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I kept reading that winning the Premiership would be a formality for Manchester City during the build up to this game and all they had to do was simply to turn up. The hacks who wrote these articles or the commentators who broadcast on the radio have an arrogance which totally dismissed our chances and focused all week on the fact this would be history in the making for Manchester City and the first title won since 1968. I guess these ladies and gentleman never watch QPR and do not realise that when the chips are down this team show tremendous character and spirit. The full drama of the day would not have been the same without QPR in attendance.
I always believed this game would be tight and for one moment of madness from our club captain it was a tremendous advert around the world for the underdog who we see very little of in the modern day world of the Premiership. Make no mistake this was a David v Goliath contest and if you matched the team’s player for player it would be a no contest, but this is QPR. A club which many still see as that little club in Shepherd’s Bush but one you underestimate at your peril.
Going into the game for us it seemed, it was all about how Stoke City would do against Bolton Wanderers.
To have witnessed this game at the Etihad Stadium is something that will live with me for a very long time. The fact we were on the brink of creating the biggest upset in Premiership history bodes very well for the future now our status in this league has been assured for another season.
Mark Hughes must take enormous credit for going with a formation that only surprised me but many neutrals. The decision to drop Adel Taarabt was a surprise but even more surprising was the inclusion of Shaun Wright Phillips in a 4-4-2 formation. We set our stall out early in that it would be backs against the wall and try to counter on the break. I felt during the first half we were ultra negative, when we did have the opportunity to break-away we were let down by our passing and felt obliged to kick the ball into touch.
I am not sure if it was panic or a game plan at this stage, though our shape was immaculate and at times it looked like City were trying to break a brick wall with chances limited for them in the first half.
Then just before half time with Yaya Toure seemingly struggling with an injury he managed to place at the feet of Pablo Zabaleta a perfect pass inside the penalty area which Paddy Kenny should have saved. If this was not bad enough moments later we heard the news that Bolton had come from behind to be leading Stoke City 2-1.
The half-time was a somber place for all QPR fans. On the way back to my seat in the second half a Manchester City said to me “cheer up, it’s not the end of the world”, I did feel like going back to him in the second half when Jamie Mackie put us 2-1 up but was so engrossed in the game that was unfolding before my very eyes, I felt it best to hold on to the end.
The second half started pretty much like the first half had finished and I was half tempted to find a link for the Stoke V Bolton game, then came an error from Lescott which found Cisse in some space and within seconds of him touching the ball it was in the back of the net. This epitomised the never say die attitude of our players over previous weeks. We were back in it and whilst Stoke were still losing to Bolton we had a chance however small to cease the moment and create history.
What followed was pure drama, something that I have never witnessed and something I am unlikely to witness in a football match for the rest of my life. I always thought when Arsenal beat Liverpool back in the late eighties by the 2-0 they needed on the final day of the season that would never ever be matched for pure drama, how wrong could I be and to make things so much better this time around it involved our team QPR.
Everyone will have an opinion on the Joey Barton incident and without question it could have cost our Premiership status and the fact it we live to tell the tale still in this league should not deflect from the stupid moment of madness. As in the games against Wolves and of Roger Johnson earlier in the season it seems that if you wind up Barton he cannot do anything but retaliate. In both cases if he simply goes down from the original contact the opposing players could have been booked. In this game we had done a great job of frustrating Tevez only to give back the initiative to Manchester City after a sly elbow which was well spotted by the linesman.
The reaction we saw after has no place on a football pitch, but then again we have witnessed similar incidents in recent years in the Premiership from Eric Cantona and Paulo De Canio . With Joey Barton we know he is a complex character but he only knows what goes on inside that head of his. We can only judge by what we see on the football pitch and that cannot be a true reflection of his character. The players for me always seem to genuinely defend him and accept that this is part and parcel of his make-up. Whether the hierarchy decide to stick and with him is entirely up to them though I suspect in the cold light of day they will.
I would seriously question whether he should be captain and that I feel will be a easier decision for the management to make. With doubts over the long term futures of Clint Hill and Shaun Derry one name that I would put up as captain would be Anton Ferdinand. I have said several times that he is a safe option and one that would represent our club with true professionalism.
Back to the game, down to 10 men it would be a mountain to climb against a Manchester City team who were surging forward even before we were a man down, then again We Are QPR and anything can happen and normally it does.
The ball is safely grasped by Paddy Kenny then thrown to Armond Traore who shows great pace in running about 40 yards on the left hand side and crosses the ball perfectly to find the head of Jamie Mackie which with one bounce finds the back of the next and the Rangers faithful are simply in dreamland of not only upsetting the party but creating our own bit of history.
