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Apologies this is a little later than first planned, but this is the first chance I have had to sit down and write on yesterday’s game against Cardiff.
I have to say after the Peterborough game, I wasn’t sure what to expect from us yesterday. It was clear we needed to improve on that forgettable performance, but I have been just left speechless at how well we played… I certainly didn’t see anything like that coming!
For anyone interested, here is my take on yesterday’s game.
It was obviously the first time that we had seen this new ground since it has been completed, and personally speaking I was very impressed with it. We parked in a car park just opposite the front of the stadium, and after removing any form of QPR sticker/banner/air freshener/clothing from the car, we made our way round to the ground.
The facilities were everything you would expect from a new stadium – and a vast improvement from those we had to endure at their previous home Ninian Park. As we walked up to the ground, one of the stewards asked why we had only sold 400 tickets! It was news to me, and I spent the following half hour or so trying to persuade the others that we were bringing at least 1000 fans up there – needless to say I got a fair bit of stick.
We were sat just a couple rows down from the top, and the view was excellent with no obstructions whatsoever.
As the teams were read out there weren’t any major surprises.
Cerny continued in goal. The back four was made up of Borrowdale at left back, both Stewart and Gorkss in the middle and Leigertwood again played on the right.
In midfield there was a start for Buzsaky (needless to say he got an enormous ovation) on the right hand side of midfield, with Watson and Rowlands (captain) partnering each other in the middle for the first time. With former bluebird Wayne Routledge on the left – who received a hellish reception from the Cardiff City fans on his return.
Upfront we had Vine and Simpson.
The fans that had made the journey to Wales were now all in their seats, and I thought we had taken a fair few… more than 400 anyway!
As the game kicked off, Routledge had his first touch within the first few minutes. Boo’s rang out from the home supporters, while near on every single QPR fan stood to applaud him and sing his name. He first gained possession on the left hand side, and one Cardiff player came lunging into him from out of nowhere, as the ball went out for a throw in… while it wasn’t a freekick – it was certainly a warning that they weren’t going to make life easy for him. I had to wonder just how Routledge would react. From the resulting throw in, Routledge picked up the ball on the left flank, and did what looked like about 10 stepovers in literally a few seconds. As the fired up defender flew into him yet again, he cheekily prodded the ball over him and back to Borrowdale to which he received another huge cheer.
Our first attempt at goal came shortly after. Gorkss had managed to win possession in the air against Boothroyd, and cushioned his header down to Stewart. As Stewart advanced from our penalty area, he sent a long ball up field towards the nippy Simpson. He tried to chest the ball down, but inadvertently it fell perfectly for Buzsaky who tried his luck from about 30 yards out – unfortunately his effort didn’t test the keeper and flew over the crossbar.
Without having a further effort on goal, we were looking much the better side. The stand out player for me in these early stages was Simpson, who was chasing everything and anything. His pace was causing all sorts of problems in the Cardiff backline, and you did feel eventually he would make something count. It was clear to see that they were struggling to contain him.
Soon after, he managed to get himself deservedly on the score sheet. We had a throw in on the right hand side, and Leigertwood threw it short to Buzsaky. Buzsaky turned his marker on the spot, and laid it into the path of Rowlands. Rowlands spun and played it central to Watson, who knocked it out on the left hand side to the feet of Borrowdale… he took one touch and sent a cross into the box from a deep position. It seemed to get caught up between Vine and one of the defenders. Vine was quick to react though, and somehow managed to poke the ball through to Simpson who was lurking just behind the static defence. He made no mistake from around the penalty spot, and tucked the ball into the corner with his left foot.
At first I actually thought he may have been offside, but as the players and fans alike celebrated, I finally realized that the goal had indeed stood. I couldn’t help but grab the poor man stood next to me, and after putting him back down from around 5 foot in the air, I apologised for my man handling of him. He couldn’t seem to stop laughing, which I was relieved about. Sensing my sheer embarrassment the lady behind prodded me in the back and asked if I enjoyed the goal… to which the three of us had a laugh about!
I looked down as what looked like every QPR fan stood on their feet. “Say we are QPR” proudly blasted out from our end, and I was amazed at the amount of noise we had managed to generate with the number of fans we had taken.
After the goal, we continued in exactly the same format at we had done from the first whistle. Calmly playing the ball on the floor, and just holding possession expertly. It was clear that Cardiff weren’t expecting anything like this, and a fair few grunts started to be heard from their end.
