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It's rather difficult to know quite how to react to this game. On
the face of it we had the team with the Division's worst away record
(us, in case it has slipped anyone's notice) playing at a team with
one of the best home records (only 1 defeat all season), so we ought
to have entered the match with hope rather than expectation. On
the other hand we took the lead early,led for an hour and were the
better side until the final quarter, so most of us walked away from
Loftus Road feeling disappointed with only a draw. I suppose that
is a mark of how well Forest played for much of this match (though
it has to be said that, if today was a typical performance, Rangers'
excellent home record is something of a mystery). In the end I think
the game sums up why we are all so frustrated with this season;
QPR are in the top ten and are reasonably well placed to challenge
for the final play-off spot, yet they looked pretty ordinary (or
maybe even we made them appear so) and you cannot escape the impression
that we ought to be far higher up the table than we are.
But the fact remains that we are not, and the table seldom lies
by this stage of the year. On the whole, however, especially after
last week's poor performance against West Brom, a point was not
too bad a return. If you had offered it to me as I was walking out
of the Bushranger (away pub of the season so far) at 2:30 I would
have taken it gladly, so I will settle for it tonight without too
much complaint. A draw was by no means a travesty of a result -
Rangers might even have snatched it at the death had it not been
for a stupendous Bart-Williams block at the edge of the 6-yard box
in injury time. But defeat would certainly have been hard on Forest,
and a win would not have flattered them.
With Stern's long-term injury, the return of Tank and Doig, plus
suspensions for Hjelde and Beasant after the Grimsby panto ref fiasco,
we had a slight shake up today. 4 at the back, 5 across midfield
(with Nigel Quashie coming back after a lengthy absence) and Dougie
on his own up front. Rangers made a lively start, forcing a couple
of early corners, and I was just beginning to wonder if we were
in for a painful afternoon's viewing when Dougie broke free on the
counter and forced a good save from Harper. This seemed to wake
us up nicely, and for about the next hour we played some pretty
good stuff, silencing the crowd and forcing Rangers backwards and
to play us on the counter-attack. I have always thought that we
have looked at our best this season when we press the ball high
up the pitch, and today we did that especially well. Many fans (and
especially my Dougie-hating neighbour at the City Ground) criticise
Freedman for being lazy, but today he put in some serious work,
harrying the defence and keeper into hurried clearances, running
the width of the pitch to create space and holding the ball up really
well for Andy Gray and Tank to run onto. Dougie even won a fair
amount in the air, which ain't bad when you consider he is about
a foot shorter than both the Rangers centre halves. I would say
that this was arguably his best game for the club - certainly for
the first half. He was ably supported by the midfield, with Gray
and Prutton regularly getting behind the defence on the right, Rogers
causing palpitations with his pace and even Nigel Quashie getting
forward into the box far more often than earlier in the season.
Not only that, but after 12 minutes Forest scored their first headed
goal from a set piece since (I think) van Hooijdonk's against the
Sheep about a year ago - wonders never cease! Tank was brought down
about 20 yards out on the left, just wide of the box. He stepped
over the ball, Bart fired in a cross with some pace on it (AT LAST!),
Harper came for a ball which he was never going to get anywhere
near and Nigel Quashie looped a gentle header over him into an empty
net for his first league goal for Forest. Since this was his first
game back at Loftus Road since he signed for us, Quashie was getting
the normal ritual abuse from the home support, so doubtless he particularly
enjoyed scoring to shut them up. Cue the first rendition of "You've
Lost That Loving Feeling" for what feels like months and the first
rendition of "There's only one Nigel Quashie!" and the hastily-adapted
Nigel Clough chimes that I think I have ever heard! (But then this
was a day for rarely-heard Forest songs - I distinctly heard a pro-Freedman
effort at one stage, which must be a first. I also liked the "We
hate Derby, we hate Leicester" song which changed into a "We hate
Derby, we've got Lester"
variation).
[Whilst we are on about surprises, we had a decent ref today (can't
tell you his name because I didn't manage to get a programme). Not
a single booking (though one nasty two-footed challenge on Prutton
in the second half looked well worthy of one), not too fussy about
trivia and a pleasing willingness to let the game flow. Well done,
Mr Whoever You Were.]
