First-half goals from Luke Freeman, direct from a corner, and Tomer Hemed, from the penalty spot, gave QPR a comfortable 2-0 victory over dismal Town at Portman Road, where the Blues remain without a win in more than six months. Freeman curled his flag-kick over keeper Dean Gerken on 13 and Hemed netted from the spot in first-half injury time.

Town boss Paul Hurst named the same XI which started the 3-2 win, the Blues' first of the season, at Swansea a fortnight ago.

That saw Matthew Pennington again at right-back and Janoi Donacien on the left with Jonas Knudsen on the bench, which was also unchanged from the trip to the Liberty Stadium.

Skipper Luke Chambers was over the illness which a number of players had suffered from during the last week and took his usual role at the centre of the defence, while Grant Ward, who we understand was the mystery pre-match injury doubt, was also in the XI.

QPR, wearing a lurid pink away kit, made two changes from the team which drew 1-1 at home with Derby prior to the international break with Hemed and Pawel Wszolek replacing one-time Town trialist Nahki Wells and Jordan Cousins, who dropped to the bench.

The visitors, kicking towards the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand, had the best of the opening few minutes but without creating a chance, although former Blues loanee Massimo Luongo blazed well wide following a corner on eight.

Three minutes later, Rangers went closer when Hemed headed over from another flag-kick.

The West Londoners threatened again on 13 when Wszolek got on to Chambers’s header back towards Gerken as they chased a ball down the right but the keeper saved the Polish international’s shot from a tight angle.

However, directly from the corner the visitors took the lead. Freeman curled the ball in under the bar and Gerken was unable to get enough on it to turn it over.

Town found themselves behind before they had got going via another very preventable goal.

The visitors continued to have most of the ball and make all the running with the Blues unable to string anything together until the half-hour mark when a long spell of passing, largely orchestrated by Andre Dozzell, ended with Gwion Edwards whipping over a cross which was beyond any of his team-mates.

Moments later at the other end, a loose Nsiala pass gave the ball to Wszolek, who broke into the area before his shot was blocked.

Town were showing signs of finally making some headway, however, and they might have levelled on 35. Chalobah broke forward into the right of the box and cut back to an unmarked Ward, who mistimed his shot and the ball looped well wide.

But moments before the break the Blues found themselves 2-0 behind. After they had failed to clear another of Freeman’s corners from the right, the ball fell to Eberechi Eze, who tried to work himself space in the box before Nsiala slid in and upended him.

There was little doubt that it was a penalty and Hemed found the net from the spot with a low shot to Gerken’s left.

The whistle went within seconds to loud boos from the Portman Road crowd after a disastrous half from the Blues.

QPR started the stronger before being gifted their goal by they type of error which has been all to common from Town’s keepers and defence all season.

The Blues had started to get into the game and might have equalised through Ward - their only chance of the half - before QPR were handed their penalty and increased lead via Nsiala’s rash challenge.

QPR almost increased their lead within seconds of the restart. Eke’s boot appeared to be high as he took the ball off Chambers’s head just outside the box but referee Geoff Eltringham failed to whistle. Fortunately for Town Gerken had come off his line quickly and saved from the England U20 international.

QPR skipper Toni Leistner was shown the game’s first yellow card in the 53rd minute for a foul on Sears midway inside the visitors’ half. The freekick was in a potentially dangerous position but Ward’s ball into the box was easy for the QPR defence to deal with.

Four minutes later Wszolek shot from distance straight at Gerken, then on 59 Pennington made a strong run forward from deep and played a ball for Sears but the striker had strayed offside.

QPR keeper Joe Lumley was forced into his first save of the afternoon in the 61st minute to sarcastic cheers from some sections of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.

Sears broke away on the left and sent a cross behind Edwards at the far post. Chalobah picked the ball up and sent it back in to Ward, whose header was too close to the QPR keeper to seriously trouble him.

Blues boss Hurst made a double change in the 66th minute with Ward and Edwards making way for Kayden Jackson and 18-year-old debutant Jack Lankester, the first player born in the 2000s to appear for the Town first team.

The subs got involved immediately, Jackson breaking away on the left of the box and sending the ball across towards Lankester on the edge of the six-yard box, however a defender cleared ahead of the youngster.

Three minutes later, Gerken saved from Hemed, then on 71 the visitors had another chance to wrap it up when the Blues made a dreadful mess of a freekick in a promising position and Eze was sent away on goal by QPR with Skuse just sliding in to dispossess the youngster as he prepared to shoot.

