SATURDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2016
History will record this weekend as the one on which Fidel Castro’s death was announced. But on a foggy day and in fading light, you could just about mistake Ian Holloway for another of the 20th century’s great revolutionaries: Vladimir Lenin. Give or take a few minor differences such as Ian Holloway seemingly being a nice guy, who smiles like he means it and refuses to take himself too seriously.
Unfortunately after this display QPR’s future opponents might not take his team too seriously either; and few of their vocal travelling fans walked away from Portman Road, with a smile on their face. Holloway’s West London revolution, preceded by the corrupting profligacies of the Redknapp era and the fleeting governments of Bond, Ramsey, Warnock and Hasselbaink, has a long march ahead. Only the Saturday before QPR had beaten the highly-fancied Norwich and Ipswich had lost miserably at home to the flailing Nottingham Forest. If ever there was a good time to visit Suffolk, snatch three points and ride off down the A12 into the night, it was surely this fixture? Yet it is perhaps a sign of how much work Holloway has to do that such a heist never looked like happening.
McCarthy, ever independent of growing numbers of outspokenly critical Ipswich fans, stubbornly brought in the experienced Varney and Douglas to garner more time and steel in the spine of his team. Many more were sceptical of those choices; but all were wrong. Young Tom Lawrence may have stolen they eye in the opening 20 minutes of this game, with a blistering succession of tackles, passes, clearances and dribbles that sometime made us feel like he was the only man on the pitch. Yet closing in on his wonderfully dipping left wing free kick in the 17th minute were the old head Varney and the young Turk Webster; a wave of McCarthyite blue which forced the Rangers keeper Smithies to punch the ball out, rather than catch it. His clearance fell to Grant Ward on the edge of the penalty area who after a turn, two attempts and a couple of bobbles, scored with what many reports have entitled a ‘scuffed shot.' Scraped, scratched or scuffed, at least it wasn’t muffed. A psychologically fragile Ipswich found themselves ahead at home, against an equally uncertain Rangers. Had Berra managed to head another highly effective Lawrence right wing free kick the goal side of the post minutes later, then Ipswich would already have mastered Rangers; though as it was they had the ever-reliable Bialkowski in goal to thank for retaining the half time lead. The Pole was quick and purposeful off his line, rushing in to deny the lively Conor Washington from close range with that essential weapon in any goalkeeper’s armoury: the knee.
Just after half time the goalkeeper’s metaphorical boot was on the other foot: and it was the Ranger’s goalkeeper under pressure. To add in even more bodily metaphors, Smithies lost his head. For from a similar situation to QPR’s spurned chance, a pacey midfield ball fired to the penalty area for forwards to chase, Ipswich scored a second. Two QPR defenders and the generally reliable Smithies somehow contrived their last line of defence to be the goalkeeper, having to head the ball into touch, from many yards outside of his box. Smithies didn’t manage much muscle and to his embarrassment instead, provided a slick glancing header to lay the ball off to Varney. Despite his surprise at such charity Varney kept his cool and slotted home. Two-nil after 55 minutes and yet in truth, Ipswich until then had created precious few chances.
Minutes later it was three. Cole Skuse, who like Tom Lawrence was unlucky not to be chosen as man of the match for Ipswich, had a decent shot saved in the 57th minute after being set up by Lawrence. Skuse tried the same thing again in the 61st minute and this time his fast low shot was blocked and skilfully controlled by Lawrence, who swivelled to finish with force and pinpoint accuracy from around the penalty spot. It was a well taken goal, in what had been a hugely influential performance from Leicester City’s season-long loanee.
Having already brought on Sylla and Sandro in the 59th minute there was little more that Holloway could do to shuffle his tiring pack; and despite unceasing effort and even a Sandro header against the post, the remaining 30 minutes were dominated by Ipswich. They probably had more shots in that half hour than in the previous two home games put together, with Ward, Lawrence and McGoldrick all creating or spurning clear chances.
Three nil it may have finished and four or five it could have been, but in truth the match had started in typically taut Championship fashion before being tipped Ipswich’s way via Grant Ward’s ‘scuff’; a lead that was then doubled by dire defending header. If they are to threaten for the play-offs Ipswich will need to recreate the confident and sometimes flowing football of that last half hour; in match after match and from the first minute, not the sixtieth. And if QPR are going to do anything other than tread water they need to sort out their central defence. Giving three goals away from central positions, to an Ipswich side struggling for goals, does not bode well for the winter ahead. Holloway had better watch his back, and specifically his back four, lest he falls prey to another West London palace coup or peasant’s revolt.
Mick McCarthy meanwhile is a born survivor. The longest-serving manager in the Championship used his experience, and the similarly old heads of Douglas and Varney, to pull off a vital win. If that can be followed with decent displays against Bristol City away and then Cardiff at home: who knows? Ipswich might even claw their way above Norwich. And as any East Anglian knows, after that the only way’s up…
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