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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

QPR Come from Behind to Draw 3-3 at WBA - Reports & Comments

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>[Table: Bottom Eight]
Stoke 15 18
Crystal Palace 15 18
Sheff Wed 15 17
QPR 15 15
Leeds 15 13
Hull 15 12
Barnsley 14 12
Southend 15 10
BBC

John Gregory's Comments - Official Site - BETTER THAN THAT
John Gregory was full of praise for Rangers, but believed his side didn't show their full potential.
The gaffer believed Derby were the best side he had seen all season and due to that fact, was even more pleased with how Rangers faired against them.
However, JG felt that Rangers could have easily won the game had they performed to their full potential.
He said: "They are the best side that I've seen so far this season, even the games that I've watched on TV.
"You're almost looking at a Premiership side and they should get automatic promotion.
"I thought they were tremendous, we just couldn't get close to them in the first 25 minutes.
"Just in the way that they moved the ball around in the first half, which thankfully we stopped in the second half.
"The first goal was crucial and at 1-0 it was a killer. We managed to nick the goal just before half time and we needed it.
"We are better than we played tonight. We gave the ball away too easily when under pressure and conceded poor goals.
"We gifted goals to the opposition tonight, I wouldn't have minded if they had created them.
"If we can go about our jobs in the right manner we'll be ok. It's easy to fall back into old habits and I don't want them to do that.
"There is still a lot of work to do and that's my job, that's my bread and butter.
"Kev and Gareth went in with a chance to impress tonight and I think they did that - when you get the chances in life you have to take them and I've got a nice choice to make on Saturday
Comments

Mowbray & Gregory Comments - PA Sports/Sporting Life
MOWBRAY UNHAPPY WITH DEFENDING

By Brendan McLoughlin, PA Sport
West Brom manager Tony Mowbray was left wondering how his side failed to claim three points after their 3-3 draw with QPR.
The Baggies held onto their unbeaten league record at The Hawthorns but Marc Nygaard's 83rd-minute strike denied them victory after two goals from Diomansy Kamara and a Nathan Ellington effort had looked to be enough.
Mowbray said: "It's disappointing for us all. We dominated from start to finish and threw away two points. It was poor defending - you can't get away from it. If you score three at home you expect to win the game.
"We created plenty of chances which was pleasing but it's probably the first time I can say since I've come that we weren't solid at the back. I have felt very safe at the back over the last three or four weeks but I couldn't say that on this occasion."
Goals either side of half-time from Damion Stewart and Kevin Gallen pulled Rangers back into it and Mowbray admitted defensive lapses cost them dearly.
"We conceded the goals at very poor times - we conceded one on 47 minutes in the first half and then after the restart," he said.
"Whether we didn't work hard enough to stop them putting balls in or didn't defend the ball better in the box I don't know. That's football. I like to look at the positives, I am very aware of the negatives and I will be looking to address that.
"This game is about scoring goals at one end and keeping them out at the other and we have achieved half of that. We're obviously disappointed - it will be interesting to see what John (Gregory) makes of it. I think they'll be pretty happy to get a point."
JOHN GREGORY
Rangers manager John Gregory was the first to admit his side had been fortunate to escape with a point.
"The spirit has been first class really - it has kept us going. I think we have scored 13 goals in seven games and conceded 12. They did not lack fight.
"They (West Brom) are the best side by a long, long way that I have seen in this division. I think that's my seventh game in charge but I've seen lots of games on the TV.
"You are almost looking at a Premiership side and quite frankly they should get automatic promotion with the team they have got. If they don't then they are selling everyone short. They were tremendous for the first 20-25 minutes.
"I feared the worst. To be perfectly honest I thought they should have killed us off but they didn't and to be fair that's a testament to the group of lads I've got. We are better than we played tonight, we gave away silly possession and gave away poor goals."
Sporting Life

QPR OFFICIAL SITE REPORT
It was a Halloween thriller at the Hawthorns as Rangers stole a share of the points from a dominant and attacking Albion
West Brom had strolled to a 2-0 lead through Ellington and Kamara, but Damion Stewart's injury time strike just before half time gave Rangers hope.
Gallen's second half strike gave Rangers yet more reason to believe there was something to be gained from this tie, but Kamara's second strike restore the Albion's lead.
But it was Marc Nygaard's 77th minute strike which gave Rangers a share of the spoils.
John Gregory was able to return Gareth Ainsworth to the starting line up and also opted to start with Michael Mancienne and Kevin Gallen.

