It's taken a few days for the pain to subside and my thoughts to rebalance so that I can write this without the frustration I had in me after our latest loss away to West Bromich Albion on Saturday. The game itself summed up the season so far for me. Moments of brilliance and inspiration, outweighed by moments of naivity and nervousness. The goals we scored were stunning, truly stunning. Adel Taarabt's goal was technically perfect from the inch perfect chipped pass from Granero to the chest control and instant unerring finish which gave Ben Foster no chance. The goal highlighted exactly why the vast majority of the Loftus Road faithful have been so vocal in previous weeks about wanting the magic Moroccan in the starting eleven for Rangers. Yes he can be frustrating and he isn't a grafter, but he's just got ability in abundance, he's a real QPR player in the ilk of Bowles and Marsh. A proper number 10.
Estaban Granero's goal wasn't bad either. For me he was our man of the match on the day. His vision and ability to bring others into the game coupled with his top level experience really have shined in most of the games he has played in. He really deserved his goal and took it so well, it was almost a noncehlant finish, caressing the ball into the top corner with the swagger of a world class footballer, again leaving Ben Foster in the West Brom goal absolutely stranded. But we still lost the game and that's all the record books will show, for all the promise and moments of magic we may produce we still have to remember just what a results orientated industry football is and we simply aren't producing the results.
The question has to be why aren't we getting results? Is it because the players we have aren't playing well enough? In part, yes. We have signed some excellent players the likes of Esteban Granero, Julio Cesar, Junior Hoilett and Ryan Nelson all look like they will become firm fan favourites, for the most part impressing when they have put on the blue and white hoops. But there are players that simply haven't been good enough so far this season. Djibril Cisse was a huge factor in ensuring our survival in the Premier League last season, but he looks like a totally different player this season. He looks completely bereft of confidence and when a confidence player like Cisse isn't in form, he is more of a hinderance than a help. For all the furore surrounding Anton Ferdinand this season, he simply hasn't been as accomplished as Ryan Nelson has and his mistake for West Brom's 2nd goal was simply poor judgement. "Terrygate" seems to have had a detrimental effect on his form, which has caused his performances to resemble a rollercoaster from Blackpool beach - a bit all over the place and at times very shaky. There has also been a noticeably poor turnout so far this season from our captain Ji Sung Park. Whether it's the pressure of the captaincy or his unfamiliarity as a regular starter in a team after such a long spell of being a bit part player at Manchester United, he just isn't fulfilling the expectation we all had for him when he joined. I am beginning to question not only his ability and contribution to the team but also Hughes' choice to make him captain. He doesn't seem like a born leader and in times like these, born leaders are exactly what we need.
But it's not just poor individual performances that have led us to this point. The other major contributing factor to our underwhelming start to the season has been poor team selection. As I've mentioned in previous posts, the problem seems to be that Hughes doesn't know his ideal starting eleven. When other teams are turning out the same team sheet week in and week out, we are chopping and changing not only personnel but also styles of play and formation. One week we are playing 4-4-2 with two out and out strikers in Cisse and Zamora, the next we are playing 4-5-1 with Zamora as a lone target man and a midfield trio that could consist of a number of different player combinations. I understand injuries have played a part, but we aren't just covering injuries we are massively overhauling half of the starting eleven week after week. Inconsistency breeds inconsistency. We are continually changing our team and it's resulting in ever changing performances, some good but most so far below average. Once we see the same starting line up 3 or 4 weeks in a row, that is when I think we will see the performance become more consistent and more importantly we'll see the results change for the better.
I usually dread the international break, not having a QPR game to prepare for and be part of for 2 weeks is normally agony for me, but not this time. We need this break. The fans, the team and the manager. We're like a boxer that has taken too many big punches to the head far too early in a fight, we need the bell to sound and recoup, gather our thoughts and work on a new strategy so that we aren't dealt a knockout blow. Our injured players will return, Hughes will work out his starting eleven and he will stick with it week in and week out. We will climb the league table, possibly get to the heady heights of a mid table position and we'll all forget the worst start to a league campaign we've ever had. I want to believe this and for now I think I do. I don't want to believe otherwise. Keep supporting the team, because that's what differentiates us as QPR fans from the rest. Keep the faith and hope that the team repays us in points. The only way is up. Literally.
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