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QPR 2-1 Ipswich Town - Match Report Monday, 2nd Jan 2017 17:01
Pawel Wszolek netted in the 83rd minute as the Blues opened 2017 with a 2-1 defeat at QPR. The home side went in front via Idrissa Sylla’s goal on the half hour before Tom Lawrence smashed in a brilliant equaliser for the Blues, who will feel they should have taken at least a point from the match but were again left rueing defensive mistakes.
Josh Emmanuel replaced Grant Ward in an otherwise unchanged Town XI, which lined-up in a 3-5-2 formation.
Emmanuel started at right wing-back with Myles Kenlock at left wing-back with skipper Luke Chambers, Adam Webster and Christophe Berra the three centre-halves.
Cole Skuse, Kevin Bru and Tom Lawrence were in central midfield with Brett Pitman again partnering David McGoldrick up front.
QPR made two changes with Jordan Cousins and Ariel Borysiuk taking over from Sandro and Yeni Ngbakoto in midfield. Irish youngster Ryan Manning, who trained with the Town academy as a schoolboy, made his senior home debut.
The game started frantically but with neither side being able to create an opening. QPR wideman Jamie Mackie was probably fortunate not to pick up an early yellow card for a late challenge on Webster, who was playing in the centre of the Town defensive three.
In the 10th minute Pitman took a nasty kick in the face from Ariel Borysiuk on halfway but was OK to carry on after treatment. Referee Tony Harrington had waved play on with Lawrence breaking into the final third but the on-loan Leicester man was crowded out, although believing he had been fouled.
Town, in their Barcelona-style third kit, threatened for the first time in the 13th minute when Lawrence sent in an under-hit freekick from the left and McGoldrick’s header looped over the bar.
But the Blues were getting on top and were having most of the ball. On 14 QPR keeper Smithies was forced off out of his goal to his left to paw away a Pitman flick intended for Bru.
Then, from the resultant corner, the ex-Huddersfield man did well to get down to his left to save McGoldrick’s well-struck shot from a tight angle on the right.
On 17 Lawrence played Emmanuel in on the right of the box, the youngster crossing towards Pitman from the byline but a defender blocked.
The game switched to the other end with QPR winning a series of corners but without turning them into a significant chance.
McGoldrick threatened again in the 27th minute after Skuse cut out a QPR attack on the edge of the Town box and sent the Irish international striker away. The Blues number 10 tricked his way past Joel Lynch before hitting a shot which the former Huddersfield man managed to get back to block. A subsequent cross similarly found Lynch in its path.
But despite the Blues having had the better of the game’s few chances, the home side took the lead on the half hour.
Berra misjudged a James Perch long throw from the right, his header looping into the box behind him, and escaped Webster to powerfully volley past Bialkowski from close range as the ball came over his shoulder.
From Sylla’s perspective it was a fantastic strike but from Town’s it was a goal which shouldn’t have been conceded.
Soon after the goal Sylla underwent treatment for a head injury and was eventually replaced by summer Town target Conor Washington.
Deep in four minutes of injury time largely as a result of the Sylla injury, the Blues won a freekick on the left midway inside the QPR half. Lawrence’s initial ball into the box was returned to him and his subsequent cross found Chambers at the far post from where the skipper smashed a shot high and wide from a tight angle when he ought to have sent a low ball across the area.
The Blues hadn’t deserved to be behind at the break having had the better of the half overall, keeping the ball and moving it around confidently at times, and having created most of the period’s few opportunities.
The change of system had allowed Emmanuel and Kenlock to get forward on either flank, while the back three had been largely comfortable.
But Smithies had only really been tested by McGoldrick’s effort at his near post. At the other end Sylla’s goal - which was brilliantly taken but as so often recently came as a result of a series of Town errors - had been the only QPR chance of note.
Presumably in order to address the lack of chances, the Blues switched Emmanuel for Grant Ward ahead of the second half as they moved back to 4-4-2.
Three minutes after the restart the Blues got back on terms with another goal of the season contender to compete with Pitman’s winner against Bristol City on Friday.
Skuse played the ball to Lawrence in space 25 yards out and the Wales international slammed a superb strike past Smithies and into the net off the inside of his right post.
Two minutes after the goal Ward played in Pitman but Grant Hall was able get across to force the bouncing ball out for corner before the striker could get it under control.
The half had quickly developed into an end-to-end affair and Washington forced Bialkowski into his first save of the afternoon with a shot from a tight angle on the left.
Smithies again saved at his near post from McGoldrick in the 53rd minute, this time down to his right, then the Town frontman crossed from the right for his strike partner Pitman, who headed wide but having strayed offside.
