QPR's Win at Southampton - Further Reports

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David Ornstein, The Guardian - October 2nd 2006
Gregory puts substance before style to spoil Saints revival

Before this game John Gregory urged his players to be "prepared to kick their granny" in pursuit of victory and after seeing Queens Park Rangers maintain their 100% record under his guidance, he must be delighted with their response.
Gregory has been in charge at Loftus Road for less than a fortnight but is already making his mark on a side that had not won in the league since August 12. After two triumphs in two outings the "huge challenge" he spoke of when taking the job appears to be shrinking by the match.
The striking partnership of Dexter Blackstock and Ray Jones, who have both scored in each of those two wins, looks to be blossoming. And the inspirational form of Marc Bircham in midfield is reminiscent of Gregory in his pomp. The captain yesterday withdrew his transfer request, saying Gregory's impact has been "amazing" and had brought "the buzz" back.
Gregory enjoyed some of his finest days as a player at at Loftus Road but if his Rangers managerial career proves to be anywhere near as successful as his opening two games - this was QPR's first away victory in six months - there will be happy times ahead."Style may go out the window as we look to pick up some points," he had said. "I like my teams to play great attacking football, but if you're the most attractive team to ever get relegated, that will be no good to anyone. I love to be around people who are prepared to kick their granny if it means they're going to win; that's what I'm looking for." And that's exactly what he got. Despite falling behind to a Jermaine Wright volley within 120 seconds Rangers showed a new-found determination.
With Southampton pursuing a fifth straight win for the first time in 25 years, which would have put them second, QPR showed a defensive solidity that would be the envy of many a Championship side.
After weathering an early storm QPR scored from their first clear-cut opportunity. Lee Cook's cross from the left picked out Blackstock, the former Southampton striker, whose diving header left Kelvin Davis helpless. "How many times has that happened - a player coming to his previous club and scoring?" Southampton's manager George Burley said.
If Davis was powerless to prevent the first goal he was entirely accountable for the second. As he tried to usher Zesh Rehman's through-ball out for a goal-kick when Ray Jones robbed him and slipped into an open goal. It was inexplicable.
The win made Gregory and his players' refusal to speak to the media afterwards all the more bizarre but if QPR continue to pick up points and play like this, their league position will soon speak for itself.
Man of the match: Damion Stewart (QPR)
Corners: Southampton 11 QPR 2
Goal Attempts: Southampton 10 QPR 7
On Target: Southampton 7 QPR 3
Guardian

INDEPENDENT, Conrad Leach - October 2, 2006
Southampton 1 QPR 2: Gregory celebrates in silence after goalkeeper's error seals win

John Gregory wants "people who are prepared to kick their granny if it means they are going to win". The QPR players were not forced to go to such lengths on Saturday, when Southampton were pretty amenable on their home turf.
Despite taking the lead early on, the Saints handed the initiative back to the visitors, who were enjoying their second game under their new manager, having beaten Hull last week.
Not that Gregory was inclined to share his thoughts on an impressive win against a side that started the day third in the table and going for five consecutive wins for the first time in 25 years. Inexplicably, he also instructed his players to remain tight-lipped after their first away win since March.
They got off to the worst imaginable start, as Rudi Skacel's cross fell for Jermaine Wright and his tame-looking volley deceived Paul Jones, though worse goalkeeping was to follow from the Welshman's opposite number.
Before that, QPR regained some composure and a claim on the game's outcome when Lee Cook found Dexter Blackstock with a cross and the former Saints striker guided his header past Kelvin Davis.
Blackstock, who joined QPR at the end of August for £500,000, made his feelings clear towards the club that gave him his professional debut by not celebrating that strike. The ban on talking did not apply before the game, though, and in the programme he expressed his thanks to Southampton.
"Although I started my career at Oxford, South-ampton were the club that really helped me make my mark," he wrote. "I don't think there could have been a better place for me to learn the game."
Whether Davis has learnt from his mistakes recently is not so obvious. In August the former Sunderland goalkeeper gifted Preston a point. Now, as if turning 30 is not bad enough, he marked the day after his landmark birthday with a horrendous error. He failed to beat Ray Jones while outside his penalty box and in the ensuing challenge ended up in a crumpled heap. The 18-year-old striker profited, his sharp, smart finish from a tight angle rolling the ball into the empty net.
Southampton's manager, George Burley, defended his man afterwards but will presumably find it hard to tolerate many more such mistakes if more ground is going to be lost on Cardiff and Birmingham. Whether he will get Davis to kick any grannies is uncertain.
Goals: Wright (2) 1-0; Blackstock (34) 1-1; R Jones (40) 1-2.
Southampton (4-4-2): Davis; Makin, Baird, Pele (Jones, 70), Bale; Wright (Dyer, 56), Licka, Viafara, Skacel; Rasiak, Wright-Phillips (Surman, 78). Substitutes not used: Miller (gk), Ostlund.
Queens Park Rangers (4-4-2): P Jones; Bignot, Rehman, Stewart, Rose (Kanyuka, 22); Rowlands, Bircham (Lomas, 63), Bailey (Smith, 63), Cook; Blackstock, R Jones. Substitutes not used: Royce (gk), Gallen.
Referee: A D'Urso (Essex).
Booked: Southampton Licka.
Man of the match: Blackstock.
Attendance: 25,185.
Independent

