Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

Scunthorpe Utd 0 QPR 1

This time last week, QPR were nursing a hangover after a dismal 2-1 victory over Accrington Stanley (yes, wins can give you a hangover as well, especially when they are as weakly achieved as that pitifiul performance). Just seven days later, the club have their first league win of the season, have added two very promising young English players to their squad and have also drawn their west London rivals in the Carling Cup. All will be discussed below (and hopefully without too much hyperbole).

First to QPR's dispatch of Scunthorpe United and their first three point haul of the season, which it only took five games to achieve. To bring a touch of reality to proceedings, a 1-0 win over a team clearly struggling in a new division will not quicken the pulse of the rest of the Championship just yet. But QPR needed to win and quick with their manager, Jim Magilton indicating that he would take a victory at all costs.

He tinkered with the team before the game as is his want but I don't see that to be the sticking point that many observers of QPR seem to. Any new manager needs a grace period to learn about his players and how best to put them together and Jim Magilton should soon be fully versed with the players at his disposal.

The centre-back pairing was switched around as it always is with Fitz Hall and Matthew Connolly tried on this occaision (and seeing as a clean sheet ensued, the experiment can be deemed an initial success). Hogan Ephraim retained his place on the left wing following a decent performance against Stanley with Wayne Routledge brought back in on the right. As predicted, Jay Simpson was drafted straight into the team up front, a potential indication that Magilton has lost patience with his other striking options, with Adel Taarabt as his partner. Akos Buzsaky not only suffered the ignominy of being singled out for criticism following the Stanley match but also was placed on the bench, where he would stay for the duration of the match.

Judging by the opening salvo on the Scunthorpe goal, the Hoops' players were certainly hungry to finally earn those three points. Within three minutes, they were off the mark with Taarabt embarking on a trademark run into the area and capping it off with a far less customary finish. It is still debatable whether he should continually operate as a striker but this was the first indication this season that he could add some finishing skills to his less impressive bag of half-tricks, flicks and nowhere runs (even when he scores the winning goal, I can't lay off Taarabt just yet).

Rangers continued to batter away at Scunthorpe, Simpson failing to convert a 10-yard header following some decent interlocking play between Ramage and Routledge on the right. Before the half was out, Faurlin, who looked much improved following his less than stellar opening games, went close with a rasping drive and Simpson turned another chance just wide of the post.

In the second half, customary failings began to creep back into the Hoops' performance, as they collectively began to take their foot off the pedal. Magilton tried his best to rouse their concentration by switching things from the bench, with Taarabt unable to finish another game (see, another sly dig) as he made way for Rowan Vine on 56 minutes.

Cerny soon showed his dependable nature, holding well after a good effort from Garry Thompson which hinted that Scunthorpe could send Rangers home in despair. Heidar Helguson and Gavin Mahon also came off the bench for Simpson and Faurlin respectively but neither could kill off the game for QPR.

The Hoops did have a late penalty shout with Routledge felled in the box. In our post-Eduardo world though, penalties shall only be awarded when blood is shed or bone exposed, unless at Old Trafford and Routledge was instead harshly booked. This fad of booking players for diving will last about a week until referees get back to other less blatant ways of ruining football supporters' weekends.

Despite that, Scunthorpe failed to muster a late barrage on the QPR goal as was experienced against Plymouth and the away side finally breathed the relief of their first away win since January. What that says about their season is far from clear though. This was the game they needed at the right time and a better standard of opposition would not have let them off so gently.

However and in a foolish manner, after worrying about Magilton's future a week ago, I can't help but start to consider a QPR promotion challenge (especially when the two recent squad additions are added into the mix) despite this being far from a masterful win. The R's have still only lost one game and they remain relatively solid at the back with Matt Connolly surely close to securing a regular first-team place with his two astute performances against Stanley and Scunthorpe.

