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I did say that I would write a report up on the Doncaster game, so for anyone interested, here is my take on yesterday’s match at the Keepmoat Stadium.
We got up at 5:30am, and after crossing over to Southampton we started on our journey up north. The roads weren’t too bad, and after arriving at the ground we were anticipating what we thought would be a cracking game. We were sat towards the top of the stand behind the goal, and after looking round, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the large following that we had taken up there.
I have to say that I wasn’t particularly encouraged with our starting lineup. Naturally Cerny was starting in goal. Williams was making his debut in at left back, with Gorkss partnering Connolly in central defence and Leigertwood occupying the right back slot. With Borrowdale still not ready for the bench, I think the defence Magilton got pretty spot on.
In midfield we had Buzsaky on the left wing, with Watson, Faurlin and Reid in the middle, and Routledge on the right hand side. That was an instant mistake right from the off in my eyes. Firstly, Reid should not walk straight into the starting lineup. He has had very little football over the last couple of seasons, and had been with the squad for little over a day… how or why Magilton felt the need to throw him straight into the mix I don’t know. The fact that it meant Simpson had to play as a lone-striker just added insult to injury.
As the game started, Doncaster’s game plan was pretty clear. They kept things very tight in the middle of the pitch, and Simpson seemed to have at least 2 defenders tightly marking him constantly. Still despite being given virtually no time on the ball at all, he played a huge part in what was the first chance of the game.
After winning possession in the middle of the pitch, Faurlin played a quick ball forward into the feet of Simpson. After wriggling his way past two Doncaster defenders, he prodded a fantastic pass behind the Doncaster left back which Routledge was onto instantaneously. After a couple of quick stepovers, he managed to beat his man and flashed a cross right along the box… It fell at the feet of Buzsaky, but he saw his effort lash wide of the far post.
Next up it was Doncaster who had their first attempt at goal. Sharpe had managed to find space on the edge of the box, and Faurlin came in with what was a expertly timed challenge to win back possession… with Routledge breaking to the right, and Buzsaky free on the left it was a great chance to counter-attack. However the referee harshly awarded Doncaster a freekick… something which didn’t go down very well at all with the travelling QPR fans – it wasn’t a freekick. No chance.
Either way, after seeing Cerny line the wall up, we watched on as he fisted the ball away past the left hand post and out for a corner. In truth, the freekick wasn’t struck particularly well, but Cerny did well and relieved the pressure. From the resulting corner, a couple of Doncaster players managed to get a decent connection on the ball, but it was comfortably held by Cerny without much fuss.
The opening few minutes was end to end stuff, and Leigertwood was next to have an attempt at goal. Again it was Simpson, Routledge combining, and after getting to the byline, the latter played the ball back into the path of Leigertwood on the edge of the box… after beating his marker, Leigertwood saw a left footed drive fly over the top left hand post with Sullivan rooted to his spot.
Without ever really getting in behind us, Doncaster probably just edged the first 25 minutes or so. They were playing the ball crisply around the pitch, and in all honesty we were really struggling to win back possession. Watson had a frightening moment shortly after Leigertwood’s effort on goal. Cerny rolled the ball out short to him, and after taking an absolute eternity to release it, he was robbed literally right on the edge of the box. Fortunately Connolly was alert to win back possession from the oncoming midfielder, but it was an alarming moment for Watson, and one that could have cost us dearly.
Doncaster were again on the front foot shortly after. Wood’s cut straight through the centre of midfield completely unopposed, and unleashed a drive from what must have been around 25 yards. It looked to be heading straight into the path of Cerny, but inexplicably he opted to punch it to safety… it fell to the right back, who swung a brilliant ball into the box, fortunately it evaded around 3 Doncaster players and went out for a QPR goal kick. Again though, it was another poor decision, and we were possibly fortunate not to have conceded here… had Sharpe (or any of the other players for that matter) been on the back post, we would have gone a goal down here.
It was clear to see that things really weren’t clicking, and the travelling QPR fans urged the side on with an enormous round of “Come on you R’s” which completely drowned out any noise from the home supporters.
As if to make amends, Watson did set up the following chance around 5 minutes later. After spotting Routledge cut in from the right hand side, he played a perfectly weighted ball right in behind the defence which again Routledge was onto instantaneously. After taking one touch to line himself up, we watched on as he could only drag his shot into the side netting, and Doncaster were awarded a goal kick.
