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Originally posted by SM1882
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Following the superb start to the season against Barnsley last weekend and then the dismal performance against Port Vale on Tuesday night, just what we could expect from a tough away day at Bramall Lane was pretty much anyone’s guess.
Personally I felt that if we could snatch a draw it would be a decent result for us, especially considering that it was their first home league game of the season.
After the three of us made our way up to Sheffield, we eventually got into the ground and took our seats towards the top of the away end. It appeared that we had taken a fair number of fans up there, and we watched on as the teams were read out.
Former United keeper Kenny again started in goal, with an enormous chorus of boo’s echoing in his ear as his name was read out.
In defence there was a recall for Hill at left back, while Hall partnered Gorkss in the middle and Orr again occupied the right back slot.
Faurlin was also bought into the side, partnering Derry in the middle. Mackie started on the right, with Ephraim on the left.
Back from international duty, we had Taarabt playing just off of Helguson.
On the point of Bramall Lane, personally I’ve never thought an awful lot of the atmosphere up there. However, what with Warnock and Kenny returning it certainly seemed to spice things up, and the noise as the QPR players ran to the opposite end was intimidating to say the least.
I found it odd that Sheffield United were attacking their “Kop” end to start, with QPR attacking the stand that we were located in. It left Kenny with no doubt in his mind that he was in for a rough time, with a barrage of abuse being hurled his way as he stood between the sticks in front of their home end.
It was clear that Warnock had the players fully pumped up for this one. There couldn’t have been more than 2 minutes on the clock before Jamie Mackie came flying into a challenge on the left back, and while the ball rebounded out for a United throw in anyway, Mackie certainly let the defender knew he was in for a game as he gingerly got back to his feet - as Mackie waved his fists geeing the other players up.
Kenny was called into action a few minutes into the game, as he collected a high ball in front of Cresswell and needless to say that boos blasted out until he eventually released the ball.
Taarabt had already been on the end of some aggressive looking tackles in these early stages, and it was him that set up the opener. After playing a long ball into the box, it was scrapped high up field by Fitz Hall and chested down by Helguson to Taarabt who was just outside the centre circle. With Helguson advancing forward, Adel spotted Hogan making a neat run in behind the defence and expertly slid the ball in behind all of them to leave Hogan running the length of the pitch with the bulky United defence scrambling back to catch him… He seemed to have an absolute eternity, and made no mistake in rolling the ball under the keeper to the bottom right hand side of the goal before celebrating in front of the travelling QPR fans.
He was joined by the rest of the team, and as they walked back towards the half way line, with his arm around Adel he pointed at him acknowledging the superb assist that he had made. Adel looked back smiling and gave a thumbs up in our direction.
There couldn’t have been any more than around 10 minutes on the clock at this stage, and it certainly put a dampener on the noise that the United fans had been generating.
The confidence was now at a premium, with a succession of beautiful neat football that Sheffield just could not get near. Adel was starting to impose himself on the game as well, and after again linking with Hogan he found himself on the left hand flank. After tricking his way past the right back, he was eventually sent crashing to the ground under a heavy challenge by the beastly Morgan. As Adel lay on the floor, Morgan towered right over him literally screaming in his face!
After brushing himself off, Adel got up and delivered a pearl of a cross that just evaded the oncoming Gorkss and flew out for a goal kick. I noticed that as the players walked back, Morgan was still persistently screaming at Taarabt while bustling into him while the ball was up the other end of the pitch.
Soon after it was again Hogan that was the architect - and it saw us take an early 2 goal lead. After switching play to the other side of the field, Orr picked up possession now deep in the United half. His early cross was plucked out the air by Hogan, and he dinked a marvellous ball over the defence where Mackie was on hand to crash the ball into the open net from little more than 2 yards out. He wheeled away in crazy celebration to our left hand side.
Literally just a couple minutes more passed and it was 3! Derry had won back possession in the middle of the pitch, and he instantaneously played the ball through to Taarabt on the half way line. With what seemed like a wall of defenders grappling with him to win back possession, Adel twinkled his way past them and again released Hogan who broke on the left hand side. After racing to the edge of the box, he cut in and saw his tame shot fumbled by Simonson in the United goal… Helguson was onto the mistake in a flash, and after making a connection on the ball he was sent crashing to the floor in the box – penalty.
