HUMILIATION!
Seven-goal West Brom stun Mac
A SHELL-SHOCKED Steve McClaren suffered what he called “one of my worst days in football” as his QPR side crashed to a 7-1 defeat at West Brom – conceding six goals in fewer than 40 second half minutes. It was Rangers’ worst defeat for 31 years and leaves them pointless at the bottom of the Championship after their worst-ever start to a season. Former England boss McClaren said: “I’ve never seen that. It’s unacceptable.”
WEST BROM boss Darren Moore broke into a wide smile, but for Steve McClaren it was a grim day.
An hour after his team had been demolished, McClaren was still stunned, battered as much as his side had been.
“It’s one of the worst days in my career,” admitted a shell-shocked McClaren.
“The manner in which it happened. After 50 minutes I thought we were fine, but we made two mistakes and we collapsed
“It’s unacceptable to QPR fans, unacceptable to us, the players, the club and we have to do something about it, beginning on Tuesday (at home to Bristol City).
“I’m shocked. I never saw that coming. I’m now angry. We have to formulate what to do.
“There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes with embargoes, fines, but these young players need reinforcements
“You need to go through the fire sometimes to come out the other end. These players have been through the fire.
“We knew that this was a young squad, talented, but talent doesn’t get you everywhere. This was a harsh lesson and we will see who comes out of that.”
McClaren sits bottom of the Championship, without a win in three games and hoping against hope that a club in financial trouble can somehow bring in new, experienced players.
Without some help, QPR, and McClaren, will struggle to recover from this and, even at this early stage, Rangers look like relegation candidates.
Moore is building a free scoring, attacking team that ripped Rangers to shreds.
As McClaren said, there was little sign of what was to come in a first half that ended 1-1.
The Baggies were the better team, but wasteful. Rangers were optimistic.
Matt Phillips had put West Brom ahead from the
rebound after the 29th minute after Rangers keeper Matt Ingram saved Dwight Gayle’s shot.
In another five minutes QPR were level, even if it was a bit of a gift from the Baggies.
A straight forward free-kick wasn’t dealt with and when Matt Smith headed the ball down, central defender Joel Lynch equalised.
That’s as good as it got for QPR. They shipped in six more goals.
Harvey Barnes, the 20-yearold and on loan from Leicester City, looks a great prospect and he hit a post with a drive after the 53rd minute, giving Kieran Gibbs his first goal for West Brom from the rebound.
Jay Rodriguez put away the first of his two penalties – both for fouls on fellow frontman Dwight Gayle.
Gayle got one himself in between and then Phillips, with his second, and sub Hal Robson-Kanu piled in the rest.
Gayle, on loan from Newcastle United for the season, got a standing ovation when he was subbed in the second half and was a total nightmare for QPR.
With him in the side and Rodriguez, who has put away three penalties in two successive games now, the Baggies are hot.
McClaren grimaced his way through his post-match press conference. Moore smiled and said: “At half-time I was happy, there wasn’t a frustration,” said Moore. “QPR did some dogged defending. My words to my boys at half-time was to persevere, just keep going.”
The Baggies took Moore at his word and for 45 minutes finished off what they created.
“I said to them to have that trust in one another. They did just that. At the top end of the pitch we have players, that when the opportunities do come, they will take them.
“There was a ruthlessness about them.
“On this display you would say that the attacking players we have are up there with the best in the Championship. We have a belief in them.
“It is a team effort and then we have players who either put the ball in the net or who cause problems.
“It’s a cohesion we are trying to develop. We won’t score that many goals every week, but I think the supporters will enjoy the way we play. We are moving in the right direction.”