Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

Rangers went into their second home game of the season against Scunthorpe knowing that a win would put them top of the pile come Saturday evening, after Milwall's early defeat against fellow promoted side Leeds earlier in the day. A blistering first-half performance though suggested they could make a reasonable stab at staying there for much of this season. Not to get carried away too early though...

A settled and organised looking line-up saw a back-line of Orr, Connolly, Gorkss and Hill start ahead of keeper Paddy Kenny. Alejandro Faurlin, who is now so famous that Lady Gaga released a song about him this summer and Shaun Derry sat fairly deep in the middle behind a free-wheeling attack of Jamie Mackie and Hogan Ephraim on either wing and Heidar Helguson partnered by Adel Taarabt, both captain and inspiration behind much of Rangers play.

Taarabt went close with a freekick which he almost passed into the net on just eight minutes and Iron keeper Joe Murphy did well to get down low and tip it wide. It served as an early marker of how much of a key role he would have in the afternoon's proceedings.

Just five minutes later, you got the both the best and worst of him in one move, which is so often the case and is one of the reasons managers often mark him out as an incredibly frustrating player to watch, as Neil Warnock has already done. He beat at my count at least three players, taking them out of the game with a cocky drag-back but then with a slight flailing hand from the Scunthorpe defender, he sunk to earth in search of a penalty. It was a blatant attempt to cheat the ref which was lucky not to earn a yellow card and was also completely unnecessary.

To his wide collection of skills, tricks and party-pieces (as well as yes, dives) he also demonstrated a near-perfect dead-ball delivery today which brought the R's opening goal. His whipped corner found new-boy full-back Bradley Orr running to meet it and his downward header nestled in at the far post. It was a deserved reward to an absolutely flying, confident start from the home side.

Their shape in the opening half was almost perfect, both full-backs getting forward frequently and looking more than comfortable in possession of the football which has not often been the case in the last two seasons and probably longer. Faurlin also looks like he can still improve and even get better at this level while Derry was a much-improved presence from the one I saw struggle against bottom-division side Port Vale.

And then there was Taarabt who is so head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch, at least in terms of natural talent and ability, that his every touch now sends a charge of excitement around the whole stadium. There was a moment halfway through the first 45 minutes, when he broke from the halfway line and you could sense not only the desperation in the Scunny back-line at how to deal with him but also a genuine expectation from the crowd that he could make a goal from such a position.

He tore away, exchanged passes with Faurlin, did a brilliant on-the-ball turn and was unlucky to see his shot deflect up off a defender for a corner. Now committed to the club for the foreseeable future he could become a genuine hero with the fans for years to come. Does he try to do too much on his own? Yes. Does he provide at least one embarrassing dive in most games? Probably. But he is hands down Rangers' best player.

Heidar Helguson soon squandered one of many chances, after a perfect cross from the impressive Orr found him free at the back post, a position he creeped into throughout the afternoon with little in the way of marking from the Iron. His fairly tame header though was pushed away by Murphy.

The away side were struggling to find a way back into the match though their one goal danger, Jonathan Forte, did break through on goal just after the half-hour, and would be afforded a similar opportunity in the second half. On this occasion he chose to try and chip Kenny from outside the area but scooped his shot well over the bar.

Scunthorpe needed him to be sharper when he had sight on goal and soon after, their task became much more difficult. Rangers doubled their lead with a truly great, great goal, one which summed up the quick passing moves of the first half and showed a team high on confidence. Taarabt (of course) clipped a fantastic pass to Helguson in acres of space in the area and this time there was no mistake from the Icelander. He calmly chested it and then dinked it over the keeper, who was running to meet the ball, and into the goal.

Within seconds, the other side of Taarabt looked to have reared its ugly head again, when the referee seemed to have given a penalty when the Moroccan went to ground in the area, only to then book him for diving. It was very hard to make out if there was any contact though so I'll reserve judgement on who was in the wrong.

Before the half-time whistle, there was another chance to increase the lead, Helguson again connecting with a header following an Ephraim cross and this time he forced another great save out of Murphy, who tipped the ball wide. It would be no exaggeration to say Rangers murdered Scunny in the first half here and the only criticism would be that they didn't more clinically take advantage of their superiority.

