Well that was a long time coming wasn’t it! The scrappy win
against MK Dons on Tuesday night brought three unwanted runs to an end. 11
years without an FA Cup win for Rangers, nigh on 7 years without a goal for
Danny Gabbidon and perhaps most importantly, the first win of any kind for
Rangers in almost 2 long months. If this game is to be the springboard our
revival is launched from then it will be the lowest board at the pool!
Hughes made only one change to the side that went down to a
narrow defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday. Helguson dropped out to save his
legs and Macheda came in. That meant Kenny started in goal behind Young,
Ferdinand, Gabbidon and Hill. Mackie, Derry, Buzsaky and Wright-Phillips were
in midfield with Macheda and Bothroyd up top.
Rangers had started the game quickly against Newcastle but
there was no sign of such tempo here. It looked like that game had sapped the
legs of the players, their opponents looked like they were profiting from
having had their league game against Carlisle conveniently postponed on
Saturday. They got hold of the ball and moved it about as they had on their own
patch; they certainly weren’t going to be overawed. Luke Chadwick had the first
shot in anger of the game but could only fire straight at Kenny.
Bothroyd looked to get a shot in on goal himself but his
wild effort ended up nearer the corner flag than the target. This was a night
when the crowd really took their frustrations out on Bothroyd. His languid
style makes him look lazy and this coupled with an odd desire to look backwards
as his first option rather than forwards was a cause of massive frustration.
Alongside him Macheda looked far more lively but he has a shocking first touch
and so they made an infuriating pairing.
The impressive Adam Smith continued his fine form from the
first game here and he fired in a speculative thirty yard shot that Kenny watched
fly past the post. The Spurs loanee then whipped over an excellent cross that
Charlie MacDonald headed wide of Kenny’s goal with the keeper seemingly rooted
to the spot. At the other end David Martin had been a virtual spectator. When
Macheda did finally unlock the door and sent Wright-Phillips in on goal he
still didn’t have to intervene as Chadwick had tracked back well and blocked
the effort.
From the resulting corner Rangers thought they had taken the
lead. Buzsaky whipped an in swinger to the near post where Derry nodded home
from in front of the keeper. Referee Dowd penalised him for a hold on the
keeper but the replay seemed to suggest that they were both at it. It is always
the easier option to give the keeper the free kick in those situations so
Derry’s long wait for a goal continues.
MK Dons quickly missed a great chance of their own to take
the lead. MacDonald was sent clear behind the Rangers back four and bore down
on Kenny’s goal. Finding himself outside the left hand upright as he looked at
it he made the strange choice to hit the shot with the outside of his right
foot and as such it was always bending away from the target. Had he gone with
the inside of his foot he would have at least forced Kenny into action.
A tepid game suddenly had some tempo to it and Rangers were
next to try their luck when Buzsaky sprung the offside trap for Wright-Phillips
with a slide rule pass. The little winger took the ball in his stride and shot
low to Martin’s left only for the keeper to get a hand down and save. It wasn’t
a great effort as usual from Wright-Phillips. Why he didn’t go across the
keeper is a mystery. Shortly after Buzsaky had a blast from range on his left
foot but cleared the bar. Half time was a welcome break from a poor affair.
After the break Bothroyd met a Hill cross from sixteen yards
with his head but it carried no power and Martin gathered easily. MK Dons then
missed two glorious chances in as many minutes. Another excellent delivery from
Smith picked out Ibhere who had found space in the six yards box, with just
Kenny to beat he got no sort of connection on the ball at all and it flew wide.
From the very next attack MacDonald tried to divert a Gleeson shot into the net
but couldn’t get enough on it to turn it onto the target.
Hughes sent Smith on for Macheda as he tried to liven things
up. Buzsaky was fouled some thirty five yards from goal and stepped up to take
the free kick himself. His shot was a clean as a whistle and Martin had to
produce an excellent save to claw the ball out of the top corner. Buzsaky was
just about to take the corner when he saw his number up and Helguson ready to
come on in his place. At this point the good percentage of absolute arseholes
that pass for QPR supporters piped up. The decision was booed and some even
incredibly started chanting “You don’t know what you’re doing”. I despair at
some of our fans sometimes. As usual it came from plebs corner so I don’t know
why I should be surprised.
Wright-Phillips came across to take the corner and he
planted it straight onto the head of Danny Gabbidon who powered his header into
the net from 7 yards. If I were Hughes I’d have walked round the pitch and told
those that booed and heckled to fuck right off! There was still 17 minutes to
be played and it was now a case of whether Rangers could keep an all too rare
clean sheet and see this one out. When you’re playing as badly as Rangers are
thoughts of dominating the game and pushing on to a bigger margin of victory
couldn’t be further from the mind.
Ferdinand had to execute a fine challenge on Powell as MK
Dons broke forward as a Rangers attack broke down. He could have picked an
option either side of him but he chose to take the stand in skipper on and came
off second best. Then as the game was in its vinegar strokes, Young mowed
Ibhere down on halfway as the striker threatened to break through. It was as
cynical a challenge as you’ll see but it was exactly what was needed at that
moment.
In the end it was nice to see Rangers playing out time and
looking to be solid and professional in order to get a much needed win on the
board. Will this win boost us for the upcoming Premier League games? I can’t
say I’m convinced that it will. What will boost us is if the players continue
to work harder than they did for Warnock, play better than they did for
Warnock, keep more clean sheets that they did for Warnock and score more goals
than they did for Warnock. A simplistic view? Perhaps, but it is certainly one
that rings true.
Danny Gabbidon This was a game where
there was no stand out display so for the simple fact that he played a part in
a rare clean sheet and scored the winner, Gabbidon gets it.
