Ricardo's report v QPR

[ricardo 7,395]

The first taste of winter today and I didn't need much chivvying from Mrs R to decide upon giving my M&S thermals their first run out of the season. There was no lift on offer either so I had to revert to the bike which at least kept me warm on the ride down to the ground.

The early exchanges were hardly encouraging with a complete dearth of goal mouth incident in the opening ten minutes. Then finally there was a flurry of action as we came up to the quarter hour with Stacey getting on the end of a long cross from the City left. I thought his side foot effort was going to lob over Begovic into the net but a defender did well to get back and head away from almost on the line. Then as City turned up the wick a bit, both Hernandez and Sara had shots blocked and the danger was cleared.

It was all very low key stuff and in truth I thought Rangers looked the neater side in possession though they looked toothless up front. I was already starting to feel cold but right out of the blue things warmed up as Sara grabbed the ball in midfield and played a ball over the top of a square defence. I thought Hwang was going to be flagged offside but he must have timed his run to perfection because he was all alone on the edge of the box and had time to bang a low shot past the advancing Begovic to give City the lead.

The visitors came back quite strongly and City had to defend a couple of corners before relieving the pressure. It was disappointing not to see the home side push forward more and there were more than a few groans when slow motion safety first balls always seemed to be the preferred option. For long periods Rangers dominated possession with Elias Chair looking very comfortable, thankfully he wasn't electric. Long was called into action a couple of times to deal with long range efforts and although he got his knees dirty he didn't look like being beaten. I was happy enough to go in with a halftime lead but we hadn't seen anything that sent the pulses racing.

I would have liked to see us take a bit more control of midfield in the second half but that didn't happen and in the opening couple of minutes the visitors came close to an equaliser. Dykes found space on the left of the City area and with Stacey out of position Paal got in a shot that Long could only parry. Thankfully the home defence recovered well and managed to get the ball away from danger. From there on it was mainly the visitors who called tune. City rarely broke into the opposing half and when they did there was never much of a threat. Barnes and Kenny did a lot of heavy lifting and Sara had a few quality touches but they could not inspire anything noteworthy.

By the hour mark I found myself constantly glancing at the watch and hoping the second hand would go round a bit quicker because the quality on offer seldom reached the dizzy heights of mediocre. We did earn a couple of corners and one of those epitomised the quality of the match as Sara pulled the ball back to Hernandez who could only slice it sideways. Thankfully the oposition were bereft of confidence as well as quality as any decent side would have surely turned us over.

Idah replaced Hwang and eventually Onell made way for Sainz but by this stage I was losing interest fast and the boy began to ask what time did I think we should leave. The game now went from mediocre to stunngly poor with almost nothing worth commenting on. In fact I pulled out my phone and commented as such on the match thread just for a bit of interest. All I can say is that in a contest with watching paint dry this game would have had a hard job to come second.

As eighty minutes ticked up on the scoreboard I was losing the will to live but stuck it out for another five just as a sense of duty but with rain now falling I made the best decision of the day and headed for the stairs.

MOM, anyone who stuck it out to the end.

 

 

[Midlands Yellow 3,994]

1 minute ago, ricardo said:

The first taste of winter today and I didn't need much chivvying from Mrs R to decide upon giving my M&S thermals their first run out of the season. There was no lift on offer either so I had to revert to the bike which at least kept me warm on the ride down to the ground.

The early exchanges were hardly encouraging with a complete dearth of goal mouth incident in the opening ten minutes. Then finally there was a flurry of action as we came up to the quarter hour with Stacey getting on the end of a long cross from the City left. I thought his side foot effort was going to lob over Begovic into the net but a defender did well to get back and head away from almost on the line. Then as City turned up the wick a bit, both Hernandez and Sara had shots blocked and the danger was cleared.

It was all very low key stuff and in truth I thought Rangers looked the neater side in possession though they looked toothless up front. I was already starting to feel cold but right out of the blue things warmed up as Sara grabbed the ball in midfield and played a ball over the top of a square defence. I thought Hwang was going to be flagged offside but he must have timed his run to perfection because he was all alone on the edge of the box and had time to bang a low shot past the advancing Begovic to give City the lead.