Taarabt insisted on taking the penalty, and coolly rolled it to the keeper’s left hand side before celebrating in front of the now delirious travelling away support. As was the case with Hogan, Taarabt praised Helguson on winning the penalty and applauded the fans as the now shell-shocked United side kicked off again.
Literally right from the kick-off they booted the ball into the corner, which after Hill shoulder charged the energetic Ward and the ball went out for a throw in. It was at this stage that the United fans finally snapped, and loud boos emulated from various corners of the ground with some fans even deciding to leave despite there being little over 25 minutes on the clock!
Adel was keen on rubbing further salt into the wounds, and after picking the ball up again on the left hand side… he stood right on the line tricking and feinting to pass, as the frustrated United players wrongly fell for trick after trick. He was eventually sent crashing to the ground by Montgomery who was shown a yellow card.
The resulting free kick was punched clear of danger by Simonson in the United goal, with Taarabt again on the end of an ear bashing by Morgan who clearly didn’t appreciate the skill that Adel was displaying.
As the half drew to a close, we ever so nearly made it 4. Faurlin had played a stunning pass through to Hogan on the left, and he in turn fed Adel who was waiting on the left hand wing. After taking a touch to set himself, he sent a glorious ball into the box which Helguson just glanced towards the near post… With Simonson a mere spectator the ball clipped the crossbar and went out for a goal kick.
There couldn’t have been more than around 5-10 minutes left of the half, but it had now become a real back to the walls job with United heaving on the pressure.
First up they were awarded a free kick right on the edge of the box. Jamie Ward drilled the ball goal wards, but after it cannoned off Gorkss it fell to one of their midfielders… As he shaped to shoot Clint Hill came lunging in for the ball and hammered it into the stands, leaving the United players bickering amongst themselves.
Then soon after Kenny was forced into making his first real save of the game. Hill had been dominant throughout the half, but on the one occasion that he was caught out of position the cross came in from the right hand side which Cresswell managed to get a good connection on… with the ball flying towards the top left hand corner Kenny just managed to get a fist on it and punched it over the crossbar for a corner kick.
The following corner was good, and after Hall managed to head it back towards the edge of the box, a flurry of United players again looked for the shot but Derry rose above them all and again blasted the ball deep deep into the United defence and relieved the pressure.
Soon after there was a penalty shout, from where we were sat it appeared that Hill got a foot to the ball in the box… but I have since heard that he did indeed foul the player and a penalty should have been awarded. It sent the United fans into a furious mood, with the QPR fans responded by standing singing “Easy, Easy, Easy” which tipped them further over the edge. One QPR fan to our left even decided to get up and do a dance for them such was his delight at how the half had gone!
There was one last scare before the referee blew time on the half, and it came when Faurlin mis-timed a challenge on the edge of the box leaving the United player in a heap on the floor. It was clear that there was no malice in the challenge, but it did look bad. On another occasion maybe he would have been given a straight red, but fortunately he only picked up a yellow.
The referee blew time on the half shortly after, and we went in at the break 3 goals to the good.
While we sat in our seats eagerly awaiting the second half, the noise coming from the bar behind us was enormous. I poked my head round the corner to see the delirious QPR fans drinking beer as if it was water - singing for the full 15 minute break.
With the QPR players now lining up right in front of us, the chant was “Kenny is a Ranger!” to which he turned round and clapped us. That continued for pretty much the whole half.
Early in the second half Hall over-stretched during a sliding challenge and appeared to hurt his hamstring. He was replaced by Ramage who received a great ovation.
Ramage was straight in the thick of the action, and after he mis-timed a long hoof up field by Morgan it left Cresswell running through straight on goal. After advancing to the edge of the box, he teed up Ward who was around 6 yards out… Ramage was clearly keen to make amends and flew in prodding the ball out for a corner kick; fortunately the referee blew for an offside. But we could have been punished here.
Up the other end of the field, and Faurlin nearly got his name on the score sheet. After breaking from defence, Adel played the ball out wide to Hogan and continued his run into the box. Hogan tricked his way past one player, but saw his shot come back off the defender into the path of Faurlin… He sent a stinging shot towards goal, but again a defender was in the way and it went out for another corner kick.
