Ellerslie Echo

When You Don’t Take Your Chances…

This international break, for some reason, felt like months off – likely due to the high we felt from a 6-game unbeaten run and winning on the road most recently. So it felt bloody good to be back, and with the announcement of three key players (plus the briefly injured RND) returning to the squad, the excitement for this one was suspiciously high. 

London derbies don’t get played at 3pm anymore. It just doesn’t happen. A mix of Sky Sports re-scheduling and over-policing make it a pain for match going fans. But the last South London team to visit at 12:30 on a Saturday, also on Sky, we brushed aside, so fans were slightly optimistic despite only beating Millwall once in our last 5 meetings.

Going into this game, as the Sky Sports commentator was sure to keep reminding you, QPR were the ‘in-form team’ in the championship – unbeaten at home and no losses since Cov away. Millwall had also just smashed West Brom 3-0 and were yet to lose away from home in the league. I expected a draw, but on paper it was really one that could’ve gone either way. 

As it turned out, none of the three returning players – Chair, Poku or JCS – were in the Matchday squad. Not that you would’ve expected them to get many minutes of course, but when social media this week has seen nothing but talk about how stacked our attack now looks, it’s going to be underwhelming when you look at the team sheet and don’t see one of the returning names. 

Rhys Norrington-Davies, who was even more doubtful than the other three, was thrown straight back into the starting XI – probably in a bid to compete physically against Alex Neil’s aggressive Millwall side. Steve Cook kept his spot after a strong couple of performances, with internationals Saito and Burrell benched for Frey and Smyth.

It started immediately well, with a Jimmy Dunne quick throw being skillfully knocked down by Frey for Smyth to hit a satisfyingly struck volley which Max Crocombe had to get down for. A chance to go ahead 30 seconds in. We were pressing high and not giving Millwall any space or time to breathe. We looked sharp. 

Not long after, Massimo Luongo brought down Harvey Vale on the right wing, who whipped the resulting free kick in to no one, but after a Smyth ball back into the box was headed away, Cook was able to get a shot off from the edge of the box which nearly deflected its way to Kone, who claimed to have been brought down – I wasn’t convinced, and neither was the ref.

Millwall’s first chance came when Varane gave the ball away in a dangerous area of midfield, with Luongo the beneficiary, finding Smallbone whose long range effort forced one of the best saves we’ve seen from Nardi for a long time.

Luongo went down at 15 minutes, and stayed down for a long time. He didn’t look to be in a huge amount of pain but it was clearly a serious injury, which meant he couldn’t walk off the pitch, requiring a stretcher. The R’s faithful wished him well by singing his name as he was carried off.

Mass was replaced by Casper De Norre who, on his day, is capable of being one of the best midfielders in the division. The kind of ball-carrying, tough-tackling, ground-covering player that QPR often struggle to contain.

Rangers continued to look hungry, and keen to keep their run of form going. We looked comfortable in midfield, and good in the build up, and just kept going at them. Another Jimmy Dunne header in his favourite area of the pitch started another attack, where Frey and Kone linked up nicely to find Smyth, whose shot shook the bar. 

It’s looking good so far, but we need to put one of these chances away. The end product is lacking. 

An excellent first 30 minutes which was yet to be rewarded – Kone was playing well in the hole, and Smyth and Frey were making hard enough work of it for the defenders. But we just couldn’t break them down.

Due to a mix of good defending and bad decision making, the shots we could get off were of poor quality – like Kone’s awkward volley that went straight into the School end, and his scuffed shot that beat the post. So far, sloppy in front of goal from the Ivorian. 

Now 36 minutes of very promising, entertaining attacking football, still no reward. 

When you’re playing that well, getting forward that much, but not scoring, it only takes one good long ball for it to all crumble, and that’s exactly what happened. Kone was tackled on the right-wing enabling Billy Mitchell (no, not that one) to play a Pirlo-esque pass from deep to Femi Azeez who made a brilliant run past a trudging Steve Cook and did well to control it, and get a shot off. 

This was a weird one. It’s hard to fully pin the blame on Nardi, he did manage to save the first attempt, but his positioning was dreadful. He didn’t know if he was coming or going – dead centre in the middle of his box, allowing Azeez far too much time and space to make a decision and get a shot off.

Nardi’s save also fell straight back to the forward, whose rebound went through Nardi’s weakly planted fingertips and straight at Steve Cook, who, instead of blocking and booting it away, fell backwards into the net, along with the ball. 

36 minutes of near domination ruined by sleepy defending and wobbly goalkeeping. Mitchell was also given too much room to look up and make that pass – joint responsibility from Madsen and Varane. A good attack from a Millwall point of view, but an avoidable goal. Frustrating, but not game over yet. 

