After the lacklustre defeat against Coventry nobody was surprised when Gregory shook things up. Royce was in goal behind Mancienne, Rehman, Stewart and Bignot. Ward, Rowlands, Smith and Cook were in midfield with Blackstock and Gallen up front. Furlong was fit enough for a place on the bench for the first time this season. 

From the off it was clear that Sunderland were going to provide a stern test as they immediately set into some neat passing football. It was also clear that Rennie was going to turn in his usual standard of display as he managed to confuse all twenty two players with something as simple as a freekick for an offside. 

Rangers didn’t get out of the traps and Sunderland were seemingly able to penetrate the back four at will. Stewart was manfully resisting but around him his colleagues were not having the best of nights. Murphy and Leadbitter both went close, the latter forcing Royce into a fine save before Nick Ward tested namesake Darren Ward with a deflected effort that was well gathered. 

Murphy was close again soon after as he ran in behind Stewart and floated a delicate lob over Royce but failed to hit the target. It was just about the only time in the game that the big Jamaican would get caught out in a fine display against a very capable striker in Murphy. 

With seventeen minutes played Sunderland took the lead in controversial fashion. A corner was cleared as far as Leadbitter and his shot took a deflected before ending up on the head of Murphy and he steered home from six yards. He looked a mile offside to the naked eye and as such the award of the goal provoked a furious reaction from players and fans alike. It later transpired that the lino had got the decision correct as the man coming off of Royce’s right hand post played him onside. 

Rangers went straight up the other end and had the ball in the net themselves. Blackstock was fouled on the right and Cook came across to send in a superb ball to the near post. Blackstock evaded his marker and glanced the ball home only to see the lino flagging for offside. This time the decision was wrong, Blackstock was level and the goal should have stood. The linesman on the Paddock side had been like Quick Draw McGraw all night, unlike his slow armed pal on the other side. 

That decision was all too much for some fans to take and minutes later the lino that allowed the Murphy goal got a couple of bottles lobbed at him for his trouble. Rennie lumbered across to deal with the situation and then proceeded to hold the game up for fully four minutes to remove two bottles. I have no idea why, perhaps he wanted to give everyone a chance to have a look at one of the most poorly conditioned specimens on the refereeing circuit today? The added time would prove costly. 

The main problem Rangers were having was Graham Kavanagh. He was running the show in the middle of the park and Rangers simply had no answer to him. Without a Bircham or Lomas in the side Kavanagh had the run of the place and he was picking holes all over the show. 

Blackstock hit the Mike Fillery Memorial Mesh with an effort from outside the box before Gallen saw his header from Smith’s corner deflected wide of the near post. At the other end Royce had to deny Murphy again as he spun away from the leaden footed Rehman and cracked a volley on target. 

In the fifth minute of first half stoppage time Sunderland doubled their lead with a beautifully taken goal. Ross Wallace pierced the R’s defence with a terrific pass and Grant Leadbitter’s run married up with it perfectly. He went one on one with Royce and with some great close control, sat the R’s keeper on his backside before rolling the ball into the empty net. Had it not been for the bottle throwing incident the players would have been having their half time berating when the ball hit the net. 

At the break Lee Cook was taken off with a bang in the ribs and Ray Jones came on in his place. This necessitated a change in the formation with Gallen playing behind Jones and Blackstock although for a while this didn’t seem to make matters any better as the ball winning in the middle of the park was non existent.  

Leadbitter should have scored again when he managed to break clear but this time he shot wide of the target. Rangers were struggling to create a decent chance and a wild effort from Mancienne was about all they had to show for lots of endeavour but little penetration.  

Then the breakthrough finally came as Nick Ward managed to find some space and unlock the Sunderland defence with a killer pass. He had done naff all to this point so it was something of a surprise when he lobbed a great ball over the top for Ray Jones to control. The big striker got it down and spun in one fluid movement before firing home his fifth goal of the season. 

As Rangers started piling more and more men forward they became even more susceptible to the counter attack and Sunderland could have, and probably should have, scored twice more before the final whistle blew. First Ross Wallace contrived to produce what is likely to be the worst miss Loftus Road will see all season. 

Sub Dean Whitehead worked an opening on the right and his perfect cross fell to the unmarked Wallace at the back post. The stripping Scot probably had his shirt half way over his head when the ball arrived and he somehow managed to screw the ball wide from six yards. Moments later David Connolly broke clear and beat Royce with his shot only to see it crash back off of the base of the post and land in the keepers grateful arms.

There was still time for one last chance and it could have salvaged an undeserved point for Rangers. A ball into the box fell to Bignot and his wild shot flew across the box to Martin Rowlands. Rowly managed to turn the ball back into the path of the lurking Ward and he struck a low shot that was well saved by Darren Ward. The final whistle sounded almost immediately afterwards and Rangers could have no complaints about the outcome. 

The team were poor again in the first half and by the time they got into their stride in the second the game was gone. They are badly missing a leader in the middle of the park and if Lomas or Bircham aren’t back sharpish then we could have a few problems now that the loan window has closed until January 1^st.  

I am not going to spend an age ranting about Uriah Rennie. He knows he is shite, we know he is shite, any game he refs is a lottery and our numbers didn’t come up last night. I just wish he would realise that people go to watch a game of football, not watch him and hope that a football match can somehow break out around him. 

Palace away looks like a real uphill task for Rangers after two defeats on the spin but hopefully we can rediscover the form that has seen us go three games unbeaten on the road. If we can win the midfield battle we have players to hurt teams so let’s keep everything crossed that we have a battler to pick come Saturday afternoon. 

Man of the Match – Damion Stewart. Where as Charlie Caroli next to him seems to get worse by the game Stew Peas is getting better. It has taken him a while to get the pace of this league but now that he has he looks a fine player.

simon@qprnet.com