The following 20 minutes or so was really gritty football. The closest came when a cross was flashed into the box with a host of United players waiting to pounce… The ball flicked up off of one of them, and Gorkss ripped through 2 players (including Ramage) to head the ball up into the air clear of danger.. Again with a number of players waiting to pick up the loose ball he again towered over everybody and booted the ball up field. Top top defending.
Warnock mixed things up a little bit shortly after and introduced former Wednesday player Leon Clarke at the expense of Taarabt who received a standing ovation by the QPR fans.
He again didn’t take long to get in on the action. Clint Hill knocked the ball forward to Ephraim on the edge of the box, and a quick round of passing followed between Hogan, Derry and Faurlin – with the latter cushioning the ball delicately over the United backline. Clarke went for glory, and lashed a shot goal wards which was well held by Simonson.
Shortly after, arguably the star of the show Hogan Ephraim was substituted for Mikele Leigertwood.
As the clock ticked down, Sheffield United continued to huff and puff but they just couldn’t break us down. There were no real outstanding chances for either side, and the score ended 3-0 to the R’s.
When the referee blew time on the game, what was left of the Sheffield United supporters booed their team off the pitch. Kenny instantly turned back towards the supporters celebrating the win and clean sheet that he earned. It clearly meant an awful lot to him!
Mackie was also over pretty quickly, and as he did for his goal he celebrated wildly in front of us with Adel and Hogan.
As the players walked off the pitch, there was nothing but smiles written across the supporters faces, and I don’t think there were any QPR fans that left the ground unhappy… Well all but one, as one member of our car was gutted that we had gone second on alphabetical order… Although I will stick to thinking she was having a laugh!
Player Ratings –
Kenny – It was a big day for him, and he certainly rose to the occasion. I’ll admit to being a bit concerned by his last 2 performances, but he put any errors to bed with a truly spotless display. His distribution was of a good standard, and he claimed near on everything in the air. Stunning save from the Cresswell header, and I was delighted to see him get a clean sheet against his former club.
Orr – As was the case for a number of players, I don’t believe he actually put a foot wrong. I personally felt he was just slightly off the pace last weekend, but yesterday he was much more like the player I was hoping to see. Bombing forward at will with great delivery into the box. In defence, I can’t think of a single occasion when he was beat. Top display from him.
Hall – It’s no secret that I don’t rate him, and while seeing him appointed captain was a surprise - seeing him carried off injured most definitely wasn’t one! That was always going to happen sooner or later, and was a strong reason why I felt so opposed to him being made captain. But… In all fairness, I was actually really disappointed to see him go off. He led from the back impeccably, and didn’t really give any of their strikers a sniff. On that form, he genuinely is one of the best defenders in the division. It will be a shame to see him miss a couple of games injured (when playing like that). Couldn’t fault him.
Gorkss – I say the same thing about him pretty much every week, and I can’t really change much about it this week either. Just brilliant. Completely bossed any aerial threat imposed by Sheffield United, and was water tight on the rare occasion that they tried to play through us. Top performance as always.
Hill – I actually thought he was a front runner for man of the match. His heavy handed aggressive approach really did shake the United attackers, and like Orr he was resolute at the back. Gone are the days of a left back being run ragged with him here. Absolutely no messing round whatsoever, and ever so strong in the tackle. Lovely.
Mackie – Anther extremely impressive performance from him. Took his goal very well indeed, and was always chipping away trying to win back possession. I felt last week that his work-rate and endeavour would be crucial on away games, and that was certainly the case here. Full of so much fight and character, and enjoyed the win just as much as anyone. Appears to be absolutely loving life as a QPR player, and long may it continue.
Derry – Thought he had a great performance in the middle alongside Faurlin. While watching him I couldn’t help but think what a difference he would have made to the side last season. His experience really shone through at times when Sheffield United were just starting to put the pressure on, and he provided great cover for the back four. He did have a shocker on Tuesday night, but I will repeat what I said last Saturday after the Barnsley game – he will be a big player for us this season.
