Jumping through Hoops

Musings on QPR . . .

* I'm not sure if you can have more than one wake-up call in a season, but boy there was a case for it on Tuesday.

The Blackpool performance was bad, but against 10-man QPR, it was even worse when you consider the circumstances.

Put aside tactics, selection, injuries and so on for a moment. Sometimes Blues seem to think that the game and the points will fall into their lap, forgetting that they have to make it do so.

On occasions they were passing the ball to one another for the sake of it, not hurting the opposition at all, not penetrating or getting behind them.

Blues actually started in the same vein as they played against Sheffield Wednesday, and in spells against Crystal Palace and the 'other' QPR game: there was fluid, dovetailing movement with crisp, neat passing that unhinged defenders. Then they just lost the thread completely.

Alex McLeish's face was of the thunder variety afterwards. I don't think I've ever seen him as furious. And towards the end of the match he had to be tethered to the boundary of his technical area as he was going potty.

Drawing on his experience, McLeish didn't go all tea cups in the dressing room. Instead he announced that the players would be in on Wednesday - a scheduled day off - and he would discuss the match with them.

Having then calmed down and cleared his head pitchside with his assistants for 20 minutes before meeting the press, it meant that he didn't say something he might have regretted, and he exuded an air of someone who remained in charge of the situation and would not panic, despite such a debacle.

* Flavio Briatore, apparently, has a major influence on QPR team selection. A big influence, if you believe the local newspapermen and gossip in west London.

Former Italy midfielder Damiano Tomassi was given his debut and Emmanuel Ledesman came back in. Both have been described as Briatore 'signings'.

Caretaker Gareth Ainsworth has been at pains to point out that he remains manager in the proper sense of the role: 'Others do have an input but I get the final say so.'

Imagine if David Sullivan and David Gold started to pin up the team sheet on the dressing room wall before every game.

Tough on Franck Queudrue, I'd guess, and, if results started to go down the pan, would they give themselves a vote of confidence?

Just as well that Briatore's supposed dictats don't extend to QPR's choice of footwear.

The Formula One supremo, I swear, was walking around the club reception and corridors with what looked like a pair of slippers on, embossed with the R's club crest. Then again, I suppose they probably cost more than my house.

* I keep hearing people say that James McFadden's body language is such that 'he doesn't want to be here, obviously'.

I'm sure McFadden doesn't. He wants to play in the Premier League, like every other Blues player.

McFadden's conduct in public has been without reproach. Although his agent said he wanted to leave at the start of the summer window speculation season, he has not said so himself and rocked the boat, instead he has mucked in.

At Loftus Road, McFadden was in one of those moods that does get the watcher frustrated. To me, it's as if he knows he's better than most of the opponents he comes up against and isn't afraid to show it.

Nothing wrong with a strut and arrogance. Unfortunately he does have a tendency to over-do it on the ball when a quick, easy pass would suffice.

He was robbed of possession after dallying too much and QPR subsequently scored.

Because he shrugs his shoulders and moans at referees and has a pop at defenders, it doesn't mean he wants out - it's just him.

Some players chunter on, some just get on with it. McFadden can come across as quite mardy on the field of play, but to use that as proof he isn't committed, or is desperate to leave, is wrong.

His has worked hard defensively this season, even filling in at left-back during an earlier match.
Off the field, in among the group, McFadden is a popular and funny member of the squad.

Talking to Jon McCarthy afterwards, who is now the resident match pundit on BRMB and Gold radio, he said he could understand why people might grumble at the Scotland international.

But McCarthy said many talented players are perceived in such a way - for example, Dimitar Berbatov - and he would pick McFadden every week because he will win more than a fair share of games for Blues because he has got something that you can't deny: ability.