I always have mixed emotions when we play QPR, generally as a result of frequently underestimating them. They overcame a 0-2 deficit at Wembley in 1967 to beat us 3-2, and the pain of hearing “Rodney, Rodney”, still lingers. Still, we lifted the CCC title there in May 2008, and even when they took a two goal lead at the Hawthorns this season, we pulled them back to 2-2. With new manager “Colin” Warnock recently installed, I expected a close fought game, even if they might have only six players left on the pitch at the end!
QPR play in a residential area of west London, surrounded by houses and flats on all sides, and one wonders whether Flavio Briatore, Anit Bhatia, Lakshri Mittal, and Bernie Ecclestone have their sights on property development rather than club development. Just how these mega-rich tycoons will develop the Hoops as a “global brand” is yet to be revealed, yet they never seem short of sponsors or managers willing to try their hand. Warnock is their fifth manager this season. Their volatile support base and fluctuating attendances show how unhappy Rangers fans have become at the way their club has been run under “crash-happy” Briatore.
The Referee
Referee Stuart Attwell, in his third season, is not best loved by Rangers fans, and was watched like a hawk by “Colin” throughout the game.
He gave a pen’ to Ipswich against us this season, for a pretty soft challenge, but at QPR he must have had his fuzzy contact lens in, because he failed to spot Gorkss wrestle Cox to the ground, as a preamble to our two falls and a submission.
He also overlooked Ikeme’s attempt to send Cox into orbit, which resulted in our hapless front man being stretchered off with what looks like a serious neck or shoulder injury.
Attwell uses cards like “Colin” withdraws players, so it was no surprise when he dished out two yellow cards to each team, but thankfully no reds.
The Crowd
Rangers’ new Chairman Ishan Saksena describes QPR as a family club, and it is some surprise to see an animated “Colin” respecting the terms of his ASBO and generally behaving himself in his first match. Its early days however, to talk about stability. A 14,578 crowd was swelled by 2000 travelling Baggies fans crammed into the school end. We chant our pleasantries to “Colin” and he cheerfully waved back, anxiously wondering if Gary Megson is somewhere amongst us.
The Line Up
The R’s, wearing their traditional blue and white hoops, contrast with our red away strip.
Ex-Albion player Jay Simpson looks like he has put on a few pounds and their hoops do nothing for the Rangers’ waistlines. Their centre back makes Darren Moore look decidedly anorexic.
We start with Carson; Reid, Olsson, Tamas and Cech; Mulumbu; Brunt, Thomas, Watson, Morrison; Cox.
On the bench are Kiely, Mattock, Koren, Moore, Meite, Miller and Dorrans. The players and crowd gave a minute’s applause to show respect to former Rangers captain Mike Keen, and Macc. Town Manager Keith Alexander. R.I.P. both.
The First Half
We start badly and it falls away as the game goes on. A congested midfield prevents Thomas, Brunty or Morrison from getting any kind of service up to Cox, and quickly Rangers begin to get Taarabt and Ephraim out into wide midfield. Taarabt, the Spurs loanee, quickly starts to show his class, skips past Watson down our left flank, and drills in a low cross which Carson cannot hold. Ephrian pokes at goal, Carson blocks, but Jay Simpson gratefully picks up the loose ball and fires into our net. Before we can recover, Rangers get another as Taarabt, Priskin and Faurlin thread four or five moves together for Connolly to deceive our back four and slot home a second. Albion, after 18 minutes are in disarray. Taarabt is proving a handful with a series of penetrating crosses with Tamas and Olsson kept busy clearing our lines.
Steven Reid, our new loan signing from Blackburn, looks assured at right back, but Rangers keep the pressure on our left side where Cech and Watson have no answer to Taarabt. “Colin” gets more animated as the W12 crowd get behind their new found confident team.
Ikeme, in the Rangers goal commanded his box well, denied a Morrison rush, and later made an outstanding save from Watson when the ball looked goalbound. As the first half moved on, Albion started to use their width, with Brunt and Thomas making good runs. Mulumbu looked solid. Thomas sent over a beautiful cross which Brunt headed in from the far post. This was more like it! Rangers started to falter, and looked shaky when Tamas, and then Morrison pounded Ikeme’s goal. Rangers held on, and we went into the break with more confidence. Would Koren or Dorrans come on, rested after midweek international appearances?
Half Time
At half time, the Rangers rubbed salt in our wound by wheeling out former Wembley ’67 winners Hazell, Lazarus, Sibley, and Morgan. It could have been worse: they could have hired Rodney Marsh, but the rumour was that “Metal Mickey” Mittal would not pay his appearance fee, preferring to invest it in the team instead.
London Baggie, Chris Green, led the half-time discussion about when Dorrans should feature. “Greeno” was perceptive in identifying how many times Ben Watson’s moves broke down. Surely Koren is a more accurate distributor than Watson?
Two Bovrils at half-time to keep warm came to £4.80. “Surely some mistake, moosh?” I said to the catering supremo, as he sheepishly returned the £1.60 overcharge. “Sorry mate, but Flavio made us do it, and now we are a family-friendly club, we sometimes forget,” he argued in mitigation. Loftus Road is a cold and draughty ground, so we went back into the stand, just to try to keep warm as the east wind send the temperature plummeting.
Most entertaining was “Sombrero Man”, a Rangers fan with a ten foot hat, hooter, and an old style wooden football rattle, which looked like it weighed about thirty kilos. (I thought they were banned?!).
The Rangers Lion padded around the pitch looking lonely and mournful, with no Baggiebirds to annoy. No drama-filled cross-bar challenge, just a parade of ex-Rangers players with gravely voices telling us how great it was in the ’67 final.
The Second Half
The game restarted with Albion now controlling a fast paced game, and pressing forward for an equaliser. Brunt and Thomas were finding Cox more frequently and Rangers were beginning to feel the pressure as Cox fired over from close range. Carson then had to keep his wits as two Rangers efforts both were on target.
On 64 mins Cech is replaced by Miller as Albion start to push forward for the elusive equaliser. Then, a bizarre goal. “Colin”, on the Rangers touchline, is organising three or four players for a substitution, or is it a walk-off? Suddenly Buzsaky sends in a cross which bounces around our box, hits the inside post, and bounces across goal and into the net. Carson looked forlorn. “Colin” thought it was Christmas. Even when Dorrans came on after 68 mins, and showed his class in trying to mobilise a fightback, we nearly conceded again as Carson saved from Simpson and Vine.
On Reflection
We had 20 attempts on Rangers’ goal, to their 10 on ours; 7 corners to their 2; marginally more possession, yet still end up losing by three goals to one.
Miller could not get out of first gear as a second half substitute and we still have problems up front as well as giving away too many opportunities to teams we should comfortably beat. At the end of the game their announcer gleefully proclaimed that this was the first win of “the Warnock era”. Undoubtedly, he will pull them out of trouble and keep them up. On this showing, we may well meet them again next season.
Albion started 2nd in the CCC, Rangers started 20th. The Hoops with only two wins from their last 18 games prior to this one and leaking goals. To the uninformed, you would be hard-pushed to see which team were chasing promotion and which team were avoiding relegation. Rangers were fair, but we were poor, giving away chances and opportunities like Christmas had come early. The Magpies forge ahead, whilst Forest push us out of automatic spot with a win at Swansea. Back to the drawing board.