Faurlin – Seemed to have a more influential role in the side yesterday. Spraying balls all over the pitch for the full 90 minutes, and as ever he didn’t pull out of any 50/50 challenges. Threw himself into tackle after tackle, and just didn’t give any player within his radius any time on the ball whatsoever. Both he and Derry completely ran the game from the centre of midfield. Delighted at the full time whistle, and I noticed he appeared far more vocal than he was last season.
Ephraim – As I said last week, I’ve never really been quite sure what to think of Hogan. He has always looked quite nice to watch, but I’ve always felt he hasn’t really got enough of a cutting edge to his game. Judging by his performance last Saturday, coupled with the one yesterday I’m starting to think that maybe he might start to realize his potential. He seems far more direct than what he did last season, and he was a constant thorn in Sheffield United’s defence all day long. He took his goal very well, and the delivery for Mackie’s goal was quite simply perfect. His link up play with Taarabt was also very promising, and got himself fully stuck into plenty of challenges. Superb display from him.
Taarabt – Didn’t quite steal the show as he did against Barnsley last weekend, but was an absolute pleasure to watch all the same. The pass for the opener was fantastic, and just the kind of thing that you wouldn’t dream of seeing him do last season. Plenty of tricks on display, and really got under the oppositions skin. One thing that did leave me gob-smacked was when Sheffield were attacking down the left hand side of midfield. Adel looked back and saw that their right winger was in acres of space down on the flank, and he charged back to mark him... The ball didn’t even come over in that direction anyway in honesty, but it was just another little sign of the attitude that he has displayed thus far. Although admittedly it did seem bizarre looking at him doing that kind of work! Great display from him.
Helguson – Despite not scoring any goals yesterday, I would say that it was arguably his best performance in a QPR shirt. I’m the furthest thing from an admirer of Helguson, to be blunt I don’t really like him and was hoping that we might have been able to offload him over the summer. Judging by yesterday though, he most definitely has something to add. I’ve always felt that while he has good movement, he just generally doesn’t look too bothered/interested. But yesterday was like a whole new player out there, it really was. He chased and chased all day long. He was strong in the air, and linked up play between attack and midfield expertly. He did well to win the penalty, but his general work rate and use of the ball was what really caught my eye. If he could replicate this kind of performance every week, Warnock will NOT drop him. He fed Adel with possession in just the right areas as well, and was always looking to get in behind the defence. Mightily impressed!
Substitutions –
Clarke – His performance during the week is probably best forgotten, as he really was poor. Yesterday he did show though, that somewhere there is an okay player there. He actually looked pretty good in the air and on a number of occasions he managed to hold the ball up and either turn or knock it back out wide. He will never be a world beater, but a useful squad player? Maybe.
Ramage – Was nearly made to pay for a slight lapse in concentration, but aside from that he had a pretty solid game. Would assume that Warnock will play him in Fitz Hall’s absence. Pretty much picked up where he left off last season though, and again looked more than comfortable alongside Gorkss.
Leigertwood – No real time to make a huge difference. Did steady things up in the middle though, and won back possession on a couple of occasions.
After leaving the ground on the way home, we bumped into a couple of Sheffield United fans who had nothing but good to say about QPR and particularly Neil Warnock. We also saw some Cardiff fans stranded at the side of the motorway which put the cherry on the top of what was already a fantastic away day!
In summary of the full 90 minutes, it really did leave me relishing the rest of the season. The refreshing thing about the football was that we had a great mix of everything. At times we played some football that was very pleasing on the eye, at other times we dug in deep, scrapped and battled.
Last season (when things were good), I came back raving about the tremendous football that we were seeing. Now I come back having watched a group of players brimming with heart, fight and passion. Sheffield United wanted to bully us off the pitch, and their home record over the last few seasons suggests that they do it very well. But we just would not capitulate, and withstood every single thing that they through at us.
I remember a couple of seasons ago seeing the likes of Parejo & Ladesma being crushed to smithereens by this same group of players, this time we had the likes of Mackie and Hill doing the “dirty” stuff back to them and it worked an absolute treat.
Warnock got it absolutely spot on!
Despite us having now scored an impressive 7 goals in only 2 league games, I do still feel that we need that striker. This team doesn’t need an awful lot of tweaking though, we have the basis of a VERY good side.
