agreed shocking. i counted 15 passes from him straight back to angella or thorne - on 2 of these we lost possession that led to a QPR break. He played 2 long balls forward which were decent. There seems to be a change in tactic to get the ball back to the centre halve then long ball forward or out to the wing trying to make the most of Casesstti's crossing ability. worked well against millwall, less so today.
No abuse from me. I totally agree. Fabbrini is not far away from being an awesome player. If he could just get his decision making right, he's definitely got the ability there to tear this division a new waste outlet.
I think today was one for the purists. It was more like a chess match, as neither side wanted to over commit and were content on keeping it tight defensively and waiting for a rare opening. Plenty of plus points from today though. We restricted a very good QPR side to just one shot on target and we look far more determined and compact. We look organised at the back now, and it's amazing to see what a new coach can do in such a short period of time. Only one dodgy penalty goal conceded in 3 matches, is proof that we are better. We've still scored a lot of goals this season but we tend to score in chunks rather than consistently. Today was the 8th match where we've not scored, but you need to get the basics right. This is the one area where Zola failed, and Sannino appears to be getting right. If you make yourself hard to score against, then scoring one or two goals yourself will guarantee you points. I like the direction we are now going in. With the addition of Merkel and Ranegie, plus maybe a couple of others, it's bound to improve us. I think the playoffs is a long shot now, but of course not impossible if we go on a long winning run.
Our back three is looking fairly solid now. Ekstrand was back to his best defensively today and Angella was solid again. QPR's wingers meant that Cassetti and Bellerin couldn't really get forward, which limited us somewhat attacking wise. I was pretty certain that we'd see a 0-0 when QPR have no strikers and we've been doing defensive work in training. Some may disagree but I thought Deeney was good today, won a lot of headers held it up well just a shame that when he did get it Fabbrinni was his only support. Murray deserves praise too, excellent again.
Yeah there are definitely some blind Watford fans here. Ekstrand didn't give anything away today. Best of the three centre halves, kept the door shut on QPR. Don't know what you expect of him.
Don't see it - he's had a lot of chances now and he doesn't make the right decisons 95% of the time. He scored one goal in his career before coming here and doesn't look like assisting any either. So my question is, what is his role in the team? Forestieri gives us so much more
“I thought we deserved to win the game,” Redknapp told www.qpr.co.uk. “In the first half I thought we completely dominated; there was only one team in it in terms of possession. “I was just disappointed with our end product today. I thought our general play was top class.” Have a day off please Saggy *******s face.
A good game. Fabbrini ...... SO frustrating. I want to love the guy, in the first half I was begging for him to get on the ball more and run at Dunne but then when that started to happen he'd beat his man and be unable to decide whether to pass or shoot!! His chance in the second half was golden and had to be taken, best opening of the game. McGugan needs a rest, but with no Abdi we can't afford it. Still need a partner for Troy, Ekstrand and Angella back their best. Remember who we played today. Call their players washed up/ has beens/ journeymen or whatever cliche you want, but with over 3 and a half thousand Prem apps under the belts collectively we were up against a stern test today. 2 clean sheets in 3, should have won, on to the next one! Finally, how good is Joey Barton!? Don't think he put a foot wrong all game.
Apart from a stamp on Deeney in the first half that should have earned him a yellow, before he finally got one in the second for sliding in with his studs raised.
Great game from a tactical point of view. Sannino stopped QPR getting as much joy down the wings in the second half. My opinion, for what it's worth....Fabbrini was decent, still needs to improve but the abuse is embarrassing. Ekstrand is solid 90% of the time but can be a liability sometimes, will be glad when Hoban is fully fit. Good to see Beppe sticking with the same back 3 though.
Well they maybe had more of the ball and looked lively out wide but they looked like us - no end product!
After the terrible run we had and the departure of Zola, the man who produced some of the best attacking football we've ever seen for our club, it was obvious and neccesary that Sannino was brought in to get us more organised, shore up our defences, and play in a more typical Italian style than his predecesor. And as others have already posted, credit to him for making strides in that direction in such a short space of time working with the players. The bigger picture looks promising if we can keep up that aspect of the game. That said, QPR were there for the taking today..two consecutive defeats over Christmas, no goals and their top scorer missing. For me, today was two points dropped, considering they lined up without a striker. It was an often joyless performance and a right dog's dinner of a match. We've now failed to score in 5 of our last 6 home matches. Personally, I don't subscribe to the ' I'll happily take a point' attitude..for me today was 2 points dropped. That's just my view on today's match. Overall, though, the 3 games since Zola walked have brought improvements in certain areas. And we were so bad in Oct and Nov, that improvement is bound to take time, I appreciate that. Now we go to Yeovil, a side we really know we should be beating on Wednesday. As it's our first repeat fixture of the season, our performance and result at Huish Park will show us all the progress we're making since that dark day when they came to ours last month. Happy New Year everybody!
Read between the lines Hes trying to make a 'statement' to the board, 3 days before the window opens. Same reason he started without a striker today
The gaffer did exactly what he said he would do... Start at the back and make us difficult to beat. Top marks for that 5 points in 3 after the way we have been playing is a decent return... Today's game plan was spot on but we must change against Yeovil and go for the win against teams that we should be beating. Thought most played well today.. Fab was clearly poor but it's very very harsh to put him in the boo camp just yet!!!
I don't think anyone will deny that Forestieri is the better player. Fessi works harder and has more goalscoring ability, but then he has had a season more in English football. Instead of him just being an awful player, i'd argue that Fabbrini is an intelligent footballer that is just suffering from our rather blunt and disjointed attack. He's the sort of player that relies on good movement around him, but every time he's got the ball in an advanced position, most of his team mates have been sat on the half-way line. This normally means he has no choice but to go backwards or take his man on. I actually feel frustrated for him. It's no coincidence that all of Fabbrini's best performances have been when Abdi has been in the team. He benefits from quick 1 or 2 touch football, not the 10 touches that most of our midfield/defence seem to be taking nowadays. Feels like i'm watching a completely different player to the rest of you.
