QPR - Back from watching on TV

[under the tin]

I really can't believe all those knocking church and HRK, maybe its from those that expected more from the season.

These guys are young players. All players have good and bad spells, but young players are usually more inconsistent.

Which is why it would be a good idea to farm them out on loan, build up their confidence, maturity and consistency.
At the moment, neither look Champioship quality.

The club is still going through a transition.

Edited for you

We really need to write off this season, and even next season, keep the bulk of our squad together and build on what we have.

That will be by some younger players getting better and by bringing in some quality, especially if we sell quality.

Therein lies the problem. Our most gifted players are coming towards the end of their careers here.
It's all about opinions, I suppose, but take Kebe, Jobi, and Long out, and replace them with HRK, Antonio, and Church, methinks that weakens the side.
Ok, we might get proper money for the outgoings, but temper that thought with the stark reality that the business is still losing money, the chairman will no longer plug the fiscal gaps, so the only way to avoid financial problems is by player sales. Go figure.

[Northern Git]

I don't think it is knocking HRK or Church, it’s just, based on their performances it is difficult to see what they add to the team.

Church is largely ineffectual, poor positional awareness in respect of himself, his team mates and opposition defenders, poor first touch, indifferent passing, lacks pace. I am willing to bet that defenders playing against him never leave the pitch feeling they have had a tough game against him. He may come good but I feel that he has probably already reached the limit of his abilities – and that is below what is needed to be a successful Championship striker.

HRK, lots of huff puff and bluster but no end product. Would like to know what MD sees in him to constantly use him. I cannot recall the last time I thought he made any positive impact on a game. Really unsure about him, maybe loan him out for a while?

The other, positive, side of the card is Long, who continues to improve (thought he looked as though he was carrying an injury last night?) and Manset. Of course Manset my turn out to be rubbish however he already shows he has some qualities that Church and HRK just don’t have.

[Rex]

Shane being our target man is constantly being lumped off the pitch. Hull and Cardiff being prime examples of 'accidental contact' which ensures they either quieten him down, or he gets subbed.

[Basingstoke Royal]

I can't say I agree with some on here who think we deserved to get nothing or were well beaten.

For all the possession they had one shot on target and 2 corners. We had the better chances and should have had a couple of goals.

Feds should have got a stronger hand on it for the goal because it was quite close to him.
Long should have rolled it into an empty net in the first half. Having watched it again, it looks like Kenny fouled him as he hit it too. Kenny produced two good saves from church and mills and manset should really have scored straight after the goal.

I know there is a lot of shoulds in there but we had the better chances and shdidnt deserve to lose. A draw would have been about right.

[papereyes]

Feds should have got a stronger hand on it for the goal because it was quite close to him.

Mills genuinely thought Fed should have covered it.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Tactically McDermott got it wrong he gave to much respect to QPR we should have had a go we had nothing to lose.

There was no width as Kebe and McAnuff did not no whether to play in side or go wide and in the end ended up doing neither.

We had a chance this week to push for a play off place and only getting one point out of possible six is not good enough so we will miss out.

[FiNeRaIn]

proper celebration when QPR scored, lots of people falling over seats going mental giving reading fans the v-sign,etc proper celebration. They enjoyed it.

[Terminal Boardom]

On reflection, QPR were very well organised at the back and had plenty of fluidity in midfield. Our full backs lack the ability to get up and down the pitch which results in the wingers being isolated. We should not expect anything creative from midfield as it is blindingly obvious that our strengths are out wide. Karacan and Tabb? Tenacious but not the best. Liegertwood was sorely missed as he allows Karacan a bit more freedom. I also think that Feds could have come out further. He got to the 6 yard line and stopped. An extra pace or two would have narrowed the angle further.

Colin's comments on the radio this morning were spot on. Very complimentary. I like the daft old bugger.

[Hoop Blah]

I can't say I agree with some on here who think we deserved to get nothing or were well beaten.

For all the possession they had one shot on target and 2 corners. We had the better chances and should have had a couple of goals.

Maybe not shots on target but they as many good opportunities to score, and but for that 5 minutes before half time, we'd have been some way behind on good chances. Chances are a better reflection of the way a teams played than shots on target (IMO) and they had Hulses header, a couple of free headers from corners plus 2 or 3 decent efforts from distance in the first half alone.

[Snowball]

^ Church didn't look out of his depth last season. He needs to become more physical though as he gets knocked off the ball too easily. He needs to improve his aerial ability as well.The hit and hope football we played last night doesn't do him any favours though.

I really don't think Church is brave enough.

I can't remember him ever being clattered, or going in where it will hurt.

How often does he need treatment on the pitch? Maybe others will tell me
different but I can't remember.

I watched him yesterday (first touch not very good) and I looked
specifically for whether he avoids contact. He does, IMO. He doesn't
wear down defenders or frighten them like Long does, like Hunt does
and like Manset will.

I KNOW he has ability. You don't get 12 goals in 27 (15) unless you have it,
but he just doesn't convince this season. The only flowing move I can remember
him being a part of was in the setup for Hunt's goal versus Cardiff (home) and
I see him losing ball, missing chances, poor passes, his confidence in tatters.

If we keep playing him, hoping to play him back into form, it might, of course work (eventually)
but by then we will have kissed goodbye to our chance of making the POs. But if he keeps having
poor games we might make him even worse. *

If I were McDermott I'd try to get him out on loan, not to get rid, but simply
to remind him where the goal is. IMO that might as well be League Two as one.
What he needs is goals, confidence.

