PL Recap: QPR 1-0 Chelsea

By: Devin | October 23rd, 2011

If anyone wants to complain about this team’s tenacity, heart, or passion, I’ll be right here to kick you in the balls. More, after the jump:

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The Tipping Point

I won’t let anyone hang their heads after that second half. Sure, the first was fucked eight-ways to Tuesday before any rhythm could be established, and yeah, we had a lot to do with the cards handed out. But don’t you dare take anything away from this other then the sheer tenacity, grit, will, determination, and tactical brilliance of a squad that should be lauded for keeping the score respectable after the odds swung wildly against us. As per usual, I woke up extra early on the left coast (first I watched the Manchester demolition) before keeping a running list of thoughts as the match sparked into fury like a Balotelli bathroom firework. But I can’t share the list, because it fell apart and I stopped keeping track of what was going on, rather, electing to shout en mass at my television. And for the record, QPR fan, I could respect you if you weren’t busy mugging your tough-as-nails routine from every other club in the country. Be loud, be proud, you have every right to do so. But this faux-hard persona just ain’t working or impressing any of us. As hostile as you might have made it this afternoon, I can promise your next trip to The Bridge will be reciprocal in nature. Perhaps a few of our fans will toss the rock down the touchline in a blatant time-wasting effort. Then, and only then, can you complain. For now, take your three points and realize that you escaped by the skin of your damn teeth. What follows are some key lessons and thoughts contrived from what was otherwise a feisty West-London Derby.

David Luiz, RE-FUCKING-LAX

Bro, seriously, you need to calm the shit down. We seem to touch on this weekly, either you’re making miraculous tackles or sticking a wrong foot in. I’ll admit, today, you might have gotten the short end of the stick on the penalty call (dubious at best- and if any QPR supporters want to argue the ‘nudge’ angle, what of the ‘nudge’ Luiz received first before his retaliatory hit?) you’re still a loose cannon. Way too loose. You need to tighten up, sharpish. We can’t keep having this happen and you’ve only had 14 premier league starts, in which you’ve already collected a whopping 7 yellow cards. You could have gotten a red with the number of reckless challenges you deployed. But then, you go and forage up the pitch and unleash that bicycle kick. My word. That was fantastic. But again, you’re a center half, and not a forward. I applaud your enthusiasm, I admire your tenacity, but pick your damn battles son. This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. I shouldn’t have to worry every time the ball comes to your attacker that you’re about to commit a foul.

AVB = Tactician

Attempt to argue against this, I dare. After going down two men at the half, Villas-Boas brought the squad back and succeeded in keeping the match contentious and competitive. How did he pull this off? He condensed space, pushed Cole up to a left-wing position, had JT and Luiz take turns foraging forward, left Anelka alone in the striking slot, and gave him flanking support from Lampard and Meireles. The result? About as fantastic of a 45-minute stretch as we could have played. The key? AVB didn’t get caught in the conventional sense of ’shape’, instead, electing to field a side that was more about function than style. Yet somehow, this 9-man system seemed to ooze class, running circles around a QPR side that, lets be honest, were simply playing to protect three points. Aside from one chance in the 78th minute, the Rangers did little in the way of threatening forward. Fair play to them, they got the three points. But even more kudos to Villas-Boas, who worked his substitutions to effect, adjusted the landscape of the match, and bellowed from the touch second-by-second instructions to charge the players forward. And for one half at least, it looked like we could get something out of this. Disregard the penalty shouts, and leave it to Anelka’s header which he should have turned away, and we’re having a very different conversation right now. Some might want to hype this as AVB’s ‘Mourinho’ moment. I’m not going there yet. But, it’s a major sign of just how capable of a manager we have when the chips are down. Many would have packed it in and hoped to stop the bleeding. AVB went in search of blood in spite of the numerical disadvantage. Tremendous fucking props.

Chris Foy, My Word…

I can forgive a mistake. I can forgive two mistakes. But I can’t forgive, what, six mistakes? God, it wasn’t just bad, it was abysmal. There were blatant non-calls, dubious cards handed out, and of course, the issue of the reds distributed to Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba. Make what you will of those challenges, but the fact remains that those decisions significantly altered the tenor of the match. Already a hostile environment, the fans seemed to relish the prospect of having 11 v 9. Why wouldn’t they- after all, this isn’t just any old match. It’s a fucking derby. You’re not just out to win, you’re out to slaughter if you can. Just ask any City or United fan what this is all about. And I think I speak for most Chelsea fans when I say we were expecting more from QPR. We were expecting the exodus. The pillaging of goals. The shambolic defending. The embarrassing headlines tomorrow. None of which, matriculated. As much as Foy did to disrupt any rhythm inherent in the match, Chelsea pressed on. The amount of cards handed out was appalling. Staggering. Pathetic. Surely, he has to be brought up for a review after this one. AVB’s post-match comments alluded to this very fact, and made mention of the third-straight match in which we had the short end of the whistle. Not sure what sanctions are forthcoming for him, but you can expect a fine and even a potential touch-line ban are in store. I don’t care though. It had to be said. It had to be done. If Sir Alex, Kenny D, and Arsene can mouth off every week about the refs, then surely AVB can have his say. As he put it, we’re title contenders just like everyone else. Why not demand the same level or clarity, equality, and respect?