As the clock ticked down towards half time, we had just started to create a few openings… but make no mistake it was far from the free flowing football we have been playing of late – and we certainly didn’t deserve to be winning the game.
I think a draw was probably about the right result at this stage though. After discussing the first half, most fans were all saying the same things… thank goodness that we have Faurlin out there! Aside from a couple of hopeful passes up field, Watson had made a very small contribution to the game… and while Reid did play slightly better than him, he certainly didn’t look particularly comfortable out there either. Faurlin on the other hand was putting in tackles left, right and centre, and at times it was as if we were playing with on midfielder out there. Both sides had cancelled each other out though, and there was just no room to play with the 4-5-1 formation that Magilton had selected.
We noticed that Taarabt was being introduced at the start of the second half. Logically it just had to be Watson or Reid making way… But I sinked into my seat when I saw Faurlin’s number go up on the board, how or why Magilton felt the need to substitute him I don’t know – a quite bizarre decision. Admittedly, I think bringing on Taarabt was a good choice, I just can’t understand why he wasn’t starting in the first place.
I noticed that Taarabt looked particularly fired up after coming on. Three Doncaster players were passing the ball between themselves, and it was indeed Taarabt of all people that was trying to chase down possession. He went in for the ball a couple of times, and chased it back to the keeper who hoofed it up field. The travelling fans applauded him for his work rate, I have to say it’s not something that I have seen him do many times before – but it’s a definite step in the right direction.
Next up, it was a little piece from Taarabt that we have became more accustomed to. After picking up possession in the middle of the pitch, he jinked past one player and advanced through on goal. Simpson made a sneaky little run off the defender, and Taarabt slid the ball right into his feet. He picked up possession towards the right of the goal, at what was a fairly tight angle towards goal. He eventually scuffed his shot wide of the left hand post without testing Sullivan. He possible could/should have continued running in towards the box, as it was a fairly good chance.
In typical Rangers fashion, the opposition made us pay for it shortly after. Again, Watson was sluggish in the middle of the pitch, and after allowing the midfielder to continue pushing forward in possession unopposed, we watched on as he saw his shot cannon off of Connolly for a corner kick. From the resulting corner, the ball somehow ended up at the feet of Sharp who made no mistake in drilling the ball past Cerny into the middle of the goal. I’m not sure who/how we defended this set piece, as I didn’t have the best view of it. But it did look awfully easy, and how Sharp had that much time and space straight from a corner I don’t know.
As we watched Sharp veer off to the left and remove the corner flag in celebration, I noticed that Connolly was going absolutely wild at one of the player’s, although I would be lying to say I knew who it was. It was a very cheap goal to give away though – that was clear.
The noise coming from the QPR fans did grow from here on, in the hope that maybe we might be able to grab an equaliser. Like Simpson in the first half, Taarabt just couldn’t seem to shake off the opposition, and he was rarely left without a marker on him. Routledge was our only real outlet at this stage of the game, and after Leigertwood pinged a pass over the top, we watched as Routledge roared past the left back and cut in at the by-line… He drilled his cross in low, and as the centre back managed to boot it clear for a corner kick, Routledge jumped on the spot in pure frustration at the lack of options in the box. From the resulting cross Gorkss managed to get his head onto the ball, but it sailed over for a goal kick.
Only a few minutes passed, and we had left ourselves with a mountain to climb. There seemed to be a mix up between Gorkss and Williams, and after picking up possession about 20 yards out, Shiels struck from range… the ball appeared to clip one of our players in the process, and we watched on as it smashed up into the back of the net and past the outstretched hand of Cerny.
In response Magilton decided to make a couple of changes. Agyemang was introduced at the expense of Buzsaky, and Simpson made way for Pellicori.
Doncaster were now really starting to enjoy themselves, and after passing the ball between themselves for what felt like 10 minutes or so, we eventually gave away a free kick with Leigertwood picking up a yellow card in the process. “We’re too good for you” was the chant bellowing out from the home supporters and as much as it pains me to say it – on the second half performance you couldn’t really argue with that.
Our sole effort on target came a few minutes later. Taarabt was again fed on the edge of the box, but his tame shot was easily held by Sullivan in the Rover’s goal. Agyemang was making a few decent runs off of players, but you could see that the Doncaster players were absolutely brimming with confidence, and we were just never going to get anywhere near them.
After some superb build up play yet again, Doncaster were awarded a corner kick with the home fans now in full voice. I watched on gob smacked as Pellicori inexplicably punched the ball out of the box with his hand!!
