x

Saints At Tottenham Hotspur The Verdict

This result will be seen of typical of this season, exhilarating attacking play all to no avail due to some awful defending, Saints came out of this game with pride and a sense of injustice but sadly nothing else.

Saints had the bad luck to have not one but two setbacks in the first half when firstly the ball struck Jack Stephens and wrong footed Angus Gunn to give Spurs a lead they did not deserve and then shortly after Shane Long had struck an equaliser . James Ward Prowse was the victim of a 50/50 challenge that cut his knee to the bone.

But Saints showed spirit to fight back and completely dominated the second half and when Danny Ings scored a cracking goal after a briliant run by Nathan Redmond had put him through, you thought that only one team would now win the game.

But Spurs rallied in the final 12 minutes to score two goals that really should have been defended better, the second a controversial penalty after Son Hueng Min clearly dived over the outstretched Angus Gunn and with the penalty dispatched there was little time for a Saints come back even if the fight was there.

There was plenty of good things to say about this game, from the great Saints support that drowned out Spurs who are fast showing they have opened a second branch of North London Libraries Ltd alongside one in the Highbury area, to the way Saints counter attacked on the break and caused a lot more trouble to the home goal then they on ours.

But yet again all the good work was undone by kamikaze defending and we can say all we want about certain players, but the fact is we have conceded soft goals all season, going forward we are a top 10 side, defending we are rock bottom.

People sometimes accuse me of being biased against certain players, perhaps I am and it is for good reason, they cannot defend.

There could be exciting times ahead for Saints, but only if we buy the right central defender, perhaps even two in the summer, if we do that then we can challenge for the top 10, if we don't then it will be deja vu, a case of what might have been if we had defended better.

Yes the penalty was an atrocious decision, at the game I'm not even sure it went to VAR, but the fact remained that Son was right through on the keeper and really shouldn't have been, as I have said all season some weeks we get away with it others we don't.

WE have to accept this season may either be spectacular in the rest of the Premier League season or it may turn out to be a damp squid with soft goals conceded all the way, but we can look forward to next season when we might just march forward again.

They have their critics, but Nathan Redmond, Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and James Ward Prowse have been magnificent in recent weeks and dragged us up the League table, they can be the backbone of this side, if we make the right additions in the summer then next year it may be different, it has to be !

What to read next:

Kirk to officiate West Ham cup tie - Referee
Manchester-based official Thomas Kirk takes the third QPR game of his career on Sunday as Rangers head to West Ham in the FA Cup.
Kolli rescues Rangers, but injuries mount – Report
QPR got the job done at home to divisional whipping boys Sheff Wed on Sunday morning, but the 3-0 win came at considerable cost with four first teamers injured by half time including top scorer Rumarn Burrell.
Queens Park Rangers 3 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday - Photo Gallery
Pictures of Rayan Kolli having a lovely time while the rest of us froze in our seats as QPR eventually see off divisional whipping boy Sheff Wed 3-0.
Queens Park Rangers 3 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Insert paragraph about Barry Bannan – Preview
Having blown out their Christmas and New Year with one point from three eminently winnable games, QPR will hope to salvage something from Sheff Wed at home on Sunday and avoid the humiliation of losing at home to the Championship’s whipping boy.
Smith's class of 88 off the mark with Wednesday win - History
We're back to 1988 for the memorable match this week as Jim Smith's QPR halt the rot of a dire start to the season with a 2-0 victory over Sheff Wed on the new grass pitch at Loftus Road.
Allison in charge of Sheff Wed visit - Referee
Sam Allison is back in charge of QPR again this… Sunday, I believe it is… as the R’s host Sheff Wed.
Nightmare start to the New Year as Norwich beat QPR again - Report
QPR started 2026 with a rank display at home to Norwich City, losing to the relegation-threatened Canaries for the second time in a month.
Queens Park Rangers 1 - 2 Norwich City - Photo Gallery
Pictures from Ian Randall at Loftus Road where QPR produced a terrible display to start 2026 with a defeat against second bottom Norwich City.
Queens Park Rangers 1 - 2 Norwich City - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.