that grit and “nastiness” just on occasions when the tide starts to turn. Didn’t give the Ipswich winger any time or peace at all, what a cracking signing he has become.
Mackie – Playing with a real smile on his face and absolutely bursting with confidence. He was gutted to be substituted off and I think that’s testament to his attitude towards QPR as a whole. He just loves being out there and will run his nuts off all day every day! The quality shown in his second goal was quite fantastic. Becoming a firm fans favourite with every passing game.
Faurlin – Thought he was having a really good game up until he had to come off. Desperately hoping that his injury isn’t too serious.
Derry – How valuable/important his experience is to us. Whether he is the captain or not, you can see the respect that the other players have for him, and he bossed the midfield from start to finish. It doesn’t surprise me that Warnock mentions him in virtually EVERY post-match interview. Very important that we keep him fit, great performance.
Ephraim – Another good display from him. Seemed to grow in effectiveness as the game went on, but always provided width and pace out on the wing. Would have liked to have seen him get on the ball a little more, but got stuck into plenty of challenges and more than played his part in creating attacking opportunities.
Taarabt – Not quite the kind of performance that has you leaving the pitch wondering when Barcelona/Madrid will come calling (joke), but was a constant thorn in Ipswich’s side. Think he struggled with the slippery surface, but had it not been for Fulop he would have got on the score sheet and set up a couple of goals as well. Disappointed to be bought off, but think a large part of that was down to his missed chance just a matter of minutes earlier. Not brilliant by his sky high standards though.
Helguson – Really did impress me. He worked ever so hard throughout the game, and even in the 90th minute he was still chasing down lost causes and flying in for every potential ball he had even a tiny chance of winning. He fed the likes of Adel, Mackie with heaps of possession and again managed to tuck his penalty away. I have said all along this season that I was extremely wrong on him and performances like yesterday show why. Spotless.
Substitutions –
Buzsaky – I think with the exceptional form that Taarabt has been in, sometimes we might forget just what a gifted player has been warming the bench so far this season. Had his goal counted, we would still be raving about it come the end of the season without doubt… But his general play was just fantastic. His control, touch, vision… everything. Staked a real claim for a starting place following that performance.
Leigertwood – Helped to beef up things in the middle and looked solid from when he came on. Good to see him get some minutes under his belt, as personally I think he’s a good player. Can’t see him dislodging either Derry/Faurlin at the moment though.
Smith – No real time to make an impact on the game. Showed some nice touches, but should have really scored with the chance provided to him. Sure his time will come.
On reflection on full 90 minutes of the game, as I said above I struggle to define just how impressed I am with this squad that Warnock has assembled. We didn’t only completely outplay Ipswich, we bullied them off the pitch as well by doing all those little things that make the difference come the end of the game.
Any 50/50 – we won. Any header – we won. Any loose ball – we won.
Following recent showings you do struggle to keep your feet on the ground and not get carried away with things, and of course we do have a long hard season ahead and that shouldn’t be forgotten… but things are looking oh so good.
Special praise should also go towards the supporters that made the journey up last night - you were TERRIFIC.
Thanks for reading.
U R'ss!!
For any of those interested, here was my take on yesterday’s game at Portman Road.
The day didn’t get off to the best start for me personally, having agreed to take half of the day off work to get up-to Ipswich, I was horrified to find that ALL car ferries across to both Southampton and Portsmouth were fully booked up until 6pm. That left us with no option but to travel to the other side of the island and catch a ferry over to Lymington (adding another 40 minutes or so onto our journey in the process). We left on the 1:15 ferry going across – which in typical island fashion was running late.
We eventually made it up to the ground at 6:45 and parked literally straight opposite the ground. With the rain absolutely storming down, despite having little over 20 yards to go, by the time we got into the ground we were literally drenched to the bone.
There were no huge surprises in the starting line-up, with the only change being Kyle Walker in at right back for the injured Bradley Orr.
Kenny again continued in goal, with Hill at left back, Gorkss & Connolly in the middle and as mentioned Walker making his debut at right back.
In midfield we stuck with Derry & Faurlin in the middle, with Hogan & Mackie on the flanks.
