Q&A Prior to tonights Bolton Game

I was contacted again by the lovely folks at Burnden Aces to complete a Q&A piece they had prepared for me prior to tonights game.

I have predicted a 2-1 win, watch this space, but in the meantime you can catch up with the rest of my ramblings here!

Thanks for looking!
Annie x

QPR v Doncaster Rovers 1.1.14

The boys were at Arsenal so I decided to take my 6yo Scarlett with me to her first game since a baby.

It's not really her thing, she can do the chants with the best of them, but she was very excited to see where mummy goes.

I took her to the Bok pub beforehand, a classy little joint close to the ground *coughs* and we bonded over a lemonade and a Diet Pepsi (am sure I ordered DC but hey)!

The game started brightly, as it always does, and then quickly descended into the disjointed affair we have been subjected to of late.   Charlie was on his own up front, and I don't have to tell you how we just cannot play this way.  I understand we have fitness issues with Andy J and Bobby Z, but I would rather put them on first and go for it, rather than hope we can hang on for 45 and then go for it 2nd half.  But hey, I'm not in charge.

As it was, Doncaster could have gone 3 -0 up in the first half.  Around the 40 minute mark we were talking amongst ourselves about how we always do this, and yes the inevitable did happen, on 43 Minutes Theo Robinson scored to put the away side 1-0 up grrrrrrrrr.  To be honest tho, it wasn't a shock, as I say we could see it coming, unfortunately :(

As an aside, I was getting very frustrated with Benoit Assou-Ekotto, his positioning was all over the place, and obviously I can't pin our poor performance first half down to one player, but hey it's my blog so there......... let's just say it was the same worrying performance we have been subjected to of late.   Roll on the January transfer window when we can hopefully get another striker on board......

The picture to the left is a lesson in social media life.  Yes he was hauled back to Spurs and told to delete the tweet, but that does not mean it will necessarily disappear hmmmmf, moving on....................

Second half, and to quote a cliche, it really became a "game of two halves".  We brought on AJ from the off, and you could see the difference immediately.  Finally, when it came to crossing into the box, we had strikers in there. I'm not blaming Charlie, he is not a goal poacher who hangs around the box, he's a team player who tracks back, and that's why it is difficult with just him up front.

A much better game to watch, we had momentum and the team came together.   On 55 Minutes, MOTM Matty Phillips got our equaliser, and we pushed on from there.   Although we always looked like getting another, I was resigning myself to another draw, when on 92 Minutes our Charlie leapt like a salmon to head in the winning goal.   YESSSSSSSSSSSSS

Relief, hope restored, happy times, all of the above.   Back to 3rd in the table, but more importantly with a performance more fitting to our earlier Championship winning form.

We've the FA Cup game tomorrow away to Everton and I, like a lot of other supporters, just hope that Harry takes the view that our Championship is more important and he rests the main players.   We'll wait and see, but for me, roll on the Championship, and hoping by my birthday (18th January - home to Huddersfield), we will be still pushing onwards and upwards.

COYRs

Thanks for reading!
Annie x

Squirrels v Foxes (QPR v LEI 21.12.13)

Well today was one of the few times recently that I've been disappointed at Loftus Road .  We started pretty brightly and had some good chances on goal.  THEN a flipping (insert your own word) squirrel arrived on the pitch.  

Yes a squirrel.  A grey one, not endangered or anything, and the referee stopped the match.  Don't get me wrong, I'm an animal lover and all that, and wouldn't want to see roadkill on our beautiful pitch, but really????  What followed was pure comedy gold, well was funny at the time.   Joey Barton tried to get the squirrel off, then a Leicester player tried - all this whilst officials just stood around, it was all a bit surreal. Clint Hill gave it a good effort, then eventually a group of players got together in a pincer movement to walk towards the squirrel, who finally got the hint and buggered off.

I guess that was the best piece of teamwork we'd see all game after that.

What followed was a niggly affair.  The players were getting agitated and we really weren't playing as the team that we can be.  I hate to mention referees, I didn't have the benefit of Sky Sports, but I'll go as far to say that it was not a flowing game.   With our own players having a go at each other, it was like watching a QPR team of old *shudders*.

With a clearer head on let's say we lost to a better, organised team.   Playing 1 up front doesn't work for us, but you know what, we are still up there and I couldn't do a better job.

Onwards and upwards people, we've been in worse positions at Christmas.  Let's eat, drink and be merrily on a high up top of the table.

See you all soon my lovely Rangers......

Annie x

p.s. no I didn't mention individual players, we all know what happened and not in the mood to vent that much.  Sorry to disappoint, I'm looking to Boxing Day now..........

p.p.s. I'm not actually blaming the squirrel, I'm just saying it as I see it...........

Record Breakers QPR v Barnsley 5-10-13

I reckon there may be some sore heads amongst our hoopers this morning, and for good reason!

Saturday 5th October 2013, at home to Barnsley, and a club record breaking moment on the cards for @Robert1Green

Back in 1967 (the year of my birth), the late Peter Springett was the last QPR goalkeeper, before Rob, to keep 7 clean sheets in a row.  

