Ellerslie Echo

3 Points Away..

Championship Matchday 5 – Wrexham (A)

Just under 1.3k R’s fans were able to get their hands on Disney Land tickets this weekend and I was one of those lucky souls. I think I, potentially along with many others, completely overestimated Wrexham going into this game. After predicting a 1-1 draw I put my Rangers hat back on and thought we actually may lose this one. 

I thought £33 million spent this summer would surely have them competing. It still might, but so far I’m not actually convinced by their squad. Conor Coady is the biggest name in there, record signing Nathan Broadhead didn’t start due to a brief period out injured, and if I’m honest I barely recognise any of the rest of their team. I’m not sure where the money has gone?

Upon seeing the lineup I was excited about the prospect of a front 2. This set-up has become very unpopular in modern football, but I love it. I absolutely love a strike partnership. I wanted to see it with Frey and Dykes, we didn’t really properly get that, I then wanted to see it with Frey and Celar, or even Frey and Kolli – these were rarities too. 

Finally, we have strikers that the manager trusts enough to start together. It looked to me like a 4-2-2-2 with a double pivot, Saito and Vale as wide/central attacking players, and the two new strikers in front. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Burrell and Kone could end up being a very successful partnership, with Burrell’s pace, work rate and athleticism, and Kone’s killer instinct. The two of them certainly justified themselves here.

From very early on, QPR were getting forward a lot. Burrell and Vale were causing problems for the Wrexham defence, mainly on the right-hand side. Saito managed a couple of shots on target and we looked sharp. For the first 20ish minutes, Wrexham were in the game, but it seemed that if a goal was to come, it was going to be us. 

After 24 minutes, Jimmy Dunne had the ball in the net, but was, probably rightly, flagged offside. From here on out, it was only a matter of time before we got in front. It was the 32nd minute where a goal mouth scramble which involved Saito, Kone and Burrell, was finished off by Conor Coady, and Rangers were finally in front. A terrible goal, but a deserved one.

There was almost an instant response from Wrexham, when Ryan Hardie hit a Van Persie-esque left footed volley (you could maybe call it a half volley)  that went millimetres wide. A slight let off from what would’ve been an unreal goal. 

43 minutes gone, Nardi finds Morrison, who plays the ball to Vale, who plays a lovely flick to Madsen. Madsen does very well, knowing that he has bags of space, turns and plays a brilliant through ball to Kone with just one touch. Kone, up against Conor Coady, takes two lovely touches to get into a good position, then absolutely leathers it home, off the bar into the top corner, and shushes the home fans.

Best goal of the season so far, best goal we’ve seen from a striker for god knows how long, and one that my twitter feed has been absolutely inundated with. I’ve watched it back at least 50 times and it’ll probably be another 50 by the time I get this out. 3 in 4 for Kone, 2-0 Rangers – a win away?

It went a bit quiet after the break. Wrexham found some life and challenged Nardi on quite a few occasions. The direct football had worked so far but we were still getting overrun in midfield (this is still an issue that we can’t ignore). Changes were needed. Hayden was needed to slow the game down. I’m not sure why it was left so late. 

Keiffer Moore has been a superb signing so far and was Wrexham’s best player by far. I’m not sure why Kone was left to mark him from a corner and not Jimmy Dunne or RND but nevertheless, Moore made easy work of a header to make it 2-1. Were we about to throw this away?

Wrexham had a few chances after this, including a header at the back-post, heroically stopped by Dunne. But 8 minutes after letting them back into the game, Dunne hoofed the ball up the pitch. At this point I thought here we go, 15 minutes of sitting back and booting it up to Kone and Burrell. Wrexham were going to dominate. 

But then, Burrell got further and further up the pitch, closer and closer to the ball, and the away end got louder and louder, as we thought, hang on, is he getting to that? He did get to it. And Coady didn’t even get a chance to contemplate what was happening before he was in Burrell’s rear view mirror.

