Nedum Onuoha is NOT the right man to lead QPR

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Date: 15th February 2016 at 4:56pm
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The positivity and optimism that had been slowly returning to QPR was dealt a swift blow at the weekend after the Rs succumbed to a humiliating 3-1 defeat to local rivals Fulham.

From the Rs’ fans perspective, the rivalry between the two clubs isn’t considered that big a deal. I can’t speak for Fulham or their fans, but it’s safe to assume that based on recent results, it’s a game that they take seriously. Perhaps we should too?

Before the game had kicked off; QPR were in 13th, a comfortable six places above Fulham. The Rs also had reason to be confident, after their convincing win against Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich Town. Yet, as soon as the game on Saturday started, it looked clear there was only going to be one winner.

R - Nedum Onuoha of Queens Park Rangers - Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

James Evans believes Nedum Onuoha is the wrong man for QPR’s captaincy role.

QPR’s tactic of hitting long balls and goal kicks to a front two of Jamie Mackie and Sebastian Polter was doomed from the very start. Both Fulham’s centre-halves were dominant in the air throughout the match. Mackie put in a typical fully committed, heart on sleeve performance. Polter; a player that I’ve been keen to encourage, was very poor as he barely registered anything of note during the game.

In the last few matches between these two teams, Fulham have raced into a comfortable lead with the game being effectively over by half-time. The same thing happened again today. Three goals in 12 minutes from their best players (Ross McCormack, Moussa Dembele and Tom Cairney) meant that as the second-half began, QPR were playing for pride and nothing more.

Let’s be clear, this was a dire performance. I was fortunate enough to watch this game from the directors box and I can honestly say my highlight of the day was the salmon bagel I had before the match!

You could look at manager [Jimmy Floyd] Hasselbaink and say that he was slow to make changes and got his formation for the game wrong. But I also think there comes a time when the players have to hold their hands up.

They should be embarrassed. This match reeked of a game where too many players didn’t appear to care about the outcome and those that did, didn’t have the ability to make a difference.

During a derby, a team needs its leaders. Players who shout at one another, to encourage and lift their spirits. Nedum Onuoha isn’t the man to do that. He’s been a poor choice in captain. I see him as a player that the club would do well to move on. In fact quite a lot of that team on Saturday gave cause for concern. Did the full-backs have an off day, or are they not quite up to playing at this level any more?

Can QPR afford to play a fairly limited work in progress like Polter when they’ve spent several million on Conor Washington? Daniel Tozser had one of the worst performances in an Rs shirt in living memory. The fact that he is second choice to Alejandro Faurlin is worrying to say the least.

To offer some balance, the inclusion of Nasser El Khayati in the second-half and Tjaronn Chery certainly lifted spirits, the former arguably QPR’s best player on the day provided some guile and managed to open up the Fulham defence on several occasions. Chery, a player I’ve been quite critical of in the past, did well to take his late consolation goal.

Moving forward, you have to wonder if it would be best for Jimmy to only use the players he intends on keeping for next season. This was the club’s worst performance under Hasselbaink and if he is to do well next year, he could certainly start by getting us a win in a London derby because we need one!

 
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13 responses to “Nedum Onuoha is NOT the right man to lead QPR”

  1. Paul Vinnicombe says:
    15th February 2016 at 5:20 pm

    I totally agree with all you have said. What I would like to do is to be allowed to go to the training ground and tell the players how I felt at and after the game. I had taken my wife to watch with me and this was the first time after a long fight against cancer.

    I could not be more ashamed of my team for the way they played.

  2. JamesWhelan says:
    15th February 2016 at 5:26 pm

    Good report,we both saw the same game !! QPR were rubbish!!!!

  3. Mick Beaman says:
    15th February 2016 at 5:29 pm

    I disgaree about Ned as a player. He is a decent central defender evn if his concentration sometimes appears to wander. But I do agree that he is not a captain. This is a quiet team and it needs an aggresive and communicative leader.

  4. Mark Sykes says:
    15th February 2016 at 6:00 pm

    Nedum is not a captain, other than complaining to the ref over a dubious penalty claim, he showed no passion to motivate his team mates, not his fault, he’s just not captain material. From the kick off Tozer hoofed the ball in the air to Poulter marked by the tallest centre half in the league, playing in a sweeper system. God knows what they practice in training all week!

  5. rob sharp says:
    15th February 2016 at 6:01 pm

    Only the keeper played well the rest overated and overpaid and over their sell by date only a complette clear out will sort out my qpr and start with philips and hoilet and the people that keep bringing in these lazy average players in.

  6. eddy edwards says:
    15th February 2016 at 8:05 pm

    i travel over 4 hours to watch a game at qpr and see the worst team perfomance for years which was so sad as the week before i watched probably the best team performance in a log while .please refresh the team and give us something to cheer not by sending a good left back to our rivals at charlton?

  7. The Hoopster says:
    15th February 2016 at 8:22 pm

    Here’s the question, who plays every week and is a leader, a captain and a good communicator? Fact is Rangers don’t own a captain?

  8. johnny says:
    16th February 2016 at 6:12 am

    i agree at what has been said, them most disappointing thing is the style of football (hoof football).

  9. Gary says:
    16th February 2016 at 12:31 pm

    Totally agree with everything written. I have been saying for a while now that Onuoha need to move on. Ponderous and lacks concentration for the whole game. Phillips was very poor again. It’s not good enough to pretend to jump for a header. Worrying times for most QPR fans.

  10. Gary says:
    16th February 2016 at 12:34 pm

    In fact I travelled for 21 hours from Thailand to get to the Fulham game, rearranging business meetings and flights to be there. Never again.

  11. Ray says:
    16th February 2016 at 5:19 pm

    Rangers need time to right all the previous wrongs of recent years. Hasselbaink needs time to stamp his style and authority on this team. We wont go down, and we don’t WANT to go up. Consolidate, make the right noises and start to complain if this time next season we are in the bottom 6 with little or no sign of progress. What message would sacking the manager now say to any potential managers. Losing to Fulham is hard to take granted, but there are signs of improvement. Critical comments may be justified to a degree, but they also do team spirit and morale no good. Give the manager a chance !

  12. alan says:
    16th February 2016 at 6:16 pm

    stop playing 1 upfront it clearly isn’t working. bring back JET and stick him upfront with Washington. if not bring back stan bowles and Gerry francis.