[Archived] News Article -> 2011/12 Match Report: Rovers 3 Queens Park Rangers 2

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Blackburn Rovers	(3) 3 – 2 (0)	Queens Park Rangers
Yakubu 15, Nzonzi 23, Onuoha (og) 45 + 4		Mackie 71, 90 + 2
Referee: M. Dean		Attendance: 20,252

"A game of two halves" is, perhaps, the most overused phrase in football. However, on this occasion it is a fittingly apt description of a game that ought to have been won at half-time and yet could easily have been lost by full-time. After the first forty-five minutes the Rovers had clambered out of the relegation zone, but at the end of ninety minutes, despite a much-needed victory, the Rovers had managed to put themselves back into the dreaded bottom three. Thus the psychological boost of being out of the relegation zone was squandered by another bout of kamikaze defending which has undermined so much of this season. The euphoria of the first forty-five minutes had long since evaporated when the Ewood faithful left in subdued mood at the end of the game. If ever a victory felt like a defeat, this was it and yet in the cold light of day these three points may yet prove crucial in the battle for survival, a battle which seems increasingly likely to be played out amongst five clubs — the Rovers, Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers, QPR and Wolves.

After last week's debacle at the Emirates, it came as no surprise when Kean again decided to shuffle the pack for this vital six-pointer. Once again, the manager's hands were tied with Gael Givet being suspended, David Dunn injured and Chris Samba either injured, refusing to play, willing to play but head not right or whatever other excuse happens to be flavour of the minute to explain his absence. Bradley Orr came in at right-back, which allowed Jason Lowe to move into midfield to replace the disappointing Petrovic. Mauro Formica replaced David Dunn, Grant Hanley stepped in for Gael Givet, while Yakubu returned after suspension in place of Anthony Modeste.

Mark Hughes was also forced to make changes after last week's home defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers. Thus Fitz Hall, Akos Buzsaky and Armand Traore all came into the side. Amongst those missing was Djibril Cisse, who, like Givet, was serving the first of his three-match ban.

As the match began, the crowd looked rather sparse and one would proffer that it was considerably less than the official 20,252, as this figure apparently includes all season ticket holders — whether they attend the game or not. Nonetheless, with no protests prior to the game, the supporters were keen to show their vocal support for the team and the players responded with a bright opening which saw them produce some attractive inter-passing and plenty of movement both on and off the ball.

The Rovers took a well-deserved lead on 15 minutes when Paul Robinson hit a trademark long ball into the Rangers half from a free-kick. Steven Nzonzi flicked it on to Yakubu, who deftly turned and then struck a powerful shot past Paddy Kenny. This was Yakubu's thirteenth Premier League goal of the season, his fourteenth in all competitions, and with a striker in such a rich vein of form it merely underlines how inept the defending has been that such a goalscoring feat has still not been able to lift the club away from the relegation places.

The goal gave the Rovers renewed confidence as they stroked the ball around with more purpose. Lowe and Nzonzi formed a formidable partnership in the centre of midfield, while Formica buzzed around, winning possession and using the ball with increasing precision as he looked to link midfield and attack. It was Nzonzi who started and finished the move which led to the Rovers second goal after 23 minutes. Ironically, Nzonzi had almost cost the Rovers a goal when he slipped and presented the ball to the opposition; however, when the ball was cleared, it was the young Frenchman who picked the ball up in midfield and fed it to Junior Hoilett. He embarked upon a typically tricky run and manoeuvred his way into the penalty area before pulling the ball back to Nzonzi. The French Under-21 international wasted no time and fired a fierce shot past Kenny and into the back of the net.

The visitors rarely troubled Paul Robinson despite the fact that Bobby Zamora looked lively with his continued running down the channels. Indeed, it was Zamora who came closest to getting QPR on the scoresheet when he hooked a ball narrowly wide following a corner.

Deep into first-half injury time, the Rovers scored a third when Morten Gamst Pedersen, who had a nightmare of a game, found the head of Scott Dann with a free-kick. The former Birmingham man headed across to the far side of the area, where Hoilett fired a shot goalwards which struck the boot of Nedum Onuoha and flew into the net.

The Rovers left the field to rapturous applause from the fans, who were fully appreciative of the excellent forty-five minutes of football that they had seen their team produce. Sadly, that was to be the highpoint of the afternoon.