Let’s hope for another 3 points next week against S****horpe.
Onwards & Upwards!
Personally I felt that if we could snatch a draw it would be a decent result for us, especially considering that it was their first home league game of the season.
After the three of us made our way up to Sheffield, we eventually got into the ground and took our seats towards the top of the away end. It appeared that we had taken a fair number of fans up there, and we watched on as the teams were read out.
Former United keeper Kenny again started in goal, with an enormous chorus of boo’s echoing in his ear as his name was read out.
In defence there was a recall for Hill at left back, while Hall partnered Gorkss in the middle and Orr again occupied the right back slot.
Faurlin was also bought into the side, partnering Derry in the middle. Mackie started on the right, with Ephraim on the left.
Back from international duty, we had Taarabt playing just off of Helguson.
On the point of Bramall Lane, personally I’ve never thought an awful lot of the atmosphere up there. However, what with Warnock and Kenny returning it certainly seemed to spice things up, and the noise as the QPR players ran to the opposite end was intimidating to say the least.
I found it odd that Sheffield United were attacking their “Kop” end to start, with QPR attacking the stand that we were located in. It left Kenny with no doubt in his mind that he was in for a rough time, with a barrage of abuse being hurled his way as he stood between the sticks in front of their home end.
It was clear that Warnock had the players fully pumped up for this one. There couldn’t have been more than 2 minutes on the clock before Jamie Mackie came flying into a challenge on the left back, and while the ball rebounded out for a United throw in anyway, Mackie certainly let the defender knew he was in for a game as he gingerly got back to his feet - as Mackie waved his fists geeing the other players up.
Kenny was called into action a few minutes into the game, as he collected a high ball in front of Cresswell and needless to say that boos blasted out until he eventually released the ball.
Taarabt had already been on the end of some aggressive looking tackles in these early stages, and it was him that set up the opener. After playing a long ball into the box, it was scrapped high up field by Fitz Hall and chested down by Helguson to Taarabt who was just outside the centre circle. With Helguson advancing forward, Adel spotted Hogan making a neat run in behind the defence and expertly slid the ball in behind all of them to leave Hogan running the length of the pitch with the bulky United defence scrambling back to catch him… He seemed to have an absolute eternity, and made no mistake in rolling the ball under the keeper to the bottom right hand side of the goal before celebrating in front of the travelling QPR fans.
He was joined by the rest of the team, and as they walked back towards the half way line, with his arm around Adel he pointed at him acknowledging the superb assist that he had made. Adel looked back smiling and gave a thumbs up in our direction.
There couldn’t have been any more than around 10 minutes on the clock at this stage, and it certainly put a dampener on the noise that the United fans had been generating.
The confidence was now at a premium, with a succession of beautiful neat football that Sheffield just could not get near. Adel was starting to impose himself on the game as well, and after again linking with Hogan he found himself on the left hand flank. After tricking his way past the right back, he was eventually sent crashing to the ground under a heavy challenge by the beastly Morgan. As Adel lay on the floor, Morgan towered right over him literally screaming in his face!
After brushing himself off, Adel got up and delivered a pearl of a cross that just evaded the oncoming Gorkss and flew out for a goal kick. I noticed that as the players walked back, Morgan was still persistently screaming at Taarabt while bustling into him while the ball was up the other end of the pitch.
Soon after it was again Hogan that was the architect - and it saw us take an early 2 goal lead. After switching play to the other side of the field, Orr picked up possession now deep in the United half. His early cross was plucked out the air by Hogan, and he dinked a marvellous ball over the defence where Mackie was on hand to crash the ball into the open net from little more than 2 yards out. He wheeled away in crazy celebration to our left hand side.
Literally just a couple minutes more passed and it was 3! Derry had won back possession in the middle of the pitch, and he instantaneously played the ball through to Taarabt on the half way line. With what seemed like a wall of defenders grappling with him to win back possession, Adel twinkled his way past them and again released Hogan who broke on the left hand side. After racing to the edge of the box, he cut in and saw his tame shot fumbled by Simonson in the United goal… Helguson was onto the mistake in a flash, and after making a connection on the ball he was sent crashing to the floor in the box – penalty.
