Five Things

Swansea 2 Queens Park Rangers 0

Queens Park Rangers 2 Burnley 0

It's getting to that time of year where I can no longer feel my fingers when I'm walking outside and where I wear my extremely 'sexy' thick socks in bed. Home comforts become ever more appealing as deep winter sets in. It's also one of my favourite times of the year for football, as it is for so many - there is more time to spend with friends and family, with so much action to absorb.

The last few weeks have been an interesting study in human psychology. We've continued a pretty decent run of form at home, with disastrous away results which naturally means we become slightly schizophrenic. It's a meltdown one day and elation the next, with several who just continue to moan as is their habit regardless of the result, and somewhere in the background a few conspiracy theorists who believe dark forces have always been behind the club condemning us to eternal damnation. Wouldn't it be boring though if we didn't have such a melee of opinions?

I'd like to think I sit on the more positive side of opinion, and perhaps that's simply because I just don't need football to make me depressed - surely we've all got enough on our plates to want to make things even more complicated? I do realise it isn't always easy, since we are all so passionate about football and about our club. I also appreciate that the Christmas season isn't always the most happy of seasons for many (ironically), and so I've compiled what I hope is a helpful list of five things to do to cheer you up or keep yourself busy, whether QPR win or lose each of the five games we've got between now and New Year's Day.

1. Wear a Christmas jumper

A simple but effective strategy for bringing Christmas joy and laughter to yourself and others by making yourself look as silly as possible. The QPR club shop has a QPR version of this which I think is fantastic value for money as it kills two birds with one stone. I have been reliably informed by retail specialist @gemcricketmad that the Christmas stock this year is the same as 2013, so some may be disappointed with the lack of imagination. But I'll still be wearing mine to Arsenal away on Boxing Day.  And don't forget, the 12th December is also Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children- so get wearing and get donating for a worthy cause.

QPR's Christmas Jumper, on sale at the club shop

2. Lie back and think of Charlie

Okay, I don't really mean it in 'that' way, but what I do mean is that while we've had some disappointing results, we MUST revel in the joy that is our very own very real striker. Something that we have not had for a very very long time. Can I say very again? Probably, as Charlie is not only a very great player, but he is also a very very nice person. A little shy, but we like our players to be more humble than obtuse. And so far every time I or any one else I know have met him, he has been very simply very friendly.

3. Start a petition against EA Games

I'm not a gamer. I think the last computer game I got addicted to was Tetris on the Sega Megadrive during my GCSEs. However, it is my understanding that FIFA is a huge game, and therefore must have pretty high production standards. I saw the QPR video with EA Games when they came in to scan Ned, Rob and SWP...I thought the likeness achieved was amazing! I heard that Niko was not there when the scans were done, but I am nonetheless stunned by the alternative option and artist impression (see below my tweet to EA Games). Who is the man on the left and why is he wearing a QPR shirt? I am at best offended, and at worst, horrified. I have a feeling this picture of Teen Wolf 2 was drawn by an envious male but cannot be sure. Anyone else interested in launching something on change.org?

4. Enjoy others have a meltdown

Ever since Manchester Utd stopped being 'top dog', the league has actually become rather interesting. It would be fair to say that it's still the same 6/7 clubs that hover at the top, with the rest struggling at the bottom. But, within the 6/7 there's lots of movement and no one is quite sure what will happen. So let's revel in the uncertainty of others. I mean, we think we have a meltdown when we lose but check out Arsenal fan Claude's meltdown after losing away to Stoke. Evil I know, but so so so funny.

5. Watch QPR Tunnel Cam

As discussed yesterday at the White Horse I do wonder whether the audience for the exquisitely put together Tunnel Cam is predominantly women. After all, during warmer months it is an opportunity to see a few tops whipped off, and for some close-ups of Niko and Charlie. To be fair though- there may be plenty of men with man-crushes...and to be really really fair, I do think Tunnel Cam brings you just about the right amount of behind-the-scenes access to bring you the magic of football without being too obtrusive and still leaving an air of mystery. Now at ten minutes long, you get to see the team sheet exchange, the players give each other instructions (like Niko saying to Barton 'don't go beyond me like you would if I was playing on the left'), fancy food being carried in to the dressing room post-match and Steve Black greeting all the players. And the good news is, it's only done when we have a good draw or a win, so there's never really anything to be to upset about.

So I hope you find some of these activities enjoyable, and wish you all a lovely week as we celebrate another great home win.

You RRRssss

Two things

Queens Park Rangers 2 Bolton 1

Queens Park Rangers 3 Burnley 3

A quick one for everyone. Two important things are happening in the coming weeks - alongside the Derby match @gemcricketmad and I are going to be hosting an alternative commentary show LIVE on http://mixlr.com/elmodedude/. Please don't expect professional or serious commentary. Only fans with a sense of humour and an appetite for totally biased commentary need join!

In addition, before the Charlton game several of us are going to make a 14 mile walk from Loftus Road to the Valley to raise money for the very special Tiger Cubs. If you don't already know what they do please take a look here: http://www.dsactive.org/teams/qpr-tiger-cubs/

And please do be generous and sponsor us on this website: Virgin Money Tiger Feet 5

I wish you all a lovely weekend, and thanks for all the support.