Even with a heavy touch, he managed to get a shot off and chip the keeper (who should have been off his line earlier, but to be fair, no one in that stadium expected Burrell to be in this position) and the ball was in the net for 3-1. An extremely satisfying goal that had the place rocking. Absolutely delighted for Burrell to get his first goal, thoroughly deserved, and hopefully many more to come. 

The first substitutions weren’t made until the 72nd minute, and I wasn’t sure they were the right ones. RND off for Esquerdinha who we know isn’t the most defensive left-back, and Dembele on for Saito, which is a good swap, but I wanted a cool head (Hayden) to help see the game out.

Dembele justified his addition to the game though, running the Wrexham defence down and linking up with Vale, Kone and the midfield. He looked sharp, suggesting to me that maybe he’s most effective off the bench?

It looked as though Dembele had his first goal of the season and Ranger’s fourth of the day when Hayden played a splitting ball through to him and he coolly lobbed the keeper, but was denied by the post. A real shame and would’ve been the cherry on the cake.

Nardi then also made a great save towards the end to keep the score as it was, followed by two defensive blocks, but I can’t help but feel we could or should have scored four or five. We were queuing up towards the end. 

A great team performance, particularly from the front four, and a very solid defensive display where they were kept busy enough. It was against a poorly performing side, but crucial points on the board. 

Player Ratings:

Paul Nardi – 7.5/10

It’s a shame to hear about Joe Walsh’s injury but, without sounding muggy, it’s good to have Nardi back in the XI. The same issues are present with the Frenchman – he still refuses to leave his line and it did show itself on a few occasions in this game. It’s such a hindrance on not only his individual quality but our defensive structure as a whole. 

That being said, Nardi did have a good game. Kieffer Moore was always going to score a header, it’s what he does (I said this in my last issue) and so you can’t blame Paul for the goal for which the Welshman was left unmarked. 

As poor as Wrexham were, they did get forward and created a number of chances, testing Nardi with some of them. Nardi made 6 saves and was our star player on FotMob. A strong performance from the number 1 but, as I said, there’s still that lack of box-commanding that holds him back. 

Jimmy Dunne – 7.5/10

A shaky-ish performance at points from the skipper, but probably our best defender on the day. Wrexham are a big side and as one of only two or three aerially adept players in our squad, it was always going to be a struggle, so, whilst he won 4 of them, he did lose a few aerial duels. Not enough to mark him down, but worth pointing out. Dunne was also better on the ball, despite a few dodgy passes which are pretty much a common occurrence with Jimmy (sorry). 

A great assist for Burrell, though. Whether or not he knew what was to come from that, or whether he foresaw him turning into the flash and making a goal out of pretty much nothing, is a question for another day. The captain comes away with an assist though, and if intentional, a superb one. 

Liam Morrison – 7.5/10 

This man improves every game (forgetting Watford and Cov) and it’s a pleasure to watch his development. A solid defensive performance, let down by a couple of dodgy passes and a goal conceded, but a strong performance and a display of his importance to this side.

Amadou Mbuenge – 7.5/10

Some very important blocks and tackles from this man to keep Wrexham out and keep us in front. I really, really like the partnership of Mbuenge and Morrison. It’s very solid and physically competitive, and that showed here. Again, let down by a set-piece goal conceded, but formed a good wall with Morrison.

Rhys Norrington-Davies – 6.5/10

This feels slightly harsh but I did feel that RND was one of our weak points in this game. Didn’t do anything outrageously bad, but was a drop off from his debut two weeks ago. Most (not all) of Wrexham’s threats came down our left hand side and he was struggling to deal with Ryan Longman (who didn’t really offer much anyway).

Norrington-Davies was the first to come off, along with Koki Saito. It’s difficult, as our other left-back isn’t very strong defensively, so it’s understandable why it was left till the 72nd minute to make this change.

RND will struggle against the pacier wingers in this division, and I do worry about it against someone with a better end product. 

