| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 12:15 - Dec 23 with 2663 views | Antti_Heinola |
A frenzy of mistakes, fights, occasional brilliance, joy, heartbreak, unexpected cameos from people you'd assumed were retired and at the end a real sense of nostalgia. But enough about the new Star Wars film - let's talk about QPR v Charlton. BOOM! TOPICAL!
1. MISSED CHANCES: Many hands have been wrung at the catastrophe of that last minute goal which some seem so upset about I had to check the table to see if we were were 6 points adrift at the bottom, rather than it being a bit of a freak goal that happens to every team every once in a while, but the reality is, at it was against Reading, Boro and other games this season, that goal would have meant nothing had we taken our chances to score the goals we should have done.
It's bizarre to sit here writing this sort of thing again when only one team on the division has scored more goals than us this season - and they're top. But it's true. We score most weeks, and yet we still should score more. Against Luton we scored three, but should have had six easily by half time. Luckily that time we got that extra goal we generally need to win a game (unless we're playing Barnsley away). This time, we only managed two. You could say with all Eze's shots that brought saves of varying quality from routine to excellent, he was unlucky not to score, but when you have that many shots you'd hope one would go in. But then there's our strikers, both of whom I love dearly. And both of whom have a decent scoring record this season, we should remember. But, still, we have Hugill who is guaranteed to blaze at least one into the upper tier at the Loft End every week, and Wells who is at times deadly, and at others... well, that's the second time this season he's raced clear with no defender much closer than Westfield and he's found a way to miss. For someone as technically skilled as him, it's baffling that he should miss that. And you felt at the time it would cost us - and in the end, it did.
2. KANE: Toddy Kane has plenty of upsides. He's quick. He puts in a decent cross. He works hard. But there are big issues. When targeted and left isolated, he seems to get beaten more often than not. Clive Wilson he is not - but then, who is? He has that annoying habit of going forward, checking, turning back and laying off a dangerous backwards pass that takes pressure off of him, but puts more pressure on the team. On Saturday, frankly, he was absolutely destroyed for most of the game. Bullied and hammered in the first half, nothing was done at half time by Warburton to redress the glaring problem at half time. If anything, Kane went narrower, affording more and more space down their left - an out-ball that was always available. And he was seemingly completely unable to stop the flow of crosses. I couldn't help thinking that Rangel would not have allowed that sort of thing to go on for so long, but Kane looked lost and had no real idea how to solve his problem.
The solution, however, was plain: Bright Osayi-Samuel on to play in front of him and force Charlton onto the back foot down that side, and also have BOS tracking back when needed, too. Warburton was a bit testy about people questioning why Bright was left on the bench. I have some sympathy there (not that others were not culpable but his failure to watch ball or man for Barnsley's 5th last week was not a great look) because he is a young player and there's nothing too much wrong with putting him in and out. The mistake was waiting until the 66th minute to make the change. I wouldn't have argued had he done it at half time, but to wait that long when it was such a patently obvious change that would solve so many solutions seemed very strange to me.
Still, Kane is beginning to look a bit like what he seemed at the time: a hasty stopgap following the unexpected sale of our right back. With Rangel surely likely to retire at the end of this season, especially as Warbs has barely used him anyway, I think we'll be in the market for a right back next summer.
3. EZE: A friend of mine is a West Brom fan and he says that when he watched them in the late 70s / early 80s he and his mate would walk out at the end of the game and discuss who was man of the match. But for that period, they had to change slightly. The answer, every week, was Bryan Robson, so they just discussed who was man of the match 'apart from Bryan Robson.'
Eze is starting to get to that sort of stage with us now. It's fantastic when you get to see a player really develop over a couple of years. For me, from the first time I saw him, I could see he was special. What we've seen since his improvement in every single area of his game to the point where he stands out in every match we watch. I know Clive has BOS down as MOTM, and I won't argue with that, such was his impact, but I thought Eze was superb. His control, his grace, his intelligence, his movement, his accuracy, his calmness. Just brilliant. That trick he repeats again and again where he cuts past a defender and seems to duck underneath them in a tight circle before accelerating away seems almost undefendable. I was watching Spurs yesterday and just thought - you know, you could stick him in this team. And I really think you could.
