QPR Sink into the Mire...Colchester 2 QPR 1

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Colchester 2 QPR 1...QPR Bottom

league Table

Waddock's Comments - Official Site
Gary Waddock didn't mince his words and called on his men to show pride and passion.

Rangers found themselves 2-0 down at half time and pulled a goal back thanks to a Colchester own goal, and Waddock was not a happy man.
Harking back to his days as a player, the Rangers manager asked his men to take a good look at themselves in the mirror tonight.
"I don't know where to start, where was the pride? Where was the passion?
"I wasn't the best player, but in mine and Alan McDonald's day we knew what it meant to wear the shirt.
"I'm getting sick of coming out here and talking about good football, and I'm sure the fans are as well. I'd rather play the sort of football that wins games.
"All I know is, we're bottom of the table and I don't like it one bit.
"We didn't improve in the second half in my opinion; we were bad from start to finish.
"We had injuries and that's not what this performance was down to. All that proves to me is that those who filled in didn't do enough to nail down a spot.
"Myself and Alan McDonald both said the same thing to the players after the game, they need to take a long, hard look at themselves."
QPR Official

QPR OFFICIAL SITE MATCH REPORT
It was a case of too little too late for Rangers as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at Layer Road.

Colchester were out of the traps early and had already struck twice before the 20 minute mark.
Rangers didn't start to get a look in until an hour in to the game, but slowly the visitors started to look more dangerous.
Marc Nygaard's goal bound shot was headed over the goal line by Wayne Brown and suddenly Colchester had a nervy finale.
Rangers were unable to do enough to steal a share of the points however and find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table.
Gary Waddock was forced to make several changes this morning after finding several of his squad members injured or ill.
Kevin Gallen, Dexter Blackstock, Egutu Oliseh and more importantly, Paul Jones were all unfit to play.
Jake Cole came in for his first start of the season and Ray Jones was back in the starting eleven.
The defence remained as you were, and Shabazz Baidoo came in to take up a place on the right of midfield.
With Hull's victory on Friday night, QPR found themselves at the foot of the table and were hoping to put that right at Layer Road.
Colchester were the first to attempt any sort of attack, but Karl Duguid's shot was sent sky high when he was in fact well placed in front of goal.
There was then some desperate defending by Zesh Rehman, Marc Bircham and finally Nicky Ward to thwart Colchester as the ball was repetitively fired into the box.
Rangers then got off to the worst possible start, falling behind after Bircham had been taken out of the game.
Wayne Brown's shot was blocked by the Rs midfielder, but as he went down winded, the ball fell into the path of Chris Iwelumo who made no mistake from six yards.
It went from bad to worse when Richard Garcia doubled the lead with a vicious shot from the edge of the box.
The ball rocketed straight down the middle and in to the roof of the net, leaving Cole helpless.
The R's continued to be put under pressure when Duguid took advantage of Damion Stewart's slip, but Rangers were saved when he lifted his shot high of the target.
With half an hour gone, QPR were yet to have a shot on target whereas in comparison Colchester had been raining the shots in on goal.
Bircham was able to muster the first change when his free kick eluded the wall and spun towards the bottom of the goal. Dean Gerken was equal to it though and gathered at his far post.
Garcia was proving to be a real threat and only a last ditch block from Bircham prevented the Australian from doubling his tally.
It was far from ideal as first halves go and if Rangers were to rescue anything from this game it would all have to be done after the break.
Waddock was obviously aware that changes needed to be made and Ray Jones made way for Adam Czerkas as the second half kicked off.
But the change still failed to enable Rangers to clear their lines as yet another flurry of pressure harassed the QPR back line.
Lee Cook then tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck when he stormed half the length of the pitch and pulled the trigger 30 yards from goal. Sadly the effort didn't have enough zip on it and it bobbled wide of the upright.
Now Rangers were starting to show promise with Cook really looking as though he had the bit between his teeth. The winger's mazy runs were cutting through the Colchester defence and his service into the box was just lacking a finishing touch.
Marc Nygaard then troubled Gerken when his shot on the turn had to be gathered as it spun its way towards goal and Rangers continued to improve.
Matthew Rose even fancied his chances in front of goal with two shots on targets within two minutes.
Baidoo then looked certain to score after carrying out all the hard work. He took on his man on the edge of the box, moved inside and let loose. How the ball passed on the wrong side of the upright will remain a mystery and the youngster reeled away with his head in his hands.
Finally, Rangers got one of the breaks that have eluded them all season.
Nygaard lobbed the U's keeper and his goalbound shot was helped on its way by Wayne Brown who headed into his own net.
Scott Donnelly caused Gerken to panic when his long range effort needed to be tipped round the post for a corner and there was a slight feeling of optimism in the Rangers camp.
Now it was Rangers' turn to rain balls in on the Colchester box.
Nygaard looked certain to equalise when his header was deflected no more than a foot wide of the post.
But once again the points eluded Rangers and the battle of the bottom clash against Hull City next weekend will hopefully bring a more positive result.
Colchester: Gerken, Halford, Brown, Watson, Duguid, Cureton, Izzet, Iwelumo, Baldwin, Garcia (McLeod 67), Barker
Subs: White, Jackson, Guy, Cousins
Booked:
Scorer: Iwelumo 9, Garcia 18
QPR: Cole, Milanese, Rehman, Stewart, Rose, Cook, Ward, Bircham, Baidoo (Donnelly 79), Nygaard, Jones (Czerkas 46)
Subs: Kanyuka, Bignot, Bailey
Booked: Cook, Bircham, Milanese
Scorers: Brown OG 76
Ref: A Wiley
Att: 5,246
QPR

