Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

QPR's Carling Cup game in midweek with Accrington Stanley didn't prove to be a beautiful distraction from the league after all but a horrible reminder that this team is currently playing without belief, organisation or spirit. Instead of a rallying call for future league games, that performance was a low point for this season despite the win. What will be key to the club now is how they can perform back amongst the bread-and-butter games of the league.

Unfortunately for QPR, they only have one game to turn things around prior to the international break and it's newly-promoted Scunthorpe away. Following the two weeks off, they have home games in quick succession against Peterborough and Crystal Palace. Before the season started, QPR would surely have been looking for nine points from these three games. Now, to just get that first win would be satisfactory and five points could be a more realistic target.

For the Scunthorpe match, QPR do at least have some new firepower to call on up front. Jay Simpson, a 20-year old prospect at Arsenal, was signed on a year-long loan yesterday and in his previous loan spells at other clubs, he has demonstrated that he could have the ability to kick-start the Hoops' season. He previously spent a year on loan at Milwall, scoring 6 goals in 34 games and ending the season as the fans' Player of the Year. He finished last season on loan at struggling WBA but still managed to find the net twice but his appearances for Arsenal have been restricted to the Carling Cup. His pace and confidence should add something to a faltering forward line and he is immediately available for tomorrow's game.

In terms of other team news, the only real absentees for QPR are Martin Rowlands, who is unlikely to be ready for this game and Lee Cook who is still recovering from a long-term injury. Angelo Balanta and Fitz Hall are both now back in contention for a first-team place.

Magilton reverted to a 4-4-2 formation for the match against Accrington so it will be interesting to see if he sticks with that, as it sucked a lot of creativity out of the team. If he opts for a midfield duo of Mikele Leigertwood and Gavin Mahon he could hand a lot of the attacking potential to Scunthorpe. Perhaps most importantly though, QPR need to find a settled formation soon and use it for long enough to allow the players to grow into it. The tactical confusion on Tuesday night made a mockery of the whole team and cannot be successful against more competitive opposition.

Another key point to look for is if Akos Buzsaky gets a game and how he responds to the mid-week criticism from Magilton. I maintain that he is QPR's most talented player and the one most likely to get this team going but his confidence could have been dented by events in midweek.

Scunthorpe are newcomers to the Championship following their play-off final victory over Milwall last season but they have struggled early on. They did knock out Paulo Sousa's Swansea City in the Carling Cup midweek in a game which bordered on the farcical as Swansea were close to going down to 6 players, which would have led to the game being disbanded. In the league, they've struggled but they've had tough games against Middlesbrough and Cardiff City. Forest had a slow start to the season until they played Rangers so Jim Magilton will hope that his team are not now a scalp for the bottom half of the Championship.

They have a couple of injury worries following their last Championship game against Sheffield Wednesday with defenders Rob Jones and Niall Canavan both likely to miss out. In the form book, QPR have a pretty decent record against the Iron, having won six out of the last eight encounters. Scunthorpe have been shipping goals and currently have the worst goal difference in the Championship and under normal circumstances, this should be an easy three points for QPR. But Tuesday night was woeful. If they respond in the right way, this could be the game where the floodgates open and QPR finally finish a team off as they have been threatening to do. I still think they will be heading into the international break without a win though, which could make for an uncomfortable fortnight for the manager.

PREDICTION

DRAW

Oh, this was dire. If QPR play worse this season and still win they will be incredibly fortunate. They could only just muster a victory over a team two divisions below them in a ground that was only a quarter full. On top of that, for the first time this season, team spirit seemed to have evaporated and the performances as a whole are now getting worse game by game. Despite the win, few who took part could be happy with their contribution.

Jim Magilton did make changes to try and test out his squad, though this meant a return to the dreaded Leigertwood-Mahon partnership in midfield. That left Akos Buzsaky on the left wing and Hogan Ephraim on the right, with Rowan Vine partnering Patrick Agyemang up front. The defence saw Matt Connolly at left-back with Gary Borrowdale rested for the first time this season, Kaspars Gorkss and Damion Stewart alongside each other in the middle and Peter Ramage at right-back. Man Utd loanee Tom Heaton made his debut in goal and would prove to be one of the few bright points.

