QPR v West Brom - e-Football Review

Article by Jeff Mayakovsky

So the double nature of this Rangers side continues, at home we have the ability to hold our own with the best, but away we cannot pick up even a point. Saturday was to be no exception to this strange pattern that has fallen on the hoops.

We met early in our local in Shepherds Bush and I good number of us had turned up to avoid the Xmas shopping. We were not to know that the R's were going to be in a giving mood later that day. It is becoming a bit like 'groundhog day' every other week we gather and moan about the last away game and then declare the game today is a six pointer. Though to be honest it is a bit early to be saying that, nevertheless, a afternoon of excitement lay ahead.

The crowd were in a festive mood, but that did not last as WBA took the lead after 10 minutes through Lescot and then in the 20th minute Albion doubled their lead with a goal from Varela. We were stunned for a few minutes and thoughts of our recent good run were looking a bit past tense. WBA were dominating the midfield and the R's just did not look good enough.

But in the 24th minute we won a corner, Albion's Morrison was adjudged to have held Leroy Fer back, it was more like a hug, the referee pointed to the spot and salvation in the form of Charlie Austin stepped up and slammed the ball into the back of the net. Rangers held the score at 1-2 until half time.

More effort was required if QPR were to turn this game around and I guess some of us were just hoping for a 2-2 draw at best. But what was to follow would send the crowd into delirium at the end of the game. From a corner in the 48th minute Dunne's header came back off the cross bar to Zamora who stabbed it across the goal for Austin to put it beyond reach off the goalkeeper.

Now the game was on and both sides went all out for the win. The stats show that QPR had seven shots on target to WBA's six. This was ultimately how the match was to be played out when in the 86th minute from a Barton corner Austin leapt above those around him to superbly header home for us to take the lead 3-2. A few tense minutes passed while both sides continued to attack and then the final whistle blew, the ground erupted into pure joy as the fans celebrated another home win that enabled the R's to climb to 15th in the league table until Sunday and then Sunderland won and went above us.

What can be said of the season so far? We are certainly a better side that unsuccessfully struggled to stay up last time around. But until we start gaining points away from home we will remain in a perilous position. We need some more pace, whether that will be addressed in the January transfer market remains to be seen. The talk is of loan players coming in and bolstering the side.

The Xmas period sees a trip away to Arsenal, then home to Crystal Palace and Swansea, none of which will be easy games. But the team will go into these matches with some confidence buoyed up by the goal scoring form of Charlie Austin.




© e-Football 2014 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football