Emily

Streams

Millwall 2 Queens Park Rangers 2

Burnley 2 Queens Park Rangers 0

I made a last minute decision to make my way up to Burnley this week. It was partly due to the fact that otherwise I'd be missing five games because of my upcoming holiday. This will not make me popular, but a huge benefit to not having children is that I am not tied down by school holidays and seasonal changes which means I can send a big two fingers at those who are stuck here suffering the winter blues while I bask in the Philippine sunshine. This, potentially isn't the greatest time however to be leaving the boys behind, so it appears I will have to contend with trying to get some kind of internet stream while I am away for all those games I will miss.

I've always said I don't miss the Premiership, but do miss the coverage that it brings. And with regard to this blog it has been tough to write it with some semblance of personal knowledge when I haven't been able to watch a game (even on a crappy internet stream). On the other hand, I never promised that this blog would be a match report blog, but a blog about the experiences of an honest fan who has her own realities of life to contend with. So as I made my pilgrimage to Burnley yesterday and thought about what I was going to say about the Millwall match having listened to it on the radio,  I reminisced over the days when we used to play away and to get any running commentary we would have to call Rangers Club Call. That unbelievably expensive premium line that started with Les Ferdinand saying 'This is Rangers Club Call, sponsored by Ericsson'. We would always ring towards the end of the match so we wouldn't run up a huge bill but it must have cost my father a small fortune.  I remembered when we started getting the internet on the dial up (which really wasn't that long ago), and listening on QPR Player to the famous Port Vale game in 1997 when we came back from 4-0 down to save the game and finish it at 4-4. It was such an exciting match in the end, but it was also exciting to be able to hear it on our juddering stream in my Dad's little office at home where I was back from Uni. for the holidays.

And so I pondered about how listening to matches on the radio, now that the world is again, no longer interested in Championship club QPR, was actually not such a bad thing. In an 'old school' way it's quite nice to be able to imagine what was actually happening and dream of the magic taking place while listening to the commentators voice. And so it was that Millwall was both quite exciting (having taken the lead twice), but extremely frustrating. And nearly twenty years after that Port Vale game this is now how my father and I communicate whilst we sit in different parts of London:

Excuse the editing (just in case little ones read this)

It would be wrong of me to comment much on the match, apart from that I believe these three away matches  (Millwall, Burnley, Wigan) were always going to be really tough, and that I think Austin is really getting in to his stride (despite yesterday's loss). I am glad to see him scoring again in open play. May we please see more of those, and more #slidingmovements. Amen.

Since I last wrote, I am hearing news of Charlie's engagement to long time girlfriend and mother of his child. Congratulations to them both, and may this bring more fruitful results on the pitch for QPR. As Charlie said on London Call in - if things are going well off the pitch, they tend to go well on them. I have been wondering just how much Burnley have missed him. However, by yesterday's result Burnley are doing quite well without him and for town of circa 75,000 and almost a quarter of its population at Turf Moor they put on a great show and it was a pretty electric atmosphere when they scored.

My view on yesterday is that there is still room for us to improve, but I think most people know that has been the case for some time. And leaving Austin isolated up front for every game is a huge amount of unnecessary pressure. However, I am not sure whether we were just a bit sleepy or whether we were trying to be too clever, but we made quite a few mistakes...seemed to lack pace and managed to leave Simpson stranded out there on the right (which I've seen a few times season). We're sort of playing a bit lop sided. I am not tactician but if I can see it, there must be something wrong.

Apparently there are a few people thinking it's the end of the world for us, but for me it's a lesson learnt and a slap on the wrist. The Championship is NOT an easy league, and I've always felt from now until Christmas will be the making (or not) of our season. We're playing all the top teams soon and if we can't get our act together for those, we won't be getting promoted.

The game was littered with fouls, tackles and a little bit of temper. This obviously game through in the radio commentary as my dear QPR friend Gem listened from home and texted me about what they were saying. Apparently QPR were going hard on the tackles as opposed to Burnley. I thought, what match are they watching?? This was happening on both sides. When Barton received his yellow apparently they were saying it should have been a red card, and that he was being an 'arse' or something to that effect. I could just imagine the commentators taking a bit of creative licence and turning it in to something bigger than it was and helping vindicate Gem's long standing hatred of the man. I don't know how they commentated on the throwing of a half filled bottle of coke (with the cap on), right in to Barton's head, but had that been some big Premiership player it would have made front page news and a right old fuss would have been made. Had it been me standing there I would have absolutely lost it. And I don't have a criminal record, am not a recovering alcoholic, and do not have anger management issues. While it might be a little bit nostalgic to listen to the radio like the old days to hear QPR play, I think I must remember commentators aren't always there to tell you what is actually happening on the pitch, they are there to entertain you!

Of course, there is nothing better than being there yourself. And, if you were there, you would have also seen the breakdancing Burnley mascot who did a mean caterpillar, and was sent off. I only found out later that apparently this was for handing the linesman his glasses (sour official!). This guy has a sense of humour obviously...and his fake jail time is pictured all over the press this morning. In addition, Burnley fans thought it would be rather amusing to bring an inflatable male body part to the ground. I must say, it was rather refreshing not to see another blow up doll.

However, yesterday will only be remembered as a match in which QPR didn't play very well, and Burnley stuffed us by two goals fair and square. I can live with this because we've moved on from last season and we've got players who care a bit more about us and have a bit more gumption. And even if we don't get the wall to wall coverage we have done for the last two seasons, we've moved on such a great deal from Les's Rangers Club Call, I think I can survive with the digital media centre that most of us fans have created for ourselves to keep up with the team news.

As we prepare for a potentially big storm that reaches England & Wales tonight, I wish you all a safe and pleasant Sunday and many good live QPR streams.