Telegraph
Southampton (1) 1 Queens Park Rangers (2) 2
Whatever John Gregory's reasons for keeping the assembled press waiting for an hour after this match before eventually refusing all interviews, his first priority is to his fans, who returned to London buoyed by a second successive win under their new manager.
Perhaps Gregory's time as a television pundit has given him a new perspective on how best to achieve results. Perhaps he is trying to create a siege mentality. Whatever his thinking, it is working.
Southampton should have had this game sewn up by half-time, but somehow George Burley's men squandered the early lead afforded them by Jermaine Wright's tame right-foot volley.
First Dexter Blackstock did what most spurned strikers do against their former clubs…score. He headed past Kelvin Davis. The latter then attempted to shepherd a ball out of play only to be dispossessed by Ray Jones, 18, who duly slotted home from an impossible angle.
"What happened with Kelvin was a one-off," said Burley, choosing to ignore a similarly costly blunder against Preston last month. "We can't believe we lost that game. At 1-0 we were looking to score three or four."
Instead, Southampton failed to match a 25-year-old record of five straight wins in all competitions, while a newly resilient QPR saw out the second half in relative comfort.
Telegraph

The Sun, October 2, 2006 - VIKKI ORVICE
WHEN QPR come to town, keep your granny indoors.
John Gregory, notching up his second successive victory since taking over Rangers, admitted: “It’s all about winning at this stage.
“I love to be around people who are prepared to kick their granny if it means they are going to win.
“That’s what I’m looking for. Style may go out of the window as we look to pick up points.”
Quite what his team make of this remains to be seen.
Or heard.
Gregory banned them from speaking, then refused to give post-match interviews himself.
At this point there were a few around who would have loved to have given him a kicking.
Maybe he was in a hurry to get home and watch his collection of Bruce Springsteen DVDs.
He did not even give a reason, which, apart from being downright rude, is strange from a man who, having left Aston Villa and Derby under a cloud, was virtually unemployed for three-and-a-half years and needs all the good publicity he can get.
And hardly a forward-thinking move from a cash-strapped at St Mary’s club which is struggling to get fans through the turnstiles.
If this is the reaction when they win, I would hate to be around when they start losing.
Rangers played with style, bringing Saints’ run of four wins in a row to an end after the home side had taken the lead inside two minutes.
Rudi Skacel crossed from the right to Jermaine Wright level with the penalty box, and he struck the ball past former Saints keeper Paul Jones.
Rangers, who fielded an unchanged side from the one that beat Hull City last week, were soon on the attack, Martin Rowlands shooting straight to Kelvin Davis after 15 minutes.
Then, after the half-hour, Lee Cook set up Dexter Blackstock, who levelled, proving the immutable law of the ex after his £250,000 move from St Mary’s.
Five minutes later Davis raced out to the left edge of the area but then hesitated over whether to clear the ball or let it run out for a goal-kick.
Ray Jones stepped in, stole the ball off Davis and struck it from an acute angle into an open net.
It was not Davis’ first blunder of the season.
The Sun