The visitors came back quite strongly and City had to defend a couple of corners before relieving the pressure. It was disappointing not to see the home side push forward more and there were more than a few groans when slow motion safety first balls always seemed to be the preferred option. For long periods Rangers dominated possession with Elias Chair looking very comfortable, thankfully he wasn't electric. Long was called into action a couple of times to deal with long range efforts and although he got his knees dirty he didn't look like being beaten. I was happy enough to go in with a halftime lead but we hadn't seen anything that sent the pulses racing.

I would have liked to see us take a bit more control of midfield in the second half but that didn't happen and in the opening couple of minutes the visitors came close to an equaliser. Dykes found space on the left of the City area and with Stacey out of position Paal got in a shot that Long could only parry. Thankfully the home defence recovered well and managed to get the ball away from danger. From there on it was mainly the visitors who called tune. City rarely broke into the opposing half and when they did there was never much of a threat. Barnes and Kenny did a lot of heavy lifting and Sara had a few quality touches but they could not inspire anything noteworthy.

By the hour mark I found myself constantly glancing at the watch and hoping the second hand would go round a bit quicker because the quality on offer seldom reached the dizzy heights of mediocre. We did earn a couple of corners and one of those epitomised the quality of the match as Sara pulled the ball back to Hernandez who could only slice it sideways. Thankfully the oposition were bereft of confidence as well as quality as any decent side would have surely turned us over.

Idah replaced Hwang and eventually Onell made way for Sainz but by this stage I was losing interest fast and the boy began to ask what time did I think we should leave. The game now went from mediocre to stunngly poor with almost nothing worth commenting on. In fact I pulled out my phone and commented as such on the match thread just for a bit of interest. All I can say is that in a contest with watching paint dry this game would have had a hard job to come second.

As eighty minutes ticked up on the scoreboard I was losing the will to live but stuck it out for another five just as a sense of duty but with rain now falling I made the best decision of the day and headed for the stairs.

MOM, anyone who stuck it out to the end.

 

 

It’s easier to stick it out while soaking in a hot bath and crossing everything. 3 points in the bag but only a masochist would want to watch a rerun of this match. 

[Peregrine Shorts 315]

Stacey was given Man of the match

[Daz Sparks 1,154]

7 minutes ago, ricardo said:

For long periods Rangers dominated possession with Elias Chair looking very comfortable, thankfully he wasn't electric.

That sentence was the highlight of the afternoon.

[Daz Sparks 1,154]

Just now, Peregrine Shorts said:

Stacey was given Man of the match

Barnes was my Man of the Match

[ricardo 7,395]

1 minute ago, Peregrine Shorts said:

Stacey was given Man of the match

Jesus Christ!

[ricardo 7,395]

3 minutes ago, Daz Sparks said:

That sentence was the highlight of the afternoon.

Chair is a player you have to sit on.

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,189]

3 minutes ago, ricardo said:

Jesus Christ!

Was he your man of the match?

[ricardo 7,395]

Just now, How I Wrote Elastic Man said:

Was he your man of the match?

Some decent crosses.

[The Real Buh 3,442]

Ricardo, our football makes me want to take a biro and slowly jab it through my eye socket and into my brain, thoughts?

[ricardo 7,395]

4 minutes ago, The Real Buh said:

Ricardo, our football makes me want to take a biro and slowly jab it through my eye socket and into my brain, thoughts?

I went through that stage about thirty years ago.

Persevere, you will come through it.

[Mutley 76]

Thanks as always Ricardo for your report.

I felt Kenny was MOM today. Whoever felt Stacey was must be blind.
 

Kenny was calm in possession and made some incisive passes. I’m not normally his biggest fan but credit where it’s due. 