Observer - Jason Tomas Sunday September 17, 2006
QPR, the only team below Leeds, struggled at Colchester to cope with the home team's set pieces. The goals that gave Colchester a 2-0 lead - from Chris Iwelumo and Richard Garcia - both stemmed from QPR's failure to properly clear corners directed to Wayne Brown. QPR found the net only once themselves, through a Brown own goal.
-Observer

BBC
Colchester 2-1 QPR
Colchester survived a second-half revival from basement side QPR to secure all three points at Layer Road.
United opened the scoring when Chris Iwelumo smashed home a right-footed drive across the face of goal and in at the far post.
Richard Garcia added the second when he picked up a headed down ball from Wayne Brown and blasted in from close range.
Brown headed into his own net to give QPR hope, who also came close through Lee Cook, Nick Ward and Marc Nygaard.
Colchester boss Geraint Williams:
"We're not making it easy, but what we are learning these days is how to win games. The performance may not be there but the results are coming.
"I was disappointed in how we performed in the second half and we still have work to do on closing games down.
"We were two goals up, but it still wasn't enough and looked for a third."
QPR boss Gary Waddock:
"It was a shambles, it was a complete embarrassment of a performance. We are bottom of the table and in the first half you could see why.
"There was a lack of commitment in the first half. We didn't pressurise.
"I'm not happy. The players just didn't respond in the first half. They haven't shown the passion. If you know you are bottom you expect a bit more passion."
BBC
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/5330186.stm


