uRRRs blogKeeping Faith with the Beautiful Game... |
Posted: November 4th 2009
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Fitz Hall and Damion Stewart are big, imposing men. They could well have ended up as basketball player and bouncer respectively...but having shown some talent for football, they were always going to be centre backs. They have the proverbial “quite good touch for a big man”, but when it comes to distribution, particularly when under any sort of pressure, their default option is to put their foot through it and launch it upfield – whether it’s an aimless hoof or a calculated ‘percentages’ ball into a danger area depends what side of the route one fence you habitually fall.
However, the default setting has been changed. It started when Flavio Briatore’s first managerial appointment, fellow Italian Luigi Di Canio, strode into town with his shy smile and funny wave. All of a sudden, our keeper was rolling or side-footing the ball to defenders who were expected to pass it around, amongst themselves if necessary, until a team mate made a run which wasn’t picked up. This continued up the field until, ideally, the crucial run was made into the area, and was picked out by a well-timed pass. ‘Pass & Move’ it’s been known as for years – but in the English game, outside of the realms of the top half of the top tier, it doesn’t get seen that often.
The result was some scintillating football by Championship standards, but a number of the defenders were clearly uncomfortable not only with adapting to a style of play that was probably alien to everything they’d been coached to do from the age of about 10, but also with the classic Italian approach of sitting deep to defend a lead, inviting the opposition onto you then swotting them away like flies. Thus a lot of points were dropped as late goals were conceded.
When a homesick Di Canio departed these shores, Iain Dowie was the surprise choice to take over. Equally surprisingly, for a good few games Dowie persisted with the ‘play it out from the back’ mantra, whilst less surprisingly shoring up the defence. Results were pretty good, but as soon as Dowie lost his nerve and started playing a less pleasing on the eye ‘play it into the channels’ percentages game, he was sacked. Flavio Briatore likes to give the impression he knows what he wants – and what he didn’t want was to see his team play 60 minutes of an away game at Swansea with an outfield player in goal for the opposition, and Rangers fail to register a shot worthy of the name.
Next up was would-be charismatic Portuguese ‘legend’ Paulo Sousa. We all acted very excited about snaring this member of Portugal’s golden generation and double Champions’ League winner...whilst privately admitting that whilst we remembered Rui Costa, Nuno Gomes and, of course, Luis Figo, we couldn’t really remember much about Sousa for Portugal...nor could we really recall his role in helping first Juve and then unfancied Borussia Dortmund become champions of Europe.
Turned out Sousa had been “the holding midfielder”...and thus it was less of a surprise when he put the emphasis on defence. Very successfully too, we had the division’s ‘golden gloves’ winner and conceded the second smallest number of goals. However, we also scored one of the smallest amounts, so found ourselves floundering in mid-table and, crucially as far as Don Flavio was concerned, with our flair mojo very much missing.
Some trumped up accusations provided a mechanism by which to sack Sousa (better not say any more as apparently legal proceedings are still afoot)...and with his departure, the QPR manager’s job became a poisoned chalice.
And so we were all underwhelmed by the next choice, Jim Magilton – but less than surprised as who in their right minds would want such an insecure job? (unless, as the cynics said of Dowie, you needed the pay off to rid yourself of awkward Simon Jordan-induced debts...). Briatore called Magilton “the outstanding candidate” – Ipswich fans laughed, celebrated the installation of Roy Keane, and the Rangers cynics reckoned that it was all down to Ipswich happening to put in their best performance of last season in front of the Sky cameras at Loftus Road.
For a few weeks Magilton flailed around somewhat, struggling to nail his preferred formation / best XI. Then just as Flavio’s trigger finger might have been getting itchy, he got waylaid by events elsewhere and coincidentally (and yes, I for one believe it was a coincidence), Jimbo found the magic formula.
From day one he’d been saying that the players were doing their best to take in what it was he wanted them to do, and suddenly, wonderfully, it all fell into place. We passed and moved like there was no tomorrow, defenders and holding midfielders showing the patience of saints, holding their nerve until one of our array of supremely talented ball players upfront made himself available. From thereon in, either a sublime individual effort or a quick fire one touch passing move led to chances and goals galore.