Heads weren’t lost after going behind, and we did continue to compete, winning corners and free kicks and posing a threat as we searched for an equaliser. There were a couple of let offs though, e.g. Madsen giving the ball away in our half, leading to an Azeez cross towards the back post which Ivanovic couldn’t reach. 

The Serb got a second chance when our entire back four and midfield decided to switch off and let a pretty poor cross, from the same position and same player, fly past 4 men in the box and reach him for an easy header past an unreactive Nardi.

There was a flick on from Varane, but there were three more men behind him who could’ve done something about it. that’s a really sloppy goal. Inattentive defending. 1-0 was frustrating, it happens. 2-0 was inexcusable.

Then, as the Millwall players ran over to the R block celebrating, the usual arms began to fly up in the air from the defenders, some looking over towards the Lino in the hope that maybe there was an offside there. 

No accountability, no responsibility, just moaning, shrugging and arm-waving. 

At this point, it was deserved. Wasteful in front of goal, sleepy at the back and uninspiring in the middle. A real collapse in the last 15 minutes of the half, undoing half an hour of really stimulating football. 

We knew what would now come in the second half – Millwall sitting back, bullying us (they’d already committed a number of fouls in the first half) and just making it impossible to get anything. 

That’s what they did. Cooper, Crama and Leonard sitting deep with Mitchell and De Norre sweeping in front of them. We needed fresh legs if we were going to trouble them. So, on the 54th minute, Dembele joined play in place of an underperforming Vale, with Morrison getting a knock, meaning Mbuenge was able to add some spice to the game.

The two of them did eventually make an impact but it wasn’t till 7 minutes later when Saito and Burrell were also thrown on that we were able to really tire them out and cause some trouble. From that point onwards it was surely a matter of time before we at least got one back. 

All four of these subs came on and allowed us to continue competing – outperforming the starters and giving us a fighting chance. The same theme of the first half remained however – wasting chances, making poor decisions and losing concentration. 

Jimmy Dunne came close from a corner, Mbuenge made a nice drive forward and put a promising cross in, Kone skied a shot and Dembele had a couple of chances, but it wasn’t happening. As frustrating as it was to waste so many opportunities, it’s a positive to see us fighting till the end and not embarrassing ourselves.

It wasn’t until the 85th minute however, that a move, started by Burrell, created by Dembele, assisted by Saito and then finished off again by Burrell, had us back in the game.

It felt like too little too late at the time, but for the remaining 13 minutes, Millwall were hanging on for dear life, relying on our silly decisions and poor end-product to get them over the line (that’s not to say they didn’t defend well).

Three chances to equalise stood out – A Dembele volley, which he had more than enough time and space to bring down, and create something proper, A Burrell header which really felt like it could’ve been the one, and a Steve Cook Bicycle kick in the dying moments which was welcomed by rolling eyes and audible sighs.

It was decision making like this that made it such a frustrating one. A loss was a fair result, we weren’t robbed, but when you compete like that in a game and come away with nothing because of sloppy attacking and dozy defending, it’s hard not to be irritated.

That being said, despite the loss, we competed against one of the ‘dark horses’ of the division, didn’t look out of our depth at any moment, looked comfortably the better side for a big chunk of the game, and still managed to score – there still is yet to be a game we haven’t scored in.

Plenty of positives to take from this, but as I said after Bristol, if you don’t take your chances, you get punished. This time it was us who faced punishment. 

This isn’t a loss to get upset about though. It’s one to learn from and continue playing the way we are, with some fine tuning in all areas of the pitch. We’re blatantly moving in the right direction, and we continue to prove that. 

Player Ratings:

Paul Nardi – 6/10

Highly, though not solely, at fault for the first goal, in another weekly instalment of his continuous campaign to get QPR to find a new goalkeeper. Made a couple of good saves, notably the camera save for Smallbone’s first half shot which he has since posted on his instagram story. 

Jimmy Dunne – 7/10

Dunne’s performances are going very unappreciated by our own fan base at the moment, and I’m not sure why. Possibly because we’ve had a few shaky moments at the back, such as the goal at Bristol, or the second Millwall goal, or maybe because any winger with pace has been able to get the better of him at least once a game and get a cross in. 

However, I think Dunne has been one of our best players this season, highly underrated. He was his usual self here, winning headers (11 aerial duels won. Eleven!!) against one of the most physical sides in the league, defending well but also providing an option down the right hand side. 

Dunne’s technical ability is obviously not the greatest but he does his best to link up with the midfield, and I think that 80% of the time, he doesn’t do a bad job of it – Dunne also won 3 fouls. For me, pace has been the captain’s only real shortfall this season. 