Rowlands and Watson were dominating midfield, and it was the latter that created the next opening. After robbing Ledley of possession in the middle of the field, he played a slightly over hit pass in behind the defence. It looked for the world that the Cardiff defender would pick up the loose ball, I would say that Simpson used his electrifying pace to breeze past him… But I think to say that he completely blasted past him would be more fitting! He was now on the right hand side of the area, and after jinking to go right, he cut in left and advanced through on goal. Another defender now approached, and as he managed to pull off a shot he saw it go narrowly wide of the far post. Vine had made a late run into the box, and had it had just a little less power – it would no doubt have landed straight at his feet.
Inexplicably the Cardiff fans now turned their attention off of Routledge – and onto their own. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the whole crowd turned, but an enormous amount of booing was coming from various corners of the ground after our latest siege on goal. As the fans to our right stood and shouted from the terraces, the QPR fans couldn’t let the moment pass without a couple of teasing chants. “Are you Swansea in disguise?!” and “Stand up if you hate Cardiff” was the jubilant chants.
From what I recall, Cardiff hadn’t even mustered an effort on goal up until this stage such was our superiority. The first chance came in the form of Ledley, who let fly with a shot from about 25 yards out. He did catch it well, but Cerny easily smothered it with both Boothroyd and Chopra waiting for any scraps. The QPR fans instantaneously turned towards the home crowd, and clapped and jeered their effort. Again it didn’t go down too well.
I think the stewards were sensing the possibility of trouble. They made their way up towards the top of the stands, and asked fans to sit down. The result? “Stand up if you love Rangers!” The stewards then promptly made their way back down to the front which we found humorous.
Their appeal to get people to sit certainly wasn’t helped shortly after, and it indeed that man Simpson who tucked away his second of the game.
Cerny rolled the ball short to the feet of Borrowdale after collecting a cross from the right hand side. Borrowdale played the ball short to Routledge, who was situated on the half way line. As he sent an across field ball over to the right hand side, he again collected possession now in a central position from a neat Buzsaky lay off.
With the central midfielders struggling to contain him, Routledge ran through the middle unopposed. He advanced further and further upfield, with the Cardiff fans booing him, and the QPR fans clapping. Simpson made a smart run off the back of his marker, and Routledge played a perfect ball right into his path. He made no mistake from just inside the area, and saw his effort zip into the bottom right hand side of the net to give us a two goal lead!
It was literally just a couple of minutes before the break, and the travelling QPR fans couldn’t have been happier. It was clear Simpson was really enjoying himself, and he was quick to praise Routledge who had fed him with the opportunity.
Looking over at the Cardiff fans, the boos towards their own players were now FAR FAR more intense. There was a mix up between Chopra and Boothroyd straight from the kickoff, and their fury was now clearly being expressed, with what looked like the whole stand to our right furiously waving their fists towards their players. The chant of “What’s it like to sh*g a sheep?” was pretty much completely ignored by them, as they seemed intent on making sure they let their players know their disgust.
As the referee blew time on the first half, our celebrations were completely muted by the Cardiff fans wildly shouting at their side aggressively… and I thought Loftus Road could be bad!
Looking on reflection of the first half, I did have this niggling feeling that we wouldn’t be treated to that kind of football for the following 45 minutes. It really was so easy, and we were pouring forward minute after minute. I felt Cardiff would likely come out all guns blazing, and surely we would find it a bit tougher from here onwards? On the positive, it truly was a first half to savour. Just excellent!
Not surprisingly Magilton didn’t make any changes during the break, and neither did Cardiff.
As the second half started, a long hoof upfield landed in the arms of Cerny who again rolled the ball short to Borrowdale. One fan stood behind us went “Wheeeeey” at the top of his voice, as Borrowdale passed central to Gorkss, and as more and more fans joined in with the chant it was literally being done for every single pass made. The players were clearly picking up on it, and there was one session where I think every single player managed to hold possession and pass to a team-mate. Where before there was “Wheeey” every few seconds, the QPR fans were now struggling to keep up as the players knocked the ball in amongst themselves like a pin ball… most of us were losing breath, and you could clearly see a fair few players with beaming smiles written all over their faces.
Buzsaky went on a little run on the left hand side, and exactly the same thing could be heard for every player he managed to beat. When he was eventually tackled, we all booed… although it didn’t last long as they surrendered possession straight back to us! Then another quick succession of passes around the pitch resulted in us again struggling for breath… this wasn’t a football game, this was a party!
