It's safe to say that no game seems like an easy game on current form, but an in form and on fire Everton team was far from an ideal opponent to get the season underway with a first league win. To be honest before the game a first league win of the season seemed as likely to happen as a presidential campaign party being thrown for Barack Obama in Serbia. The news then filtered through of the starting line ups. At last, a starting line up without glaring weak spots. A 5 man midfield consisting of the returning Samba Daikite, Estaban Granero and our captain Ji Sung Park but more importantly and excitingly both Adel Taarabt and Junior Hoilett both starting as foils for our lone striker Bobby Zamora. Defensively, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief when we saw that Clint Hill wouldn't be tormenting us with another start at left back as Armand Traore returned. This had the look of our best starting eleven, a team Hughes could play week in and week out.
With the rain steadily teaming down onto the lush Loftus Road surface, the game began with Everton forcing the issue almost instantly. "Just don't concede an early goal again Rangers" was my mantra for the first 2 minutes of the game. Then from an Everton corner which was cleared by Julio Cesar, Junior Hoilett won a 50/50 challenge and broke into wide open space in his own half. He turned on the after burners and was running directly at the heart of the Everton defence. I screamed "Pass it to Adel, pass it to Adel!" but Junior only had one thing on his mind. He just kept running and with the Everton defence backtracking he worked the ball onto his right foot and from 20 yards out drilled a low shot which took a wicked deflection off Leighton Baines and looped over the despairing Tim Howard. A dream start for the superhoops and a slice of luck that Junior Hoilett's direct and clinical breakaway deserved, Loftus Road was buzzing and the relief the goal had brought so early on in the game was very welcome. Now we needed to hold on to this lead and then build upon it. I certainly wasn't going to be comfortable with a slender 1-0 lead for the rest of the game.
Our midfield were pressing higher up the field than usual, a tactic that was throwing Everton off their usual attacking game and with no Marrouane Fellaini in this game for them they looked lacking up front, this really was a huge chance to take the first 3 points of the season and begin our ascent up the league table. Granero was controlling the game, spraying passes to whomever he wanted to with an unerring accuracy. Samba Diakite was as bruising and enthusiastic as ever, but he looked more controlled and focused. His direct running also gave us another attacking outlet. We looked like the side we had shown glimpses of throughout the start of this season. At this rate our only concern was just how far up the table we were going to climb, the optimism and swagger that playing well and winning brings was back. Then, out of nowhere after giving away a sloppy free kick, Leighton Baines delivered an average ball into our box and somehow the 6ft 4in Sylvain Distin was left completely unmarked to head the ball down towards the bottom corner of Julio Cesar's goal, only for the ball to cruelly hit the post and hit the backside of the Brazilian shot stopper for Everton's equaliser. Who was picking Distin up? It's not like he creeped into the area unnoticed, he is a beast of a man and should've been priority number one to be marked for the set piece. It almost happened in slow motion as the ball floated in I had enough time to scream "Who the hell is marking him? Someone close him down!" but nobody could answer my cries. It was another schoolboy error to add to the multitude of schoolboy errors we have made this season. To say I was disappointed was an understatement, after so much promise of a fresh start we had slipped back to our defensively lacking ways.
We were momentarily rattled. Everton almost instantly nearly scored again from another set piece, this time a corner that found Phil Jagielka in acres of space only for his header to crash against the Rangers crossbar to safety. We were the proverbial boxer on the ropes, legs wobbling, eyes unfoccused ready to be set upon again by an unforgiving opponent. Fortunately we rode the short lived storm, and retaliated with some counter punches of our own, albeit lacking any real sting or purpose.
The second half lacked the fluidity of the first. The referee was trigger happy with his whistle and really didn't let the game flow, blowing up constantly for free kicks, some justified and some not. Then an opportunity was handed to Rangers, as Steven Pienaar received a second yellow card for what seemed like an innocuous foul on Jose Bosingwa. As the South African was given his marching orders, the sense of expectation flowed back into Loftus Road. However, it was Everton that created the best chances after this point although QPR had the bulk of possession, with Julio Cesar denying Phil Jagielka from close range to ensure we got at least a point out of the game. It was massively disheartening to see how little we were able to create after Everton went down to 10 men, but that was not only down to our lack of attacking prowess but also to some superb defending in particular by Phil Jagielka, who on numerous occassions put his body on the line to thwart any potential goal scoring chances.
So, was it 1 point gained or 2 points lost? Pre game, if you had told me we would've dominated most of this game and got a point against an in form Everton side, I probably would've taken it, but in the context of the game we really should have taken all 3. I see from the forums and social media sites that there are again a number of fans calling for Hughes to be sacked, but when you break it down was it really his fault we didn't get the win today? He picked a team that the majority of Rangers fans including myself wanted him to pick, he instructed the team to press high up the field and put Everton under pressure early on, which had the desired effect. The substitutions he made, bar Cisse, were forced upon him due to lack of fitness and injuries. He clearly didn't intend to bring on 2 defenders in a like for like swap while Everton were down to 10 men. No, today was definately 2 points lost but it was down to individual player errors rather than poor team selection and management that had lost us previous games. What we need now is to keep playing the starting eleven that played today. For the most part, we looked defensively solid, creative and hard working in the midfield area and reasonably threatening in parts of the game up front. Yes we are lacking an true goalscorer but we have to work with what we've got and what we've got is a good team that are looking like they may begin to fulfil the promise and potential that their names conjure on a teamsheet pre-match. So take your talks of Harry Redknapp and use that energy to continue supporting and backing the people we have at the club, today's result was disappointing but it's something to build on. One man does not make a team and 7 games do not make a season. I honestly think we can take something from Arsenal on Saturday and then get our first wins at home against Reading and Southampton, which are already shaping up to be proverbial 6 pointers. Patience is a virtue and true stability of the club will take time. Keep the faith. Come on you Rs.
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