Team: Green, Furlong, Ferdinand, Caulker, Suk-Young, Phillips, Henry, Barton, Kranjcar (Traore), Austin (Zarate), Zamora (Doughty)
Subs Not Used: McCarthy, Hill, Wright-Phillips, Vargas
Attendance: 24,466 (including 2,119 R’s fans)
With our ‘captain’ leading by example as usual, Caulker’s insult to pub football, Phillips consistently disappearing throughout the game and a ref who was simply appalling, our fate was sealed!
If our ‘captain’ is the best we can do, we would be in trouble in the Championship, indeed League Onehe needs to do one. Caulker is proving to be incompetent. Phillips, I have no doubt, has what it takes, but he has doubts within himself that are killing his game. The ref, had we won 6-0, would still be a disgrace to the game of football.
That said, Rob Green was outstanding, Austin worked his socks off, as they all did so I can’t ask for more. I thought that Ramsey took a real chance on Furlonghow wrong I was, really delighted for him.
Make no mistake, Hull are a very poor sideit says a lot about us that we came away with nothing!
Good trip, good craictill the next time.
Jimmy Murray
Chris Ramsey’s first match since he was confirmed as Queen’s Park Rangers manager could not have brought more heartache or controversy. First, a red card for Joey Barton and all the fall-out he must have known would follow; then an 89th minute goal that leaves his side still locked in a relegation battle and gives one of his rivals a significant advantage.
Dame N’Doye’s last-gasp goal gave Hull City only their sixth win of the season and opens up a four-point gap between themselves and the bottom three, from which Rangers remain separated by only goal difference.
Hull can look ahead with growing optimism, with matches against two more fellow strugglers, Leicester and Sunderland, on the immediate horizon. Rangers, on the other hand, will tackle their next three fixtures at least without their captain, whose latest moment of madness could not have come at a more inopportune moment.
Given his disciplinary record – eight yellow cards this season including a Premier League record seven in consecutive matches going into this match – Barton cannot be sure he will not be handed stiffer punishment. Booked 90 times in his career he has now been dismissed nine times. Barton made a public apology on Twitter within minutes of the match ending.
He was shown the red card after 32 minutes for punching Hull’s Tom Huddlestone in the groin right in front of referee Anthony Taylor, having become embroiled in an altercation with Hull players following a clumsy late lunge by Darnell Furlong, the 19-year-old Rangers debutant, on Hull goalscorer Nikica Jelavic.
Barton claimed later that some Hull players were trying to persuade Taylor to send Furlong off. The former England midfielder first pushed away defender Alex Bruce and then aimed a low blow at Huddlestone that left Taylor, who booked Furlong for the initial offence, with little choice but to provide a red card.
Via his Twitter account, Barton said: “I’ve apologised to the lads and would like to apologise to all QPR fans who travelled today. I’m gutted I got sent off. I’ve let my team mates down. My actions towards Huddlestone were certainly not malicious.”
“I’ve tried to prevent Hull’s players influence the referee as you can see by me pushing Bruce away. The young kid making his debut has made a good tackle. Couple of Hull players trying to get him sent off. My job as captain is to protect him.”
Ramsey said he would speak to Barton about his actions. “I would rather look at it in the cold light of day when tempers and emotions have calmed down and then discuss it with the player,” he said.
Jelavic put Hull ahead in the 16th minute, volleying home his eighth goal of the season after Steven Caulker had made a poor attempt to head clear a Huddlestone free kick.
But Rangers’ 10 men organised themselves well, equalised when Charlie Austin headed home his 14th goal of the season and looked capable of holding on for a brave point until N’Doye, who joined Hull from Lokomotiv Moscow on deadline day, headed his second goal in as many games.
Jon Culley – The Telegraph
After Jimmy collected both ChrisPTenner and I, we then headed off for the Walton Street Social Club, which is 7/8 minutes walk from the KC Stadium. We parked up and paid a nominal admission charge of £1.00. Inside it was friendly, spacious with basic grub and decent beer at very decent prices.
Chris met up with six Belgian fans who had set off on the ferry at 8pm on Friday night. ESSEXURs texted me the team news and I was pleased to see that Darnell Furlong was included in the starting line-up.
The home side started off a bit shaky, but they took the lead in the 16th minute after poor defending from Steven Caulker. Three minutes later, Darnell Furlong got into a good position and his strong header from an assist by Joey Barton, was saved in the top right corner by McGregor.
After 32 minutes, Darnell Furlong made a strong challenge for the ball and a number of Hull players then tried to influence the referee. When Anthony Taylor produced a red card I thought initially it was for Furlong, but I didn’t realise until later exactly what our ‘captain’ had done to get himself sent off!
Charlie Austin was working hard, on and off the ball, and in the 39th minute he nodded in our equaliser to send over 2,000 R’s fans wild.
Rangers continued to battle on throughout the second-half but agonisingly 15 seconds or so after Rob Green had made an incredible world class save the home side got their winner in the 89th minute!
There was a huge shout from the Rangers contingent for what looked like a blatant handball in the box during the 5-minute added time period. I don’t know whether MOTD referred to it but ‘Goals on Sunday’ certainly didn’t during its limited highlights.
I think that was the seventh time so far this season that we have conceded a goal in the last five minutes! We had held on with ten men for nearly an hour and deserved a draw. Anthony Taylor was a disgrace; he also booked four of our players but not one of the home side was penalised!
Twelve coaches were lined up close to the away end whilst Paul Bogalski joined us for the return journey.
My thanks to Jimmy for the lift.
Steve Russell