QPR v Watford 14Jan24 1-2 FT 21pts/23rd

Field and JCS now off for Larkeche and Dozzell

We deserved something from that. Watford scored with their only 2 chances of the match.

But we only have ourselves to blame. We could have scored 4 or 5.

Great save from their keeper at the end from a Dunne chance, frustrating.

We need to play like that against the likes of Millwall and especially Huddersfield... But we won't.

That's the problem.

Given that Livermore was marking Dykes throughout the game, I am assuming it was reciprocal. The problem is that Dykes is not used to defending like that - but that is what an attacking midfielder must do!

On a brighter note, I was in B Block, Row X (so right at the back) sitting alongside fans I had never seen before, and as I exited four of them said they knew me from the podcasts and shook my hand! (Next week for the Millwall game I will wear a disguise I think....) 😉

Not sure what Marti says to them at half time but whatever it is our defending and decision making goes to pot.

Both the Watford goals were well finished but Livermore should have been closed down sooner. Both Dykes and Colback were very slow to react and gave Livermore too much time.

Sinclair Armstrong frightens the hell out of the opposition defenders and is trying to learn his trade in a poor team. We need to get him signed to a long term deal because he's our biggest asset and the experience he should now be getting out on loan with a League One club he is now getting with a poor Championship club that's playing like a League One club and is destined to be one next season anyway. At the moment the issue with Sinclair Armstrong is that theres a naivety to the way he plays and his relentless running and chasing of lost causes means he's shattered after an hour.

Chair can do things that no other player in a QPR shirt is capable and has been involved in more QPR goals than any other player this season but I wonder if our predictability of wanting to start him and give him the ball at every opportunity is not helping our cause. Teams know what we want to do and have just stuck 2 men on Chair who gets frustrated and tries to do the impossible.

It doesnt look like we are going to be bringing in any new faces so Marti will need to be looking at changing things tactically. Its only a suggestion but I'm wondering whether he might look at playing a more consolidated team to contain the opposition for the first 45 minutes and then in the 2nd half bring on the likes of Chair, Smyth and Armstrong as impact subs to play against a tiring opposition. Something has to change because continuing to play like we have done will see us only getting relegated.