Forget Maradona, forget Henry… this was just something else. The referee had been awarding Doncaster some extremely petty free kicks, but I am convinced that this was just SO blatant that the referee probably had a double take and just couldn’t believe a player would do something so downright suicidal. They should have been awarded a penalty without question here, and the home fans were furious in their calls for a penalty.
Pellicori had a brilliant chance to make the game interesting around the 85th minute. Taarabt faked to shoot on the edge of the box, and in the process he threaded a sublime pass right into his path around the penalty spot… But Pellicori’s pace is just so frustratingly slow that he couldn’t even muster an attempt on goal, and Sullivan picked the ball up with ease. I would say that had it been Simpson we would have scored here, but I think that had it fallen to ANY player that could move a mere 5 yards in under 30 seconds we would have likely scored.
As the clock ticked down towards the full time , there was just enough time for Cerny to give us another fright. I have been quite critical of his recent ‘confidence’ to try taking on players in his own box – fortunately for him he has been very lucky that most players have just slid in on him and he has been able to turn left/right past them. Yesterday was the first time that one didn’t jump in, and Cerny was then faced with a 50/50 ball with Billy Sharp. Like anyone, I don’t like to see us concede... but in my heart I wanted Sharp to take it round him and pop it in the corner. Cerny WILL cost us with this stupidity one game, and I don’t think he will learn NOT to do it until he has been made to pay for it, and I can’t think of a better time to concede from that kind of goal than yesterday. I just hope that hasn’t fuelled his belief that he is still capable of doing it, he was seriously let off the hook here… again. He was up the other end at this stage, and its probably a good thing as the fans didn’t hold back of letting them know what they thought of it.
When the final blew, I think there was more a feeling of relief rather than anything else. We still stayed to clap the players off the pitch, but rightly or wrongly a sect of fans decided to boo them… Sadly (for once) I could see where they were coming from. I noticed that Gorkss and surprisingly Routledge were quick to acknowledge the fans, and clapped us as the walked off the pitch.
After being stuck in the car park for well over an hour, we made our way back down south reflecting on what was without doubt the worst performance of Magilton’s reign so far.
I probably won’t make many friends in my player ratings, but I won’t hold back in saying what I honestly believe based on yesterday’s game.
Player Ratings –
Cerny - I’m not sure if he was at fault for either of the goals, but he did revert back to that worrying punching of the ball without there being any real need. Admittedly he did make a couple of good saves, most notably the freekick early in the first half – but he just doesn’t inspire me with much confidence at the moment. I’m not sure how many games our Chelsea loanee has made, but I wouldn’t be opposed to us trying him out against Coventry. Cerny continues to try walking the ball round opposition, and I’ll reiterate that we will be made to pay for it shortly… and the groans from the QPR fans about it is becoming louder and louder.
Leigertwood - Didn’t think he had a very good game yesterday. I thought his passing was erratic, and he just didn’t seem to get into the game. A few aimless passes up field, and had quite a hard time trying to keep the Doncaster midfield at bay. He was offered no support by the midfield though. I fully expect him to bounce back next week. Full of running and effort, but nothing he did seemed to come off for him on the day.
Connolly - Steady performance from him yesterday. Like every other helpless defender, they were just offered no support by the midfield, and it made their job ten times more difficult. Stormed forward in possession on a couple of occasions though, and I thought he complimented Gorkss fairly well. Like Leigertwood, the will to win was clear, and I certainly wouldn’t tarnish him with the same brush as some of the other players out there yesterday.
Gorkss - See above really. Possibly responsible for the second goal, but on the whole how we only conceded 2 goals in the game is a minor miracle in itself. Very strong both in the tackle and in the air, and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side.
Williams - I was delighted with us signing him on loan, but it was a pretty unspectacular performance from him yesterday. The constant threat he posed on the left side against us earlier in the season wasn’t on show at all. I noticed that he very rarely bombed down the line (as he has done all season for the Posh), and personally I would have to ask the question of whether Magilton restricted him a little too much yesterday? It was clear in the first half that he very rarely dared to venture in the opposition half. I won’t judge him on one game though, and I think we will have a much better idea on his ability to play left back towards the end of December.
Routledge – One of the few players to leave the game with any credit at all. Whenever he actually got on the ball, he really caused them problems, but he was starved of possession – particularly in the second half. It was clear that he had the legs over the left back, but we just didn’t get him running at the fullbacks. On the rare occasion he did get past them, there was just nobody in the box to pass to… a very frustrating afternoon for him, and it showed all over his face.
