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Match Report: Like City, Famara's latest away masterclass is hard to beat


Olé

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49 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

I read the Nahki Wells comment as being sarcastic, I didn’t take it literally. I can’t imagine Ole thinking Wells was being unprofessional, to me it was obviously a glib remark commenting on how he nearly got booked in the first five minutes. It’s not easy playing against your old team, even more after a couple of days. He was probably just a bit off and like others have said, trying too hard

 

17 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

Ole was just joking *...........lighten up!

 

*Joke - "Something said to cause amusement or laughter, not meant to be taken seriously"

Certainly didnt read like that. 

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5 hours ago, Up The City! said:

You are essentially suggesting that he was trying to throw the game to do QPR a favour and that is a complete wild unsubstantiated accusation. 

Put your tin foil hat away.

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10 hours ago, Olé said:

On the day that we gave a debut to an expensive new striker, City’s established frontman Famara Diedhiou, so often the source of dismissal and ridicule from fans who barely set foot anywhere but Ashton Gate, produced not only his best performance under Lee Johnson, but perhaps the most complete forward contribution City has seen for a generation.

For 90 minutes the Senegalese would not be knocked off the ball, QPR could not get close to him, and as well as drifting off his markers to power a first half header past the hosts keeper, he also reproduced Nicky Maynard’s insane overhead kick from a far harder location, then finally sprinted back to head an 89th minute equaliser away at the far post.

It is no exaggeration to say that Diedhiou secured City not only the lead, but the three points - in a fixture where he was simply the best player on the pitch: a striker that lead the line, imperiously maintained possession, but somehow roared back into the backline to defend corners and (impossibly) in the final stages head off the line when others were lost.

City are in form and they came flying out of the traps as they did at Reading on Tuesday - in fact it was a carbon copy of the Madejski Stadium as Diedhiou marauded from the left wing channel and exchanged passes with Paterson before cutting inside and curling an early tester at the Rangers keeper which was well held as it arced towards the top corner.

QPR were having to bundle into Eliasson and others to curtail City’s early purpose and after 7 minutes Ashley Williams took a free kick from the halfway line into the box which was half cleared, but Paterson collected, fed the irrepressible Diedhiou who easily skipped past a defender and forced the keeper to save down low. So far all City - QPR non-existent.

On 15 Paterson did well to intercept in his own half and send Weimann away, and when the Austrian miscued, determined City recycled possession quickly and Hunt at right back turned his opposite number brilliantly to break, hooking a long distance cross which saw Diedhiou roar into space to prepare an unmarked diving header into the bottom corner.

A stunning lead for City and comfortably deserved as the only side showing any ability to threaten. It could have been more - at the midway point of the half Hunt scooped in for a rusty Massengo whose cross was half cleared, but from Eliasson’s follow up Dasivla retained possession and slammed a rising shot at goal that was desperately deflected wide.

Direct City had the better of the chances but not the possession, and despite QPR rallying, on the half hour centre back Williams lifted a long ball over the home defence to where Diedhiou drifted off the shoulder of the last man and let the ball drop to fire a stunning - but technically tough - first time volley which rose over the crossbar and into the crowd.

QPR had probed with slick passing and interplay but off the ball Johnson’s men had been brilliantly compact and unplayable - causing the hosts to exert energy without chances. But before the break Baker slipped on halfway and right winger Osayi-Samuel ran on, laid the ball into the path of Jordan Hugill, whose early angled shot sailed over the far post.

City went in at half time rightly - and comfortably - ahead, but the second period saw the Londoners move the ball quicker and more directly as the whole balance of the match changed to favour the hosts. Although in minutes star man Eberechi Eze cut a frustrated figure as again he collected a ball in space but his pot shot from range was well wide.

The second period was more scrappy as Johnson’s side highlighted their ability to simply absorb and repel pressure, but right winger Osayi-Samuel - incredibly raw with propensity to simply dribble out of bounds - also got to the byline and cut back dangerously, indeed when City turned behind for a corner, on the hour Hugill’s header was blockd point blank.

City sent on new signing Nahki Wells for Paterson, and then Pedro Perreira for the injured Jack Hunt - who once again showed Loftus Road is where he plays his best football - and it was the debutant who almost doubled City’s advantage, Weimann’s throw in lifted over the top by Massengo and Wells sprinting clear to glance a header on the turn just over.

A minute later Diedhiou underlined a faultless display as Pereira threw in from the right, and 10 yards out and wide, the City top scorer watched the ball drop, held off a defender, flicked it up into the air, then executed a flawless bicycle kick from an acute angle which was tipped away near post . Maynard’s famous goal in W12, but from an improbable angle.

City were not finished and a throw in on the left inside the last 20 minutes saw the irrepressible Diedhiou muscle clear with defenders hanging off him, powering into the box before seeing his shot - under a lot of pressure from retreating defenders - easily held by the hosts keeper at the near post. This was simply a tour-de-force from the underrated striker.

