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Match Review: QPR 2-1 Fulham

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! That is all.

Such is the relief that there isn't a zero next to our name in the Premier League table any more that I can't conjure up a witty title or subheading for this blog post. The mighty Superhoops have won a league game for the first time since May 6th. But this wasn't just any old victory: they beat West London rivals Fulham, who they hadn't even scored against since last beating them in the league in 1983. And best of all, they thoroughly deserved it!

Harry Redknapp appears to have finally realised that Bosingwa and Granero are not good enough and don't have enough stomach for the relegation battle ahead and has brought back forgotten men Nedum Onuoha and Alejandro Faurlin from the cold. He also decided to be positive enough to play Mackie and Djibril Cisse up top with Taarabt in his favourite attacking central midfield playmaker role in front of Derry and Faurlin, the classic Championship-winning combination. 

The proactiveness and positive mindset of Redknapp clearly had a galvanising effect on the side, and QPR started the game with a real purpose, freshness and tempo about their play. There was an energy in the passing and closing down that we haven't seen all season and this immediately got the home fans engaged and supportive. Fulham, on the other hand, didn't appear to be expecting any sort of tempo from the home side at all and appeared to have turned up expecting to play a side emotionally drained and bereft of confidence. Jamie Mackie nearly made them pay for their sluggishness when John Arne Riise's casual backpass to Schwarzer was intercepted by some quick thinking by the Scotland striker, but he put the ball agonisingly wide when it seemed easier to score. What was hugely frustrating about this chance was that if the mistake was made by us, you could put your mortgage on every other team in the Premier League clinically punishing us for it. 

QPR were the better side throughout the first half but suffered the same old familiar problem of not finding enough ways to test Schwarzer, who was even brought out early during half time to warm up (I think Jol was taking the piss!). At least in this match we weren't treated to the sideways football of Hughes! Adel Taarabt was looking determined and in the groove, Faurlin was spraying passes around like he always has done when in QPR colours, the play was not so skewed to the right hand side as it has been in recent weeks and Traore was bombing forward which was encouraging to see - the over-reliance on Bosingwa and SWP down the right this year has been completely unnecessary and reaped no rewards. Mbia was finding plenty of room to operate in the middle, Nedum Onuoha looked solid and able to support in attacks where required and, for a change, even the 'mature' central defensive partnership of Hill and Nelsen were not having any problems. Fulham's best chance came from Armand Traore inexplicably letting a pass from Taarabt through his legs to roll all the way back to Green when there were Fulham players in the vicinity. Luckily the goalkeeper was alert but it is this kind of lapse that has changed some of the games we have been involved in this season in the blink of an eye. Apart from this, Green only had one awkward cross to deal with, which he caught rather than flapped at as Cesar would have done in the same situation. Dimitar Berbatov did show glimpses of the class player he is but wasn't given much room to manouevre. A neat flick had the tourists in the away end "whoo"-ing with ecstasy but it didn't lead to anything, and overall his impact on the game was minimal. 

The second half began much as the first had ended, with QPR once again in the ascendancy. Adel Taarabt was being given plenty of room to stretch his legs in his attacking central midfield role even with Steve Sidwell chipping away at his ankles (and those of other QPR players). On one of these occasions, he made a straight run forward at the Fulham defence who parted like the red sea. Taarabt found himself with just Brede Hangeland and Mark Schwarzer in front of him and, in true Taarabt style, shot from way out with what appeared at first to be a fairly poor effort, but had sufficient pace behind it to ricochet off the backtracking Hangeland and completely fool Schwarzer. This was exactly the sort of luck we need and resembled the lucky break we got at Wigan the previous weekend, only this time, we were the side in control and had not looked anywhere near as frail as we did at the back that day. The moment was soured a little by referee Martin Atkinson, who has a long history of poor refereeing decisions when it comes to QPR and football in general (Clint Hill v Bolton away anyone). This time he was determined to make the headlines by booking Taarabt for over celebrating. What really grated me about this was that Taarabt didn't even remove his shirt and if you're a struggling team at the bottom there is bound to be an outpouring of emotion in moments like this. There was absolutely no need for it; yet more rubbish from one of the league's worst officials.

Moments after going into the lead it really really really should have been 2-0. Chris Baird was put under pressure by Ryan Nelsen (caught in the opposition penalty area for the 2nd match in a row!) and the ball fell to the feet of Djibril Cisse, who, instead of providing the simple finish, decided he would try to beat Schwarzer with a curling effort off the ground but it went inches wide. Cisse has got it in him to be an excellent and lethal finisher but for some reason this campaign he has tried to score with the spectacular more often than the simple finishes. Luckily for him though it soon did become 2-0. Taarabt marauded his way through that central midfield area once again and this time, with no defender in front of him and time to think about how he would finish the chance, he produced an astonishing curling effort with the outside of his boot which took the daisies on the ground with it beyond Mark Schwarzer and precisely into the bottom corner. A beautiful finish! 

