Me and the lad were so looking forward to the game yesterday. A chance to really stamp some authority on this league. Unfortunately, thanks to a very well organised and resilient Leicester side, we came away very disappointed. It's nearly Xmas and I haven't got the time or inclination to make too detailed a report (and I'm sure that will please some on here too!). The main points for me were as follows: 1) Leicester are a very well organised side with what looks like the best defence in the league to me. They came and played the ideal away game, being hard to break down, with a holding midfielder being integral to that and then playing on the break with speed and intent. Although I'm sure they are too dull for many of our fans wanting exciting football above all else. 2) Rangers really lack a cutting edge whilst playing one up front and MUST play Henry as one of the central midfield players, as we didn't have a holding player yesterday, which left us so exposed when Leicester broke. Barton and Carroll aren't natural holding midfielders. 3) A few players had a bad day, which I will describe when I mark them. 4) For all our possession, we simply didn't get enough players forward or play direct enough. Hoilett made a difference when he replaced the awful O'Neill, but Phillips continues to blow hot and cold (more cold than hot for me!). Whilst we only have one fit forward, we MUST play 4-1-4-1 at home, have one midfielder holding and then get players forward quickly to support Austin when we attack. Time and again yesterday we only had one player in the box when we attacked out wide. Overall, I'm obviously happy with our position in the league at Christmas after the debacle of last season and all our forebodings going into this season, but I genuinely fear that we have too many players who aren't here to give their all for QPR. These include Krancjar, BOE, O'Neill, Carroll and Hoilett. There are cracks appearing imo, highlighted by BOE's petulant display against his team mates. Austin looked jaded and strangely out of sorts yesterday with easily his worst game so far imo. Player ratings and scores: Green - 7 - Beaten by a clinical finish and did nothing wrong. Simpson - 5 - His worst game so far. Indecisive defensively and offered very little with the ball going forward. Dunne - 6 - Solid as ever. Hill - 7 - Very good. Unfortunately the only header he lost all game was the one that lead to their goal. BOE - 5 - Class as usual, but marked down for his petulance towards his supposed team mates. O'Neill -4 - Awful and should have been sent off for a terrible tackle. Should have scored. Barton - 4 - Played quite well and always gives 100%, despite giving the ball away a lot as usual. But the old Joey decided to re-appear in time to get Boxing Day off and so, yet again, he let everyone down. He'll never change! Krancjar - 7 - Some lovely touches and neat passes, especially early on until he got tired. He still looks so slow and unfit. Gave the ball away too much at times, usually when caught in possession. An undoubted talent, but doesn't look too interested imo and doesn't look the answer in our quest to replace Taarabt (which we simply haven't). Carroll - 5 - An undoubted talent, but no final cutting edge and very lightweight with no Henry in there to help him. Not sure he gives a **** about us. Phillips - 6 - Looks great one minute and awful the next. Still not convinced about him, but hope he proves me wrong. Terrible first touch when through on goal and in fact, his first touch is one of the worst things about his game.......it's terrible! Austin - 5 - His worst game. Kept shooting from ridiculous angles and completely failed to control the ball when right in front of goal in the last 10 seconds. Needs help!! Subs: Hoilett - 7 - At least tried to attack and took men on. Massive improvement on O'Neill who simply isn't a wide man. Yossi - 7 - Looked lively and I'd prefer him in place of Krancjar. Could be another one who hasn't really got his heart in it though. Thoughts?
Agree with most of that Col, although I don't think Leicester's defence is that good, they didn't have to over-exert themselves to keep our powder-puff attack at bay. Hoilett was a disappointment for me, too often going past players and then making the wrong choice or just losing the ball, almost SWP-like. Sometimes I think Harry is just experimenting with players like O'Neil when a more settled line-up with players in their best position might be a better bet...
Leicester have the best defence in the league do they? I wonder why they've conceded twice as many goals as us then We let them off with poor finishing .
this i thank you for the report Col but not much i can really agree with in there. I'll leave it at that mate..Opinions and all that
Onuoha was a big miss yesterday, preventing us playing a higher line and made us look suspect on the counter in the second half chasing the game. I he was fit enough for the bench then he should have started imo, mistake by Redknapp. Leicester came with a 4-4-2 and we took advantage of that in the first half with our five man midfield. Unfortunately Redknapp started O'Neil, mistake #2, another player (Hoilett, Jenas) could have made the difference and we would have been ahead before Leicester sucker punched us. Not much to argue about your ratings, maybe Kranjcar deserved a 6 but that is neat picking. Agree Hill was the better of the two centre backs, he thrive in games like this. I've said I don't care how we look as long as we win, but that applies to THIS season only. If we fail to go up this season then it has been like SB has said, a waste. And I fear for the future if we don't.
Thank you a great report as usual Col Have a good Xmas I think overall if Phillips had finished that move off and just dunked it we could all be talking a wonder goal there is the difference ... Goals Great match which simply put we came out on the wrong side of Believe that Derby will there with us at the end
Fair enough mate. There were a few around me of that opinion too. Some were raving about Phillips and hating Hoilett, others were doing the opposite. I feel about Phillips what you feel about Hoilett. Let's hope we're both proved wrong eh?