On 66 Kenlock confidently skipped in from the left, nutmegging Perch, before hitting a low cross-shot which Smithies pawed behind.
Three minutes later, Jonathan Douglas replaced Bru with boos from some in the 2,324-strong Town support greeting the Irishman, while the home side switched Manning for Abdenasser El Khayati. With 14 minutes left Jonas Knudsen replaced Kenlock.
Two minutes later, McGoldrick sent Lawrence away as Town counter-attacked quickly but the 22-year-old was unable to repeat his early strike and shot well over.
The Blues were by now sitting back, allowing the home side to take the game to them and looking to catch them on the break but were still looking the more likely winners.
McGoldrick had another chance with seven minutes left on the clock after Lawrence had cut the ball back to him from the left but the striker blazed over.
But Town’s failure to take chances such as that one was to prove costly in the 83rd minute when QPR went back in front.
Nedum Onuoha played a hopeful long ball forward, Webster allowed Wszolek to get behind him and the Pole rounded Bialkowski before tapping home. Once again it was a goal which owed a great deal to a Town defensive error.
In three minutes of injury time McGoldrick scuffed a shot through to Smithies and Town were still pressing at the final whistle, the QPR keeper claiming a long Knudsen throw from the left as time ran out.
It was a game which the Blues would probably have been disappointed to have drawn let alone lost, having been on top for the most part and having had the better of the game’s opportunities.
However, the overall performance was let down by defensive errors which led to both QPR goals and - aside from Lawrence’s excellent equaliser - a lack of clinical finishing at the other end.
The result sees the Blues drop a place to 15th ahead of Saturday's FA Cup third round tie against Lincoln City at Portman Road with their next league game at home to Blackburn the following weekend.
Hmmm I sense an awful lot of people being REALLY disillusioned and/or depressed tonight??? :-) lol .... so to lighten up the mood I decided to return to TWTD not merely to put in my unbearable 2 shillings worth, but primarily and initially to give you all good New Year's laugh (as always it requires at least a basic 'sense of humor' though! lol):
TODAY'S ITFC 60 BILLION £ QUIZZZZZZZZZ QUESTION:
"WHAT DO YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH BUT DON'T SWALLOW?"
Hint no.1: Ehhhm perhaps there are really more than just one plausible correct answer to the one posed in this unforgettable episode of the Steve Harvey Show in the above video , but it could be, repeat could be, something Mick 'The Wimpy Dinosaur' McCarthy definitely do not have!!!!!!!! :-) :-) :-) :-) lol
To those that still can't figure what I'm alluding to here ... well here's Hint no. 2 then: :-) :-) :-) :-) lol
- -
During the last 4 years we have seen plenty of wimpy, unsound and outright mind-boggling substitutions (or lack hereof!) by the self-perceived Irish Football Genius ... but today's ones (and why only use the 2 btw?) is right up there in the very top 3 on my personal list!!!
QPR is undebatably a true dysfunctional and poor 1st class sheiiiite team this season, pre as well as post Holloway, especially without one of their very few bright spots: Idrissa Sylla! So in short they were in the very purest form "THERE FOR THE TAKING" ladies & gents.... if not directly from the kickoff (Form Curve: Generally terrible terrible incompetent in both ends of the field and with just 1 win in last 7, and a rather lucky one at that!) then at the very least shortly after Sylla had to leave the "building" around the half hour! But ohhhh no! As is as has been the case in 95% of league matches wimpy Mick is 100 times more preoccupied tactically about the dreaded possibility of him/us losing than he is about setting up and trying wholeheartedly to win it ... and thus winning it in OTHER than more or less strictly FORTUITOUSLY fashion often by "nicking it" close to or at the very "Death" of a match, which btw has happened on no less than on 3 separate occasions lately, something which combined with a number of other cases of unmistakably good fortune in a couple of other recent matches and despite all of ME's indifference to ITFC simply must have been quite instrumental in Mick still holding a job to this date!
Aye Wimpy Mick might very well have acquired an almost admirable spectacular talent for Houdini-like escape stunts during this torrid season, but when all is said and done --- including all the biweekly by the Dinosaur himself or else clearly by Ian Milne orchestrated Public Relation and Damage Control utter BS & Utopian drivel! -- he is still and will obviously continue to be: The same old same old "Deez-Nuts"-less, NEGATIVE-laden, FAVORITES-preferring tactical-INEPT unentertaining wimpy Dinosaur as he has always been here, aye basically from Day 1 .... where btw ANY ultra defensive-minded & 'parking-the-bus' happy half decent manager could have saved us after PJ and certainly far far from "only Mick, only Mick" as an astounding number of deluded fans still hold in strong belief???!!!
