Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

Amidst the excitement of the opening day, QPR produced a performance which was very reminiscent of last season to only manage a draw against a Blackpool side whom they dominated for long stretches of the game. As a marker for the rest of the season, it won't have too many Championship clubs trembling in their boots and a few long-term deficiencies, namely the lack of a top-class striker, were again highlighted.

QPR went for the standard pre-match 'entertainment' which now accompanies their opening days. As they did prior to the match against Barnsley last season, the club treated the supporters to a firework display. More bizarrely, following the game a group of women from Gulf Air (QPR's sponsors) in what looked like full air-stewardess uniform came onto the pitch to wave some flags which didn't really fit with the mood following a 1-1 draw at home to Blackpool.

Some things in football can't be forced and thankfully the club doesn't try to foster this type of excitement onto the supporters on a regular basis. There was nothing contrived about the minute's applause for Bobby Robson though. To have engendered the affection he did throughout football is far more telling of the man he was than any medals or trophies won and the touching tribute at Loftus Road was repeated up and down the country.

There was also the small matter of welcoming QPR's new manager, Jim Magilton, for his first competitive game in charge of the club and welcoming back former manager and player Ian Holloway, now in charge of the Seasiders. I missed Holloway's arrival on the pitch but the man himself said what a warm reception he received on the BBC's new Football League Show on Saturday night (which bordered on car-crash TV with the football being interspersed with an interminable series of viewer's emails, which were read out from a Crimewatch-style studio. The BBC seem to have fallen into ITV's trap of using gimmicks to try and sell the football without acknowledging that only a certain number of people will stay up until 1am on a Sunday morning to see if Rochdale won or not and no amount of new graphics or sparkly shirts will make any difference. But I digress...) Magilton and assistant John Gorman were certainly warmly received but QPR supporters have had a lot of practice at welcoming managers over the past year.

The team selected wasn't vastly different from any seen last season in terms of personnel. Fitz Hall coming in for Damion Stewart at centre-back was a surprise as Stewart was one of QPR's best players last season and it will be interesting to see if Magilton sees Hall and Kaspars Gorkss as the natural pairing at the back. Peter Ramage took the right-back spot and would go on to have his best game for the club and Gary Borrowdale finally made his debut at left-back after joining the club eight months ago. In midfield, Gavin Mahon took the defensive perch, with Martin Rowlands just ahead of him in a more attacking role. Angelo Balanta came in as a reward for his fine pre-season form but found himself on the left wing instead of his usual role up front. Wayne Routledge took the attacking duties on the right and Adel Taarabt partnered Heidar Helguson in attack, suggesting that Magilton may utilise Taarabt as a striker on more occasions this season. On a packed bench, QPR had Stewart, Rowan Vine, Akos Buszaky (returning for the first time since last November), Patrick Agyemang, Matthew Connolly and Hogan Ephraim to call on.

Ian Holloway pointed out after the game that had it not been for some last-minute buys he would have been unable to fill his bench. Blackpool have suddenly come into the money, with club president Valeri Belokon promising funds for player purchases and Holloway had brought Charlie Adam to the club permanently just days before following his successful loan spell last season. He was one of Blackpool's brighter players on the day and looks well worth the £500,000 outlay. Another summer acquisition Jason Euell also made the starting line-up, partnering Ben Burgess up front.

QPR started in blistering form and threw everything at Blackpool from the first minute. Club captain Rowlands was afforded acres of space throughout the early exchanges and was able to dictate most of QPR's attacking play and get forward with ease. He looked remarkably composed on the ball which is an often unseen trait in the Championship and I began to see hints of the footballer so many say he is. The other two stand-out players early on were Wayne Routledge and most surprisingly Peter Ramage. After Gavin Mahon, Peter Ramage is the most criticised player at Loftus Road with his attacking abilities particularly derided but the pre-season has clearly been good to him because he was a bundle of energy throughout this game. He and Routledge showed signs of an effective partnership on the right which could be vital in future matches.

