Ellerslie Echo

He Who Shall Not Be Named..

Championship Matchday 8: Sheffield Wednesday (A)

When will I learn?

Despite our recent record against this lot, I audaciously envisaged us turning up to Hillsborough and tearing them apart – going for a 4-1 win, the scoreline in our last victory over the Owls. 

As it played out, 1-1 was probably a fair result – neither side showed enough to come away with 3 points. Consequently, this dull fixture was quite tough to write about. 

Our first, early chance came from a cross put in by Rhys Norrington-Davies, which Rumarn Burrell leaped at to force a tough save from Hogarth. A strong start that fizzled out as the half went on. Despite a lot of hoof-ball, possession swung our way, as did the best chances. 

The biggest of said chances came when Mbuenge picked the ball up on the half way line and found Vale, who nicely knocked it to Burrell in acres of space. He took one touch and threaded it through to Kone, who, 9 times out of 10, I’d back to score here.

To be fair, Iorfa did very well to close him down, and Weaver was there to block the far-post option, forcing him to go to the keeper’s left, which made for an easy save. Still, I feel he could have, and would have done better on another day.

It was Kone who then brought down Amass to give away a free kick on the left hand side. Then, who else would step up other than star man B*rry B*nnan?He put in a decent cross, but one that should have been dealt with. 

That is, of course, forgetting that we have one-punch-man in goal, who once again failed to successfully claim a cross, jumping with both fists in the air, missing the ball, allowing Iorfa to effectively header into an open net. Not that we’d been much the better side, but you can’t help but feel that this had killed us, again.

We were pretty all over the place from here on out, with Wednesday finding a rhythm and threatening on a few occasions. First Amass, then Palmer, smelling blood and testing Nardi’s reflexes, keeping us on the back foot for the remainder of the half.

One thing I’ve noticed about Stephan is that he’s not afraid to remove his best players. If you’re having a stinker, you’re off. Not that there were any noticeably weak performances – we just needed changes at the break. Three were made, and I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure on them all.

Vale had to come off – but I couldn’t help but feel a quick, little Northern-Irish winger would have been more suited to the long-ball strategy. As it happens, Smyth did come on towards the end (as a centre-forward) and was ineffective, and Dembele (who did come on at half-time) actually looked sharp – so that shows why I’m not a football manager. 

Hayden and Frey were the other two to come on. Hayden, despite joining the game earlier than expected, I understood, but Frey was never going to suit this game. He did okay, but taking off our fastest attacker for a big target man was the wrong decision at 1-0 down, especially against a team who were going to do everything they could to frustrate us and shut us out. Their well-organised back three were very unlikely to be fazed by Michi. 

The second half did start much better, with RND and Saito linking up on the left, and the latter’s shot resulting in a corner. Madsen put a floating ball towards the back-post which reached Kone, whose header was blocked by a hand – not the clearest of handballs, but a handball nonetheless, although plenty of refs let that slide. Madsen obviously stepped up, and sighs of relief were heard as we were level again – maybe we were about to step up a gear?

That’s not how the rest of the game panned out, with Wednesday, who need every point they can get, making it hard for us. We did get forward on more occasions than the home side, coming close a few times – notably Dembele brushing the post and Kone firing a huge chance over the bar – and we just couldn’t break them down.

RND was much, much better going forward and caused Wednesday a lot of trouble down the left-hand side – he was given man of the match by the club. He certainly did well, but scroll down to find out who I picked ahead of him. 

The lack of quality from both sides, plus Wednesday making it hard, defending well, whilst doing everything they can to frustrate us – going down, winning free kicks (they won A LOT of free kicks, particularly in their own half) and wasting time, probably made this a fair result. I didn’t come away annoyed about the draw (although, without one error we may have got more) and we should be happy to remain unbeaten in four games.

Let’s rate the men in Pink and Black.

Player Ratings:

Paul Nardi – 5.5/10

It’s becoming a weekly occurrence now. At this level, it‘s no good being a good shot-stopper (which I believe both our keepers are) if you’re going to make weekly mistakes which cost us points (which both our keepers also do). Nardi got away with one last week, he didn’t this time. 

