Another defeat but at least this time there were positives to be taken from the game. For the first hour of the game we were the better side, with QPR unable to create any meaningful chances while a number came and went for us.
Davies went close with a header while Cathcart was unmarked but spooned the ball over the bar from close in. We again squandered chances in the second half with Gosling missing the opportunity to play in Ince then putting a header over the bar. Ince was denied by a good save from Green, but there was the nagging doubt that we needed to capitalise on the good spell we were having.
Inevitably, Matty Phillips came back to haunt us, first by picking up on a poor kick out from Gilks to score with the aid of a deflection. That gave him the confidence to really run at Robinson, and a great cross from him was buried emphatically by Austin. The following celebration was uncalled for as he incited the crowd in the South Stand. That killed the game as a spectacle and for the final 20 minutes the team lost all belief that they could get anything from the game and accepted the defeat.
We need to get out of this slump as soon as possible, and start to get some points. The tactic of an isolated front man just isn’t working at present. I’d like to see a front two working together. At least we’d have a better chance of retaining possession and not squandering the initiative. Hopefully we can get back to winning ways at Burnley.
STAR MAN: Barry Ferguson
No comments:
Post a Comment