Vine had a decent effort early on, twisting and turning in the box before forcing a low save from Alan Martin in the Stanley goal and Stanley also looked dangerous on the break, Michael Symes powering a shot across goal soon after which brought a good reaction save from Heaton. Already, the signs that QPR were struggling were there for all to see. The shape of the team looked poor, passes were going wayward and certain key players couldn't raise their games.

Magilton specifically singled out Buzsaky after the match and the wisdom of that will be proved in the weeks ahead, but he certainly had a very poor game. The impetus to create is so often laid on his shoulders, particularly in a formation with Mahon and Leigertwood sitting back in the middle, so when he has a poor game, it is very noticeable and has a very detrimental effect on the team. Most surprisingly, he looked tired even in the first half and was labouring to keep up with the game.

A lack of discipline and team spirit was now creeping into the Rs performance as well. Before the half was out, Vine and Agyemang were arguing with each other over their positioning with the former player also berating Ramage for a missed ball. Vine did have one final chance to open the scoring when played through on goal, but again struck directly at Martin. The resulting corner from Buzsaky went to no-one and this was repeated on a number of occasions throughout the game.

Half-time and cue boos from the 5000 supporters who could be bothered to turn up, which just about drowned out the 50 or so Stanley fans who sang throughout the entire game. Magilton quickly switched things around at half-time, with Gorkss making way for Borrowdale and Agyemang being replaced by Adel Taarabt. To be forced to make changes so early though showed a lack of confidence in his starting players and mirrored the confusion on the pitch. If you turned to look at Magilton or John Gorman at any point during the game, you would see two men caught in a losing battle to communicate some kind of message that just wasn't getting through.

Taarabt looked to make an immediate impact but still suffers from poor decision-making and a wayward shot and towards the end of the game, dabbled in some unsuccessful step-overs which were just embarrassing considering the circumstances. Ephraim was also getting more involved and he sent a stinging shot in the direction of goal early in the half, but Martin dealt with it comfortably.

It served as a range-finder though and soon the winger went one better and produced an effort which was the equal of his curled effort in the opening round. A Ramage cross found Ephraim on the edge of the box and after some quick control, he flicked a lob into the far corner to open the scoring.

Wayne Routledge came on straight away for Mahon and demonstrated why he should now be considered a certain starter. He is one of the few players in the squad to have some self-belief at the moment and set about the Stanley defence immediately. He settled the tie on 90 minutes with a cracking drive from the edge of the area, after ten minutes in which the Hoops sat back and came close to conceding an equaliser. There was still time for the whole defence to go to sleep allowing Symes a goal from point-blank range which Stanley and their supporters deserved.

QPR have clearly not found form yet this season and any pre-season hype has long been extinguished, but this was the first game where I began to doubt Magilton's control and influence over the team and where the desire of the players could be called into question. Their abject first-half performance should have inspired anger in them, but it only served to accentuate their petulance as numerous players began to bicker with each other on the pitch.

By openly criticising the team performance and singling out Buzsaky, perhaps Magilton is trying to re-assert some authority and try to halt what looks like a game-on-game decline, despite the victory. Its effectiveness will be proved quickly as QPR will not be able to reproduce this kind of display and expect any kind of reward. A win in the league is a necessity now before the atmosphere at Loftus Road turns more poisonous.

HIGHS - Hogan Ephraim now pushing for a first-team place; Matthew Connolly putting in an assured performance at left-back and even more so when switched to the middle; Tom Heaton's excellent debut which saved the team from a real embarrassment.

LOWS - Poor performance from Buzsaky which led to the manager criticizing him; non-existent team spirit and confusion over positioning across the pitch; a quarter-full Loftus Road which put the Briatore 'project' into sharp focus.

