Tues 25th Sep 2001.

Q.P.R.
Day
Perry
Forbes
Ben Asker
Bignot
Rose
Plmer
Connolly (Mbombo 46)
Griffiths
Thompson
Warren (Wardley 90)

Subs not used
Bull
Barr
McEwen

Cardiff City
Alexander
Weston
Prior
Gabbidon
Simpkins
Hamilton (Low 84)
Kavanagh
Boland
Legg (Brayson 77)
Thorne
Fortune West

Subs not used
Bowen
Bonner
Hughes

Thorne goes close

Report from NigelBlues.
Without copying and pasting virtually exactly the same things I've highlighted three times before in the past 10 days after City's performances against Cambridge, Northampton and Huddersfield, how do I make this different? In truth, I can't really and am close to admitting defeat.

To leave work early, get home in the early hours, spend another pot of money to see yet another unacceptable performance and style of football before writing about it , having 4 hours sleep and going back to work is a choker. But there's 2,000 other fans who made the trip and just about all will feel similar.

City fans invaded West London by car, mini bus, coach and train. The atmosphere in pubs around the ground was tremendous. The ground was easy to find, just follow the helicopter circling overhead - a nice touch by The Met! And inside, the atmosphere was white hot and magic in the City end in a ground that used to seem stylish but doesn't anymore.

We were in a double decker stand, the ones who bought tickets in advance seemed to be penalised for doing so as we were crammed into the top deck which seemed to be over flowing. I missed the first few minutes trying to get in, stewards had no idea had to find us space and were telling us to try and find somewhere in clearly overcrowded areas. City fans gave up and were standing in the yellow areas of stairwells to get a view. Poor and not really acceptable.

You had to be towards the front of the Upper Tier to view the nearest goal as we were on top of it. Meanwhile, those who turned up on the night to pay had the downstairs tier, which was one quarter full, and offered a far better view. Where's the justice in that?

The rest of the ground seemed to be run down, not as impressive as City fans used to think it was, highlighting their current financial plight. The electronic scoreboard, which QPR seemed to be amongst the first to have, has gone. Most of the advertising spaces were empty, most of those with advertising were for their website and other departments.

It hardly looked a football ground either as one stand had Wasp logos in the seats, a reminder that they now share the ground with Wasps RFC. And the main feature looking from our stand were a dozen or satellite/mobile phone aerials on the roof of another stand.

In parts of the game, The Bluebirds played better than last Saturday but in all honesty, QPR were nothing special and nowhere near as good as Huddersfield. Yet again, we were one dimensional (and often struggled to make the one dimension) - no pace, no width, no creativity, no movement, no real leaders taking control (on or off the pitch) and, no surprise, it's no points.

A Cardiff City squad costing nearly £7M have lost 3 times in 4 games to teams collectively costing less than £3M and in a style that looked inferior to each of them. The game we won (Northampton), we were very poor in too.

Cardiff City have the squad and the players, make no mistake, to make a real impact in this division but, to use Sam's terminology about driving the club, it appears that we have novice drivers trying to steer a Formula One car.

Players need time to gel, we are continually told, but that's an insult to our intelligence. It infers that none of our opponents have changed their squads for this season. QPR lost 17 players in the summer due to their financial problems so have to gel a whole new team yet are outperforming City.

Alan Cork, to many observers, seems to be adopting a siege mentality. His quotes in the past week or two have been Hollins-eque (or Gould-esque). His latest classic was making it perfectly clear to media that he would never play Thorne and Fortune-West together. Less than two weeks later, he told Terry Phillips in today's Echo that they needed more games together.

He admitted to be stung by media criticism of recent performances, seemingly more bothered by their opinion than anything the fans have to say. So while changes to City's line up and formation were reasonably expected, Cork made a solitary alteration only, maybe to give his preferred choices yet another chance or maybe to prove that he has it right and they have it wrong.

