Saturday 12th September 2009
The Coca-Cola Championship
Loftus Road Stadium
Referee: O Langford
Attendance: 11,814
Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Peterborough United
By The Godfather

Queens Park Rangers starting line-up: Cerny, Stewart, Leigertwood, Routledge, Watson, Connolly, Faurlin, Simpson, Ephraim, Borrowdale, Taraabt.

Peterborough United starting line-up: Lewis, Martin, Williams, Morgan, Zakwani, Frecklington, McLean, Boyd, Mackail-Smith, Diagouraga, Whelpdale.

Oh dear. Against a Peterborough side struggling to adapt to life in the Championship, Queens Park Rangers produced a performance devoid of passion, energy and creativity, in the end being lucky to escape with a point after the Posh had an 90th minute goal ruled out for offside. The lacklustre display, coupled with Magilton’s bizarre tactical decisions, made for a thoroughly depressing afternoon. One of the few high points of the match was Routledge’s well-worked equaliser, which cancelled out McLean’s headed opener. Apart from that, Rangers showed a lack of cutting edge throughout.

Usually I don’t single players out for poor performances in my match reports, but I have to say that today I found Jay Simpson’s home debut very disappointing indeed. Not only did he squander several clear-cut chances; his off the ball movement was simply not good enough. I do hope that this display was a “one-off” – perhaps it will take some time for the youngster to adapt to the Championship style of play. Alejandro Faurlin also struggled, giving the ball away far too much.

Once again, Magilton changed the line-up, which in my view only serves to unsettle the players. The manager still seems unable to work out what his best team is. There were no places for Buzsaky or Vine, who were both dropped to the bench. Bizarrely, Mikele Leigertwood replaced Ramage as right back alongside Stewart, Connolly and Borrowdale in defence. New signing, Ben Watson, partnered Faurlin in the heart of midfield. Routledge and Ephraim took up the wings, whilst Taraabt and Simpson occupied the attacking positions.

Rangers actually started the match impressively, playing the ball around very neatly indeed. Watson, one of the Rs’ better performers of the afternoon, was dominant in central midfield and it only seemed a matter of time before the home side would break the deadlock. I thought that moment had come in the 7th minute when Taraabt skipped through several sliding challenges in the penalty area. Unfortunately, he sent his strike straight into the arms of Joe Lewis in the Peterborough goal.

To my frustration, instead of keeping the pressure on the Posh, QPR allowed Darren Ferguson’s side back into the game. And, in the 15th minute, they came very close to taking the lead. The ball fell to Mackail-Smith in the area, whose deflected shot flashed just wide of the target. This was a lucky escape.

Magilton’s team weren’t so fortunate two minutes later. This time a lovely cross from former Ranger, Tommy Williams, met the head of Aaron McLean, who sent the ball bouncing into the bottom corner of the net.

At this point the Queens Park Rangers supporters were becoming frustrated. The home team’s passing patterns were attractive but achieved little against a more physical Peterborough United side (although the Posh played some good football too).

In the 35th minute, after Whelpdale and McLean had both sent shots off target, Peterborough had an excellent opportunity to double their advantage. Mackail-Smith’s through-ball put McLean through on goal, but somehow Ben Watson managed to get back and gain possession with a tremendous sliding tackle. Clearly Watson’s last-ditch defending served as some kind of inspiration to the rest of the team, as the Rs equalised in the counter-attacking move that followed.

Taraabt received the ball outside the area and picked out Simpson with a neat pass. On this occasion the Arsenal loanee did well to hold it up, allowing Routledge the time and space to slot it into the back of the net.

Buoyed by the well-worked goal, Queens Park Rangers very nearly took the lead just before the half-time whistle. Borrowdale was released down the left flank and progressed into the area. To my despair, he smashed his shot agonisingly wide of Lewis’ left-hand post. He really should have done better.

Bookings: Zakwani (35)

Half-time score: Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Peterborough United

QPR started the second half the better of the two teams. Just a minute after the break, Taraabt found Simpson in the penalty area. The youngster had the time and space to shoot, but seemed to hesitate and was easily tackled by Morgan.

Peterborough struck back in the 47th minute. Once again, Mackail-Smith was at the centre of the action, picking the ball up on the edge of the area and unleashing a powerful drive, which forced Cerny into a very good save.

At the other end, Queens Park Rangers squandered another golden opportunity to take the lead. Taraabt’s well-timed pass found its way into the path of Ben Watson in the penalty area. Unfortunately, with Lewis flat-footed, the former Crystal Palace man’s shot was deflected inches wide of the Posh’s goal. The resulting corner met the head of Connolly, but he sent the ball looping just over the crossbar.