Nicolas Madsen – 6.5/10

Hear. Me. Out. This isn’t an agenda. I want Madsen to succeed. I really, really do. I see his technical ability, I see the potential in his passing range, I see how he CAN be beneficial to this team. But he just isn’t. Madsen was better today, yes. He did well for his assist for Kone, yes. He’s clearly one of the best we have with his feet. But it’s just not enough. 

Before you pile on, with screenshots of his FotMob and SofaScore ratings, calling me clueless and negative, just watch the full 90 back. Don’t watch the highlights. Watch Madsen off the ball. Watch him when we are in build-up and looking for an option. Watch him in any game so far this season where the ball makes its way through the middle of the park. Nine times out of ten he won’t be where he’s supposed to be. 

There’s no need for me to be too negative, we won, and Madsen got a nice assist. I’m just being cautious and pointing out that the midfield is still an issue, and Varane keeps having to do two players’ jobs. It’s not fair on him, and it kills us, and against a better opposition, we will struggle big time.

It’s difficult with Saito, Dembele and Vale all fit but whilst Chair and Poku are out, If we want to keep Madsen in our plans, I think it’s worth trying him in the 10 again rather than in this double pivot. I just think, whilst overly defensive, Hayden and Varane would provide much more stability in the middle. Failing that, throw Morgan, or even Vale in there. 

I’m just not a fan of the Varane and Madsen pairing.We got away with it against Charlton and Wrexham – two promoted teams – but it won’t work further into the season. 

Jonathan Varane – 7/10 

It shows the standards that we hold Varane to in saying this was one of his weaker performances, at a 7/10. By no means was he poor – the best midfielder on the pitch. Just made a few silly decisions – dodgy turns and giving the ball away in dangerous areas. It’s also become harder for him to showcase his ability with this more direct approach that we’ve switched to.

As much as our midfield gets walked through, when called upon, Varane still manages to command his area, and succeed in his role, protecting his defence as much as possible, despite mostly being left to do it alone. 

Varane also gets involved in the attack, and going forward (in the final third), this is actually where he and Madsen do link up fairly well. This nearly came in handy for a chance where Jon’s shot from outside the box just lacked the power needed to beat the keeper.

Overall, Varane remains arguably our most important player, but without the support of a ball-carrying midfielder who will always be an option for him, we won’t see his full potential, and we will continue to lose every midfield battle.

Koki Saito – 7.5/10

We are visibly a better team with Koki in the side. His directness and skill cause nightmares for defenders who often struggle to deal with him. Saito was a major threat in the first half, driving towards the box and creating chances, including his powerful right-footed shot which forced a corner-producing save. 

Saito was still a threat going into the second half but in the 5/10 minutes before his substitution it was clear that he was getting tired, and wasn’t able to break through. Hooking him was a good decision, and Dembele is not a bad player to be able to bring on. 

Another good performance from Saito, solidifying his place in the team, justifying his return and making this attacking selection dilemma even more difficult for Stephan. I don’t envy him.

Harvey Vale – 8.5/10 

Superb from this man today. From the very start he was our most dangerous player, causing problems down the right wing and creating chances. He didn’t stop running, taking people on or trying to create. The link up play between himself, Saito, Kone and Burrell was special. 

Lovely pass to Madsen for him to set up Kone, and deserved an assist or two. I’ve said that I’d like to see Vale in the 8. I still would, but out on the right he has impressed me massively these last two games. 

It’ll be interesting to see what Stephan decides to do with Vale when Poku and Chair are back in the squad. 

Richard Kone – 8/10

I felt 12 years old again singing the ‘ole ole ole’ chant that we used to sing for Cissé. It’s a relief to have someone new deserving of that song. After all, he is the first player to score 3 in his first 4 since the Frenchman. 

From kick off Kone was trouble for Wrexham, with a presence in and around the box. His hold up play wasn’t as good as it was against Charlton, a few dodgy first touches, but I had very little doubt that he’d score in this game. 

And what a goal it was. Two clever touches to get the ball away from the defender, and then absolutely hammered home. Some strike. I’m convinced none of our other strikers, in the last 10 years since Austin’s prime, score that.