He didn't have it right but is he a manager who isn't managing? Too many of the choices and decisions seem to be Ian Atkins, the style undoubtedly is his influence. It tells you everything about Atkins that he can take control as a number 2 and think that we can have quality players warming to this style, it tells you everything about Cork that he allows it to happen.

Pre-match hints of changes, Hamilton and Legg would replace the struggling Weston and Simpkins seemed reasonable and wholly justified. Both would pass the ball, both would push forward. But whilst Hamilton came in, he was pushed wide right to replace Paul Brayson, arguably City's best (only) performer in the past two matches and a position that is a total waste of Disco Des' talent.

City started well without creating anything and QPR looked poor. It took 20 minutes before we saw any effort at goal from either side then Leo shot wide when well placed and QPR - after Weston kicked a ball straight to an opponent - came back with a header that Alexander saved well.

The only other action worth mentioning was a 20 stone City fan who took off his top to reveal elastic shorts halfway up his belly stand up waving to QPR fans who were so quiet that City chanted "it's just like being in church" to them. The noise from the City faithful was incredible, there are none better, it drowned out West London, not just Loftus Road.

We seemed to be on top, Weston and Simpkins were trying to pass - a rare novelty - but then we seemed to be losing our grip on the game and QPR got stronger. It wasn't against the run of play, but it was a shock, when City opened the scoring 8 minutes before half-time.

Leo flicked the ball towards goal and QPR were opened, Peter Thorne raced into the area and won a race with Chris Day, QPR's keeper, coming out. Day clearly caught Thorne, penalty.

Surprisingly, Day wasn't even spoken to, by ref Messias but it wouldn't be the first time City fans marvelled at his authority, he had a very poor game although ultimately, he didn't influence the result.

Kavanagh stepped up and learned his lesson from the poor penalty he took against Northampton as he drove the ball home with power and direction, his shot flying into the top corner of goal. The noise and atmosphere was wild, wild, wild.

It seemed to inspire City and they came close to doubling the lead with one of the very few passing moves of the games which saw Thorne cleverly flick the ball inside for Kavanagh to shoot from 10 yards but he couldn't direct his shot under pressure towards Day.

At half-time, City weren't convincing, QPR were very poor, it wasn't a good game to watch but we were ahead and that deserved celebration.

h/t QPR 0 City 1

QPR Manager, Ian Holloway, review his tactics and decided a change was needed (how we envied his ability to do that in comparison to our (in)abilty!!). He introduced the change that the game had been crying out for, a wideman.

Doudou, like the name, came on to 'dou' Weston and 'dou' anyone else who tried to take him on and for the next 25 minutes, the game ran totally away from City in a one-sided affair. A number of City fans saw we were in trouble immediately, the support never wavered, but 25 minutes later, it had dawned on everyone. Cardiff went quieter, QPR fans woke up.

The equaliser, also a penalty, followed an incisive move which sliced City's rearguard apart. Weston had been exposed forcing Simpkins to race across the right side of goal to clatter into Thomson as he was about to shoot having beaten one man inside the area. Unlike Day who brought down Thorne for Cardiff's penalty, Simpkins was booked. The penalty, taken by Thomson, was coolly rolled into Alexander's bottom left corner, he dived the opposite way despite 2,000 City fans drowning Loftus Road with Men of Harlech which continued for ages after the goal (no chance of QPR being able to try 'sing when you're winning').

City were 'gone'. Experienced players who needed to roll up their sleeves and inspire others, didn't or couldn't. Within 15 minutes of the goal, we could have been 4-1 behind as shots flashed around goal.

We fell behind to, admittedly, a superbly taken goal by Thomson halfway through the second period. But if you get the chance to see the full move on television, all I will say is watch Graham Kavanagh.

Doudou, beat him on halfway, Kavanagh stopped still and let his opponent ran at City's defence, I couldn't believe it. Two quick passes were exchanged and Thomson hit a superb looping shot across goal which looped over the helpless Neil Alexander.

