Just watched it, missed it live

[Olgrligm]

I'm absolutely bloody furious about it. There were 4 clowns out on that pitch today - D'Urso, incompetent linesman #1, incompetent linesman #2 and Leon bloody Cort. Come to think of it, I'll put some ratings in here:

Simonsen - 6
Griffin - 6
Cort - 4
Shawcross - 5
Pugh - 5
Lawrence - 6
Diao - 5
Whelan - 6
Cresswell - 5
Sidibe - 6
Fuller - 7.5

Gallagher - 7.5
Buxton - 7
Wilkinson - 6

The game showed a lot of promise in the first few minutes, with us on top but QPR showing that they were worth their salt. The first goal was just downright unlucky. We were half celebrating, they broke on us, took a pot shot and despite it being a fairly poor grass-cutter, Simonsen's positioning was perhaps questionable and it crept in. Fair enough, well done QPR. The shambles for the second goal is inexcusable. A mix up with Griffin and Cort at the far post which managed to result in neither of them winning the header and somehow Legeiterwood (don't know how to spell his bizarre name, sorry) managed to slip through completely unmarked with Shawcross watching and Cort, who in my opinion should have been in the middle, in a heap with Griffin. Absolutely diabolical defending. In my opinion, we need another centre back in, something I've been saying for months.

Then came the decision that killed the game. Griffin slides in, wins the ball (very clearly - when his foot touched the ball the QPR player was yards away), the QPR player's momentum carries him on over Griffin, who gets up and passes the ball. The QPR player gets straight back up and one other QPR player tries to challenge Griffin. Nobody expected even a freekick. It was one of the best tackles of the game and if that was a sending off, there were a few QPR players who needed hoiking off the field. Vine ran around kicking people, as did the defender with dreadlocks and wearing lipstick. Obviously, they shouldn't have been sent off, just like Griffin shouldn't have, but where was the consistency? They should have both been on a booking. Credit to TP and the rest of the players though, because where if I was playing I may well have bitten the referee's ear off and gouged his eye out, they managed to restrict themselves to Cresswell getting himself booked. Actually, come to think of it, Cresswell took over as captain, didn't he? So even booking him for dissent was wrong, as he exercised his right as captain.

Anyway, Pulis obviously decided to wait until half time to make the changes so that he could instruct the players precisely. The substitution that he made was baffling, though. Of all the players to take off, why Sidibe? Even more baffling, why were we playing ineffective passing nonsense in the first half but then started playing the long ball in the second half when the only player who could get on the end of them had just been taken off? Anyway, the game carries on and despite everything so far, we still have a chance. We've done this before. Fuller goes on a run, beats two men and faces up to three, who he will surely beat and score. One QPR player who he has already fairly beaten has decided that to stop any danger, he will hack Fuller down from behind. In any other match, a booking. If it was a ManUre player who was fouled, a red card. What does D'Urso do about the worst foul in the game so far? He gives the free kick and doesn't even bother to talk to the player. We take a crap free-kick, they break on us, play the ball to the very obviously offside Agyemang, he lays the ball off and the goal is well taken. D'Urso and the linesman both look at their feet and scratch their heads, trying their best not to look like the officials at every Juventus match between 2001 and 2005.

Credit to both the players and the fans though. The fates had conspired against us and yet neither gave up. Gallagher looked good pulling the strings in the middle and we controlled most of the play. Whelan had two decent efforts turned away and our corner count was ridiculous. The QPR fans, who had their moment in the sun this season with their game against Chelsea where they waved around 'We're richer than you' banners, were typically quiet and all you could hear on the TV were the Stoke fans. They were bloody brilliant, every single one of them.

The match was really another Preston - we got ourselves into a mess and had the chances to dig ourselves out of it, but we were hindered by a diabolical set of officials. I'll leave the conspiracy theories to somebody else, because if we continue to try this new style of play that isn't suiting us and we continue to defend like toddlers then we won't have a chance of promotion.

My line up for our next match:

Simonsen
Griffin (surely it'll be rescinded?)
Riggott
Shawcross
Dickinson
Lawrence
Delap
Pugh
Gallagher
Sidibe
Fuller

Hoult
Cort
Wilkinson
Diao
Cresswell

[ruts66]

Pretty much how we saw it from Row A, MD...

[Mr Jon]

Bang on MD. Have some karma!

Wish there was some way of smiting D'Urso. At best incompetent, at worst.....?

[Olgrligm]

We should create an account for each referee and smite/exalt them after every match accordingly.

I'd do it, but I'm really, really lazy.

[kinnell]

'Passing nonsense' in the first half? Hohoho! The only team PASSING the bloody thing was QPR. And it was only when we STARTED the 'passing nonsense' in the second half that we looked anything like a football team that could actually survive beyond the May Bank Third Division!

[mamasbitch]

"Wish there was some way of smiting D'Urso. At best incompetent, at worst.....? "

Just go shoot him

[Olgrligm]

HG, there's a difference. We tried to play passing in the first half badly, and failed. Second half we played passing football in the right areas and looked good. I just don't trust us with the style of play yet, better to carry on with what took us to this position.

[chesterfieldstokie]

Passing football in the first half? no passing, just booting it!!

[daverichards]

smite away

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