I made the point last week that Jamie Mackie always seems to be the forefront of turning points of our season and this for a moment felt like yet another one. The 10 men of QPR had against all the odds taken a giant step towards premiership survival. I don’t like making comparisons with our bitter rivals but during this period the similarities of a game that I watched involving Barcelona a few weeks ago went through my mind. Could we possibly do the unthinkable? Could we even get another chance to make it 3-1?
The topsy turvy afternoon had not finished and with the news that Stoke City had equalised against Bolton and for the second week running we had gone from feeling downhearted to a feeling of pure ecstasy in a matter of minutes.
During the last 15 minutes, I witnessed City fans leaving and more importantly our rearguard standing firm and I felt the City players were getting nervous. Gone were the swift/crisp passing to make way for crosses in the box which was like bread and butter for Ferdinand and Hill who were simply heading the ball back out or for a corner. I had the sense that we would not be broken down.
It was Manchester City who had three players almost on the half way line and it was fast becoming 7 City outfield players against our 10. The fact we had a full quota behind the ball would make us even harder to breakdown.
At the point where the 4th official puts up the five minute of added time, I must say I was fairly calm. With Stoke drawing and us winning it just seemed a matter of running down the clock. I had reflected around this time that with our safety assured it was a shame that we handed the title to Manchester United though for me it was all about priorities. The priority that we would be looking forward to a fixture list containing the best teams in the world and the current board who had invested time and money into this venture would be rewarded.
The chain of events that followed cannot really be explained, just to say they will be replayed year after year. Once our safety had been assured with the Stoke V Bolton result, it was just a matter of seeing if Manchester City could turn things around in the nick of time. They duly obliged with two goals and The Premiership was destined for the blue side of Manchester.
The talk today in the media is inevitably about the Champions of England and little mention has been made of the great team spirit of QPR that almost prevented that from happening.
I wish all the best for Manchester City and in the end the best team won the title. For us, the journey is only just beginning. The words of Mark Hughes that “we will never be in this position again, while I am manager of QPR” rings true to me and probably the majority of QPR supporters. The board have already shown a determination to bring in quality players and I suspect this summer will be a very interesting place for all connected to QPR.
Before this season started I felt the Championship was the kind of football I wanted to watch with all teams playing on an equal playing field and no big money clubs who would have a distinct advantage over others. Personally that feeling has now changed. When our team takes on the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea and beats them, have to say no better in the feeling in the world. This season has shown that indeed this is the greatest league in the world and without doubt a better place with QPR playing side by side with the so called big guns of world football.
Roll on 2012-13
I always believed this game would be tight and for one moment of madness from our club captain it was a tremendous advert around the world for the underdog who we see very little of in the modern day world of the Premiership. Make no mistake this was a David v Goliath contest and if you matched the team’s player for player it would be a no contest, but this is QPR. A club which many still see as that little club in Shepherd’s Bush but one you underestimate at your peril.
Going into the game for us it seemed, it was all about how Stoke City would do against Bolton Wanderers.
To have witnessed this game at the Etihad Stadium is something that will live with me for a very long time. The fact we were on the brink of creating the biggest upset in Premiership history bodes very well for the future now our status in this league has been assured for another season.
Mark Hughes must take enormous credit for going with a formation that only surprised me but many neutrals. The decision to drop Adel Taarabt was a surprise but even more surprising was the inclusion of Shaun Wright Phillips in a 4-4-2 formation. We set our stall out early in that it would be backs against the wall and try to counter on the break. I felt during the first half we were ultra negative, when we did have the opportunity to break-away we were let down by our passing and felt obliged to kick the ball into touch.
I am not sure if it was panic or a game plan at this stage, though our shape was immaculate and at times it looked like City were trying to break a brick wall with chances limited for them in the first half.
Then just before half time with Yaya Toure seemingly struggling with an injury he managed to place at the feet of Pablo Zabaleta a perfect pass inside the penalty area which Paddy Kenny should have saved. If this was not bad enough moments later we heard the news that Bolton had come from behind to be leading Stoke City 2-1.
The half-time was a somber place for all QPR fans. On the way back to my seat in the second half a Manchester City said to me “cheer up, it’s not the end of the world”, I did feel like going back to him in the second half when Jamie Mackie put us 2-1 up but was so engrossed in the game that was unfolding before my very eyes, I felt it best to hold on to the end.
The second half started pretty much like the first half had finished and I was half tempted to find a link for the Stoke V Bolton game, then came an error from Lescott which found Cisse in some space and within seconds of him touching the ball it was in the back of the net. This epitomised the never say die attitude of our players over previous weeks. We were back in it and whilst Stoke were still losing to Bolton we had a chance however small to cease the moment and create history.
