As a reward for all our recent hard work, we at STT headquarters decided to treat ourselves to a little field trip last night to Loftus Road and were present for a defining moment in history. For the first time since about what, 1976, Queens Park Rangers actually won a game! The scenes of jubilation were incredible around the ground, and the dejection of the faces of the traveling Norwich support was palpable. Rangers remain rooted to the bottom of the Championship, but after Martin Rowlands slotted away a rather generous looking penalty, the Hoops are finally off and running this season. However, this match was hardly an advertisement for the Real League, with both sides genuinely looking like they had never actually played the game before.
While QPR are bottom, Norwich are the ones to be worried, languishing in 22nd and without a league goal in six full games. They made a decidedly terrible team look good, losing every 50/50 ball and not hitting the target once in 90 minutes. There was no pressure on the ball at any point in the game, and if you give any professional footballer that much time and space, they don’t exactly have to be Kaka to create something over the course of a whole match. It comes to something when, at 38 years old and playing out of position at centre back, Dion Dublin was by far their best defender and also their most threatening attacking option.
The deciding penalty came after the home side had enjoyed an extended stay in the Norwich half, with tricky winger Rowan Vine toppled in the box with around 20 minutes left to play. From then on it could have been a rout, with Norwich keeper David Marshall keeping his side from full embarrassment with several superb saves as the clock ominously ticked down for the traveling Canaries and boss Peter Grant. The final whistle was met with a torrent of boos, coarse insults and ‘Grant Out!’ chants, while QPR celebrated their historic win.
The genuine highlight of the night was some Norwich fan being sick down the back of the terrace onto the STT editorial staff. Vomit is almost always funny when it's not happening to you, but when you are threatened with the prospect of being covered with sweetcorn and carrots from on high, you are unamused. One victim recived a gobbet of stomach acid to the face and the other was hit on his on his suit jacket. Which he wore to work today.
