I see that Cameron picked up his 10th booking of the season against Blackburn and as a result he will miss the next 2 games.
Dominic Ball wasn't even in the squad on Tuesday and was limping towards the end of the cup match last week. So Cameron will be a big loss if Ball isn't fit. We may have to play Manning in midfield.
With Scowen gone, Cameron banned and Ball looking injured I wonder if Warburton might change his mind about letting Smith return to Man City.
Having watched the full 90 here are a few observations...
As is often the case, the opening spell of the match was positive from a QPR side that was under pressure but looked relaxed in dealing with it. It was also noticeable that Eze always had a Blackburn entourage when he had the ball, so that helps to explain why he had a 'quiet game'.
So a good opening spell (again almost inevitably with the Rs) goes pear-shaped with a fine goal. One criticism I have made many times relates to our wing-backs not preventing a cross, but here was Hall standing off from Armstrong, rather than closing him down. Poor!
Hugill goes down with a genuine head injury but play continues; Chair doing defensive duties is given a two-handed shove; and you have to ask what the officials now regard as fouls and/or genuine reasons for a stoppage? The ref was equally lax when Amos grappled with a defender. Then, just before HT, BOS is dragged down in the penalty area. It would have been a soft penalty, but it should not detract from BOS being fouled and it was ignored by the officials. Poor management of the game plays into the hands of the side happy to foul, and produces lesser quality football... Contrast that laxity with a second half where clumsy fouls by QPR were rightly punished.
Blackburn adopt a high press and reinforce it with their wing-backs (because there usually Hugill is the only threat). In contrast, QPR are on the defensive - hoping for that fruitful fast break using BOS or Chair....
Eze looked out of sorts, especially when expected to defend on the left, and I cannot help wondering what impact all the transfer gossip has on him.
Kelly looks so much more composed than Lumley, and perhaps that explains why Hall, Masterson & Wallace are so relaxed about pacing in-between to him.
Our equaliser was all you could ask for between attackers - great passing interplay between Chair and Hugill leading to a well-taken goal.
Both Masterson & Wallace have quickly slotted into their positions, both bringing something extra to the team. If Rangel was available then you have to think our defenders are good choices. (Having said that, Kane's attacking play has been good.)
Their second goal had Hugill held back after he lost his marker, allowing enough time for him to head home.... QUESTION: Is Hugill included in the training against dead balls?
In order to make the most of a quick break we need a bit of luck or good, probing through balls. Cameron is the main source for such through balls, but he seemed to be over-hitting on most occasions.
In the second half you have to compare the constant running of Chair as he chases down the ball, with that of Eze and BOS. Both did not help their WB enough but still wanted the WB to offer an overlap! Needs to be more of quid pro quo... Amos is another ball-chaser and, like Scowen before him, therefore attracts more yellow cards as a result.
Are we becoming victims of our own possession? I am starting to think that our primary concern of ensuring we maintain possession is, at times, becoming so obsessive that we fail to take opportunities to pass forward and bypass the opposition.
Should we have won? No I do not think so, but a draw would (and should) have been possible.
Last Edit: Jan 30, 2020 18:34:19 GMT by kingfisher
