Queens Park Rangers 3 v Birmingham City 1 - EFLChampionship

Saturday 28th April 2018
EFL Championship
at Loftus Road, Shepherd's Bush
Queens Park Rangers (1) 3
Bright Osayi-Samuel 27, Llias Chair 70, Matt Smith 90+2
Birmingham City (1) 1
Che Adams 26
Admission: See below. Programme: £3.50
Attendance: 15,805 (inc. 1,828 away)

Cutting straight to the chase, above and below are the Championship bottom six standings, before and after today's games.
Even a draw at Loftus Road would've made Birmingham City 'just about' safe from the drop to League 1, unless Burton Albion could make up a minus ten goal differential against them on the final day of the season.
But, it wasn't to be... and as a consequence, shit just got real... very real! And it'll all go down to the wire for Blues next Sunday, when Fulham, who are themselves just one point away from an automatic promotion place, visit St. Andrew's for a potentially do or die shoot out.

Blues, who despite having a gone into this game with a five point buffer zone over twenty second and twenty first placed Barnsley and Burton respectively, and a three point lead over Bolton (who, by way of a massive coincidence, were playing against Burton at the Pirelli Stadium today, where they lost 2-0 to Nigel Clough's Brewers), have been hanging on tightly, for a roller-coaster ride of up and down results recently... and this particular section was an extremely bumpy one, down a very steep descent.
Basically, if Burton Albion (who are on a roll at present) and Barnsley (who recovered from their midweek mauling at the City Ground v. Nottingham Forest and beat Brentford 2-0 at Oakwell today) both win and Birmingham lose, then Blues will be relegated.

There is also the possibility that Bolton Wanderers could snatch a dramatic last ditch lifeline, as they are three points behind Garry Monk's side, so if they win as well as Fulham, then they could possibly catch Birmingham up, both on points and goal difference, depending on Sunday's results.
Reading were level on points with Birmingham going into the last two matches of the season (and still are), rather ominously lost 0-4 at home to Ipswich Town today... meaning that all five clubs who are battling to avoid joining the already relegated Sunderland in League 1 next term, have played exactly the same amount of games as each other and subsequently, collectively the outcome of their entire season rests on one final game.

The lowly ticket allocation granted to visiting fans for today's crunch game, in the upper tier of the School End stand (that was mystifyingly left totally and completely empty downstairs), sold out in next to no time; while all of those vacant seats in the lower level, must've cost the home club a small fortune in lost revenue (1,200 x £30 = £36,000).
18,439 is the cramped, but full of character, West London ground's official capacity, and today's turnout was 2,634 short of that... you do the maths, then somebody tell me, why on earth they didn't open the whole of the away end.

Remember, this is the same visiting side side that took in excess of 4,800 hardy souls to Bolton with them, for an 8PM midweek kick off, on a wet and chilly school night, earlier this month, when several road closures and major tailbacks en route made the logistics of both reaching and getting back home from the Macron Stadium ridiculously time consuming and complicated. So imagine just how many Blues would have converged on the capital for the relatively easy journey to today's crunch fixture, given half a chance.

Those 1,200 unused seats that were available today, are all segregated away from the home supporters too. Just saying.
Though if truth be told though, the host club, local authorities and the Metropolitan Police, reached a joint decision that spared the massed ranks of 'Bluenoses' who have travelled in decent numbers all season, a miserable afternoon, watching their team put in a nervy performance.

QPR's Ian Holloway apparently operates within cash flow and budget restrictions, a genuine claim that I have absolutely no reason whatsoever to cast any doubt over.

But it surprises me somewhat, that Rangers aren't a wealthy club, given the exorbitant prices that they charge, for tickets elsewhere in the 'home fans only' sections of the ground.
I registered with the Loftus Road membership scheme just over a week ago, thus avoiding the same problems getting into the Stadium, that several of my friends encountered today; while I sat in the upstairs, posh bit of the South Africa Road Stand, where the girders holding the roof up only obscure the view of approximately 20% of the pitch.

I have deliberately blanched out the price on the ticket photo, reproduced above, so as to keep the peace with my good lady back home. I definitely wear the trousers in my house, but it doesn't hurt to avoid the odd minor disagreement, about how much I am willing to invest following my obsession/addiction. Lies are bad... but secrets that don't harm anyone are okay.

Where there is a will, there is always a way... and this was one of those days when I was going to be present, watching football in Shepherd's Bush this afternoon, no matter what.

There have been Championship fixtures where I have done paid work this season, and others (very rarely) when I have been afforded the courtesy of the occasional ex gratis admission... because sometimes a combination of what you know and who you know, goes a long way... but more often than not, I pay my way. And today, lets just say, my expenditure was more than I would usually expect to pay for a Football League game, but needs must.

Ian Holloway's R's began the day sitting comfortably in sixteenth place, miles away from mounting a late play off challenge, but comfortably clear of the drop zone too, and they moved up one place in the table by virtue of this win. By the sounds of it, the QPR manager is politely ushering the bigger earners at Loftus Road off of the premises at the end of the season, while building the foundations for the future, in an affordable manner, that doesn't mean living beyond the clubs means. 

