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Great report. Spot on. I’d gone into the game with low expectations, becos the emotional cost of unfulfilled high expectations is too great, also because we tend to f**kthings up when least expected. So , consequently, it was just…brilliant. Mbengue, Madsen and Dembele you rightly single out as outstanding. Norrington-Davies I thought stood out too - it’s good to have two decent full backs. However, another game where Clarke-Salter ( have we ever previously had 2 double barrelled surnames on the pitch at the same time…) was subbed at half time. It’s not the first time. Didn’t look injured - maybe he was. Leicester were terrible. Absolute shit. I almost started feeling sorry for them - well almost - a team lacking in any motivation. Calling Marti a c*ntwas unnecessary, disappointing and sounded stupidly spiteful - his team’s performance was enough on the hubris front. This result has led me to raise my expectations , probably unfortunately because we are not going to be playing against such a shower every week.
Absolutely agree. If we are in the play offs,it’s a lottery. We could go up. Sunderland last year is a good precedent. You’ve got to take your chance when it comes. However, will we finish in the top 6? Head says no…
Our startung lineup today - and for the games against against Stoke and Wrexham - contained only one “ FIFA nationality” English player ( Vale). After Vale was substituted in the SW game , Dembele ( who is English) came on so we didn’t go down to zero English players. Ditto in the Wrexham game : Dembele came on for Saito ; Hayden (Jamaica)for Vale - so we always had one English player on the pitch (2 for 12 minutes in the Wrexham game.). I don’t recall us ever having just one English player in the starting lineup - not even in the weird days of Mark Hughes (2011-12). Can another nerd correct me or confirm ( or in the spirit of the times provide “ alternative facts”).
Dreaming of the playoffs? As the table below illustrates, that’s probably what it is…dream on…
Championship 6th place team by season
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
18-19 54 Middlesbrough No 74 Derby 54 7th 19-20 53 Preston No 70 Swansea 48 11th 20-21 52 Bournemouth Yes 77 Bourne’th 52 6th ( Bournemouth promoted) 21-22 53 Huddersfield Yes 75 Luton 52 7th ( QPR 5th after 33 with 53; finished 22-23 51 Luton Yes 69 Sund’lnd 49 8th. 11th with 66) 23-24 54 Hull city No 73 Norwich 51 8th 24-25 48 WBA ?
Col 1: Season Col 2: Points of 6th place team after 33 games Col 3 : Club in 6th place after 33 games Col 4: Did this club make play offs? Col. 5: Points of 6th place team after 46 games Col. 6: Club in 6th place after 46 games Col 7: Points of final 6th placed team after 33 games Col. 8: League position of final 6th placed team after 33 games
It’s a mountain to climb for QPR to get to the play offs. Our 44 points total after 33 games is lower than any other similarly positioned team in the last 6 seasons ( Swansea had 48 in 19-20 and achieved an impressive 22 from their final 13 games or 2.46 points/game). It’s possible but highly unlikely. But strange stuff happens very occasionally.
I found Tony Incenzos blog on the abandoned Forest Milk Cup game game in November 85: coldest November night in London for 17 years….Yup, I recall my frozen feet, as I stamped to keep warm. https://www.888sport.com/blog/
… and here is the link for the Jan 85 game ( “ the only game in London” - everything else snowed off) :
Jim Smiths side. I really liked that team. ( There was also a Boxing Day fixture v Spurs in 1978 which also ended 2-2).
The only London game: that was against Spurs . Bannister scored . I think Falco was playing for them. It was either a draw or we just edged it, I think the former. 1980s
There was an evening game in freezing weather at Loftus Road in the 80s when the lights failed and I think was abandoned - not sure. Freezing in the Ellerslie Road stand. .
