Ollessendro
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Sheffield United extended their unbeaten run to 7 games with a draw in the freezing nations capital. Kevin Blackwell’s men fought hard for a draw in a game that lacked real quality but was entertaining never the less. The Blades go up to 7th in the table and now look to be in play off contention after a change round in form over the last month or so. In the end a draw was a fair result, but I wonder whether united will look back at the end of the season and regret not beating sides like QPR. Sure a point away against a side with a new manager was a not a bad result. However, I felt QPR were poor and was disappointed we didn’t take them on and take all 3 points.
I was quietly confident about this one whilst I reflected and enjoyed a couple of beers in the centre of London and then later in Sheppard’s Bush. This was my second visit to Loftus Road and I enjoyed it much more this time. Last season I sat in the upper tier and watched a dyer game of football that resulted in a stale mate. This year I was in the lower tier with my old man and although the view of the other end of the pitch wasn’t great you are really close to the pitch and I enjoyed that element.
Kevin Blackwell opted for the 4-5-1 formation with Creswell the lone striker. Lee Williamson did not feature (presumably through injury) and Jordan Stewart came in for him. Quinn switched inside and Stewart played out left. Evans was left on the bench and Montgomery returned after suspension.
United got off to a nightmare start. Only a minute or so had gone and QPR were in front. QPR got a corner to the away fans left and a poor delivery somehow ended up in a goal. The ball was knocked in and should have been dealt with by Montgomery. Morgan’s shout of ’away’ was clearly heard by the travelling fans, yet his team mate failed to do that. The ball skipped past Montgomery and hit Morgan in the face, clearly taking him by surprise. The ball bounced out to the edge of the area to former Blade Leighertwood who struck the ball first time. It deflected off Morgan and bounced past the wrong footed Bunn. This was a truly soft goal and United were punished for not being awake at the beginning of the game.
It wasn’t long before United were back level. There was a mix up in the QPR defence and a stray pass went straight to Kalio. The Finnish international seized the initiative and strode forward into the area with confidence. He kept his cool and picked out CRESWELL who was left with a straight forward finish. Sheffield United’s very own Finish Peter Crouch should take the credit for this for his drive and composure. Still Cresswell had to stick the ball in the net and he buried it.
The Blades looked a bit frail in the centre of the park with Montgomery not looking fully fit. Quinn and Harper both looked excellent on the ball, but struggled defensively. Time and time again QPR just strode through our midfield, bt luckily our defence was rock solid. Kilgallon was simply fantastic and cleared up the mess several times in the first half. On 2 or 3 different occasions his judgement lead to him sweeping up and intercepting QPR midfield runners. Kalio also made a timely interception and defended well.
United nearly went ahead just before half time with the move of the match. The Blades put together 9 or 10 passed in a move involving Harper, Ward and Walker before Quinn had his shot blocked and the ball looped up to Ward who volleyed narrowly wide. Quinn and Harper showed there football ling ability and United deserved a goal for this move. Unfortunately the ball fell on Wards left foot and he didn’t catch the volley as he would have liked and it tricked wide.
Mid way through the 2nd half united stepped up a gear. The Blades stopped hoofing the ball to Creswell and started playing on the deck. This was easily our best spell and Quinn and Harper really got a foot hold on the game. The pair dictated the game and United really started to put pressure on QPR. Kalio put in a teasing cross which Quinn wasn’t quite able to get onto. United’s domination almost played off, but they seemed to want to walk the ball into the net. After a good move Quinn opted for one more pass when he should have shot. Harper had a chance to shoot from the edge of the area, but on his weaker left side he chose not. Then Harper had a golden chance. Quinn, in one of the best games I’ve seen him play for United, was the orchestrator. He tricked the full back and sent Walker away. Walker ran to the by line, drawing the defender before passing to Quinn. He advanced into the area teed it up to Harper who fired just over the bar from the edge of the area. This was a good move and Harper would be disappointed he didn’t at least hit the target.
QPR were mostly restricted to long range efforts and had little luck in unlocking the Blades defence. There was no way past the impressive Kilgallon and Morgan. Thus said QPR came back into the game later on.
