QPR Post Match Thread

[StanSP]

What, you heard that did you? sure, sure

Was easier to hear him than any of you lot!

[surrifox]

Gutted, but a few thoughts

Vassell - cant decide if he 's playing out of his best position or is a spent force either way he was no threat and failed to read any of Yaks knock downs. We were a much better looking side when he went off

Ricardo- lay off him, he was sound all game - 1 punch but he had a crowd round him and the ref wasnt giving much protection

Naughton, Mee, Bruma- class

Oakley- what 's the problem - he did OK

The disappointing aspect was that the midfield didn't create more, the playing surface was great and our passing game should have put their lumbering centre halves under pressure and give them the run around but Derry always got in ahead of them and frustrated us

If we play to that standard in the remaining games we have a chance

[Callabinho]

Can't disagree with any of that.

I don't understand why people get so upset about Kenny. Yes, he's a pr*ck, but that's because he doesn't play for us. He's a character, in that he takes the abuse fairly and then dishes some back (not in an aggressive or particular nasty manner, just a bog standard bit of banter). The game needs more characters like him.

Agreed, how can we call kenny a ****, when every man and his dog in this country will hate Ricardo for what he did to england, thought he had a good game today!

[Bert]

Agreed, how can we call kenny a ****, when every man and his dog in this country will hate Ricardo for what he did to england, thought he had a good game today!

Ricardo has never been caught trying to cheat using drugs. That's why. Nor has it come out that he's mistreated a woman. Kenny is guilty of one and maybe both of these things.

All Ricardo did was do what he was supposed to.

[MC Prussian]

What a disappointment. Frustrated I was on the way back to the coach.

We thoroughly deserved a point from this, but failed to convert some good chances and in the end, it just wasn't meant to be.

You look at how the team recovered from a very poor first 10 minutes, when nothing would go our way and not one attack in the QPR half registered.

The longer the game went, the more we found into it and, at times, gave the home side a very good kicking. Rangers attacks were often neutralized and this thanks to our defense, Naughton had the upper hand on Routledge. And Bamba and Bruma marked Taarabt out of the game for most part. Mee looked a bit shaky on the left, but filled out his role very well.

The tragic part is that all this effort was for nothing - we held the league leaders for a draw and as the 80th minute passed by and Waghorn had just missed his second chance in front of Kenny's goal, I thought we'd carry this point back home. There was even the chance of nicking all three points.

But, again... we rue the chances. We're not clinical enough.

Is this the difference between a football team that has lost only three times in 35 matches and a side that struggles tremendously away from home?

Answer: Yes.

Why we were playing with four central midfielders from the start I can't tell. But it didn't make any sense to me.

King, Oakley, Wellens and Abe all playing together, but eating up each other's space in the middle.

We didn't manage to get the ball down the wings and had to rely on Yakubu (!) to play on that position on many, many occasions.

Bruma scared me to bits in the early stages of the first half by shying away from one-on-ones. He looked very lightweight and failed to mark his man, but made up for it as the match progressed. That run into the QPR half towards the end of the first was outstanding.

The weakest links today (from my point of view) were Vassell, who never found into it, and Oakley who was a complete waste of space in the middle of the park, in particular in the first half.

I feel we got robbed the hard way. The honeymoon is over. And even though the playoffs are still theoretically and practically possible, I can't see us making a lot of progress in the upcoming 11 games.

For that, we'd have to overcome our inability to create plays, to play the ball quicker.

We were too tame once we approached the QPR box and reverted to kicking it sideways, without anyone daring to take a shot at goal.

We had a great chance to come up with a more than decent result today, but our lack of effectiveness cost us dearly in the end.

I hope Sven sorts it out for the Norwich game, this poor formation is not working.

P.S.: Ricardo was more than solid today.

[Mack]

Just got back.

Thought that was a decent display overall, games like that are won on fine margins and our sub Waghorn missed two great chances whilst their sub Miller buried his.

Bruma did a cracking job on Tarrabt I thought.

There was nothing to be worried about from today, onwards and upwards and dont look back.

[Kenners]

Just got back. Thought we looked solid defensely and Mee had a superb game and looked extremely comfortable on the ball. I think he put in a better performance than PVA has done for the last few games if im honest and if we defend like that for the rest of the season I can't see us conceding that many. Bruma was also excellent, his run from CB to the corner flag was class.

I thought Ricardo had a good game and made some good saves, particularly the offside chance they had which was heading for the bottom corner.

Kingy put more of a shift in today and Abe was his usual energetic self. Credit to Oakley who also had a decent game, maybe he's a player to put in the team for away days to slow it down and be a bit more defensive.

Vassell didn't have a great game in my opinion. I wish he'd try and beat his man more rather than either running around in circles or passing it backwards.

