I should have known...

Match Review: QPR 2-3 Fake Hoops

Surprise surprise, QPR are out of the Capital One Cup! And unfortunately, I was there to suffer it...

This was a repeat of just about every home cup tie performance against inferior opposition that QPR have had over the past few years, bar Carlisle and Walsall at home (the latter, coincidentally, one I deliberately missed for the very reason above). I've seen QPR lose to Rochdale, Port Vale, Sheffield United, Northampton, Leyton Orient, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town. I've even seen Accrington Stanley run them close. But I was lured to this game because they promised it would be different. This game they promised they would play the strongest available side (which they did). This game they promised me a ten pound ticket and extra loyalty points (which they did). And this game they promised me they'd turn in a 90 minute performance, which they most certainly didn't... In fact, I'd go as far as saying they put in about fifteen minutes of a performance.

The game started in a similar vein to the last two league games - QPR in the ascendancy and playing nice football, particularly in the middle of the park. Stephane Mbia was making his full Hoops debut and showed some assured touches, leading the couple behind me to repeatedly turn to each other to remark on how well he reads the game (obviously know his ability well after watching him for five minutes). And just like there has been in the last few games, there was yet another early injury - this time just 52 seconds in Junior Hoilett went down in pain. Thankfully, after some delay he was able to return to the pitch and went on to score the opener after 14 minutes. He beat two Reading defenders who tried to slide in on him in desperation before firing low into the far corner with an accurate finish. This was all very promising - we'd started well and even had a goal to show for our efforts, and looked as though we could now go on and win the game comfortably. But I'd forgotten to factor in the current worrying tendency of this R's team to switch off completely in the aftermath of a goal scored. A needless free kick was given away about thirty yards from goal, which Nicky Shorey (who always saves his best for us) swung in and was met by Kaspars Gorkss, who had the freedom of the QPR penalty area to manouvre himself and powerfully head home. 

Reading had barely threatened up to this point but this gave them something to work with in the game. They responded by upping their tempo. QPR still looked a technically better side, but what Reading didn't have in quality they made up for in determination and they just ran and ran to put pressure on QPR's midfield when they didn't have the ball. This knocked the R's out of their stride and the first half performance was increasingly disjointed. Worryingly, Mbia picked up a yellow card and looked as though he would get himself sent off. Whilst Jamie Mackie was offering very little in attack, and also offered absolutely nothing in defence, prompting Clint Hill to have a 'quiet word' during a break in the play. As the half wore on, Mbia's performance increasingly reminded me of the debut of Samba Diakite, who completely lost his head to get himself sent off for two bookings after just 30 minutes on that day at home to Fulham. What is it with defensive players from the French league being so eccentric? 

At half time it was anyone's game, but Reading will have been the happier with their first half performance, and you'd have expected Mark Hughes to tell his players to up their tempo and get a grip on the game. But they came out looking more disjointed than when they went in. Park lost his magic touch, Granero was shot shy and Hoilett was taking an age to set himself to shoot or even pass, a crime he was guilty of on Sunday at White Hart Lane. Jamie Mackie also continued to have a shocker.  

The referee, Roger East, was becoming more and more fussy, but this could partly be attributed to Reading increasingly employing their renowned Championship tactic of getting in his ear at every opportunity (something Mr East will no doubt have been used to, after being promoted, like Reading, to the top flight this season). The usual perpetrator in chief, Jem Karacan, had taken centre stage and began to referee the game himself, reminding QPR fans what a serial moaner, ridiculous feigner of injury and all round complete tart he is. He plays football how you'd imagine the characterless, always hard done by Brian McDermott would play.

For the whole game so far, Djibril Cisse had continued to look off the boil. He chose not to try and take on a defender with his undoubted pace but instead to shoot wildly from distance with shots that ended up closer to the corner flag, presumably of the belief that eventually one would go in. And on 72 minutes, after the QPR fans had vented their frustration with these continuous distant hit and hopes, one did indeed go in. A real rocket into the top right corner that gave McCarthy no chance (who had probably been lulled into a false sense of security by Cisse's earlier efforts). Typical!

Now it seemed the Superhoops would go on and win comfortably and Djibril had the goal he needed to get his hunger back again after having looked a bit sorry for himself ever since missing a penalty at Norwich away. But yet they didn't go on and win, because nothing's quite as straight forward as that at QPR. Again QPR were caught napping after scoring and gave away a free-kick in a dangerous position (although this one was earned by the well known extra from Platoon, Jay Tabb). Shorey again stepped up and scored with an excellent strike that went in off the bar. 

This time QPR looked shaken, panicky and subsequently neglected to defend altogether for Reading's third. The Royals broke down the left hand side and the R's sent two defenders over to deal with the same ball, leaving two biscuit boys at the far post with all the time in the world to beat Julio Cesar from about four yards from goal (Pogrebnyak did the honours). Absolutely shambolic defending, but then again, this is QPR in the cup, I should have seen it coming. Reading successfully saw out the last ten minutes through a combination of timewasting, cramping up and winning cheap free kicks off their officiating friend. There was even time for them to win what was a seemingly inevitable penalty off of him (right decision, though, this time!), which Cesar encouragingly managed to beat away very well indeed. However QPR failed to take advantage and disappointingly didn't force McCarthy into any further saves.

The concern is that this team is the strongest we have for the foreseeable future, and if we can't beat the poorest side the Premier League has to offer, then where are the points going to come from? Somehow, I'm still convinced we'll come good... Probably... Maybe...

Cesar had an eventful night, shipping three and saving a penalty, but could hardly be blamed for the outcome

Man of the match: For the first time this season, I'm going to give this to an opposition player because the QPR team was devoid of any performers warranting of the status. Kaspars Gorkss was colossal on his return to Loftus Road for Reading and had Cisse and Zamora in his pocket all game. I also always admire footballers that show respect to their former clubs when they score and the Latvian did just that after scoring the 1st. Letting him go and keeping Fitz Hall was Neil Warnock's biggest mistake, in my opinion. Having said that, we were far too kind to him on the night and he will be given much sterner tests this season.

C