Post by Macmoish on Dec 15, 2013 9:19:51 GMT
11 Years ago today: FINALLY First Win of the season: In our 17th Game...2 Nice goals by Adel Taarabt and QPR had 10 Points after 17 Games
QPR: Green; Onuoha, Nelsen, Hill, Traore; Wright-Phillips (Fabio 86), Faurlin, Mbia, Taarabt, Mackie, Cisse (Ferdinand 90). Subs not used: Cesar, Diakite, Derry, Ferdinand, Granero, Fabio, Hoilett.
Club Pld Pts
Man Utd 17 42
Man City 17 36
Chelsea 16 29
Everton 17 27
Tottenham 16 26
West Brom 16 26
Norwich 17 25
Arsenal 16 24
Stoke 17 24
Swansea 16 23
West Ham 16 22
Liverpool 17 22
Fulham 17 20
Aston Villa 17 18
Newcastle 17 17
Sunderland 17 16
Southampton 16 15
Wigan 17 15
QPR 17 10
Reading 16 9
QPR Official Site - REDKNAPP: WE DESERVED IT
R's boss revels in first league win ...
Six points from four points is good form by anyone’s standard and we’ve deserved them." Harry Redknapp
HARRY REDKNAPP hailed a ‘heroic’ performance as QPR ended their long wait for a Premier League win this season.
Adel Taarabt’s sublime second-half double lit up a one-sided west London derby before Mladen Petric’s late strike for Fulham ensured a nervy finish.
Victory sees local bragging rights remain at Loftus Road while a first league success of the campaign lifts Rangers off the foot of the table.
“It was an outstanding performance today,” Redknapp told www.qpr.co.uk. “There were some real heroes out there.
“It was well deserved today, we were the better team.
“It would have been a gross injustice if we hadn’t won the game.”
After successive draws in his opening three games as manager, Redknapp was delighted to continue his unbeaten run with maximum points.
“We’ve played well in all the games, had three draws and now we’ve got our first win,” he added.
“Six points from four points is good form by anyone’s standard and we’ve deserved them.”
The full-time whistle was met by resounding cheers by the sell-out crowd and Redknapp admitted the Loftus Road faithful have played their part in Rangers’ revival.
He added: “The atmosphere was great.
“I’m delighted for the people behind the scenes.
“There’s some fantastic people here and they deserve that [victory] today.”
The R’s boss also saved special praise for match-winner Taarabt, whose two goals fired Rangers to victory.
“He’s an amazing talent,” Redknapp said.
“I wanted to get him in that area off the front where he can play and do damage in between the lines and he did that today.
“Every time he picked up the ball he did the most amazing things.
“Everything he did today was top class and the goals were the icing on the cake.”
Victory closes the gap to safety to five points and Redknapp is confident Saturday’s stronghold can be the springboard for brighter times ahead.
“It’s going to be hard, we all know that,” he said.
“But it keeps us in touch and there’ a lot of games to go.
“If we work as hard as we did today and play with the same ability and enthusiasm we can pick up results.” QPR
WEST LONDON SPORT
Redknapp: Improved Rangers can stay up
Harry Redknapp
15/12/2012
by David McIntyre
Harry Redknapp praised his players after their derby victory over Fulham – and declared that QPR will stay up if they can maintain their current form.
Taarabt scored twice.
Rangers’ first league win of the season lifted them off the bottom of the table and means they remain unbeaten since Redknapp took charge of the team.
Adel Taarabt’s two goals – one of them a superb solo effort – eased the gloom over Loftus Road and raised hopes that the R’s can escape the drop.
Redknapp said: “We deserved it. We were the better team and it would have been a travesty if we had conceded a second goal in that final few minutes.
“When you’ve not won it’s difficult and after Fulham scored my players must have been feeling ‘Oh my God’.
“It must have been difficult for them. But we hung in there and got what we deserved.
“At least it keeps us in there. If we hadn’t won today it would have been absolutely desperate. It’ll be hard but we’re on a good run – unbeaten in four matches.
“We’ve got six points from four games and if we keep getting that, we can stay up.”
And Redknapp hailed Taarabt – a player he sold while Tottenham manager and whose outstanding form helped keep Rangers up last season and could again be crucial this time around.
“He has fantastic ability. Amazing talent. We knew he had talent at Tottenham. He was amazing today,” said Redknapp.
“I decided I had to get him in the position where he wants to play. He’s been playing on the left and I moved him into the ‘hole’.”
Before the game Redknapp met club chairman Tony Fernandes for the first time since he was Tottenham boss.