It was a carnival atmosphere in amongst the travelling fans. “Let’s all have a disco” was the next chant, and with fans dancing and fully united it was just superb! My friend who had travelled from the island with me patted me on the shoulder, and just shook his head from left to right in admiration of what we were witnessing. No smile was over his face – as I said just pure admiration. I looked down at the players on the pitch, and I couldn’t help but smile at what I was watching… genuinely it was THAT good. A couple of times, you just couldn’t help but laugh as we were taunting Cardiff in their own backyard. It became too much for some Cardiff fans to bear, and we looked on as early as the 50th minute some fans were heading for the exits. “We can see you sneaking out” was being sung in their direction… most didn’t even bother to look up. The whole thing was a joy to watch!
We managed to earn ourselves a corner, after some superb interchange between Buzsaky and Watson. As Watson came to take the corner in front of us, his name was being sung loud and clear. He flighted a superb cross into the box, and it looked as if Simpson would net his hat trick after a flick on from Stewart. Somehow the ball evaded him though and went clear of danger. He looked gutted to not have scored here.
We ever so nearly managed to get a goal just a few minutes later. As one of the shaken Cardiff players attempted to beat Watson (from just outside his own box), Watson’s tackle saw the ball land right at the feet of Vine. He ran through on goal, and it looked as if the ball would nestle into the corner… but in actual fact it smashed off the face of the post. I don’t think there was a Cardiff fan in that stadium that wasn’t booing at this stage, and plenty more had seen enough and also left.
Dave Jones looked to have had enough as well, and soon after made a couple of changes to his side. Both of the players were hammered by the home support, and jeered off.
Our attacking play was looking lethal, and every time we came forward you just expected us to net another goal. Vine again came close shortly after Jones had made his changes. Routledge again cut through the middle, and after a couple of layoffs between Simpson and Buzsaky… Vine eventually managed to beat his man and have a shot from the edge of the area. In truth it didn’t really test Marshall in the Cardiff goal, but it was another fantastic break and another chance.
Magilton then decided to make a change, and Pellicori was brought on at the expense of Simpson. He turned towards the QPR fans and applauded, and got a fantastic ovation back. You did have to feel slightly disappointed for him, I would have loved to see him get his hat-trick – but he had covered an enormous amount of ground and it might have been for the best.
Shortly after, Vine was also taken off for Agyemang. He made a deliberate attempt to thank the QPR fans for their tremendous support and got a good see of as well.
Cardiff were still failing to test Cerny. They did have one player who was catching the eye though. Their right winger (Burke?) was causing an awful lot of problems coming forward, but nobody there to support him and more often than not he was completely outnumbered by QPR players keen on keeping that clean sheet.
We did have one fright around the 80th minute mark. Chopra, who had been a mere spectator throughout the game, picked the ball up on the left hand side of the pitch. Leigertwood seemed to be out of position, and he bustled his way past Gorkss and into the box… the ball seemed to flick off of someone, and time almost stood still as Chopra lined up his shot. The ball fell from the air (as mentioned, it was like slow motion) and with no player challenging him from what looked about 6 yards out… we watched on as Chopra completely missed the ball and did an air kick. Stewart was quick to get something on the ball, and as he cleared it - another Cardiff player attempted a shot at goal which went wide of the post for a goal kick.
It was a funny noise, pretty much the whole away end just laughed at the missed chance… and now the fans headed for the exits in their droves.
With the clock now ticking down towards the 90th minute, we had one final chance at goal. I can’t remember who it was that played him in, but Pellicori ran through one on one with just the keeper to beat. He was heaved down to the ground by one of the Cardiff defenders, and shown a yellow card. He was the last man, and really it should have been a red card.
Buzsaky and Watson both stood over the ball, and after a brief discussion between the both of them, Buzsaky sent a cracking shot bending over the wall… it looked as if it would just creep inside the post, but it went narrowly wide. He stood with his head in his hands, it must have been mightily close. The fans still sung his name though, and while running to get back into position he clapped us.
The referee blew the full time whistle shortly after, and the game was won.
After shaking hands with the opposition etc, Magilton and all the players came over to the end at which we were situated. Much has been written about the clapping of fans etc, and I had been expecting an almost robotic clap towards us whatever the outcome. But that wasn’t the case at all, the players looked genuinely grateful for our support – which had been terrific right from the off. My voice has been croaky at best throughout today, we sung for the full 90 minutes non-stop, and their wasn’t one groan or negative influence through the game… discounting the Cardiff fans of course! The players walked off down the tunnel with every QPR fan standing, proudly singing “Oh Rangers we love you!” at the top of the voices.
