MONDAY MARDLE: A day to forget as it all goes very wrong in W12
There are some days you really wish you hadn’t bothered.
When I got to Luton Parkway station on Friday, after driving almost halfway across the country and returning to pick up my ticket, I found that my “fast” train into London had been cancelled. I had the stops-at-every-station deal instead.
The train was already packed, with every seat occupied, when I got on. With each stop, the standing room filled with regret as we slowly made our way towards the capital, station by station.
Unaware that the train ride was just the beginning of my day, I finally reached St. Pancras. I was supposed to go to Hitchin, take a bus to Bedford, and then take a train to Luton Central, which is three miles from Parkway, as all of the trains to Luton were cancelled on the way home.
The “Restricted View” warning was prominently displayed on the ticket, but the view I got was terrible. Too much of what was happening on the pitch was visible to me.
“How in the world are they the top scorers and eighth in the league?” They were horrible. They were worse than we were. We will, however, play them once again in a few weeks. Three more simple points will follow.
As I limped towards Wood Lane, two QPR fans overheard that scathing remark. They weren’t mistaken either.
When you can see that the opposition is better, you don’t mind losing 3-0. However, QPR wasn’t. They were terrible. However, they had a plan and carried it out flawlessly.
The City players were obstructed by them. At every chance, nipping, nagging, barging, and diving. The opponent fell to the ground at the first sign of contact from a Norwich player.With each free kick,
In referee Anthony Backhouse they found a willing accomplice. The corridors of Westfield Shopping Mall were rammed with Christmas shoppers but there was no need for Backhouse to go there after the game. He bought everything that QPR offered him.
At one point, I was searching the ground for the concealed sniper when one of their players collapsed so comically after a small contact. He dragged himself off the pitch after a protracted visit from the physiotherapist. He can’t possibly continue, can he? Naturally, he did. He ran back into the pitch with a smile on his face after spending the required thirty seconds on the touchline.
However, it wasn’t simply Backhouse who purchased it. Their demise was facilitated by the City players. They must have realised what QPR was doing in just a minute of play; it’s not a very unusual strategy used by bottom-of-the-league teams.
he senior pros – the likes of Kenny McLean, Shane Duffy and even Angus Gunn should have twigged straight away and passed the word around. Instead, City continued to play into the hands of the hosts, conceding needless free kick after needless free kick.
Borja Sainz had his arms out by his side as he challenged from behind. The player slowed. Contact. Fall over. Free kick. Goal.
Head to Sloughbottom on a Sunday and you will see better defending than the first two QPR goals. The third, Marcelino Nunez ran cross-field, half a dozen tackles nipped at him. A QPR player would have gone sprawling. Instead, he lost the ball. Callum Doyle’s challenge was unconvincing. 3-0.
Backhouse continued his comedy refereeing. The goalkeeper tried three times to steal ground on a free kick, finally receiving a yellow card. As the referee turned away he did the same again. He was once more sent back without any further words from the man in the middle.
Then there was the handball. If I can see it from the opposite end of the stadium (yes, yes I had the assistance of yellow-tinted glasses), then surely the referee can see it from a few yards away.
And finally, the cynical challenge on Ante Crnac. Way more of a red card than that which McLean received a few weeks ago. But just a yellow.
The mitigation stops there.The city was in disarray. They were unable to connect simple passes. The comedy defence has already been discussed. Up front, there was no movement. With fifteen minutes remaining, Doyle, Duffy, and Gunn were at the back, moving the ball gently amongst themselves as if City had a three-goal lead.
How can we be the top scorers in the division and eighth in the league?
The concerning aspect is that there will be another game of this kind tomorrow night. Johannes Hoff Thorup has limited time and a massive mission to complete. The city needs to figure out how to handle the disruptive elements.
One more thing for the City supporters. Regretfully, they had only advanced to the eleventh Huckerbies when the first goal
It has been a long time since I have witnessed so many City supporters depart early. Following the last whistle and my filing out of the stadium, however, a small group of people stayed. As they arrived to cheer on the away crowd, they had moved to the front of the away section and were making motions and insulting the City players.
Apologies. You might feel upset and disappointed, but such behaviour isn’t really acceptable.
Even though I wasn’t among the loud, disagreeable minority, my song selection for this week captures my thoughts of a dreadful performance. It’s Crazy.
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