“I’m pleased for him. The owners are really good people and they deserve to succeed here,” said Redknapp. West London Sport
FULHAM OFFICIAL SITE
Manager Reaction
Martin Jol admitted Fulham’s magnificent travelling support were let down by the Whites in the 2-1 derby defeat to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
The lacklustre Whites survived a number of first-half scares to go in level at the break. But second-half strikes by Adel Taarabt meant substitute Mladen Petric’s late effort proved meaningless.
The Whites were backed by a strong away contingent, but Fulham gave them little to shout about and Jol said: “We should have played better for the supporters. But we didn’t take the initiative. I don’t think we deserved anything today.
“We’re very disappointed with our style of play. If you don’t concede you have a result. I can complain about the goals but, especially first half, we never earned the right to use our quality.
“We didn’t get the ball to our quality players and we looked a bit rigid, a bit static. I don’t think it’s attitude or application – our intentions were good – but we didn’t get in the flow. QPR were first to the ball all the time. Every ball we played forward was intercepted. They had a bit of quality as well.
“They had Taarabt today and you need to do something special. But we gave him the opportunity to shine and that is irritating. Football is simple, but we couldn’t do the simple things. We couldn’t play in the flow.”
Jol made just one change to his starting XI from the side that defeated Newcastle United 2-1 on Saturday. But it was a shadow of the performance that the Whites produced in the clash with the Magpies.
“Dimitar Berbatov did well in spells but he can’t do it all on his own,” said Jol. “I gave 10 out of the 11 players who started on Monday night a chance but too many players were not there. We had five or six players who weren’t as well as they could be. These are players who can dictate games.
“The second goal for example, was a mistimed tackle, so it was very cheap. And the first was a deflection. We tried to get in their half but our passing was sloppy and they could break us.”
One plus for Fulham was the impact a substitute made once again – this time Petric stepping off the bench to score late on to give Fulham a glimmer of hope.
“It wasn’t far away at the end,” mused Jol. “Every time we try to do something with a substitution, something happens. And it happened again today.”
But there were further blows for the Whites on a miserable afternoon at Loftus Road. Sascha Riether was replaced at half-time after suffering a back injury, while Steve Sidwell picked up a fifth yellow card of the season to sustain a one-match ban and rule himself out of Saturday’s trip to Liverpool.
“We’ll have to assess Riether but he had a problem with his back,” stated Jol. “He couldn’t go on after half-time. We have to play against Liverpool and Sidwell was booked so we will have to come up with a scenario. Bryan Ruiz is out as well which is not what you need but we will want to show what we can do.” Fulham
WEST LONDON SPORT Superb Taarabt gives QPR first victory
by Lyall Thomas
QPR 2 Fulham 1
Two goals from Adel Taarabt – one fortuitous, one brilliant – gave QPR their first league win of the season.
The skilful Moroccan found space from distance early in the second half and fired a low shot that took a deflection off the leg of Brede Hangeland and sent keeper Mark Schwarzer the wrong way.
And then a sublime solo effort saw the forward skin Hangeland and curl home with the outside of his boot from the edge of the box.
Substitute Mladen Petric pulled a goal back for Fulham late on but Ranger held on to secure a derby victory.
R’s boss Harry Redknapp made three changes to the side that drew 2-2 away at Wigan last weekend, with Djibril Cisse returning to the side to partner Taarabt up front.
Jose Bosingwa wasn’t in the matchday squad and so Nedum Onuoha started at right-back and Alejandro Faurlin came in with Samba Diakite dropping to the bench.
Both Cisse and Taarabt went close early on before Jamie Mackie fired wide with only the keeper to beat after latching on to John Arne Riise’s sloppy back-pass.
Rangers dictated the first half but the sides went in goalless at the interval and so it fell to Taarabt to produce two moments of individual quality to win the game.
QPR: Green; Onuoha, Nelsen, Hill, Traore; Wright-Phillips (Fabio 86), Faurlin, Mbia, Taarabt, Mackie, Cisse (Ferdinand 90). Subs not used: Cesar, Diakite, Derry, Ferdinand, Granero, Fabio, Hoilett.
Fulham: Schwarzer; Riether (Kelly 46), Hangeland, Hughes, Riise; Duff, Sidwell, Baird, Richardson (Petric 63); Berbatov, Rodallega (Dejagah 72).
Subs not used: Etheridge, Senderos, Karagounis, Dejagah, Kacaniklic.