Adel was playing just off of Helguson.
Looking round just before kick-off, I was mightily impressed with the away following that we had taken up there for a Tuesday night. I don’t know the exact number, but I would say that it was a good 1400 or so (hopefully the thrill of the performance hasn’t clouded my judgement there).
Onto the game and we were on the front foot right from the off, with our first effort on goal coming a mere 5 minutes or so into the game. In what was a nice flowing move, Hogan burst from midfield and ran at the composed Ipswich defence. Helguson had made a great run to his left hand side which Hogan spotted by sliding a great ball into his path... As Helguson latched onto it, he looked up and drilled the ball goal wards – but unfortunately he could only manage to direct it into the side netting from an acute angle.
Ipswich looked a well organised outfit and did enjoy a fair amount of possession in the middle. The partnership of Derry and Faurlin was again completely watertight and more often than not any time that they did manage to venture into our half – another crunching tackle was on its way.
We continued to look the more threatening though, and after Walker had blasted forward, he slid the ball through to Mackie who was literally brushing the corner flag with a defender tagged onto him. He simply kicked the ball against him and won us a corner kick.
Taarabt curled the ball into the box and Connolly rose above everyone, but unfortunately he could only direct his header over the bar for a goal kick. It looked an excellent chance, on another day he might have managed to get a goal here.
It only served to fire up the already buoyant QPR support though, with the muted Ipswich fans located to our left simply looking up as they reeled off song after song.
Shortly after, Ipswich were awarded a throw in along the near side. There seemed to be a pause for a couple of minutes until we noticed that the linemen had pulled up with what looked like a hamstring problem. As he limped off in front of us “Lino lino give us a wave!” was sang by the travelling support, unsurprisingly he didn’t oblige.
Soon after we had what was probably our biggest chance of the game so far. Taarabt had played a neat one-two with Mackie, with the latter taking up his position in the penalty area. As the defence stood off from Taarabt, he glided in a superb swerving cross which looked to be flicked on by Mackie and powerfully headed goal wards by Helguson… Fulop was equal to it though and managed to fly down to his right hand side and push the ball round the post for a corner kick.
We were by far looking the more dominant side and I can’t think of a single occasion where Ipswich had even came close to hurting us at this stage. The only thing that comes to mind was when they hit us on the break following a corner kick, I believe it was one of their wingers (Carlos Edwards?) that was running down the flank, and with Scotland waiting in the area he looked to cross… But Clint Hill came lunging in with a blistering tackle that saw the ball go out for a throw-in and left the player crumpled on the floor. He eventually made it back to his feet, and I think that was pretty much as close as they came.
With QPR bossing the game on the field and the fans pulverising the Ipswich support in terms of atmosphere, you could have been forgiven for thinking we were playing at home. That trend continued when Taarabt also came close to giving us the lead. Having won back possession back in our own half, Derry played the ball through to Faurlin who was located around the half way line. Spotting a nice run from Adel he laid the ball into his path, with the Ipswich back-line now at sixes and sevens. Mackie had darted in from the wing, and after again playing a neat give and go it left Adel with just two players to beat… After managing to get past one of them, he drilled the shot into the bottom left hand corner with Fulop did well to claim and hold onto.
As Taarabt walked back with his head bowed following his effort, Mackie pumped his fist at him and encouraged him to keep going before speeding off around 60 yards to cover the left winger who had advanced further up the pitch – how I relish seeing Mackie’s enthusiasm and work rate!
The next chance came shortly after and we got the goal that our complete dominance from the first whistle had richly deserved. Kenny had rolled the ball out from goal and played the ball long up field into their half… Helguson had been dominant in the air up until this stage, and he managed to flick the ball onto Mackie leaving him inside the area with 2 players closely marking him. He managed to make the space to have an effort on goal - falling to the ground in the process, but his initial shot was blocked by a sliding tackle… Undeterred Mackie got straight back to his feet, and after faking to shoot he again sent the defender back to the floor, before confidently slamming the ball into the bottom left hand corner leaving Fulop no chance.