COLCHESTER OFFICIAL
Goals from Chris Iwelumo and Richard Garcia made it three wins out of four for the U's as they extended their unbeaten run against QPR.
Once again, the U's came flying out of the blocks against their opponents and made their pressure count as two goals in the first twenty minutes gave them a cushion to protect.
The R's improved after the break, but despite an own goal from Wayne Brown, they repelled the revived visitors to move up to sixteenth in the table and away from the danger zone.
The U's made just one change from the side that had picked up four points on their travels in the past week.
Aidan Davison failed a late fitness test on a groin strain picked up on Thursday, with Dean Gerken coming into the starting eleven.
The U's started brightly and had the first chance with two minutes on the clock. A Greg Halford throw was flicked on by Chris Iwelumo lashed his volley over the crossbar.
And when they took a quick free kick on five minutes, Garcia's efforts forced the ball through to Cureton and Iwelumo who could both consider themselves unlucky not to have had a clearer sight of goal.
They got the lead their efforts deserved with just nine minutes on the clock. A corner into the box was volleyed towards goal by Wayne Brown - his effort cannoning into the nether regions of Marc Bircham and as the ball rebounded, Iwelumo lashed home past the dive of Jake Cole.
The attacks kept coming after the goal but the R's began to get a foothold of their own after the goal with the aerial threat of Nygaard in particular providing a useful outlet for the visitors.
However, Colchester doubled their advantage with 18 minutes on the clock.
Again it came from a set piece and, although there was a hint of offside when Brown first got to the ball, Garcia made no mistake as he lashed home a volley over Cole and into the roof of the net.
The Aussie nearly made it three four minutes later as Cureton and Iwelumo charged down on Cole as he went to clear the ball.
The pressure made the young keeper miscue his clearance and as Garcia drove the ball toward goal, it was bound for the back of the net before it struck the retreating Cureton.
There were clearly more goals in the game for the U's and when Bircham and Stewart got in each other's way trying to clear the ball, Duguid had time to do better as he lifted his curling effort over the bar.
The R's were struggling to pose an attacking threat but warmed Gerken's gloves for the first time in earnest on 32 minutes when Bircham struck a free kick straight into the young keeper's hands.
Barker was the man to defend well on 33 minutes when a good move down the Rangers left saw a ball thrust in and the loanee headed clear under pressure.
Despite Rangers having an element of possession in the final ten minutes of the half, the U's remained trouble free and went into the break with their advantage in tact.
The R's players were sent out early after the break, with manager Gary Waddock making one change in an attempt to liven things up. Ray Jones made way, with Adam Czerkas coming on.
Rangers' frustration boiled over a couple of minutes after the restart, Cook hauling Halford down after the U's man intercepted the pass intended for the winger.
Cole was then forced into an acrobatic save as Rehman's tackle on Izzet turned into a shot and needed to be tipped over the bar.
The same defender then turned the resulting set pieces only inches over the goal and from that corner, Stewart was relieved to see his clearance only go just wide!
At the other end, it looked like Brown had been outwitted by Czerkas down the left, only for the U's man to save the day as the striker hesitated with a shot on offer.
Cook was doing his best to lift the visitors and his surging run eight minutes into the second half saw Colchester players backing off before he drove wide of goal.
The visitors had started the half strongly and the U's needed someone to put their foot on the ball and retain possession.
The home fans sensed their side were under the cosh and tried to lift their team to see off the R's threat - although there were also nerves in the crowd.
Ten minutes after the break, main R's protagonist Cook was again in action, sending over a cross which just eluded Ward, the Aussie seeing the ball brush off his head as it went wide.
The U's first effort after the interval arrived on the hour mark - Duguid skipping past a weak tackle from Rose to send over a low cross that Iwelumo couldn't quite connect fully with.
A minute later and the U's striking duo bore down once again on Cole as he prepared a clearance and Cureton was unlucky to see the ball deflect wide as he blocked it.
At the other end, the ball reached Nygaard in a dangerous position and his first time effort was well blocked by Gerken.
Rehman had had a tough first half but he had to come to the rescue as the U's again exploited space down their left to send over a cross that almost found Iwelumo.
Cook was rising to the challenge posed to him by the Barside, embarking on a fantastic run into the box before hitting a shot that was well blocked by Baldwin.
The U's made their first change midway through the second half, replacing Garcia - who went off to a standing ovation - to be replaced by Kevin McLeod who made his home debut.
Less than five minutes after he came on, it was a current R's winger who nearly pulled them back into the game.
Boodoo collected a loose ball from a Barker header, drove into the box and, with only Gerken to beat, he smacked a shot that went inches wide of the post when he should have done better.
However, the visitors did pull one back on 76 minutes. A ball over the top found Nygaard and his lob over Gerken was bound for goal and, despite the desperate efforts of Brown, he could only help it on its way into the net.
Their efforts to get back into the match were hindered though when Boodoo was substituted with injury five minutes after the goal.
At the other end, when the R's defence again dealt unconvincingly with a set piece, Cureton twice had efforts blocked at the far post as he failed to connect sweetly with the ball.
The R's were giving their all in an attempt to get back into the match but could not find a path to goal as the U's back line held firm.
However, the home fans had their hearts in their mouths just before time as a Donnelly shot from the edge of the box was spilt by Gerken who could only watch it go past the post.

The home keeper did far better from the resultant set piece, claiming the corner firmly through a mass of bodies.
And there was another desperate moment for the U's when a cross into the box came off the head of Baldwin and dropped only inches wide once again.
Ball after ball was thrust into the penalty area but the home defence repelled their efforts to move further up the table and away from trouble.
Colchester


Colchester - Evening Star
U's dazzle against QPR as they win again

A DAZZLING first-half display earned Colchester United their third victory in the last four games, at the expense of basement club QPR at Layer Road this afternoon.
First-half goals from Chris Iwelumo and Richard Garcia put the U's in command, although they were holding on at the end after Wayne Brown had headed into his own net on 76 minutes. Iwelumo rifled home the opener after only nine minutes, and Garcia then hit the target with a thumping volley to put Geraint Williams' men 2-0 up in the 18th minute.
The U's should really have been out of sight before the interval, such was their dominance. QPR were hardly at the races. But it was a much tighter second-half. Rangers were handed a lifeline when Brown headed Marc Nygaard's lob into his own net, and that set up a nervous finale.
However, the hosts stood firm to make further progress up the Championship table.
- Colchester