What followed was pure drama, something that I have never witnessed and something I am unlikely to witness in a football match for the rest of my life. I always thought when Arsenal beat Liverpool back in the late eighties by the 2-0 they needed on the final day of the season that would never ever be matched for pure drama, how wrong could I be and to make things so much better this time around it involved our team QPR.
Everyone will have an opinion on the Joey Barton incident and without question it could have cost our Premiership status and the fact it we live to tell the tale still in this league should not deflect from the stupid moment of madness. As in the games against Wolves and of Roger Johnson earlier in the season it seems that if you wind up Barton he cannot do anything but retaliate. In both cases if he simply goes down from the original contact the opposing players could have been booked. In this game we had done a great job of frustrating Tevez only to give back the initiative to Manchester City after a sly elbow which was well spotted by the linesman.
The reaction we saw after has no place on a football pitch, but then again we have witnessed similar incidents in recent years in the Premiership from Eric Cantona and Paulo De Canio . With Joey Barton we know he is a complex character but he only knows what goes on inside that head of his. We can only judge by what we see on the football pitch and that cannot be a true reflection of his character. The players for me always seem to genuinely defend him and accept that this is part and parcel of his make-up. Whether the hierarchy decide to stick and with him is entirely up to them though I suspect in the cold light of day they will.
I would seriously question whether he should be captain and that I feel will be a easier decision for the management to make. With doubts over the long term futures of Clint Hill and Shaun Derry one name that I would put up as captain would be Anton Ferdinand. I have said several times that he is a safe option and one that would represent our club with true professionalism.
Back to the game, down to 10 men it would be a mountain to climb against a Manchester City team who were surging forward even before we were a man down, then again We Are QPR and anything can happen and normally it does.
The ball is safely grasped by Paddy Kenny then thrown to Armond Traore who shows great pace in running about 40 yards on the left hand side and crosses the ball perfectly to find the head of Jamie Mackie which with one bounce finds the back of the next and the Rangers faithful are simply in dreamland of not only upsetting the party but creating our own bit of history.
I made the point last week that Jamie Mackie always seems to be the forefront of turning points of our season and this for a moment felt like yet another one. The 10 men of QPR had against all the odds taken a giant step towards premiership survival. I don’t like making comparisons with our bitter rivals but during this period the similarities of a game that I watched involving Barcelona a few weeks ago went through my mind. Could we possibly do the unthinkable? Could we even get another chance to make it 3-1?
The topsy turvy afternoon had not finished and with the news that Stoke City had equalised against Bolton and for the second week running we had gone from feeling downhearted to a feeling of pure ecstasy in a matter of minutes.
During the last 15 minutes, I witnessed City fans leaving and more importantly our rearguard standing firm and I felt the City players were getting nervous. Gone were the swift/crisp passing to make way for crosses in the box which was like bread and butter for Ferdinand and Hill who were simply heading the ball back out or for a corner. I had the sense that we would not be broken down.
It was Manchester City who had three players almost on the half way line and it was fast becoming 7 City outfield players against our 10. The fact we had a full quota behind the ball would make us even harder to breakdown.
At the point where the 4th official puts up the five minute of added time, I must say I was fairly calm. With Stoke drawing and us winning it just seemed a matter of running down the clock. I had reflected around this time that with our safety assured it was a shame that we handed the title to Manchester United though for me it was all about priorities. The priority that we would be looking forward to a fixture list containing the best teams in the world and the current board who had invested time and money into this venture would be rewarded.
The chain of events that followed cannot really be explained, just to say they will be replayed year after year. Once our safety had been assured with the Stoke V Bolton result, it was just a matter of seeing if Manchester City could turn things around in the nick of time. They duly obliged with two goals and The Premiership was destined for the blue side of Manchester.
The talk today in the media is inevitably about the Champions of England and little mention has been made of the great team spirit of QPR that almost prevented that from happening.
I wish all the best for Manchester City and in the end the best team won the title. For us, the journey is only just beginning. The words of Mark Hughes that “we will never be in this position again, while I am manager of QPR” rings true to me and probably the majority of QPR supporters. The board have already shown a determination to bring in quality players and I suspect this summer will be a very interesting place for all connected to QPR.
Before this season started I felt the Championship was the kind of football I wanted to watch with all teams playing on an equal playing field and no big money clubs who would have a distinct advantage over others. Personally that feeling has now changed. When our team takes on the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea and beats them, have to say no better in the feeling in the world. This season has shown that indeed this is the greatest league in the world and without doubt a better place with QPR playing side by side with the so called big guns of world football.
Roll on 2012-13
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