The 2-0 lead relaxed QPR a bit and whilst the home fans rejoiced, the players took their foot of the gas and stuck to possession football. As he always is against QPR, Steve Sidwell was an annoyance throughout the match. I'm not often ginger-ist and I have many orange headed friends, but he plays football exactly how I'd imagine an annoying strawberry blonde to play - kicking seven shades out of people and getting away with it! In the 76th minute, Martin Atkinson, with extreme pressure from the crowd, finally booked him for what I'd guess was his seventh foul of the match. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not too keen on him...

The last ten minutes was just a little bit too relaxed and QPR became happy to let Fulham have the ball. With three minutes to go, it was the heart-in-mouth time that we have grown so accustomed to over the years as Rangers fans. Mladen Petric, fresh off the tourists' bench, got a run at the QPR defence and a sight at goal and... well, wouldn't you just know it. The shot took a wicked deflection to carry it past Rob Green who was at full stretch. It was a real shame that this had to become such a nervous end to a game we had controlled and Green had been so quiet, but it wouldn't be QPR if it wasn't this way.  The goal seemed to breathe life into both sides, with Fulham suddenly sensing an unlikely shot at an equaliser, but the R's were disturbed from their slumber. In fact, the game's final chance fell to the Hoops, where Armand Traore produced the kind of wonder cross we all know he has in his locker but hardly ever see, Djibril Cisse got excellent contact but it was well anticipated and very well stopped by the Aussie custodian. Fulham regained possession after QPR gave away free kicks in stoppage time but were unable to cause any further damage to the scoreline and the R's held on for a much needed victory that maybe, just maybe, makes things a little bit more interesting down the bottom.

In summary then, this was the best R's performance since at least Tottenham away. A clean sheet would have been nice but this will do. QPR were by and large dominant, determined, fluid and excellent and not the side Fulham were expecting to play.

So, for now at least: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M

Man of the match: When he's interested, engaged, in the groove and that first trick of the game comes off for him, he can be unplayable. Adel Taarabt was terrific in this match and Fulham just could not live with him. 

Weekend Preview: 'Arry's at 'ome at Loftus Road

Since we last wrote one of these, there's been a lot of water go under the bridge in various towns and cities in the UK but plenty in the footballing world too, arguably the most to have flowed through Loftus Road.

'Arry is back in football, the rumours were true. You can't help but think Gary Lineker might have known something was going on when he asked Redknapp on Match of the Day a couple of weeks ago whether he fancied the QPR job. Sparky finally lost his job just prior to the away fixture at Old Trafford (he should really have gone immediately after the dismal display against Southampton, but we can only assume the delay was in agreeing a provisional deal for the 65-year old former West Ham, Portsmouth, Southampton and Spurs manager). Yet again Hughes' words came back to haunt him it seems - he claimed his future would not rest on the result against Southampton, just like he claimed QPR would never be in a position so close to the Premier League trap door again during his tenure at the club. He was so so wrong on both counts.

My personal take on the appointment of Harry is that he is the only man that was available that was right for the job. Much has been made of his ability to galvanise struggling teams and galvanising is precisely what Rangers need right now. Hughes might not have 'lost the dressing room' but he hardly strikes me as a motivator and a motivating, no-nonsense approach is what some of those lazy over paid lard-arses need right now. He showed straight away against Sunderland that he is quite happy to drop some of the Hughes favourites like Ferdinand and Granero and play players in different positions (e.g. Mbia in central midfield). Whilst some will say that Hughes wasn't given enough time to find his best eleven, my counter-argument is that he didn't experiment enough: he had his favourites and seemed so intent on playing only one up front and his many midfielders in positions they were not familiar with. A clean sheet is a good start, but there is undoubtedly a lot of work to do. Several of my colleagues and friends have told me that they *think* Harry is a good appointment but will reserve judgment for now because QPR's defence and attack are so woeful currently. Others have said that Harry will want to spend big in January, Fernandes will back him but we are on the road to bankruptcy. I'm not sure about that: I think people take Fernandes for a mug - he's not got to where he is as a businessman now only to go and blow it all on a football team. And then there are those that  are telling me 'for every Portsmouth and Spurs relegation escape there's the job he did at Southampton'. We'll have to see, but I'm cautiously optimistic. I have to admit that with the next three fixtures against Aston Villa (H), Wigan (A) and Fulham (H) and then Newcastle away (who haven't been at their best of late), December is crucial. Harry will have to get the most out of the team he has inherited, which have thus far massively under-performed. So you'll have to come back and ask me whether it's a good appointment on New Year's Eve.

West Brom v Stoke

Some people say that bogey teams don't exist in football any more. Just ask West Brom fans about bogey sides and they will all tell you that theirs is their Staffordshire rival the Potters. Stoke have won all of their Premier League away encounters at The Hawthorns and have not lost there in nine years. West Brom won at the Britannia last season to record their first win against Stoke in any competition for 11 games. And the omens aren't looking good for the Baggies for this one - they were outplayed by a classy Swansea side the other day whilst Stoke finished their match against Newcastle strongly and scored two excellent goals (well by their standards anyway!). Having said that, West Brom have looked a different proposition at home this year to what they were last year and I think they have enough in their side to bounce back with three points here.