West London Sport
GUARDIAN
Queens Park Rangers stop the rot as Adel Taarabt's double downs Fulha
Anna Kessel at Loftus Road
The Observer, Saturday 15 December 2012 12.12 EST
After all the headlines – worst Premier League start in history, worst top-flight start in Europe this season, "a disaster" according to the QPR board – Harry Redknapp was the very picture of nonchalance when he appeared for his post-match press conference. "Whose is that tea?" were his precise words, before slugging back a sip with: "Oh, cheers, thank you." But even the maestro of man management – who had his players in for an X Factor-style sing off to boost morale earlier in the week – could not entirely hide his pleasure at a potential season-changing three points.
"Yeah we deserved it," he purred, "we were the better team. It would have been a travesty if we'd conceded another goal in that last hectic couple of minutes ... psychologically the players must have been feeling: 'Oh my god,' when they got their goal, 'is an equaliser going to come here?' – you know? It was very difficult for me watching those last four minutes. But the players hung in there and we got what we deserved."
They certainly did. Fulham, seemingly jaded from a rare league win after turning the game around against Newcastle on Monday night, were lacklustre. So when Adel Taarabt, that capricious magician, put two past the visitors in the second half, there was a sense that Martin Jol's side would struggle to respond. Redknapp eulogised over the Moroccan star, "fantastic ability, amazing today", crediting Taarabt's performance to a reshuffle in the team formation.
"I decided I had to get him in a position where he wants to play," said Redknapp . "He's been playing out on the left, but today I put him in the hole off the front man, tried to get him between the lines, between their midfield and their back four, pop up in them positions, play little balls in them holes to him – and every time we got him on the ball they were in trouble."
It was indeed Taarabt who sparked the game into life, after a first half in which a sole goalscoring opportunity – a back-flick from Djibril Cissé to Jamie Mackie – constituted the half-time highlights package.
There had been tangible energy and drive from the QPR players from the outset, but as the clock ticked on, and they failed to convert their chances, self-doubt began to creep in, accompanied by loud choruses of "Stand up if you've won a game" from the away fans, to which there was no riposte.
The opening minutes of the second half snoozed along, with Fulham seemingly happy to coast, but all credit to Taarabt, he had other ideas. The 23-year-old winger popped up with a sensational strike – albeit with a deflection off Brede Hangeland – that proved the game changer.
Suddenly QPR had their mojo back. Minutes later, Cissé almost doubled the lead, curving the ball just inches wide of the far post, before sinking to his knees and roaring angrily at the football gods lurking in the night sky. He need not have worried, though, for Taarabt had inspiration enough for a second goal, running almost the length of the pitch, to double QPR's lead.
Fulham halved the deficit after substitute Mladen Petric sent a looping ball towards goal – which took a deflection off Alejandro Faurlín – to give Fulham hope, and, in the dying minutes of the game, the tempo suddenly became frantic. Mark Schwarzer scooped a fantastic diving header from Cissé out of the goalmouth, while the home fans could hardly bear to watch as Fulham were given a free kick on the edge of the area.
At the finale, Jol was left feeling deflated. Unimpressed with the suggestion that QPR simply worked harder for it, the Fulham manager insisted his side should have more quality than simply being undone by the opposition's legwork. "We couldn't do the simple things, we couldn't play in a flow. I want them to play in a flow, with little combinations. Maybe Berbatov [did it] in spells, but he can't do it on his own. I wanted to give 10 of the 11 players who did it last week [the opportunity] to do it again, but it was not there."
For QPR, a run of four games unbeaten – and the club finally off the bottom of the table – signals a chance of a renaissance. But success may depend on what happens in the January transfer window, while losing Taarabt to the Africa Cup of Nations adds more complications. Guardian
TELEGRAPH/Gerry Cox
Queens Park Rangers 2 Fulham 1: match report
Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Queens Park Rangers and Fulham at Loftus Road on Saturday Dec 15, 2012.\
“Harry Redknapp’s blue and white army”, sang delighted home fans, and maybe the manager can yet save Queens Park Rangers after two goals from Adel Taarabt lifted them off the bottom for the first time this season.
QPR moved above Reading into 19th after their first win in 17 attempts this season, thus avoiding the fate of making the worst start in the top flight for 109 years. And the unlikely hero was Taarabt, who was superb from start to finish, driving his team-mates forward, and scoring the crucial goals that could go a long way towards ensuring survival. Redknapp had stressed the importance of keeping in touch with the teams above them, and QPR are now only five points short of the safety zone.
Redknapp has avoided relegation before, notably with Portsmouth, and also took Tottenham from the bottom to mid-table after taking over but, if he can keep QPR in the Premier League, it would be his greatest escape yet.
And who would have throught Taarabt would play such a pivotal role? QPR coud have scored as early as the sixth minute when Jamie Mackie was put in on goal by a horrible back pass from John Arne Riise, but he put his shot wide of the far post as Mark Schwarzer ran off his line to narrow the angle.