Adel Taarabt wasn't in quite such blistering form. For such a naturally gifted footballer, he is the most frustrating watch out of all the QPR side. Again and again, he fails to pass to a team-mate who is in a better position, preferring instead to either run himself into a dead-end or attempt a shot on goal which too often ends in nothing. This may stem from the mentality of a loan player - a desire to win a game single-handedly to impress the boss, but going by Jim Magilton's words following the game, it's not working for Taarabt at the moment. Magilton described his performance as 'indifferent' and remarked on his poor decision-making when it comes to passing.

He also goes to ground far too easily and he showed this side to his game as well. After quarter of an hour, Adam put a strong but fair challenge on Taarabt who proceeded to flail to the ground. Adam then stood over the player to voice his displeasure at what looked like a piece of poor play-acting. Though it didn't yesterday, such dives have got on the nerves of his own supporters before and he needs to remove this tendency from his game as soon as possible.

QPR's best chance of the first half came on 20 minutes. Routledge again did much of the work, beating his marker and drilling in a cross which just evaded Ramage before finding Helguson who could only force his effort onto the bar.

From there, a degree of complacency entered into QPR's play and the breakneck pace of the opening minutes began to wane. Blackpool fired a warning shot on 35 minutes, Ben Burgess turning an effort just wide of Cerny's far post. He clearly found his range because two minutes later, he gave Blackpool the lead. Adam clipped a troublesome ball into the area, finding Gary Taylor-Fletcher who calmly laid it off to Burgess. He dragged his shot under Cerny to knock the stuffing out of the QPR team and supporters.

The lead flattered Blackpool but their game plan was working to a tee and QPR were still struggling to fashion any clear-cut chances for either of their front men. They looked even more haphazard in their approach play at the start of the second half, though they did have a great opportunity to equalise on 47 minutes. A lofted ball from Rowlands found Hall and his looping header looked destined for the far corner. Blackpool keeper Paul Rachubka somehow clawed the ball away as he fell backwards and from the rebound, Balanta could only drive the ball onto the post.

Real frustration was setting in around the ground now and in fairness to the new manager, he seized the initiative with a double change only ten minutes into the half. Helguson and Balanta made way for Vine and Buzsaky, with the latter player getting a deafening welcome from the Hoops supporters. It was a decent call from Magilton – Balanta had struggled on the wing and must surely be looking to get a game up front in future matches to really make an impact while Helguson contributed little and looked to be lacking enough sharpness to get an equaliser.

All the subs were on just four minutes later with Rowlands hobbling off. It was a sad sight to see a player who was so hampered by injury last season having to leave the pitch so early into this one though the news is that this wasn't too serious and he may only miss one game. Agyemang took his place, leaving the Hoops with a top-heavy formation, Agyemang and Vine leading the line, with Taarabt sitting just behind them and Buzsaky getting forward as often as possible.

Buzsaky looked like a man on a mission and not a player who has been missing from first-team action for more than nine months. He got himself booked within minutes of coming on, pulling back Adam unnecessarily and soon after, he struck a decent free-kick just wide of Rachubka's goal.

Taarabt now demonstrated his other weakness, after his diving. He cut across the edge of the Blackpool area on a mazy run, beating a number of players but rather than releasing Ramage who was completely free on the wing, he decided to hold the ball just long enough to draw a tackle and allow another attack to fizzle out to nothing. Ramage turned away in disgust, raising his arms to the skies in anger and for a minute, it looked like all discipline was going to be lost from QPR's play.

Agyemang was struggling to find the pace of the game though often he was forced to deal with a succession of high balls which left him with few options. At one point, surrounded by markers, he looked to be moving into a dead-end but he proceeded to clip a pin-point pass to the far post to find Vine completely unmarked. The striker showed his rustiness though, placing his first-time shot wide of the post to wails of despair from the watching crowd.

