Sunday 26 December 2010

QPR seize control of Championship, batter Swansea


A player punch up led to two red cards apiece and though you can't condone the behaviour it marked the importance that everyone knew rode on this game. After a tense thriller against fellow South Wales rivals Cardiff this game was set to either tilt QPR back into a donominating 6 point position at the top of the league -or it was going to be the third defeat in a row for the Warnock Wobble that started against Watford and continued in the frozen northern fixture against Leeds.

QPR scored early, which had the crowd on their feet bellowing but within seconds we were back in our seats contemplating a long game ahead as Swansea immediately fought back and were clearly capable of rescuing the situation. Incisive runs combined with their forwards instinctively knowing where their teammates would be gave heart to the Swansea crowd, who in some cases had come dressed as bananas in pyjamas - it must be something in the water over there.

And following the red cards shown to a QPR and Swansea player alike there followed a weird old 20 minutes where both teams seemed to be adjusting to 10 man squads with the inevitable substitution engineered reshuffles.   

QPR finished the first half with a flurry of chances and Taraabt was by now combining with Heidrarson to squeeze through the black & white defensive line but it was still wide open, and Paddy Kenny produced two olympic standard saves to keep QPR on top.



The half time mascot needs to look at what he drinks in his tea because he seemed to fondle the female Deputy Chief Steward who was walking past and perform what was I am sure a joking French kiss on a female supporter in front of her boyfriend. In a giant cat costume. Emotions were running high you see.

Then came the second half and a blistering set of moves from QPR that seemed to provide a goal every 10 minutes, while the Swansea players grew visibly frustrated with each other. Their supporters started to take out their frustrations by ripping advertising hoardings off the front of the stands, which prompted the inevitable line of stewards standing in front of them towards the end. And the QPR penalty conversion from Heidrarson after a silly foul in the box. After the third QPR goal went in even the banana suit wearers decided to head for Paddington.


And so concluded an emphatic end to the Warnock Wobble and the Rs now sit pretty at the top with a busy string of fixtures on the cards over the next fortnight. For me the spirit among the players that conjured up this kind of demolition job, marked by the pure class of Taraabt's second which saw him substituted with a standing ovation, was the sight of Paddy Kenny yelling a stream of invective towards his own side who were trying to play for time and keep possession in the opposition corner to wind down the 4 minutes of extra time. "get out of that f.ing corner and attack!" was his cry. And how right he was. 

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