Celar and Dykes smash it over the bar. Lloyd and Kelman scuff it or hit it straight at the keeper. That’s if any of them actually find themselves in that position in the first place. 

What I love about Kone is that you can tell he’s come from Non-League. He hasn’t got the best first touch in the world, he’s not massively skilful, he can be scrappy, and you can see he hasn’t grown up playing in academies. Yet he still knows how to be a striker. Where to run, where to position himself, how to f*cking hit the ball. Proper, Charlie Austin style centre forward. No nonsense. 

Kone was the man tasked with marking Kieffer Moore (I’m not sure why) when he headed Wrexham back into the game, so for that reason he gets a slightly lower rating, but this was another strong performance from our new front man.

4 games, 3 goals. What a start to life as a QPR player. Long may it continue.

Rumarn Burrell – 8/10

The biggest challenger for Vale’s MOTM. The intensity, pace and unpredictability that Burrell brings is such a positive that’s brought a new element to our game. I’m not sure even he knows what he’s going to do with the ball sometimes, and that’s not a criticism at all.

Burrell did flunk a few chances in the first half, a few scuffed final balls and shots that let down his hard work and constant battling. He made up for this with his superb work for the 3rd goal of course, and was definitely one of the two best players on the pitch. 

I’m very happy to see a front 2 of these lads going forward, if it can work with our squad (which I’m not sure it can with everyone fit) and if not, if it’s possible off the bench, do it. That’s what I want to see. Don’t give the opposition’s defence a minute to breathe. 

Substitutes:

• Kader Dembele – 7/10 – Had more energy about him than usual, got very unlucky not to get that killer 4th goal, but was a good, effective substitute who caused Wrexham problems.
• Esquerdinha – 5.5/10 – Left our left side exposed a number of times through not being where he should have been. Didn’t do much going forward either. 
• Michael Frey – 5.5/10 – Looked sharp, fit and hungry, but has to get marked down for that effort at goal. 
• Isaac Hayden – 6.5/10 – Should have been on way earlier, but played 90 minutes for Jamaica in the week. Nearly got a lovely assist for a fourth. 
• Sam Field – N/A – Not sure he touched the ball in the 10 minutes he played

Man of the Match – Harvey Vale

Vale is one of those reliable players who doesn’t need to do anything spectacular, just does what he’s there to do, and puts a shift in. Saying that, he was the best player on the pitch by a long way and I’m happy that he’s earned himself a place in the starting lineup. 

This was a much more exciting performance than his Charlton one, where he looked decent but very reserved. He seemed to have a bit more oomph about him here, expressing himself and taking more risks. You can see that he is trying everything he can to create, and I’m sure the assists will continue to come, it’s a wonder how he didn’t get one here. 

From the very start Vale was our biggest outlet – I still think sometimes his decision making and end product could do with some work but I have no doubt that it’ll come. This is his first championship season and I’ve seen enough so far to feel as though he’s good enough for this level.

His versatility will be so important to us further down the line, too. Right-wing, 8, 10, even supposedly left-back. A very good player, who’s solidified his spot in the team. 

Donkey of the Day – Michi Frey

I was buzzing for the return of Frey. One of my favourite players in this current group. He didn’t play badly when he came on, got stuck in and looked sharp. However, the first thing that came to my mind when thinking about who to give donkey, was his long range effort that was so wide it probably breached the border.

He had someone in a perfectly good space on his right – I think it was Dembele but I’m not 100%, and it obviously hasn’t been put in any highlights to confirm. That probably would’ve led to a 4th. 

Either way, the excitement of both his own return and the 3-1 lead definitely got to Michi’s head and he wanted a piece of the action. Don’t blame him, but you can’t hide from that, a laughably bad attempt at goal. Good to see him back anyway. 