Former Wycombe Wanderers loanee Eze went closer to his side’s third goal of the game two minutes later, deftly chipping over Gerken from the edge of the box but seeing the ball bounce off the top of the bar and over.

Yet another loose Town pass, this time from Nsiala, gifted the ball to Eze inside the Blues half on 79 but the impressive youngster’s cross was cut out after he had broken into the area.

A third QPR goal was looking far more likely than a Town first but on 84 Sears sent in a low cross from the right which a visiting defender stabbed away from Jackson.

On 89 Lumley was forced to rush of his line to intercept Dozzell’s pass for Jackson to chase, then ran out of his area to complete the clearance before Josh Scowen replaced man of the match Eze.

The final whistle triggered more boos from the Portman Road faithful after probably the Blues’ worst performance of the season.

QPR were the better side from start to finish with Town on the back foot throughout aside from a couple of brief spells in the first half, all too often surrendering possession needlessly and often in dangerous areas.

They continued their season-long habit of gifting goals and in the end the two-goal margin flattered the home side with the visitors spurning a number of chances and Gerken making a couple of important saves.

At the other end, Ward’s first-half opportunity was the only real chance, set pieces in potentially threatening areas were wasted time and again and the result never looked in any doubt once Hemed had stroked home his penalty.

The defeat, the second at home this season, sees the Blues drop to bottom of the table level on points, goal difference and goals scored with Hull City, who climb above them having won the fixture between the sides last month.

Town next have back-to-back away games at Leeds, who are fourth, on Wednesday and at 22nd-placed Millwall next Saturday.

Town: Gerken, Pennington, Nsiala, Chambers (c), Donacien, Skuse, Chalobah, Edwards (Lankester 66), Dozzell, Ward (Jackson 66), Sears. Unused: Bialkowski, Knudsen, Nolan, Graham, Downes.

QPR: Lumley, Rangel, Leistner (c), Lynch, Bidwell, Cameron, Luongo, Freeman, Eze (Scowen 90), Wszolek, Hemed (Wells 72). Unused: Ingram, Hall, Cousins, Smith, Osayi-Samuel. Referee: Geoff Eltringham (County Durham). Att 18,345 (QPR: 1,338).

Photo: TWTD

elcdman added 17:08 - Oct 21 had hoped Mr Wurst was in his garden by now enjoying some leave
0

BlueandTruesince82 added 17:19 - Oct 21 Who do we get? Seen shouts for Burley and Warburton so far......
0

ITFCsince73 added 18:37 - Oct 21 Said from before Blackburn game. Paul Hirst needed the proper blokes to up there game big time for things to work out. Unfortunately they've been as bad, if not worse than previous seasons. Premiership class Skuse....What a joke!! Amazing it seems some would take Mick the mouth back. Not sure if that or Skuseys class is the biggest joke to come out of PR in recent years.

3

Bergholtblue added 19:40 - Oct 21 If Evans has to sign everything off from players to toilet paper, WTF does Milne do? Why haven't we heard from him, Another one who can sling his hook!
0

Dog added 19:45 - Oct 21 Itfc - pretty much all of your posts are slamming chambers, skuse and knudsen. I think most will agree that they are not premiership class players and that they are bang average championship players. The problem is the manager and the useless players he has signed. They are pretty dreadful - everyone can see that. No matter how good you are, you cannot carry that lot especially if the dross get played out of position. Paul Hurst has royally shafted this club. He should leave before it gets nasty.

2

ITFCsince73 added 19:58 - Oct 21 Dog. They are the clubs senior players, with big championship experience. Many hundreds of championship games between them. The new signings, are just that, new. All of them, barely 10 starts each. With those senior players to look up to.....not great. Chambers is just shambolic. And the captain of this fast sinking ship.
3

warktheline added 20:44 - Oct 21 @haha, if you have such ‘inside information', when is Evans sacking hapless Hurst? Really at training ground sorting bust ups ! Haha!
1