Player Ratings –
Cerny – I didn’t think I would be saying this before the game, but he was pretty much a spectator. Had to deal with a couple of long range efforts and crosses, but didn’t need to make any real saves. One thing he does deserve commendation for was his distribution… spot on!
Leigertwood – Had another very good game at right back. The left winger for Cardiff was pretty much non-existent, and he kept him awfully quiet. Not afraid to come forward in possession either. Good game from him.
Gorkss – Rock solid. Along with Stewart, he restricted Chopra to a mere air kick, and was completely dominant yesterday. Boothroyd did manage to win the aerial battle a couple of times, but Gorkss was very quick to close down the danger. Again, great game from him.
Stewart – See above really. They partnered each other superbly at the back, and didn’t really give anyone a sniff. Stewart did have one frightful moment during the game – as he does… but quickly made amends. He looked much more like the player of last season.
Borrowdale – I got a little bit of stick for saying I didn’t think he was too bad against Peterborough, so I’ll be careful with how I word this one! I actually thought he had a good game yesterday. He was providing both Buzsaky and Routledge (switched sides at half time) with plenty of possession throughout the game, and even came forward and got some crosses into the box. Did struggle a little against Burke at times, but there was never any real danger.
Routledge – As mentioned above, he got a frosty reception yesterday but shrugged it off with a great assist. Personally speaking, I don’t think he is a left winger. Magilton may have seen that, as he did switch him over at half time. But he was very lively when in possession, and more than shut up those fans giving him stick.
Watson – I did wonder how both him and Rowlands would play together, as they are very similar. But I thought they actually complimented each other beautifully. Watson’s delivery from corners and free kicks was superb, and we are spoiled for choice when both him and Buzsaky are standing over a set piece. He sweeped up possession countless times, and had a cracking game for us.
Rowlands – He typified everything that was good about us yesterday. I would guess the player on everyone’s lips will be Simpson. But in my view, I would say Rowlands was just as good, if not better than him yesterday. He put in a mammoth shift, and just ran himself into the ground! He put his boot in everywhere, and his will to win was clear for anyone to see. I felt he would end up injured such was the enormous amount of work he did.
Buzsaky – Not a fan of him being pushed out onto the wings, but when Rowlands and Watson run a game like they did yesterday, you do struggle to justify dropping either of them. Make no mistake though, Buzsaky gave us plenty of those magical moments, and ever so nearly scored from his freekick at the end. Couple of long range efforts too, he is getting back to his best.
Vine – I thought he had an okay game yesterday. He was unfortunate not to score from his shot that hit the post, and I dearly wish it would have gone in… it would have done his confidence the world of good. But he did set up Simpson for his first goal, and was always an option on either the left side or upfront. Not quite on par with some of the others though.
Simpson – I couldn’t believe some of the stick he was getting after the Peterborough game, it was fully unjustified. But he showed what a tremendous player he was yesterday. He chased and chased and chased. Simpson looked so sharp yesterday, and finished both goals brilliantly. Delighted to see him net for us, and hope this will be the first of many.
Substitutes –
Pellicori – Well one thing I found out about him is that he cannot run to save his life! He was chasing down one loose ball, and must have had a good 8 yards or so on the defender, but still managed to loose out. It’s not a criticism, just an observation. Much more suited to being a target man than a runner. Shame he was fouled on the edge of the box though, he would likely have scored there.
Agyemang – Let’s be blunt here, so far this season he has looked slow, clueless and just all over the place. Yesterday however was much more the Agyemang that we all want to see. Chasing down loose balls, and holding possession really well. Did a delightful piece of skill down in the corner during injury time, and looked very lively when he came on.
In summary, I just can’t put into words how delighted I was with our performance yesterday. I have deliberately tried to mention the reaction of both the Cardiff and QPR fans throughout the game, because in some ways I feel it almost tells a better picture of what we witnessed yesterday. At times this season, we have been close to clicking as a team… and yesterday everything just fell into place. I haven’t seen a QPR side play away from home – or even at home for that matter with such confidence for an awful long time. I think the word to use would probably be exquisite… Genuinely I just feel so lucky that I was able to see us play like that.
Looking back at the Peterborough game, those players out there needed to put in a big performance for us fans – but this was over and above anything that I would have even dreamt of.