There was perhaps an inevitable slacking off in terms of the pace and intent of QPR's attacks in the second half, though they still remained the more likely team to score throughout. Taarabt's dead-ball delivery was causing mass confusion in the Scunthorpe box each and every time he was given an opportunity and one effort found Gorkss unmarked. His header back across goal bounced up off the bar to safety.

The visitors had the odd moment where they hinted they could get a goal back - Michael O'Connor driving a fierce low shot at goal which Kenny handled poorly and was lucky not to turn into his own net.

Helguson's mixed afternoon, at least in terms of finishing, continued. He should have claimed a hat-trick at least today, first glancing a woeful header wide after another fine cross from Ephraim before the same player found him unmarked in the area following a commanding run, but Helguson turned the ball way over the goal when it looked easier to find the net.

Taarabt came off to a standing ovation with less than 20 minutes to go, replaced by the only other man who can draw such acclaim from the Loftus Road crowd, Akos Buzsaky. The like-for-like swap was a sound move by the manager, both players flourishing in a free role off the striker, but it does beg the question of who will be spending their time on the bench this season. As Taarabt is almost certainly a guaranteed starter, how will Neil Warnock find a place for Buzsaky in the team?

Forte wasted another chance to get his team back into the game. Put through on goal once more, he looked nervous as he neared the goal and though he placed his shot well it didn’t have enough pace to beat Kenny, who tipped it forward before reclaiming the ball himself.

Buzsaky staked his claim for a starting place, calmly placing a shot to the far post from inside the area which drew another excellent save from Murphy. Again, it's no exaggeration to suggest that without him, Rangers would have won this at a canter. Further subs followed, Leigertwood and German replacing Derry and Helguson before the game was out and the chants of 'We are top of the league' soon started up. QPR have certainly laid down a marker for the rest of the season in these three opening games...

QPR showed two very different faces within just the first four days of this season, from a convincing victory over Barnsley in the league to put them top of the pile, to a dismal fall against lower-league opposition in the league cup which would have left the few who did turn up at Loftus Road questioning why they had bothered.

Hearing the words of assistant manager Mick Jones, who makes his return to Sheffield United today, (alongside his boss Neil Warnock and a hatful of players, most notably keeper Paddy Kenny who can expect a frosty reception following his summer walk-out) summed up pretty concisely the two extremes which Rangers provided their supporters this week.

First the excellent start to the league campaign, which Jones was clearly delighted with, despite conceding that Rangers had a stroke of luck in not conceding a penalty to Barnsley which could have made the game 1-1.

He said: "It was a fantastic performance. Once we went 2-0 up, it was game, set and match. It was not only a great performance, but there was some great football and of course a terrific performance from Adel Taarabt."

You get the feeling that Taarabt could often make the difference for Rangers this season and perhaps with his mind now fully on playing for the club, rather than fixated on auditioning for a move to a top-flight club in England or Spain, he will blossom into the truly exceptional player which he could be at this level. Neil Warnock has been quick to see the frustration inherent in watching Taarabt play and hinted that this was perhaps the reason he hadn't been able to find a big-club move, but he also showed against Barnsley how pivotal he is to QPR's creative options. It isn't stretching the point too far as well to suggest the club may have performed better against Vale had he been available for selection.

Jones, while speaking to the club's website, also revealed the quandary Warnock finds himself in when it comes to the first round of the league cup, something 'he doesn't like, never has and never will'.

For those who sat through the game, it's hard to stomach a less than committed approach to the game and looking at the personnel on the pitch, the team should still have been able to find a result, regardless of any lack of ambition for the cup. But now it is out of the way, it's back to the only competition that the manager and the players clearly want to be judged on.

It couldn't really be a tougher fixture, particularly when you throw in the number of personal grudges that could come to the surface. Warnock still speaks fondly of his time at United and enough water may have passed under the bridge to let him escape fairly unscathed, though he will have re-ignited some unpopularity by in effect poaching Kenny this summer and the keeper is likely to receive a very hostile welcome.

The defence ahead of him may be better well placed to cope though and provide a tougher challenge than the poor excuse for a defensive performance which was witnessed on Tuesday. Peter Ramage is available for selection again after serving a disciplinary ban and it will be interesting to see if he is considered a first-choice option. Likewise Kaspar Gorkss could also return, as Taarabt will almost certainly do.