Great report, thanks. Really depressing performance. I thought the tactics and formation didn’t suit and Cifuentes inflexibility sometimes worries me. If any game needed 3 CBs - 5 at the back it was this one. We know how Swansea play they are vulnerable to the old fashioned stuff, yes almost a little bit of Ainsworth …This was not a time to play a build from the back possession game.Frey should have started., Maybe even Frey and Kolli ( slightly deeper ). Compressed mid field. Yes I know it’s easy to be an armchair manager but you could see from the very beginning that our set up and tactics weren’t suited. I’m not sure that Fox was any worse than anyone else: we just couldn’t cope with their passing and movement. Possession stats are meaningful specially when 83%-17% - but this was never going to be a game where we dominated possession.
So…Reginald Christie, who murdered at least 6 people ( including his wife, Ethel) and lived at 10 Rillington Place W12( the road no longer exists; replaced by Bartle Road,near Ladbroke Grove) was found, when arrested in 1953, with a QPR badge in his inside pocket plus “ the tobacco tin in which he collected clumps of women’s pubic hair “ ( revolting; I kid you not: there’s a new book out about the murders). It appears he was a regular at home games . Any other notable villains in this category ( I mean Rs supporters, not tobacco tin collectors…)?
There must be more to Celar…surely? Totally, completely, utterly ineffectual. I found myself feeling sorry for him- just out of his depth. He’s not impressed in any game so far- his positioning, his anticipation, his running on and off the ball ( well maybe once…) , his control. Did he have a shot at goal on Tuesday? No presence.. No aggression .Maybe if he did something that got him booked, I’d warm to him. At least with Dykes, even when he wasn’t playing well, he was big and an asset when taking and defending corners. Celar hasn’t got the physical presence - well he isn’t that sort of player - the question is what sort of player is he? We had quite a small team ( in height terms) , without Frey and Madsen noticeable when taking and defending corners . There must have been something impressive about Celar for us to get him. Or was this faulty analysis by duff data driven software? Good to see Anderson having a decent part-game. Saito showed he can perform for 90 minutes. Chair is nowhere near his for towards the end of last season. Found myself thinking of the Jim Smith QPR sides- when did sweeepers go out of fashion?
It’s been worse in the time I’ve been supporting QPR. Alan Mullery’s tenure, the farcical period before Warnock was first appointed are just two. We’ve lost 4 games in a row and haven’t won at home this season. However…Dembele and Saito are good signings. I agree that Celar has been hugely disappointing so far. Madsen is a bit of an enigma ( which means I don’t have a fuxxxng clue how he’s going to turn out. Maybe he’ll turn out to be a Mike Fillery type or maybe even a John Gregory - dream on…). It’s still better than it was this time last season. There was no hope under Ainsworth and you could sense he’d lost the players. That doesn’t appear to be the case now. So , alright maybe a trifle rose tinted, I think this will be turned around.
I think that’s right. As a lone striker he doesn’t look comfortable. I’m not familiar with his pre QPR career and what brought the best out of him. His anticipation and positioning suggests he’s still adjusting to the English game generally and the Championship specifically. Maybe the lad will come good.
Great report. Captures the moment. I’ll just savour this. I’d forgotten that such a performance was possible. It’s too early to think about next season.A lot can happen. I’m going to keep the optimism bottled up. For now I’ll settle for the safety that’s been achieved. Huge achievement.
We are 50.0 on Betfair ( Hudds 1.16,Brum 1.85, SW 2.Ply 7.8, Bburn 8.8, Stoke 70.0). I think we are overpriced at 50.0 and if I wasn’t emotionally involved I would take that price. 250/1 is crazy
The premature articulation from many that “ we are safe now” is….err, premature and possibly shows that many Rs supporters can’t add up. We are not out of the shit yet. We need more points , two would do for me , although three would be gilt edged, but my optimism doesn’t run that far. Wednesday appear to in good shape and Birmingham can be unpredictable. Blackburn and Plymouth are too close to us. At this stage of the season, strange things happen. I’m not relaxed, in fact I’m still stressed , wary, apprehensive and very grateful for the Preston keeper.
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