[yellowrider120 763]

Well a win is a win as they say and Wagner waxed lyrical about the teams newly found 'resolution' and 'defensive solidity'. Well that may be but the quality of our performance was abysmal. If that is the ceiling of our abilities then may God have mercy on our souls for the rest of this torrid season. 

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,220]

We’re not very good. Our players are just about good enough for this level.

Parma 

[RobJames 881]

And on top of that your lot lost at WBA

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Some of the early Farke matches in that first season were also pretty soporific. Indeed a feature of that first season was how we'd either be open as hell, or be very tight and with no creativity whatsoever.

[yellowrider120 763]

3 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Some of the early Farke matches in that first season were also pretty soporific. Indeed a feature of that first season was how we'd either be open as hell, or be very tight and with no creativity whatsoever.

That's very true but Farke wasn't wheeling out SEVEN players age 30+ in the starting line up. What the hell happened to this......'really young team' that Farke and then Smith used to bang on about?? Nearly all those seven have pretty much zero resale value and it's seriously worrying having that millstone round our financial necks. Cheers Webber!! Yes that 'wonderful' SD who are geriatric owners 'begged to stay'!!  

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

3 minutes ago, yellowrider120 said:

That's very true but Farke wasn't wheeling out SEVEN players age 30+ in the starting line up. What the hell happened to this......'really young team' that Farke and then Smith used to bang on about?? Nearly all those seven have pretty much zero resale value and it's seriously worrying having that millstone round our financial necks. Cheers Webber!! Yes that 'wonderful' SD who are geriatric owners 'begged to stay'!!  

Sure, and Hanley was pretty much hauled in to bring some experience along. This is slightly different as you say, fewer youngsters around, but the key issue is the same: trying to rein a team that was far too exposed to the counter-attack and starting to rebuild it from the base up.

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,220]

To any serious football watcher it was clear very quickly what Farke was trying to do (see contemporary Masterclasses, indeed I criticised him after Sunderland for ‘taking away the spinach’ and compromising for results) and what he was trying to teach.

Comparing that with this is horribly wishful thinking I’m afraid.

Parma

[repman 635]

31 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Some of the early Farke matches in that first season were also pretty soporific. Indeed a feature of that first season was how we'd either be open as hell, or be very tight and with no creativity whatsoever.

Farke's first season can be split into two pretty cleanly. The first half was pretty much dedicated to getting points on the board, especially after the Millwall drubbing where it was clear the team wasn't anywhere near where it needed to be to both be successful and play his style. Our unbeaten run early in that year was full of pretty turgid football. The second half was a massive contrast though, once we'd basically guaranteed we wouldn't get relegated we started planning for the next season. 

I think this season will be something similar, just with a change of manager in the middle too.

[mastoola 183]

Hey Ricardo  one of your more amusing reports.  I guess if you cant laugh then you will cry lol

[ricardo 7,395]

Indeed. There appears to be no discernable pattern of play that I can fathom.

[ricardo 7,395]

3 minutes ago, mastoola said:

Hey Ricardo  one of your more amusing reports.  I guess if you cant laugh then you will cry lol

Its how I managed to survive the ups and downs of 70 turbulent seasons. 

Someday things will turn up again. I know this because they always have.

[RobJames 881]

Just now, ricardo said:

Its how I managed to survive the ups and downs of 70 turbulent seasons. 

Someday things will turn up again. I know this because they always have.

hopefully not your toes 😊

[mastoola 183]

2 minutes ago, ricardo said:

Its how I managed to survive the ups and downs of 70 turbulent seasons. 

Someday things will turn up again. I know this because they always have.

One day you each rich tea and the next chocolate digestives 

[yellowrider120 763]

15 minutes ago, repman said:

Farke's first season can be split into two pretty cleanly. The first half was pretty much dedicated to getting points on the board, especially after the Millwall drubbing where it was clear the team wasn't anywhere near where it needed to be to both be successful and play his style. Our unbeaten run early in that year was full of pretty turgid football. The second half was a massive contrast though, once we'd basically guaranteed we wouldn't get relegated we started planning for the next season. 

