An enterprising first half from QPR and single goal lead gave way to a frustrating second period and 1-1 draw against Preston on Saturday as the 25/26 season got underway at Loftus Road.

A poll on our message board asking where Queens Park Rangers would finish this season told you a lot about where this support base is at the moment.

A majority (34.1%) naturally believe 15th to 18th in the Championship is most likely – Rangers have placed there for the last two seasons – but there were significant voting blocks for all the other categories. A chunky 17% of QPR fans on a QPR message board have QPR to be relegated this year and another 21% think the R’s will run it close in 19th-21st. Around 9% think we’ll improve on last season’s 15th finish to the tune of 11th to 14th.But there were significant votes too for 10th-7th and play-offs, and a bigger chunk too for automatic promotion – seems there’s been some sort of LSD spillage into the water supply around Northolt and Ruislip.

Bar the Mick Beale summer I think we’ve all been pretty sure of our footing come that first weekend of the season recently: Mark Warburton’s 2021/22 summer was one of high optimism; Gareth Ainsworth’s 23/24 standing on Hiroshima High Street getting a bad feeling about that large dark blob in the sky; Marti Cifuentes’ 24/25 a cautious positivity that things were on the turn again.

This August we returned to sunny Shepherd’s Bush, more than anything, looking for clues. New head coach, new players, new outlook. The Christian and Ben Show, for better or worse. Paul Nardi may be your best and most senior goalkeeper, but that doesn’t matter anymore. Kenneth Paal released without replacement. Jack Colback released without replacement. Steve Cook retained seemingly against our will only because he played enough games to trigger an extension. By hook or by crook, by necessity or design, or simply because everybody is already injured again, the average age of this team is being pushed through the floor. From the second oldest in the division, bar Rotherham, under Ainsworth, to 23.3 on Saturday, the Championship’s youngest.

Problem is, much as this world of data freaks and geeks would like it not to be the case, football is still dictated and decided by the scoreline in the top left corner of the screen and the league table at the end of each weekend. Enough talk of game models, is this team actually any good?

Waiting three months for football to come back and then having it start with an 11th consecutive season of visits from Preston North End felt like buying a Secret Cinema ticket then getting there and finding it’s Cats with James Corden. Nevertheless, it represented a terrific chance to post some early points for a QPR side that has won two of its first 17 league games in each of the last two seasons. PNE won one of 15 games to finish last year and were singularly fortunate to stay up courtesy of Luton shitting the bed on the final day at West Brom. They hadn’t won an away game since February 11 and QPR beat them 2-1 as recently as Good Friday. Manager Paul Heckingbottom, a man who looks like he could have a miserable time at Cadbury World, promised to throw a bomb under his squad after that one but has delivered more of a party popper on one of the division’s most challenging budgets. An injured Jordan Thompson on a free transfer from Stoke City? Steady on down with the revolution there, Che.

The first half, from a QPR point of view was pretty positive. The usual raft of injuries forced debutant head coach Julien Stephan into a makeshift starting line-up that featured Kieran Morgan as a surprise right back, 19-year-old Esquerdinha as a first time left back, Sam Field as an advanced midfielder, and new father Zan Celar in attack after no kind of action during a pre-season in which QPR more often than not lined up without a recognised striker at all.

For a while none of that mattered. Morgan looked immediately at home on the right side of the defence, switching the play frequently and vividly from full back. Liam Morrison continued his strong, assertive performances of 24/25. Amadou Mbengue was all action and adventure. Nicolas Madsen sought thoughtful, cultured forward passes. Ilias Chair looked comfortable in the central role he’s long coveted. But the really big highlights were on the right and left of attack, where Kwame Poku lived up to his Peterborough billing with an exciting debut that could and should have been crowned with a first QPR goal after six minutes when his finishing was poor from Chair assist, and Karamoko Dembele continued his electric form of the summer by tormenting the visitors.