Wrexham star player – Kieffer Moore

Moore always grabs a goal against Rangers, but aside from that predictable event, he was causing problems for us for most of the game. FotMob actually have him down as man of the match, which I think is bizarre considering some of our individual performances, but he did have a good game. We struggled to deal with him and he was probably Wrexham’s only outstanding player on the day. Another easy call for my one to watch, who spoke for himself.

Up Next:

Championship Matchday 8 – Stoke City (H)

Score Prediction – QPR 1-2 Stoke

One to Watch: Bosun Lawal

I’m a big admirer of Sorba Thomas. He’s another who made a big leap up the pyramid, coming from non-league straight to the championship. Okay, he was at Boreham Wood, not quite an Athletic Newham level of Non-League but still a big jump.  

2 goals and 3 assists so far this season would be enough to justify naming him here, but Thomas has always failed to worry me when I’ve seen him at Loftus Road. That’s the only reason I’ve not got him as my one to watch. That and the fact that there is another player who has stood out more than him, particularly in their win against Birmingham this weekend. 

That’s Bosun Lawal. Man of the match this week, and scorer of the winner. Despite scoring a header, and putting up good defensive and aerial numbers, this centre-half isn’t a threat for the reasons you’d expect me to be worried about. At just 5 ft 10, aerial duels aren’t necessarily a strong point of his.

Lawal is a ball playing defender who likes to get forward and contribute when in possession. In that sense, a similar profile to Amadou Mbuenge and Ronnie Edwards. This isn’t to say he lacks physicality either. The young Irishman definitely puts himself about. He could potentially transition into midfield at some point. 

This kind of ball-playing defender will cause issues for us if he drives forward and adds another body in the middle of the park. Our boys struggle to deal with a midfield 2 or 3 enough as it is, so with an extra man pushing forward and offering an extra option, we could get completely overrun. 

We definitely need to watch out for Lawal, I just see him causing real issues for our midfield and even our defence. He also may be one of the only centre-backs in the division who might be able to cope with Burrell’s electric pace. An all-rounder.

I think we will struggle against one of the most in-form teams in the division. Stoke’s only loss so far has been a 1-0 loss to West Brom, and I think they’re definitely one of the top sides this season. Don’t be surprised if they are still challenging for automatics in May. 

We won’t embarrass ourselves. Now that we’ve got a couple of wins under our belt and we have a bit of confidence, I think we will compete. But Mark Robins has Stoke playing very well. Whilst dangerous in attack (they probably could’ve had 3 or 4 against Birmingham), they’re also a disciplined side who we will struggle to break down. This won’t be an easy one. A marginal 2-1 loss, probably Kone to grab another goal. 

Championship Matchay 6 Predictions:

Another slip-up as I forgot to make a prediction for the South-Coast derby this week. I wouldn’t have gone 0-0 anyway. 3 results correct this week, no scores. Poor. 

Sheffield United got obliterated on Friday night at Portman Road. That’s Selles gone, a shame, I felt he had real potential as a manager. Ipswich look bloody good. They will probably win the league now they’ve got into their flow.

No wild results this week, Boro dropping points at Preston was a surprise but Stoke beating Birmingham isn’t as much of a shock as I’m sure Sky will make it out to be.

The two Sheffield clubs make up the bottom two, joined by Oxford United in 22nd, who I don’t think will stay down there.

Here’s my score predictions for Matchday 6:

• Middlesbrough 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
• Birmingham City 1-1 Swansea City 
• Leicester City 2-2 Coventry City
• Blackburn Rovers 0-2 Ipswich Town
• Derby Country 2-1 Preston North End
• Hull City 0-1 Southampton 
• Norwich City 3-0 Wrexham 
• Portsmouth 4-0 Sheffield Wednesday 
• Sheffield United 2-0 Charlton Athletic
• Bristol City 3-2 Oxford United
• Millwall 2-2 Watford

Two wins on the trot. First away win. 7 points on the board. Things are looking better. We still have problems. We still have players coming back from injury. We still have some adaptation to do. But we are in a much better position than we were at this point last year. Let’s see how the next few months go. Bring on Stoke. 

You R’s