The pressure was on Rob today, to make it a record-breaking 8, but you wouldn't have known it as he was his usual calm between the sticks.  

During the second half, particularly at 2-0 up (more about that in a bit), a lot of us fans were chanting "Greeno" but smiling he simply gestured for us all to calm down haha!




Before I go back to the match itself, take a little looksee at how the table ended that year, makes interesting reading indeed.

Our very own @RodneyMarsh10 played that season too, and he was at the game to watch, and was very excited about Rob getting the record.  Just brilliant.




The game itself was fairly boring in the first half, we didn't look too troubled, though there was nearly a scrambled Barnsley goal, and we went in 0-0 at half-time.  The second half was much livelier, and a 66th min strike by Charlie Austin saw us off the mark.   He also performed his trademark #slidingmoves for our @elmodedude - you need to watch the fans forum (minute 22) featuring our Emily for this to make sense, even @OfficialQPR tweeted about it during the game.   Loving the #QPRTwitFam before, during and after!  By the way 'Arry this is our Emily, Queen of the Park Rangers Blog :)

The second goal was a penalty on 87 minutes, again calmly taken by "our" Charlie Austin.   What a fantastic day.   We are now second to Burnley (Charlie's previous club of course) on Goal Difference, with a game in hand.

Next game we are away to Millwall, never an easy fixture, but come on you Super Hoopersssssssssssssssss.

This was also the 60th anniversary of Floodlights being installed at Loftus Road by the way.  We played Arsenal that day back in 1953, let's hope we get to play them again some time soon (shhhhhhhhhhhh don't jinx it)!

Annie x

A Right to Reply following Homophobic Backlash

I was privileged to be asked to write a guest article on the Brent and Kilburn times recently.  I chose to write about the recent Stonewall campaign, and how proud I was that QPR and, in particular, Joey Barton were #RBGF (right behind gay footballers).  You can see the article here!

You can see from some of the comments that this drew out some of those homophobes, and when I mentioned the campaign on twitter a few weeks ago I had the same crap!   Whilst I was proud my club were behind the campaign, I am disgusted at some of the fans we have, who display exactly that behaviour.

My lovely friend @AndyBasildon sent me the following, which I think is brilliant!

"You are at an away match, it’s the last few minutes of the game. The one goal is all you need to make it to the final, a break! He makes a run for it, the goalie is off his mark this is the chance.....GOAL!! On the pitch your top man runs to the terrace, his shirt above his head, all the others players have lifted him up, hugged him. But you don’t notice any of this! The elation from the terrace, the noise to your left, a total stranger to your right.........  A woman, you can`t hug a woman in case her husband flattens your nose, even though she has the same team shirt on as you, and have just experienced the same joy and elation. Instinctively you turn to the man next to you and hug, shout, bounce up and down, your pint is flying in all directions, the joy!

Press pause for a moment: Homophobia – What the hell just happened there? “Homo” is short for Homosapien or Man, to use its other shortened word.  “Phobia” is fear of something like spiders etc. So you have a fear of another man?  In elation you have just hugged a complete stranger, and on the pitch witnessed grown men show an act of what could be classed as homoerotic, hugging another man... So what if a player is a homosexual? What do you think he is going to do on the pitch when a goal is scored, give goal scorer a BJ in front of the crowd?

Comments online have said things like “next Stonewall will be bringing on the Village People at half time”. So is it acceptable to the ladies in the crowd to bring on a couple of lesbians in a paddling pool full of jelly? 

Football isn’t about sex it’s about the great game!

Stats claim 6.1% of heterosexual man have had or thought about a homo or Bi sexual experience. Count the men on the pitch, now look around the terrace. Do you think a gay man is going to buy an expensive ticket to a match in the hope the team will score a goal just so he can hug you? Get Real.

It’s not about which side of the team a player bats for off the pitch, it’s about the team he plays for ON the pitch. Homophobia in football – Man up!."

Cheers Andy, for the record they don't want us birds there either, thank the Lord these idiots are in the minority!

Bolton vs QPR my views ahead of the game 24/8/13

I was asked by @BurndenAces to do a Question and Answer session for their website, ahead of tomorrows game.

Agree or disagree, you can find my views here!

All feedback welcome :)

Annie x

Rangers Are Back, and boy does it feel good............

Yeah I'm on a high, first game back in the Championship and we beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 - having come from a goal behind.  

Kick Off - pic courtesy of @MarkyQPR

HOWEVER, a little rewind!   Before the game I met up with some of the QPRTwitFam in the Bull and it was so exciting to get the gang back together, sharing the moments with people who know exactly how you are feeling is priceless!  Bit of banter, bit of pish taking, light hearted fun in the sun, fantastic pre-match warm up :)   I did pass by the Bok (*sings, down at the old Bok and Bull* haha) however it was so hot and very busy that I just did 1 circuit.  Sorry I missed a lot of you guys but hope to catch up soon!