QPR - Heaton, Ramage, Stewart, Gorkss (Borrowdale 46), Connolly, Mahon (Routledge 68), Leigertwood, Buzsaky, Ephraim, Vine, Agyemang (Taarabt 46)

Subs not used - Cerny (GK), Helguson, Pellicori, Balanta.

Goals - Ephraim 68, Routledge 90 + 1.

Bookings - Ramage

Accrington Stanley - Martin, Kempton, Edwards, Winnard, Murphy (Kee 73), Procter, Joyce, Ryan (Turner 81), McConville (Grant 73), Miles, Symes

Subs not used - Dunbavin (GK), Richardson, Mullin, King

Goals - Symes 90 + 4.

Bookings - Ryan

Referee - C L Pawson

Attendance - 5203

Away from their current tribulations in the league, QPR can at least take in the distraction of the Carling Cup tonight, allowing manager Jim Magilton further time to test his squad out. In terms of a second round draw, a home tie with Accrington Stanley, currently four places from the bottom of the league, is not one to pack the supporters in and there will be more than a few empty spaces around Loftus Road (I don't think Naomi Campbell will be up for this one?) It does, however, give the Hoops an excellent chance of remaining in the hat for the third round draw.

In terms of team selection, Magilton should have enough confidence in his squad to make a few changes and I'd expect Matt Connolly, Gavin Mahon, Hogan Ephraim,Rowan Vine and Patrick Agyemang to all be pushing for a place. In terms of absences, Fitz Hall is missing following an injury he sustained on Saturday against Nottingham Forest, so Kaspars Gorkss is likely to start. Magilton could also give a start to his current goalkeeping understudy Tom Heaton, who is on loan from Manchester United. Akos Buzsaky only made the bench on Saturday as well and he looked hungry for some playing time following his long-term lay-off, so he might feature. Martin Rowlands has still not recovered from the injury sustained on the opening day but Angelo Balanta could be back. No news yet on Lee Cook.

Their opponents tonight are household names but that is more attributable to a 1980s advert for milk over any footballing achievements: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBOIXO-X1QU. In the advert, two young lads describe how if they don't drink milk, they could end up having to play for Accrington Stanley. The National Dairy Council originally wanted to use Spurs in their script: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/4788038.stm. Tottenham Hotspur? Who are they? Exactly.

The Lancashire club shouldn't be completely underestimated as opponents though despite their relatively lowly position in League Two, where they have spent the previous three seasons. The club, which folded in 1966 only to reemerge four years later, has come close to some big scalps in this competition. This is the fourth season in a row in which they have faced a Championship side, in which time they've knocked out Nottingham Forest and narrowly missed out to Watford on penalties and by single-goal margins to Leicester City and Wolves.

John Coleman, their manager for the last 10 years (pictured on the left), overseeing three promotions to take them into the league, has close to a full squad to call on. The main problem for Accrington this season has been scoring goals (where have I heard that before?) Much of that responsibility often lies on 35-year old Paul Mullin, the club's record appearances holder who is now in his second spell with the Stans.

They also have a smattering of younger players who could give QPR a fright. Michael Symes could return from injury tonight and he has the distinction of playing up front with Wayne Rooney in the Everton youth set-up. Midfielder Jimmy Ryan, last season's top scorer, also has Merseyside pedigree as a part of Liverpool's FA Youth Cup winning teams in 2006 and 2007 and is also regularly capped for Republic of Ireland U21s.

I'm not even going to bother predicting scores for QPR games anymore because I clearly had some kind of brain freeze before the weekend when I seriously thought they could put three past Nottingham Forest. I don't expect them to win this game as comfortably as they did the Exeter City tie in the first round, despite the home advantage, but they have more than enough talent to prevent any shocks tonight.

QPR's sluggish start to the season could quickly be in danger of turning into a nightmare one and at the moment, manager, supporters and observers alike are frantically trying to work out how a team with such big-name backing and with some truly talented players can continue to under-perform, to the extent that the team are still to win this season.