All in all I thought we were very unlucky not to get a point today.

RE Paddy Kenny, he took it for 45 minutes so I dont blame him for giving some back. Dont slag players off if you dont like it when they respond.

[Corky]

I left the ground wondering how we didn't win that, let alone lost it. We by and large controlled their threat for 88 minutes and the one time we let them through they punish us.

Waghorn had a great chance to get the first goal, did the hard part in getting control of the ball but didn't put it away, on his favoured side as well. Yakubu had a lovely effort tipped over and Kingy nearly gave us the lead with a glancing header, again good save.

Gutted to lose, though at least we lost trying to win the game, we didn't settle for a point and had a go. Sadly, we got nothing out of it.

I saw plenty of positives today but our situation has taken a set back. 11 huge games to go.

[Thracian]

Proud of the team and pissed off with the result. This was no Cardiff where we failed to compete for one half. This was a full-bloodied fight and we traded proverbial punches in most every department.

I even came out thinking we deserved a draw but they scored and we didn't, despite having more chances. If you don't take chances you deserve nothing and if you don't score 75 goals or more in a season you're not likely to win promotion.

We didn't score for various reasons:

* Fine saves by Kelly from King's header and Yakubu's speculative lob.

* Waghorn making two chances from next to nothing and then being himself by wanting the break the net with one effort and failing to just do the simple finish necessary with the other. Sadly he didn't hit the target on either occasion.

* Failure to take responsibility on and around he edge of the box. King typified the point by feeding one brilliant ball for Vassell to score with a tap-in. But Vassell had stopped, having completely failed to anticipate the pass. Why I've no idea. But while that was bad King should learn to be selfless in the box and rely on himself. There is no-one on our books even nearly good enough to match his class in the box. Wellens was another to opt out and Abe might as well have done for the distance he missded by with his effort.

* Finally there was our failure to offer attacking support and get sufficient numbers in the box. Twice during the game - once from Vassell - we put low crosses right past the face of goal but no-one was quick enough to tuck them away as goalscoring gifts. King tried for the Vassell cross but where was the Yak or anyone else because one guy attacking the box is pathetic?

None of these are new problems, we simply don't learn. Yet all I get is Fatbloke saying I know ****-all (not that I've ever read any positive suggestions for improvement that he's ever made).

It was so sickening because I really thought we'd sucked the best out of QPR and were standing there the more likely winners.

Ben Mee warmed my heart with one tackle that, for all it's fairness, threatened to put Taarabt into the Promised Land, never mind their centre stand.

And that somehow typified our commitment. We had prospective heroes everywhere and especially in defence. But in the end we won nothing. Bamba dropped another clanger - albeit with his decision-making - and despite being such a harsh reward for an otherwise excedllent display, it cost us.

But maybe Sven cost us too by pissing about with the team too much. I couldn't fault his replacing the ineffective Vassell but why anything more?

King, though far too selfless for my liking, was always trying to think an opportunity and I just didn't see the case for introducing Gallagher or Dyer so late on. Gallagher never got control of the ball in his short time on the pitch and was never right for that kind of combat anyway.

It wasn't long after his arrival that QPR found themselves with time and space on our left and the goal came. I'm not sure we'd have conceded at all without those changes because we seemed so solid - and more so as time went on.

But for all that there will be some decent marks handed out. QPR are the top team in the league and we went to their place and all but completely neutralised them as an attacking force. It was so close - but "so close" wins nothing. It's goals that win things. The taking of chances. Seems to me we still badly need an attacking coach.

[marbelladave]

Very tough to watch, got home a few hours ago but was a bit too fed up to post.

We came with a formation and a plan and pretty much fought Rangers to a standstill, a very even game in my view, a win for either side was going to be tough on the loser. Late on we had a couple of chances and could not score, Rangers one and could, hard to take.

The back 4 was decent, Naughton was kept quiet by Routledge but then the reverse was very true also, Bruma and Bamba both looked good and solid and Mee was first class. The goal was just good play, Miller turned Bamba and got goal side, Bamba may have done better but it was good play and a good finish, probably the first, and only, time anyone had 'lost' our centerbacks.

We played a kind of 4-1-3-2, Abe played as a proper holding player and rather better than his last attempt in this roll, Oakley, King and Wellens all had decent games without ever looking quite good enough to win it and up front Vassell and Yakubu did most things right but could not actually find the net.

Waghorn had a couple of late chances but missed, Sven probably made a change or two too many but it was an attempt to win the game that went wrong, all in all we played well enough to deserve a point but didn't get one....shit!

One last thought, well though our players perform as individuals, there seems to be a slight lack of team ethic, spirit maybe. In some way that I can't quite explain we always seem to be less than the sum of our parts, given how well virtually all our team played we should have come away with at least a point, but somehow losing was not exactly unexpected, strange.......