The stadium announcer had already read out Ramage's name as man of the match when he stepped up to cap off easily his best performance in a QPR shirt. His crossing throughout the game had been pretty spot on, something which you can rarely say about the right back, but it was a mis-hit effort with only five minutes to go which saved a point for QPR. His frustration of minutes before evaporated as he celebrated his first goal for the club. With five minutes of injury time, the home side should have perhaps gone on to win it, but Blackpool made their intentions pretty clear, trying to run down the clock as much as possible and they held on for their point.

On paper, it is a result which will disappoint QPR and considering their domination of the play and the number of their chances, it will hurt a little bit more. At the same time, there were a lot of positives to take from the way they set about Blackpool so early in the season. The key weakness was one which was apparent throughout the last campaign; the lack of a natural goalscorer to take the half-chances which turn a draw into a win. Helguson seems to lack that inch of pace to get into decent positions. Taarabt is not a proven goalscorer by any stretch of the imagination and I've already mentioned some of the creases which need to be ironed out of his game. Agyemang provided some good link up play, but he too looked off the pace and at times seems too clumsy to genuinely threaten opposition defenders. That left Vine who was unlucky not to get on the score-sheet and looked lively for much of his half-hour on the pitch, but he again showed a tendency to crack under pressure. It would be wrong to read too much into the opening game of the season, but this one looked like plenty witnessed at Loftus Road during the last campaign.

Player Ratings

Radek Cerny – 6. Had little to do and couldn't really be faulted for the goal.
Peter Ramage – 8. Could have been a higher score and this was his best game so far for QPR, though he had a few nervous moments at the back.
Kaspars Gorkss – 7. Always reliable and strong in the air. Should be a certain starter from now on.
Fitz Hall – 6. Imposed himself well and offered options going forward, but I couldn't help but feel that some of QPR's uncertainty at the back stemmed from his inclusion. Damion Stewart will be unlucky to be kept out by Hall on a regular basis.
Gary Borrowdale – 6. A quiet game but as with Ramage, he didn't always track back efficiently. He will certainly improve in future games though.
Gavin Mahon – 6. Did little wrong, but still tends to rush his passes and hit some aimless balls forward.
Martin Rowlands – 7. Before limping off injured, he was one of the brighter points to QPR's play and dictated much of the attacking in the opening 20 minutes.
Angelo Balanta – 6. A poor game for him. Looked to be suffering from the Taarabt syndrome of trying too hard to impress and lost possession frequently. I think he deserves a run up front where he would be of greater use than out on the wing.
Wayne Routledge – 7. Faded towards the end but with Rowlands, he bossed the play early on and could have had a couple of assists to his name.
Adel Taarabt – 6. Undoubtedly he has a lot of ability which makes his theatrics and greediness on the ball harder to stomach. Magilton looks more than willing to tackle these problems early on which could be a god-send for Taarabt and the team in general.
Heidar Helguson – 6. Could have been a lower score. Struggled to get into the game and deserved his early substitution.

Subs

Akos Buzsaky – 7. Woke the team up when they looked to be falling apart early in the second half. Harried the opposition whenever he could and showed no signs of the injury which kept him out for so long.
Rowan Vine – 6. Really should have hit the net but he can be forgiven such a miss on the opening day.
Patrick Agyemang – 7. I still don't think he is the answer to QPR's goal problems but he produced a fantastic pass to Vine which should have brought the equaliser.

Subs not used: Putnins (GK), Stewart, Connolly, Ephraim.

Elsewhere in the Championship:

Coventry 2 Ipswich 1
Cardiff 4 Scunthorpe 0
Crystal Palace 1 Plymouth 1
Derby 2 Peterborough 1
Leicester 2 Swansea 1
Middlesbrough 0 Sheff Utd 0
Preston 2 Bristol City 2
Reading 0 Nottm Forest 0
Sheff Wed 2 Barnsley 2
Watford 1 Doncaster 1
West Brom 1 Newcastle 1

I was hoping to provide a much longer preview of this game than I now can. Basically, its a very bad idea to try and start writing about the new season just 2 hours before it begins.