For the rest of the first half, though Chris Kiwomya's pace was
always dangerous on the break, Forest controlled the game pretty
well. Tank had a rasping shot well saved by Harper, Dougie had a
reasonable penalty claim turned down (not by any means cast iron,
but I have certainly seen them given - at Grimsby, for a start!),
Gray and Bart showed some excellent skills out wide to create a
couple of half chances and generally we were playing pretty well
and the game seemed to be there for the taking; you got the feeling
that a second Forest goal would have been decisive. We weren't all
over them, or anything like that, but this was almost unrecognisable
from the clueless disorganised stuff we witnessed only a week ago
against the Baggies. Words like "disciplined", "committed" and "well-organised"
kept drifting into my head, which was a novelty!
After half time for a while we continued in much the same vein,
without creating more than the occasional half chance for the excellent
Gray, getting up in support of the Doog-meister. Gradually, though,
from about the hour mark onwards, Rangers began to come into it
much more. For a start they began to play it on the deck more often
- in the first half they had been neat enough in midfield, but their
final ball was often a high one, which Riccy and Doig snaffled up
with ease. As they began to attack us more down the flanks they
had more of the game, but still our defence seemed happy enough
- Norman had not had single save to make in the second half.
But after 70-odd minutes the guy in the seat next to me was silly
enough to open his mouth. He, conceivably over-fortified by a tad
too much London Pride beforehand, had spent much of the half nodding
his head onto his chest. His mates behind him prodded him awake,
and he replied by saying "My work is done - we have won this one".
I turned to raise a dubious eyebrow at him.... and looked up to
see Chris Kiwomya with the ball at his feet advancing on Norm. One
neat finish with the outside of his foot later and Rangers were
level with their first proper shot of the second half. No idea about
the build up, because I was looking away, but it was a well taken
goal. 15 seconds from gloating fan to equaliser!
It is at this point that I part company with my post-match drinking
partners. They reckon that we ought to have put on another forward
and gone for it because we could still have won. I can see that
point of view, but equally I can well understand why Platty didn't
do that, with our away record and the fact that a change of formation
might just have easily have resulted in a QPR victory as we gave
up more space in midfield. One that you could argue either way -
though there is certainly no doubt that playing up front on your
own for 90 minutes is extremely hard work, so there might have been
a case for replacing the tiring Dougie with Marlon for the final
15 minutes. Whatever. We didn't change anything, and held out comfortably
enough (allowing for a dodgy Norm punch that he was lucky to see
rebound into his arms and Bart's tremendous goal-saving block right
at the death). Neither side, in truth, looked like going on to win.
So. Not bad at all. A MAJOR improvement on last week. Nobody played
badly, and I thought Dougie, Gray and especially Bart (again) were
outstanding. A word for Quashie, too - there is no doubt that he
has had a disappointing season and that his form dropped alarmingly
in about November - many internet regulars have given up on him.
Today, though, he played a much more progressive game than we have
seen from him, and looked a far better player as a result. At the
end of last season most of us thought Andy Gray had little future
with us, and only 6 or 7 weeks ago the majority of us couldn't wish
Bartman out of the club fast enough - but in recent weeks both Gray
and Bart have been excellent. On that basis, and on the basis that
he is still only 22,I haven't yet given up on Nigel Q either.
A couple of final thoughts. Norm was today wearing a tee-shirt which
read "Whatever happens to me" on the front and "I will always love
you, the Forest fans" on the back. And he threw his shirt into the
crowd at the end. Does something tell me that he is not expecting
to sign a new contract and fears that today might be his final game
for the club? Just an idea (but don't expect Premiership wages down
here, Norm). The other thing is that on my way down to Dorset I
heard a Cambridge fan on the radio saying that Martin Butler had
done much the same as Norm today, giving the impression that he
too might not be at the Abbey for much longer. Given the fact the
Martin "I've-agreed-terms-with-Forest-but-want-an-extra-day-to-see-my-sick-sister-oooops-I-appear-to-have-signed-for-Huddersfield"
Smith is no longer an option and that we have publicly expressed
an interest in Butler in the recent past, is there anything you
want to tell us, Platty?
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