Reid – Like Williams, I will hold on making an overall judgement on him until I have seen him play a fair amount of games. Personally speaking, I was slightly under whelmed with his signing, purely because of the fitness question mark that hangs over his head. Will he do well for us? Maybe, but if he gets injured (something fairly likely if the last 2 years are anything to go by) our midfield will be decimated during the busiest and most important month of the season. I thought he looked ok yesterday, but a long way short of the Premiership footballer I think some people were expecting. He is a big risk, let’s hope it pays off.
Faurlin – Absolutely gutted for him yesterday. I didn’t write a report up on the Sheffield Wednesday game, but when he came on against them he completely turned the game on its head. Rightly he was rewarded with a place in the starting lineup yesterday, and I thought that he was arguably our best player in the first half. He did make a couple of misplaced passes, but he was breaking up possession time after time. I noticed Connolly (who was very vocal yesterday) screaming at our players to just give him the ball. It’s not a coincidence that we conceded both goals when he was harshly taken off.
Watson – I might spark a debate with a few fans in saying this, but I thought he was absolutely abysmal yesterday. He looked lazy, off the pace, sloppy and just a complete contrast to the player that we signed earlier in the season. I counted him losing possession on the edge of OUR box around 3 times yesterday. He seemed reluctant to tackle, and completely disinterested. I will never lay into a player if they give it their all, but he needs a huge kick up the backside. Shocking!
Buzsaky – As he was before the international break against Wednesday, another very quiet game from him. He seemed keen to get on the ball and make things happen, but there were just no options or support with him. It left him isolated out on the left hand side, and just didn’t get into the game.
Simpson – I think he would have been tearing his hair out after yesterday. I rate him extremely highly, but I think that everyone would agree that he is certainly not a lone striker. What Magilton was thinking in playing him upfront by himself I really don’t know. Full of running, and when he actually got the ball he linked up play quite well. Could possibly have finished his chance in the second half better, but Magilton gave him an impossible task yesterday.
Substitutions –
Taarabt – Looked lively when he came on. Really gave the Doncaster back line something to think about with his trickery and direct play. I firmly believe that had he started, we wouldn’t have lost yesterday. Like Faurlin, I think he must have been puzzled at being left out of the starting lineup. He was one of our best players at Hillsborough, so to then be thrown onto the bench was extremely odd.
Agyemang – Might not be the most popular player with the fans, but I always think he brings another dimension once introduced. His pace did get in behind Doncaster yesterday, and it created space for others to exploit. Could possibly have done better with the sole chance that came his way, but the ball seemed to hang up in the air. Full of energy and enthusiasm though.
Pellicori – Well well well. For a player that has been extremely limited as far as first team appearances go, I expected him to really come on and try and stake a claim for a place in the side. Genuinely, in my time of following QPR, I don’t think I have ever seen a slower striker… actually I don’t think I have ever seen a slower player! He makes John Curtis look like Theo Walcott... and that really isn’t an exaggeration. It doesn’t bother me that he scores at reserve level, he is clearly not fit for Coca Cola Championship football – I think he would struggle at any football league level. Hope that I never have to endure watching him slog round the pitch again.
Manager Rating –
I think we need to put it into perspective; some of the games of late have been absolutely exceptional. We have been treated to some truly OUTSTANDING football this season, and credit goes to Magilton for that.
But: According to the official website we played a 4-3-3? Make no mistake, Magilton didn’t take us up there with any intention of winning that game, and we certainly didn’t play a 4-3-3! I think Magilton tried to drown the midfield, and what in the world he was thinking when he decided to take Faurlin off just baffles me. It went round and round in my mind on our 5 hour journey home yesterday, and I’m still no closer to the answer. Simpson as lone striker? Taarabt on the bench? I can’t think what someone like Ephraim must think at the moment, trying to break his way into the side all season – then Reid who has barely played for 2 years comes along and walks straight into the squad.
Magilton made the point when he first took over that nobody is guaranteed a place in the side, well next week is time to prove it – because those players didn’t perform anywhere near what they are capable of, and some of them have been below par for a few games now. Go back to 4-4-2. Drop Watson. Get Cerny to cut out his bizarre desire to mess round with the ball on our goal line, and show that he isn’t scared to drop the ‘big’ names. Somehow I feel that it will be Faurlin that will again get the chop at the expense of golden boy Watson.