Nardi showcased his shot-stopping ability a few times here but just continues to really let us down when it comes to crosses into the box, of which there were many – mostly coming from danger man B*rry B*nnan. 

Aside from the mistake for the goal, Nardi’s distribution, which looked to have improved last week, was back to its worst – A lot of hoofing, hitting, and hoping. Not entirely his choice – this was down to our tactics, but his execution was mostly poor. Players had to chase his kicks, often unsuccessfully.  

Jimmy Dunne – 7.5/10

A textbook Dunne performance. 6/6 aerial duels won, saving us with a handful of important clearances, and getting forward, offering help down that right-hand side for the midfield when in possession. Deserved a clean sheet and arguably an assist for Morrison’s headed chance. 

Dunne and RND were kept the busiest, with Palmer and Amass both providing threats on their respective wings, but Dunne had the added pressure of B*nnan who appeared frequently on the left-hand side and provided most of his service from there. 

Jimmy’s pace (or lack of) is probably his biggest downfall, and he was slow, but ultimately he was able to cope and show us why he’s our captain. 

Amadou Mbuenge – 7/10

Decent performance again today, some crucial interceptions and recoveries to keep us in the game. I love how Mbuenge drives forward, starts attacking moves and does everything he can to avoid the sideways pass. 

Mbuenge’s bravery going forward isn’t always a positive – he did give the ball away on a few occasions with dodgy passes or reckless decisions, but I still feel he did well. When you have three defenders who each lack a yard or two of pace, behind a double pivot of almost equally slow midfielders, having someone like Mbuenge who can run for days, and quickly, is absolutely crucial. 

Much better in the air than usual, as well. Not too many negatives from Mbuenge’s performance, and would have had a second clean sheet if not for a keeper mistake. 

Liam Morrison – 7/10

Mr Reliable was, well, just that again. Defensively solid, and good on the ball. 92% pass accuracy – the highest of any player on the pitch. Good in the air and just generally hard to beat. I say it every week now but Liam and Amadou have really gelled and formed a superb partnership. 

Morrison should have scored, with a header from 3 yards out that somehow didn’t even hit the target. A huge opportunity missed to continue a winning run. I predicted a Morrison goal last week, too. So unlucky. 

Rhys Norrington-Davies – 7.5/10

Our second best player. Liam Palmer was an outlet for Wednesday from start to finish and RND dealt with him comfortably. Much better on the ball, Rhys touched it more than anyone else on the pitch. Still got a few dodgy passes in him, but reliable defensively – both in the air and at his feet. 

Though RND may have been slightly shaky at Wrexham and again last week, he was vital in this game. Best defender amongst both sides, but also much, much better going forward. Caused Wednesday all sorts of problems.

Jonathan Varane – 6.5/10

I never thought I’d see the day where, in a midfield two of Madsen and Varane, the former was the better player. Varane wasn’t bad in the first half, and I’m sure he’ll be disappointed to have been hooked so early on – but we have a game on Wednesday and then another on Saturday, so I’m glad he’s been kept in one piece.

Varane was fine on the ball, his passing to feet was fine, and he did his defensive duties well. This game didn’t suit him, though. The long-ball plan doesn’t always work to his strengths and his own long-range distribution was poor. 

His substitution was mostly a tactical one with a pinch of fitness-based precautions and it paid off, with Hayden taking over comfortably and Madsen putting in a strong 98-minute performance. 

Nicolas Madsen – 8/10

Believe me, I am buzzing to be writing this section. I’ve probably been Madsen’s biggest critic, both on this page and away from it, and I’m happy to have finally been forced to eat my words. They don’t taste very good.

Madsen was our second-best player last week, and our best one this week. Never did I foresee that he would be holding his own against a midfield of which, whilst surrounded either side by two poor performers, Bannan has had his flag planted in the middle for years now. 

Madsen was doing what a player of his abilities should be doing. Collecting the ball from his defenders, turning, looking up and finding an attacking option. He did that very well, and also got stuck in defensively. 

