Watching QPR from over 4000 miles away in sunny South Florida has been a strange experience.
Sunday’s flattish effort against the champions (and champions elect, surely), though, was a mixture of both the odd and the wearily familiar.
Same old same old
Familiar? Well, losing to vastly superior opposition seemed like a return to normality after the previous weekend’s unlikely triumph over Arsenal. Failing to finish the match with eleven players on the pitch was also, in the context of this season, another depressingly familiar matter. That said, unlike some of the other horribly frustrating dismissals of the 2011-12 campaign, Shaun Derry’s marching orders were received wholly without justification. That the linesman failed to spot that Ashley Young was offside beggars belief. Had the flag been raised, the ensuing phantom offence on Derry’s part would not have been an issue. Then there’s the fact that Derry barely made contact and that Young’s tumble to the turf was a clear case of blatant cheating.
As Englishmen, we have been led to believe that flagrant simulation of this kind is a foreign disease, brought to our sceptred isle by unprincipled Europeans, by dastardly Latin Americans and by Africans supposedly lacking the moral fibre of our British hearts of oak. Utter bullshit. Young is surely a strong candidate to represent our country at this summer’s European Championships. Yesterday he provided ample proof that home-grown players are just as likely as their imported colleagues to attempt to con the officials.
Also very familiar was the experience of reading Alex Ferguson’s post-match comments. Granted, this time he had the grace to concede that Ashley Young "was a yard offside" and that he could understand Mark Hughes's anger on that score. But, predictably, he made no reference to the United winger having dived to win the penalty, ensure Shaun Derry's dismissal and cancel out any chance of a meaningful contest. "The boy's just got a little tug on Young", gloated Ferguson. "Not a great deal but enough to get us the penalty". Enough to get the penalty? That's a bloody fib and you know it, Sir Alex. Remarks like these contribute greatly to the fact that so many football fans find it hard not to dislike the legendary Manchester United manager. This is a shame, really, because Ferguson’s achievements should clearly command respect. After all, it is axiomatic to suppose that once the Glaswegian gaffer has retired, no other career will ever play out like his. Surely the sustained nature of his success with one dominant football club is not only without precedent but also something that will never be replicated by any future manager. It is a pity, then, that expressions of wholly unalloyed admiration will always stick in the throats of so many who are not supporters of the Manchester club. But it is surely Ferguson’s frequent failure to be a more gracious winner that ensures he is often only afforded a very grudging form of respect from followers of rival sides. This was very much in evidence following yesterday’s routine dismissal of a QPR side that saw very little of the ball. Young’s easy tumble to the ground was very poor. If only the United boss could bring himself to admit it.
Another familiar aspect of the Old Trafford match was the delight taken by supporters of the away team when poking fun at certain fans of the away side. A look at Twitter brought back memories of the
2008 League Cup away tie against yesterday’s opponents. Looking at the ant-sized specks on the pitch from high up in the giant stadium brought little joy that night. Fun had to be sought in other ways. As the Rangers faithful trudged out of the ground, it was noticeable how many red-shirted ‘home’ fans were in fact visitors to our shores from the Far East. The latter blinked uncomprehendingly as some of the west London contingent reprised a song that had been heard during the match. “We support our local team”, we sang, half-heartedly and looking forward to a long trip south. All of this came flooding back when reading many of yesterday’s pre-match tweets from QPR supporters heading up to Old Trafford. That very song was quoted and references were made to encountering large numbers of Manchester United fans with Home Counties accents in service stations many miles shy of Lancashire.
Soccertastic action
Less familiar than all of this, though, has been the business of how to follow the Superhoops’ exploits from over here in the USA.
Courtesy of a TV channel named Fox Soccer, the predictable defeat in Manchester could at least be watched on a television set. The picture quality was good, of course, but the production was not without numerous irritating aspects.
Firstly, viewers need to contend with a barrage of messages and advertisements scrolling along the bottom of the screen during play. These include frequent trailers for other matches as well as details of how to buy Manchester United shirts online. To call this annoying is something of an understatement.
Secondly, the live broadcast followed so closely on the heels of a pre-recorded Premier League round-up show (highlights of the previous week’s action, player interviews etc.) that there was no time for match-specific build up. Missing dismal punditry was fine. There being sufficient time for only the home team’s line-up to be displayed on screen was another big irritation, though. Thankfully, those tweeting QPR fans back in Bliighty had revealed Mark Hughes’s selection.
These little matters aside, it was good to sit in a suburban Florida living room, digesting breakfast while watching QPR live on a good-sized telly. As a viewing experience, it somewhat better than that endured a week before. Much as the victory over Arsenal was a wonderful thing to behold, the on-off Internet stream froze during the period that Samba Diakite netted the winner, thereby slightly diminishing the excitement. That the screen had to be squinted at in bright sunlight was a self-inflicted problem, however. Watching the match by a palm-fringed swimming pool and under a cloudless blue sky seemed like a good idea at the time. But it wasn't such a smart decision as it turned out.