We have to be so clever with this deal. We do not need to sell immediately, we don't need to negotiate. Just keep saying no, because his price if this continues will just keep going up. And on top of all that, who was the player, on his haunches, absolutely distraught at that late equaliser? Eze. Upset perhaps that he shot a couple of times when he could've taken it to the corner (although the old 'taking it to the corner' thing seems to have had a baclash recently from some who believe it doesn't particularly save a lot of time, and merely keeping possession is a better option). But I won't blame him for that. For me, the game was won - we shut them out of it very well, we were not put under any pressure, we didn't retreat to the edge of our box and have to defend for our lives. The game was won - a poorly timed header cost us badly. Still, here's a player who must know he's going if not in one month then certainly in six, and look how much he still cares. A gem.
4. HOLDING ON: There were plenty of charges of unprofessionalism and so on from posters about that late equaliser. And it was heartbreaking as well as a terrible gift of a goal to give away. But at the same time, as mentioned above, I disagree with that a bit. The fact is that from the 80th minute we controlled the game beautifully. We attacked fluently, we should have killed the game off, we kept possession well and we defended sensibly. Charlton did not make a chance in that time, nor did they put us under any pressure. It was good football. But then came the hopeful punt, the misjudgement from Cameron (I am firmly blaming the man-bun - if it was a bit gigher up his head, it would've had ore of an impact and taken it beyond Sarr and safely to Lumley to shank out for a throw in). It was a poor goal, but overall, I thought we dealt with the end of the game well. It was again, an unfortunate mistake that cost us.
5. PRATLEY: I mean, this guy looked finish seven years ago. How is he still playing football? Somehow he's only 34 - I could've sworn he was 39 minimum. He's been around forever. And here he was again, taking out Eze nice and early, a clear and obvious booking which was not given on account of it being early in the game. So he did it again, still no booking, but he engaged in a lengthy diatribe (diatribes are always lengthy) until finally the yellow was produced. I was convinced Pratley had a week booked in Dubai with Joel Lynch, but turns out that was his seventh of the season, so he's already had his ban, so I'm not quite sure what he was playing at. Still, that shut him up and for the rest of the game we got to see Eze turn this waster inside out a few times. Hopefully retirement is imminent.
6. BRIGHT OSAYI-SAMUEL: Shall we just start him in the next game? That was a message to the manager, wasn't it? What a performance. Not seeing quite so many 'no end product' messages about now, after a goal of the season, an assist, and now an assist of the season. Very, very exciting. When he, Eze, Chair and Manning are on song together they look unstoppable. |  |
| |  |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 13:11 - Dec 23 with 2555 views | ridethewave |
I think we'll look back at the sale of Furlong as one of the worst transfer's we've made in recent times, and that's saying something.
Also, that performance from BOS was as good as I've seen from a winger in a Rangers shirt for years. [Post edited 23 Dec 2019 13:15]
|  | | |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 13:37 - Dec 23 with 2507 views | enfieldargh |
Went into the Bogs in SAR after the game, it was packed. No one made a sound except for the gushing of wee into the troughs and the occasional snivel....utterly surreal.
Would like to see BOS and Chair picked for Reading.
They have what always looks like a wide pitch which suits BOS.
Chair rarely gives the ball away and when BOS & Chair combine with EZE they all look on the same wavelength, be it 2 or 3 of them.
Reading the home team will have the onus of attack in their mindset, lets get them on the back foot as much as possible.
Ball retention and clear decision making is the difference bewteen our QPR team playing well and getting something from the game.
Oh and taking your goal chances!!!!
Apart from that |  |
| |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 13:44 - Dec 23 with 2486 views | francisbowles |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 13:11 - Dec 23 by ridethewave |
I think we'll look back at the sale of Furlong as one of the worst transfer's we've made in recent times, and that's saying something.
Also, that performance from BOS was as good as I've seen from a winger in a Rangers shirt for years. [Post edited 23 Dec 2019 13:15]
|
Furlong when he left us was a better defender than Kane but going forward Kane, as a pushed up rb or rwb has the edge. I think one of the problems with Kane is his upper body physique is a bit small. Doesn't win many heading duels. I hope we can put him on an intensive weights regime in the close season, see if we can make him a bit stronger.
The finances also have a part to play, not only the fee but saving on wages. Whilst Darnel may not have been on mega wages, he had been with the club since the days of high earners and I would suggest he was probably on substantially more than Kane, who I think was searching for a club to keep him in a decent level of football. |  | | |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 13:54 - Dec 23 with 2464 views | francisbowles |
Thanks Antti and compliments of the season.