At 6 ft 4, it’s nice to see Madsen finally use his height to his advantage – he actually put himself about in the air. Winning 2/2 aerial duels, Madsen also made some tackles and blocks and just had much more of a presence than his previous performances. 

The big Dane has clearly been doing his off the ball homework and digging away at it on the training ground. Madsen was everywhere – his final ball was weaker than usual but we know how effective it can be. I’m sure there was very little doubt over whether or not he’d score that penalty, either.

Koki Saito – 6/10

Frustrating one. First half, we barely used him. Whether this was down to our hoof-ball tactics, his own positioning, defenders doubling down, or just his teammates failing to find him, I’m not too sure. But Saito was not involved enough until the second half. 

Then, as soon as Saito was brought into the game, we won a corner, and subsequently a penalty. Saito did have a few shots blocked after this, however he was eventually phased out of the game again and was left frustrated by the Iorfa and Palmer duo that did well to lock him out of the game, causing him to give three free kicks away (one for a handball).

Harvey Vale – 5.5/10

A significant drop off from his previous two performances – barely involved. We’ve been playing direct football for a while now, but Vale has been able to benefit by being one of our biggest outlets when playing to feet. There wasn’t enough of that here though. Too much booting it forward for Burrell to chase, or trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to find Kone. Vale didn’t really feature.

If you’re going to play long balls for wingers/attackers to run onto, you need someone with a bit more pace than Harvey Vale. It wasn’t a game for him, and he was understandably hooked at half time. 

Rumarn Burrell – 6/10

I actually think Burrell should have stayed on for the second half. Despite playing some meagre passes, and having very few touches of the ball, Burrell did his best to chase what were, for the majority, pretty crap, hopeful long balls. 

Burrell also put it on a plate for Kone who squandered probably our best chance of the game – his biggest highlight before being subbed off at half-time. That change can probably be put down to precautions for next week as well, but I can’t help but feel that Burrell could have grown into this game and offered more than Frey despite a pretty fruitless first-half showing.

Richard Kone – 5.5/10

Bad day at the office for the new front-man. Should have scored in the first half, and was denied by a handball at the start of the second. Besides that, he was pretty poor – smashing a very big chance over the bar near the end.

I feel Kone was too isolated, particularly after Burrell’s departure, and whilst still involved, just didn’t have the presence he’s had in every other game so far.

When he did get on the ball he looked okay, but in front of goal was ineffective. First poor performance since joining, and you know what? It’s Sheffield Wednesday. So it’s expected. Hopefully he’s back to his normal self on Wednesday night.

Substitutes:

As Stephan made three half-time subs this week, these players will have sections as long as they would have had they started the game, rather than my usual bullet point format. 

Isaac Hayden – 7/10 

His best game since re-joining, not that there’s much competition – he’s not played as many minutes in any other games so far, but don’t be surprised if he starts on Wednesday night. Came in for Varane and provided a cool, experienced head (Cliche, I know) which was needed to help Madsen deal with B*nnan. 

Really crucial defensive performance – some huge tackles, interceptions and clearances, and also useful in the air, whilst also trying his best to play forward. Hayden’s passing range goes under the radar but his Premier League experience (Yes I know he was out on loan for most of his time at Newcastle) really shows on occasions. Good use of the subs’ bench.

Michael Frey – 6/10 

Didn’t agree with this substitution. I get it, he’s big and strong, and won a few headers – his first touch is good, too, allowing him to hold the ball up very well. In that sense, the long- ball game suits him. But Frey has never been good on big pitches. All of his best performances have been at home, or away at the smaller stadiums. 

Kone could have done a lot more to support him and play off him, so it’s a shame that he picked this game to play poorly, but expecting Frey to run onto long-balls or create something on a bigger pitch, is just a waste of time. Frey wasn’t poor, he did what he could, but this was the wrong change. Burrell should have stayed on longer if you ask me.

Kader Dembele – 6.5/10

Vale had to come off but I wasn’t convinced this was a game for Dembele either. He did a better job of it than the man he replaced though, getting stuck in defensively despite his size, and creating some chances, having four shots of his own (Vale didn’t have any), one of which beating the post by millimetres. 