By now QPR had found their range and were blitzing their visitors when in possession, in growing expectation of an equaliser, indeed Oseyi-Samuel, occasionally careless, was now proving a nuisance or Dasilva and regularly getting to the byline in City’s box before cutting back and hoping for a finish - thanks to Baker and Williams no such finish was possible.

In the last ten minutes on 82 the classy Eze swept a long cross into the back post which striker Hugill met and forced Nathan Bentley to brilliantly tip wide. And then finally - and perhaps fittingly - in a last 10 minute assault on City’s goal, before injury time Diedhiou, already racing back repeatedly to help City, headed away a certain goal at the back post.

For five painful minutes added on, QPR - dominant in possession but nowhere close to City on quality of chances or shots on target - would bombard the visitors box: occasionally aided by a remarkably lenient referee who insisted on booking no one despite the hosts continually hacking down City breaks, and yet carding manager Johnson late for protesting.

In the end the match was won as it was at Reading, and so often away from home last season - by sheer will to win and organisation at the back, Baker and Williams putting their bodies on the line to clear any ball thrown at then, while their teammates also capped a flawless display of organisation and compact shape, by stalling every last QPR attack.

 

Bentley 7 A couple of fantastic saves at the end - and again his reaction at the end shows how much he wants it

Hunt 7 Like the cup game in August, loves playing here, was a threat all first half and setup our winning goal

Dasilva 7 Some brilliant interceptions on the run and always busy but got Oseyi-Samuel beat him more late on

Baker 8 Threw himself at and won everything he could - one mistake late in the first half but otherwise perfect

Williams 9 Actually was perfect, think we take him for granted too much, tidies up with such class it’s ridiculous

Smith 8 Possibly a 9 - City didn’t own midfield but Korey regularly turned markers and kept possession - classy

Massengo 6 Looked rusty, gave it away cheaply 2-3 times in the first half. Always energetic but not strong enough

Eliasson 8 A nuisance, was sure he would create another goal, as it was deserves credit for being solid throughout

Paterson 7 Link up early was a feature of how dangerous Diedhiou was - but quickly faded in the second half

Weimann 6 Yet again lots of energy but not really on the wavelength of teammates, not the same level of threat

Diedhiou 10 His best ever, not sure how you sum it up, unplayable centre forward who was best on pitch at both ends

 

Wells 5 Bar early headed chance an odd debut, either too keen or doing QPR a favour: gave them free kick after free kick

Pereira 6 A little raw replacing the injured Hunt but settled and made some important later interventions in midfield

Rowe 6 Came on too late to really rate, but certainly part of a team full of character that were never going to surrender

Exactly how I saw it @Olé spot on report.

Fam’s best game for us yet.

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4 minutes ago, Up The City! said:

Dont accuse our players of cheating! Disgraceful.

Haha bet you're fun at parties. Perhaps it would be an idea to read and understand the words "too keen" before you go off on your high horse. Other people seem to have managed to understand that I was giving a pithy, sarcastic remark to capture a performance, the outage isn't necessary.

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10 hours ago, SX227 said:

Have to wonder wether Weimann is feeling pressure to stay in the team now (despite Lj's 'trusted' comment).

Seems to be arguing more than playing. Still runs around, but seems to stop well short of making a tackle or intercept, and his forward runs seemed less decisive..

Maybe the Wells incoming transfer speculation over the last 2-3 weeks has been playing on his mind.

The amount of times he was still arguing with the ref whilst play was going on was noticeable.

I don't see where Andi fits in after Fammy staking his claim alongside Wells.

On form he is a real handfull, but he really has dropped off in recent weeks.

I'd drop Weimann to the bench, to accommodate Wells starting against Brum.

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12 minutes ago, old_eastender said:

I'd drop Weimann to the bench, to accommodate Wells starting against Brum.

An interesting dilemma, Weimann won’t give their defence a moments peace / rest...do you let him do that for 60 mins and then bring on Nahki? He should be able to torment an already tired / fatigued, both physically and mentally, defence.

We are now starting to have quality options everywhere, even more so if / when Afobe returns...great problems to have

 

@Olé - as always, great write up

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4 minutes ago, reddogkev said:

Outstanding report, Ole.  I had no idea Fam attempted such a bicycle kick, going to have to try to find a highlight of that somewhere.

It’s in the standard highlights, second half, not a true bicycle kick, but a similar effort to the Maynard one years ago.

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30 minutes ago, Olé said:

Haha bet you're fun at parties. Perhaps it would be an idea to read and understand the words "too keen" before you go off on your high horse. Other people seem to have managed to understand that I was giving a pithy, sarcastic remark to capture a performance, the outage isn't necessary.