Taarabt insisted on taking the penalty, and coolly rolled it to the keeper’s left hand side before celebrating in front of the now delirious travelling away support. As was the case with Hogan, Taarabt praised Helguson on winning the penalty and applauded the fans as the now shell-shocked United side kicked off again.
Literally right from the kick-off they booted the ball into the corner, which after Hill shoulder charged the energetic Ward and the ball went out for a throw in. It was at this stage that the United fans finally snapped, and loud boos emulated from various corners of the ground with some fans even deciding to leave despite there being little over 25 minutes on the clock!
Adel was keen on rubbing further salt into the wounds, and after picking the ball up again on the left hand side… he stood right on the line tricking and feinting to pass, as the frustrated United players wrongly fell for trick after trick. He was eventually sent crashing to the ground by Montgomery who was shown a yellow card.
The resulting free kick was punched clear of danger by Simonson in the United goal, with Taarabt again on the end of an ear bashing by Morgan who clearly didn’t appreciate the skill that Adel was displaying.
As the half drew to a close, we ever so nearly made it 4. Faurlin had played a stunning pass through to Hogan on the left, and he in turn fed Adel who was waiting on the left hand wing. After taking a touch to set himself, he sent a glorious ball into the box which Helguson just glanced towards the near post… With Simonson a mere spectator the ball clipped the crossbar and went out for a goal kick.
There couldn’t have been more than around 5-10 minutes left of the half, but it had now become a real back to the walls job with United heaving on the pressure.
First up they were awarded a free kick right on the edge of the box. Jamie Ward drilled the ball goal wards, but after it cannoned off Gorkss it fell to one of their midfielders… As he shaped to shoot Clint Hill came lunging in for the ball and hammered it into the stands, leaving the United players bickering amongst themselves.
Then soon after Kenny was forced into making his first real save of the game. Hill had been dominant throughout the half, but on the one occasion that he was caught out of position the cross came in from the right hand side which Cresswell managed to get a good connection on… with the ball flying towards the top left hand corner Kenny just managed to get a fist on it and punched it over the crossbar for a corner kick.
The following corner was good, and after Hall managed to head it back towards the edge of the box, a flurry of United players again looked for the shot but Derry rose above them all and again blasted the ball deep deep into the United defence and relieved the pressure.
Soon after there was a penalty shout, from where we were sat it appeared that Hill got a foot to the ball in the box… but I have since heard that he did indeed foul the player and a penalty should have been awarded. It sent the United fans into a furious mood, with the QPR fans responded by standing singing “Easy, Easy, Easy” which tipped them further over the edge. One QPR fan to our left even decided to get up and do a dance for them such was his delight at how the half had gone!
There was one last scare before the referee blew time on the half, and it came when Faurlin mis-timed a challenge on the edge of the box leaving the United player in a heap on the floor. It was clear that there was no malice in the challenge, but it did look bad. On another occasion maybe he would have been given a straight red, but fortunately he only picked up a yellow.
The referee blew time on the half shortly after, and we went in at the break 3 goals to the good.
While we sat in our seats eagerly awaiting the second half, the noise coming from the bar behind us was enormous. I poked my head round the corner to see the delirious QPR fans drinking beer as if it was water - singing for the full 15 minute break.
With the QPR players now lining up right in front of us, the chant was “Kenny is a Ranger!” to which he turned round and clapped us. That continued for pretty much the whole half.
Early in the second half Hall over-stretched during a sliding challenge and appeared to hurt his hamstring. He was replaced by Ramage who received a great ovation.
Ramage was straight in the thick of the action, and after he mis-timed a long hoof up field by Morgan it left Cresswell running through straight on goal. After advancing to the edge of the box, he teed up Ward who was around 6 yards out… Ramage was clearly keen to make amends and flew in prodding the ball out for a corner kick; fortunately the referee blew for an offside. But we could have been punished here.
Up the other end of the field, and Faurlin nearly got his name on the score sheet. After breaking from defence, Adel played the ball out wide to Hogan and continued his run into the box. Hogan tricked his way past one player, but saw his shot come back off the defender into the path of Faurlin… He sent a stinging shot towards goal, but again a defender was in the way and it went out for another corner kick.
