Match Day Thread QPR v Barnsley
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Compared to Saturday against Cardiff that was a great match to watch. As per usual it didn't end as comfortably as it should have. 2-0 to us would've been a fair result and if Hall hadn't slipped it would've been. Not to take anything away from Hall as he was excellent all night as were the rest of our back four and as Furlong was when he came on.
The midfield also did well in fits and starts. Manning was his usual self getting in tackles, covering the ground of two men while Freeman added a nice touch or two here and then and has got an element of class about him that I hope will eventually emerge to full fruition. I still can't make my mind up about Luongo. He has plenty of endeavour, but misplaces passes quite often or makes the wrong decision when on the ball but he recovered his mistakes well on three or four occasions to get us on the front foot again. The jury's still out with me but overall he had a decent game.
The front three played well in fits and starts. Sylla held the ball up better than I've seen him do when he has started previously and was in the right place at the right time for both of our goals. Wszolek also had a good game and his drive and determination to create the cross for what turned out to be the winner had the LR faithful singing his name at the final whistle. Ngbakoto had a bit of a hit and miss night and seems to be more effective from the bench at present.
In summary I think we have a good hard working squad that know that they have to put a shift in. They have the guts and bottle to compete but without all the bells and whistles. That may well be due to our recent league position but I think that we are a rough diamond that needs a bit of a polish and if Ollie can do that who knows where it will take us.
The midfield also did well in fits and starts. Manning was his usual self getting in tackles, covering the ground of two men while Freeman added a nice touch or two here and then and has got an element of class about him that I hope will eventually emerge to full fruition. I still can't make my mind up about Luongo. He has plenty of endeavour, but misplaces passes quite often or makes the wrong decision when on the ball but he recovered his mistakes well on three or four occasions to get us on the front foot again. The jury's still out with me but overall he had a decent game.
The front three played well in fits and starts. Sylla held the ball up better than I've seen him do when he has started previously and was in the right place at the right time for both of our goals. Wszolek also had a good game and his drive and determination to create the cross for what turned out to be the winner had the LR faithful singing his name at the final whistle. Ngbakoto had a bit of a hit and miss night and seems to be more effective from the bench at present.
In summary I think we have a good hard working squad that know that they have to put a shift in. They have the guts and bottle to compete but without all the bells and whistles. That may well be due to our recent league position but I think that we are a rough diamond that needs a bit of a polish and if Ollie can do that who knows where it will take us.
Good to catch up with you mate although briefly.
Game was....I don't really know? Not good, not bad. I won't remember it but happy with 3 points. Barnsley are a decent, tidy side and if they could finish could have scored a couple in the first half. I can see why they are higher than us in the league.
Only moan I have is that as soon as Pawel went off we seemed to lose our shape and it was squeaky bum time at the end when it didn't need to be.
Stupid chant by R block "is that all you take away" when our stadium is half full and they have to make the trip from Barnsley on a Tuesday night.
Last night was much better than Saturday's game with some neat football played by both sides. It's been a while since I've found myself applauding small passages of play so often. I thought Freeman was excellent - a real trier and very skilful, with remarkably quick feet in tight situations. He could become a real fans' favourite. Freeman was ably assisted by Manning and Luongo in a midfield three that worked well together, whilst we were strong at the back with Bidwell having one of his best games and Hall looking solid until his late lapse. The front three were a little disappointing, but we have a good squad now with plenty of scope for rotation. Things are looking up - well done Ollie.
Yes. It lasted about 2 or 3 minutes.Did you all give Stan the clap
Great win last night, if it hasn't been mentioned already, we are top of the form table for the last 5 games I believe.
Did you feel the game needed more brouhaha from Onuoha, Strolls?
Brilliant goal line clearance from Bidwell, made up a huge amount of ground to be in right place......
Nice to look around the forums this morning and sense the warm glow for a team that is being appreciated..........good work by Holloway, Ferdinand and Hoos to identify the right players at the right price and get them wanting to play........and to also bring through the younger talent that were already on the clubs books and show that there is a path to first team football if you show the right application.......so refreshing after years of old has beens looking for a last pay day....
Read somewhere that apart from Ned and Caulker none of the current squad cost more than stg£2m..........the future is looking bright.
Nice to look around the forums this morning and sense the warm glow for a team that is being appreciated..........good work by Holloway, Ferdinand and Hoos to identify the right players at the right price and get them wanting to play........and to also bring through the younger talent that were already on the clubs books and show that there is a path to first team football if you show the right application.......so refreshing after years of old has beens looking for a last pay day....
Read somewhere that apart from Ned and Caulker none of the current squad cost more than stg£2m..........the future is looking bright.
That is what one may call "efficiency"!
A 100% success record if on goal. Someone should tell Ollie to arrange some urgent shooting practice!
We might then score 5 this weekend?
Notes and queries:
- Freeman easily MOTM IMO. His signing could be the best bit of buisiness in many years.
- His midfield partnership with Manning shows real promise
- Conversely, Luongo was on the periphery as usual. I truly think his contract extension was a mistake.
- Loads of open attacking play (thank you Tykes) but we still needed two streaky goals to win it. Unless Washington undergoes a transformation we are still in desperate need of an out-and-out goalscorer.
- I thought IH was showing considerable improvement in his use of subs but Morrison as a late one yesterday - WTF was that about?