After that clear-cut chance, Magilton decided to make a double substitution. First, to my surprise, he brought on Vine at the expense of Taraabt. The Tottenham loanee had looked the most likely to exploit the gaps in the Peterborough defence and I simply couldn’t understand why he was taken off. Perhaps this was due to a knock he sustained? Martin Rowlands, back from injury, replaced Alejandro Faurlin.

Peterborough substitution: Boyd off for Rowe (64 minutes).

In the 66th minute, a period of Queens Park Rangers pressure resulted in the substitute, Rowan Vine, pouncing on a misplaced pass on the left flank. Vine did well to pick out Simpson in the box, but an awful first touch let the youngster down. He has got to improve on this.

In a final attempt to influence proceedings, the QPR manager replaced Hogan Ephraim with Akos Buzsaky. Ephraim had struggled to make an impact on the match, failing to reap much success against the United full-back. Buzsaky, on the other hand, looked very dangerous during the twenty minutes or so he was on the pitch.

However, it was the visitors who forced the next opportunity of the match. In the 69th minute, Diagouraga gained possession on the edge of the area and smashed an effort at goal. The ball seemed to swerve at the last second and Radek Cerny did very well to save with his feet.

Peterborough substitution: Whelpdale off for Batt (70 minutes).

After that excellent save, QPR started to become careless with possession, often passing the ball dangerously around their penalty area. What was that all about? In the 72nd minute, Damion Stewart was caught out in his own half and Tommy Rowe was able to advance into the penalty area. Fortunately he blazed his shot well over the bar (although the Peterborough supporters felt that it had taken a deflection).

In the 84th minute, Rowan Vine sent a delightful ball into the penalty area, which fell to Jay Simpson. With the crowd on their feet ready to celebrate, the young striker inexplicably blasted it well over the crossbar. His lack of composure in front of goal worries me. Let’s hope he improves over the course of the season.

A minute later Tommy Williams picked up the ball on the left flank and whipped in a wonderful curling cross, which only just missed the head of Mackail-Smith. Another lucky escape for the QPR defence.

Then, it seemed that disaster had struck. After Radek Cerny had parried a long shot, Mackail-Smith tucked the rebound into the back of the net, only for the goal to be disallowed by the linesman for offside. I shall have to watch the video replays on tonight’s “Football League Show”.

There was to be one more chance for Queens Park Rangers in the fourth minute of injury time. Rowan Vine picked up the ball on the left wing, beat his man and produced a wonderful cross into the penalty area. Unmarked and with the goal at his mercy, Jay Simpson couldn’t quite connect with it properly, heading over the crossbar. He could and probably should have done better.

Bookings: Rowlands (80)

Full-time score: Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Peterborough United

What the manager said….

Jim Magilton: “Any successful campaign in this division is built on home form. I just felt there was nervousness about us at times. The opposition, to their credit, all came here and enjoyed it – probably too much. We started brightly, but didn’t sustain it and allowed the opposition to come back into the game with an excellent goal. We then got back into the match with the equaliser and I was expecting a real onslaught in the second half. It didn’t happen.”

Conclusion

It was the same old story. Queens Park Rangers lacked a cutting edge up front and couldn’t convert the chances they created. However, unlike the Blackpool and Plymouth matches earlier in the season, this was by no means a good performance. In my view the team lacked shape and there didn’t seem to be a sense of urgency in the Rs’ play. Why was this? Is it something to do with Magilton’s management of the team?

Some of the manager’s decisions today seemed totally bizarre to me. For instance, in the right-back position, why did he replace Ramage, who has been solid so far this season, with one of our best central midfielders? In addition, where was the logic behind the substitution of Taraabt? Yes, at times he was guilty of being too selfish on the ball, but he still looked the most likely to make that all-important breakthrough. Had he picked up an injury? If so, I didn’t see it.

There can be no mistaking the fact that QPR’s start to the season has been very poor indeed. It’s relegation form. And I hate to say it, but if it continues, pressure will inevitably begin to mount on the manager.

Man of the Match: Ben Watson – This was not a fantastic performance from the former Crystal Palace midfielder, but I thought that he was one of the better players this afternoon. On the most part, his passing was of a high standard and he made that crucial tackle in the first half to deny McLean a second goal. Once he settles into the team, I think he could prove to be a real asset to Rangers over the next few months.