Henrietta_R_Hippo added 20:46 - Oct 21 @muhrensweet4thijsen Many thanks for the "insider" knowledge. Very informative & and adds to the so called bigger picture for sure. (No real or sincere offense intended in the above post of mine btw ...as I hope was rather obvious from the blatant jest plus fairly well-mannered lingo mixed into it) Totally agree that "it's not entirely" all Evan's fault... and never personally stipulated that it was/is mind you. I do however view him as the *main* culprit here, and to some extend no-no not the "Root to ALL Evil" (obviously!) but rather merely :-) :-) "The Root to MOST things presently wrong or at fault here" ....and the reasons for this btw not uncommon view are many -- dissected by myself and others many times including on TWTD so won't start all over again -- and imho predominantly a view based on well-founded reasons meaning with the level of acquired knowledge I have on the man, i.e. Marvelous Marcus ....who according to other fans (not implying you happens to be are one of them though) obviously entitled to their opinion is: "The Man that [allegedly] saved ITFC & and continues to pay it's annual operating loss, [allegedly] SOLELY for the goodness of his heart & whatever 'kicks' it gives him, nothing else!!!" Although I myself is also a fan for some 40 years I, for a variety of reasons, don't always either recall all the details or haven't indulged myself in them at the time or are otherwise simply not privy to what other owners did & on what entire grounds they apparently did & acted said way...... but yes concur that other owners has most certainly sold our best players.... but ehhh: 1) Was it quite at this alarmingly rate that Evans has practiced for years??? 2) Did they also have a clueless mouthpiece of a MD who on behalf of the owner constantly promises that by & large the vast majority if not all the pesos from outgoing sales will be reinvested in new players in same transfer window or a.s.a.p, only to be caught in the same cock & bull Public Relations *LIE* (to entice present & new customers) over and over again??? 3) In connection with both no. 1 & no.2 how much was said owner's hands more or less FORCED in those bi-annual player sales (meaning that not only is this guy's net worth reportedly STILL in the region of £ 800 mills!, but additionally while all of us fans know that Evans ALLEGEDLY looses quote "lots of money" here every year, some of us do also strongly believe that only to be shall we call it: "Superficially true".... due to the intricacies and thereby murkiness of both his overall corporate-tax schemes as well as the likewise not quite transparent consequences of the little slightly unorthodox thingie that the debt of IFTC is owed entirely to himself in name! Any which way. although as agreed upon Evans is not to blame for basically everything and neither a through-and-through "Bad Guy", he is nevertheless also into the business of recurringly telling & selling us fans "Porkies" (sometimes through his MD) and as such not remotely truthful in my view, even in his lone *scripted* interview for 10 years....plus that although he might turn up in his seat at Portman at regular times, he was, is, and always will be utterly football-clueless and imho up until this season at least clearly also football-indifferent despite his relayed words to the contrary especially during the dragged on by himself for way too long McCarthy Era..... and exactly that said cluelessness & indifference does imo play a major factor in this sizable number of indisputable horrendous & erroneous decisions etc. Evans is "guilty" of having made during his tenure here.

3

jackson added 00:55 - Oct 22 Re instate George Burley as manager with Jim Magilton as his number two. Just watch the team fight their way back up the league - and do it in style.
1

muhrensweet4thijssen added 06:36 - Oct 22 Dear Hippo I am in almost complete agreement with you. Mr Evans is a business man, from his sizeable wealth a good (and ruthless ) one im sure. The debt issue he ‘saved us' from we all know to be a joke. Does he tell porkys do i think? Of course he does. Is he a jack walker who bankrolls a blackburn style revolution culminating in us winning the premier league with him wearing the scarf of his boyhood club...... no! Hes a business man, the interview of pre directed questions showed him to be a good auritor but nothing more in my opinion. As to how he runs the finances of the club i think he is always going to run it to his strengths and his benefit (largely) and why not? I wish he didnt and we were doing a wolves with exciting signings and brilliant football under a charesmatic coach but he isnt. As to the frequency of his sales, todays running costs of our club must surely dwarf those of the past. Not to mention the dwindling crowd revenue. So as time has gone on it becomes more necessary to sell more assests at a guess. The thing that really annoys me is the loss of the pre first team kids. While i understand that they may not be able to stop a manchester city or arsenal swopping down on our academy i cant understand the fact we are not still category 1! Surely that comes down to money! Enough spent (and it is my belief he has spent a sizeable ammount on this) then you must be category 1?? Anyway in closure. Evans isnt the worst owner and hes not the best. Does he lie? Does he care? Could he do more? Probably yes. Its 30 years since we won the cup nearly the same since our UEFA triumph. We flirted with success under burley (pre evans obviously) but since then we have certainly fallen from the top table and have now been put in the poor house. Anyone got an arabian uncle?