It's seven games without a victory stretching back to last season, but at least at that point QPR had the excuse of not having anything to play for. Their form since this season has kicked off is far more troubling for their supporters. With a new manager and a number of new players, QPR still haven't been able to rouse themselves to a victory or even to score more than twice in a game. The two goals at home have looked pretty similar but where one was a fluke (Peter Ramage's cross/shot on the opening day), Mikele Leigertwood's effort in this game to open the scoring was definitely planned. But once again, it took an infrequent scorer within the QPR squad to conjure a goal out of nothing. Bread and butter chances for the club's strikers continually go begging, leading many to the conclusion that the missing link is a new frontman.

Jim Magilton is clearly aware of this and from his post-match comments, he's now getting a bit sick of hearing about it. But just because an opinion is widely-held does not make it wrong. In fact, it might just be true. QPR's lack of goals from last season has now extended into this one and is the key reason why this club is very unlikely to get promoted. It's time to start lowering expectations I'm afraid.

For this supposedly must-win game, the manager shuffled the pack again and changed his system from the 4-5-1 experiment at Bristol City to a traditional 4-4-2. He did stick with an unchanged defence for the first time this season though with Peter Ramage at right-back, Fitz Hall and Damion Stewart in the middle and Gary Borrowdale on the left. He was repaid with a workmanlike if far from stellar performance from the two centre-backs, but conversely, poor matches from both full-backs with Peter Ramage back to some of his old-tricks of losing possession and looking very slovenly at the back. It left Magilton cursing defensive frailties after the game, but I don't think this was solely the fault of the back four as Forest were afforded possession all over the pitch.

In the midfield, Leigertwood retained his place and he seems to be guaranteed a starting role under Magilton, which on the basis of his goal is currently deserved. For patches of the game, he worked tirelessly. At other times, towards the end of the match, his concentration slipped and he got sloppy in possession, but if he can remove these lapses of concentration from his game, he should be one of QPR's most consistent performers this season. He was partnered by £3.5 million man Alejandro Faurlin in the middle, leaving two wingers, Wayne Routledge in his customary position on the right and Adel Taarabt moved on to the left rather than take up his recent role as a centre forward. That left Heidar Helguson up front with Alessandro Pellicori, who was making his home debut along with Faurlin.

On the bench were two of QPR's best performers from last season – Kaspars Gorkss and Matthew Connolly – and the change in system also meant there was no place for Akos Buzsaky. Rowan Vine and Patrick Agyemang were the back-up strikers with Gavin Mahon also sitting out another game.

For Forest, there was an opportunity to select two former Hoops players. One, Lee Camp, made the team as he is now their first-choice keeper but Dexter Blackstock was left on the bench, with Billy Davies preferring to go with Dele Adebola, a summer signing from Bristol City and 21-year-old David McGoldrick, another pre-season addition from Southampton for £1 million. In my preview, I spoke about Forest's options up front and Davies had the luxury of leaving Blackstock, Robert Earnshaw and Nathan Tyson on the bench.

Pretty much from kick-off, Forest demonstrated that the front two would be a handful for the QPR defence, with Radoslaw Majewski providing capable support from the midfield. Within 5 minutes, Radek Cerny had to pull off a smart double-save, getting down low to a crisp drive from Majewski from outside the area and then getting across quickly to palm away Joe Garner's snapshot. It wasn't the last save Cerny would have to make and for me, he is the best player in the QPR team at the moment, which says a lot about the lack of inspiration up front. But for Cerny, QPR's poor start to this season could have been a disastrous one.

McGoldrick and Adebola soon linked up well, with the younger player clipping a ball into the area which would have landed to Adebola had Hall not got the faintest of touches to direct the ball away from him. Hall had a decent start to this game and justified his selection over Gorkss. QPR were failing to handle the pace of McGoldrick though down the left wing with Ramage often caught in no man's land. After quarter of an hour, Forest had a further chance to go ahead, McGoldrick placing a shot wide of the post from inside the area when he had the time and space to find the net.