The ball is in your court Jim – that was simply not good enough. The players badly let him and us down.
SM
We got up at 5:30am, and after crossing over to Southampton we started on our journey up north. The roads weren’t too bad, and after arriving at the ground we were anticipating what we thought would be a cracking game. We were sat towards the top of the stand behind the goal, and after looking round, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the large following that we had taken up there.
I have to say that I wasn’t particularly encouraged with our starting lineup. Naturally Cerny was starting in goal. Williams was making his debut in at left back, with Gorkss partnering Connolly in central defence and Leigertwood occupying the right back slot. With Borrowdale still not ready for the bench, I think the defence Magilton got pretty spot on.
In midfield we had Buzsaky on the left wing, with Watson, Faurlin and Reid in the middle, and Routledge on the right hand side. That was an instant mistake right from the off in my eyes. Firstly, Reid should not walk straight into the starting lineup. He has had very little football over the last couple of seasons, and had been with the squad for little over a day… how or why Magilton felt the need to throw him straight into the mix I don’t know. The fact that it meant Simpson had to play as a lone-striker just added insult to injury.
As the game started, Doncaster’s game plan was pretty clear. They kept things very tight in the middle of the pitch, and Simpson seemed to have at least 2 defenders tightly marking him constantly. Still despite being given virtually no time on the ball at all, he played a huge part in what was the first chance of the game.
After winning possession in the middle of the pitch, Faurlin played a quick ball forward into the feet of Simpson. After wriggling his way past two Doncaster defenders, he prodded a fantastic pass behind the Doncaster left back which Routledge was onto instantaneously. After a couple of quick stepovers, he managed to beat his man and flashed a cross right along the box… It fell at the feet of Buzsaky, but he saw his effort lash wide of the far post.
Next up it was Doncaster who had their first attempt at goal. Sharpe had managed to find space on the edge of the box, and Faurlin came in with what was a expertly timed challenge to win back possession… with Routledge breaking to the right, and Buzsaky free on the left it was a great chance to counter-attack. However the referee harshly awarded Doncaster a freekick… something which didn’t go down very well at all with the travelling QPR fans – it wasn’t a freekick. No chance.
Either way, after seeing Cerny line the wall up, we watched on as he fisted the ball away past the left hand post and out for a corner. In truth, the freekick wasn’t struck particularly well, but Cerny did well and relieved the pressure. From the resulting corner, a couple of Doncaster players managed to get a decent connection on the ball, but it was comfortably held by Cerny without much fuss.
The opening few minutes was end to end stuff, and Leigertwood was next to have an attempt at goal. Again it was Simpson, Routledge combining, and after getting to the byline, the latter played the ball back into the path of Leigertwood on the edge of the box… after beating his marker, Leigertwood saw a left footed drive fly over the top left hand post with Sullivan rooted to his spot.
Without ever really getting in behind us, Doncaster probably just edged the first 25 minutes or so. They were playing the ball crisply around the pitch, and in all honesty we were really struggling to win back possession. Watson had a frightening moment shortly after Leigertwood’s effort on goal. Cerny rolled the ball out short to him, and after taking an absolute eternity to release it, he was robbed literally right on the edge of the box. Fortunately Connolly was alert to win back possession from the oncoming midfielder, but it was an alarming moment for Watson, and one that could have cost us dearly.
Doncaster were again on the front foot shortly after. Wood’s cut straight through the centre of midfield completely unopposed, and unleashed a drive from what must have been around 25 yards. It looked to be heading straight into the path of Cerny, but inexplicably he opted to punch it to safety… it fell to the right back, who swung a brilliant ball into the box, fortunately it evaded around 3 Doncaster players and went out for a QPR goal kick. Again though, it was another poor decision, and we were possibly fortunate not to have conceded here… had Sharpe (or any of the other players for that matter) been on the back post, we would have gone a goal down here.
It was clear to see that things really weren’t clicking, and the travelling QPR fans urged the side on with an enormous round of “Come on you R’s” which completely drowned out any noise from the home supporters.
As if to make amends, Watson did set up the following chance around 5 minutes later. After spotting Routledge cut in from the right hand side, he played a perfectly weighted ball right in behind the defence which again Routledge was onto instantaneously. After taking one touch to line himself up, we watched on as he could only drag his shot into the side netting, and Doncaster were awarded a goal kick.
As the clock ticked down towards half time, we had just started to create a few openings… but make no mistake it was far from the free flowing football we have been playing of late – and we certainly didn’t deserve to be winning the game.
