Team: Smithies, Perch, Onuoha, Lynch, Bidwell (Robinson), Wszolek, Scowen, Luongo, Freeman, Mackie (Ngbakoto), Washington (Sylla)
Subs Not Used: Ingram, Furlong, Borysiuk, Smith
Attendance: 14,460 (including 2,208 away fans)
Reading were poor because we made them look poor. We pressed them from the 18-yard box as the keeper was always playing the ball short.
The No.24, Tyler Blackett, seemed to be targeted as the weak link, as he appeared to have three shadows he was so tightly marked.
The stats tell the full story for once with corners; 10-1, shots 11-4, on target 4-2, although I thought that we had more than 53% possession.
I’d like to see a graph that shows that the ball was in Reading’s half for about 75% of the game. It was THAT one-sided!
I had woken up that morning in Paris. By the afternoon I was in heaven! A perfect performance. A perfect start.
Only another 47 points for survival according to all the football experts I’ve read online and in the papers. They must be gutted!
ChrisPTenner
That performance has certainly kept the doom and gloom brigade quiet (no names, you know who you area!)
What a great, all-round performance. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!
Three corners in the first five minutes, Reading hardly made it into our half in the first 20 minutes or so. The phoney Hoops were totally inept in every department, no wonder the crowd were singing: ‘Can We Play You Every Week.’
I’ve won so many pints betting on the result, I was well pished on Saturday night. And I’ve taken great delight in telling all my Reading-supporting friends how bad they were. It’s great to have bragging rights over them as I live there!
steveqpr881
Conor Washington scored twice as QPR opened the season with victory over last season’s beaten play-off finalists Reading, who finished with 10 men.
Northern Ireland’s Washington headed in from Pawel Wszolek’s far-post cross to give the hosts the lead at half-time.
Reading’s Tiago Ilori was sent off for a professional foul on Wszolek and Washington beat debutant keeper Vito Mannone with the resulting penalty.
That left the Royals with one win from their past 13 opening day away games.
Former Sunderland keeper Mannone was one of three debutants to start for Jaap Stam’s side, along with striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and midfielder Pelle Clement, who was replaced by another summer signing – winger Modou Barrow – after half-time.
But QPR – who lost seven of their final eight matches of last season – were the better team, as they extended boss Ian Holloway’s record of never losing an opening game of the season with Rangers.
Reading finished 32 points and 15 places above QPR in May, but could have lost by more with Massimo Luongo striking the post for the hosts in the first-half.
The main concern on an otherwise fine day for Holloway’s side was seeing Washington replaced because of an apparent injury in the closing stages.
QPR manager Ian Holloway: “We’ve been working on fitness and I thought today you could see that.”
“They thought they could pass and move but we were co-ordinated in the running and the chasing and the working.”
“Everyone of our lads had a really good game. You could argue we missed a few chances but we forced them into mistake after mistake.”
Reading boss Jaap Stam: “In this league every week you’re going to be playing, is going to be hard, especially in away games. You need to work hard, you need to give everything, you need to be very aggressive in what you do.”
“Today was by far not good enough in what we needed to do. We were not aggressive enough, on the ball we were not good enough.”
BBC Sport
Rangers were straight out of the blocks from the word go and maintained this high-tempo pretty much throughout the game. I was also really impressed with the players’ fitness levels.
Alex Smithies was hardly troubled but he denied Reading a goal with an amazing save in the second-half.
A very good all-round team performance but Massimo Luongo had to be my MOM. He had a shot that came off the post and there was his quick interception in the six-yard box when he denied the visitors a rare goalscoring opportunity.
And what about that magical moment, when under pressure, he played the ball around and through the Reading players attempting to challenge him…wonderful!
Brian Bedford and David Seaman were the latest ex-players to be inducted into the ‘Forever R’s Club’
Now 83, Brian Bedford was one of my early heroes and it was great to see the goalscoring legend again at half-time.
Steve Russell