Taarabt went close with a couple of vicious efforts from long range, before finally breaking the deadlock seven minutes into the second half. It took a huge slice of luck and a big deflection off Brede Hangeland to beat Schwarzer.
Taarabt received the ball with his back to goal, 35 yards out, drove on and took aim from outside the penalty area. Schwarzer looked to have the ball covered until it hit Hangeland’s shin and changed direction, wrongfooting the Australian goalkeeper.
Taarabt celebrated wildly, getting booked for his efforts, but the goal brought the game — and the home supporters — to life.
Djibril Cisse curled a shot just wide of the far post on the hour before Taarabt scored again, running at the Fulham defence in the 68th minute before curling a shot into the far corner of the goal with the outside of his boot.
“Taraabt was amazing,” said Redknapp. “He has fantastic ability and talent, and today I decided to play him in the hole behind the front man. Every time he got the ball Fulham were in trouble.”
Fulham were a shadow of the side who beat Newcastle last Monday. “Too many players were not there today,” said Martin Jol. “We were too static.”
His side finally found the net when substitute Mladen Petric shot into the far corner in the 88th minute to set up a tense finale. Schwarzer made a superb save to keep out Cisse’s header, while Robert Green saved from Petric in the dying seconds. Moments later, Loftus Road was in raptures as QPR’s supporters celebrated that first win of the season — and a precious three points.
“We deserved it and it would have been a travesty if we hadn’t won,” said Redknapp, who has masterminded three draws and a win since taking over last month. “If we get six points from every four games we will stay up.” But they will be without Taarabt if he is called up for next month’s African Cup of Nations. “There is nothing we can do about it if he is selected,” added the manager. Telegraph
BBC
BBC QPR 2 - 1 Fulham
Adel Taarabt
15 December 2012 Last updated at 17:16 GMT
By Matt Monaghan BBC Sport
Adel Taarabt's double ended Queens Park Rangers' record-breaking winless start to a Premier League season as they beat Fulham in an engaging London derby.
The playmaker opened the scoring with a shot from 25 yards that flicked off defender Brede Hangeland.
QPR deserved to win - Redknapp
While the 23-year-old's first owed much to luck, his sensational second saw him nonchalantly curl the ball into the net following a mazy run from midfield.
Mladen Petric's deflected strike late on ensured a nervy climax for QPR.
The victory was their first of the campaign at the 17th time of asking, halting a run of three consecutive draws since Harry Redknapp took charge in November following the dismissal of Mark Hughes. It also moves them above Reading and off the bottom of the table for the first time since 10 November.
QPR started the brighter and could have gone ahead in the second minute after recalled striker Djibril Cisse was put through on goal following a glorious through ball from Taarabt.
The Frenchman's scuffed shot was saved easily by Mark Schwarzer, though he had room to complain to referee Martin Atkinson after his progress was impeded by a pull-back from defender Aaron Hughes.
QPR v Fulham facts
Fulham have now won just one of their 10 away fixtures in the league this season
Despite ending their 16-game wait for a win, QPR's start to the season remains the worst in Premier League history
Five of Adel Taarabt's six Premier League goals have come against other teams from London
That chance failed to wake Fulham from their stupor and their dozy start should have been punished when John Arne Riise played a blind pass back to Schwarzer, but Jamie Mackie somehow contrived to place wide from six yards when it looked easier to score.
A furious-looking Martin Jol watched on as his side's lack of concentration was to blame again when Chris Baird felled Stephane Mbia just outside the area following a loose pass from Hughes, but Cisse and Taarabt wasted the resulting free-kick.
The Dutchman's mood was not helped after the break when Fulham deservedly fell behind as Taarabt's run went unchecked. He broke from deep and hit a tame shot that, luckily for the hosts, took a hefty deflection off Hangeland and trickled into the net past the stranded Schwarzer.
Soon after, the error-strewn Baird was caught in possession just outside his own penalty box, but his mistake went unpunished as Cisse curled his shot just past Schwarzer's left post.
Fulham not good enough - Jol
Taarabt was continuing to light up a match which was devoid of much inspiration elsewhere, and his stunning second goal saw him push through the gigantic figure of Hangeland before playfully flicking the top of the ball to create the space to slide in an unstoppable shot along the ground with the outside of his boot.
Fulham had not provided any attacking threat as strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Hugo Rodallega struggled to replicate the form they showed in Monday night's 2-1 victory against Newcastle United.
It was left to substitute Petric to finally find a way past Robert Green, his shot from outside the box looping off midfielder Alejandro Faurlin's boot and beyond the keeper's reach.
That moment of good fortune enticed the visitors to push on at the death, but they were unable to create an undeserved equaliser to deny QPR a vital three points.