The pictures included in the rest of this blog come courtesy of @Gobi_r thank you!!!!!

Then to the game itself, I heard that Monsieur Barton was starting, and a lot of us were speculating that it was either shop window time or last chance sunny Jim/Joey.  Was disappointed Charlie Austin not starting, but kept as much of an open mind as I could.

We started brilliantly, lovely flowing football, smiley faces all round.  Had some fab chances and near misses and then in true QPR style, we went a goal behind. I must say it was a fab goal and Nuhiu is some player by the way!

Goals from Onuoha on 40 minutes and shortly followed by Andy Johnson at 43 had us back to winning ways, and boy it felt good.  Obviously we all thought we needed another goal to be comfortable, but it wasn't to be, although the new boy Charlie Austin came close, after replacing Bobby Zamora.

Looking back it was a great match, and I'd like to mention a few players who certainly stood out for me. Firstly, Joey Barton.  Gone was the edgy - Oh God what is he going to do next - player, instead was a hard working class individual who didn't stop running and after any incident was the first to shake hands or help a player up??????  Not sure how long he'll be around, but loving his presence at the moment.  (Having said that Chris and I are now arguing about an obvious penalty he's seen on the TV coverage, I've yet to watch it)!

Next up Hoilett, another class player who is obviously made for this division.  An attacking midfielder who will certainly get us some goals in the future.   And our Andy Johnson, fantastic to get him back, and long may he stay fit, class striker who was bound to get on the score sheet!

Lastly Onuoha, aside from the goal(?) another player who looked comfortable and played with confidence.

Well done to all the team, which it was by the way!   Best start to the season we could have hoped for - very happy bunny tonight :).

Thanks for reading!   Oh, and if you like a QPR Blog, head over to my mate @elmodedude blog here and @STH_QPR blog here!
Annie x

#QPR #PreSeasonParty - 29th June, The Springbok - See you there I hope :)

Well that's that Season done then, we've debated, argued, laughed and cried.  We've also met some really good people, people who know what it's like to be a QPR fan, and that's a damn fine thing to come out of a bad situation.

We didn't have an open bus parade when we got promoted, and my Player of the Year Awards dress from 2 yrs ago still hangs *unworn* in my wardrobe.

SO many fans muted about meeting up in the Summer, with enough time behind us from our exit from the Premiership, and some time ahead of us to look forward to (yes I did say that) us being back in the Championship.  Don't see the point being miserable any more, it's done - onwards and upwards I say.  Remember, I live with a Gooner celebrating finishing fourth, I need to get out more :)

Having spoken to the lovely Tina Moran at the Springbok, the #PreSeasonParty is on!

29th June 2013, from 5pm (seemed appropriate)

"DJ Damo" spinning his usual tunes

Some food laid on courtesy of The "Bok"

Thanks to @OfficialQPR for putting on the QPR website here!
all the staff at QPR have been invited too :)

So get yourselves down there, we'd love to see you, might not recognise some of you outside your hoops, but let's do this!

Entry is Free, just come with a smile on your face and a hug for your fellow hoops (or at least me)!

Purely for numbers, would be grateful if you could either comment on this blog, or tweet me @annieqpr

QPR Staff have all been invited, Tony Fernandes kindly replied to me, and @OfficialQPR will be putting notice on the website for us too.

Come on you Super.......................HOOPSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Annie x

Guest Posting a Footballing Blog :)

I was asked to guest post on a great footballing blog, a great honour that they would want my rantings, you can read it here :)

By the way, very proud of today's performance, sounds like we were immense, cannot wait to let Arry sort us out

Annie x

An Open Letter to Tony Fernandes #QPR

Proud days........

UPDATE: 19th November 2012

Tony Fernandes replied to my email, "thanks for your letter and all the points are noted".

I couldn't ask for any more.  Embroiled in another media hype and he took time to read and reply.   What a top man!

Annie x

 ---------------------------------------------------------------

18th November 2012 - 4 points from 12 games.........

Dear Tony Fernandes

Pride and Passion

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to you.  I do understand how much you have invested in our club, and I really do appreciate you getting us away from the old administration, but I am struggling....

Us fans are loyal, and wear passion and pride on our sleeves.  I know you understand that and I appreciate you tweet often about it, but am sure it is getting a little (?) frustrating having to apologise/explain/promise of coming good after every game?

I am not a Mark Hughes basher, I don’t like him, never have done, and have tried to accept him, but honestly I do not believe he has the pride or passion to represent the hoops.  Am afraid this may have reflected onto the new signings - happy to take the money and pull on the hoops shirt as a “job”!

You’re a West Ham fan, so I know you understand.   On Saturday we endured the gutless loss against Southampton.  It was very telling how excited we were to see our championship heroes on the pitch!   13 new players and yet the pride and passion is only in the likes of Adel, Mackie, Derry, etc.  Don’t get me wrong Nelsen is immense and Cesar outstanding, I like Diakite and Granero is good, but inconsistant. It does smack of us being individuals, we are not a team out there!