In fairness to the Hoops, it was an end-to-end game but that is probably not what Magilton was hoping for with his team selection. Both sides struggled to retain possession for any extended periods of time and though it was exciting to watch, it wasn't the greatest advertisement for Championship football with both teams guilty of mislaid passes and poor control.

QPR were gradually fashioning chances and their first real opportunity came from some quick thinking and skilful play from Helguson, which is not always a common sight at Loftus Road. He latched onto a high ball, got the ball quickly to feet and in the same breath, fed in Taarabt lurking on the edge of the box. Taarabt's decision-making is often shocking though and so it proved, as he latched at the ball, producing a tame scuffed shot past the post when he had to find the target.

I don't know if this facet to Taarabt's game is down to a lack of confidence or over-confidence. He either tries to win games single-handedly or panics when he gets a sight of goal and shoots from anywhere on the pitch, but the result is nearly always the same; another QPR attack petering out. In some parts of Loftus Road he is considered the golden boy, who along with Akos Buzsaky could turn a currently average team into promotion candidates but I don't see it at the moment and I can see why Spurs were not too concerned to lose the player on a year-long loan. If he thinks he is above the Championship he is sorely mistaken because at the moment, his performances barely merit selection in a struggling QPR team.

Where Taarabt should have scored, Gary Borrowdale had to score minutes later, but as a defender he can be afforded a greater degree of leniency than the Moroccan. Some fine play by Routledge down the wing (still the most likely source of a QPR goal), led to a lofted ball into the area which found Borrowdale free at the far post. There were bodies in the box, but the defender panicked and snatched a shot well over the bar.

At least Leigertwood can get the ball on target. On 25 minutes, a quick throw from Routledge found the midfielder on the right wing. He cut in, took a few steps in the direction of the goal and then curled a shot from 25 yards over Camp's head. He only found the net twice last season but if the QPR strikers continue to strike out on a regular basis he will have to pitch in with more efforts like this one. There was a tangible release of tension around the stadium though; as I've said previously, goals are less than frequent occurrences.

That made QPR's ultimate failure to capitalise on this lead all the more surprising. Up to the end of the half, Forest looked the likelier to score, Leigertwood at one point pulling off an excellent last-minute tackle to prevent Chris Gunter a clear run on goal and Cerny providing another fine save low down to keep out a Majewski free-kick.

In the second half, QPR's performance completely fell off as their retention of possession petered out and their attempts on goal dwindled to nothing. Fitz Hall left the pitch at half-time and didn't return due to a sustained rib injury which is likely to keep him out of tomorrow's clash with Accrington Stanley. Gorkss is a more than dependable replacement, but he struggled in the second half along with the whole team and was partly responsible for the Forest equaliser.

Camp lofted a long ball towards the Hoops goal and Adebola flicked on a header with little opposing challenge. The ball bounced in the QPR area, but Gorkss and Borrowdale were both far too hesitant, allowing McGoldrick to ghost in and drive the ball into the roof of the net for his first Forest goal. Cerny didn't stand a chance and he must be getting frustrated that his defence isn't always pulling its weight this season.

Magilton clearly recognised that something had to be done to kick-start a completely lacklustre second-half performance and with half an hour remaining, he took off Pellicori for Rowan Vine. It's hard to knock a player making his first start at home and only his third appearance, but Pellicori was woeful in this game. He was off the pace, lacking in a decent first touch and most surprisingly, he looked out of shape. Admittedly, he wasn't provided anything in the way of goal-scoring opportunities but the best strikers can also make chances of their own. They torment a defence with their work-rate and in the positions they take up. There was little evidence of this from Pellicori on Saturday.

Just five minutes later, Taarabt was removed for Buzsaky and as with QPR's first home game, the Hungarian quickly adapted to the pace of the play. Without a shadow of doubt, Buzsaky is the most talented QPR player on the ball and also the most intelligent in terms of his passing and decision-making, so to start him on the bench seems perverse. If it's a question of finding the right system then so be it, but he's good enough to justify building the team around him. He soon forced Camp into a diving save from a curling free-kick which is another facet of his game which is missed if he's warming the bench.