It's funny how we all see things so differently. I think Luongo is more deserving of the MOTM than Freeman. Although Freeman was key to several attacks, he also squandered a few. Don't get me wrong, I very much liked what I saw with Freeman. But Luongo did a very thankless, hard to notice job yesterday. He was completely selfless, determined and strong. He won the ball several times, initiated moves forward into attach, had a high pass completion rate and kept things very tidy. His touch was exceptional and I hope this is the Luongo we see more often now.
On the other hand, Manning still looks like an unfinished picture to me. Some very good moments and some very dodgy moments.
Unrelated note: there's only 4 home games left this season. 6 away games to go.
Really enjoyed the match, Holloway's got the players giving 100%. Clearly a happy, positive dressing room. Pawel is fab, Freeman is a great buy, Furlong is better than Perch, Bidwell is markedly improving - I still have a problem with Luongo. He was often invisible - of course, that doesn't mean he's not an important link in the chain, but he was getting pushed off the ball a lot and his tackles were mistimed. If we want to push for top 6 next season, we may need another decent striker, although I'm hoping Washington and Smith strengthen their play together.
Regarding Luongo this was posted on LFW, I'm sure the poster won't mind it being re-posted here.....
After the thread the other day I decided to watch him closely as I like him, but decided I really wanted to see what he did.
This are obviously my counts so they're probably wrong - indicative rather than exact let's say.
He was brushed off the ball three times - but in two of these he had won the ball back before play had continued forward. Only once was he completely and cleanly dispossessed.
On the contrary I made it around 9 possession steals, he made 3 huge crunching tackles, and made 3 really neat slide rule passes down the touchline, one of which didn't come off. I had him mispassing 3 times overall.
In the first half he sat deep in a "quarter back" style position which allowed Freeman to play much further up the pitch. He would win possession and carry the ball forward well, allowing us to keep the ball on the floor. Clearly Olly had instructed the players to use their feet to counter Barnsley's pressing as Freeman and Luongo both neatly used changes of direction and leading foot to create space and forward momentum. Mass also took a lot of hurried ball from Ned and Hall and calmed it, rotated it, and got us going forward again.
In the second half, especially in that period prior to the second goal where we were really in control he rotated more with Manning - he was very effective at driving forward then feeding Pav. This kept the Barnsley defence honest as they needed to cover all options. He also doubled up on the right wing allowing Pav and Furlong to have someone to cycle the ball with to get into better positions.
In the latter part of the game he like the rest of the team dropped too deep for my money. Re: which - Freeman can really kick a ball very hard can't he.
Overall, I thought he was absolutely intrinsic to how we played last night - though Freeman was more eye catching. I personally thought Manning looked tired and made a lot of lazy fouls late on which put us under pressure (not a slight, love the kid, only constructive criticism as he develops). However the combination really worked for Mass I thought, as he and Manning worked well together as a pressing unit, penning players in real well as a pack.
Overall - I thought he was tops
Differing viewpoints make these places interesting......
After the thread the other day I decided to watch him closely as I like him, but decided I really wanted to see what he did.
This are obviously my counts so they're probably wrong - indicative rather than exact let's say.
He was brushed off the ball three times - but in two of these he had won the ball back before play had continued forward. Only once was he completely and cleanly dispossessed.
On the contrary I made it around 9 possession steals, he made 3 huge crunching tackles, and made 3 really neat slide rule passes down the touchline, one of which didn't come off. I had him mispassing 3 times overall.
In the first half he sat deep in a "quarter back" style position which allowed Freeman to play much further up the pitch. He would win possession and carry the ball forward well, allowing us to keep the ball on the floor. Clearly Olly had instructed the players to use their feet to counter Barnsley's pressing as Freeman and Luongo both neatly used changes of direction and leading foot to create space and forward momentum. Mass also took a lot of hurried ball from Ned and Hall and calmed it, rotated it, and got us going forward again.
In the second half, especially in that period prior to the second goal where we were really in control he rotated more with Manning - he was very effective at driving forward then feeding Pav. This kept the Barnsley defence honest as they needed to cover all options. He also doubled up on the right wing allowing Pav and Furlong to have someone to cycle the ball with to get into better positions.
In the latter part of the game he like the rest of the team dropped too deep for my money. Re: which - Freeman can really kick a ball very hard can't he.
Overall, I thought he was absolutely intrinsic to how we played last night - though Freeman was more eye catching. I personally thought Manning looked tired and made a lot of lazy fouls late on which put us under pressure (not a slight, love the kid, only constructive criticism as he develops). However the combination really worked for Mass I thought, as he and Manning worked well together as a pressing unit, penning players in real well as a pack.
Overall - I thought he was tops
Differing viewpoints make these places interesting......
A totally different perspective from me.
Luongo was the best player on the pitch with Pavel a close second. Some of the balls he played were exceptional.
I like Freeman a lot, but at the start of the game when he stayed wide on the left he looked lost. It was when he started roaming that he became involved & started to contribute.
However, seeing the three of Freeman, Luongo & Manning play together was very good to see.
Last night had periods where it was dross, but it had more moments where BOTH sides tried to play football & went forward in search of goals. It was enjoyable to watch!
I think we now have a pool of around twenty players that will give us blood, sweat & tears whenever they are on the pitch. Plus they can play a bit!
I'm glad someone recognises how he played. I turned to my friend at the game and said "a lot of people won't see it because it's a thankless job but Luongo has been great in this game."
He was key. He pushed the whole team forward for a large part of the match. His touch was exceptional and as soon as he had the ball he moved it on to someone else. This is the Luongo we need to turn up every week.