Steve Cook – 6/10

It was understood why Cookie was kept in the lineup for this one – aside from being on good form, he’s an experienced, physical defender who can provide stability against a well-drilled, aggressive team. This wasn’t a good day for him though. He just couldn’t get anything right. Pathetic attempt to stop the first, and played a part in Ivanovic being allowed to score the second. 

Cook, whilst mostly strong in the air was struggling to keep up with Azeez’s pace and skill. I said before that Cook has shown why he still has a place in this squad – I still believe that, but he’s probably not a starter. 

Liam Morrison – 5.5/10

Went off early in the second half due to a knock. Didn’t have a very strong first half. Not really involved, and when he was called upon, wasn’t amazing. A rare poor performance from Morrison, but not cause for concern, unless his injury is serious..  

Rhys Norrington-Davies – 6.5/10

RND is not far off Jimmy Dunne when it comes to aerial presence, and that showed here, but he was nowhere to be seen for either of the crosses that Azeez was able to put in from the exact same position – exactly where RND should be to stop that from happening. Again, not a terrible performance from the loanee, but arguably his worst so far. 

Jonathan Varane – 6/10

An off day for Varane. Poor decision making, poor passing, giving the ball away – just generally not at his best. Not much to say about it, but Varane stood out as one of our weaker performances, with Mitchell, Luongo and then De Norre showing him up in midfield.

Varane also flicked the ball on for the second goal, an unfortunate but avoidable mistake which threw the rest of his defence off (not to take any blame away from them). 

Nicolas Madsen – 6.5/10

The better of the two in midfield, Madsen’s passing and movement was decent, but the defensive work was lacking. In the first 30, I’d argue Madsen was one of if not the best player on the pitch, but once Millwall went ahead, Madsen went a bit quiet in terms of duels and tackles, but on the ball, was still a big outlet – whipping balls in, trying to create, and making the most passes of anyone on the pitch.

Harvey Vale – 5.5/10

Another one who had an off day. Couldn’t really tell you anything noteworthy that Vale did? Nothing comes to mind other than his (poorly) taken free kick which led to a chance on goal. Stephan was right to remove him. 

Paul Smyth – 6/10

Started off brilliantly, with his volley testing the goalkeeper 30 seconds in, then hitting the bar, and just generally linking up well with Frey and Kone. However, after Millwall went ahead, we didn’t hear from Smyth again. Drifted out of the game completely. Hooked on 61 minutes. 

Richard Kone – 6/10

I think we may start to see Kone as a number 9 soon. He does well as a 10 – holding the ball up well, bringing strikers and wingers into play, creating chances (for himself and those around him) – and is crucial, but I’d like to see him in the box more. Frey and Burrell aren’t as effective in the area as him, and so with Poku and Chair now back to play behind him, I feel he should be played as a striker again.

Saying that – the chances at goal Kone did have, he scuffed. At least three chances come to mind where he could have done a lot better, but didn’t even hit the target. To summarise – Kone did the ‘second striker’ role very well, but the ‘striker’ bit quite poorly. We know he’s capable of doing both well though.

Michal Frey – 5.5/10

Another one who started well, but after going behind, completely disappeared. Highlight of the game for Frey was his back-heeled lay off for Smyth’s volley. I really hope Frey remains part of Stephan’s plans, even if it’s the odd cameo.   

Substitutes:

• Amadou Mbuenge (54’) – 7/10 –  Didn’t concede with him on the pitch – though partly because of Millwall’s reluctance to leave their own half. Mbuenge also got forward and played some nice long balls, as well as a lovely cross that should’ve come to something.
• Kader Dembele (54’) – 6/10 – Thought Kaddie looked okay when he came on. Played a part in creating the goal, and was a definite upgrade on Vale’s performance. However, the end product still lacks with Dembele, some really poor shooting on show, and zero out of seven – yes, zero out of seven – accurate crosses. 
• Koki Saito (61’) – 6.5/10 – Understood why he didn’t start, but just as he has on other occasions off the bench, Koki changed the game and made it clear why he’s such a vital player for us. Running at the opposition and just being tough to deal with – getting a deserved assist. 
• Rumarn Burrell (61’) – 6.5/10 – Would have been higher had he put that header away. Burrell also brought his usual energy to the game and caused problems for Millwall. Started and finished the move for our goal, and gave us a real fighting chance.
• Kieran Morgan (71’) – Not a bad cameo from the returning Morgan, playing some nice passes and getting forward, but weak defensively, not winning any duels or tackles. Won a corner from a shot outside the box. Good to see him back in the side. 

Man of the Match – Amadou Mbuenge

It was obviously between the two sevens I’ve given out as to who was my man of the match. Dunne did have a solid game overall, but I just didn’t feel right giving him man of the match after his involvement in the second goal. 

