Queens Park Rangers hosted west London rivals Fulham in today’s early kick-off at Loftus Road in a game that pitted 19th placed Fulham against the 13th placed home side.
It was an unlucky 13 for QPR as they fell apart, conceding three goals in a ten minute spell before half time as visitors Fulham stole in and then stole away with all three points in the bag. In fairness, the game was over as a contest before half-time, a 3-0 scoreline then seeing many disgruntled QPR fans leaving the ground according to a report of the game in Get West London.
Supposedly want-away striker Ross McCormack opened the scoring for the Cottagers on 35 minutes, firing in his 18th of the season to draw him level at the head of the Championship Golden Boot top scorer race. Much sought-after youngster Moussa Dembele scored the second five minues later, firing his 10th of the season before Tom Cairney ended the opening half’s slaughter with a goal in added-on time, bringing up the 3-0 scoreline.
The 3-1 result meant that QPR have now won only one of their last ten games against visitors Fulham and, on top of today’s scoreline, have also suffered a 4-0 whitewash in the reverse fixture this season. Today’s game makes it only two wins in 13 games for QPR boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, a manager who, according to THe Sun has “downplayed the lack of victories by saying he is more interested in ‘performances’ than results.” However, after today’s result, JFH was extremely candid about the result addressing it on the QPR website as “an unacceptable display.”
Speaking of the manner of QPR’s capitulation, JFH said, ” That’s two steps back. I must say credit to Fulham – they were the better team in the first half, and in parts of the second. They changed their formation a little bit – and we couldn’t cope. It just wasn’t good enough. We need to go back to the start and re-focus and get back to work again to put this right, because this wasn’t anywhere near the standards we all expect.”
JFH then turned attention to the fans, and how they must have felt seeing their team fold so abjectly to local rivals in Fulham. On this matter, JFH simply said, “I must say sorry to the fans. We let them down and we let ourselves down and it wasn’t good enough. Now we have to look to try and put this right.”
QPR will get a chance to do just this next Saturday when they take on struggling Bolton at the Lancashire side’s Macron Stadium in a game that, should they again lose, will demand more answers than raise questions.