OLE, I took it on board when you advised me too be careful when I was new to OTIB. I think your posts are fantastic and look forward to them every week as they are accurate and entertaining. However the comments that a city player did favors for the other team either in jest or miss edited is a bit of a worry. 

keep up the good posts and COYR

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18 minutes ago, reddogkev said:

Outstanding report, Ole.  I had no idea Fam attempted such a bicycle kick, going to have to try to find a highlight of that somewhere.

I was at QPR when Maynard scored his worldy (Championship goal of the season IIRC).

This was a great effort, but not quite as amazing.

Fam's header was joyful.

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Thanks Olé very much.

Spent yesterday afternoon with three guys clearing the house contents to a removal lorry. Thus didn't know anything until we got in the car at five and my wife struggled hilariously to pronounce Diedhiou!

Another well earned three away points and with three new bodies to blend in, will we finally discover the consistency that is paramount to rising up the table and staying there?

Firstly let's not allow Brum to use as their perennial bunnies for the next three points.

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Had a good old Cockney day out, met some QPR mates, had Pie & Mash , and went to their pub before and after. Didn't gloat too much though.
I thought Baker was again brilliant, JD showed how we missed him , to a man we were good. Very good first half and my one concern is not defending higher up the pitch. Those last 10 minutes are becoming worries.
That said , I agree with everyone praising Fam. Shame he couldn't have got another goal that would have been deserved, the run and shot in the first half, and the overhead deserved goals IMO.

One thing, did anyone get a photo of the lad in his dressing gown ? ?

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11 hours ago, Lez said:

No coincidence that Paterson coming back in has made a big difference 

Only negative for me yesterday . He returned to type. Anonymous , not just second half either. He was a 5-10 in my opinion. I hope he can get some consistent form on a par with the reading game because he’s got a lot of ability . History suggests though he won’t. LJ hinted , when he came back from his loan that it’s a mental thing with him. 

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37 minutes ago, Shtanley said:

What’s the correlation between possession and Diedhiou’s brilliance? Fulham (a), Wigan (a) now QPR (a) too. All with very little possession. 

Suits his game like last season. Better with more space. 

But then he has improved his performances at home too imo. 

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1 hour ago, Olé said:

Haha bet you're fun at parties. Perhaps it would be an idea to read and understand the words "too keen" before you go off on your high horse. Other people seem to have managed to understand that I was giving a pithy, sarcastic remark to capture a performance, the outage isn't necessary.

Yea I am actually, but no need to get personal hey? Once again, your previous good reputation has just been lowered further.

Maybe in future it's a good idea for you to not accuse our players of doing the opposition favours and then trying to cover up your accusation by pretending it was a sarcastic comment, despite there being no sarcasm in your entire post at all. 

You captured his performance by giving two possibilities, one that he was too keen but then you went on and gave a wild accusation that he was doing the opposition favours. If you dont like the outrage at least make it clear you're being sarcastic! 

You made a mistake, take it on the chin ?

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41 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

Only negative for me yesterday . He returned to type. Anonymous , not just second half either. He was a 5-10 in my opinion. I hope he can get some consistent form on a par with the reading game because he’s got a lot of ability . History suggests though he won’t. LJ hinted , when he came back from his loan that it’s a mental thing with him. 

The whole point re Paterson is that he is inconsistent....if he wasnt he would be at a better side.....I prefer that to odowda who is consistently poor.

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7 hours ago, Up The City! said:

Ole, I'm very disappointed to see you have said this, you are a respected poster but I'm struggling to find any respect when you are accusing one of our own players of acting unprofessional and helping the other team out. 

Wells has shown nothing but professionalism regarding this situation, I cant believe that you of all people, are questioning that professionalism. You are essentially suggesting that he was trying to throw the game to do QPR a favour and that is a complete wild unsubstantiated accusation. 

You seem more offended by a sarcastic remark on a Internet forum, yet you voted for a racist PM who hates the poor ?‍♂️ 

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21 minutes ago, Up The City! said:

Yea I am actually, but no need to get personal hey? Once again, your previous good reputation has just been lowered further.

Maybe in future it's a good idea for you to not accuse our players of doing the opposition favours and then trying to cover up your accusation by pretending it was a sarcastic comment, despite there being no sarcasm in your entire post at all. 

You captured his performance by giving two possibilities, one that he was too keen but then you went on and gave a wild accusation that he was doing the opposition favours. If you dont like the outrage at least make it clear you're being sarcastic! 

You made a mistake, take it on the chin ?

@Olé I'm sorry mate your reputation on this meaningless football forum has been dashed because UTC overreacted to a joke.

You must be devastated ?

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2 hours ago, Lez said:

The whole point re Paterson is that he is inconsistent....if he wasnt he would be at a better side.....I prefer that to odowda who is consistently poor.

If he performs like yesterday , he won’t be in the side. There’s no excuse for such a dip in performance if it’s mental attitude 

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