At around the hour mark/70 mins United were firmly in control and I though we could have gone on to win the game. However it just wasn’t quite working. Creswell was having little joy against the QPR centre backs and we were crying out for a change. Blackwell had attacking options but decided not to use them. In fact he made no substitutes, signalling he was happy with the draw. Camara might have made the difference. It infuriated me that Blackwell just stood there with his hands in his pockets and no subs warmed up for the last 20 mins. Completely ridiculous. In the end we were hanging on for the draw as QPR finished strongly. In fact they almost sneaked it at the end. Routledge centred from the right and Watson had a free header. His header hot the bar, sparing Blackwell’s blushes.
United: We weren’t great, but there was some good signs. Quinn and Haprer looked very good on the ball and controlled the midfield when we had the ball. However they both were defensively weak. And with Monty looking not match fit QPR came through us time and time again. Kilgallon was excellent and Kalio had a good game. That back four looked very solid. We were a bit one dimensional at times and Creswell had little joy against QPR’s big central defenders. However, when we had the ball on the deck we looked good. Ward was dangerous and it was nice to see Harper finally starting to shine. Quinn, who was awful when I saw him at Bristol, had the best game I’ve seen him have in a United shirt. I was disappointed we didn’t take 3 points. A draw was a fair result and not a bad one. However, they were not good and with a bit of flair we could have beat the. For me Camara might have made the difference. Cresswell had little joy and I am mythed as to why Blackwell didn’t sling on Henri with 10 mins to go.
QPR: they are not a good side. They battled hard and deserved a point. There 2 centre backs played well and Creswell didn’t get a sniff. That said, when we played it on the deck they had no answer. We carved them open 2 or 3 times. They are a mid table side. Paul Hart is a poor manager and whilst I don’t think they’ll struggle I can’t see them mounting a play off challenge.
Bunn 6/5/10 - Didn’t have a lot to do, but he did he did well. His distribution wasn’t great, but he commands his area and he also made some good interceptions. His confidence is back and he is playing better. He made a very important interception in the first half when he could have given away and penalty but he just managed to smother the ball.
Walker 6.5/10 - Got caught out of position a few times, but generally defended pretty well. His pace and power makes him a real threat going forward and he linked well with Ward.
Kalio 7/10 - I’m impressed by him. His distribution wasn’t great, but he defended very well. He made a great interception in the first half and generally looked solid. Not only that but he is composed. He put in a great cross for Quinn to almost score and the out goal was down to him.
KILGALLON 8/10 - Excellent performance. He was everywhere and swept up so many times at the back. It will be a real shame to lose him. Playing with Morgan at centre back he is back to his best. He might only be doing this to put himself in the shop window, but he looked a class above.
Morgan 6.5/10 - Solid performance. However his poor clearance lead to the QPR goal.
Ward 7/10 - Always looks dangerous, He linked well with Quinn and should probably have scored. He is a little terrier and works so hard. He is a real asset.
Harper 6.5/10 - Much better than I’ve seen him play. He didn’t do anything fantastic, but he looks good on the ball. He was always an option and he puts his foot on the ball and looks up. He is finally starting to look like the James Harper we saw at Reading. That said, he was defensively not great and he also should have done better with a good chance.
Monty 4.5/10 - Monty really struggled yesterday. He didn’t look fully fit and it left us exposed. With Quinn and Harper not great defensively Monty is left with the ’water carrying’. Unfortunately yesterday he didn’t step up to the task and we looked exposed. He didn’t look fit and I wonder if Blackwell brought him back too early.
Quinn 7.5/10 - Is this really the same Stephen Quinn I watched at Ashton Gate??? Yesterday he was excellent. My only qualm would be that he shirks his defensive duties a little. However the guy looked class yesterday. He was dangerous, composed and absolutely at the heart of everything United did. Keep up the good work!
Stewart 6/10 - Had a fairly quiet game. He battled hard, but lacks any real class.
Creswell 5/10 - He got nothing yesterday. I have given him an extra point for his goal, but he didn’t get a look in all game. He looked tired and although he scored, had one decent flick on and narrowly missed the target with a header near the end, he didn’t do his job. Henderson is much better at the lone striker role.