That leaves Akos Buzsaky who should face a late fitness test to see if he has overcome the thigh problem which kept him out of the friendly between England and Hungary. If we are not going to judge Rangers on the league cup this season then, games like this afternoon's are the ones which will fall under scrutiny and which will decide if the club can mount a reasonable promotion challenge.

As promised before the season kicked off, I have been hoping to add my interview with Rodney Marsh, originally done for H & F News, for some time. I didn't get round to it before the first league game, but that shouldn't affect its relevance too greatly, especially as Rodney was willing to talk about pretty much anything Rangers-related. So below is an edited version of the article:

He's someone who can't get close to Loftus Road before the QPR faithful pay their respects in the only way they know how.

Chants of 'ROD-NEE' follow the Rangers hero whenever he is back in London and he's just as likely to be greeted by Fulham fans after two spells with their club as well.

That adoration is tested less frequently nowadays though, with media work in the US keeping visits to QPR down to four or five a season.

Marsh said: "You can't go anywhere without bumping into QPR fans. When I chat to them, they always seem to look back to that League Cup final win over West Brom."

That's hardly surprising. Rangers fans would kill to repeat the achievements of the late 1960s when a trademark Rodney strike helped them to a 3-2 win in that 1967 final, bringing what remains their only major honour.

Younger fans might know him better for his appearance on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here but he was a regular goal-machine with QPR, scoring 44 in his first full season and inspiring back-to-back promotions to reach the top flight for the first time in 1968.

Could the Hoops repeat such achievements today?

Marsh said: "That's a tough question. In the early 1990s, they were close to being a top club, to being in the top five. I don't care who you are though, you need a Les Ferdinand, you need a Rodney Marsh."

You could never accuse him of misunderestimating his own talents. After starting his career at Fulham, he made the short journey to Loftus Road aged just 21, scoring 134 goals for the Rs before moves to Manchester City and Tampa Bay Rowdies, long before David Beckham thought of popularising the game stateside.

He's still keeping Americans informed about 'soccer' today, having just finished his own World Cup show on NBC.

"If the World Cup final had been a game between Stoke and Hull, people would have been walking out. It was absolute dross.

"I'm on the internet every day, looking up QPR, Fulham and Man City. I've always considered myself a QPR man but Fulham do hold a place in my heart - I idolised players like Johnny Haynes and Bobby Keetch."

Tennis matches against Rangers director Gianni Paladini - 'a decent player' apparently - help him keep his finger on the pulse but news about the Rs has rarely been cheery recently.

That could change with a new manager in place.

Marsh said: "I've got a lot of time for Neil Warnock and have done for many years. He's not everyone's cup of tea but I think that a lot of that comes out of his passion for the game."

The two men share a straight-talking image and Marsh is releasing a book, Loose Cannon, in September in which he promises to lift the lid on some of his high-profile bust-ups, including one with former Rangers boss Gordon Jago.

For the current manager though, he is content to provide some tactical advice.

"I don't want to tell Neil how to do his job but I think they need to find a role for Akos Buzsaky. He is a quality player. They should adjust the rest of the team around him."

Perhaps only then will the club find themselves back at the top table of English football.

"It would mean the world if QPR could win the Championship," Marsh said.

I missed the first day of the season, something I was far from happy about and so only had the goals to go on in judging the Hoops' 4-0 win over Barnsley, which by all accounts wasn't as one-sided as the scoreline suggested. But it was fair to say that I had fairly high expectations for their performance on Tuesday night, built both on the start to this league campaign and the general improvements seen under Neil Warnock at the end of last season.

But amazingly (and perhaps it's cup competitions that bring this out of Rangers), they really were pretty shocking. In fact, it recalled the poor home display against Accrington Stanley in the same competition last season, when players looked confused, were often remonstrating with each other and the stadium was soul-crushingly quiet except for the odd howl of pain when another attack dwindled to nothing.

At least against Stanley the team somehow managed to labour through to the desired result; though I'd say Port Vale provided a sterner test with some brisk attacking moves of their own, it was still hard to contemplate how a team supposedly with promotion to the Premiership on their mind was so quick to capitulate and so lacking in ideas to get back in this game.

