'Hard done by'

Sunderland 3 Queens Park Rangers 1

That's exactly how some of the Queens Park Rangers players feel right now. They earn tens of thousands of pounds a week, have a more than comfortable lifestyle, and yet, they are playing terrible football as well as suffering from indicipline. And still they get to keep their jobs.

On the other side of the coin, you have a frustrated Owner and Chairman who have done all they promised to do, and thousands of fans who not only spend their hard-earned money on a Season Ticket but spends hundreds of pounds a week and countless hours supporting the Rangers away from home.

It is frustrating that we haven't yet had any kind of winning streak so far this season. But what is more frustrating is that we have players who don't appear to feel or behave as if this predicament we are in is in any way their responsiblitity. This, I must say, is what angers me the most.

The online Urban Dictionary  site  has this definition for the phrase 'Hard done by'

'This wonderful ironic phrase is used to describe someone who is acting as if Fate has just dealt him or her a terrible blow, when they have, in reality, suffered a minor inconvenience and should just get on with it.
On the other hand, "hard done by" should NEVER be used to describe someone who is trying to recover from a genuinely tragic event.'

Firstly, we have our infamous captain Joey Barton. He admits he played badly last Wednesday. Credit to him for admitting it. I respect someone who can admit when he's s***. But be prepared to take the backlash from fans once you've done that. You can't expect people not to react to you, whether they are right or not. Humans simply aren't like that, and when you decide to make your life and thoughts so public you of course have a right to respond, but you probably don't have a right to constantly kick off and feel so 'hard done by'. And if you are a man like Joey Barton, who lives a wonderfully luxurious lifestyle, you will get little sympathy from others, including those who support you. So when he says there 'nothing he can do' because he is sitting on the bench, you just think to yourself, really? Is that his attitude? Does he actually think that in his current form he would have made a difference and that the world has been so bad to him for not giving him the opportunity? This attitude just isn't good enough. I would expect a captain to be completely behind his team and any selections made, and would expect that through admitting he isn't good enough to play right now, provide the right kind of support for everyone at least emotionally if not physically, instead of sitting there yawning  for all to see on MOTD and having a giggle when Taiwo scores the only goal for the Rs. 

And secondly, we have Cisse. First time he was sent off earlier this year, most of us tended to forgive him. After all, it was an emotional reaction based on his feelings on two horrific injuries he has had. But this time around, not only is there no excuse, but his reaction on the pitch - like a little boy who tried to pretend he hasn't done anything wrong when he knows full well he has- comes from the same ilk as Joey Barton's behaviour. It just smacks of being 'unsportsmalike' and I am quite sick of players wearing the QPR badge acting as if the world has been conspiring aginst them. 

Contrast this with the way that Bolton have come together since last week's terrible event at White Hart Lane. While I don't want to belittle in any way, what happened to Fabrice Muamba by comparing it to the troubles of a load of spoiled football players at Loftus Road, what we have seen with how Bolton have come back is players with real heart, playing well because they have something to prove. And I have no doubt that they will survive in the Premier League. We have players who think they have nothing to prove and therefore I feel no ounce of a competitive streak in them. 

Last week Fate dealt Fabrice Muamba, and Botlon, a terrible blow. But QPR has everything going for it, and the players are pissing it away disrepectfully for everyone to see.

I am not saying this of all the QPR players, but a few bad eggs make it worse for everyone else. And something has to be done to either shake these guys up, or take them out of the first team completely to salvage our pride as a football club more than anything else.