And as 100% customary with someone suffering from 'Delusion of Granduer' etc. Mick will continue to blame point failures as today's one on other peoples mistakes rather than on his blatantly obvious all-embracing own ones!
Bottom-line: How ANYONE in their right frame of mind can still be happily "complacent" about let alone all-in support this unwavering Dino of a man and his innumerous flawed dispositions , not only here and now but also going forward in time, is in short a bigger mystery to the REST of Mankind than both The Shroud of Turin, The Loch Ness Monster, The Abominable Snowman, The Devil's Footprint, Jack The Ripper, Roswell, The Bermuda Triangle , and Malaysian Airlines MH370 combined!!!!!!!!!!
Keep on refreshing the home page hoping that the next headline is that mick has gone.......don't want to wish ill on anyone but Mick it's time to go (Think the £1m payoff will smooth the way so not too worried that he would be disappointed!!) COYB
Just got home from the game, How can mick justify what changes he made today. He looks and sounds like he has had enough, please can we get rid and rebuild with someone playing more attacking and attractive football. I think even the mick stay camp secretly have had enough now
As much as it pains me to it I just get the feeling that MM isnt going anywhere soon. He's so stubburn that he won't leave and our invisible owner doesn't care enough to sack him. I wish we could stop talking about this and get back to talking about the games.
Mick had everything to gain by bringing on Dozzell or Sears for Bru because most people on here would of said that was the right decision but he brings on ............Douglas and loses the plot once again. WHY MICK WHY?
We WILL lose to lincoln, trust me. He will not play his strongest team. He doesnt care about the cup and he doesnt care about the club. Exit door is there mick , all you gotta do is walk through it, we're waiting........
The decision to bring Douglas on really defies belief. However guys, u have to be fair about Knudsen coming on as Kenlock was injured. And also, despite manys prejudice against Knudsen, he has been our most consistent defender. His only real weakness has bern his delivery into the box. And the only defender who can be blamed for the winning goal has to be Webster who got caught out by a long ball.
Some of the insults that has been directed at Mick so far has been disgusting. Don't get me wrong I want the town to do better, but if I was to be constantly bombarbed with some of the insults that Mick has received at my work I don't think I could do my job. I think people tend to forget the players and manager are still only human. No one deserves to put up with that no matter how much you get paid.
Just to add,like several,cant believe how sycophantic Brenner Wooley is when interviewing McCarthy.Is he scared of the fella or something,as I am not.
Don't think he has ever asked a searching question in his after match interviews,unlike Stuart Watson of the EADT.Perhaps it is because he fears he may be banned from the ground,as I recall happened once many years ago.Think the reporters surname was Davis;but I could be wrong as it was a long while ago.
Does anybody else remember it,or is my old mind starting to play tricks?
Blues1 - totally agree, but baffling decision to bring on Douglas (who has been exceptionally poor this season), instead of Dozzell (man of the match last game from the bench). I can only imagine that Dozzell is carrying an injury.
Have to agree with Lukeybluey too. The insults against Mick are over the top. The petition was extremely telling, many fans (not me btw) still want Mick, and ME isn't going to sack him and he's not going to quit. We might have to get used to the fact that he is going to be running the team for a long while still. So do we continually attack him and the team or lower our expectations and accept that we are the poundsavers of the championship? (So therefore should be happy with avoiding relegation).
Huge plus to the away supporters. That we continue to have such a following in these turbulent times deserves praise. I hope you keep following the Town away. If anyone wants to make a point by not going to matches, then make it the home games, where your protest will be more obvious. Personally, despite being very disillusioned, not just with the results but with the whole feeling around our team at the moment, I will continue to attend any matches I can. (Support the Town, up or down, and all that.) But then I can only get to a few games a season, so I don't have to suffer first hand the dismal performances on the pitch. I do fear for our survival in the Championship now if this negative spiral continues.
Perhaps Mick owed mate Ollie a favour by not trying to win it through bringing our brightest midfielder on and making another poor substitution at the critical stage. Only explanation I can think of apart from making a mean comment about MMs ability to show some ballsAll diabolically disappointing.
Surely when you are in our position any manager who has the slightest ambition to move up the Table would go for it in games like this. Be fascinating to see the team for the FA Cup round. What odds that Andrew starts along with most of the other young us in the squad
still some who believe in the'' Nob from the North''. I cant understand how anyone can have any faith in him still Sadly Evans does it seems. I at the age of 70 am deeply saddened to see the club I love and have supported for 50yrs being torn apart and destroyed by the owners apathy
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