It's too early in the season to start singling out individuals, something every one says before immediately doing exactly the opposite, so I will actually be honest and say that you can pick out some poor performers from Tuesday night.

Fitz Hall, supposedly capable of playing in the Premiership, looked slow and cumbersome and injected an element of panic to the back-four which was all too reminiscent of his outings last season. Sadly, two of the other weak links were both new signings, though that does mean they should be afforded a degree of doubt which Hall is quickly using up. Shaun Derry struggled to get a grip on the pace of the match and to influence it in any meaningful way while Leon Clarke up front wasted his one good opportunity and then cut an increasingly frustrated figure for the 45 minutes he had to suffer, though the level of service to him was miserable. Even Paddy Kenny was having a tough time at the back as he struggled to deal with the frequent Vale shots on a wet surface.

Plus points? Jamie Mackie looked lively and had enough confidence, spirit and willingness to attack players to indicate that he could be an important player for Rangers this season. I also thought another new player Bradley Orr looked fairly assured at left-back and confident going forward and if memory serves correct, he was largely blameless for the defensive lapses though I could be wrong.

Apart from that, there was little else to take from a thoroughly miserable night, except the notion that the manager can't wave a magic wand and disappear away all the problems which have suffocated QPR for the last couple of seasons at least. If early defeats in the cup are the trade-off for improved performances in the league, most Rangers fans would take the deal in a heartbeat, but football rarely allows such simple trade-offs and the journey to Sheffield United this weekend has now been provided an extra layer of tension, as if it needed any more in the first place.

After a summer in which QPR have solidly added to their squad, with the potential re-addition of Adel Taarabt still to follow once a deal over his signing-on fee is hashed out, one of the most important new options for manager Neil Warnock could be midfielder Martin Rowlands. That's once he has finally recovered from the horrible injury which has kept him out for the last nine months.

I got the chance to speak to Martin at the end of last month for H & F News and I asked him about his recovery, his hopes for next season and his love for QPR.

He's been missing from the first team since last October, when he suffered torn cruciate ligaments while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland - after falling foul of a very similar injury earlier in the year as well - and that limited his league appearances in the last campaign to just six.

Having missed half of the previous season as well, Rangers' supporters will be itching to not only see the new players Warnock has brought to their club, but also the return of Rowlands, who will hope to quickly make a berth in the midfield his own.

What was most apparent to me when I spoke to him, was that he is absolutely itching to start playing football again and he pinpointed the end of August as a potential date for a return to first-team action.

He said: "“I can’t wait to get going. It’s a massive opportunity for the club to do something this year."

After returning to light training duties, he sat out the club's recent trip to Italy for a couple of friendlies, but in the last few weeks he was close to once again taking part in full contact training with his squad mates. He also said the whole squad was in high spirits ahead of the league campaign, which kicks off this weekend with Barnsley's visit to Loftus Road.

Martin said: "The mood has been brilliant. The new players have come in. We knew that the squad needed strengthening and I expect there will be further strengthening to come. Players come and go in football, you’re used to that, especially over the summer."

Shaun Derry was one of those signings, a tough midfielder who could easily fulfill the role that Gavin Mahon so expertly performed until a long-term injury curtailed his season as well. With the manager preferring a 4-3-3 formation in pre-season friendlies too, thereby limiting the midfield places available, will Martin have a fight on his hands to get straight back into the side?

He said: "Everyone needs that. The best teams in the world have more than one good player competing in every position. It means everyone wants to do better and try to get better."

Surprisingly, despite being born in Hammersmith, he didn't grow up as a Rangers fan saying that he didn't really have a team but he clearly does have close ties to the area. So it's hard to imagine him jumping ship, even if everything isn't plain sailing straight away in the club's latest attempt to get closer to promotion.

"My three children were all born at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital", he said, which is just a few minutes' walk from Loftus Road.



“You can’t get any closer to the club than that."

And he wasn't ready to start looking ahead to any games in particular, even if the club could have back-to-back London derbies against Milwall and Crystal Palace soon after the midfielder's return.

He said: "You just look forward to every single game. You can’t take your eye off that and start thinking about particular teams that are ahead. It’s a tough league, it’s the same for everyone and we all have to concentrate.”