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Posh 1, QPR 0 - Perfect start for new boss Gannon
THEY say teams are often inspired by the arrival of a new manager, but if that was really true QPR would be top of the Championship.
THEY say teams are often inspired by the arrival of a new manager, but if that was really true QPR would be top of the Championship.To paraphrase football's greatest presenter, Jeff Stelling, the manager-of-the-month at Loftus Road tends to be an appointment rather than an award.
So what's really important is finding a new boss that's a good boss, or at least a better boss than the last boss. First impressions suggest Posh have replaced Eddie The Eagle with Einstein.
When Jim Gannon was a player he apparently used to spurn the traditional card game on the team bus in favour of a good read - he was a Bleak House man rather than a full house man.
He's now a deep-thinking football strategist. He came up with a winning formula for this match which looked complicated on paper, but which proved effective in practice thus confirming that he's also capable of communicating successfully with those less mentally agile than himself.
"3-4-1-2, it's the future," joked Gannon after the match about a system involving wing-backs, holding midfielders and a roaming genius which produced season-best performances from Craig Morgan and Chris Whelpdale and found room for gifted left-footers Tommy Rowe and George Boyd in the same starting 11.
It would of course be foolish to get carried away by one result. The law of averages suggested Posh would win a game sooner or later and in QPR they found quite possibly the only club in the country with a far greater ratio of turmoil to ability.
Match details:
POSH 1
QPR 0
GOALS: Posh - Mclean (9 mins).
REFEREE: Danny McDermid 5.
ATTENDANCE: 8,933.
Yellow cards:
Posh - Lee (foul), Simpson (foul).
QPR - Ramage (foul).
Red cards:
QPR - Leigertwood (serious foul play), Ramage (second cautionable foul).
Reaction:
Perfect start for Gannon with QPR win.
----------------
The visitors also had two men sent off by the latest erratic referee to disgrace London Road. Mikele Leigertwood and Peter Ramage shared an early bath after assaulting Tommy Rowe and yet faced with nine men Posh performed terribly compared to the previous 80 minutes.
Possession was lost too easily, soft free-kicks were conceded and at the end of a 95th mnute scramble QPR substitute Hogan Ephraim shot high and wide to the relief of the vast majority inside London Road.
Gannon probably boobed by withdrawing his side's best possession-hogger in Boyd and his side's best workhorse in Craig Mackail-Smith, but they are just minor details from an otherwise very impressive first outing.
It took just nine minutes for the re-united fab three to combine and shoot Posh in front. Mackail-Smith's cross found its way to Boyd whose brilliance on the ball created a simple tap-in for Aaron Mclean, a man starting his third coming as a committed Posh player.
Posh didn't create a great deal after that until Mclean flicked wide from a Rowe cross in the final stages, but there was far more purpose, far more aggression, far more control and, probably most importantly, far more defensive organisation than has been in evidence in recent weeks.
Morgan was outstanding at the heart of the defence, Jake Livermore is a beast in a 20 year old's body in the centre of midfield, while wing-backs Whelpdale and Rowe offered eager support going forward while remaining ever mindful of their defensive duties.
Rowe headed one Mackail-Smith cross narrowly over the crossbar on 38 minutes, while Whelpdale wasted a couple of promising attacking moves with wild shots.
Often long raking passes from Livermore or Boyd were cleared by an alert goalkeeper just before Mackail-Smith could reach them.
QPR enjoyed occasional spells of good possession, but were lightweight up front. Joe Lewis had to handle a shot early in the second half from Ramage well, but otherwise he was well protected.
"We're going home in a minute," sang the visiting fans at the ineptness of their side's performance in the first half, although that anger had transferred to referee Danny McDermid by the end.
In contrast Posh fans went home happy with the result and happy to listen to a positive post-match commentary from their manager for a change.
Survival remains a distant dream, but at least it's a dream kep alive for another 48 hours at least.
Player ratings:
Peterborough
JOE LEWIS 6
Handled the ball well when called upon, good distribution
RYAN BENNETT 7
Much improved on a week before, got stuck in, won his headers
CRAIG MORGAN 8
The middle of three centre-backs, great positional sense and game-reading skills, excellent display
TOMMY WILLIAMS 7
Never looks totally secure, but won the key tackles and made the important interceptions
CHRIS WHELPDALE 7
Outstanding up and down the right flank until tiring in last quarter
TOMMY ROWE 7
Another impressive wing-back display, good discipline when carrying out his defensive duties
JAKE LIVERMORE 8
Aggression, determination, heart and decent distribution. Powerful player for such a young man
CHARLIE LEE 6
Broke up play, kept possession well, one wild tackle and he was withdrawn at the break
GEORGE BOYD 7
Great skills created the goal. Clearly enjoyed his roving role behind the front two
C. MACKAIL-SMITH 7
Had a hand in the goal and generally ran himself silly
AARON MCLEAN 7
Substitutes:
Josh Simpson: (for Lee) Worked hard in midfield, kept things simple in possession 6
Izale McLeod: (for Mackail-Smith, 81 mins).
Lee Frecklington: (for Boyd, 81 mins).
Kerrea Gilbert: (not used).
James McKeown: (not used).
Exodus Geohaghon: (not used).
Reuben Reid: (not used).
Full-time update:
On nine minutes Mclean scored from seven yards in the ninth minute after George Boyd neatly collected Mackail-Smith's cross, beat one defender and set it up nicely.
QPR finished the match with nine men after Mikele Leigertwood was sent off in the sixty first minute for a two-footed lunge on Tommy Rowe and 20 minutes later Peter Ramage received a second yellow card for fouling the same player.
Posh survived some late pressure from the nine men before celebrating their fourth win of the season and first since December.
Gannon had decided on a 3-5-2 formation recalling Craig Morgan, Aaron Mclean and Tommy Rowe.
Abigail Pacey
Match preview:
Briatore's the top of the sacking stakes.
Spotlight on QPR - 05/02/10.
FAMOUS MATCH: QPR destroyed by one of the best displays under Fry.
Gannon not afraid to speak his mind
VIDEO: Watch as Jim Gannon is unveiled as new manager at Posh press conference this week
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