I think a draw was probably about the right result at this stage though. After discussing the first half, most fans were all saying the same things… thank goodness that we have Faurlin out there! Aside from a couple of hopeful passes up field, Watson had made a very small contribution to the game… and while Reid did play slightly better than him, he certainly didn’t look particularly comfortable out there either. Faurlin on the other hand was putting in tackles left, right and centre, and at times it was as if we were playing with on midfielder out there. Both sides had cancelled each other out though, and there was just no room to play with the 4-5-1 formation that Magilton had selected.
We noticed that Taarabt was being introduced at the start of the second half. Logically it just had to be Watson or Reid making way… But I sinked into my seat when I saw Faurlin’s number go up on the board, how or why Magilton felt the need to substitute him I don’t know – a quite bizarre decision. Admittedly, I think bringing on Taarabt was a good choice, I just can’t understand why he wasn’t starting in the first place.
I noticed that Taarabt looked particularly fired up after coming on. Three Doncaster players were passing the ball between themselves, and it was indeed Taarabt of all people that was trying to chase down possession. He went in for the ball a couple of times, and chased it back to the keeper who hoofed it up field. The travelling fans applauded him for his work rate, I have to say it’s not something that I have seen him do many times before – but it’s a definite step in the right direction.
Next up, it was a little piece from Taarabt that we have became more accustomed to. After picking up possession in the middle of the pitch, he jinked past one player and advanced through on goal. Simpson made a sneaky little run off the defender, and Taarabt slid the ball right into his feet. He picked up possession towards the right of the goal, at what was a fairly tight angle towards goal. He eventually scuffed his shot wide of the left hand post without testing Sullivan. He possible could/should have continued running in towards the box, as it was a fairly good chance.
In typical Rangers fashion, the opposition made us pay for it shortly after. Again, Watson was sluggish in the middle of the pitch, and after allowing the midfielder to continue pushing forward in possession unopposed, we watched on as he saw his shot cannon off of Connolly for a corner kick. From the resulting corner, the ball somehow ended up at the feet of Sharp who made no mistake in drilling the ball past Cerny into the middle of the goal. I’m not sure who/how we defended this set piece, as I didn’t have the best view of it. But it did look awfully easy, and how Sharp had that much time and space straight from a corner I don’t know.
As we watched Sharp veer off to the left and remove the corner flag in celebration, I noticed that Connolly was going absolutely wild at one of the player’s, although I would be lying to say I knew who it was. It was a very cheap goal to give away though – that was clear.
The noise coming from the QPR fans did grow from here on, in the hope that maybe we might be able to grab an equaliser. Like Simpson in the first half, Taarabt just couldn’t seem to shake off the opposition, and he was rarely left without a marker on him. Routledge was our only real outlet at this stage of the game, and after Leigertwood pinged a pass over the top, we watched as Routledge roared past the left back and cut in at the by-line… He drilled his cross in low, and as the centre back managed to boot it clear for a corner kick, Routledge jumped on the spot in pure frustration at the lack of options in the box. From the resulting cross Gorkss managed to get his head onto the ball, but it sailed over for a goal kick.
Only a few minutes passed, and we had left ourselves with a mountain to climb. There seemed to be a mix up between Gorkss and Williams, and after picking up possession about 20 yards out, Shiels struck from range… the ball appeared to clip one of our players in the process, and we watched on as it smashed up into the back of the net and past the outstretched hand of Cerny.
In response Magilton decided to make a couple of changes. Agyemang was introduced at the expense of Buzsaky, and Simpson made way for Pellicori.
Doncaster were now really starting to enjoy themselves, and after passing the ball between themselves for what felt like 10 minutes or so, we eventually gave away a free kick with Leigertwood picking up a yellow card in the process. “We’re too good for you” was the chant bellowing out from the home supporters and as much as it pains me to say it – on the second half performance you couldn’t really argue with that.
Our sole effort on target came a few minutes later. Taarabt was again fed on the edge of the box, but his tame shot was easily held by Sullivan in the Rover’s goal. Agyemang was making a few decent runs off of players, but you could see that the Doncaster players were absolutely brimming with confidence, and we were just never going to get anywhere near them.
After some superb build up play yet again, Doncaster were awarded a corner kick with the home fans now in full voice. I watched on gob smacked as Pellicori inexplicably punched the ball out of the box with his hand!!