I then hear about Sean Wright Phillips blaming the fans for our downfall and Cisse tweeting about taking another fan *out*.  Do I need to say more????  The goal machine Cisse we were promised - who is a liability and prone to the red mist!  We do not need a hero to zero man but for him to step up to the plate and deliver!

The boo boys have taken a lot, and you must understand where they are coming from - we live and die supporting our hoops!  Its not like supporting a band and deciding you don’t like their latest album, that is it, contract for life- but again I know you know that!

What is worse, and am sure you can appreciate, is that the banter on twitter between clubs has been lost.   We are actually getting sympathy instead of banter, and that hurts a lot!

I appreciate you have a 5 year plan, and the new managerial team is so integrated into our system, but I urge you to have a think and come up with a plan B – something that Mark Hughes doesn’t seem to have – cheap jibe I’m sorry!

I’m not sure how to finish this letter, and am not sure what I am expecting if anything........but please Tony, just please!

Annie x

Client Reference 94378

cc: Mr Amit Bhatia
     Mr Philip Beard

p.s. This letter from Al Fayed was brought to my attention, sounds all too familiar, beware fallout!  Via my pal @Padja1 !

p.p.s.  Also this open letter from a Man City Fan All sounding a little too familiar

Lets Create A QPR CD - all suggestions welcome..

Just for fun, unless someone wants to run with it, but lets compile a QPR CD for Christmas.....all offerings welcome, I'll kick off with

1)  Pigbag
2)  London's Calling
3)  Junior Senior
4)  Theres A Monster
5)  Simply The Best - Tina Turner
5)  Hi Ho Silver Lining
who's next?  Leave a comment on tweet me at @annieqpr :)

Annie x

#QPR Membership Pack Giveaway :)

A huge thank you to everybody who entered my giveaway, which is now closed and the winner has been notified.

To prove that Rafflecopter picked the winner at random I did in fact video it, which you can see here!

I may well be doing more #QPR giveaways in the near future, so stay tuned!

Lets not mention yesterday by the way - onwards and upwards :)

Annie x
_________________________________________________________________________________

I have upgraded my Season Ticket to have membership status.  Mainly for the ability to get extra tickets for friends (not family they are all Gooners), and generally help genuine fans on twitter, who might otherwise miss out!

As a Member we get sent out packs as a thank you.  This year was no different, and it is indeed fabulous, but I already either have most of it, or won't use it - it will just look pretty and gather dust (I don't dust) ;)

I have therefore decided to make it a giveaway on my blog - I am using Rafflecopter so a winner will be independently chosen at the end!

Any problems give me a shout on @annieqpr as I'm fairly new to Rafflecopter myself.

I look forward to your comments, but bear in mind I can't reply on here otherwise I am in danger of winning it myself!

To tweet about it by the way, when you hit the button it says "paste in the tweet URL", ignore this and just hit the "tweet" button above it, it will then set it out for you and you just have to enter your twitter details, it won't spam you or direct you elsewhere!

a Rafflecopter giveaway GOOD LUCK!
Annie x

QPR V SWANSEA guest Review By Emily x

I love my QPR, yes I hated *that* result, but hey, a much more composed lady has written a post about the game, and I for one love her!  See it here!

There was a fitting tribute to our Macca before the game though, and on 5 minutes!  RIP Alan Macdonald :(

Thanks Emily x

Post Match Review of City v QPR by Frederick RJ Hartman

The last game of the season is now behind us and we are still Premier League, of course we didn't make it easy but boy oh boy!  Having been given a copy of It's A Game of Two Halves recently, I asked the lovely @writesaidfred68 to write a review for me, and here it is, grab a cuppa, sit back and re-live *that* Game :)

And of course if you like it, you could always order yourself a copy of his book here! at a special pre-order price of just £6.99 though also available as an ebook or in hard copy :)

And over to Fred :)

 "If the title of my book ‘It’s A Game Of Two Halves’ was ever written with just one match in mind, then it would never have been more apt than for how the final match of the Barclays Premier League campaign 2011-2012 was to pan out between Manchester ‘Citeh’ and Queens Park Rangers. For the former this was billed as their defining moment of the last 400 years, or something like that, since their last defining moment. For Rangers, it was all about survival, and to remain in the Barclays Premier League (I’m hoping that by repeating the word Barclays I earn a Royalty each time, as otherwise I am damned if I know why every bloody player and manager keeps saying it in interviews. We KNOW who sponsors it thank you very much and NO, I’m not going to switch my bank account just because you keep reminding me. Not even for a free pen. Or a set of piggy banks. Or a £5 cash deposit. Well ok, if you must know, I already bank with Barclays so don’t need to. But I digress. Which is often. However this is something I am working on with my Digression Therapist. Why only the other day we were discussing the virtues of cheap supermarket own brand liquor over their more expensive branded neighbours and coming to no conclusion whatsoever. Why I pay him I don’t know. But then I don’t.  But I digress. Again).