With stats such as scoring 4 goals in 3 successive games and 13 in 3 home matches flying around, and coming from 2-0 down to win 4-2 at Derby in front of nearly two million BBC2 viewers, suddenly we were flavour of the month, promotion favourites and “the Arsenal of the Championship” all rolled into one.
One point from six in the last five days garnered from home games against workmanlike visitors from Leicester & Croydon, and understandably for fans of a club such as ours, the nagging doubts are returning. Have we been found out? Have we got a Plan B? Can the best to watch team in this ugly division actually play its way into the Promised Land, or do we need to ‘mix it up a bit’?
Leicester had clearly done their homework on us. They pressed and harried our keeper and defenders, not allowing us to knock the ball around at ease like a cool down drill. They neutralised Taarabt and Routledge, 2 of the 3 match winning midfielders who play just behind the lone striker, forcing the third, Buzsaky, to drop deeper and deeper in search of the ball. Of our holding 2, the usually reliable Faurlin simply couldn’t find a hooped shirt with a pass, and Leigertwood looked strangely uncomfortable returning to midfield from his sabbatical at right back. Aforementioned lone striker Simpson looked just that – alone. They targeted our weakness at full back, and had strikers quick enough to make our centre backs look cumbersome.
For all that, it still took a ‘once in a career’ cock up from keeper Radek Cerny and an uncharacteristic miss from the sublime Buzsaky to gift the Foxes 3 points rather than 1. However the fear was that, in front of those pesky Sky cameras once again, Leicester had shown the whole division how stop ‘free-flowing, free-scoring’ QPR.
So with the Croydon mob enjoying a night out up west last night, our long-awaited game in hand seemed to take on a ridiculous level of importance. The resulting 1-1 draw arguably proved inconclusive. Some are saying that we created as many chances as in the games where we scored 4 or 5, and only the heroics of Speroni in the visitors’ goal kept the score down; others that Warnock & co followed the Leicester blueprint, albeit a little less adeptly, and thus earned the point.
Me? I think we MUST stick with Magilton / Gorman’s Plan A. Not only is it a delight to watch, but it’s also in the club’s DNA. This is the style with which we like to think QPR has been synonymous in the past, the style many of us grew up with and which has been in far too limited supply for over a decade now. And vitally, the 4-2-3-1 system is the best suited to the squad we have, in particular its most creative, match-winning members.
As it happens, the last 15 minutes last night did see a Plan B which very nearly got us the victory. We reverted to 4-4-2, Wayne Routledge caused havoc when back on his more accustomed right wing, and Vine & Agyemang proved a right handful as a front two. However, whilst Agyemang did make the high ball an option, for the most part we still played the ball along the floor. Some say Plan B should have come earlier in the game; others that Plan B should involve a target man (could it have been Dexter Blackstock? If so why did we sell him? Could it be enigmatic & injured Italian Pellicori? Do we need to sign one in January to sustain the promotion push, a Crouch-esque alternative when we’re being out-muscled? Did you know we’ve only scored one header all season, and that by a player we’ve since loaned out...)
As it happens, I’m beginning to suspect those behind the scenes at Loftus Road have hatched a bit more of a masterplan than we maybe give them credit for. I’m not sure whether it’s an edict from Briatore at the top about how his team must play a certain style befitting of his sporting boutique; or if it’s much-maligned Sporting Director Gianni Paladini actually having a bit more of a clue than many of us gave him credit for; or whether these two have accepted that they need to give more leeway to a manager at last, and Magilton simply knows the balance he wants in his squad, and that balance is one where the emphasis is on players comfortable with the ball at their feet...which in turn dovetails nicely with the style of play Flav wants his posh mates to see.
Whichever it may be, I’m keen for us to persevere with Plan A. In fact having watched the bang / thwack / hoof fest that was Sheffield United vs Newcastle on Monday, a game in which the incredibly limited Toon remarkably went 2 points clear in the CCC, I’m positively DESPERATE for us to stick with Plan A and the cameo Plan B as witnessed last night.
I don’t want win ugly, I enjoy win beautiful too much. Damn the cynics, the non-believers, the hoofball heretics – let’s win this goddamn League with the most total football seen at the Bush since 75-76...and failing that, let’s pass our way to sixth spot, have a good day or three in May and sneak up via the Play Offs.
No to the hoof, no to the target man, a resounding YES to pass & move & rip ‘em apart. Bring on the Wednesday, and KEEP THE FAITH.