Forget Maradona, forget Henry… this was just something else. The referee had been awarding Doncaster some extremely petty free kicks, but I am convinced that this was just SO blatant that the referee probably had a double take and just couldn’t believe a player would do something so downright suicidal. They should have been awarded a penalty without question here, and the home fans were furious in their calls for a penalty.
Pellicori had a brilliant chance to make the game interesting around the 85th minute. Taarabt faked to shoot on the edge of the box, and in the process he threaded a sublime pass right into his path around the penalty spot… But Pellicori’s pace is just so frustratingly slow that he couldn’t even muster an attempt on goal, and Sullivan picked the ball up with ease. I would say that had it been Simpson we would have scored here, but I think that had it fallen to ANY player that could move a mere 5 yards in under 30 seconds we would have likely scored.
As the clock ticked down towards the full time , there was just enough time for Cerny to give us another fright. I have been quite critical of his recent ‘confidence’ to try taking on players in his own box – fortunately for him he has been very lucky that most players have just slid in on him and he has been able to turn left/right past them. Yesterday was the first time that one didn’t jump in, and Cerny was then faced with a 50/50 ball with Billy Sharp. Like anyone, I don’t like to see us concede... but in my heart I wanted Sharp to take it round him and pop it in the corner. Cerny WILL cost us with this stupidity one game, and I don’t think he will learn NOT to do it until he has been made to pay for it, and I can’t think of a better time to concede from that kind of goal than yesterday. I just hope that hasn’t fuelled his belief that he is still capable of doing it, he was seriously let off the hook here… again. He was up the other end at this stage, and its probably a good thing as the fans didn’t hold back of letting them know what they thought of it.
When the final blew, I think there was more a feeling of relief rather than anything else. We still stayed to clap the players off the pitch, but rightly or wrongly a sect of fans decided to boo them… Sadly (for once) I could see where they were coming from. I noticed that Gorkss and surprisingly Routledge were quick to acknowledge the fans, and clapped us as the walked off the pitch.
After being stuck in the car park for well over an hour, we made our way back down south reflecting on what was without doubt the worst performance of Magilton’s reign so far.
I probably won’t make many friends in my player ratings, but I won’t hold back in saying what I honestly believe based on yesterday’s game.
Player Ratings –
Cerny - I’m not sure if he was at fault for either of the goals, but he did revert back to that worrying punching of the ball without there being any real need. Admittedly he did make a couple of good saves, most notably the freekick early in the first half – but he just doesn’t inspire me with much confidence at the moment. I’m not sure how many games our Chelsea loanee has made, but I wouldn’t be opposed to us trying him out against Coventry. Cerny continues to try walking the ball round opposition, and I’ll reiterate that we will be made to pay for it shortly… and the groans from the QPR fans about it is becoming louder and louder.
Leigertwood - Didn’t think he had a very good game yesterday. I thought his passing was erratic, and he just didn’t seem to get into the game. A few aimless passes up field, and had quite a hard time trying to keep the Doncaster midfield at bay. He was offered no support by the midfield though. I fully expect him to bounce back next week. Full of running and effort, but nothing he did seemed to come off for him on the day.
Connolly - Steady performance from him yesterday. Like every other helpless defender, they were just offered no support by the midfield, and it made their job ten times more difficult. Stormed forward in possession on a couple of occasions though, and I thought he complimented Gorkss fairly well. Like Leigertwood, the will to win was clear, and I certainly wouldn’t tarnish him with the same brush as some of the other players out there yesterday.
Gorkss - See above really. Possibly responsible for the second goal, but on the whole how we only conceded 2 goals in the game is a minor miracle in itself. Very strong both in the tackle and in the air, and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side.
Williams - I was delighted with us signing him on loan, but it was a pretty unspectacular performance from him yesterday. The constant threat he posed on the left side against us earlier in the season wasn’t on show at all. I noticed that he very rarely bombed down the line (as he has done all season for the Posh), and personally I would have to ask the question of whether Magilton restricted him a little too much yesterday? It was clear in the first half that he very rarely dared to venture in the opposition half. I won’t judge him on one game though, and I think we will have a much better idea on his ability to play left back towards the end of December.
Routledge – One of the few players to leave the game with any credit at all. Whenever he actually got on the ball, he really caused them problems, but he was starved of possession – particularly in the second half. It was clear that he had the legs over the left back, but we just didn’t get him running at the fullbacks. On the rare occasion he did get past them, there was just nobody in the box to pass to… a very frustrating afternoon for him, and it showed all over his face.