Crows/Atmosphere: 12’000 was piss poor. They were very quiet and so were we. I’m not sure how many Blades fans came down, but the support was a little disappointing. I couldn’t see how many Blades were in the upper tier, but I’d say there were about 500 in the lower where I sat. We made a bit of noise and encouragement and the players could clearly see that because of the nature of Loftus Road.
I was quietly confident about this one whilst I reflected and enjoyed a couple of beers in the centre of London and then later in Sheppard’s Bush. This was my second visit to Loftus Road and I enjoyed it much more this time. Last season I sat in the upper tier and watched a dyer game of football that resulted in a stale mate. This year I was in the lower tier with my old man and although the view of the other end of the pitch wasn’t great you are really close to the pitch and I enjoyed that element.
Kevin Blackwell opted for the 4-5-1 formation with Creswell the lone striker. Lee Williamson did not feature (presumably through injury) and Jordan Stewart came in for him. Quinn switched inside and Stewart played out left. Evans was left on the bench and Montgomery returned after suspension.
United got off to a nightmare start. Only a minute or so had gone and QPR were in front. QPR got a corner to the away fans left and a poor delivery somehow ended up in a goal. The ball was knocked in and should have been dealt with by Montgomery. Morgan’s shout of ’away’ was clearly heard by the travelling fans, yet his team mate failed to do that. The ball skipped past Montgomery and hit Morgan in the face, clearly taking him by surprise. The ball bounced out to the edge of the area to former Blade Leighertwood who struck the ball first time. It deflected off Morgan and bounced past the wrong footed Bunn. This was a truly soft goal and United were punished for not being awake at the beginning of the game.
It wasn’t long before United were back level. There was a mix up in the QPR defence and a stray pass went straight to Kalio. The Finnish international seized the initiative and strode forward into the area with confidence. He kept his cool and picked out CRESWELL who was left with a straight forward finish. Sheffield United’s very own Finish Peter Crouch should take the credit for this for his drive and composure. Still Cresswell had to stick the ball in the net and he buried it.
The Blades looked a bit frail in the centre of the park with Montgomery not looking fully fit. Quinn and Harper both looked excellent on the ball, but struggled defensively. Time and time again QPR just strode through our midfield, bt luckily our defence was rock solid. Kilgallon was simply fantastic and cleared up the mess several times in the first half. On 2 or 3 different occasions his judgement lead to him sweeping up and intercepting QPR midfield runners. Kalio also made a timely interception and defended well.
United nearly went ahead just before half time with the move of the match. The Blades put together 9 or 10 passed in a move involving Harper, Ward and Walker before Quinn had his shot blocked and the ball looped up to Ward who volleyed narrowly wide. Quinn and Harper showed there football ling ability and United deserved a goal for this move. Unfortunately the ball fell on Wards left foot and he didn’t catch the volley as he would have liked and it tricked wide.
Mid way through the 2nd half united stepped up a gear. The Blades stopped hoofing the ball to Creswell and started playing on the deck. This was easily our best spell and Quinn and Harper really got a foot hold on the game. The pair dictated the game and United really started to put pressure on QPR. Kalio put in a teasing cross which Quinn wasn’t quite able to get onto. United’s domination almost played off, but they seemed to want to walk the ball into the net. After a good move Quinn opted for one more pass when he should have shot. Harper had a chance to shoot from the edge of the area, but on his weaker left side he chose not. Then Harper had a golden chance. Quinn, in one of the best games I’ve seen him play for United, was the orchestrator. He tricked the full back and sent Walker away. Walker ran to the by line, drawing the defender before passing to Quinn. He advanced into the area teed it up to Harper who fired just over the bar from the edge of the area. This was a good move and Harper would be disappointed he didn’t at least hit the target.
QPR were mostly restricted to long range efforts and had little luck in unlocking the Blades defence. There was no way past the impressive Kilgallon and Morgan. Thus said QPR came back into the game later on.
At around the hour mark/70 mins United were firmly in control and I though we could have gone on to win the game. However it just wasn’t quite working. Creswell was having little joy against the QPR centre backs and we were crying out for a change. Blackwell had attacking options but decided not to use them. In fact he made no substitutes, signalling he was happy with the draw. Camara might have made the difference. It infuriated me that Blackwell just stood there with his hands in his pockets and no subs warmed up for the last 20 mins. Completely ridiculous. In the end we were hanging on for the draw as QPR finished strongly. In fact they almost sneaked it at the end. Routledge centred from the right and Watson had a free header. His header hot the bar, sparing Blackwell’s blushes.