The following 20 minutes or so was really gritty football. The closest came when a cross was flashed into the box with a host of United players waiting to pounce… The ball flicked up off of one of them, and Gorkss ripped through 2 players (including Ramage) to head the ball up into the air clear of danger.. Again with a number of players waiting to pick up the loose ball he again towered over everybody and booted the ball up field. Top top defending.
Warnock mixed things up a little bit shortly after and introduced former Wednesday player Leon Clarke at the expense of Taarabt who received a standing ovation by the QPR fans.
He again didn’t take long to get in on the action. Clint Hill knocked the ball forward to Ephraim on the edge of the box, and a quick round of passing followed between Hogan, Derry and Faurlin – with the latter cushioning the ball delicately over the United backline. Clarke went for glory, and lashed a shot goal wards which was well held by Simonson.
Shortly after, arguably the star of the show Hogan Ephraim was substituted for Mikele Leigertwood.
As the clock ticked down, Sheffield United continued to huff and puff but they just couldn’t break us down. There were no real outstanding chances for either side, and the score ended 3-0 to the R’s.
When the referee blew time on the game, what was left of the Sheffield United supporters booed their team off the pitch. Kenny instantly turned back towards the supporters celebrating the win and clean sheet that he earned. It clearly meant an awful lot to him!
Mackie was also over pretty quickly, and as he did for his goal he celebrated wildly in front of us with Adel and Hogan.
As the players walked off the pitch, there was nothing but smiles written across the supporters faces, and I don’t think there were any QPR fans that left the ground unhappy… Well all but one, as one member of our car was gutted that we had gone second on alphabetical order… Although I will stick to thinking she was having a laugh!
Player Ratings –
Kenny – It was a big day for him, and he certainly rose to the occasion. I’ll admit to being a bit concerned by his last 2 performances, but he put any errors to bed with a truly spotless display. His distribution was of a good standard, and he claimed near on everything in the air. Stunning save from the Cresswell header, and I was delighted to see him get a clean sheet against his former club.
Orr – As was the case for a number of players, I don’t believe he actually put a foot wrong. I personally felt he was just slightly off the pace last weekend, but yesterday he was much more like the player I was hoping to see. Bombing forward at will with great delivery into the box. In defence, I can’t think of a single occasion when he was beat. Top display from him.
Hall – It’s no secret that I don’t rate him, and while seeing him appointed captain was a surprise - seeing him carried off injured most definitely wasn’t one! That was always going to happen sooner or later, and was a strong reason why I felt so opposed to him being made captain. But… In all fairness, I was actually really disappointed to see him go off. He led from the back impeccably, and didn’t really give any of their strikers a sniff. On that form, he genuinely is one of the best defenders in the division. It will be a shame to see him miss a couple of games injured (when playing like that). Couldn’t fault him.
Gorkss – I say the same thing about him pretty much every week, and I can’t really change much about it this week either. Just brilliant. Completely bossed any aerial threat imposed by Sheffield United, and was water tight on the rare occasion that they tried to play through us. Top performance as always.
Hill – I actually thought he was a front runner for man of the match. His heavy handed aggressive approach really did shake the United attackers, and like Orr he was resolute at the back. Gone are the days of a left back being run ragged with him here. Absolutely no messing round whatsoever, and ever so strong in the tackle. Lovely.
Mackie – Anther extremely impressive performance from him. Took his goal very well indeed, and was always chipping away trying to win back possession. I felt last week that his work-rate and endeavour would be crucial on away games, and that was certainly the case here. Full of so much fight and character, and enjoyed the win just as much as anyone. Appears to be absolutely loving life as a QPR player, and long may it continue.
Derry – Thought he had a great performance in the middle alongside Faurlin. While watching him I couldn’t help but think what a difference he would have made to the side last season. His experience really shone through at times when Sheffield United were just starting to put the pressure on, and he provided great cover for the back four. He did have a shocker on Tuesday night, but I will repeat what I said last Saturday after the Barnsley game – he will be a big player for us this season.
Faurlin – Seemed to have a more influential role in the side yesterday. Spraying balls all over the pitch for the full 90 minutes, and as ever he didn’t pull out of any 50/50 challenges. Threw himself into tackle after tackle, and just didn’t give any player within his radius any time on the ball whatsoever. Both he and Derry completely ran the game from the centre of midfield. Delighted at the full time whistle, and I noticed he appeared far more vocal than he was last season.