But rising up the table could be a slow process and will take consistency that QPR have failed to show since returning to the Championship. At the top, there is a whole host of clubs who match QPR in terms of their set-up, their resources (whatever you read about Flavio, he isn't willing or capable to start a Man City splurge just yet) and ambition. Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Sheffield Utd, WBA... QPR will do well to finish above any of these teams this season. But if you knock a team when they fail, you also need to praise them when they succeed and with this win and his two recent loan additions (scroll down to read about Ben Watson and the Carling Cup draw as well), Magilton has brought hope back to Loftus Road for the first time this season.

HIGHS: Adel Taarabt demonstrating that his early promise could become something more; Alejandro Faurlin settling into the team and producing some pinpoint cross-field passes; Matthew Connolly and Fitz Hall staking a claim to be the centre-back pairing of choice.

LOWS: Same old QPR tendency to sit back on a 1-0 lead; more poor finishing in front of goal; the fact that the club now has to wait 2 weeks to try and build on this success.

Scunthorpe - Murphy, Williams, Byrne, Mirfin, Spence, Togwell (McCann 61), Sparrow (Thompson 70), Woolford, O'Connor (Wright 61), Hayes, Hooper

Subs not used - Lillis (GK), Crosby, Morris, Forte

Bookings - Murphy

QPR - Cerny, Ramage, Hall, Connolly, Borrowdale, Leigertwood, Routledge, Faurlin (Mahon 81), Ephraim, Taarabt (Vine 56), Simpson (Helguson 70)

Subs not used - Heaton (GK), Stewart, Buzsaky, Pellicori

Goal - Taarabt (3)

Bookings - Routledge

Referee - Mr G Salisbury

Attendance - 5866 (682 QPR)

QPR FINALLY GET THEIR MAN

Just three days after their opening win and whilst most of football seemed to be enjoying an extended bank holiday, QPR were able to secure the loan signing of Ben Watson from Wigan Athletic in a 4-month deal (with the option of an extension when the next transfer window opens in January). On a particularly quiet final transfer day (which wrecked havoc with the automatic hype machine at Sky Sports News) this was one of the more significant deals and brought to an end a fairly lengthy flirtation between the two parties.

Even prior to his move to Wigan Athletic, Watson was a target for the Hoops during his time at Crystal Palace, to the extent that QPR supporters sang his name as though he was one of their own when the two clubs met last season. Rather than pay good money to actually buy a player, Briatore did the long-sighted/horribly tight/panicky (delete where applicable) thing of waiting to sign the player on a short-term loan deal.

He now becomes the 365th central midfielder at the club but his addition should permanently bring to an end the era of Leigertwood-Mahon bore football in the centre of the QPR field. In his performances for both Palace and Wigan, Watson always showed a desire to get forward as often as possible. In fact, Magilton lauded his abilities as a 'box-to-box midfielder' - the same terms Paulo Sousa used to describe Liam Miller though I think this time the manager is right. With Martin Rowlands and Lee Cook still to return, no natural home yet found for Akos Buzsaky and Alejandro Faurlin showing his first signs of promise, Magilton will be spoiled for choice until Christmas and possibly beyond.

Watson started his career with Palace in 2002/3 and went onto make 150 appearances for the club by the time of his 23rd birthday, notching 161 in total before moving to Wigan Athletic for £2.5 million last January, where he went on to score twice despite limited opportunities. He undoubtedly has experience in this division which so few QPR loan signings do and as a result, it may prove to be a very smart late bit of business.

CELERY, CELERY...

That's one song that QPR supporters hope their Chelsea rivals aren't singing on 23rd September after the two richest clubs in London (or at least west London) drew each other in the third round of the Carling Cup. It's hard to know how QPR are supposed to feel about this draw. Do they still get excited about big pay-days against Premiership opposition even though their owners have a combined wealth way in excess of Roman Abramovich's? Is the club frightened at the prospect of a West Ham-Millwall style duff-up? Either way, if the club's goal is to play against such teams on a regular basis, this will be an infrequent test of their ability to cut it against one of England's top teams. If Chelsea put out even a half-strength team then they shouldn't struggle but we don't yet know if Carlo Ancelotti shares Jose Mourinho's reverence for the League Cup. The potential for embarrassment is firmly in Chelsea's half and there's even an outside chance that it's the Hoops supporters singing at full-time.