So Col, the tactics/ team shape are wrong, a good number of the players (mostly new recruits) aren't giving their all, individuals are a mixture of unfit, lightweight, ill-disciplined, awful, inconsistent and indecisive. Looks like we're ****ed, doesn't it? And there's some of us having the temerity to ask for entertainment too.......
That just about sums up Hoilett for me. He might do well to get by a player and do some neat dribbling but his end product is non existent. His decision making is terrible and just like W-Phillips, he seems terrified when he gets into the penalty area. He's been a let down since we signed him in all honesty.
Imo the team shape and tactics are wrong. I also believe we have a lot of players who probably think they're too good for the Championship and so don't need to dig deep. How else do you explain Kranjcar's three chins and beer gut? I believe the "entertainment" argument is a different subject. For me, I just want to get promoted and I imagine that's what the Leicester fans would say too. Their side is very functional and hard to beat..........you'd hate that! I also want to be entertained as you know and have always lauded our great No10s. However, the priority is to get up and I'm not sure it can all be laid at Harry's door. He has brought in good, experienced players who SHOULD be good enough to get us up. However, they may not be arsed enough. The other argument is to play young, up and coming players and take 2,3 or 4 years to get promoted. I can fully understand that argument, but I don't think it fits into Tony's ambitious plans.
This. Its amazing how two people watching the same game can see things so differently. But like you say, opinions eh?!
Putting aside your very obvious lack of football knowledge I'll give you your wish and bite. Go on then............who played well yesterday and why?
I think you are right Col, its promotion or bust and sod style in the process. If it works great, if it doesn't, its unforgivable. For the record I think it will work, we'll be promoted, buy a new squad, and then we'll see more of the same as fear of relegation will dominate. But at least we'll have decent opposition to watch - City, Arsenal and Liverpool are really on song this season, some brilliant football being played. BTW outstanding war film (or more accurately anti-war film) on ITV 4 at the moment, Kubrick's Paths of Glory, about the court martial of French soldiers in WW1 for (alleged) cowardice.
First of all, when you start a thread and post up a match report giving your own opinions on everything about the game, you are clearly inviting debate. So when someone disagrees with you, there's no need to get snarky. You've been like this ever since you started with these reports (which overall I think are actually very good) and I don't understand why someone who obviously has a problem with opposing points of view, would continue to put himself through such discomfort every week? To the players then and I'll focus on one as an example: "Austin - 5 - His worst game. Kept shooting from ridiculous angles and completely failed to control the ball when right in front of goal in the last 10 seconds. Needs help!!" I think you're being very harsh here. I thought Austin was worth far more than a mere 5. He worked his socks off as usual and was involved in practically every bit of attacking play we produced. He put a chance on a plate for Phillips in the first half, so perfectly weighted was the pass in fact, that Phillips needn't have touched it at all but just put his boot through it into the corner and we'd have been one-nil up. He was the focal point of everything we did offensively and the only reason he didn't get chances to score were because he's so isolated at times. In effect, he has to do two striker's work: Win the ball, create the chance and then score it. Impossible. I agree with your last two words about needing help which makes me wonder all the more why you only marked him 5? Overall I would be considerably more positive about our performance yesterday and if we could just get that little something up front (the window is opening soon) then I think we've a very good chance of doing what very few Clubs have managed to do in 20 years of the Premier League: Bounce right back up at the first time of asking.
Stan............I worry that it won't work mate. We could well end up in the lottery of the play offs. I agree that I want to see the top sides back at the Rangers and I just hope that lessons were learned from last time and we don't cock it up. I don't blame the club for having a "promotion or bust" attitude, as all the long term plans must surely hinge on Premier League football. For that reason, I don't agree that it will be unforgivable if we fail in the attempt.
1) I only get "snarky" (whatever the **** that is) with you cos you're a prat. 2) I don't write regular reports any more, so you're wrong about that too. I have taken on board and discussed all the points raised by everyone else. Unfortunately it's very difficult to debate with someone as obnoxious and with so little football knowledge as yourself. So, for all your rhetoric, you can only come up with one player's comments that you disagree with. I've been very impressed with Austin this season and his work rate was indeed very good again yesterday. The pass to Phillips my missus could have made and apart from that, his decision making was very poor. My lad would have controlled the ball and knocked it in the net in those final few seconds! For that alone, Austin deserves a 5.
Classy (btw: snarky: snɑːki/ adjectiveN. AMER.informal1. snide and sharply critical."snarky remarks") Just as well. Debate doesn't suit you. No, that's why I said it was an "example". I'll give you another one: Phillips.........his first touch is one of the worst things about his game.......it's terrible! Again, I think you're being overly harsh. I too was raging when he fu*ked up that chance and yes a lot of his stuff didn't come off but his first touch in general can hardly be described as "terrible". Remember the last game at Blackpool when a ball was played long up to him and he killed it dead before running in and shooting at the keeper? That was a brilliant first touch. Yesterday, I thought he gave a good account of himself and was one of our better players but at times things just didn't come off for him. He linked up well and played up the middle pretty good. In the first half, he too was involved in all the chances we had. But yes, he should have buried that chance. Overall though I think you tend to be a bit harsh on Phillips. You prefer Hoillett to him but I would take Phillips over Hoillett.
Hope so mate..........not convinced though. Didn't a lot of Spurs fans describe BOE as a bit of a prat?