Live text and stats
www.qprreport.blogspot.com/2012/12/qpr-win-qpr-win-qpr-winflashbacks-3.html
QPR: Green; Onuoha, Nelsen, Hill, Traore; Wright-Phillips (Fabio 86), Faurlin, Mbia, Taarabt, Mackie, Cisse (Ferdinand 90). Subs not used: Cesar, Diakite, Derry, Ferdinand, Granero, Fabio, Hoilett.
Club Pld Pts
Man Utd 17 42
Man City 17 36
Chelsea 16 29
Everton 17 27
Tottenham 16 26
West Brom 16 26
Norwich 17 25
Arsenal 16 24
Stoke 17 24
Swansea 16 23
West Ham 16 22
Liverpool 17 22
Fulham 17 20
Aston Villa 17 18
Newcastle 17 17
Sunderland 17 16
Southampton 16 15
Wigan 17 15
QPR 17 10
Reading 16 9
QPR Official Site - REDKNAPP: WE DESERVED IT
R's boss revels in first league win ...
Six points from four points is good form by anyone’s standard and we’ve deserved them." Harry Redknapp
HARRY REDKNAPP hailed a ‘heroic’ performance as QPR ended their long wait for a Premier League win this season.
Adel Taarabt’s sublime second-half double lit up a one-sided west London derby before Mladen Petric’s late strike for Fulham ensured a nervy finish.
Victory sees local bragging rights remain at Loftus Road while a first league success of the campaign lifts Rangers off the foot of the table.
“It was an outstanding performance today,” Redknapp told www.qpr.co.uk. “There were some real heroes out there.
“It was well deserved today, we were the better team.
“It would have been a gross injustice if we hadn’t won the game.”
After successive draws in his opening three games as manager, Redknapp was delighted to continue his unbeaten run with maximum points.
“We’ve played well in all the games, had three draws and now we’ve got our first win,” he added.
“Six points from four points is good form by anyone’s standard and we’ve deserved them.”
The full-time whistle was met by resounding cheers by the sell-out crowd and Redknapp admitted the Loftus Road faithful have played their part in Rangers’ revival.
He added: “The atmosphere was great.
“I’m delighted for the people behind the scenes.
“There’s some fantastic people here and they deserve that [victory] today.”
The R’s boss also saved special praise for match-winner Taarabt, whose two goals fired Rangers to victory.
“He’s an amazing talent,” Redknapp said.
“I wanted to get him in that area off the front where he can play and do damage in between the lines and he did that today.
“Every time he picked up the ball he did the most amazing things.
“Everything he did today was top class and the goals were the icing on the cake.”
Victory closes the gap to safety to five points and Redknapp is confident Saturday’s stronghold can be the springboard for brighter times ahead.
“It’s going to be hard, we all know that,” he said.
“But it keeps us in touch and there’ a lot of games to go.
“If we work as hard as we did today and play with the same ability and enthusiasm we can pick up results.” QPR
WEST LONDON SPORT
Redknapp: Improved Rangers can stay up
Harry Redknapp
15/12/2012
by David McIntyre
Harry Redknapp praised his players after their derby victory over Fulham – and declared that QPR will stay up if they can maintain their current form.
Taarabt scored twice.
Rangers’ first league win of the season lifted them off the bottom of the table and means they remain unbeaten since Redknapp took charge of the team.
Adel Taarabt’s two goals – one of them a superb solo effort – eased the gloom over Loftus Road and raised hopes that the R’s can escape the drop.
Redknapp said: “We deserved it. We were the better team and it would have been a travesty if we had conceded a second goal in that final few minutes.
“When you’ve not won it’s difficult and after Fulham scored my players must have been feeling ‘Oh my God’.
“It must have been difficult for them. But we hung in there and got what we deserved.
“At least it keeps us in there. If we hadn’t won today it would have been absolutely desperate. It’ll be hard but we’re on a good run – unbeaten in four matches.
“We’ve got six points from four games and if we keep getting that, we can stay up.”
And Redknapp hailed Taarabt – a player he sold while Tottenham manager and whose outstanding form helped keep Rangers up last season and could again be crucial this time around.
“He has fantastic ability. Amazing talent. We knew he had talent at Tottenham. He was amazing today,” said Redknapp.
“I decided I had to get him in the position where he wants to play. He’s been playing on the left and I moved him into the ‘hole’.”
Before the game Redknapp met club chairman Tony Fernandes for the first time since he was Tottenham boss.