The Old Guard Still Has It

Our leaders tonight, quite simply, were the captains. John and Frank were massive in the second half. When the tensions began to flare and the potential for escalation started showing, these two legends stepped into the mix and stood up for the club. You could see the hostility in their reactions, their actions, their faces. When strong tackles were received, they were promptly returned to sender. When QPR attempted to stare down, they looked right back. They were imperious. They did all they could do. Inspirational, plain and simple. Make what you will of their age, their importance under AVB, or their performance on the pitch in spurts, but the fact remains that when things began to spiral, they stepped in to serve as a flashpoint for controversy. Shielding your teammates, taking the pressure off them, and rallying the troops in tandem, they stood tall. I have nothing but tremendous praise and respect for both- this was a yeoman’s effort on their part. And I bet they’re beyond exhausted after the physical nature of the match. Quite rightly so, they’re due a rest in midweek. Whether or not they can afford one, with the laundry list of cards picked up today remains to be seen. Based on the current count, we’ll be without the services of Didier, BAWSE, and Cole for Wednesday’s Everton match, but will have Nando back in the mix. Sad to see Diddy leave on a three-match ban as soon as Fernando returns to the mix. And please, let’s not diminish in any way the efforts of Nicolas Anelka. The guy still has a huge part to play this season. Extending his contract notwithstanding, his ability to hold up play and cut through defenses with his run/pass game is still sublime. Wish he had an extra two players out there to work with, surely he would have netted in this one- he looked good for a goal.

QPR, I’m Not Impressed

And this has nothing to do with the derby relation. I’m just not impressed. That’s the best you could do? Your gaffer wants to sing to the sky that you’ve managed to beat us, and they’ll remember this one in 30 years time? The time you squeaked past Chelsea in a home derby with two extra men 1-0? The time when you relied on a ref to hand out your only clear chance on goal? The time when you gaffer after the match attempted to ridicule the opposing manager by referring to him as a ‘rookie’. Remind me what your manager has won in the last ten years? Remind me again where you sit in the table? Remind me what your targets for the season are? Soak this one up all you want, because I’m sure it tastes good. But you’ll have to take a dose of reality in a few weeks time when you’re hovering in the second half of the table scrapping with Sunderland and Bolton for bore draws. And Joey Barton- you marvel of a citizen. Credit for keeping your head, but if you honestly think anyone is impressed with your hard-as-nails antics, you’re sorely mistaken. You belong in Oasis with that excuse for a haircut. I can’t take you seriously. You’re the EPL’s version of Ron Artest. Any minute now, you’re going to take to Twitter to say something asinine. SWP? Good on you lad for running your ass off, but honestly, what are you thinking trying to shove Obi Trice at the corner flag? Feeling a touch tough are we? I have nothing else to share about your squad because you honestly did nothing. You knocked in a penalty which Pete got a paw to, but beyond that, what can you be proud of? I’d say more, but I’m certain the QPR mass will be trolling here in no-time so why give them any more fuel to misinterpret. Might as well just be clear- I DON’T THINK YOUR TEAM IS THAT IMPRESSIVE. YOU SCRAPED PAST US WITH TWO EXTRA PLAYERS 1-0, AT HOME, WITH THE MOMENTUM IN YOUR FAVOR, AND A REF THAT WAS DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO HAND YOU THE RESULT. Argue against that, I dare.

I’m out. See you guys Wednesday for the Everton rubber match. And yeah, KTBFFH.

Some Related Chelsea Posts:

PL Recap: Chelsea 3-1 Norwich City

Category: Chelsea Team News, Fast Five, Fixtures, Match Reports, Premier League

« Video: Villas-Boas tells it like it is post-QPR | Home | England’s Brave John Terry loathes reptiles »

brenton

Regardless of the validity of the ref's calls (shit on the Luiz penalty, soft on the Bosingwa red, good on the Drogba red), I did love seeing Terry whine to the ref again and again. What a dick.