I think this season will be something similar, just with a change of manager in the middle too.

Possibly but will need some serious reshuffling of the playing squad. The average age must be reduced and quickly. 

[Branston Pickle 3,661]

 I’ve been to a number of worse games - including some when Farke was manager and some when Lambert was -  but a win’s a win. Improvements are clearly needed but I’ll take it for now. 

[Dean Coneys boots 1,400]

Farke’s first season we had talented players finding their feet in English football. Young and hungry too. Whereas now we have a team of old cloggers enjoying a last summer - I just don’t think the hunger is there 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,551]

3 hours ago, ricardo said:

The first taste of winter today and I didn't need much chivvying from Mrs R to decide upon giving my M&S thermals their first run out of the season. There was no lift on offer either so I had to revert to the bike which at least kept me warm on the ride down to the ground.

The early exchanges were hardly encouraging with a complete dearth of goal mouth incident in the opening ten minutes. Then finally there was a flurry of action as we came up to the quarter hour with Stacey getting on the end of a long cross from the City left. I thought his side foot effort was going to lob over Begovic into the net but a defender did well to get back and head away from almost on the line. Then as City turned up the wick a bit, both Hernandez and Sara had shots blocked and the danger was cleared.

It was all very low key stuff and in truth I thought Rangers looked the neater side in possession though they looked toothless up front. I was already starting to feel cold but right out of the blue things warmed up as Sara grabbed the ball in midfield and played a ball over the top of a square defence. I thought Hwang was going to be flagged offside but he must have timed his run to perfection because he was all alone on the edge of the box and had time to bang a low shot past the advancing Begovic to give City the lead.

The visitors came back quite strongly and City had to defend a couple of corners before relieving the pressure. It was disappointing not to see the home side push forward more and there were more than a few groans when slow motion safety first balls always seemed to be the preferred option. For long periods Rangers dominated possession with Elias Chair looking very comfortable, thankfully he wasn't electric. Long was called into action a couple of times to deal with long range efforts and although he got his knees dirty he didn't look like being beaten. I was happy enough to go in with a halftime lead but we hadn't seen anything that sent the pulses racing.

I would have liked to see us take a bit more control of midfield in the second half but that didn't happen and in the opening couple of minutes the visitors came close to an equaliser. Dykes found space on the left of the City area and with Stacey out of position Paal got in a shot that Long could only parry. Thankfully the home defence recovered well and managed to get the ball away from danger. From there on it was mainly the visitors who called tune. City rarely broke into the opposing half and when they did there was never much of a threat. Barnes and Kenny did a lot of heavy lifting and Sara had a few quality touches but they could not inspire anything noteworthy.

By the hour mark I found myself constantly glancing at the watch and hoping the second hand would go round a bit quicker because the quality on offer seldom reached the dizzy heights of mediocre. We did earn a couple of corners and one of those epitomised the quality of the match as Sara pulled the ball back to Hernandez who could only slice it sideways. Thankfully the oposition were bereft of confidence as well as quality as any decent side would have surely turned us over.

Idah replaced Hwang and eventually Onell made way for Sainz but by this stage I was losing interest fast and the boy began to ask what time did I think we should leave. The game now went from mediocre to stunngly poor with almost nothing worth commenting on. In fact I pulled out my phone and commented as such on the match thread just for a bit of interest. All I can say is that in a contest with watching paint dry this game would have had a hard job to come second.

As eighty minutes ticked up on the scoreboard I was losing the will to live but stuck it out for another five just as a sense of duty but with rain now falling I made the best decision of the day and headed for the stairs.

MOM, anyone who stuck it out to the end.

 

 

The match may have been dull, but the scathing edge to that review was a week's entertainment in its own right. 😂

Edited November 25, 2023 by littleyellowbirdie

[littleyellowbirdie 2,551]

2 hours ago, ricardo said:

Some decent crosses.

I've heard Jesus Christ's cross is to die for.

Edited November 25, 2023 by littleyellowbirdie