“I’m pleased for him. The owners are really good people and they deserve to succeed here,” said Redknapp. West London Sport
FULHAM OFFICIAL SITE
Manager Reaction
Martin Jol admitted Fulham’s magnificent travelling support were let down by the Whites in the 2-1 derby defeat to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
The lacklustre Whites survived a number of first-half scares to go in level at the break. But second-half strikes by Adel Taarabt meant substitute Mladen Petric’s late effort proved meaningless.
The Whites were backed by a strong away contingent, but Fulham gave them little to shout about and Jol said: “We should have played better for the supporters. But we didn’t take the initiative. I don’t think we deserved anything today.
“We’re very disappointed with our style of play. If you don’t concede you have a result. I can complain about the goals but, especially first half, we never earned the right to use our quality.
“We didn’t get the ball to our quality players and we looked a bit rigid, a bit static. I don’t think it’s attitude or application – our intentions were good – but we didn’t get in the flow. QPR were first to the ball all the time. Every ball we played forward was intercepted. They had a bit of quality as well.
“They had Taarabt today and you need to do something special. But we gave him the opportunity to shine and that is irritating. Football is simple, but we couldn’t do the simple things. We couldn’t play in the flow.”
Jol made just one change to his starting XI from the side that defeated Newcastle United 2-1 on Saturday. But it was a shadow of the performance that the Whites produced in the clash with the Magpies.
“Dimitar Berbatov did well in spells but he can’t do it all on his own,” said Jol. “I gave 10 out of the 11 players who started on Monday night a chance but too many players were not there. We had five or six players who weren’t as well as they could be. These are players who can dictate games.
“The second goal for example, was a mistimed tackle, so it was very cheap. And the first was a deflection. We tried to get in their half but our passing was sloppy and they could break us.”
One plus for Fulham was the impact a substitute made once again – this time Petric stepping off the bench to score late on to give Fulham a glimmer of hope.
“It wasn’t far away at the end,” mused Jol. “Every time we try to do something with a substitution, something happens. And it happened again today.”
But there were further blows for the Whites on a miserable afternoon at Loftus Road. Sascha Riether was replaced at half-time after suffering a back injury, while Steve Sidwell picked up a fifth yellow card of the season to sustain a one-match ban and rule himself out of Saturday’s trip to Liverpool.
“We’ll have to assess Riether but he had a problem with his back,” stated Jol. “He couldn’t go on after half-time. We have to play against Liverpool and Sidwell was booked so we will have to come up with a scenario. Bryan Ruiz is out as well which is not what you need but we will want to show what we can do.” Fulham
WEST LONDON SPORT Superb Taarabt gives QPR first victory
by Lyall Thomas
QPR 2 Fulham 1
Two goals from Adel Taarabt – one fortuitous, one brilliant – gave QPR their first league win of the season.
The skilful Moroccan found space from distance early in the second half and fired a low shot that took a deflection off the leg of Brede Hangeland and sent keeper Mark Schwarzer the wrong way.
And then a sublime solo effort saw the forward skin Hangeland and curl home with the outside of his boot from the edge of the box.
Substitute Mladen Petric pulled a goal back for Fulham late on but Ranger held on to secure a derby victory.
R’s boss Harry Redknapp made three changes to the side that drew 2-2 away at Wigan last weekend, with Djibril Cisse returning to the side to partner Taarabt up front.
Jose Bosingwa wasn’t in the matchday squad and so Nedum Onuoha started at right-back and Alejandro Faurlin came in with Samba Diakite dropping to the bench.
Both Cisse and Taarabt went close early on before Jamie Mackie fired wide with only the keeper to beat after latching on to John Arne Riise’s sloppy back-pass.
Rangers dictated the first half but the sides went in goalless at the interval and so it fell to Taarabt to produce two moments of individual quality to win the game.
QPR: Green; Onuoha, Nelsen, Hill, Traore; Wright-Phillips (Fabio 86), Faurlin, Mbia, Taarabt, Mackie, Cisse (Ferdinand 90). Subs not used: Cesar, Diakite, Derry, Ferdinand, Granero, Fabio, Hoilett.
Fulham: Schwarzer; Riether (Kelly 46), Hangeland, Hughes, Riise; Duff, Sidwell, Baird, Richardson (Petric 63); Berbatov, Rodallega (Dejagah 72).
Subs not used: Etheridge, Senderos, Karagounis, Dejagah, Kacaniklic.
West London Sport
GUARDIAN
Queens Park Rangers stop the rot as Adel Taarabt's double downs Fulha
Anna Kessel at Loftus Road
The Observer, Saturday 15 December 2012 12.12 EST
After all the headlines – worst Premier League start in history, worst top-flight start in Europe this season, "a disaster" according to the QPR board – Harry Redknapp was the very picture of nonchalance when he appeared for his post-match press conference. "Whose is that tea?" were his precise words, before slugging back a sip with: "Oh, cheers, thank you." But even the maestro of man management – who had his players in for an X Factor-style sing off to boost morale earlier in the week – could not entirely hide his pleasure at a potential season-changing three points.
