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QPRnet.com
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AH COBBLERS!
I had a bad feeling about yesterday's game as early as 2.15. We
arrived at the ground and my heart sank, my lucky turnstile wasn't
open. I had been through the second turnstile from the right for all
six of our home games this season, we were unbeaten, the one time I
can't go through it, and you've guessed it
In recent weeks there had been a clamour for the inclusion of Ollie
Burgess after some outstanding performances for the reserve side and
he was at last handed his opportunity. With Aziz Ben-Askar out
injured Matthew Rose dropped into the defence and Burgess took his
place in midfield. Christer Warren replaced Karl Connolly in an
experiment that would last no longer than 37 minutes.
I had wondered before the game whether Holloway would choose the
3-4-1-2 formation and he did, only the personnel seemed a little
odd. This formation is almost made for Doudou so as to allow him to
run from deep and terrorise defences with his pace and trickery,
instead Burgess was asked to fill the more advanced role. This left
us with a pretty uninspiring four of Warren, Bignot, Bonnot and
Perry. As willing as they may be, they are hardly going to slice
defences apart, if anything they had a very defensive look about
them, shame it didn't turn out like that.
In the second minute, the Northampton midfield sliced through us and
Steve Palmer was forced to concede a corner. As the ball was swung
in from the right, it was met with a powerful header that Burgess
did well to deflect onto the bar. The ball was cleared from the box
only to fall to James Hunt who smashed a deflected shot against
Day's right hand post. This seemed to set the tone and Rangers
looked nervous in midfield and apprehensive at the back.
Rangers fell behind after only 11 minutes. Our best move of the game
saw us take the ball to the edge of the Northampton box with some
delightful one touch football. The move broke down when Griffiths
again wanted too many touches, something that is becoming a serious
problem, but more on that later. Marco Gabbiadini swept the ball out
to the onrushing Paul McGregor. He carried the ball into the box and
squared for an unmarked Hunt to tap home.
The Rangers back three of Bruce, Palmer and Rose were being given a
torrid time by the on loan Chelsea striker Sam Parkin and the
weighty but effective Gabbiadini. All three seemed out of sorts and
looked to have no idea how to gel into a solid unit. With little
help being offered by the midfield they were also exposed to the
forward running of Northampton's central pairing of Hunt and
Hargreaves and it was too much. On 37 minutes, Warren was taken off
and Connolly was brought on as Rangers switched to a more
conventional 4-4-2 formation. Bruce switched to left back and Perry
dropped in on the right. To say Warren looked pissed off with the
decision would be an understatement.
The players were greeted with a chorus of boos as they left the
field at half time. The performances at Wrexham and Yeovil seemed to
have been carried into a third game. They had been lacklustre with
no ideas or invention. They were being outplayed and outthought by a
poor Northampton team that are fourth from bottom of this division
for a reason. No changes were made at half time but you sensed that
if this continued for much longer then something would have to be
done.
Ten minutes was enough for Holloway to replace Perry and Griffiths
with Doudou and Pacquette. I think that we must now face up to the
fact that Leroy Griffiths may not be the hero he was made out to be.
The reality is that he is not particularly good at the moment. He
needs to be put in the reserves for a couple of months and earn his
place in the first team via another route. Richard Pacquette and
Dave McEwen have both performed well in the second team but don't
seem to be able to forge ahead of Griffiths, which is unfair.
Griffiths wants the luxury of three or four touches to control and
release a ball which, I am afraid to say, you do not get in the
second division. Things he could get away with in the Ryman League
will not cut much ice with the big boys and he needs to learn this
quickly. As soon as the potential take-over is done, I think
Holloway will buy an experienced striker to take some pressure off
Thomson, our only visible goal threat.
With Pacquette on we looked much more likely to nick a goal. His
movement and touch was far superior to the man he replaced and the
team seemed to respond to his enthusiasm. Doudou's exquisite through
ball almost out him in the clear and only a fine saving challenge
prevented him opening his senior account. Thomson almost scored with
a left-footed snap shot that was deflected into the keeper's arms.
At the other end Day saved well from Parkin and somehow managed to
earn the man of the match award at the game. He had not been
outstanding as he had hardly had anything to do.
Our lack of width at the moment is something that must trouble
Holloway. If you look at the stats this season we have yet to score
with a header, the only reason for this is the lack of decent ball
from wide areas. Connolly has the ability to do it from the left but
still looks out of sorts. Burgess managed to supply a number of
half-decent right wing efforts but these still came to nothing. It
almost looks as if the team is surprised when a cross comes in and
find themselves unable to react.
The only players that managed to emerge from the game with credit
were youngsters Burgess and Pacquette and to a lesser extent Alex
Bonnot. All three tried manfully to inject some passion into the
side but found themselves poorly supported by their colleagues.
Burgess showed enough to suggest that the step from reserves to
first team will be a permanent one. He has undoubted quality in his
passing and is willing to throw himself into challenges, something
that others in the side may want to emulate. Given the opportunity
he is an excellent finisher and could be a useful supplier of
midfield goals.
I have been saying for a few weeks that Pacquette should get a start
and I hope he does at Peterborough on Tuesday. They have managed to
climb to fourth this weekend but should we win we can overtake them
again. Personally, I will settle for a point, as we just need to
stop the rot at the moment. Winning and losing are both habits and
once you get into a habit, it is hard to get out again. We have to
put the brakes on this alarming dip in form before we find ourselves
dragged down the table and into a fight for survival. I don't think
it will come to that but we must be wary. |
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