United: We weren’t great, but there was some good signs. Quinn and Haprer looked very good on the ball and controlled the midfield when we had the ball. However they both were defensively weak. And with Monty looking not match fit QPR came through us time and time again. Kilgallon was excellent and Kalio had a good game. That back four looked very solid. We were a bit one dimensional at times and Creswell had little joy against QPR’s big central defenders. However, when we had the ball on the deck we looked good. Ward was dangerous and it was nice to see Harper finally starting to shine. Quinn, who was awful when I saw him at Bristol, had the best game I’ve seen him have in a United shirt. I was disappointed we didn’t take 3 points. A draw was a fair result and not a bad one. However, they were not good and with a bit of flair we could have beat the. For me Camara might have made the difference. Cresswell had little joy and I am mythed as to why Blackwell didn’t sling on Henri with 10 mins to go.
QPR: they are not a good side. They battled hard and deserved a point. There 2 centre backs played well and Creswell didn’t get a sniff. That said, when we played it on the deck they had no answer. We carved them open 2 or 3 times. They are a mid table side. Paul Hart is a poor manager and whilst I don’t think they’ll struggle I can’t see them mounting a play off challenge.
Bunn 6/5/10 - Didn’t have a lot to do, but he did he did well. His distribution wasn’t great, but he commands his area and he also made some good interceptions. His confidence is back and he is playing better. He made a very important interception in the first half when he could have given away and penalty but he just managed to smother the ball.
Walker 6.5/10 - Got caught out of position a few times, but generally defended pretty well. His pace and power makes him a real threat going forward and he linked well with Ward.
Kalio 7/10 - I’m impressed by him. His distribution wasn’t great, but he defended very well. He made a great interception in the first half and generally looked solid. Not only that but he is composed. He put in a great cross for Quinn to almost score and the out goal was down to him.
KILGALLON 8/10 - Excellent performance. He was everywhere and swept up so many times at the back. It will be a real shame to lose him. Playing with Morgan at centre back he is back to his best. He might only be doing this to put himself in the shop window, but he looked a class above.
Morgan 6.5/10 - Solid performance. However his poor clearance lead to the QPR goal.
Ward 7/10 - Always looks dangerous, He linked well with Quinn and should probably have scored. He is a little terrier and works so hard. He is a real asset.
Harper 6.5/10 - Much better than I’ve seen him play. He didn’t do anything fantastic, but he looks good on the ball. He was always an option and he puts his foot on the ball and looks up. He is finally starting to look like the James Harper we saw at Reading. That said, he was defensively not great and he also should have done better with a good chance.
Monty 4.5/10 - Monty really struggled yesterday. He didn’t look fully fit and it left us exposed. With Quinn and Harper not great defensively Monty is left with the ’water carrying’. Unfortunately yesterday he didn’t step up to the task and we looked exposed. He didn’t look fit and I wonder if Blackwell brought him back too early.
Quinn 7.5/10 - Is this really the same Stephen Quinn I watched at Ashton Gate??? Yesterday he was excellent. My only qualm would be that he shirks his defensive duties a little. However the guy looked class yesterday. He was dangerous, composed and absolutely at the heart of everything United did. Keep up the good work!
Stewart 6/10 - Had a fairly quiet game. He battled hard, but lacks any real class.
Creswell 5/10 - He got nothing yesterday. I have given him an extra point for his goal, but he didn’t get a look in all game. He looked tired and although he scored, had one decent flick on and narrowly missed the target with a header near the end, he didn’t do his job. Henderson is much better at the lone striker role.
Crows/Atmosphere: 12’000 was piss poor. They were very quiet and so were we. I’m not sure how many Blades fans came down, but the support was a little disappointing. I couldn’t see how many Blades were in the upper tier, but I’d say there were about 500 in the lower where I sat. We made a bit of noise and encouragement and the players could clearly see that because of the nature of Loftus Road.
We joined forces in barrating Blackwell. 
