Unsurpassed Ignorance...at Euston

So this is what it's come to now. Small groups of 'fans' subscribing to violent confrontations against our playing squad? This is QPR. The family Club. The one not many people hate, and several have a soft spot for..we're supposed to be NICE!

Recent events after the defeat vs Bolton and the match officials combined are so disappointing. It seems that some extremely unintelligent individuals think that emulating 'the Treatment' against our actual team is going to be the way to encourage them to succeed against tough opposition during a very difficuly run in. Now, I could allow some minor element of understanding had we turned up, rolled over and been thumped 6-0...however, it clearly escaped the attention of these neanderthals that we actually scored first...undeniably and legitimately.

What on earth some podgy little oik who can't see such a blatant goal when stood staring right at it is doing running the line during a Premiership fixture (or a League 2 fixture for that matter) is beyond me.

Understandably, this felt like we'd just conceded a goal, and the players heads dropped accordingly..and Bolton scored. Out of all the defeats we've had this season, this is one where surely the players and manager deserve our deepest condolences, not the ire of some delapidated morons who clearly haven't got a scooby do about football. Perhaps this small time rabble could kindly 'do one' and move to Leeds. Not only will they be amongst their own kind, but they can also blindly follow Neil Warnock, regardless of the results he'd been getting. Or not getting.

I, for one, support Queens Park Rangers. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This means I'm behind Mark Hughes and our current playing staff. Warnock got us up...yes...many thanks, no-one will forget that..but he also left after securing just 2 points in 8 league matches, most notably against Norwich where he made no effort to alter the tactics after Lambert successfully played his trump card.

We've only had 5 in 9 Hughes, but you can't forget that after Warnock's last game in charge, we briefly dropped into the bottom 3. So technically we're back where we started - and had the game against Bolton had any ounce of refereeing competence or justice, that wouldn't be the case, and you wouldn't have tiny riots from brain dead idiots occuring.

It's almost addictive to pay attention to the blanket comments of people on facebook and other fan forums, where you read the same old stuff over and over... 'Barton's rubbish'...'SWP should be dropped'..'bring back Warnock' etc etc. Seriously, BIG YAWN.

I've already voiced my opinion about that, so here's a new slant on it. How about we get over the fact that a manager who unfortunately demonstrated his lack of functionality at this level has gone. A manager who, despite knowing Clint Hill from his Palace days, was blissfully unaware that he's a far better centre half than Danny Gabbidon. A manager who, from the accounts of about 8 or 9 different players, had no idea about tactics or organisation or training workload. A manager who, according to various reports, enjoyed working with 1st team coaches who turned up drunk and thought the whole thing was a bloody good laugh.

Lets forget about losing this absolute gem of a bloke that would undoubtably have kept us up purely because he did us a good turn shall we? Or...should I recall that it wasn't that long ago that people were calling for him to be sacked because of our dreadful run of form, and because he'd clearly lost the dressing room? The memory spans of some fans leave a great deal to be desired.

Now, the whole point that only a select few seem to grasp is that if we get relegated...IT'S NOT ACTUALLY THE END OF THE UNIVERSE PEOPLE!!!! We've got superb owners now, we've got a good manager who I believe wouldn't have been signed if he wasn't going to stay, who has brought in excellent structure to the players. You can see that developing now...it's just we don't have enough time for his ideas to reach proper fruition.

Some players will invariably leave rather than play in the Championship, however I also believe a significant number won't - and we'll have a far far better nucleus of players to 'do a West Ham' and come straight back up again. THEN the real success will begin. With Hughes' structure fully in place - new faces bedded in through pre-season and fresh impetus, and surely surely not another season riddled with such incredible bad luck as this one - Fernandes' ambitions can reach reality. This is what I'm looking forward to...not panicking about playing Liverpool.

I have complete confidence in the people behind our club now..and that's something we haven't been able to say for a very very long time. We may go down...but we'll be back. With a bang.

Barton, SWP and 'fans'

Where do I start with this one? Firstly, I'm shocked and appalled by the amount of abuse alleged 'fans' have decided to put on Shaun Wright-Phillips and, in particular, Joey Barton.