His delivery was poor, however, and consisted of a rubbish free kick from the deep left, a couple of poor long balls, and some weak crosses. Dembele, like Saito, also committed a handful of silly, frustrating niggly fouls which killed momentum and allowed Wednesday to settle. Definitely provided some threat though, and is another one who I wouldn’t be surprised to see start on Wednesday night.

Paul Smyth – 5.5/10 

Thought that he might have more of an impact than he did. Brought on up front to replace Kone rather than out wide, Smyth was ineffective and pretty poor on the ball (in the 3 times he did get on it).

Steve Cook – N/A

Man of the Match – Nicolas Madsen

I said last week that if he keeps playing the way he did, it will come. And it has. Finally, Madsen gets his highly esteemed Ellerslie Echo man of the match. He was everywhere today. The only man who covered more ground (backed up by absolutely no stats, purely my own observation) was B*rry B*nnan. 

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I’ve always seen his potential, his technical ability is clear to see. It was always his off the ball work, which was really, really poor. 

He has really improved on that in these last two games. The first against one of the in-form teams in the division, and the second against our biggest bogey team, containing our biggest tormentor since I’ve been following the club. On a day where we looked pretty dull, and had very few strong performers, Madsen stood out amongst the rest. 

I pray that this is a turning point in his QPR career. If he plays like this for the rest of his time here, not only will it be a short-lived spell but he will go down as one of the better players we’ve had in recent years. 

Dropping deep, making himself an option, tackling, heading, intercepting, blocking, – all the buzzwords for a central midfielder – he did all of these – the things we’ve been saying he should be doing, but hasn’t.

Madsen also linked up well with Varane, then Hayden. So, fair play, Nico. Long may it continue. Please, for your own sake, and ours, keep this up. You’re capable of being such a good player. 

Donkey of the Day – Paul Nardi

Does anything need to be said? Almost unable to laugh about this one. A really, really frustrating way to throw points away, not that we were deserving of 3 in fairness. We responded well in the second half, but Nardi, please, work on your box commanding. You could be such a good keeper. 

Sheffield Wednesday star player – B*rry B*nnan

There’s a reason I’m censoring his name. This man is Voldemort for QPR fans. This isn’t one of those ‘he only turns up when he plays us’ kind of things – he is clearly a very good player and it’s not just the Rs who have been traumatised by this man. The issue is, it doesn’t matter how much better I believe our team to be than Wednesday’s, which, most of the time, is the case – if B*nnan is in the XI, we won’t be winning. 

He’s so good at this level. Somehow he manages to be everywhere at once. He’ll force a save from a shot and then appear out of nowhere to stop your counter attack on the edge of his own box. We’ve had so many different midfield combinations over the last 5ish years and they’ve all been terrorised by him. 

Surprisingly agile, good with both feet (mainly his left) with a taste for goal, particularly screamers, I struggle to see what this man can’t do. I genuinely don’t think I’m exaggerating here by saying it surprises me that he’s never had even a slight sniff of Premier League football. The bloke’s played in League One for a large chunk of his career for Christ’s sake. 

B*nnan was deeper than usual, covering a sort of left-defensive area for half of the game and providing constant threat from set-pieces as well as open play. Dunne did fairly well but it wasn’t just him that had to face him, and it wasn’t just him who had to deal with his crosses.

He ran us ragged and was given man of the match by FotMob, unsurprisingly so. Every time we play Wednesday it’s the same. He runs the show. Not much more to say. 

No other real performers from our opponents, Max Lowe had a decent game, he and Iorfa made it tough for our attackers and also provided danger from set-pieces, but nothing that our back line couldn’t deal with (the same can’t be said for the guy behind them with the gloves on).