So the world looked on as Citeh, boasting some ridiculous home record of circa P92 W91 D1 L0 GF894 GA3 played hosts to Rangers, whose away record wasn’t quite as good. The pundits had a field day, predicting possibly the first ever Barclays Premier League  score on a par with a cricket match, and there were even rumours that Rangers were seen waving a white flag from their dressing room just before kick-off. Some Rangers fans, overcome with the tension, were seen doing the ‘Posnan’, not for any other reason than they really couldn’t bear to look at what was to play out on the pitch, and the bouncing movement took their minds off the fact that they needed yet another pre match dump.

My day had started brightly enough with breakfast at a friend’s house.  Bacon, eggs, sausages, plum tomatoes, fried bread and hash browns all washed down with a fresh filter coffee would have been nice. So muesli and an instant coffee were a bit of a blow to my waistline expansion project. I mulled over the daily paper and really hoped my friend would one day buy a new one, as this editions expose that ‘Freddy Star Ate My Hamster’ seemed somewhat dated.

The early afternoon had been spent watching the clock tick by minute by minute and wondering if I had enough wood and rope in my garage to erect a makeshift gallows and noose. These thoughts soon disappeared when I realised how stupid I was being. I mean, I don’t have a garage.

I was to watch the match on tv with my friend Craig. I call him Craig for the simple reason that it’s his name. Craig is a part time Wolves supporter, much like their playing staff have been this season, but knew what the game meant to me and the millions watching in their respective homes in the four corners of the globe. Not that a globe has four corners you understand. We settled down on my leather sofa (I did consider a neighbour’s sofa as an alternative but as they were away didn’t feel they would welcome me breaking in, and besides, they have a two seater cloth covered affair, so the thought of being that up close and personal with Craig, albeit he did have on some Blue Stratos and an open necked Rocha, John Rocha shirt, just revealing a small clump of chest hair and my preference for leather meant I thought better of it). I perched myself on the edge of my seat, as I knew this would save time later on.

As the players converged in the tunnel, I felt a lump in my throat, but fortunately I managed to dislodge a stray Nobby’s nut before I needed to perform a self- tracheotomy with my blunt Stanley knife and a potato peeler. As the players came out, the crowd went wild, a sea of blue and white and noise and ticker tape, loud cheers and songs, almost mass hysteria. And the Citeh fans cheered as well.

The game was frenetic with all to play for, and Rangers had their first moral victory of the day by surviving over 50 seconds, thus surpassing their last away game. Citeh attacked. Rangers defended stoutly. I dared to sit further back in my seat, but the edge was the only place for me today. I watched the clock, daring to imagine that time was all but up and we had the point we required to be safe. Tick followed tock followed tick followed tock. I’m not sure tock welcomed the attention of tick and his stalking but no complaint was forthcoming. News filtered in that Bolton, the only side who could stay up at Rangers expense, was losing! It transpired that Jonathan Walters had scored for my favourite other team today Stoke by literally heading the ball out of the keepers hands and bundling him in the goal for good measure! Maybe the footballing gods were on our side. Maybe the fact that the Country was now all supporting Bolton made us the underdog and in an incredible switch of allegiance, the good old British public now had to support us instead.

Back at the Etihad Rangers we’re under the cosh but defending resolutely. Clearly a statement like this is followed with a but or a however. I will use however, it’s classier. However Citeh made the breakthrough. Zabaleta burst into the box, quicker than a cream horn goes down the gullet of an overweight Office Worker at Elevenses, and smashed the ball at Paddy Kenny, who seemed to snap a few bones in his hands as the ball sped through his gloves and looped in off the far post, and despite diving back into his goal and clawing it out a la Bolton’s Bogdan from Clint Hill (now THERE’S an irony) the goal was given and the place seemed to get mildly excited. Some miles away at the Stadium of Light the faintest sound of single bullets to collective temples could be heard. Just to compound our misery Bolton not only had the audacity to equalise but the temerity to take the lead and as things stood, we now found ourselves with a fate worse than death. Yes. The prospect of having to go to Selhurst Park again next season.

During half time my despair was such that I found myself actually doing the washing up and so close was I to complete breakdown I contemplated the unthinkable. The ironing. This awful thought drifted from my mind as the second half began, and I was once again perched back in front of the 50 inch plasma, with only a diet coke and the fading aroma of Blue Stratos to keep me sane. Then in a flash, Joleon Lescott attempted an audacious header off his oversized pate to Joe Hart, and had somehow failed to see Djibril Cisse, surely a man you could pick out if he was standing among the masses in the main stand, and allowed the Rangers man to nip in and smash the ball home! 1-1! I leapt from my couch like a man half my weight and shouted ‘YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CISSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’ To my surprise Craig joined me also, and the sight of two grown men jumping round my living room and screaming ‘YYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! GET IN!!!!!!!!!’ was probably grounds for the current Mrs Hartman to pack a bag and leave me for good. We sat back down and I suddenly felt invigorated by our restoring parity. Could we actually get the point we needed and not require favours from anyone else? How does a snow plough driver get to his place of work after an overnight falling of snow? How much wood can a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? These questions and many more never entered my head.