From the off the game had a relaxed tempo about it. Neither side hurried their game as Rangers were slowed to West Brom's former Premiership pace.

Simon Royce was called into action first however when Zoltan Gera's crossed was skewed wide by Steve Watson.

Rangers fought back though as Gareth Ainsworth hooked the ball into the box for Dexter Blackstock and Jimmy Smith to charge at, only for West Brom to clear.

Not exactly fazed, the Albion proceeded to cut through the Rangers defence like a hot knife through butter to go a goal up when Diomansy Kamara fed Jason Koumas.
The Albion front man saw his effort saved by Royce, but with Nathan Ellington following in on the rebound, the Rangers stopper was unable to prevent the ball from crossing the line despite his best efforts.

Once again Rangers fell victim to the early goal and found themselves with an uphill struggle.

Not resting on their laurels, West Brom surged forward again, this time resulting in Royce fumbling Koumas' shot before recovering.

Rangers were unable to penetrate into West Brom's box, but Lomas fancied his chances from outside of the area, forcing Pascal Zuberbuhler to parry away his fizzing shot.
Royce had to be on his toes again on the half hour when Watson's effort dipped towards goal after originally looking to not cause any problems.

But as it neared its target, Royce sprung up to tip the ball over the bar for a corner.

Despite the game being fairly end to end, the Albion seemed to have the breed of dangerous attack which led you to believe that every occasion would result in a goal.

Yet another of those events then followed when Kamara crossed for Gera and his first time effort, which had looked every inch a goal, had to be saved by a diving Royce.

With five minutes to go before half time, West Brom doubled their lead when Koumas' cross was chested down by Kamara and in one fell swoop, he looped it over Stewart's head and hit it first time past Royce.
Rangers fought their way back into contention in injury time however when Cook delivered into the box for Damion Stewart to smash the ball home from close range at the far post.

Suddenly, Rangers were back in the game with a life line.

With the second half just two minutes old, it was officially 'game on' as Gallen enjoyed his first goal since August.

Steaming into the box, Gallen diverted Blackstock's cross into the back of the net and reeled away to celebrate in front of the jubilant travelling fans.

Five minutes later however and West Brom were back on top in this end to end thriller.
Ellington slid the ball through for Kamara and the front man had time for a quick look at the linesman before steaming clear with just Royce to beat for the last 30 yards of his journey.

Picking his spot was just too easy and the danger man sent the ball crashing into the back of the net.

The Albion could have been out of sight twice within the sake of a few minutes as the chances rained in. Kamara having the best opportunity when the ball fell to him at the far post, but pressure from the Rangers defence saw him unable to divert the ball goalwards.

Stewart had previously lunged in and just steered the ball wide of the post, narrowly escaping the embarrassment of an own goal.

Lee Cook then went ever closer with one of his specialist free kicks.

This time his effort narrowly missed the upright and sank into the side netting.

The game ceased to stop providing goals and Rangers were now well and truly back in the game thanks to Marc Nygaard's close range strike.

The Rangers faithful were on their feet when the Dane converted Cook's cross to once again throw the game completely open.

Positioned in the centre of goal, Nygaard was never going to waste this opportunity and his strike completely befuddled the West Brom team who had been comfortable throughout.

When the whistle finally blew there can't have been a fan of the beautiful game who begrudged parting with their ticket money.

Especially if they were travelling back home down the M40.

WBA: Zuberbuhler, Watson, Perry, Davies, Greening, Ellington (Phillips 72), Gera, Albrechtsen, Kamara, Koumas, Wallwork (Hartson 85)
Subs: Chaplow, McShane, Hoult
Bookings:
Scorers: Ellington 8, Kamara 40, 54
Rangers: Royce, Bignot, Rehman, Gallen, Ainsworth, Lomas, Cook, Stewart, Blackstock (Nygaard 62), Smith, Mancienne
Subs: Milanese, Ward, Rowlands, Jones
Bookings: Smith
Scorers: Stewart 45, Gallen 47, Nygaard 77
Ref: L Mason
Att: 17,417
QPR Official Site

WBA OFFICIAL SITE
ALBION threw away two leads - and two vital points - on a frustrating night at The Hawthorns.

Everything looked rosy for the hosts when goals from Nathan Ellington and Diomansy Kamara gave them a deserved 2-0 lead inside 40 minutes.

But QPR stunned the Baggies by clawing themselves level with strikes either side of the break from Damion Stewart and Kevin Gallen.

Kamara put Tony Mowbray's side back in front by grabbing his eighth goal in just five-and-a-half games in the 54th minute.