Clearly words had been spoken in the visiting dressing room at half-time and Mark Hughes tinkered with his formation and approach to the game with more emphasis being placed on attack. Shaun Wright-Phillips became the fulcrum of the attack and for the second week running Martin Olsson found himself struggling to contain a pacey winger. Wright-Phillips was ably backed up by Onuoha, while Zamora continued to cause problems with his powerful running and aerial ability.

As so often this season, the Rovers opted to try to defend their lead but sat far too deep with the result that Yakubu became an increasingly isolated figure up front. The Rovers also suffered a blow when injury forced Hoilett to leave the field after 50 minutes. It was, perhaps, telling that Kean opted to introduce Adam Henley, a 17-year-old full-back, onto the right of midfield rather than the Montenegrin international Simon Vukcevic — yet another of Kean's acquisitions who has brought nothing to the club since his arrival in the summer.

The Rovers had become non-existent as an attacking force and were restricted to a piece of brilliant individualism by Yakubu, who attempted an audacious lob from some distance which Kenny could only watch as it struck the crossbar and rebounded to safety.

Both managers made tactical substitutions which might well have changed the course of the match. Hughes brought on Jamie Mackie in place of Akos Buzsaky while Kean replaced Formica with Anthony Modeste and opted to go with a 4-4-2 system. The result of this tactical change was that instead of having Yakubu isolated up front, the Rovers now had two players who were cut off from the rest of the team as the midfield continued to sit far too deep for comfort. The visitors quickly dominated the centre of the park and illustrated once and for all that the Rovers simply do not have the quality of players necessary to be able to play 4-4-2.

The game was now virtually all one-way traffic as QPR poured forward in search of a way back into the match. It came on 71 minutes when Orr made a dreadful mistake which presented Taye Taiwo with the opportunity to cross the ball for Mackie to score from close range.

The momentum for the Rovers had been completely lost and they were unable to turn the tide as QPR continued to push the Rovers back in search of a second goal. As injury time approached, Kean withdrew Yakubu and brought on David Goodwillie to operate on the left of midfield and reverted to using Modeste as the lone striker. However, just as it seemed as though the Rovers would climb above QPR in the table, the visitors snatched a second goal that ensured we would remain beneath them. Mackie was again the scorer after a brilliant turn in the area provided him with the time and space to power an unstoppable effort past Robinson.

Fortunately there wasn't time for QPR to find a third but those two goals ensured that the Rovers would remain in the relegation zone on a day when they really ought to have climbed out of it.

In the first half the Rovers had looked like a side capable of climbing the table with everyone making a contribution, although it must be said that Pedersen had a very disappointing game throughout. In the second half the players struggled to make any impact on the game and the initiative was completely surrendered. However, it must be said that the tactical switch on the part of Kean proved to be a huge error and one which might very well have cost us the game.

Whilst the failure to keep a clean sheet was a huge disappointment, the fact remains that this was a must-win game and the three points keeps the Rovers in touch with the other four clubs fighting relegation. It remains to be seen if West Bromwich Albion will get dragged into this dogfight, but one suspects that the five-point cushion which they enjoy over the Rovers might well be enough to keep them safe.

Looking at the fixtures, the month of March may very well provide the answer as to which division's clubs the Rovers will be frequenting next season. However, before then there is the small matter of an away trip to Manchester City and, although points are unlikely to be gained, it is essential that the goal difference doesn't take another hammering like it did at the Emirates last week. Ultimately, goal difference may yet mean the difference between relegation and safety.

Teams

Blackburn Rovers

Paul Robinson; Bradley Orr, Scott Dann, Grant Hanley, Martin Olsson; Morten Gamst Pedersen, Jason Lowe, Steven Nzonzi, David "Junior" Hoilett (Adam Henley 50); Mauro Formica (Anthony Modeste 67); Yakubu (David Goodwillie 90)
Subs not used: Mark Bunn (gk), Radosav Petrovic, Simon Vukcevic, Ruben Rochina
Manager: Steve Kean

Queens Park Rangers

Paddy Kenny; Nedum Onuoha, Anton Ferdinand, Fitz Hall (Danny Gabbidon 90), Armand Traore; Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joey Barton, Akos Buzsaky (Jamie Mackie 66), Taye Taiwo; Adel Taarabt; Bobby Zamora
Subs not used: Radek Cerny (gk), Clint Hill, Shaun Derry, Jay Bothroyd, Tommy Smith
Manager: Mark Hughes

Bookings

Blackburn Rovers – Jason Lowe

Queens Park Rangers – Jamie Mackie


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