It should be noted that for all this, it took the thick end of half an hour to register a serious shot on target – Esquerdinha giving it all the Brazilian stereotypes with a 35-yard speculator from full back – and had PNE’s debutant striker Michael Smith glanced in a fourth minute header when he perhaps should have done we’d have been staring down the barrel of a long, hot day in the sun on Shithouse Island (drinks are freeeee). Sam Field’s ropey first touch that made a second an impossibility won’t vibe well with one section of the audience, Madsen’s lazy hack over the bar from range likewise with another.

That was all forgotten just before half time when Dembele took Jordan Storey out into some deep water in the left channel and drowned him for skill, then held off Thierry Small before cutting a wicked ball back into the six-yard box where a clusterfuck of yellow shirts ended up diverting the ball into their own net eventually off one-time-QPR-transfer-target Ben Whiteman. Usual hobby horse point about what nonsense the official assist stats are – Dembele doesn’t get one for that. We’ll certainly be awarding him one in our end of terms, the little Scot made the goal happen with a run of speed, power and great imagination. So comprehensive was his beasting at the Stadium of Light on the last day of last season I’d started to wonder whether he really is simply too tiny and wee to succeed at this level, but there was pugnacious determination and strength to the way he fended off Small here. Balls to the assists stats, don’t need assists stats.

A positive start then. Certainly slicker with the ball and sharper with the passing combinations than Rangers had been during pre-season. And a welcome attacking outlook versus much of last season. The little green shoots of what Stephan wants to do here were poking through. If this is what his team is going to look like when it gets going then I’m here for it. Enjoyable, skillful football.

Which made what happened next terribly frustrating, and left me feeling this game was a real missed opportunity.

Joe Walsh’s first half had consisted of one claim of a provocative lob attempt under his cross bar in the final minute, but within two of the second half starting he was picking the ball out of his net. Not for the first, or last, time on the day, Preston’s returning keeper Daniel Iversen was able to dominate his box and comfortably claim a fairly lousy QPR set piece. This time he released an immediate kick right into the heart of the home defence, Esquerdinha misjudged it entirely, Osmajic’s run went unchecked by the covering Madsen, and a simple lobbed finish over Walsh presented the loveable Montenegrin with a first goal of the new campaign. All that hard work of the first half to get in front and you blow it like that. Soft as the journalism in an in-flight magazine. The source of your disappointment changes, but the constant is you’re always disappointed.

Although there was soon to be a fine save from the dominant Iversen to keep out Dembele (Rangers were pretty hot in attacking transitions all day), the R’s were lucky they didn’t go behind when Osmajic once more got in behind but this time spaffed his load over the bar. Simple, direct, PNE were responding to their half time rocket.

QPR, on the other hand, were wilting. Fairly well gassed at half time, they were absolute baggage by the hour and therefore unable to launch any sort of push for a winner to redeem that sleepy mistake straight after the break. Walsh was lucky a routine spill on 65 didn’t result in a second Preston goal – though he did execute a fine save right under his cross bar in the final minute of regulation time. Rocks and diamonds by way of distribution.

Much maligned Zan Celar has not had much of a pre-season when he desperately needed one, and missed the final friendly against Brentford with the birth of his second child, but such mitigation is tempered somewhat by what we saw of him last season. Not involved enough, not threatening enough, not mobile enough – 300 hectares on a single tank of kerosene, just put it in H. Rumarn Burrell made an immediate difference off the bench. Not by doing anything particularly good or difficult, just by charging around, roughing the defenders up, and making sure they didn’t have an easy time of it. I think this is one of the great frustrations with Celar (apart from the shitness) – it doesn’t need you to be a particularly talented footballer to run about and make a nuisance of yourself. That’s all Burrell did when he came on and the crowd responded in kind.

Late frustration over a bad Liam Lindsay tackle on Mbengue that seemed to have referee Oliver Langford preparing a red card only to change his mind (could have taken the wong one out of his pocket, I guess) and QPR being prevented from springing Ilias Chair behind an ailing defence from a quick throw in stoppage time because of some spurious idea they’d taken it from the wrong place. Bollocks, referee.