That was a performance loaded with passion and just… plain outstanding!
Thanks for reading.
SM
I have to say after the Peterborough game, I wasn’t sure what to expect from us yesterday. It was clear we needed to improve on that forgettable performance, but I have been just left speechless at how well we played… I certainly didn’t see anything like that coming!
For anyone interested, here is my take on yesterday’s game.
It was obviously the first time that we had seen this new ground since it has been completed, and personally speaking I was very impressed with it. We parked in a car park just opposite the front of the stadium, and after removing any form of QPR sticker/banner/air freshener/clothing from the car, we made our way round to the ground.
The facilities were everything you would expect from a new stadium – and a vast improvement from those we had to endure at their previous home Ninian Park. As we walked up to the ground, one of the stewards asked why we had only sold 400 tickets! It was news to me, and I spent the following half hour or so trying to persuade the others that we were bringing at least 1000 fans up there – needless to say I got a fair bit of stick.
We were sat just a couple rows down from the top, and the view was excellent with no obstructions whatsoever.
As the teams were read out there weren’t any major surprises.
Cerny continued in goal. The back four was made up of Borrowdale at left back, both Stewart and Gorkss in the middle and Leigertwood again played on the right.
In midfield there was a start for Buzsaky (needless to say he got an enormous ovation) on the right hand side of midfield, with Watson and Rowlands (captain) partnering each other in the middle for the first time. With former bluebird Wayne Routledge on the left – who received a hellish reception from the Cardiff City fans on his return.
Upfront we had Vine and Simpson.
The fans that had made the journey to Wales were now all in their seats, and I thought we had taken a fair few… more than 400 anyway!
As the game kicked off, Routledge had his first touch within the first few minutes. Boo’s rang out from the home supporters, while near on every single QPR fan stood to applaud him and sing his name. He first gained possession on the left hand side, and one Cardiff player came lunging into him from out of nowhere, as the ball went out for a throw in… while it wasn’t a freekick – it was certainly a warning that they weren’t going to make life easy for him. I had to wonder just how Routledge would react. From the resulting throw in, Routledge picked up the ball on the left flank, and did what looked like about 10 stepovers in literally a few seconds. As the fired up defender flew into him yet again, he cheekily prodded the ball over him and back to Borrowdale to which he received another huge cheer.
Our first attempt at goal came shortly after. Gorkss had managed to win possession in the air against Boothroyd, and cushioned his header down to Stewart. As Stewart advanced from our penalty area, he sent a long ball up field towards the nippy Simpson. He tried to chest the ball down, but inadvertently it fell perfectly for Buzsaky who tried his luck from about 30 yards out – unfortunately his effort didn’t test the keeper and flew over the crossbar.
Without having a further effort on goal, we were looking much the better side. The stand out player for me in these early stages was Simpson, who was chasing everything and anything. His pace was causing all sorts of problems in the Cardiff backline, and you did feel eventually he would make something count. It was clear to see that they were struggling to contain him.
Soon after, he managed to get himself deservedly on the score sheet. We had a throw in on the right hand side, and Leigertwood threw it short to Buzsaky. Buzsaky turned his marker on the spot, and laid it into the path of Rowlands. Rowlands spun and played it central to Watson, who knocked it out on the left hand side to the feet of Borrowdale… he took one touch and sent a cross into the box from a deep position. It seemed to get caught up between Vine and one of the defenders. Vine was quick to react though, and somehow managed to poke the ball through to Simpson who was lurking just behind the static defence. He made no mistake from around the penalty spot, and tucked the ball into the corner with his left foot.
At first I actually thought he may have been offside, but as the players and fans alike celebrated, I finally realized that the goal had indeed stood. I couldn’t help but grab the poor man stood next to me, and after putting him back down from around 5 foot in the air, I apologised for my man handling of him. He couldn’t seem to stop laughing, which I was relieved about. Sensing my sheer embarrassment the lady behind prodded me in the back and asked if I enjoyed the goal… to which the three of us had a laugh about!
I looked down as what looked like every QPR fan stood on their feet. “Say we are QPR” proudly blasted out from our end, and I was amazed at the amount of noise we had managed to generate with the number of fans we had taken.
After the goal, we continued in exactly the same format at we had done from the first whistle. Calmly playing the ball on the floor, and just holding possession expertly. It was clear that Cardiff weren’t expecting anything like this, and a fair few grunts started to be heard from their end.