Up Next: 

Championship Matchday 8 – Oxford United (H)

Score Prediction: QPR 2-0 Oxford United

One to Watch: Brian De Keersmaecker

I quite like Oxford’s team on paper. I’m unsure why they’ve had such a poor start to the season. Is it Rowett? Is it that it’s been a tough run? The three best opponents they’ve faced, they’ve actually done well – a 2-2 draw against Cov, the same score against Leicester, and a 3-1 win at Bristol City. Losing to Hull and now struggling Sheffield United are where U’s fans have probably been most disappointed.

There’s a few players I could’ve gone with for my one to watch – I’ve always been a fan of Cameron Brannagan but felt it would be boring to pick him. Michael Helik and Sam Long form a strong centre-half duo, but I’m going with their man of the match from Ashton Gate, Brian De Keersmaecker.

It’ll be an interesting match up between the Belgian and Nicolas Madsen – Madsen the more offensive of the two and De Keersmaecker preferring the deeper areas of midfield. 

The more defensively minded midfielder (who’s 4 inches shorter) is more agile, can read a game well and will have a massive presence on Wednesday night no doubt, so Madsen and Varane/Hayden – whoever Stephan goes with, will have to be at their best to compete with him and Brannagan. 

Oxford’s place in the table, in my view, is not reflective of how they’ve been playing. They’ve competed against some of the best teams in the league, scored a decent amount of goals, but just haven’t been able to get enough points on the board. 

I can see a comfortable Rangers win, but it won’t be too easy for us. I’m excited to see what team Stephan picks, there are a few players – Dembele, Hayden, possibly Frey, who deserve a start and might well get a shout, and I think our attack will be too much for Oxford. Man for man, we are the better side and I reckon it’ll be our first 3 points under the lights this season. 

Championship Matchday 9: Bristol City (A) 

Score Prediction: Bristol City 2-1 QPR

One to Watch: Anis Mehmeti

This will be a tough one. 4th in the league, the Robins have only lost one game all season – their surprising 3-1 loss at home to our Wednesday night opponents. City have been ruthless in front of goal so far, scoring 13 goals in 7 games. Scott Twine has been on some good form, and I’m a fan of striker Emil Riis who signed from Plymouth in the summer – he’s scored 3 in 7 so far. 

But the player who always impresses me the most when I watch this Bristol City side is Anis Mehmeti, possibly because of his similarities to a certain little Moroccan at our own club, only slightly more direct and better at finishing. 

Mehmeti finished last season with 12 goals in all competitions, but lacks in chance creation, only registering one assist. In fact, neither him or Twine are the most creative attacking midfielders, with goalscoring being their strongest assets. That’s why our midfield need to ensure they’re given as little space as possible, stopping them from firing from distance. 

The Albanian is a left-sided attacking player who can cut in on his right and do some real damage, proved by his goal against Oxford United last week – smashing it from long-range into the far corner, hitting the under-side of the bar. Mehmeti is the exact kind of footballer I enjoy watching and was quite troublesome on our last trip to Ashton Gate. 

I was surprised by Bristol City’s top 6 finish last season and thought that losing Liam Manning would knock them back down a few places, but Struber has them playing even better so far, and they’ve been one of my favourite teams to watch – intense attacking football, not shy of goals. 

We will struggle, but I back this defence not to repeat what happened at Cov, and with JCS possibly back in the side by then, we could be even stronger. However, I think the home side will edge this one, ending our (hopefully still by then) unbeaten run. 

Championship Gameweek 8 (midweek) Predictions:

Two rounds of fixtures to predict this week. 3 scores correct this week, and 1 result. An improvement! Sheffield United got their first win, away at Oxford. Birmingham continued a pretty underwhelming start to the season, whilst Blackburn got a surprising thumping at the hands of Charlton – with the home side climbing up to 7th. Boro and Cov continued their unbeaten starts, whilst Derby got sucked closer to the drop. Here’s my midweek predictions, followed by my weekend shouts.

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

Championship Gameweek 9 Predictions:

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

An underwhelming yet positive result, continuing a much needed run of good, optimistic results, which I can see continuing in the week but coming to an end on Saturday. That’s Hillsborough out the way, anyway. Just the one more visit to W12 for that little balding Scottish man, I hope. Death, taxes and B*rry B*nnan. See you next week.

You R’s.