Both managers were striving to find a solution to what had become an uninspiring stalemate and on 71 minutes, Blackstock finally made an appearance in front of his former fans. Peppered amongst the largely generous applause were a number of boos which seemed pretty moronic. Blackstock gave three seasons of decent if not spectacular service to QPR only to find himself farmed out on loan to Forest despite being the club's top scorer by some distance. To move there permanently must have appealed when QPR didn't move mountains to keep him.

Nathan Tyson soon entered the fray as well but both teams looked unlikely to break the deadlock. Forest understandably were happy with a point, but QPR seemingly lacked the professionalism to turn this into a win, with Buzsaky the only player with the energy or nous to attempt to do so.

That must have been the most troubling aspect for Jim Magilton after the game but even some of his comments suggested a less than complete focus on that first win. Many of the Sunday papers portrayed Magilton in the tea-cup throwing role following the match and though it is true to say that he described this as QPR's poorest performance of the season, I wouldn't have characterised his comments or demeanour as angry. Frustrated, yes, but he did also point out that the most important thing for QPR was not to lose after their defeat to Bristol City.

This could be taken as the manager making the best of a bad situation and no-one would expect him to pour scorn on his own players. At the same time, the suggestion that preventing a defeat was key to the team suggested a lowering of expectations alongside a certain conservatism that will not currently put QPR in good stead if it continues. Forest are a good team who made important additions in the summer with a strong manager with a long-term plan but surely QPR should expect or at least hope to win this fixture at home.

I wouldn't put this all down to the manager by a long shot though. A lot of that conservatism is inherent in the QPR team. A tendency to sit back on a one-goal lead; a tendency to hesitate in front of goal; a return to long balls and rushed decisions under pressure instead of possession play and quick-thinking. The atmosphere by the final whistle was dejected rather than angry with half-hearted boos and a few choice words in the direction of Flavio Briatore's seat (though he wasn't actually at the game, preferring to spend the weekend watching the European Grand Prix). Make no mistake about it though, this was a poor result and an even worse performance.

Accrington Stanley come to Loftus Road next in the Carling Cup and though they may not hit the heights of their five-goal trouncing of Exeter City, QPR should still have more than enough about them to win that game comfortably. But enjoyable as it will be to be in the hat for the third round and a potential tie with a Premiership team, this competition cannot feature too highly in QPR's priorities as they realistically have absolutely no chance of winning it. Getting a first league win is now all-important but when it will come is far from clear.

Scunthorpe United is the next league match and if QPR are ever to get an away win, this game would rank high on a list of potential victories. Scunthorpe are currently struggling with life in the second tier, losing three of their opening four games and shipping four goals on two occasions. Two of those defeats came to Cardiff City and Middlesbrough though, both likely promotion candidates and United look to be a tougher prospect at home than on their travels. If QPR fail to get the first win there, successive home games against Peterborough United and Crystal Palace might do the trick. The longer this run continues though, the more damaging it is to the morale of the team and the supporters and the more damning it is for Magilton's future at the club. The truest thing he said after the game was what QPR need to do in their next game. Win, just win.

HIGHS – Leigertwood's goal and first-half performance; Radek Cerny; Akos Buzsaky's cameo from the bench.

LOWS – Abject second-half display; poor performance from both full-backs, particularly Ramage; Pellicori looking off the pace and out of shape.

QPR - Cerny, Ramage, Stewart, Hall (Gorkss 46), Borrowdale, Leigertwood, Routledge, Pellicori (Vine 61), Faurlin, Helguson, Taarabt (Buzsaky 66)

Subs not used - Heaton (GK), Connolly, Mahon, Agyemang.

Goal - Leigertwood (25)

Nottingham Forest - Camp, Morgan, Cohen, Gunter, Lynch (McCleary 46), Chambers, Garner, McKenna, Majewski, Adebola (Blackstock 71), McGoldrick (Tyson 75)

Subs not used - Smith (GK), Anderson, Earnshaw, Davies

Goal - McGoldrick (58)

Referee - J Linington

Attendance - 13058