It sent the QPR fans into complete delirium with a healthy bruise on my leg the only thing I had to show for it! The already vocal support now exploded into noise and frantic celebration which was the pattern for the rest of the game from here on in.
As the players walked back towards our half following the goal “There’s only one Jamie Mackie, one Jamie Mackie… Walking along singing a song, walking in a Mackie wonderland!” was now being sung by the whole away end who were on their feet, and beaming faced he looked up towards us and applauded in our direction and celebrated his goal yet again – heightening the decibels of the chant even further.
“Taarabt, Taarabt, Taarabt, Taarabt, Taarabt, Taarabtt, Taarabbbbt, Adel Taarabt” (to the tune of the pink panther) started shortly after which after raising a few laughs/smiles actually seemed to catch on really quickly.
Despite the festival atmosphere in the stands, the reality was that Ipswich were just starting to show little signs of coming back into the game. The following 10 minutes or so they really did put us under a lot of pressure. The long throws by Edwards on the near side meant that any time they won anything in our half – it would result in an aerial bombarding of long balls into the box. In truth, Gorkss & Connolly managed to win the first header almost every single occasion. But there were a couple of close calls, with Kenny doing well to smother a loose ball on one occasion with a whole host of Ipswich players lining up to shoot in what was an extremely crowded penalty area.
Derry also managed to slide in and prod the ball out for a corner when it looked for the world that the Ipswich played would tuck the ball in from close range.
There were further concerns raised when Alejandro Faurlin limped off with an injury (didn’t look too serious). Akos Buzsaky was brought on to replace him, which meant that Derry was going to have to do a lot of leg-work with the more attack minded Buzsaky partnering him in the middle of the field.
Watching from the stands, I was certain that this was now going to become a very different game – especially with no Faurlin.
How wrong I was… A matter of minutes after we managed to double the lead!
Ipswich had been awarded a corner kick, and following a good clearance by Connolly the ball fell to Taarabt who was just behind the half way line. After spinning goal wards, he played the ball to Mackie who had broke forward following the corner kick… He ran and ran and ran unopposed, with the Ipswich defence holding their lines and not committing themselves… Walker had blistered his way down the right hand side, and with what felt like the whole stand urging him to play the ball out wide, Mackie took one touch to compose himself before again sending the ball low into the bottom corner and under Fulop.
The celebrations for the first goal were crazy – this though was just frantic! A whole surge of fans above us fell forwards onto where we were stood, with my brother ending up in a different row of supporters!!
After taking a couple of minutes to all roughly find our way back to where we were stood, the Mackie chant bellowed out from the away end with him returning by pumping both fists almost jumping on the spot with excitement!
The noise generated just went through the roof with “We are top of the league!” boastfully blasting out from the stand in which we were located. Looking around, the whole away end was on its feet in applause and unrelenting support as the clock ticked down towards half time. What an atmosphere!!
As the referee blew time on the first half, we celebrated it like a goal had gone in. I noticed a fair number of QPR players looking back towards our end on the way to the tunnel, many of them very quick to applaud the terrific backing they had received throughout the half.
On reflection of the first half, I can’t really praise the players enough. They were just outstanding, with the away supporters more than playing their part on proceedings as well.
Ipswich made a couple of changes at half time, with Wickham and the lazy Priskin being introduced to the game.
Wickham made an instant impact and there couldn’t have been more than a few seconds pass before he showed what he was capable of... The ball was free down the right hand side – with Hill and Wickham racing for possession. Wickham simply shouldered Hill onto the floor and neatly played the ball across the goal mouth which Scotland horribly scuffed wide for a goal kick.
Ipswich continued to pour players forward, with our midfield retreating back to support the defence which was starting to struggle. Wickham was at the heart of everything positive that they were doing, and without really getting many efforts on goal – they were by far looking the more threatening team.
Again a low ball was drilled into our box and following some last ditch defending we eventually managed to clear our lines. This continued for what seemed like an eternity (in reality probably around 20 minutes or so) but we were riding the storm and Ipswich were beginning to get frustrated with cynical fouls and dirty challenges starting to creep in from them.