We have to remember that all players make mistakes and that is truer in the Championship than at a higher level. Unfortunately ours, at both ends of the pitch, seem to be making more than the championship average, whatever that might be, and it is costing us points. It is a real shame as we are still in with a shout of extending our season as five points at the halfway stage is not an insurmountable gap. A small improvement at both ends could make all the difference.
I really hope we can stop the points gap getting larger over the Christmas period and then we might try and keep Ebere until the summer at least and give ourselves the best chance of getting some finance back into the club.
I do agree with Essex though, we need to go at Reading from the start with BOS etc as well as learning from the home game by closing down on their number 10. | | | |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 15:40 - Dec 23 with 2346 views | Antti_Heinola |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 13:11 - Dec 23 by ridethewave |
I think we'll look back at the sale of Furlong as one of the worst transfer's we've made in recent times, and that's saying something.
Also, that performance from BOS was as good as I've seen from a winger in a Rangers shirt for years. [Post edited 23 Dec 2019 13:15]
|
I can’t agree there. No one tubthumped about Furs Mark II more than me, but £2m for a player who i don’t think was ever first choice for any length of time was a fair price. You just do not get big fees for championship full backs going between championship clubs.
One thing i did forget to say was that i genuinely think we are close to being a very decent side. Said it before but we remind me of bournemouth a couple of years before they were promoted. Good football, goals, but a bit naive. Even with the sale of Eze, i think the future is Bright. | |
| |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 15:55 - Dec 23 with 2311 views | jonno |
I thought it was a great, entertaining game between two teams who could not really defend, a little like the Barnsley game. Ironically, we "managed" the last ten minutes better than we usually do, only to give away a goal with the last kick. Given that there were times when Charlton couldn't live with us, they did well to get the draw and fair play to them for not giving up, although I suspect that had we got a third goal we would have gone on to win four or five one. They clearly targeted Kane after half time and his apparent lack of pace and the way he was exposed was alarming. Yes, we dropped two points, but in the scheme of things I don't feel it matters as we aren't going down or up this season. |  | | |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 08:34 - Dec 24 with 1921 views | BrianMcCarthy |
Excellent stuff, Antti.
Agree about the hand-wringing about the equaliser. It was also evident when Wells' one-on-one was saved.
As soon as it happened, the crowd went quiet. Gloomy comments at half-time and full-time followed - "I knew were in trouble etc etc".
We were still 1-0 up and there was an hour to go. In a game of 21 shots to 11, for some to distill the game down to one save seemed unnecessarily glum. |  |
| |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 09:05 - Dec 24 with 1887 views | ozexile |
Good post, totally agree about Kane. | | | |
Login to get fewer ads
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 09:18 - Dec 24 with 1872 views | Pommyhoop |
Good stuff Antti. I'm gonna watch the full 90 on the strength of your write up... |  |
| |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 10:14 - Dec 24 with 1674 views | nix |
I completely agree with you about Pratley. I can't stand this getting a free pass in the first five minutes. It was a terrible challenge and deserved a yellow card. I also think it was a deliberate message to him early in the game.
I'm afraid I also agree with you about Kane. He seems to work hard and shows flashes of good play but his stats are pretty poor compared to Manning on the other side in terms of duels, passing accuracy, assists (none) and big chances created. But yes having BOS on the pitch helps because of his pace and because he keeps their left back and left winger occupied. |  | | |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 10:17 - Dec 24 with 1654 views | Hadders |
Thanks for a great read as always. Clive's brillaint of course, but your reflections are the other thing I most enjoy on this site. On Osayi-Samuel, I felt he was like a teenager playing in the park with a bunch of primary school kids. It's like, after that goal, he has figured out that he can beat any Championship player, take on the whole team if he must. But then his partnership with Eze was fab too. Merry Christmas Antti! | | | |
| Antti's Six Knee Jerks: QPR 2 Charlton 2 on 15:22 - Dec 24 with 1284 views | kensalriser |
I did have a few doubts about BOS after his performances last season, delighted to be proved wrong. Seems to be getting his temperament under control now too, which was a major weakness - players who can be wound up always offer a benefit to the opposing team, cf Barton's perennial red mist trouble. |  |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