 Then the inevitable happened. Craig needed a pee as he had necked a whole can of diet coke. Then something else inevitable happened. Joey Barton got embroiled in an altercation with Tevez. Replays won’t show that the former was actually sending a tweet with another ill-timed Smiths reference when Tevez pulled his power lead and Joey thought it only right to give him the old Spanish Archer. Clearly the referee’s assistant was too busy checking his lottery numbers and only looked up to see Tevez sprawled on the deck and instantly put two and two together and realised he hadn’t won again this week, but could get Joey tweeting apologies later by getting him sent for an early bath. As the inevitable red card appeared, Joey then decided to boot Aguero (something he hadn’t been able to do all afternoon) and attempt a head-butt on Kompany (failing to make contact a common trait with our Joe this season, as his previous attempt on Bradley Johnson of the Canaries ended in the latter clutching his nose from the additional breeze this generated). Joey left the field with a dignified silence (unlike myself, who let out a tirade so intense and filled with that many expletives that in the interest of public safety, and not to contravene indecency laws, I am unable to repeat any of the words here) and I booked my annual eye test at Specsavers.

Citeh now smelt blood. I smelt the amalgamation of Stratos and last night’s Leek and Potato pie. I barely had time to think why I smelt like Leek and Potato pie, as I had fish fingers and chips, when Traore burst down Citeh’s right flank like the poor man’s version of Usain Bolt and crossed for the onrushing Jamie Mackie to write himself into Rangers folklore by heading downwards and into the back of the net (as opposed the front of the net, if that were indeed possible)! 1-2! Craig and I leapt up and shouted ‘YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GET IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’ We only stopped after our man hugging nearly brought down the ceiling and I heard nearby houses windows smashing.

  

With my heart beating like a man waiting for his Stag party stripper to arrive, I had to sit down again and try and take in what had just happened. I mean, it’s not every day you are watching a team with the worst away record in the division beating the team with the best home record, or is it every day that I jump around my living room with another man, hugging and screaming ‘GET IN!!!!’ at the top of my voice.

For what seemed like an eternity Rangers clung on, with Citeh throwing everything including the kitchen sink at us. At one point I could have sworn I didn’t see Clint Hill and Shaun Derry building a brick wall across the 18 yard box. Stoke had now equalised so we had the safety net of both games going our way! Craig turned to me and said “Can you believe it? You are winning with 10 minutes to go!” By this time I had become mute and was unable to even move, so petrified was I that we would concede two late goals and Bolton would snatch another, where Kevin Davies is clearly seen to elbow Rory Delap in the face, scythe down Ryan Shawcross on his way to goal, brutally maim Robert Huth (ok, this one should go unpunished as he played for Chelscum) before rounding Thomas Sorenson, having already stamped on his hand, and

scoring in the 95^th minute with no time to restart and the goal stand and Bolton win 2-3.

Craig then turned to me and said “Can you believe it? You are winning with 9 minutes to go!” then turned to me about a minute later and said “Can you believe it? You are winning with 8 minutes to go!” At this point I thought I was going to be sick, mainly at the prospect of Craig leaning over and saying something which I may repeat and which may later be used in evidence against me.

When the clock did finally drag its sorry carcass to 90 minutes I was left contemplating a whole season came down to the next FIVE minutes of added time, while convincing myself that a clock could actually HAVE a carcass, sorry or otherwise. As the ball was hurled in from what must have been Citeh’s 90^th corner, there was Dzeko powering in like an express train, only one that didn’t take passengers and one which could actually head footballs, to score for the home side and Champions elect! 2-2 and there was still 3 minutes left! Just as the kick off came Paul Merson started screaming in my ear (not actually in my living room you understand as that was where Craig was sitting, I mean, how many friends can you have round in one afternoon?), but from my Ipad which was showing slightly delayed punditry from Gillette Soccer Sunday (I was going to say Saturday but that really would have been delayed).

What played out in front of me was now the stuff of nightmares. No, not the one where you wake up next to Janet Street Porter with her dentures in a glass by the bed and her negligee wrapped around your head, but where your team have played like lion hearts, battled like soldiers, defied all the odds and had that point to retain our Premiership status about to be snatched away by the cruel mistress fate. Citeh cut through the Rangers defence and there was Aguero to smash the winner deep into stoppage time! 3-2 and the Etihad exploded! I hadn’t witnessed scenes like it ever and had it not been my team on the end of it, the hairs on the back of my neck would have stood to attention. As it was, I froze; it was like my whole life flashed before me and the hugging and kissing began. I now just needed to know the score at Stoke as that was the only way we could be saved now. I waited feverishly for the final score, forgetting my Sky Go coverage was about a minute behind. When the final score came it finally sank in – Bolton had drawn and had subsequently relinquished their grip on the ‘greatest league in the world’. I spared a thought for how their fans were feeling and after that 3 seconds were up I jumped up again and was so elated that I banged my head on the light fitting, tumbled forward, breaking my knee on the heavy TV cabinet, and in the process of trying to keep myself upright, grabbed the TV, shattering the glass and electrocuted myself.