The majority of the game was being played in our half though - this game was far from won.
You sensed that we needed just one goal to put this game firmly to bed and it ever so nearly came in the form of a Mackie hat-trick.
Taarabt was again the provider, and after picking up the ball on the edge of the box he cutely flicked it through to Mackie who was just to the left of the penalty spot… after getting the ball onto his right foot and beating the man, he was left with just Fulop to beat.. The ball seemed to almost get stuck under his feet though and he saw his tame effort comfortably punched clear by the keeper. This time it was he who had his head in his hands after what was a great great chance to earn his first ever hat-trick and seal the 3 points.
With the confidence at a premium, we then really started to pile the pressure firmly back onto Ipswich. Following a lung-busting run by Walker, he flighted his cross over to Helguson who gently cushioned his header into the path of Adel who was little more than 6 yards or so out from goal… The ball was just to high for him to manage a shot and he instead arrowed a diving header goal wards… Fulop was at full stretch to deny him and the ball was eventually booted up field clear of danger.
Taarabt barely acknowledged the superb chance created by Helguson (who had put it on a plate for him) and was absolutely killing himself for missing it.
Shortly after Warnock substituted him for Mikele Leigertwood – pushing Buzsaky further up the pitch in the process.
Soon after and we were 3 goals to the good. After the ball had been pushed clear to the edge of the box, Buzsaky sent a supreme shot ripping into the top hand corner of the goal with Fulop not a chance in the world of getting anywhere near it. It was one of those goals where you just stand and look jaw-dropped – a complete stunner!
We looked on in disbelief as the referee actually awarded a penalty kick?! I’m still none the wiser on what actually happened, and despite Helguson managing to tuck the ball into the bottom right of the goal (yep, same place again!) I couldn’t help but feel gutted for Buzsaky… that would have been some goal.
Despite that though, at 3-0 the game was one and the fans couldn’t have been happier. One group behind us all linked arms and made their way up and down the stairs in celebration before being ushered back up to the top by the stewards.
We did have a couple more chances as the clock edged towards the 90th minute mark.
Walker had again managed to get down the right hand side, and after his cross was miss-kicked clear by the Ipswich defender, he won back possession and played it along the edge of the box to Helguson who dragged his shot wide.
Finally, after Hill had won the throw in on the near side… he threw it quickly towards Buzsaky – who masterfully controlled it past the defender with his chest and swung the ball into the box, leaving Smith (who had been introduced for the tireless Mackie) with an open chance to net his first goal for the R’s… Frustratingly he also missed the target and the ball went out for a goal kick.
For the final few minutes we played one touch football around Ipswich, with “Whey, whey, whey” following every pass and touch by a QPR player. “It’s just like watching Brazil” came next… before ending on “It’s just like watching Rangers!”
Shortly after the referee blew time on the game, and the now sparse Ipswich crowd were left looking at the away end bouncing in jubilation and uncontained celebration.
The players came over to applaud us all, naturally with Jamie Mackie being THE player that was getting the praise lavished on him until he disappeared into the tunnel.
“Rangers are back, Rangers are back!” was the chant as we cued to get into the car park and off back home.
This was where things were going to get tight for both me and my brother, as we had until 1:30am to make it back down South or the next ferry wasn’t until 4:00am - and with work in the morning that was one thing I could have really done without!
After waiting around 40 minutes or so, we eventually made it onto the main road and waited at the traffic lights to head onto the motorway. While we discussed what we had witnessed, a smart looking Mercedes pulled up in the other lane. Having looked over, I noticed it was none other than Ishan Saksena in the passenger seat and Amit Bhatia in the back of the car – grinning from ear to ear as it happens!
We wound the windows down, and cheered in their direction… Amit caught site of it and gave us a thumbs up, before prodding Ishan and the driver and telling them “Look QPR.” The frantic Ipswich supporter in the car behind got a little… well angry that he was being made to wait, as little did I know but the light was green! I think Amit had clicked on to what the driver behind was expressing and laughed before clenching his fist and laughing in our direction, before we raced off before things got nasty!