Y'know, like what Harry Redknapp, himself a former Rangers manager, did with today's visitors family silver, when he was allowed to run riot, unchecked, with a massive budget at the outset of this season, before he was told to go forth and multiply, along with his fee taking advisers and entourage of go between types, like Darren Dein, the son of the former Arsenal chairman David Dein.

Redknapp's spell in the St. Andrew's hot seat was short, but his financial legacy still hangs like a millstone around the neck of the clubs subsequent managers, who were hired in attempt to steer the club back on course.... for the record, the most recent one seems to be the right man to do it in the long term too, even if Blues fail to hold onto their Championship status next weekend.

Rangers current form hasn't been anything spectacular of late, as they prepared for this afternoon's game, having lost three of their previous four games, against: Preston North End at home and Hull City and Brentford away, while they beat Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 at Loftus Road on 10th April.
While, since their narrow win at Bolton, Garry Monk's side have drawn one, against Burton (a game they completely dominated and really ought to have won) at home, lost two in a row on the road at Bristol City and the newly crowned champions Wolves, but came good again last Saturday to beat Sheffield United at St. Andrew's.

The hosts saw plenty of the ball early on and with their movement around Birmingham's area severely restricted, chanced their hand with several efforts from long range, that were all on target, but lacked any kind of power to trouble David Stockdale in the visitors goal.
The afternoon had a surreal feel about it, what with me wanting one team to win, while the vast majority of the tightly packed crowd around me definitely wanted an altogether different outcome.
With so much at stake, Garry Monk's side were taking no risks, but also not showing many traces of the fighting determination that has been a requisite and pivotal part of the games that they have actually won of late.

Jota had Birmingham's first shot of the game, but fizzed the ball over Joe Lumley's bar. But moments later, just in time to coincide with a Rangers fan a few rows behind me shouting: "What a waste of money you Brentford reject!", Jota threaded a slide rule pass through the left channel for Jacques Maghoma to run onto and upon reaching the dead ball line, the Congolese workhouse,who has been in excellent form this season, particularly since the arrival of Garry Monk, knocked the ball across the hosts six yard box to Che Adams who netted from close range.

The whole top half of the School End erupted in celebration... while the original line up of Jefferson Starship reformed and invaded the pitch, while striking up the opening chords of 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' and Blues fans the world over popped champagne corks and began a massive party to celebrate escaping relegation. 

Hmm, well, they all might have done that if only they'd had the time, but less than a minute after falling behind, the home side equalised. 

Luke Freeman had charged forward down the right straight from the restart, lofted a cross towards Ryan Manning, who touched the ball inside for Bright Osayi-Samuel to fire past Stockdale and into the bottom left hand corner. Blimey! That wasn't in the bloody script!

As the first half moved towards the interval, news began to filter through that Barnsley and Burton were both winning and as the rain started to put a dampener on what the away fans was hoping was going to be their chance for a survival party, the realisation that Birmingham City were still actually right up to their necks in the brown sticky stuff began to hit home.
HT: 1-1
A point was still better than nothing for Garry Monk's side and in the event, it would've still been enough for them to guarantee Championship safety.
But then something happened to change the whole course of the game and throw Blues plans into disarray, namely: the second half. 

Passes began to go astray between Birmingham's players, whose off the ball movement for each other, began to resemble a group of random strangers who were meeting for the first time.

In the meantime, the young QPR side were taking full advantage of the opportunity to impress their manager with next season in mind. Rangers were carefree and had nothing to lose and it showed, while the pressure of needing a result this afternoon, started to weigh the visitors down and the worry was quite obviously a distraction and unwanted burden, that is obviously getting inside their heads.

But I'm quite sure that Garry Monk and his coaching staff will be working overtime this coming week to get his team into the right frame of mind. 

That sports psychology is powerful stuff and an underrated science y'know.

The resources of confidence that Blues had shown to initially take the game to and ultimately overcome Sheffield United last week, after going a goal behind early on, were running virtually on empty by now and in the seventieth minute, Freeman put another testing ball into Stockdale's goalmouth that reached Llias Chair, and he finished well with a powerful shot from close range. 

And soon afterwards, Jamie Mackie, who was playing his last ever game in a Rangers shirt, would've added a third for the home side but for the quick reflexes of Stockdale.

Jota and Maxime Colin both went close to grabbing an equaliser, as Birmingham belatedly added a sense of urgency to their game, but the two of them were denied by Lumley, while Michael Morrison saw his headed chance fly narrowly wide of the upright.

But with the game running into stoppage time, the ball fell invitingly to Rangers substitute Matt Smith, just outside the visitors goal area and he spanked the ball through a crowd of bodies to put the final result beyond doubt.

FT: Queens Park Rangers 3 v Birmingham City 1

Sunday 6th May 2018, has now become a day of destiny for numerous clubs, at both ends of the table, as the Championship reaches a multiple climax. 

Click here for details of all the remaining fixtures in this most intriguing of divisions... and here to check out the current league table. Have fun working out all of the mathematical permutations and possibilities for yourselves.

I'm not going to make any predictions, other than to say that I anticipate a very tense and anxious day for all concerned. But... bring it on!