2

Henrietta_R_Hippo added 09:21 - Oct 22 @muhrensweet4thijssen Aye having both elaborated on our views on "Ebeneezer" here ...I happily concur that we are definitely pretty much on the same wavelength. Still chose to stick to parts of my original thinking about him though, most of all that regarding him selling these imo *excessively* many players, and key contributing players at that!, window after window, while NOT reinvesting even just half of the proceeds -- (including INDEFENSIBLY just failing to buy a mere proven striker at this level after letting one or more of our topscorers go, as we have seen happening several times just before season start in recent years!) -- is hmmm "unethical" lol for a man who's net-worth is larger than that of for instance of Sir Paul McCartney! Namely in the region of £ 800 mill!... and particularly with him having previously during his ownership repeatedly propagated both clear cut "ambition" i.e. not merely looking to be among those contending for a play-off place but *eventually* sheer PROMOTION as the "main dish" for us the fans & oh even cooked up along the way (the for the football-clueless Evans apparently surprisingly turned-rugged way to the Promised Land) a overly sanctimonious SOUNDING "5 Point Plan" as ehhh the bloody "hors d'oeuvres"! Speaking of net-worth among Championship owners, somebody here linked to a page on this very subject just before the weekend.... and what do you know? 'Delightful Delia' from arch rivals Naaarwich is right there near the absolute bottom, with her "puny" £ 30 some millions... thus making her look outright POOR :-) lol compared to most if not all other 23 league teams' owners. And the obvious reason I'm mentioning this is of course our arch rivals awesome form ... resulting from some very shrewd as in fruit-bearing in-going deals over the rebuilding last year & a half and none of them costing Delia a fortune mind you!, mixed in with the skills of yet another member of the notoriously tough, strict & ULTRA COMPETITIVE German soccer coaching academy the imho quite underappreciated Daniel Farke (most recently employed as the Dortmund youth side coach) ... so evidently it doesn't have to cost a lot operation wise nor requiring a stinking rich genuine "Arabian Uncle" as the owner to neither entertain your fans and also be competitive with 1) the right skillful manager in the seat 2) a little bit of good luck too! and 3) least but not last a FOOTBALL-KNOWLEDGEABLE and/or FOOTBALL-CARING owner!!! .... Huddersfield of course did it likewise most recently and others like them have done it or almost done it before them. Period. So in closing, while an "Arabian Uncle" (or Russian oil or gas tycoon? lol) as our new owner would certainly be nice, very nice indeed! :-) lol its' not directly a PREREQUISITE in my book at all!, as also illustrated just briefly above. Although I'm well aware of the somewhat scary size of the total debt anno 2019 ITFC owes to Marcus Evans, in name! A debt which somehow have to be paid up I guess by whoever, including even a consortium maybe as we have seen elsewhere, hopefully taking over ITFC sooner, much sooner rather than later!

1

Razor added 10:43 - Oct 22 One tiny striker up front against 3 massive centre halves at home basically sums it all up. All of his signings are poor and some absolute rubbish. I am not so sure he is actually a very nice man either, the longer we stay with him the less chance we have of surviving---simple. David Moyes for me as Nigel Clough under contract at Burton.
0

muhrensweet4thijssen added 13:01 - Oct 22 I agree hippo. For every wolves there is a Huddersfield. Putting my cards on the table I had really hoped f we were going to gamble the Dutch guy was a risk worth taking. Who knows it could have been a disaster to but rather than a 'knowledge ' of the lower leagues player rosta we may have had some talented bargains from overseas. I had forgotten the quote by Sir Bobby "if you buy lower league players you will soon find yourself playing in the lower leagues " a warning from the great man indeed! I hope Evans sells up to as I think a complete change is needed. Milne, well he's the necessary dogs body,person to blame when wheel comes off, cannon fodder. Same as Clegg, not football people at all OBVIOUSLY. Anyway all the best hippo, nice having a chat. I hope that ne day our discussions could be about how we think Messi is going to settle into life in Christchurch park area or that pepe really should be dropping skuse or it's an honour for our beloved club to supply the entire world cup winning team!

0

rdibble added 20:27 - Oct 23 Travelled from Cornwall my birthday weekend 9.5 hours to watch that AWFUL zero excitement
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls