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Everyone needs a third person in a relationship......

My client today told me that everyone needs a third person in a relationship, and she has decided that I'm her third person - I was very flattered.

I'd not come across that phrase before but I like it.  I guess we all need a good friend outside of a marriage/relationship, to be able to confide in and use their soft shoulders to lean on, and generally just be there.

I also wonder if twitter is the third person in other people's relationships, I think it certainly was for me, at least until I met up with some fellow tweeters for real.

Would love your thoughts on this?

Annie x

HittingTheBar post match review of QPR v Spurs

Thank you to the lovely Emily for letting me host a copy of her postmatch review of QPR v Spurs.  You can find Emily on twitter at @elmodedude and her wonderful blog at qprgirl

'It was the best of times

Queens Park Rangers 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0

...it was the worst of times'. Kept echoing through my head throughout the match today, even before Taarabt scored from a fantastic free kick. The match itself was filled with everything that a QPR match is expected to bring these days to Loftus Road: agony, ecstasy, pleasure and pain - all in one go. As I've said before I am quite sure that plenty of people suffer increased blood pressure during matches, and there were several 'shrieks' from the crowd when we thought for a millisecond that perhaps we were done for as Tottenham came so close to scoring.

But I also thought about the fact that this was my last home game (as I'll be on holiday during the Stoke game) and wistfully looked back on my experience so far in this season which could quite easily be compartmentalised in to two halves. In January I started writing this blog, and in one of my first blogs after the first cup tie against MK Dons I asked whether this was the turning point in our season. The football we played at that game was ugly, QPR favourite Ale Faurlin got a serious injury, and I think if I remember correctly, it was Warnock who said that the last minute goal from Helguson was perhaps a turning point. Little did we know, however, that the real turning point lay in the massive changes that were to come in the form of new management and a host of new players. At that point in time, our season well and truly became a dogfight, while the previous half was about a QPR team unsure about what it stood for with a varied and less than spectacular run of results.

'...it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,'

...I then made my journey up to Newcastle not long after, taking the coach for the first time. It was the first of quite a few games where Mark Hughes spent time tinkering with the team, testing out the squad and understanding who could do what. The irony is that those who have really shone through have been our Championship players: Derry, Buzsaky, Mackie and Clint Hill have been invaluable and quite frankly up until a few games ago they were the only ones who looked as if they gave a damn. It's amazing how it appears to have taken so long for everyone else to really show some passion. It's taken so long for the penny to drop that if QPR go down it's not just the club that might suffer, but their own careers as well. It would be unfair to say that our 'shiny' new team of Premier League big boys haven't performed in more recent games, but poor behaviour and a flurry of red cards has made them (Cisse you know who you are) look foolish. But we've also had some bad luck, and Derry being sent off at Old Trafford was the icing on the cake in terms of poor refereeing decisions. However, it seems we're getting used to playing with ten men. When Taarabt was sent off today, there was perhaps a moment of confusion from the crowd and just a little anger, but as my neighbour said 'it's almost like we just shrug it off now we're so used to it'. By that stage though, I was honestly starting to believe we could really win this match and I remembered all the tweets coming in saying #believe all week.

'...it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,'

And speaking of tweets, I spent some time at The Green just before today's match, meeting with many people who I've been getting to know in the virtual world. The #qprtwitfam is well and truly established, and putting faces to names and seeing people 'come to life' was a great experience. Hello to everyone I met, I am so looking forward to seeing you all again soon. One of the greatest things about being a Rangers supporter has been meeting fans who are just as obsessive as me. Sadly, apart from my father, I've never had any close friends who have supported this greatest of teams, and so making new friends has been a highlight of my season. My experiences travelling away on the coach have also been a real hoot, especially given that my first coach trip meant being filmed by Sky Sports News at the ungodly hour of 4.30am at Loftus Road. There I was at the 'back of the bus' getting to know other crazy supporters. So even though I haven't yet experienced an away win this season it has been a wonderful season of light for meeting like minded individuals who share the same hopes and fears as I do. It's just like QPR to keep us hanging until the end of the season though...while we have lived through a true winter of despair, the recent home wins against the big teams have brought us a spring of hope.

'we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way'

And so we look ahead, with three games to go. And who can honestly say after these past performances that they aren't winnable? But the first one next Sunday in the hellish depths of Stamford Bridge will likely be the toughest test yet. I shall be there, arm in arm with my dear father who has chosen to grace me with his presence at an away game for the first time ever.

'- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.'

But alas, we are so far from the end of the season as far as knowing what the future holds for Queens Park Rangers. We have left it till the dying end to save ourselves, and will likely because of this, have to suffer from another 'iron on' sponsors logo on our shirts next season whether we are up or down.  Will we be looking back on this season thinking it's much like the one we're in then? My emotions on that subject are completely contradictory. While I hope for a season in which our biggest issue in the Premier League is mid-table mediocrity, I also think it would be dead boring. And if we end up back in the Championship, will I be pining for the excitement of the Premier League?

This is life as a QPR supporter. And the only thing that I am sure of is that I love this club. And while it's been the best and the worst season I've ever lived through so far that one fact will always remain true.

You RRRsssss

Anyone else want to add a review here, would be happy to link back to your blogs, thanks again Emily - love it :)
Annie x

The QPRTwitFam

So we have the Flag, we have the T-Shirts, now we need the blog page.   A few people suggested we try and get 1 place to list all the QPRTwitFam, so thought would start it here.   Up to you if you want to add a pic, or list your own blogs, or maybe a twitter name and a one-liner about yourself, feel free.   If you add it to the comment below I can upload here onto the main page!
Means on a FF I can do one shoutout to you all too :)
A few people asking why I haven't automatically added those that I know, but I felt it should be an opt in rather than opt out kinda thing, those with locked accounts etc, may not want the exposure - hope that makes sense :)

in my Marc Bircham shirt :)

So I guess I should start!  Although I think you already know enough about me! @annieqpr






and thank you to @BestOfBritain "English born...American raised...QPR fanatic 16

and welcome to @elmodedude and her fabulous blog about our beloved QPR qprgirl

announcing  @qprterry Also known as the "The Bigman" amongst friends, season ticket holder in the upper loft KU. You r'sssssssssssssssss

@bigrobbok

and the lovely @bigrobbok  Born in West London and now bred in West Sussex but still a full time Ranger and a member of the Qprtwitfam.




the invaluable to me blog-fixer @jacintropatricio and the one who made my lovely blog banner :)

and here is @QPR4good the lovely Al

@madbouncydogs - Nigel - Over 21. Exiled in Lancashire, originally from Willesden NW10. First game at home to Coventry 1979. 5-1 win. Clive Allen's debut and he scored a hat trick. Also a first game for my long suffering friend @fred_hoops who will no doubt post here later once I tell him too :)

@Rob3768 Long suffering QPR fan since I was four. First game in 1973 against Ipswich. I Was lucky enough to see 'The Legends' in every home game in the '75-76 Season'. I was expecting it every year after that! Oh, how naive I was as an 8 year old.  Work commitments stop me seeing the R's as much as I'd like, but the #QPRTwitfam has made me feel closer to the club and part of the QPR family. <---love that!

The infamous dynamo that is our @LornaSuperhoops currently training for her charity Moonwalk in aid of Cancer, you can support our Lorna here!





@Firstitgiveth Cameron, 19, Uni student, originally from Mile End, East London and now live in Portsmouth / South Essex. Go to as many home and away games as I can get to. My dad took me to my first Rangers game back in 1997 when I was 5, it was against Nottingham Forest, and that's all I can remember about it. U R'sss

and a local tweeter to me now @Andymack Glory hunter, first QPR game was the '82 cup final. And its been non stop success ever since. Don't get to as many games as I'd like (Work,money,family etc) . More R's than people think in St Albans

Introducing the lovely Underscore himself, and creator of the QPRTwitFam flag @Ben_Farrow, and his lovely, long-suffering other half) *jokes* @lilmissmyers  My other half says Ben looks like a better looking Gavin Henson :)

The QPRTwitFam Flag

@jamieQPR here. London bred but I've been exiled in New York for the last 12 years. 15 year season ticket holder before that. I dont think I've missed listening to more than 3 matches via QPR World in that period. It's a disease. I'm very proud that I have bred 3 QPR monsters, one being @BestOfBritain, who are fanatics even though we live in NY
WE R QPR

HittingTheBar PreMatch review of QPR v THFC

Thanks to @LANGERS1979 for letting me publish a link to his fab blog www.kickingitmyway.com 

Would like to add a collection of reviews of this huuuuuuuuuge game tomorrow, linky below thank you!

Slow Cooker Pork Belly on Lentils

Whilst stuck in the house today, I decided to cobble together something for tea using whatever I could forage for.

I found a pork belly joint in the freezer that Chris bought cos it was reduced, and as it was taking up a huge amount of space, decided to go with that, so here goes!

Ingredients

1kg Pork Belly joint, skin scored
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp sea salt
3 red onions, cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves
1tsp chilli flakes
200g green lentils
200ml white wine
200ml chicken stock
2 tbsp natural yoghurt - to make the sauce creamier before serving!

Method
Combine the fennel seeds and salt, unroll the joint and rub all over.
Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker - except the yoghurt - place the pork on top, skin side up, and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Preheat the grill to high. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and place on a rack inside a grill tray. Grill for 10 minutes until the skin is crispy and golden brown.

Stir the yoghurt through the sauce in the slow cooker and serve over the pork! Wow wow wow, even if I do say so myself!

"HittingTheBar" Postmatch review of WBA v QPR by @paulfinney1969

A big thanks to @paulfinney1969 who wrote this review for me from last Saturday!  With you there on the hope Paul...........Photo courtesy of www.qpr.co.uk

You can also find Paul Finney courtesy of www.indyrs.co.uk  and also on the fabulous podcast :)

"It is the hope that kills you at times.....

We all know that being a QPR fan life is never easy, nor do we do things the easy way.  Saturday was, if we had a script for us to go and win, and push on from the great results we got playing Arsenal and Swansea, and also our new found confidence and team building, was going to see us go to a safe WBA and pick up the points.

That was the thinking on the way down in the car, as we all met up and went to the wonderful Vine where both sets of fans mixed well.  Then a WBA fan tells me that they “are not that great, cannot pass and we will hammer them.” I looked at my mate Adam and said shall we head home now, as Being Rangers we know what that means.

And so we walk to the ground and indeed that is what they did to us.  Just passed around us, which I hated to see, as when we came out and onto the pitch Joey Barton -to his credit - went to every player and did a pat on the back and gee up and I thought we have got there at last, the team looked as a unit.

But as I say my soul sank when they came out and passed around us while, when we got the ball, we failed to use it in a manner to put them on the back foot, until Zamora chased a ball on pushed their defender off his track, then wasted one of the few chances we had.

Their goal was odd to take when we were under the cosh a bit, Paddy Kenny and Joey Barton had a heated exchange on a corner, and he was right Paddy was telling Joey we were sitting too deep, and hold onto the ball.

Then a few moments later they got a throw, then Ferdinand turned his back on the throw and jogged back into position.  When I was trying to work out what the heck that was about, they moved the ball to where they wanted it and that was in line with the goal.  Their player was at least 35 yards out and then the ball flew, I was two rows in so I seen it fly, then the hands of Kenny got to the ball and you could hear it just came off his gloves, and smashed into the net.  Myself, and the other near 3000 R's fans, just let out a gasp, as we all felt it was to be our day.

All I could think was just keep this down to one, then 2^nd half lets go for it.  We did just that, and that is the worst thing looking back at the game, was that we were not that bad,  just lacked that final killer shot, and the longer the game went on the more the players I felt let fear rule their feet and head.

Has to be said that we did try, Adel could not get his range right, and the corners again failed to test their keeper, who sadly had an easy day of it.

Then that moment you know will always come in a game, Zamora got the ball, fired off his shot, the goal at the mercy, then in that spilt second you seen the ball just take off the wrong way and hit Jamie Mackie on the back, and that was that then, our season summed up in that move.  Lady luck, and that lack of confidence has let us down again.

From then on in the game just bypassed me.  As the time ticked away I knew, as we all did, that was our chance, and we sat there hearing the WBA sing about us being so shite to lose to Wolves and bring on the Villa.

When all I could think of was this is not how today was to end.

Our fans, as always, gave the team the best backing they could and was proud to see the away end so full and before the game the buzz was class.

Still, it now looks like we have to win two from four and a draw then again our plan B is that there are three clubs worse then us at the moment, and you know I will take that."

Cheers Paul, let's hope we do it at home this Saturday!   COYR's!

Anyone else got a review of the game on your blog, would love to see it too!  See linky below!