Mbuenge was one of our best players after coming on, both defensively and going forward – so I’m putting him down as my first man of the match off the bench. Not a mind-blowing performance, but I do think Mbuenge deserves some praise after this one. He also technically kept a clean sheet.

With most looking pretty average, Mbuenge, Dunne and, in my view, Madsen, stood out as Rangers’ best players here. 

Donkey of the Day – Jonathan Varane

A slightly harsh one here but that flick on for the second goal gets the onion here. Could have given it to Nardi but I’ve given too many of these to keepers already – someone else has got to take one home. Not much he could do about it but it’s thrown off the entire defence (they were sleeping) and led to a silly goal. Unlucky but still my donkey.

Millwall star player – Femi Azeez

My one to watch once again being the best player on the pitch. It’s almost like football is easy to predict! Azeez was a nightmare from start to finish. An excellent run and control for his goal, though it should’ve been prevented. Then two crosses from the right-wing, the worse of the two leading to a goal. A deserved man of the match was awarded to Azeez for his performance. Not many complaints about that. 

Up Next: 

Championship Matchday 11: Swansea City (A)

Score Prediction: Swansea City 0-1 QPR

One to Watch: Gonçalo Franco

I’ll admit I’m not massively clued up on Swansea’s team – they’ve been pretty average so far this season, pretty much bang on where I expected them to be.

I wasn’t massively convinced by their transfer business though – upwards of £5 million on Adam Idah, who Celtic fans were happy to see go from what I could make out, and around the same on Zeidane Inoussa who doesn’t seem to have set the world alight either. 

Under Luke Williams, Swansea absolutely dominated Rangers on our last trip to South Wales, then, under new manager Alan Sheehan, took a much more direct approach, rather than the slow build that we saw at the Liberty. Whilst not hogging the ball as much, they still managed to beat us convincingly. 

Sheehan’s football, from what I’ve been able to gather, can be very closely compared to what Stephan has had our boys playing since our tactical switch – high-energy, transitional football, rather than just knocking it around aimlessly until a door opens like we did under Marti.

My unfamiliarity with Swansea’s squad and their playing style is why I’m finding it difficult to choose one to watch out of their bunch. Ben Cabango at the back has been a key player for the Swans but 10 goals conceded in 10 games, whilst amongst the better defensive records, isn’t exactly something to shout about. 

So I’m going to play it safe and go with one of their midfielders, Gonçalo Franco. Franco scored the third in Swansea’s 3-0 first half walkover on Boxing Day, and was generally one of the better players on the pitch.

The defensive midfielder has arguably been one of Swansea’s most important players so far this season and it’s a bit hit or miss this season on whether or not our midfield will decide to turn up on the day. 

Madsen has improved massively and been a key player this season but he and Varane still have off days and this was one of them, so they’ll have to be back to their best to compete in midfield with Franco, Cullen and Stamenic.

Swansea rank in the top 5 for average possession so I don’t expect us to see a lot of the ball, but we’ll need to be tighter in the middle to stop Cullen from finding the space to excel. 

Swansea are however, one of the lower ranking teams for goals scored, with their biggest threat coming in the form of Zan Vipotnik – a much more prolific Slovenian than the one we signed last summer, who will have a big physical presence (so don’t be surprised to see Cook in the side again).

Whoever does form the back line, will have to be switched on, ensuring that goals like the ones conceded at Bristol and at home to Millwall this weekend don’t happen. After all, it was these kinds of lapses in concentration that led to Swansea’s goals last time we visited.

It’ll be interesting to see how Stephan approaches this. Not only tactically but in terms of team selection. He’s got a full squad to choose from – I can’t remember the last time we were able to say that?

With an efficient, possessive team like Swansea, we may have to rely on counter attacks, but I back our attacking players to get something out of this, and our defenders to keep them quiet. I’m backing the boys to win 1-0. Burrell with the goal.

Championship Gameweek 11 Predictions: 

5 results and 1 score correct this week. Happy with that. Most pleased with the Hull away win at Birmingham – their first home loss in 30 something games, predicted correctly by me. Cov remain unbeaten, Boro are still just a point behind them. Stoke remain 3rd – we, once again, could have been joint on points with them with a win. 

Marti continues a good run at Leicester – their last loss coming over two months ago. Saturday’s opponents Derby are yet to win a game, they’re hanging around the bottom and at dangerous risk of falling behind, along with Eustace’s former club Blackburn. The city of Sheffield still shares the bottom two spots. 

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

A frustrating loss, but not one to get caught up on. Millwall are a good side, we’re not a bad one either. We competed from start to finish but lost out due to silly defending and wasteful attacking. Unbeaten run over, and a huge opportunity missed (once again) but it’s early days. Plenty of things to be positive about. See you after Derby. 

You R’s.