But there was to be another, final twist when Rangers sub Marc Nygaard earned John Gregory's never-say-die side a point with an 82nd-minute header.

Albion were left scratching their heads at the final whistle as to how they had failed to win a game they dominated from start to finish.

As well as scoring three times, they created countless other chances but were ultimately undone by a rare display of slack defending.

Mowbray made two enforced changes from Saturday's first league defeat in seven games at Blues.

With Paul Robinson starting a three-game ban, Steve Watson was recalled at right-back, with Martin Albrechtsen switching to left-back.

Central midfielder Ronnie Wallwork also earned his first start for seven matches in place of ankle-injury victim Nigel Quashie, while Kevin Phillips made a welcome return to the bench following a calf injury.

Albion started brightly and almost snatched a fifth-minute lead.

Watson exchanged a clever one-two with the twinkle-toed Zoltan Gera before firing a first-time effort just wide from 15 yards.

QPR soon hit back and only Wallwork's vital interception inside the Albion box denied Dexter Blackstock the simplest of chances from Gareth Ainsworth's low cross.

However, the home hordes were soon 'boing boinging' when Ellington fired the hosts into an eighth-minute lead.

Diomansy Kamara slipped Jason Koumas through in the box, only for Rangers keeper Simon Royce to parry the Welsh wizard's first-time effort wide.

But the alert 'Duke' was the first to the rebound and drilled the ball in off Royce from an acute angle.

Koumas was proving a real handful for the West Londoners' defence and ended a surging 14th-minute run by firing straight at Royce from 20 yards, with the Rangers keeper gathering at the second attempt.

The early goal had failed to dampen QPR's spirits and, moments later, Pascal Zuberbuhler did well to keep out Steve Lomas' stinging 20-yard drive from Gallen's pull back.

Back came Albion and, after a lengthy spell of keep ball, Royce did brilliantly to tip over Watson's header from fully 18 yards after the ex-Everton man had been picked out by Albrechtsen's diagonal centre.

From Koumas' ensuing corner, Curtis Davies will feel he should have done much better after directing a free header over from ten yards.

Albion looked dangerous every time they attacked and Royce again kept the deficit down to one goal when he denied the unmarked Gera with a stunning reaction save from Kamara's pinpoint pass.

But it was to be a momentary reprieve as the buoyant Baggies secured a deserved 2-0 lead in the 40th minute.

Kamara superbly controlled Koumas' diagonal ball with his chest before shrugging off the attentions of Rangers centre-half Stewart and drilling past Royce from eight yards.

But Albion's joy was somewhat tempered two minutes into stoppage time when the visitors pulled a goal back.

After a short corner, Cook swung in a sublime centre and Stewart ghosted in to stab the ball home from six yards.

Incredibly, Rangers clawed themselves level three minutes after the re-start.

Blackstock burst into the Baggies box before squaring for Gallen who stabbed home from close range.

Albion regrouped and only Ainsworth's stunning last-ditch tackle denied Ellington what looked a certain goal following Kamara's neat run and pass.

Stewart then had to make a vital clearance inside his own six-yard box after Greening had jinked his way into the box and cut the ball past Royce.

But the pressure finally paid off as Albion edged back in front in the 54th minute.

Ellington did well to win a loose ball and thread Kamara through and the Senegal pace ace clinically fired into the bottom right-hand corner of Royce's net.

Albion created another gilt-edged chance in the 58th minute when Gera raced on to Koumas' sublime through-pass and pulled the ball back.

Stewart's slip gave Ellington a clear sight of goal but the former Wigan striker fired straight at Royce.

Albion continued to press for a fourth and Ellington's dink header from Watson's pinpoint crossfield pass put Koumas in the clear.

However, Royce was alert to Koumas' intentions and stood tall to catch the ex-Tranmere ace's attempted lob at point-blank range.

Albion continued to pile on the pressure and Kamara was only a whisker away from converting Davies' head back across the face of goal from Greening's centre.
Koumas then saw a 20-yard curler deflect off Michael Mancienne and fly inches wide.
With Albion still only leading by the odd goal, the points were by no means safe.
Zuberbuhler first showed a safe pair of hands to hold onto Cook's close-range effort before the same player curled the ball just wide from a 20-yard free-kick.
But Rangers silenced the home hordes by equalising eight minutes from time when sub Nygaard headed home Cook's left-wing cross.
Albion laid siege to the Rangers goal in the dying minutes in a desperate search for a winner.
But they ultimately ran out of time as the Hoops became only the second team this season to leave The Hawthorns undefeated.
WBA

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