Nevertheless, the whole thing was coloured by just how poor Preston looked. Has there ever been a team visit Loftus Road and accidentally kick the ball into touch as much as this? Yes, Morgan looked assured as an unorthodox right back, and Esquerdinha had nice moments on debut, but PNE played without wingers and their wing backs contributed little – would either have been as fine with a winger and overlapping full back against them? Yes, Madsen showed clever progression through midfield, but North End were absolutely not arsed at all about closing down either men or space. You won’t get space like this very often in the Championship, and you’ll be waiting a while to a play a side as poor as this. As we said in the season preview, PNE definitely a source of potential lifeguard interest come April and May. And QPR didn’t beat them.

Didn’t beat them largely because they ran out of petrol, puff and warm bodies. First choice full backs Jimmy Dunne and Ziyad Larkeche were already missing to begin with. Jake Clarke-Salter is more of an idea and theory than a real live boy at this point. Steve Cook recovered from his Brentford knock as far as a late substitute cameo. Paul Smyth has done a groin. Michi Frey has disappeared off the face of the earth. Rayan Kolli has had yet more injury disruption and looked rusty as hell after appearing late in the second half. Jonathan Varane returned from one injury, then got banged in the head. Dembele, as last week, cramping before the end. Mbengue… cramping before the end. After an impressive hour of debut here Kwame Poku, whose availability and sheer number of games for Peterborough and Colchester was one of the many attractions of bringing him here, appeared to pull a hamstring, collapsing and writhing in physical and mental agony bringing a hushed silence to the crowd. More than 220 appearances by your 23rd birthday? Completed it mate. One game for QPR – hamstring gone.

What are we doing? This cannot be right, can it? At the fan forum Ben Williams tried to use numbers and availability across the academy and women’s teams to justify his assertion that QPR’s injury problems were not as bad as made out last season, and availability was knocking on the door of 85%. For those who remember Ronnie Edwards arriving on emergency terms because Steve Cook, Liam Morrison and Clarke-Salter all got crocked at the same time last Christmas, or stood behind the goal at West Brom and Stoke watching Paul Smyth and Karamoko Dembele have a go at centre forward cosplay, this simply doesn’t ring true. The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. Now here we are again with cramps and hamstrings popping all over the gaff again.

Williams spoke of a “slow burn” approach when he was last here in a full time capacity, something which apparently paid dividends at the back end of 23/24 when Rangers had all but a couple of long term absentees available for a crucial run in and even Clarke-Salter got 30 games into him. That season, too, started with a series of cramps and muscle injuries, and a team that apparently couldn’t play for longer than an hour.

We can only hope for the same improvement as we continue through the winter but it is worth saying that team was bottom of the league in November and if QPR are going in undercooked then they’re doing it when they have a very favourable fixture list through the first 12 games and then a nightmare dozen beyond that – no parachute payment teams until November and then three in a week. Are we in a position to be burning off chances like Preston at home? Is this amount of injuries already really par for any course? It doesn’t feel right to me.

And it’s the reason we didn’t win on Saturday. Much the better team in the first half, no petrol left to capitalise and see the game out in the second.

Links >>> Photo Gallery >>> Ratings and Reports >>> Message Board Match Thread

QPR: Walsh 6; Morgan 6 (Cook 81, -), Mbenge 7, Morrison 7, Esquerdinha 5 (Adamson 67, 5); Madsen 6, Field 6, Chair 6; Poku 7 (Kolli 67, 5), Dembele 7 (Vale 82, -), Celar 5 (Burrell 67, 6)

Subs not used: Bennie, McCann, Nardi, Sutton

Goals: Whiteman og 41 (assisted Dembele)

PNE: Iversen 7; Storey 5, Gibson 6, Hughes 6; Small 5 (Devine 75, 6), McCann 6, Whiteman 5, Thordarson 6 (Frokjaer-Henson 60, 6), Vukcevic 5 (Valentin 60, 5); Osmajic 7, Smith 5 (Lindsay 75, 4 (Offiah 89, -))

Subs not used: Carroll, Okkels, Walton

Goals: Osmajic 48 (assisted Iversen)

Yellow Cards: Hughes 71 (foul), Whiteman 84 (foul), Lindsay 86 (foul)

QPR Star Man – Amadou Mbengue 7 It was a great day for a few of the new wave of players brought here over the last 12 months or so. Mbengue and Poku were both terrific from this summer’s intake, and Dembele continued his impressive pre-season after an injury hit first year while Liam Morrison gave an accomplished display at centre half. I’ve gone for Mbengue because a big problem for the team was the way it wilted after half time – Dembele cramping again, Poku’s hamstring apparently pinging. Morrison and Mbengue maintained their levels right through to the end, and just as well or we’d have probably lost the game. Mbengue’s greater impact when we’ve got the ball just nudges him ahead of the Scot.