Rowlands and Watson were dominating midfield, and it was the latter that created the next opening. After robbing Ledley of possession in the middle of the field, he played a slightly over hit pass in behind the defence. It looked for the world that the Cardiff defender would pick up the loose ball, I would say that Simpson used his electrifying pace to breeze past him… But I think to say that he completely blasted past him would be more fitting! He was now on the right hand side of the area, and after jinking to go right, he cut in left and advanced through on goal. Another defender now approached, and as he managed to pull off a shot he saw it go narrowly wide of the far post. Vine had made a late run into the box, and had it had just a little less power – it would no doubt have landed straight at his feet.
Inexplicably the Cardiff fans now turned their attention off of Routledge – and onto their own. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the whole crowd turned, but an enormous amount of booing was coming from various corners of the ground after our latest siege on goal. As the fans to our right stood and shouted from the terraces, the QPR fans couldn’t let the moment pass without a couple of teasing chants. “Are you Swansea in disguise?!” and “Stand up if you hate Cardiff” was the jubilant chants.
From what I recall, Cardiff hadn’t even mustered an effort on goal up until this stage such was our superiority. The first chance came in the form of Ledley, who let fly with a shot from about 25 yards out. He did catch it well, but Cerny easily smothered it with both Boothroyd and Chopra waiting for any scraps. The QPR fans instantaneously turned towards the home crowd, and clapped and jeered their effort. Again it didn’t go down too well.
I think the stewards were sensing the possibility of trouble. They made their way up towards the top of the stands, and asked fans to sit down. The result? “Stand up if you love Rangers!” The stewards then promptly made their way back down to the front which we found humorous.
Their appeal to get people to sit certainly wasn’t helped shortly after, and it indeed that man Simpson who tucked away his second of the game.
Cerny rolled the ball short to the feet of Borrowdale after collecting a cross from the right hand side. Borrowdale played the ball short to Routledge, who was situated on the half way line. As he sent an across field ball over to the right hand side, he again collected possession now in a central position from a neat Buzsaky lay off.
With the central midfielders struggling to contain him, Routledge ran through the middle unopposed. He advanced further and further upfield, with the Cardiff fans booing him, and the QPR fans clapping. Simpson made a smart run off the back of his marker, and Routledge played a perfect ball right into his path. He made no mistake from just inside the area, and saw his effort zip into the bottom right hand side of the net to give us a two goal lead!
It was literally just a couple of minutes before the break, and the travelling QPR fans couldn’t have been happier. It was clear Simpson was really enjoying himself, and he was quick to praise Routledge who had fed him with the opportunity.
Looking over at the Cardiff fans, the boos towards their own players were now FAR FAR more intense. There was a mix up between Chopra and Boothroyd straight from the kickoff, and their fury was now clearly being expressed, with what looked like the whole stand to our right furiously waving their fists towards their players. The chant of “What’s it like to sh*g a sheep?” was pretty much completely ignored by them, as they seemed intent on making sure they let their players know their disgust.
As the referee blew time on the first half, our celebrations were completely muted by the Cardiff fans wildly shouting at their side aggressively… and I thought Loftus Road could be bad!
Looking on reflection of the first half, I did have this niggling feeling that we wouldn’t be treated to that kind of football for the following 45 minutes. It really was so easy, and we were pouring forward minute after minute. I felt Cardiff would likely come out all guns blazing, and surely we would find it a bit tougher from here onwards? On the positive, it truly was a first half to savour. Just excellent!
Not surprisingly Magilton didn’t make any changes during the break, and neither did Cardiff.
As the second half started, a long hoof upfield landed in the arms of Cerny who again rolled the ball short to Borrowdale. One fan stood behind us went “Wheeeeey” at the top of his voice, as Borrowdale passed central to Gorkss, and as more and more fans joined in with the chant it was literally being done for every single pass made. The players were clearly picking up on it, and there was one session where I think every single player managed to hold possession and pass to a team-mate. Where before there was “Wheeey” every few seconds, the QPR fans were now struggling to keep up as the players knocked the ball in amongst themselves like a pin ball… most of us were losing breath, and you could clearly see a fair few players with beaming smiles written all over their faces.
Buzsaky went on a little run on the left hand side, and exactly the same thing could be heard for every player he managed to beat. When he was eventually tackled, we all booed… although it didn’t last long as they surrendered possession straight back to us! Then another quick succession of passes around the pitch resulted in us again struggling for breath… this wasn’t a football game, this was a party!
