Team: Green, Hughes (Simpson), Dunne, Hill, Onuoha (Hoilett), Assou-Ekotto, Carroll, Henry, Morrison, Keane, Zamora (Maiga).
Subs Not Used: Murphy, Suk-Young, O’Neil, Petrasso.
Attendance: 16,638 (including 711 Blackpool fans)
Harry Redknapp’s line-up/formation in the first-half on Saturday was like Charlton re-visited – and anyone who suffered that performance would have hoped Harry would of learnt his lesson but NO he plays wing backs who are conventional full backs and with Batman and Robin upfront we played most of the game with nine men!!!
When changes were made, Simpson and Hoilett played with pace and purpose which engaged Morrison and Maiga and hey presto we opened Blackpool up. Blackpool were the worst team I have seen this season and I just don’t understand why we are so negative in our team selection and formation from the outset.
We should be imposing ourselves on the opposition and not matching up with them. I hope that Harry takes note of the second-half!
In regards to team organisation why oh why don’t we put players on the posts when defending corners? A player on the far post for their goal would have headed it clear, basics Harry basics.
Karl Henry shrugs off David Perkins
I would like to mention Karl Henry who did all the ugly stuff in midfield and covered Carroll throughout – credit where credit due, well done Karl.
W12boy
A real makeshift starting line-up that didn’t impress me at all, especially in the first-half against a team that were poor, lacked confidence and offered no real threat. Yet still they were 1-0 up at half-time through our poor defending.
What I can’t understand, no matter what the line-up, is why we are not attacking at pace? Why was Assou-Ekotto playing so deep, especially in the first-half, giving no outlet to the midfield players? But I am really left to wonder why Harry Redknapp (even with his bad leg), or one of his assistants, not on the side-line screaming at him to get forward? How can they just sit there throughout the first-half allowing that to continue? It’s disgraceful!
Danny Simpson makes a welcome return as substitute
Then second-half with the substitutions, we upped the pace and looked more dangerous. Ravel Morrison tried really hard to score. Maiga did well and looked lively. Henry also played very well and one particular tackle in the second-half brought a great reaction from the crowd. But really disappointing that we couldn’t beat a team as poor as that!
John22
Junior Hoilett’s 78th minute equaliser rescued a point for QPR but they squandered a golden chance to put significant pressure on second-placed Burnley. Three points would have taken Rangers to within seven of the injury-hit Clarets, who were beaten at home by Sky Bet Championship leaders Leicester earlier in the day.
However, Harry Redknapp’s side produced a lack lustre display and Blackpool led through David Goodwillie’s 11th minute opener before Hoilett, on as a substitute, evaded two challenges near the edge of the penalty area and fired home from 25 yards as the game finished 1-1.
Goodwillie, on loan from Blackburn, had taken advantage of some shoddy defending and bundled the ball in at the far post after Andrew Halliday’s corner had been flicked on by Chris Basham.
The lively Ravel Morrison often looked QPR’s best hope of an equaliser but was well contained by the visitors, not least when he wriggled away from two defenders only for his shot to be blocked by the excellent Gary MacKenzie.
Basham and Goodwillie shot over as Blackpool threatened on the counter-attack in the first-half, adding to the palpable anxiety among the home fans. Those fans’ spirits were lifted when key defender Danny Simpson returned to action seven minutes before the break.
Simpson side-lined for more than two months with a back problem, came on as a substitute for Aaron Hughes, who was struggling at right wing-back and appeared to pick up an early knock. And Simpson went close to scoring a minute before half-time, when keeper Matt Gilks had to produce a good save to keep out his header from Benoit Assou- Ekotto’s left-wing cross.
Redknapp made an attacking change at the interval in an attempt to get his team firing, sending Hoilett on in place of Nedum Onuoha. Hoilett had an immediate impact, shooting wide after a pacey run towards the penalty area, while Morrison had an effort saved by Gilks as the R’s continued to press.
They appealed in vain for a penalty when Morrison went down after a challenge from MacKenzie, before a final throw of the dice by Redknapp, who replaced Zamora with on-loan West Ham striker Modibo Maiga midway through the second-half.
Junior Hoilett takes a swing for the R’s equaliser
But it was Hoilett who came up with the equaliser, denying Blackpool a first win at Loftus Road since 1972. The Tangerines, beaten in 11 of their previous 12 away matches, had to defend resolutely in the final stages and Gilks did well to keep out a stunning strike from Morrison.
But as Rangers pushed forward they left gaps at the back and had a lucky escape when substitute Thomas Barkhuizen got away from Richard Dunne only to slice horribly wide with just keeper Rob Green to beat.
The Daily Mail
Odd starting line-up, Harry Redknapp got that badly wrong. Some poor defending allowed the visitors to take the lead. I think they had two unmarked players at the far post!!!
Most of the balls we put into the box were easily smothered by the Blackpool defence. Apart from one scare it was one-way traffic after the break as the substitutions took effect. A superb equaliser from Junior Hoilett, but Burnley’s defeat earlier in the day made it all even more frustrating.
Steve Russell
Photographs provided by Sandra Sayce and are used with permission