We have Long-Manset-Hunt-Williams. We could manage for a month or more.


* NOT the same as standing by Shane. Shane was playing out of his skin, full
of confidence and doing sterling work. He was just not scoring

[Mr Angry]

We lost to a better team than us who will be playing in the Premier League next season.

QPR are a typical Colin team, as witnessed by the first late and dangerous challenge on Karacan within 2 minutes of the game; anybody to suggest their red card was undeserved is having a laugh - the guy KNEW he wasn't going to get the ball, but went through on Kebe anyway, ankle high on the standing leg, could quite easily have broken his leg.

Also, how did Tabaat not get a card? Apart from the 2 hoofings of the ball well after the whistle has gone, there was his forehead challenge on Karacan AND his blatant dive in the 2nd half....

As for us, we were comprehensively outplayed and even when we did threaten, Long missed an open goal; yes, I'm sure someone will vomit statistics that show Long is the greatest player ever to play the game, but the fact is, he missed an open goal, 2 minutes before halftime, with the opposition down to 10 men; talk about significant misses!!!

And as for the pitch, simply terrible. All those rugger apologists note; in football, you cannot pass the ball or play the ball with any confidence when the pitch is as rutted and bumpy as the Mad Stad pitch is, and this is down to London Irish 100%. IF we want to see quality entertaining football, get rid of the rugby.

[No Hoops]

That game was the ugly side of the beautiful game.

Typical Colin side. Dirty but with some skill as well.

Very dispondant this moring, as we couldn't step up a gear when we needed.

Still should've been 2-0 up at half time though.

I'm going to have 4 Butchers Choice Licolnshire's and 2 eggs to make myself feel better!

[Hoop Blah]

^ Church didn't look out of his depth last season. He needs to become more physical though as he gets knocked off the ball too easily. He needs to improve his aerial ability as well.The hit and hope football we played last night doesn't do him any favours though.

He scored a couple of goals, and he makes some good runs at times, but in my book he's always looked a bit out of his depth because he's just far too easy to mark.

His goals seem to be either rather flukey or stonking strikes from outside the box. That tells me he needs to get a bit lucky to score because defenders generally have the measure of him for the rest of he game.

[super darren caskey]

Half time came a bit too soon for us last nite as we had them on the ropes at that point.We seemed a completely diffrent team in the 2nd half and i dont know why brian persists with HRK,i know he only had about 20 mins but..he just isnt up to the standard we require at the moment,would much prefer antonio in his place.Im not too down this morning,QPR are a great side and will definatley be in the prem next season.Still plenty of points to play for,for us to stake a claim in the playoffs and i still think that we can grab a spot.I think a win at norwich and things will look better.Weather we will get that i dont know.Depends on which reading turn up.I like the look of manset and i think he could become a good player for us but i wish the clear cut chance he had at the end would have fell to somebody else because really it was a gift and we could have got the draw.

[Handsome Man]

Bad day at the office, but we are better than that. QPR got the points they deserved, and the red card as well.

QPR should play well against us - they are champions elect - but we should have played better really. The five minutes either side of the sending off were the only good bits really. Other than that there was too much hoofball. Perhaps we were over-excited because of the wind, but we should have got the ball down more and played it wide - there were three men on Kebe at times - that only left six for the rest of the team.

I liked Church - he offers a bit more than Hunt with his ability to turn - but think we're probably ready to play 4-5-1 again now MacAnuff has had more practise centrally and looks up to the Sigurdson role.

Karacan was MOM for me.

[Toon Toon Blue army]

proper celebration when QPR scored, lots of people falling over seats going mental giving reading fans the v-sign,etc proper celebration. They enjoyed it.

Prehaps you should have been there at Cardiff when Manset scored. "That was like a mosh pit" one friend said to me.

[winchester_royal]

Bad day at the office, but we are better than that. QPR got the points they deserved, and the red card as well.

QPR should play well against us - they are champions elect - but we should have played better really. The five minutes either side of the sending off were the only good bits really. Other than that there was too much hoofball. Perhaps we were over-excited because of the wind, but we should have got the ball down more and played it wide - there were three men on Kebe at times - that only left six for the rest of the team.

I liked Church - he offers a bit more than Hunt with his ability to turn - but think we're probably ready to play 4-5-1 again now MacAnuff has had more practise centrally and looks up to the Sigurdson role.

Karacan was MOM for me.

4-5-1??

[Snowball]

I don't like 451 but would have played it v QPR

[PEARCEY]

On reflection, QPR were very well organised at the back and had plenty of fluidity in midfield. Our full backs lack the ability to get up and down the pitch which results in the wingers being isolated. We should not expect anything creative from midfield as it is blindingly obvious that our strengths are out wide. Karacan and Tabb? Tenacious but not the best. Liegertwood was sorely missed as he allows Karacan a bit more freedom. I also think that Feds could have come out further. He got to the 6 yard line and stopped. An extra pace or two would have narrowed the angle further.

Colin's comments on the radio this morning were spot on. Very complimentary. I like the daft old bugger.

I agree with all of that...especially about our full-backs and even the bit about Colin.

[Plymouth_Royal]

Honestly, I can't beleive some of you are blaming feds for that goal.