Chelsea 1:0 QPR
It took a goal from one of our own for Chelsea to win this game.
We saw Michael Mancienne wandering around outside the stadium before the game. He was by the away fans entrance and it must have been a little strange for him, given that he plays for Chelsea but represents us. I can’t help but feel after all this time that he must have some serious affection for the club.
Gavin Mahon put in an assured performance. I saw him organising the team a lot in the first-half and he played some really smart passes to the wide players. I liked how he kept things simple and he ensured we retained possession high up the pitch by keeping hold of the ball and making good decisions on when to release it. That helped us a lot and if he can do that regularly it will be a big addition to our style of play.
Hogan Ephraim had a quiet afternoon though, but he looked like he was a little short of match fitness. Once or twice he couldn’t burst and sprint after a ball and that gave me the impression he needs a few more games under his belt before he gets his sharpness back.
Fitz Hall had an outstanding game at the back. He’s got everything you want from a defender. He’s tall, good in the air, can tackle, is strong, but also has the right amount of pace about him too. He’s going to help us massively at the back and he can be pleased with his performance.
Matthew Connolly’s height surprised me. He’s tall for someone we’re putting at right-back but I was reasonably pleased with his performance. He timed most of his tackles well and he played some very good angled passes in tight situations to the feet of our attacking players. That helped us keep the ball.
What I was surprised and slightly disappointed about was our decision not to make use of Gareth Ainsworth’s aerial strengths. The majority of our goal-kicks were aimed at Dexter Blackstock and Akos Buzsaky rather than the Wild Thing. I just think that Ashley Cole would have dreaded having to deal with our monster in the air. When we took Gareth off, suddenly Lee Camp pumped some balls in the direction of Hogan Ephraim or Kieran Lee. It confused me.
I didn’t think Dexter played as well as I hoped he would. There was nothing he could do in the first-half really because he was playing up top by himself and surrounded by three Chelsea players, but his touch was sometimes a bit ragged and he lost control of the ball a few times when normally he would do better.
Martin Rowlands on the other hand is staking his claim for a place in the midfield by the looks of things. He had a great game in there and showed his quality by tirelessly working around the pitch but also with a good deal of finesse. I was very impressed. He and Akos Buzsaky looked good in the middle and technically Buzsaky showed he was capable of mixing it against high class players.
Other than that, I saw enough technique in Kieran Lee to know he is a talented player and despite either looking a little short of sharpness or perhaps just a bit gangly, I understand why we’ve gone for Patrick Agyemang. He’s quick and powerful and looks like he could be a bit of a nuisance for defenders.
All in all, we played with an impressive amount of professionalism with so many new faces in the team. It was a great work out for us in terms of keeping our shape and keeping calm. It would have easy to have been nervous when we had the ball but at times we knocked it about very smartly. It will stand us in very good stead for the remainder of the season.
Finally a mention for us, the fans. We got behind the team all the way and it was very clear everybody was proud of the performance and effort put in. Despite losing we showed the right type of backing and let’s continue to do that forever, not just for these matches but all of them.
The only downside was the distasteful song about Didier Drogba. If we want to show we’re a class above it also means showing the proper respect to even those considered to be our arch enemies.