On the other hand, what a brilliant second half. AVB and the players did everything they could, just fell short. Forget where I read it, but AVB was tactically brilliant, gambled and almost won.
Rwhite22522

I'm neither a QPR nor Chelsea fan but... plain and simple, Chelsea lost. Cry as you will but take a look at the replays. Did Boswinga pull Wright-Phillips down inside the box. Why were his hands tugging on his shorts?

Did Drogba go in with two feet, studs up? The answers are there for all to see on sky-sports. SHOULD Chelsea beat QPR? ABSOLUTELY!!!! 100 out of 100 times BUT the funny, crazy and absolutely hilarious thing is...THEY DIDN'T.

Compare the salaries between the two teams and SMILE when you realize the little guy won one...
Pete McCullagh

yeah im sure the prawn sandwich brigade are going to be so scary. sorry we're not scared of you. we're not scared at fans that scream in little girls faces and then slip away when men confront them. how you can say it was a fake hostile atmosphere when your team completely succumbed to it i have no idea
Seth

you've got an interesting definition of 'succumbed'. if you think it means 'completely outplayed a shit team with 2 more men, who needed a questionable penalty to win', then yes, we succumbed. fucking moron.
Pete McCullagh

2 red cards 7yellows, luiz and cole and terry could and should have walked. completely outplayed? kenny made one save all game.
Mateo

You now how they say "history is writen by winners" well yesterdays game was tbe exeption to the rule, maybe in a a few years no one will remember this game, but for me it has been one of the greatest moments as a Chelsea fan, when the game ended i was very upset but as the day went by i realized the amazing display of sheer tenacity and comitment by the 9 men left on the pitch.

in retrospective, its an awfull day for our 2011 PL, but it was a great day for the team.
ph0bolus

Move Luiz to midfield!!!! Or as far away from our goal as possible. That gut busting run followed by the overhead kick was magnificent and that was like after 70ish minutes. The guy was totally shattered and dying for air 5 minutes before that run. I loved his face during that one corner where he looked like he was about to murder Helgusson, but still as of now he's a liability in defense and AVB really should of chosen Ivanovic over Luiz.
Tom

I don't see why people come to our blog space and try and stir stuff up.

At chelski how did QPR deserve 3 points, when it was the ref and not the players that won the game.
And how did 9 men not impress you when they out played 11 men. Math learn it!
To PhilNz i hope you don't take offence to the way most people are taking this, it's not QPR's fault most the ref's just the way "your" lot feed off it just pissed us off, and i go to chelsea matches alot and i shall never order a prawn sandwich ;)
TIMLOS

If the FA does not investigate Chris Foy for his handling of that match, then Foy was simply carrying out the agenda of the FA. This is ridiculous, simply not acceptable and failure of the "Ovreboistic" level. Didn't Chelsea recently receive an award for behavior on the pitch, how can a team suddenly become bad in one match? This referee is the type of referee that provokes riot, and I think the FA better be wary of such people who are NOT FIT to be umpire in a match. If there had been any form of aggressive protest from the fans could anyone have blamed them?
Chelski

A true David and Goliath bout. I would guess that every individual Chelski player cost more than the whole QPR team including all the subs. With just that point, QPR had to play to their strengths and the £150,000+ pw players should have played with more discipline and strolled to victoty.

Roman should have used his corrupt billions to just buy a big red light and stuck it on top of Stamford Bridge because the place is full of whores that sell themselves for money and are brain dead and very ugly.

At the end of day, all said, QPR earnt the well deserved 3 points and that is what counts and the only recollection at the end of the season.

Not one of the Chelski players impressed me and as a group I can not see them finishing above sixth place be it with 9 or 11 players on the pitch at full time. I thought Chelski were a complete disgrace for what they are paid.
Seth

you almost got beat by 9 whores. talk about unimpressive. enjoy relegation/17th place.
Pete McCullagh

1-0
Max

1-0 after a soft penalty and we were down to 9 men. Seriously, how did you not score against us after that? Most championship sides would have looked better in front of goal than yours did. I can't wait until you fools come to Stamford Bridge...it will be the third from final match of the season. I even hope you guys hold out on the relegation battle until then! How sweet it will be to seal your fate as a PL flop and Championship quality team. Think of our last match of the 2010 season against Wigan...it will go something like that.