We had done it! I hadn’t been this happy since Cheryl Cole (the name here is purely fictitious and any resemblance to any person, alive or dead is purely coincidental) agreed to spend the night with me with nothing but an overnight bag consisting of a tooth brush, baby oil, fluffy handcuffs and her MasterCard with the pin number scrawled in black biro on the strip.

Craig, the current Mrs H and I cracked open a post coital Carling Zest, while I battled with various tweets, texts, calls and smoke signals. As it transpired, the R’s had been part of one of the greatest ever matches in the greatest league in the world, the Barclays Premier League.

 I guess when we all look back on the campaign when we are old and grey (so in my case about next Tuesday) we will remember great victories (over Chelscum, Spuds, and the Arse), great defeats (Liverpool, WBA, Newcastle), new players arriving, a departing legendary manager, an incoming legendary manager in training and perhaps what could prove to be our biggest ever signing in Tony Fernandes. So just another mediocre season in the life of Queens Park Rangers Football Club, the finest football team the world has ever seen (in the greatest league in the world)."

Frederick RJ Hartman AKA @writesaidfred68

And a big thank you to@IAmFakeEdCo for the following video clips :)

QPR Fans celebrating City's Goal :)

QPR Pitch invasion congratulating City fans :)

Feel free to send me any pics or videos to add to this post, for prosperity and all that :)

Annie x

It's a Game of Two Halves

I'm not normally a book reader, see my tweet count @annieqpr, but I couldn't put this down.  It appealed to me as it follows the trials and tribulations, or should I say dramas, associated with being a QPR fan - but it is also a fast-moving, engaging book which I think will appeal to football fans in general, and dare I say it anyone who appreciates a good, honest read.

The first half deals with how Fred got into football, his life growing up, and the special relationships that were formed.  Lovely stories about travelling home and away with Queenie, his very good friend who is no longer with us, and is sorely missed (I cried I must confess), and about his wonderful parents too, who are also no longer with us, they sound  like very special characters.  It also details how Fred ended up in Norwich, and how that has affected his football viewing.   I found myself nodding a lot at recollections of certain games, and enjoying his review of some of the games I missed - even though they were 8 years ago!  (1st May 04, beating Swindon 1-0).

The second half details our season leading into promotion.  Game by game, he details the emotions attached, and am sure any football fan will also relive the hearts in mouths moments, the major highs and those ever so lowly lows!

Fred signing my book :)

It is written with a lot of honesty and humour, and I had some real laugh out loud moments - trust me this review is hard to write cos I want to detail some of them, but I really think it is better coming from Fred himself!  I will however be having a discussion with him about his "ugly tree XI"!

I should also add, having met the lovely @writesaidfred68 and his mate Nigel @madbouncydogs can say they are pretty decent blokes - you will read how Nigel plays a very important part in Fred's early life and also a catalyst for the book itself - but you'll get that :)

To get your copy, go here :)

Enjoy
Annie x

"HittingTheBar" Postmatch report QPR v Swansea by @sandyhoops

Thanks so much to @sandyhoops for mailing over her excellent match report from last nights game! I've added some pics from QPR.   Feel free to comment or join in the discussion!  Thanks Sandy!

"I don’t know about you, but I found last night’s game against Swansea rather satisfying!  In fact, when you consider our home form this season which, I think it would be fair to say, has been really disappointing, our last three home games have been rather satisfying!

But what made last night a little bit more special for me was that it was against one of our fellow-promoted teams – a team doing better than ourselves and which had, until recently, taken the Premiership by surprise.  Didn’t one football pundit claim that Swansea are a “breath of fresh air” to the Premiership with their flowing style of football?

Last season, Adel Taarabt made Swansea look decidedly ordinary as he almost single-handedly destroyed them, scoring two himself (one of which was contender for goal of the season – or did it win, I can’t remember now!) and having a hand in the other two.  Last night, he pretty much did the same thing – without actually scoring!  The number of times he left the Swansea defence flat-footed as he danced his mercurial, Moroccan dance around them, left me in no doubt that the Championship Player of the Year was back to his delightful best.  Mark Hughes has had a superb influence on the young genius who, by his standards, had not had a good first part of the season before leaving for the AfCon.

Taarabt left a QPR in January that does not resemble the QPR he has come back to – and he is one player who has benefitted enormously from the change-over.  Buzsaky is another.  In January, with Warnock at the helm, Buzsaky’s future seemed destined to be anywhere other than at Loftus Road – he was told as much.  But now, although he is not a regular starter, he is an integral part of Hughes’ new-look Rangers and his goal last night, only his second of this campaign, was a scorcher – definitely the best of the three (apologies to the cracking efforts by Joey and Mackie!)