It was a carnival atmosphere in amongst the travelling fans. “Let’s all have a disco” was the next chant, and with fans dancing and fully united it was just superb! My friend who had travelled from the island with me patted me on the shoulder, and just shook his head from left to right in admiration of what we were witnessing. No smile was over his face – as I said just pure admiration. I looked down at the players on the pitch, and I couldn’t help but smile at what I was watching… genuinely it was THAT good. A couple of times, you just couldn’t help but laugh as we were taunting Cardiff in their own backyard. It became too much for some Cardiff fans to bear, and we looked on as early as the 50th minute some fans were heading for the exits. “We can see you sneaking out” was being sung in their direction… most didn’t even bother to look up. The whole thing was a joy to watch!
We managed to earn ourselves a corner, after some superb interchange between Buzsaky and Watson. As Watson came to take the corner in front of us, his name was being sung loud and clear. He flighted a superb cross into the box, and it looked as if Simpson would net his hat trick after a flick on from Stewart. Somehow the ball evaded him though and went clear of danger. He looked gutted to not have scored here.
We ever so nearly managed to get a goal just a few minutes later. As one of the shaken Cardiff players attempted to beat Watson (from just outside his own box), Watson’s tackle saw the ball land right at the feet of Vine. He ran through on goal, and it looked as if the ball would nestle into the corner… but in actual fact it smashed off the face of the post. I don’t think there was a Cardiff fan in that stadium that wasn’t booing at this stage, and plenty more had seen enough and also left.
Dave Jones looked to have had enough as well, and soon after made a couple of changes to his side. Both of the players were hammered by the home support, and jeered off.
Our attacking play was looking lethal, and every time we came forward you just expected us to net another goal. Vine again came close shortly after Jones had made his changes. Routledge again cut through the middle, and after a couple of layoffs between Simpson and Buzsaky… Vine eventually managed to beat his man and have a shot from the edge of the area. In truth it didn’t really test Marshall in the Cardiff goal, but it was another fantastic break and another chance.
Magilton then decided to make a change, and Pellicori was brought on at the expense of Simpson. He turned towards the QPR fans and applauded, and got a fantastic ovation back. You did have to feel slightly disappointed for him, I would have loved to see him get his hat-trick – but he had covered an enormous amount of ground and it might have been for the best.
Shortly after, Vine was also taken off for Agyemang. He made a deliberate attempt to thank the QPR fans for their tremendous support and got a good see of as well.
Cardiff were still failing to test Cerny. They did have one player who was catching the eye though. Their right winger (Burke?) was causing an awful lot of problems coming forward, but nobody there to support him and more often than not he was completely outnumbered by QPR players keen on keeping that clean sheet.
We did have one fright around the 80th minute mark. Chopra, who had been a mere spectator throughout the game, picked the ball up on the left hand side of the pitch. Leigertwood seemed to be out of position, and he bustled his way past Gorkss and into the box… the ball seemed to flick off of someone, and time almost stood still as Chopra lined up his shot. The ball fell from the air (as mentioned, it was like slow motion) and with no player challenging him from what looked about 6 yards out… we watched on as Chopra completely missed the ball and did an air kick. Stewart was quick to get something on the ball, and as he cleared it - another Cardiff player attempted a shot at goal which went wide of the post for a goal kick.
It was a funny noise, pretty much the whole away end just laughed at the missed chance… and now the fans headed for the exits in their droves.
With the clock now ticking down towards the 90th minute, we had one final chance at goal. I can’t remember who it was that played him in, but Pellicori ran through one on one with just the keeper to beat. He was heaved down to the ground by one of the Cardiff defenders, and shown a yellow card. He was the last man, and really it should have been a red card.
Buzsaky and Watson both stood over the ball, and after a brief discussion between the both of them, Buzsaky sent a cracking shot bending over the wall… it looked as if it would just creep inside the post, but it went narrowly wide. He stood with his head in his hands, it must have been mightily close. The fans still sung his name though, and while running to get back into position he clapped us.
The referee blew the full time whistle shortly after, and the game was won.
After shaking hands with the opposition etc, Magilton and all the players came over to the end at which we were situated. Much has been written about the clapping of fans etc, and I had been expecting an almost robotic clap towards us whatever the outcome. But that wasn’t the case at all, the players looked genuinely grateful for our support – which had been terrific right from the off. My voice has been croaky at best throughout today, we sung for the full 90 minutes non-stop, and their wasn’t one groan or negative influence through the game… discounting the Cardiff fans of course! The players walked off down the tunnel with every QPR fan standing, proudly singing “Oh Rangers we love you!” at the top of the voices.