[accessory]

Saw a lot of the game on the net. We matched them for long periods (and sometimes even outshone them) but in the end they were that much better taking chances than us.

Maybe if Sven was going to go with a 4-4-2 formation, we might have been better starting with Waghorn rather than Vassell. At least Waggy is getting into the position to miss chances.

Norwich is now a must-win. We have to start getting back to a position where we're putting pressure on the team in 6th place.

[Leicester_Loyal]

To be honest I think Burnley are the ones we'll probably need to catch, not Leeds.

[accessory]

Indeed. We'll definitely need to beat them on 9th April.

[StanSP]

Thing is, you can barely predict anything in terms of position. Knowing the way this league works, Burnley will win the 2 games in hand, then probably get knocked back out because one of us, Hull or Leeds win our 2 when they drop points.

Swings and roundabouts til the last 2 weeks of the season I reckon!

[Leicester_Loyal]

Personally I think Leeds will drop out of the play offs and I can see Forest doing the same. Burnley and Hull are very strong atm, but I don't know if both will be in the play offs. I can only see us, those 2 and Reading trying to get into 5th and 6th, don't think anyone else can.

But we have to start winning games and that starts against Norwich, personally I feel that if we lose and 3/4 teams around us win, then we won't make the play offs, because we could potentially be about 10 points behind if Burnley win their games in hand.

[Callabinho]

Just watched the highlights and now I'm depressed, I just hope we somehow catch 6th somehow....

[Joe.]

Just got back.

Thought that was a decent display overall, games like that are won on fine margins and our sub Waghorn missed two great chances whilst their sub Miller buried his.

Bruma did a cracking job on Tarrabt I thought.

There was nothing to be worried about from today, onwards and upwards and dont look back.

Spot on. We were unfortunate today, could have gone either way.

[FoxyPV]

just watched highlights - it seemed like we lost due to poor finishing and a lack of cynicism. I can understand why Bamba didn't take Millar down but a cynical tackle could have secured a point for us. On the whole onwards and upwards.

[sohamranger]

Jog on... Superhoopsa

[MikeyT]

Indeed. We'll definitely need to beat them on 9th April.

That's my birthday, it's a sign, a good omen if you will

[we remember stanley]

How the hell did we lose that.

Because you are not very at the back and not all that up front either.

We didn't play at all well and still beat you

[we remember stanley]

I left the ground wondering how we didn't win that, let alone lost it. We by and large controlled their threat for 88 minutes and the one time we let them through they punish us.

Waghorn had a great chance to get the first goal, did the hard part in getting control of the ball but didn't put it away, on his favoured side as well. Yakubu had a lovely effort tipped over and Kingy nearly gave us the lead with a glancing header, again good save.

Gutted to lose, though at least we lost trying to win the game, we didn't settle for a point and had a go. Sadly, we got nothing out of it.

I saw plenty of positives today but our situation has taken a set back. 11 huge games to go.

Is there a Specsavers in Leicester, I get down there mate and have your minces checked.

You probably troubled us twice in 90 minutes, yes the R's weren't at our best today, but we still won and that's the difference between us and everyone else in the Championship.

You were not unlucky, look at the stats for the game, yes you 1 more shot than us, 2% more possession, we nicked it because.............. yeah you've got it.

[MikeyT]

Is there a Specsavers in Leicester, I get down there mate and have your minces checked.

You probably troubled us twice in 90 minutes, yes the R's weren't at our best today, but we still won and that's the difference between us and everyone else in the Championship.

You were not unlucky, look at the stats for the game, yes you 1 more shot than us, 2% more possession, we nicked it because.............. yeah you've got it.

[rico]

Is there a Specsavers in Leicester, I get down there mate and have your minces checked.

You probably troubled us twice in 90 minutes, yes the R's weren't at our best today, but we still won and that's the difference between us and everyone else in the Championship.

You were not unlucky, look at the stats for the game, yes you 1 more shot than us, 2% more possession, we nicked it because.............. yeah you've got it.

Piss off back to your own forum,Gobshite !

[we remember stanley]

Saw a lot of the game on the net. We matched them for long periods (and sometimes even outshone them) but in the end they were that much better taking chances than us.

Maybe if Sven was going to go with a 4-4-2 formation, we might have been better starting with Waghorn rather than Vassell. At least Waggy is getting into the position to miss chances.

Norwich is now a must-win. We have to start getting back to a position where we're putting pressure on the team in 6th place.

Leicester are one of the best teams we seen at Loftus Rd this season, I think you will make the play offs

Piss off back to your own forum,Gobshite !

Gobshite, now now little man