Bent Over Treble - QPR report

Thanks to a brief trip back to blighty, I was able to make it to Loftus Road along with some 3,000 other hardy souls (including perhaps only 250 Addicks, thanks perhaps to a combination of summer holidays and public transport problems), and enjoyed a promising performance notably from the new signings.

The 3-0 scoreline just about reflected our dominance, and other than a ridiculously speculative effort from former Addick (and now Rangers cult hero) Danny Shittu which cannoned off the bar, Deano's able deputy Stephan Andersen was rarely threatened. Indeed only two fantastic second half saves from Rommedahl (particularly) and Hreidarsson prevented Charlton from racking up five goals for the third time this pre-season. There was a notable 'first' during the second half when we did not bring all eleven players back for a corner, and lo and behold, a quick smart throw from Andersen set up a breakaway chance for Rommedahl. Let's hope this may be a sign of things to come; if not perhaps a more enlightened fan could explain to me exactly what defensive benefit is garnered from having the likes of Rommedahl, Thomas, Jeffers etc.. back at corners, particularly given it just allows the opposition to bring an additional man forward?

The star of the show was perhaps not Bent (though more about him later), but Alexei Smertin who was absolutely outstanding and far better than I could have hoped having not really seen him play properly before. I genuinely don't recall him ever giving the ball away, and his clever interventions, positional awareness and even a touch of pace suggest he could be the 'real deal' for us this season. Indeed I texted my father on the hour mark to say that he had Player of the Year written all over him, injuries permitting of course. The warm ovation that greeted his late substitution suggested that I wasn't alone in noting his obvious class.

Darren Bent was another who impressed, his first goal in particular suggesting a confidence in front of goal which is not shared by many others at the club, perhaps only Jeffers aside. However he could have left the field with no goals and still left a positive impression because it is clear he brings different (and stronger) attributes in the lone striker role than Bartlett. Whilst Bartlett is clearly superior aerially, this trait is frankly wasted in a lone striker role since the whole point of playing a strong target man is to have smaller pacier strikers to latch on to the flick-ons. What Bent brings however is an impressive turn of speed (which allows the ball to be played over the top rather than to his head, chest or feet), but more importantly far better ball control which allows him to bring others into the game. He still looks a little raw but it is clear what Curbs saw in him and how he will fit into the side.

The other Darren (Ambrose) also showed enough to suggest that he will play a key role, though he was able to have a far more positive influence when moved to the centre of midfield, where his close control and balance enabled him to open up the game. Indeed, played in this position, he could be the answer to the problem of our embarrassing lack of pace in central midfield last season. Stuck on the left wing during the first half however, he constantly was forced onto his weaker foot and it is not clear what he can offer us in this position, other than joining Curbs' long list of "Flexible Players."

The fourth and final new signing on show was Jonathan Spector who played alongside Perry (for 70 mins) in the centre of defence before moving to left back to accomodate Fortune. His two-footedness was notable and his willingness to bring the ball out of defence was impressive for a teenager, though hopefully Curbs might remind him that a ten-yard ball that finds a teammate every time is preferable to a fifty-yard ball that finds them occasionally. I also didn't sense that he was particularly dominant in the air though to be fair both him and Perry were fairly roughed up by the old-fashioned strikeforce of Furlong and Santos in the first half, but it's fair to assume their Premiership adverseries will replace brute strength with a little more guile.

Elsewhere, Young was solid, and Hreidarsson looked fit enough to me and provided a typical combative performance and many notable attacking forays. Rommedahl combined his usual combination of brilliance with a frustrating habit of giving the ball away or running into a cul-de-sac; moreover he always seems rushed on the ball though perhaps when you can run 100m in ten seconds, that is inevitable. Murphy was fairly anonymous and created far less than Ambrose when played in the attacking central midfielder role behind Bent during the first half. Indeed, given Curbs' preference it seems for two midfield 'enforcers' in a 4-5-1 (yesterday it was two of Kish, Smertin and Holland - El Karkouri is another possibility), it is possible that it is Ambrose that threatens Murphy's place. If this is the case, one has to hope Curbs has the guts to drop our high profile signing from Liverpool rather than do his usual 'fiddling' and stick Ambrose out on the wing. Thomas showed flashes of flair but I wish he would stop showboating for the sheer sake of it and focus on what he does best, namely running at defenders. Finally Kish was as busy as ever but as most fans have probably now accepted, he isn't good enough to be playing regular Premiership football, but I fear that he will.

Substitutions were limited and hence it's perhaps possible to get a sense for how Curbs intends us to line up at Sunderland. It is fairly clear that 4-5-1 will be the preferred formation, but currently I suspect only five places can safely be pencilled in (Kiely, Young, Hriedarsson, Smertin, Bent).