Reid – Like Williams, I will hold on making an overall judgement on him until I have seen him play a fair amount of games. Personally speaking, I was slightly under whelmed with his signing, purely because of the fitness question mark that hangs over his head. Will he do well for us? Maybe, but if he gets injured (something fairly likely if the last 2 years are anything to go by) our midfield will be decimated during the busiest and most important month of the season. I thought he looked ok yesterday, but a long way short of the Premiership footballer I think some people were expecting. He is a big risk, let’s hope it pays off.
Faurlin – Absolutely gutted for him yesterday. I didn’t write a report up on the Sheffield Wednesday game, but when he came on against them he completely turned the game on its head. Rightly he was rewarded with a place in the starting lineup yesterday, and I thought that he was arguably our best player in the first half. He did make a couple of misplaced passes, but he was breaking up possession time after time. I noticed Connolly (who was very vocal yesterday) screaming at our players to just give him the ball. It’s not a coincidence that we conceded both goals when he was harshly taken off.
Watson – I might spark a debate with a few fans in saying this, but I thought he was absolutely abysmal yesterday. He looked lazy, off the pace, sloppy and just a complete contrast to the player that we signed earlier in the season. I counted him losing possession on the edge of OUR box around 3 times yesterday. He seemed reluctant to tackle, and completely disinterested. I will never lay into a player if they give it their all, but he needs a huge kick up the backside. Shocking!
Buzsaky – As he was before the international break against Wednesday, another very quiet game from him. He seemed keen to get on the ball and make things happen, but there were just no options or support with him. It left him isolated out on the left hand side, and just didn’t get into the game.
Simpson – I think he would have been tearing his hair out after yesterday. I rate him extremely highly, but I think that everyone would agree that he is certainly not a lone striker. What Magilton was thinking in playing him upfront by himself I really don’t know. Full of running, and when he actually got the ball he linked up play quite well. Could possibly have finished his chance in the second half better, but Magilton gave him an impossible task yesterday.
Substitutions –
Taarabt – Looked lively when he came on. Really gave the Doncaster back line something to think about with his trickery and direct play. I firmly believe that had he started, we wouldn’t have lost yesterday. Like Faurlin, I think he must have been puzzled at being left out of the starting lineup. He was one of our best players at Hillsborough, so to then be thrown onto the bench was extremely odd.
Agyemang – Might not be the most popular player with the fans, but I always think he brings another dimension once introduced. His pace did get in behind Doncaster yesterday, and it created space for others to exploit. Could possibly have done better with the sole chance that came his way, but the ball seemed to hang up in the air. Full of energy and enthusiasm though.
Pellicori – Well well well. For a player that has been extremely limited as far as first team appearances go, I expected him to really come on and try and stake a claim for a place in the side. Genuinely, in my time of following QPR, I don’t think I have ever seen a slower striker… actually I don’t think I have ever seen a slower player! He makes John Curtis look like Theo Walcott... and that really isn’t an exaggeration. It doesn’t bother me that he scores at reserve level, he is clearly not fit for Coca Cola Championship football – I think he would struggle at any football league level. Hope that I never have to endure watching him slog round the pitch again.
Manager Rating –
I think we need to put it into perspective; some of the games of late have been absolutely exceptional. We have been treated to some truly OUTSTANDING football this season, and credit goes to Magilton for that.
But: According to the official website we played a 4-3-3? Make no mistake, Magilton didn’t take us up there with any intention of winning that game, and we certainly didn’t play a 4-3-3! I think Magilton tried to drown the midfield, and what in the world he was thinking when he decided to take Faurlin off just baffles me. It went round and round in my mind on our 5 hour journey home yesterday, and I’m still no closer to the answer. Simpson as lone striker? Taarabt on the bench? I can’t think what someone like Ephraim must think at the moment, trying to break his way into the side all season – then Reid who has barely played for 2 years comes along and walks straight into the squad.
Magilton made the point when he first took over that nobody is guaranteed a place in the side, well next week is time to prove it – because those players didn’t perform anywhere near what they are capable of, and some of them have been below par for a few games now. Go back to 4-4-2. Drop Watson. Get Cerny to cut out his bizarre desire to mess round with the ball on our goal line, and show that he isn’t scared to drop the ‘big’ names. Somehow I feel that it will be Faurlin that will again get the chop at the expense of golden boy Watson.
The ball is in your court Jim – that was simply not good enough. The players badly let him and us down.
SM
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