Suffice to say, QPR, going by the bookies and most of the papers, are clear favourites for this one. That's overdoing it for me - Blackpool were tough opponents at Loftus Road last season and there is now the added factor of manager Ian Holloway returning to his former club. He will be doing everything in his power to get a result today, so a lot will depend on how quickly QPR can settle under their own new manager.

The team shouldn't look vastly different from that which we saw last season, with the key changes being who will replace Damien Delaney and Dexter Blackstock. Gary Borrowdale is likely to come in at left-back; up front is a harder call. It would be nice to get a look at new signing Alessandro Pellicori in the hope that he is not another Samuel Di Carmine. Angelo Balanta has had a flying pre-season and surely deserves a place as well and Magilton could go with three up front with Agyemang, Vine and Helguson all available as well.

The only absentees are Mikele Leigertwood and QPR's record signing Alejandro Faurlin, both through injury. QPR now have a decent-sized squad, particularly in midfield and Championship sides can now name seven substitutes, so expect a degree of rotation over the first month as Magilton tests out his players.

Realistically, this game could easily be a draw. QPR had a slow start last season and the fans were close to turning on them on the opening day against Barnsley. They can't afford to do that today and in the spirit of pre-season optimism I'm going to predict a close home win - 2-1 - but don't be surprised if the points are shared.

Prediction - 2-1 win.

Following the end of last season, in which Gareth Ainsworth took the hot-seat after the depature of Paulo Sousa, QPR began what was termed an exhaustive search to find a new manager. The treatment of managers at Loftus Road has been the most scrutinised part of the Briatore years as the owners continually show a willingness to chop and change but also to interfere with team selection and player purchases.

At the start of the close season there was a period of the usual wild tabloid rumours over who would take the job (I think Pele had to be the best suggestion which demonstrated the new rule when it comes to reporting on QPR - you can pretty much make it up now because anything is believable). The announcement then of Jim Magilton was surprising with so many expecting a big-name who could attract players from around Europe. It was reported that Magilton's appointment rested heavily on his performance in his interview which supposedly greatly impressed the club's owners.

His playing career took in Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton and finally Ipswich, where he also held his one and only managerial post prior to joining the Hoops. He spent three years at the club, in which time he turned them from a club which toyed with relegation to one at which a play-off spot is now expected.

In his second season with the Tractor Boys, 2007-8, they finished in eighth, just a point off the play-offs, though Magilton couldn't recapture that form last season despite some heavy investment. That may worry QPR's supporters, because he clearly had money to spend and still couldn't turn the club into a sure-fire promotion proposition, which is surely his aim at Loftus Road.

His appointment looks very similar to that of Iain Dowie's - both ambitious young managers with less than sparkling track records at management. The key will be if Magilton gets more time than Dowie. If the club struggles in the opening months, Briatore has already shown that he has little patience. But Magilton needs to be given a settling-in period in which he should try and settle on a formation as quickly as possible; QPR lost too much ground over the last twelve months by switching tactics and through squad rotation. He should be able to quite quickly identify the players who stand out above the rest. If he shows faith in them and in turn, the owners show faith in him, his appointment may look more astute than it does right now.

My review of last season's squad is unfortunately going to cross over into this season as today is the most important day in the calendar of any football supporter -the first game of the season. This means butterflies in the stomach like you were a kid about to open his Christmas presents. Every supporter becomes an eternal optimist - I mean, the club can't be as bad as last season right?

So my rundown on the squad will have to wait for another day because with kick-off just hours away, I want to take a quick look at QPR's new manager and some of the key questions that he, and the club in general, will have to answer over the next 12 months. But whatever happens, rest easy, because football is back.