Player Ratings –
Cerny – I didn’t think I would be saying this before the game, but he was pretty much a spectator. Had to deal with a couple of long range efforts and crosses, but didn’t need to make any real saves. One thing he does deserve commendation for was his distribution… spot on!
Leigertwood – Had another very good game at right back. The left winger for Cardiff was pretty much non-existent, and he kept him awfully quiet. Not afraid to come forward in possession either. Good game from him.
Gorkss – Rock solid. Along with Stewart, he restricted Chopra to a mere air kick, and was completely dominant yesterday. Boothroyd did manage to win the aerial battle a couple of times, but Gorkss was very quick to close down the danger. Again, great game from him.
Stewart – See above really. They partnered each other superbly at the back, and didn’t really give anyone a sniff. Stewart did have one frightful moment during the game – as he does… but quickly made amends. He looked much more like the player of last season.
Borrowdale – I got a little bit of stick for saying I didn’t think he was too bad against Peterborough, so I’ll be careful with how I word this one! I actually thought he had a good game yesterday. He was providing both Buzsaky and Routledge (switched sides at half time) with plenty of possession throughout the game, and even came forward and got some crosses into the box. Did struggle a little against Burke at times, but there was never any real danger.
Routledge – As mentioned above, he got a frosty reception yesterday but shrugged it off with a great assist. Personally speaking, I don’t think he is a left winger. Magilton may have seen that, as he did switch him over at half time. But he was very lively when in possession, and more than shut up those fans giving him stick.
Watson – I did wonder how both him and Rowlands would play together, as they are very similar. But I thought they actually complimented each other beautifully. Watson’s delivery from corners and free kicks was superb, and we are spoiled for choice when both him and Buzsaky are standing over a set piece. He sweeped up possession countless times, and had a cracking game for us.
Rowlands – He typified everything that was good about us yesterday. I would guess the player on everyone’s lips will be Simpson. But in my view, I would say Rowlands was just as good, if not better than him yesterday. He put in a mammoth shift, and just ran himself into the ground! He put his boot in everywhere, and his will to win was clear for anyone to see. I felt he would end up injured such was the enormous amount of work he did.
Buzsaky – Not a fan of him being pushed out onto the wings, but when Rowlands and Watson run a game like they did yesterday, you do struggle to justify dropping either of them. Make no mistake though, Buzsaky gave us plenty of those magical moments, and ever so nearly scored from his freekick at the end. Couple of long range efforts too, he is getting back to his best.
Vine – I thought he had an okay game yesterday. He was unfortunate not to score from his shot that hit the post, and I dearly wish it would have gone in… it would have done his confidence the world of good. But he did set up Simpson for his first goal, and was always an option on either the left side or upfront. Not quite on par with some of the others though.
Simpson – I couldn’t believe some of the stick he was getting after the Peterborough game, it was fully unjustified. But he showed what a tremendous player he was yesterday. He chased and chased and chased. Simpson looked so sharp yesterday, and finished both goals brilliantly. Delighted to see him net for us, and hope this will be the first of many.
Substitutes –
Pellicori – Well one thing I found out about him is that he cannot run to save his life! He was chasing down one loose ball, and must have had a good 8 yards or so on the defender, but still managed to loose out. It’s not a criticism, just an observation. Much more suited to being a target man than a runner. Shame he was fouled on the edge of the box though, he would likely have scored there.
Agyemang – Let’s be blunt here, so far this season he has looked slow, clueless and just all over the place. Yesterday however was much more the Agyemang that we all want to see. Chasing down loose balls, and holding possession really well. Did a delightful piece of skill down in the corner during injury time, and looked very lively when he came on.
In summary, I just can’t put into words how delighted I was with our performance yesterday. I have deliberately tried to mention the reaction of both the Cardiff and QPR fans throughout the game, because in some ways I feel it almost tells a better picture of what we witnessed yesterday. At times this season, we have been close to clicking as a team… and yesterday everything just fell into place. I haven’t seen a QPR side play away from home – or even at home for that matter with such confidence for an awful long time. I think the word to use would probably be exquisite… Genuinely I just feel so lucky that I was able to see us play like that.
Looking back at the Peterborough game, those players out there needed to put in a big performance for us fans – but this was over and above anything that I would have even dreamt of.
That was a performance loaded with passion and just… plain outstanding!
Thanks for reading.
SM
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