If ff is not fit acuna has to start instead of fabb he is awful end of in my opinion we could of won that today thought QPR were nothing special.The lads look much stronger at the back.Murray,all I can say he is won of our own gave it his all that's all I ask from the players try as hard as him and I will be happy.
Completely agree. Wait for the backlash though, you can't be that sensible on here and get away with it!
Fabbrini is a fairy. A luxury player at this level. At a time when everyone needs to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in there's our second striker rolling on the ground every time a QPR player gets near him. Pathetic. People above saying he was being marked out of the game are having a laugh. He got no more attention than any other Watford player yet spent the whole time diving around. At one point in the first half the ball landed at his feet just outside the box. From directly behind him he had a clear sight of goal yet instead he takes the ball away from goal and throws himself to the floor in a lame attempt to win a penalty. It's his signature move and has been since he came here. Most of time it's deliberate and that's what the people getting on his back can see. Sannino clearly agrees as he had Fabbrini lined up to come off for about five minutes, nearly reconsidered then as soon as he flopped to the floor for about the tenth time Acuna was called up. He will never do what we need as a Championship club and no amount of soothsayers claiming they can see him running our future UEFA Cup opponents ragged or some such can alter that. Overall for me today the result wasn't a surprise. I called it as 0-0 before the game. QPR were average opponents with no cutting edge. Nice movement of the ball from wing to wing but no one to finish the chances created. For me Sannino has clearly, but no doubt deliberately, over-balanced the team in favour of the defence. We sat too deep and let QPR have a high defensive line away from home safe in the knowledge we had no one with the pace to get in behind. It also compacted all of the play into a very tight area. We never really looked like conceding but nor did we look like we'd win it. One big problem was the number of times our players worked the ball backwards. QPR were there for the beating but we didn't have the personnel to do it. I would say Murray, Bellerin and Deeney were my stand out players today as they all put a good shift in. I don't think the McGugan / Fabbrini link to Deeney is ever likely to work against the better or more robust teams in this division. For me it's a case of January can't come soon enough. Some need to leave, others positions need reinforcements. Interesting times. Either way we owe Yeovil one. Final thought. The manager has asked one thing of us - to call him Beppe. Clearly too difficult for the Rookery today.
Fabb isn't awful, he's very talented, he just isn't built for / hasn't adjusted to championship football and may never do. (A bit like Neuton) And HG its 'one'.
Overall I'm pleased with that game. Yes it was a bit boring from time to time but we played the standard defensive football that I expected from a Sannino team. I think we were a little lucky not to go behind before the break. After the break we definitely turned the screw and I believe that whilst a draw was the right result, we looked more likely to get the three points. Ekstrand did very well IMO, hardly put a foot wrong, along with Bellerin. Muzza and Cassetti did pretty and I thought McGugan was ok. We did end up hoofing it but I believe that was because Sannino saw how Forest played against QPR, with Halford being the lone frontman. I also think that even if Fessi was fit Fab would still have been chosen because Fab works better sitting behind Deeney than Fessi. As it goes, we should've been a bit more attacking-minded, but QPR did remind us of their threat in Hoilett, Phillips and Kranjcar and therefore the defensive manner we played in was justified. I'm sorry but I don't think Fab will work out. I can see what he brings to the table, and boy do I hope that Sannino's experience with him comes good some time, but IMO he just spends too long on the ball. As for Acuna, he was decent. Shortest guy on the pitch, yet won more headers than Deeney lol. He was pretty lively and did a good job. I want to see him start a game because I still think he's got something good to offer. Finally, something on the QPR fans. They were simply one of the worst I've seen at Vic Road and it just shows that they only turn up in volume as an away contingent when they've got something to sing about. They should take a leaf out of our book.
Must say the challenge that Barton got booked, a massive hats off to Thorne who saw the possibility of getting an injury by putting his foot in and still did after coming back from a serious, long term injury. Can't be accused of shirking that one.
He has had half a season.Time to give acuna a chance in my opinion.He has had enough time to adjust.What a fairy I don't no why but he reminds me of a thunder bird all arms and then falls down.
I loved the "We're Queens Park Rangers, we do what we want" in response to them being told they were having to stay behind. Clearly doing what they want meant storming down the stairs en mass and then being turned back and having to stay like good boys and girls.
"Roll your sleeves up and getting stuck in" might have been a good team talk in the 70's and 80's, but football in the 21st century is a now a game of strategy and skill. Technically savvy players get fouled regularly. For a supposed cheater, Fabbrini seems to fool a lot of referees into giving free-kicks. He also seems to get quite a bit of praise from opposition fans, which is strange.
Lol exactly. I didn't see them move one bit. The first time they sung that I heard it loud and clear. The second time they sung that they were completely drowned out by us. At least when we sung it at Ipswich we did do what we wanted to do, even if setting off a smoke bomb wasn't the cleverest thing to do...
Some players are suited to football at this level, others aren't. There are plenty of players in the bottom half clubs in the Premiership who prosper there but wouldn't be any use in our team at moment. No amount of strategy and skill would change that. And I specifically didn't call him a cheater. I said he was a fairy who dives around. He would rather be on the ground looking hopefully for a freekick or nursing a boo boo rather than having to face a one on one scrap to get past an opponent. He proved that time and time again today. For that reason I don't believe he's suited to what we need at the moment.
According to a friend of mine, he saw Anya as he was coming out of the Hornet Shop, and he wasn't playing today as he has a niggling injury.