Joey Barton

 This fire has further been fuelled by the Wolves defeat. Now, I've watched every game this season in one way or another, and apart from occasions when Barton has made obvious mistakes - i.e. Man Utd - I've never seen enough to go hell for leather against him. Quite the contrary,  when I watch Joey play, I see a man who works his socks off each and every game, always being an out and out ball winner with a creative streak. He's everywhere on the pitch. Every game. He tracks back, closes down, marks, tackles, and distributes.

Quite what QPR 'fans' expect from this player I don't know...he sometimes fluffs his lines with the out ball, and so that earns him quite ludicrous amounts of hatred does it? I suspect supporters are watching the games and never actually see what goes on off the ball, and only notice things like Taarabt's skills, or Smith's goal. These are people that clearly have never kicked a ball in their lives. If they have, then they must make for very poor selfish players.

I myself am my own worst critic on the pitch. I do struggle with fitness these days, and I'm not the most talented with the ball at my feet. But, as my goalie tends to tell me on occasion, be pleased at what I AM doing well - which is usually running about like a blue-arsed fly, closing attackers down, and getting the ball to one of my team. According to QPR 'fans', that makes me the worst player on the pitch. Except, unlike me, Joey Barton IS good with the ball at his feel! 8 times out of 10, he'll keep composed, has a great first touch, and gets us out of trouble.

What further compounds my point about these 'playa haterz' (excuse the pun) not seeing what goes on off the ball is the fact that Sean Derry, who week in week out is - actually - the out and out worst player on the pitch, gets away scott free from the accusations of our insightful fan base, drifting through matches providing little or no support to Barton, failing to bother tracking back, hardly ever being available in space unless it's in that little up and down channel in the centre of the pitch, loosely between the penalty boxes he tends to jog along.

What this means, ladies and gents, is that our twittering tackler has to consistently do the work of 2 players in the centre of midfield. Which is why he's completely cream crackered at the end of every game, whereas Derry trots off for a slice of cake and a self administered pat on the back I'm sure.

My advice would be to actually look at what Joey Barton does OFF the ball for Queens Park Rangers, and how hard he works to get into all areas of the pitch to challenge for possession. Oh, he's also contributed 2 goals this season...more than any other midfield player. Finally, his partnership with Ale Faurlin was rather brilliant. Now, he's partnered next to the vehicular equivalent of a Model T Ford, so how about cutting the guy some slack, and - oh I don't know - doing some SUPPORTING? Isn't that what being a 'supporter' implies??

Shaun Wright Philips

So now we move onto poor SWP. Now, I have to admit with regards to him, that some of the fans criticisms are justified. There have been negatives surrounding his play in certain games, such as a very strange lack of a first touch and an inability to stay on his feet when approached by another player, and so I can understand where some viewers are coming from. 

However - once again, you have to analyse this and ask why this is happening? You can't deny SWP is a very good player. He's proven his pedigree with Man City, Chelsea and England, and was widely expected to set Loftus Road alight.

It's all about positioning. Now, whatever position SWP is played in, there are positives regardless. He clearly works hard, runs about all over the place and 9 times out of 10 is back there covering the full back - particularly when Clint Hill was involved, and I would suspect we'll see a shift to covering Luke Young after his remarkable loss of form of late. 

The negatives are that he's only a right winger - and he can't play with any great effect anywhere else. Warnock was putting him on the left more often than not in order to allow Jamie Mackie to operate on the right which, in my opinion, was tactically incorrect. For whatever reason, SWP is less than half the player he can be when placed out of position. He's heavily right footed (however he did try to shoot with his left against Wolves!) and that's evident every time he dribbles, traps and crosses. 

We haven't seen the best from him yet because he's only now being allowed to play on his natural side, and with Taarabt back and playing like a demon, it's only a short matter of time before the pair of them start linking up well again, and we see what SWP really brings to the table.

Test Blog!

"Hello World", I believe is the correct geek terminology for such things... 

Anyway, this Blog will be largly centred around the mighty Queens Park Rangers, or Super Hoops... (see what I've done with the clever title?). There are many Oops associated with the Hoops. However, with any luck, I'll be talking about largly positive things.

However - this is a test, so wafflage will have to wait! 

Au revoir, mes ami!