The game had so obviously ran away from City but, in another damning indictment, we waited until we were behind and almost dead and buried before we did anything about it. City fans were simmering with a mix of anger and disbelief, some were in stunned silence, many chatted to those around them exasperated at what was going on yet again, there were loud chants of "Corkie Out" from sections and a couple of idiots lobbed bottles of Carlsberg on the pitch.

They were on open sale in the ground, the upper stand was so crowded that the stewards seemed powerless to stop people bringing them into the stand but they were plastic bottles, not glass. Massias didn't seem to know that but stopped the game for 3 or 4 minutes and spoke to stewards and police.

When we finally made change, on came Paul Brayson, not Bowen as many expected (or Jeanne who we all hoped would be there) came on for Andy Legg. Leggy had a poor match, was never in the game, and even looked disinterested at times playing in a role he doesn't enjoy and one which didn't get the best out of him.

Immediately, Brayson showed what City had been missing as he went wide and put in City's first cross of the night - this was in the 77th minute!! Kavanagh was close as he ran in and put his header just over the bar. It set up a good finish by City which only emphasised what the problems were.

Passing the ball and playing wide, we look good. Playing the compressed, long ball game, we are truly awful. How many more inept performances and defeats will it take for this indisputable fact to dawn on Cork and Atkins??

A couple of minutes later, Josh Low came on, and produced one of the very few glimmers of hope to be taken from the game, he looked in form again. Cardiff tried to swarm QPR and they were now panicking. Low was scaring them in the same way that Doudou had done to us.

In the closing stages, Leo headed wide, Thorne nearly broke through and Low should have had a penalty as he was clearly brought down but the ref waved it away. In injury time, a cracking Kavanagh free-kick was smashed wide of the wall but brilliantly saved by Day - who, it has to be said, would not still have been on the pitch with other referees after conceding the penalty as the last man in the first half.

You may well therefore hear stories of bad luck, if only this and that hadn't happened, we were denied by a great save but any of those excuses will only mask the truth. We were poor over the 90 minutes yet again and lost it because of a continued poor management and tactical formation. It isn't working, the support don't like it or want it, yet we won't change it.

There were boos at the end, more chants or Corkie Out and the team walked off with chants of What A Load of Rubbish hanging in the air. It really can't go on like this.

Walking away in a desolate mood from QPR's ground, I arrived back at the main road by Sheperd's Bush tube station and, genuinely, the first of an endless number of takeaways that I saw was called The Lebanese Butchery. No sign of Sam doing the chopping and butchery yet but, having seen him walk away from games a couple of times recently, you wonder if it's starting to enter his mind too.

Report from www.sports.com
Referee Matt Messias played a vital part in QPR's hard-fought win.

The York official awarded two penalties and allowed a controversial third goal as well as stopping play in the second half whilst stewards moved behind the visitors' goal.

Cardiff fans incensed by their team's falling behind appeared to be throwing objects and the referee refused to continue until stewards had been moved into place.

A lifeless first half came of age when the first spot-kick was awarded in the 37th minute.

A neat back-header from Leo Fortune-West was directed into the path of Peter Thorne.

The #1.7 million signing appeared to have taken the ball too far to his right, but Rangers' keeper Chris Day collided with Thorne on the edge of the box and the referee pointed to the spot.

Although the official failed to send off or even book Day, he did show a yellow card for dissent to Mark Perry.

None of which put off Graham Kavanagh, who drove the penalty high into the back of the net.

Up until then two middling teams trying to find a run of form had largely hoofed the ball down the usual channels in the hope of finding one of their own men.

Thorne got on the end of another hopeful ball and tried to pass Day. The keeper saved but Fortune-West followed up and his shot was goalbound until deflected away by Aziz Ben Askar.

Four minutes into the second half Chris Warren escaped Rhys Weston and centred dangerously. Thomson had the ball whipped off his toe by Neil Alexander's dive. Then Rangers' luck changed.

A finely worked move ended with Marcus Bignot setting up Thomson but Rangers' top striker was felled by Michael Simpkins just inside the box.