The return of Captain Trouble
On Sunday, people on Twitter seemed to be wondering about the omission of both Zamora and Barton. In the case of the striker, who had proved to be a very awkward handful for Arsenal’s centre-backs the week before, it seems to be the case that a minor injury was to blame for his non-appearance at Old Trafford. If this is correct, and if he proves fit enough to return to the side in time for Wednesday’s home fixture against Swansea, then Hughes was probably wise to rest the former Fulham man. Even without the handicap of an unjustified red card early in the game, the Rangers were probably always on a hiding to nothing against Ferguson’s men, who are now showing their famously steely determination while capitalising on their Manchester rivals’ loss of form. Better, then, to save Zamora for a tie that is not only more winnable but which surely fits the label of a ‘must win’ match.
In the case of Barton, it was about the QPR boss being cognisant of the intricacies of the Premier League disciplinary system. The Rangers skipper has racked up nine yellow cards thus far this season. Had he received another yesterday he would have then faced a two-game suspension – and let’s face it, he’s always in danger of arousing the ire of the referee so that outcome would have been a fairly likely one. Now, the danger of a two-game stint on the side lines has been averted for Barton. A weird quirk of the league rules dictates that the disciplinary slate is wiped clean as of end of business on Sunday 8th April this season. So the combative midfielder will be starting afresh in terms of cards accumulated when he makes his presumed return to the team on Wednesday. Will he be welcomed back by all QPR supporters? Probably not. Many appear to have decided that the outspoken Scouser has outlived his usefulness at Loftus Road. This is notwithstanding what looked like a decent display in the hard-fought win against Arsenal.
We all knew Barton came to us with the considerable baggage of his troubled past. We all knew that he was a more than avid user of Twitter, employing the microblogging channel to air his numerous grievances. But while some QPR fans feared the worst from the very start of the player's time at our club, many more were inclined the take the rough with the smooth and see him as a valuable addition to the squad. But even for those of us initially inclined to give Barton the benefit of the doubt, it has become harder and harder not to wish he was some other club's problem.
For quite a while, it was the policy of this blog to stand behind the QPR captain even when lamenting the lack of wisdom he has so often displayed via Twitter.
Famously, Barton loves to quote great figures in philosophy and literature. It's a pity, then, that he has never chosen to live by a rule for life provided by George Bernard Shaw. "I learned long ago," the Irish playwright once wrote, "never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." If Barton understood this, he would have refrained from
exchanging puerile insults with the cast of dismal TV freak show
The Only Way Is Essex back in November. But this was a trivial matter when compared to Barton failing to remain circumspect on Twitter about the court case faced by Chelsea's John Terry for allegedly racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand. No other member of the Rangers squad has managed to flirt with the possibility of legal sanction over what is surely an emotional issue for the entire team. Only our skipper lacked the wisdom needed to realise that whatever the level of frustration around this issue, it is necessary to keep quiet about it until the case has run its course in court.
On balance, though, whatever further provocation he may offer via Twitter, and however patchy his form may continue to be, it is now the position of this blog that it will be vastly preferable for QPR fans to refrain from getting on Barton’s back either in the stadium or via online social networks. Well, perhaps just for as long as it remains mathematically possible for our side to avoid relegation. Should we play one or more games this season as confirmed top-flight evictees, perhaps there would be no real harm in letting Barton know that he is seen as partly to blame for what has been perhaps an unnecessarily difficult campaign. Whatever the outcome of this often frustrating season, moreover, perhaps it is to be hoped that Joey Barton’s stay at our club lasts no longer than a single season. The gap between his opinion of his talent and the form he has been able to produce is often unbearably wide. Many will agree that supporting QPR has often been most pleasurable when the team has lacked prima donnas and braggarts. Think of Ian Holloway’s teams of lower league talents playing with heart, honesty and smiles on their faces. Is the preening and gracelessness of a Joey Barton really preferable?
That said, disposing of Barton might not prove easy should the club elect to go down that route. What other side would want him? Does he deliver enough value to be worth the not inconsiderable trouble?
The wild ride ahead
As part of the battle to remain in the Premier League, that unlikely victory over Arsenal looks absolutely priceless. While the weather and the relaxation out here in Florida have been warmly welcomed, missing the chance to be at that match did introduce a small note of regret.
Happily, the chance to be at the equally vital and equally surprising Liverpool fixture was not denied. Memories of that night will surely be etched firmly into the brains of everyone fortunate enough to be in the home crowd at Loftus Road when Jamie Mackie's last gasp winning goal prompted scenes of wild celebration. When the pandemonium finally died down in the X Block, people were standing in front of the wrong seats and starting to feel the bruises sustained by crashing into the seats in front of them. Doubtless, the experience was similar all around the ground.
These wonderful victories seemed particularly unlikely given QPR's failure to beat their fellow strugglers. Recent defeats to Blackburn, Wolves and Bolton were sickening and all added up to suggest that Premier League survival was an impossibility. Now, surely, we have a fighting chance.
But the road ahead continued to look difficult. Surely it's too much to expect to keep grabbing victories from the toughest opponents, not least because two of these - Manchester City and Chelsea - must be faced away from home. But this weekend's results were benign in the sense that all the other relegation candidates failed to register a single point between them. With Bolton having lost again today, it now looks imperative for QPR to get good outcomes at home to Swansea and Stoke and away at West Bromwich Albion. None of those teams really seem to have much left to play for. So let's hope for some grit and some luck.
As the sky darkens on another balmy evening here in Palm City, Florida, the prospect of chilly West Bromwich does not seem an unwelcome one. It's a big game. Can't wait.
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