Buzsaky is a very intelligent player although, at times last night, it looked more like laziness to my dear friend sitting right next to me.  It is funny how even sitting in two different seats – let alone two different parts of the ground – can make a game look so different!!  I knew we would have plenty of periods when we wouldn’t have the ball against this “breath of fresh air” yet I thought our midfield was excellent last night.  We controlled proceedings for large parts of the game but, more importantly, when we didn’t have the ball we chased and harried Swansea restricting them to short passes around the centre of the pitch and in their own half; and preventing them from moving forward usefully towards goal.  And, when we did have the ball, didn’t we spray it around effectively and decisively?

A few weeks ago, I criticised Barton’s passing – last night I was purring with delight at the accuracy of his passes.  Barely one was not a completed pass – and when he did lose the ball, he chased back like a ferocious terrier – and didn’t commit a single foul in recovering the ball!  Wow!  He is doing the simple things very, very well – at last!  Short, clever passes; one-touch passes; long balls that a few weeks ago would have flown out of play are now landing with pin-point accuracy at the feet of the intended team-mate.

 
And what about Diakite?  Who had ever heard of him?  And, let’s be honest, after his red card in his debut match, who ever thought we would hear of him again?!  But he is showing his class now.  He breaks up play so effectively but also has vision and accuracy and, as we know from his goal against Arsenal, a pretty powerful shot!  I am so impressed with him.  Boy oh boy!  Are we spoilt for choice in midfield – and this is all without the irrepressible, sadly-missed Ale Faurlin!  (I bet you thought I was going to say Shaun Derry – I think he was pretty worried about his place in the midfield after last night’s performance – but don’t worry, Shaun, you’ll be back for us soon!)

I know Zamora had a chance or two: what a shame he missed a sitter in the first half when he received the ball a mere three or four yards out and managed to sky it into the School End upper tier!  But technically, he is amazing.  He holds the ball well, pulls defenders all over the place, crosses the ball dangerously and, if Probert had actually taken action every time Zamora was held back or held down (not just the once that gave us a free kick which led to Barton’s screaming opening goal on 46 minutes), I would say he is pretty decent at heading the ball!

Have I mentioned that Kenny, who had little to do last night, seems back to his last-season, brilliant best?  I have been impressed with him more and more recently – his return to form seems to have coincided with the improved performance of our much-maligned defence.  And, to me, it is no small coincidence that this has happened since Clint Hill has taken centre stage, literally, in a growing partnership with Anton Ferdinand and we have had a settled back four.  I always felt Ferdinand wasn’t quite ready to lead the centre of defence and, indeed, Hill seems to have taken it upon himself to organise our defence and lead the line – and doesn’t he do it well?  Another superb, and necessary, goal-line clearance came from our man-mountain (Hill doesn’t seem to describe him adequately!) which could have made the score 2-1 and would have put a whole different complexion on the match.  The defence worked tirelessly and deserved our first clean sheet since October 2011 (interestingly against Chelsea!)

We kept our shape last night – as we did, albeit with 10 men, on Sunday at Old Trafford – we stuck to our plan.  And we made that “breath of fresh air” look stale and tired and very, very boring.  Swansea’s plan seemed to be to knock the ball about in defence, back to the goalie, through defence to midfield and back again to the defence and then the goalie!  I nearly fell asleep in the first half!  There was only one team playing “total football” last night – and they were playing in blue-and-white hoops (are Swansea trying to compete with us in the revolting orange/mango away shirts competition – is there a competition?!!)

I do believe we have enough to keep ourselves up and the turn-around in our home form is instrumental in this process.  Fulham fans were quick to let us know that we would be happy with Hughes as our manager but that he takes time to get his message across and working – about 10 games they reckoned.  Well, I believe he has been our manager for 15 games now – so that would be about right!  After our farcical performance up at Bolton a few weeks ago, we seem to have grown in stature and unity.  We are playing some lovely, flowing, one-touch football at times, as we did so well last night; but we are also defending better, passing better, finishing better and playing with more confidence and fight than we have at any other time this season.

I hope we can pick up points away from home in one or more of our last 3 away games – at Chelsea would be particularly sweet; but this weekend at Brom will be fine for me!  And we must continue to be “fortress Loftus Road” against Spurs and Stoke.  And if we do all that – no mean feat, let’s be realistic – we will deserve to retain our place in the Premier League.  And next season, with the likes of Diakite and Faurlin in midfield – Premier League watch out!"

Sandy Lerman (@sandyhoops)

QPR - PostMatchPost

I'm not the greatest of pundits, but I do love to read other's analysis of our games, and indeed those of the opposition!  I therefore intend to start a PostMatchPost blog, with my little offerings, but would like other footy bloggers to put their blog on here, with a linky back to there's?   Kind of in a post match pub kinda discussion!  Hoping this may have legs.   I know lots of #QPR fans who don't have blogs but I value all fans' opinion and in that case am happy to offer mine over to them as a guest blog!

Need to do the linkytool bit first, but for the moment it's work in progress :)

Thanks!

A rather happy Annieqpr in a 3-0 kinda way da da da da Hoops..............................

By the way, open to offers on a name change?  Hitting the Bar muted too?