Messias booked Simpkins and Thomson picked himself up to send Alexander the wrong way and level the scores.

After that Cardiff, who had started to fancy their chances, were left rocking. But it took another controversial decision to put the Londoners ahead.

Bignot appeared to drag Weston back as he went past the Cardiff defender but the Rangers player was waved on, and threaded the ball to Thomson who swept the ball right-footed into the corner from ten yards.

Both substitute Doudou Ebeu Mbombo and Leroy Griffiths attempted snap shots that whistled past the post but Cardiff could count themselves unlucky not to have levelled.

First Paul Brayson crossed for Leo Fortune-West to head just over then a four-man move ended when Thorne found his path to goal blocked by desperate Rangers defenders as Day eventually cleared.

Just on the stroke of fulltime a low free-kick from Graham Kavanagh just outside the box had Day diving full-length to chip the ball round the corner and seal his side's win.

Report from www.qpr.co.uk
QPR came from behind once again to defeat Cardiff by two goals to one at Loftus Road this evening. The hero was that man Andy Thomson with two goals, including one from the spot to overturn Graham Kavanagh's first half penalty.

In a somewhat disappointing first half, Rangers - fielding an unchanged team for only the second time this season - needed to get in to their stride quickly to deal with the slick early passing of a Cardiff side who forced the first corner on five minutes.

But during a low key opening 20 minutes neither side managed to create any openings of note. Rangers were restricted to a couple of long range pot shots, whilst Cardiff for all their promise engineered even less, with Palmer and Ben Askar always in the right place at the right time.

The home side's first opening, midway through the half, saw Karl Connolly's header claimed by Neil Alexander after good work from strike pair Leroy Griffiths and Andy Thomson. This came two minutes after Leo Fortune-West had caused problems in the Rangers penalty area when Chris Day failed to claim a hopeful punt in to the box.  The Rangers keeper was grateful to Ben Askar who was on hand to block the City striker's weak effort.

On 28 minutes Rangers skipper Steve Palmer looked to score for the second consecutive home game but saw his firm header drift wide of Alexander's left hand post. Otherwise QPR found it hard to get going.

Eight minutes later it was Cardiff who took the lead. A hopeful ball over the top allowed Peter Thorne to get behind Palmer and as he looked to round Chris Day, Rangers' stopper brought him down, albeit somewhat inocuously. Nevertheless, referee Messias had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Day's momentum appeared to cause the collision rather than any obvious intent, but Graham Kavanagh happily swept home the penalty regardless.

Then, two minutes later, the same player burst in to the box but struck his shot too close to Day as the visitors grew in confidence. Cardiff finished the half the stronger with Kavanagh at the hub of their best moves.

Ian Holloway brought on Doudou for the second half but it was a different and almost predictable source that turned this game on its head. Eight minutes after the break Andy Thomson burst in to the City box and was brought down by Alexander. Another penalty and the Scottish striker picked himself up to stroke home his eighth goal of the season.

Rangers visibly grew in confidence with the pace of Doudou and the tireless Griffiths unsettling the Cardiff back line but on the hour mark it was that man Thomson again that brought Loftus Road to its feet. Christer Warren threaded a delightful pass through to the Scottish striker who checked and curled an absolute beauty inside Alexander's left hand post.

Cardiff were shellshocked and Rangers swept forward time after time with every hoop-shirted player contributing to an exciting second half display. Once again a timid first half performance was replaced with a much better effort after the break. Doudou in particular was in mesmeric form, twisting defenders inside out and but for a little more composure would surely have capped a crowd pleasing performance with his first Rangers goal.

Naturally Rangers still had to be on their guard with only a goal separating the sides and that man Kavanagh was only inches away with a firm header on 78 minutes. But otherwise the stuffing had been knocked out of the visitors by Thommo's two goal blitz. Indeed neither side created many clearcut chances after this brief whirlwind. Kavanagh saw his sharp free kick turned around the post by Day in injury time and Rangers held on for three well earned points.

Another comeback, another second half display full of character and most importantly, another win.