Prediction: West Brom 2-1 Stoke

West Ham v Chelsea

The rozzers will be on high alert in East London this weekend for the traditionally hoolie-heavy fixture of West Ham v Chelsea. Rafa goes into this one looking for a first win as Chelsea boss and can expect an uncomfortable 90 minutes of taunts from the home fans as well as boos from his own but although I can see them going 1 down, I think he will answer some critics (in the media at least) by bringing Torres off the bench and him grabbing a goal. Chelsea have an excellent record against the Hammers and expect this to continue with a point here and a strong finish.

Prediction: West Ham 1-1 Chelsea

Man City v Everton

Another intriguing game in the top flight this weekend is at the Emptihad, where Man City welcome Everton, who have lacked their early season consistency of late. I still fancy them to give Citeh a good game here and can see them registering in the scoring, but ultimately I'm predicting a late winner for the Mancunians. Aguerrrrrrrrrrrrrrro!(?)

Prediction: Man City 2-1 Everton

MK Dons v Wimbledon

This weekend is FA Cup 2nd round weekend, which has thrown up the very interesting tie of MK Dons v Wimbledon. I just fear it has been a bit of a media circus for the away side, who I can't help but think will be overawed by the occasion and suffer a heavy defeat to the experienced seasoned pros of Franchise FC. Judging by their morals, I don't expect many of their die hard fans will be there to see it though, probably just as well!

Prediction: MK Dons 4-0 Wimbledon

Other cup ties this weekend include such all non-league classics as Luton (yes, non-league Luton!) v Dorchester, Harrogate Town v Hastings United and Barrow v Macclesfield whilst poor Bournemouth fans are lumbered with a second trek to Carlisle in one season (once is bad enough for them). Sheffield United v Port Vale should be a decent game with both sides doing well in their respective leagues.

There's a full programme in the Championship this weekend which commenced with Birmingham's 3-2 win over Middlesbrough at St Andrews last night on St Andrews Day. The two stand out games have to be the lunch time kick off between Huddersfield v Leeds and SE25 clash between Crystal Palace and Brighton.

The fire at the John Smith's Stadium has already been stoked by comments from the Leeds hierarchy criticising Simon Grayson's reign at the club, not that any local derby involving Leeds and Neil Warnock needs a fire stoking beforehand. This one's got to be a decent bet for a red card this weekend!

Meanwhile, those lucky enough to be at Selhurst Park this afternoon should see a very different footballing spectacle between two in-form sides. It's an odd rivalry that the two sides share (as Ian Holloway has also highlighted this week) but I liken it a little to that between QPR and Luton; just about close enough geographically and some classic and controversial battles down the years have left scarred relationships between the two sets of fans.

There is a further derby day this weekend and it involves Derby too, who head to the King Power Stadium for the forgotten East Midlands derby against Leicester. The Foxes showed they have ability among their ranks with their win over out of sorts Sheffield Wednesday which J and I both attended last weekend, but they were beaten by a second minute Luciano Becchio penalty at Elland Road midweek. They are very strong at home though (won seven, drawn one, lost one) and should return to winning ways this weekend  against a consistently inconsistent Derby side that have won two, lost two and drawn one of their last five games.

Preview of our teams

Manchester United are in Royal Berkshire this weekend as they take on Reading who looked to have turned the corner with their win over Everton but threw away the initiative at Wigan and let in a late goal at Villa Park on Tuesday night. I can't see United having any problem in replicating the Tottenham performance at the Madejski and believe that Reading will be vulnerable to the pace down the wings and technical ability of United's forwards. Sean Morrison and Kaspars Gorkss have done OK against the larger, less skillful attackers in the league this year but been found out by anyone with a bit of technique and pace.

As briefly mentioned above, QPR, the only winless and most hopeless side in the top four divisions, seek to finally record a first league win of the campaign at home to Aston Villa this weekend, who haven't had the best of seasons so far but have produced more encouraging signs of late and ground out a couple of results as they continue treading water. I think as long as QPR deal with Agbonlahor through use of anyone other than Bosingwa, and put players who know about marking from set pieces on and around Christian Benteke, then we really ought to be looking to this fixture to kick our season into gear. Easier said than done with the Hoops though...

Crewe are in 2nd round FA Cup action this weekend as they play host to Burton Albion of League Two. The Alex will be hoping to continue their good form of late which has had much to do with the form of loanee Lauri Dalla Valle. A money spinning tie could then arise from the third round draw on Sunday.

1.FC Union Berlin recorded a fine 2-1 win away at MSV Duisburg and will be hoping that a good run of form on the road eventually translates into some more consistent home form starting with the match at home to Bochum tomorrow. This is followed with next Friday's headline clash at home to unbeaten Kaiserslautern, so three points to carry into that would do most nicely!

So plenty of football to feast on this weekend. Enjoy! C&J