Referee – Oliver Langford (West Midlands) 5 So much of the refereeing I’ve seen in this opening weekend seems to be based around preventing a football match breaking out in case it gives you a controversial decision to make. His handling of the Lindsay incident, the stoppage time, the quick throw in near the end, seemed that of a referee who’d decided he was quite happy with 1-1 and wanted the whole thing over with.

Attendance - 16,804 (1,322 PNE)

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Pictures - Ian Randall Photography

royinaus added 07:29 - Aug 11 Thanks Clive You make a good point - It was already the elephant in the room but the Kwame Poku stat just made the elephant even bigger. What's going on...
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HastingsRanger added 09:31 - Aug 11 Thanks Clive for a very accurate excellent report. A similar game to the opener last season, only against a much poorer opposition. Some positives in the team, with good debuts from Mbenge and Burrell. Esquerdinha a bit naive but has potential. Sadly, Celar does not to seem to have learnt anything from last season, just peeling off from the shoulder chasing a pass that will never be delivered. However, an improved Madsen, which gives some hope of development there. Again, piss balling at the back seems to be a theme to continue. I don't get it, taking risks just for the keeper to go long regardless (and lose possession regardless). What's the point? As you said, a good first half (but nobody to finish the advantage) and they really ran out of puff in the second. A long old season ahead, I think. Hopefully the return of Dunne and a forward (any forward) will help things. I count myself as one of the 21%!

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Marshy added 13:30 - Aug 11 Whilst there were some very promising performances, I can’t help thinking that this was a wasted opportunity to get 3 points. Preston were poor last season, and are expected to struggle this season as well. If we could have kept up the momentum in the first half I think we could have won, but we just seemed to run out of steam. Like a hangover from last season, we honestly didn’t look capable of scoring, and the curse of injuries looks to have returned again. Celar once again didn’t contribute anything, and our other striker options as it stands doesn’t fill me with any confidence. That said perhaps Burrell could be ok, as he did at least look as if he had something about him. However there were definitely some positives to take away. Dembele, Poku and Mbengue all caught the eye. Get in a decent striker who can actually score goals, and hope we can stay relatively free of injuries, then we might have at least a half decent season.

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Rangers67 added 15:59 - Aug 11 Pretty good report Clive. However if the manager ever plays Celar and Madsen in the same team again I think I will lose my sh*t. Celar is not up to non league standard . I know this is going to sound strange but even Mr Dykes was better than him ! He has not got the slightest idea of what he is supposed to be doing. As for Madsen , some people here think there are signs of improvement , well I have yet to see them and even if there were ( there aren,t ) it would be staring from a very low base. It’s hard enough playing against 12 men with eleven let alone nine. I mention 12 because there is no way anyone is going to persuade me this ref was not only incompetent but biased. Evidence, the fact he called back the quick throw at the end to have it retaken from just about the same place so to give him 5 is a bit generous.

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Burnleyhoop added 20:17 - Aug 11 85% availability eh. The 15% must have all been from the first team, with literally nobody else across the entire club picking up an injury. Unlikely. As I write, we have been heavily linked with Kone from Wycombe. If true, I will be happy to drive Celar to Grimsby. It’s going to be a slow start. No escaping it.
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DavidCSP added 09:34 - Aug 12 I would have taken the point before the game but Preston were so poor, the result is a disappointment. This could be a difficult season for our current squad, bearing in mind they won’t be playing many teams inferior to Preston. We still need a genuine striker, capable of scoring regularly. And we need to reduce the number of times goal kicks go to a double marked player, yards away from goal. More quick longer clearances are required, to catch the opposition out of position - rather like the soft goal we conceded on Saturday.

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