"Yeah we deserved it," he purred, "we were the better team. It would have been a travesty if we'd conceded another goal in that last hectic couple of minutes ... psychologically the players must have been feeling: 'Oh my god,' when they got their goal, 'is an equaliser going to come here?' – you know? It was very difficult for me watching those last four minutes. But the players hung in there and we got what we deserved."
They certainly did. Fulham, seemingly jaded from a rare league win after turning the game around against Newcastle on Monday night, were lacklustre. So when Adel Taarabt, that capricious magician, put two past the visitors in the second half, there was a sense that Martin Jol's side would struggle to respond. Redknapp eulogised over the Moroccan star, "fantastic ability, amazing today", crediting Taarabt's performance to a reshuffle in the team formation.
"I decided I had to get him in a position where he wants to play," said Redknapp . "He's been playing out on the left, but today I put him in the hole off the front man, tried to get him between the lines, between their midfield and their back four, pop up in them positions, play little balls in them holes to him – and every time we got him on the ball they were in trouble."
It was indeed Taarabt who sparked the game into life, after a first half in which a sole goalscoring opportunity – a back-flick from Djibril Cissé to Jamie Mackie – constituted the half-time highlights package.
There had been tangible energy and drive from the QPR players from the outset, but as the clock ticked on, and they failed to convert their chances, self-doubt began to creep in, accompanied by loud choruses of "Stand up if you've won a game" from the away fans, to which there was no riposte.
The opening minutes of the second half snoozed along, with Fulham seemingly happy to coast, but all credit to Taarabt, he had other ideas. The 23-year-old winger popped up with a sensational strike – albeit with a deflection off Brede Hangeland – that proved the game changer.
Suddenly QPR had their mojo back. Minutes later, Cissé almost doubled the lead, curving the ball just inches wide of the far post, before sinking to his knees and roaring angrily at the football gods lurking in the night sky. He need not have worried, though, for Taarabt had inspiration enough for a second goal, running almost the length of the pitch, to double QPR's lead.
Fulham halved the deficit after substitute Mladen Petric sent a looping ball towards goal – which took a deflection off Alejandro Faurlín – to give Fulham hope, and, in the dying minutes of the game, the tempo suddenly became frantic. Mark Schwarzer scooped a fantastic diving header from Cissé out of the goalmouth, while the home fans could hardly bear to watch as Fulham were given a free kick on the edge of the area.
At the finale, Jol was left feeling deflated. Unimpressed with the suggestion that QPR simply worked harder for it, the Fulham manager insisted his side should have more quality than simply being undone by the opposition's legwork. "We couldn't do the simple things, we couldn't play in a flow. I want them to play in a flow, with little combinations. Maybe Berbatov [did it] in spells, but he can't do it on his own. I wanted to give 10 of the 11 players who did it last week [the opportunity] to do it again, but it was not there."
For QPR, a run of four games unbeaten – and the club finally off the bottom of the table – signals a chance of a renaissance. But success may depend on what happens in the January transfer window, while losing Taarabt to the Africa Cup of Nations adds more complications. Guardian
TELEGRAPH/Gerry Cox
Queens Park Rangers 2 Fulham 1: match report
Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Queens Park Rangers and Fulham at Loftus Road on Saturday Dec 15, 2012.\
“Harry Redknapp’s blue and white army”, sang delighted home fans, and maybe the manager can yet save Queens Park Rangers after two goals from Adel Taarabt lifted them off the bottom for the first time this season.
QPR moved above Reading into 19th after their first win in 17 attempts this season, thus avoiding the fate of making the worst start in the top flight for 109 years. And the unlikely hero was Taarabt, who was superb from start to finish, driving his team-mates forward, and scoring the crucial goals that could go a long way towards ensuring survival. Redknapp had stressed the importance of keeping in touch with the teams above them, and QPR are now only five points short of the safety zone.
Redknapp has avoided relegation before, notably with Portsmouth, and also took Tottenham from the bottom to mid-table after taking over but, if he can keep QPR in the Premier League, it would be his greatest escape yet.
And who would have throught Taarabt would play such a pivotal role? QPR coud have scored as early as the sixth minute when Jamie Mackie was put in on goal by a horrible back pass from John Arne Riise, but he put his shot wide of the far post as Mark Schwarzer ran off his line to narrow the angle.