Ephraim – As I said last week, I’ve never really been quite sure what to think of Hogan. He has always looked quite nice to watch, but I’ve always felt he hasn’t really got enough of a cutting edge to his game. Judging by his performance last Saturday, coupled with the one yesterday I’m starting to think that maybe he might start to realize his potential. He seems far more direct than what he did last season, and he was a constant thorn in Sheffield United’s defence all day long. He took his goal very well, and the delivery for Mackie’s goal was quite simply perfect. His link up play with Taarabt was also very promising, and got himself fully stuck into plenty of challenges. Superb display from him.
Taarabt – Didn’t quite steal the show as he did against Barnsley last weekend, but was an absolute pleasure to watch all the same. The pass for the opener was fantastic, and just the kind of thing that you wouldn’t dream of seeing him do last season. Plenty of tricks on display, and really got under the oppositions skin. One thing that did leave me gob-smacked was when Sheffield were attacking down the left hand side of midfield. Adel looked back and saw that their right winger was in acres of space down on the flank, and he charged back to mark him... The ball didn’t even come over in that direction anyway in honesty, but it was just another little sign of the attitude that he has displayed thus far. Although admittedly it did seem bizarre looking at him doing that kind of work! Great display from him.
Helguson – Despite not scoring any goals yesterday, I would say that it was arguably his best performance in a QPR shirt. I’m the furthest thing from an admirer of Helguson, to be blunt I don’t really like him and was hoping that we might have been able to offload him over the summer. Judging by yesterday though, he most definitely has something to add. I’ve always felt that while he has good movement, he just generally doesn’t look too bothered/interested. But yesterday was like a whole new player out there, it really was. He chased and chased all day long. He was strong in the air, and linked up play between attack and midfield expertly. He did well to win the penalty, but his general work rate and use of the ball was what really caught my eye. If he could replicate this kind of performance every week, Warnock will NOT drop him. He fed Adel with possession in just the right areas as well, and was always looking to get in behind the defence. Mightily impressed!
Substitutions –
Clarke – His performance during the week is probably best forgotten, as he really was poor. Yesterday he did show though, that somewhere there is an okay player there. He actually looked pretty good in the air and on a number of occasions he managed to hold the ball up and either turn or knock it back out wide. He will never be a world beater, but a useful squad player? Maybe.
Ramage – Was nearly made to pay for a slight lapse in concentration, but aside from that he had a pretty solid game. Would assume that Warnock will play him in Fitz Hall’s absence. Pretty much picked up where he left off last season though, and again looked more than comfortable alongside Gorkss.
Leigertwood – No real time to make a huge difference. Did steady things up in the middle though, and won back possession on a couple of occasions.
After leaving the ground on the way home, we bumped into a couple of Sheffield United fans who had nothing but good to say about QPR and particularly Neil Warnock. We also saw some Cardiff fans stranded at the side of the motorway which put the cherry on the top of what was already a fantastic away day!
In summary of the full 90 minutes, it really did leave me relishing the rest of the season. The refreshing thing about the football was that we had a great mix of everything. At times we played some football that was very pleasing on the eye, at other times we dug in deep, scrapped and battled.
Last season (when things were good), I came back raving about the tremendous football that we were seeing. Now I come back having watched a group of players brimming with heart, fight and passion. Sheffield United wanted to bully us off the pitch, and their home record over the last few seasons suggests that they do it very well. But we just would not capitulate, and withstood every single thing that they through at us.
I remember a couple of seasons ago seeing the likes of Parejo & Ladesma being crushed to smithereens by this same group of players, this time we had the likes of Mackie and Hill doing the “dirty” stuff back to them and it worked an absolute treat.
Warnock got it absolutely spot on!
Despite us having now scored an impressive 7 goals in only 2 league games, I do still feel that we need that striker. This team doesn’t need an awful lot of tweaking though, we have the basis of a VERY good side.
Let’s hope for another 3 points next week against S****horpe.
Onwards & Upwards!
Oh and our support was greeeeeeaaaaaaat
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