Despite being open with just the one up and 2 no.10s in willock and chair, i believe its our best way of playing. Everytime we go two up top, we seem to play out of shape and not retain the ball aswell.
Blimey from what I saw , the 2nd half there wasn't too much attacking from us, nearly all from them.They look a really strong side so a point not a bad result apart from twice being infront. We really miss someone driving forward from midfield, I feel that's what we're missing. Willock good as usual but not involved enough for our liking. Chair decent and will get stronger with game time. Dykes looked very inefficient from what I saw, and probably Adomahs worst 45 mins. Wallace looks tired to me and got nutmeged for the 2nd equaliser. Dunne looked good but Barbets set pieces were poor in 2nd half. Marshall made some excellent saves early on and Hendrick looked OK when he came on. Bit worried about the form and look of some of the teams below us especially Boro, Forest and Sheffield. Just got to keep going and trying to win every game. Barnsley away Saturday who haven't won for 15 games ! You just know ffs like we always help the bottom team. We have to win it no ifs or maybes. Its a must win
Boro were very good and played like posseseed… Waiting they to be tired, but they werent until the end. We on the otherhand were in deep trouble much more earlier… at the end we were too tired to take the advantage…
Strangely enough I think Blackburn might be the side that falls out of the top 6 come the end. Some really good inform teams hovering around below us. I pray it isn't us that drops out !
This is the time of the season where a team always comes out of nowhere, there seem to be 3 or 4 doing that. We just need to concentrate on our performances and results.
I thought Dykes had a decent game. Won a lot of headers and invariably found a teammate. Field probably our MOM, though.
I didn't see 1st half pal but he certainly didn't get much service 2nd half, we were battered. I really wish we'd have got that 1 extra attacking midfielder that can make the difference. I know I seem to be having a go at Johansen all the time, and don't get me wrong I think he was great for us last season, but he doesn't seem to be having the same impact this time round. Too many sloppy passes and not enough driving at their midfield and back line. I'm probably wrong as usual.
Sheffield United are that team, still got games in hand and we haven't played them yet. They're on a mega roll, Boro and Forest on really strong runs too. We've been in excellent form points wise ourselves and in another year would be in top 2. This season has Fulham who are probably lightly years ahead of everyone else and other very strong sides with alot of money. We are doing an amazing job just to be in the shakeup. Many including myself have got carried away with what we're doing this season, far above anything we dreamed of. Realistically we are probably not in the 6 strongest sides this year, but attitude and desire has carried us a long way so far. Obviously we have Willock who is different gravy and Chair on his day. The rest of the squad is good but not outstanding, possibly exempting a few. Just gotta stay on the ride and stay behind the boys and see where it takes us. They are doing us proud !
Thought Boro looked a good team with good movement and passing. They’ll definitely be top 6. I thought a draw was a fair result - our keeper was excellent again and we’d have lost without his performance.
It was not as bad a result as everyone suggests. We needed not to lose..and we didn't. Boro are about the best side I've seen this season, and yes they should have won but didn't. Yes their second goal was coming, but we had defended very well against their attack against them but their winger got past Wallace finally and belted it in to space...luck it hit Albert so perfectly Johanssen was it on his feet when subbed, I hope it was not any more than that. Chair was always only get 60 minutes.. And Wallace was getting tired against a very sharp winger. Borough will be in top 6... We are still fighting...don't panic
Nice one Beth, it was lovely to see you and the crew tonight. It's been a while. That was a really tough game and to be honest, I'm happy that we came away with a point. It was uncomfortable viewing after they made it 2-2. I've been giving this some thought, and it's just off of the top of my head. From the 2011/12 season, we were buying players who weren't wanted by their clubs. Joey Barton at Newcastle, Shaun Wight Phillips at City. Cisse at Lazio, Cesar at Milan, Bosingwa at Chelsea etc etc etc. They weren't here to play for the R's. They were here for the easy 80 grand a week. Fast forward 10/11 years, and we have a group of players who weren't wanted by their clubs ... David Marshall, relegated to fourth choice keeper at Derby. Seny Dieng, out on loan at Doncaster two seasons ago. Lee Wallace, unwanted at Rangers. Albert Adomah, contract ran out at Forest. Sam Field, not starting at WBA. Johansen not getting a game at Fulham. Austin not even getting on the bench at WBA. Andre Gray, same as Austin but at Watford. Jimmy Dunne, no game time at Burnley etc etc. We now have a dirty dozen band of brothers who give a ****. Sometimes it works out, but sometimes it doesn't but we find a way of getting a result. I didn't enjoy tonight, ( Only when we were ahead ) but at least they care, and when the chips are down they're fighting for us. It's like we have the dirty dozen fighting QPR's corner. Sometimes good, sometimes maybe ****, but they leave nothing on the pitch and give their all. That will do for me considering what most other clubs have spent in this league.
So it transpires that Johansen had a stomach bug before the game, strange choice to play him ahead of Amos in that case. Explains why he wasn't near his best and was subbed off
Good morning. After watching yesterdays match again im now more than happy about that one point. Boro was all over us 80 per cent of the second half and we couldnt do much more than hoof the ball around and up. Having said that, boro didnt had that many dangerous chances on the second half and their goal was nevertheless lucky own goal. Yes, they had the posession and were dominant almost the whole second half, but still need a bit of luck for their goal. So they did on the first half too when the ball bounced like in the pinball machine to their goal scorer…Everybody talks about our second goal but they were bit lucky too…
Agreed. We do seem to concede less with two up top and three in midfield though. I think the answer is to make Willock the 2nd striker with a free-ish role. I'm sure Warbs will continue to be open though and at least Field helps in that midfield two as he is excellent there imo.
I certainly think Boro, Forest and Sheff Utd are likely to close in on the play-off places, throw in Stoke and Huddersfield and that is some serious opposition to ourselves Blackburn and Bournemouth. We'll do well to finish top six but it makes a nice change from sweating on reaching 50 points. Whatever happens we have a team to be proud of...
As many others have said, they are a good side, so I see it as a point gained, that a lot of other teams won't get. I watched on QPR+ so it may just be a combination of my bias as a QPR fan, and the commentators bias as QPR fans, but it did seem like we didn't get much from the ref. Willock was tugged back and pushed all over the place and we got nothing. Dykes was, at times, wrestled to the ground and nothing was given, but as soon as he used some strength the whistle was blown. If I am to try and be neutral about it, perhaps Dykes needs to learn to be a bit more savvy/crafty in the way he uses his strength so he doesn't get accused of a foul every time he out muscles another player. It did annoy me though, that when Johansen (I think it was him) clipped one of their players with a high boot, their players surrounded the ref and their player went down like he'd had his leg cut in half. Some will say they were cheating, others will say they were just wiser in how they played...but it is so frustrating when you are on the other side. A point gained, and now onwards and (hopefully) upwards!
I always think we are most dangerous when Willock and Chair play either side of a striker. They have that freedom to float just about anywhere, causing confusion amongst the opposition. Field really does do the nitty gritty stuff for the team, a must have in this league. Willock and Chair will always get the praise but in my opinion, Field and especially Dunne, have been superb for us.