Cheers mate, to your incredibly mediocre team and your pathetic and shame-worthy victory against the big bad scary Chelsea. Just wait until April...Torres will maul your defense and keeper while Ramires and Essien will crush your excuse for a midfield (can't wait to see good ol' Joey Barton try to start something with Essien, it'll be like Drew Brees v Colts Defense last night, and Barton sure as hell is not Drew Brees).
Pete McCullagh

it'll be this way or that. the fact is you lost because of a stonewall penalty and you took yourselves to 9 men. how were you doing with 11? 1-0 down with no shots on target? we won the championship so you've obviously never seen the championship or it's quality of finishing. big bad scary chelsea? i think by the look on mata's face it was scary qpr. it'll be like? what a joke. o and nice work against arsenal. everyone else fault too i guess. armchair fan.
Bloodyphysics

You are blowjob
PhilNZ

Actually, as a 44 year veteran supporter of the Rs, and living on the other side of the world, I was disappointed we didn't put more past your lot today. But I have to admit, and it hurts, your boys were stupendous in the second half.
Even that plonker who gave the penalty away, is a bit good when he's not trying to cause trouble.
And as for our squad? Yeah, it's raw, unbalanced, inexperienced, and possibly a whole load of other things. And I could say some unnecessary things about buying a Premiership and dodgy money, but it's not needed.
But I will say, Premierships should be urned and not bought.
The penalty? Well it was stupid defending, letting the ball bounce because he was marking someone older and shorter than him? Tosser. Deserved everything he got.
The first red? Questionable. The second. Not a doubt.

But you know what's even more ridiculous? How much like those pompous Man U supporters you lot have become. You'll be ordering prawn sandwiches in next.
Jack

You preface with this: "And I could say some unnecessary things about buying a Premiership and dodgy money, but it's not needed."

But then you say this: "But I will say, Premierships should be urned and not bought."

Fancy me confused. It's not needed, but I'm going to say it anyway. The genius. I guess I could, in riposte, touch on the use of "urned" - as if someone, preferably Joey Barton, had died (I kid) - instead of earned, but, again, "it's not needed."

Buying trophies, blah blah blah. It's a tired, inaccurate and just plain dumb argument. I guess that run of top-six finishes prior to Roman's arrival doesn't exist. As for putting more goals past us today, I would have been impressed if you had created more than two chances against nine men. Sad, really. Enjoy hanging out in the relegation mire for most of the season with that ridiculous excuse for football you guys offer up. Join a rugby league for fuck's sake.
Pete McCullagh

at what point have we been in the relegation zone this year? 1-0
Jack

If your lot is, let's say, even 12th or better come May, please return to this space and I'll promptly apologize. As you can tell, I'm not counting on having to do so.
Pete McCullagh

erm... since when is 13th the relegation zone. if you're not in the champion's league you're shit. gloryhunting waste of space
blueboxers

Im pretty the sure the word "conflict of interest" should creep up somewhere in TUNE's sponsorship of the EPL match officials... the officiating of the yesterdays match was an utter disgrace...sack the ref or get new sponsors....somethings got to go.....hahaha
The owner of QPR founded TUNE....go figure
melbourne_chelski

ooooo those grapes are so fuckin sour now aren't they dickhead
Devin Anand

Weak.
melbourne_chelski

weak....yes chelsea are. we should have pulverised rangers but we weren't good enough as usual
Seth

"weak...yes chelsea are." You are a word smith, sir. Brilliant response.
Dochinzo

Good luck for the rest of the year...fighting for 15th place.
brenton

Are you replying to the guy who wrote "we should have pulverized rangers..." ? I'm pretty sure he's a Chelsea fan. I guessed it because his name is melbourne_chelski and he wrote "we should have pulverized rangers...", indicating that he was probably talking about Chelsea and identifying himself as part of the club, as many fans do.
Pete McCullagh

as we're 10th that means nothing
Seth

and Levante is first in Spain, Newcastle are 4th in EPL. as it's match day nine, you're tenth placing means nothing.
Pete McCullagh

however you're attempt to have a go at us means nothing as we're ahead of that. how's that title challenge going?
Jack

Well played, sir.

A note on David Luiz: I'm still shocked that people react the way they do when he does what he does. You know what you're getting with the kid. Sure he needs to reel it in, but that will come with experience. As stated, he's a kid. Plus, you know, I think he's among the three most purely talented footballers on this team. In two years, he'll be the world's finest central defender. Mark it. Oh yeah, and he's not a defensive midfielder. Never, no way, not in any form. I'm sick of hearing it. Rant over.
orthodoxyordeath

I agree with all said. Simply put, that was excellent today.

KTBFFH
Seth

seriously, if anyone had any doubts about AVB, look at where we were last year in these types of situations and where we are now. The team is inspired. They fight for everything.