Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

Taarabt Back To His Best

Every team, however hard-working and organised, wants to have a player capable of the special moments which supporters pay their hard-earned money to see. The importance of a well-trained, competitive defence hardly needs to be stated, especially for a team like QPR who have been shipping goals all season. But few would walk through the turnstiles to watch Kaspars Gorkss and Damion Stewart all afternoon, however vital they can be.

Adel Taarabt, on the other hand, is a player that neutrals may even front up 20 quid to take their place at Loftus Road in order to see what he can do and I say that as someone who has spent a great deal of the season questioning his contribution to the team.

Without doubt he can be the most infuriating player in the Rangers' line-up. At the same time, if QPR are struggling for inspiration and someone to actually win them a game, Taarabt is never a bad option.

So it proved on Saturday, though he couldn't extend Neil Warnock's winning run to three in a row, but did manage to maintain his new boss' unbeaten record with a wonderfully opportunist goal to earn the Hoops a 1-1 draw at Sheffield United.

When Taarabt scores a cracker, it is often a long-range gem as the swerving, dipping shots he can produce from distance are one of his strongest weapons. Saturday's vital goal which brought a deserved draw going by the run of play and chances created, was more emblematic of a goal-hungry striker though. In fact it reminded me, in the way he stretched to reach Jay Simpson's knock-on and then powered past his marker, Marcel Seip, before coolly slotting the ball home, of Alan Shearer. Or considering Taarabt's gait, the real Ronaldo (you know, the fat one who was rarely found on the sides of buses in his underwear). Both goals from the game can be seen below for as long as they remain on YouTube.



Am I getting carried away? Undeniably. But this goal was more about sheer strength and desire over inspiration or technical ability. It showed another side to the Moroccan's game and again demonstrated that in the right mindset, he can be a truly terrific player and one who should only get better. Of course, if and when his talent truly blossoms, it is far from clear what club he will be playing for.

Warnock Shows His Northern Roots

Neil Warnock has reminded QPR's supporters of his background on a few occasions since his arrival. As a Yorkshire man born and bred, he often brings up his provenance to explain why he is so outspoken and honest in his views, as if everyone from that part of the world spent their days waving their glasses at referees and swearing. But the biggest reminder came on Sunday night when he appeared on Match of the Day 2 and likened Wayne Rooney's performance against Fulham to the film Kes.

Kes, for the uninitiated, was Ken Loach's Barnsley-based 1969 film about a troubled boy and his growing love for a kestrel that he trains. Warnock was, I believe, referring to the football scene in the film and suggested that he could imagine Rooney putting out jumpers for goalposts such is his desire to play the game. Not a bad film to turn to for inspiration.

It made me wonder if Warnock incorporates his film tastes into his pre-match talks. Maybe he draws on Saving Private Ryan and the refrain of "Earn it" before sending his players into battle. He could always turn to Glengarry Glen Ross for tips on how to wind up his team - "You see pal, that's who I am. And you're nothing. Nice guy? I don't give a shit. Good father? Fuck you - go home and play with your kids."



Or maybe some Scarface advice for the younger players - "In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women."

Anything as long as he doesn't return to his Sheffield roots and play them The Full Monty before their next game.

Captain Sensible


In all the excitement surrounding QPR's resurgence in form, it is good to see that the players aren't getting too carried away. The team's captain no less, Mikele Leigertwood, has played down any foolhardy talk of a late dash to the play-offs and insisted at the weekend that their main focus is still on avoiding relegation.

Getting above the 50-point mark is the first stop on the route to Championship football next season, which means Rangers need two more wins before they can start to breathe a little more easily. In their current form that shouldn't take too long, though this weekend's visitors, Swansea City, led by former Rangers boss Paulo Sousa, won't be too keen to help them in their aim.

Anyway, Leigertwood for now is looking down the table rather than up and considering how bad QPR were earlier in the season, it's hard to blame him for still being in a slightly conservative mindset.

"We have got to take each game as it comes, survival is first and foremost for us and anything other than that is a bonus," he said.

Hard to argue with that.