We managed to get back down to the ferry at exactly 1:24, with literally 3 minutes or so until they close the gates – which was an enormous relief and perfect end to the perfect day.
Player Ratings –
Kenny – Didn’t have an awful lot to do in honesty. Did well when called upon though, and did well in claiming crosses and relieving the pressure.
Walker – Harshly speaking, I don’t think he is quite fully fit as yet. His raw pace and ability is there for the world to see though, and he will certainly give us something different on that right hand side. He read the game marvellously considering his youthful age, and looked more than comfortable out there. Definitely one worth keeping an eye on.
Connolly – Exceptional. Won every single header in the air, and didn’t put a foot wrong all game. Could and should have possibly done better with his header, but you could ask no more from him. Bought the ball forward into midfield on occasion and complimented Gorkss exceptionally.
Gorkss – Like Connolly he made the defence look unbeatable. Impeccable performance by him as ever, Warnock will be a very happy man!
Hill – Ever so strong at left back, bringing that grit and “nastiness” just on occasions when the tide starts to turn. Didn’t give the Ipswich winger any time or peace at all, what a cracking signing he has become.
Mackie – Playing with a real smile on his face and absolutely bursting with confidence. He was gutted to be substituted off and I think that’s testament to his attitude towards QPR as a whole. He just loves being out there and will run his nuts off all day every day! The quality shown in his second goal was quite fantastic. Becoming a firm fans favourite with every passing game.
Faurlin – Thought he was having a really good game up until he had to come off. Desperately hoping that his injury isn’t too serious.
Derry – How valuable/important his experience is to us. Whether he is the captain or not, you can see the respect that the other players have for him, and he bossed the midfield from start to finish. It doesn’t surprise me that Warnock mentions him in virtually EVERY post-match interview. Very important that we keep him fit, great performance.
Ephraim – Another good display from him. Seemed to grow in effectiveness as the game went on, but always provided width and pace out on the wing. Would have liked to have seen him get on the ball a little more, but got stuck into plenty of challenges and more than played his part in creating attacking opportunities.
Taarabt – Not quite the kind of performance that has you leaving the pitch wondering when Barcelona/Madrid will come calling (joke), but was a constant thorn in Ipswich’s side. Think he struggled with the slippery surface, but had it not been for Fulop he would have got on the score sheet and set up a couple of goals as well. Disappointed to be bought off, but think a large part of that was down to his missed chance just a matter of minutes earlier. Not brilliant by his sky high standards though.
Helguson – Really did impress me. He worked ever so hard throughout the game, and even in the 90th minute he was still chasing down lost causes and flying in for every potential ball he had even a tiny chance of winning. He fed the likes of Adel, Mackie with heaps of possession and again managed to tuck his penalty away. I have said all along this season that I was extremely wrong on him and performances like yesterday show why. Spotless.
Substitutions –
Buzsaky – I think with the exceptional form that Taarabt has been in, sometimes we might forget just what a gifted player has been warming the bench so far this season. Had his goal counted, we would still be raving about it come the end of the season without doubt… But his general play was just fantastic. His control, touch, vision… everything. Staked a real claim for a starting place following that performance.
Leigertwood – Helped to beef up things in the middle and looked solid from when he came on. Good to see him get some minutes under his belt, as personally I think he’s a good player. Can’t see him dislodging either Derry/Faurlin at the moment though.
Smith – No real time to make an impact on the game. Showed some nice touches, but should have really scored with the chance provided to him. Sure his time will come.
On reflection on full 90 minutes of the game, as I said above I struggle to define just how impressed I am with this squad that Warnock has assembled. We didn’t only completely outplay Ipswich, we bullied them off the pitch as well by doing all those little things that make the difference come the end of the game.
Any 50/50 – we won. Any header – we won. Any loose ball – we won.
Following recent showings you do struggle to keep your feet on the ground and not get carried away with things, and of course we do have a long hard season ahead and that shouldn’t be forgotten… but things are looking oh so good.
Special praise should also go towards the supporters that made the journey up last night - you were TERRIFIC.
Thanks for reading.
U R'ss!!
Comment