Taarabt went close with a couple of vicious efforts from long range, before finally breaking the deadlock seven minutes into the second half. It took a huge slice of luck and a big deflection off Brede Hangeland to beat Schwarzer.
Taarabt received the ball with his back to goal, 35 yards out, drove on and took aim from outside the penalty area. Schwarzer looked to have the ball covered until it hit Hangeland’s shin and changed direction, wrongfooting the Australian goalkeeper.
Taarabt celebrated wildly, getting booked for his efforts, but the goal brought the game — and the home supporters — to life.
Djibril Cisse curled a shot just wide of the far post on the hour before Taarabt scored again, running at the Fulham defence in the 68th minute before curling a shot into the far corner of the goal with the outside of his boot.
“Taraabt was amazing,” said Redknapp. “He has fantastic ability and talent, and today I decided to play him in the hole behind the front man. Every time he got the ball Fulham were in trouble.”
Fulham were a shadow of the side who beat Newcastle last Monday. “Too many players were not there today,” said Martin Jol. “We were too static.”
His side finally found the net when substitute Mladen Petric shot into the far corner in the 88th minute to set up a tense finale. Schwarzer made a superb save to keep out Cisse’s header, while Robert Green saved from Petric in the dying seconds. Moments later, Loftus Road was in raptures as QPR’s supporters celebrated that first win of the season — and a precious three points.
“We deserved it and it would have been a travesty if we hadn’t won,” said Redknapp, who has masterminded three draws and a win since taking over last month. “If we get six points from every four games we will stay up.” But they will be without Taarabt if he is called up for next month’s African Cup of Nations. “There is nothing we can do about it if he is selected,” added the manager. Telegraph
BBC
BBC QPR 2 - 1 Fulham
Adel Taarabt
15 December 2012 Last updated at 17:16 GMT
By Matt Monaghan BBC Sport
Adel Taarabt's double ended Queens Park Rangers' record-breaking winless start to a Premier League season as they beat Fulham in an engaging London derby.
The playmaker opened the scoring with a shot from 25 yards that flicked off defender Brede Hangeland.
QPR deserved to win - Redknapp
While the 23-year-old's first owed much to luck, his sensational second saw him nonchalantly curl the ball into the net following a mazy run from midfield.
Mladen Petric's deflected strike late on ensured a nervy climax for QPR.
The victory was their first of the campaign at the 17th time of asking, halting a run of three consecutive draws since Harry Redknapp took charge in November following the dismissal of Mark Hughes. It also moves them above Reading and off the bottom of the table for the first time since 10 November.
QPR started the brighter and could have gone ahead in the second minute after recalled striker Djibril Cisse was put through on goal following a glorious through ball from Taarabt.
The Frenchman's scuffed shot was saved easily by Mark Schwarzer, though he had room to complain to referee Martin Atkinson after his progress was impeded by a pull-back from defender Aaron Hughes.
QPR v Fulham facts
Fulham have now won just one of their 10 away fixtures in the league this season
Despite ending their 16-game wait for a win, QPR's start to the season remains the worst in Premier League history
Five of Adel Taarabt's six Premier League goals have come against other teams from London
That chance failed to wake Fulham from their stupor and their dozy start should have been punished when John Arne Riise played a blind pass back to Schwarzer, but Jamie Mackie somehow contrived to place wide from six yards when it looked easier to score.
A furious-looking Martin Jol watched on as his side's lack of concentration was to blame again when Chris Baird felled Stephane Mbia just outside the area following a loose pass from Hughes, but Cisse and Taarabt wasted the resulting free-kick.
The Dutchman's mood was not helped after the break when Fulham deservedly fell behind as Taarabt's run went unchecked. He broke from deep and hit a tame shot that, luckily for the hosts, took a hefty deflection off Hangeland and trickled into the net past the stranded Schwarzer.
Soon after, the error-strewn Baird was caught in possession just outside his own penalty box, but his mistake went unpunished as Cisse curled his shot just past Schwarzer's left post.
Fulham not good enough - Jol
Taarabt was continuing to light up a match which was devoid of much inspiration elsewhere, and his stunning second goal saw him push through the gigantic figure of Hangeland before playfully flicking the top of the ball to create the space to slide in an unstoppable shot along the ground with the outside of his boot.
Fulham had not provided any attacking threat as strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Hugo Rodallega struggled to replicate the form they showed in Monday night's 2-1 victory against Newcastle United.
It was left to substitute Petric to finally find a way past Robert Green, his shot from outside the box looping off midfielder Alejandro Faurlin's boot and beyond the keeper's reach.
That moment of good fortune enticed the visitors to push on at the death, but they were unable to create an undeserved equaliser to deny QPR a vital three points.
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