Despite turning in a dominant display, Rangers were unable to overcome a dogged Wolverhampton Wanderers side at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon. Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey had a fine game but you couldn’t help but feel that if there was a deadly striker in the squad this would have been a cake walk. 

Following on from the excellent midweek win at Burnley De Canio was forced to change his side due to suspensions to Bolder and Vine. Camp was in goal behind a back four of Malcolm, Stewart, Rehman and Barker. Ainsworth, Buzsaky, Leigertwood and Rowlands were in midfield with Blackstock and Nygaard up top. Sinclair was dropped to the bench for his last game of a disappointing loan spell. 

The visiting team started the game on the front foot and forced a couple of early corners, one of which was nodded goalward by Neill Collins and easily claimed by Camp. It was just about Collins’ finest moment on an afternoon when he would prove to have little control over the lumps of meat on the end of his legs. Minutes later Bob Malcolm was the calmest man in the ground as he deftly chested a ball back to Camp whilst most of the crowd covered their eyes! 

When play switched to the other end Rangers won a free kick on the edge of Buzsaky’s range. The Hungarian had a strike at goal but his curling effort didn’t carry much threat and the impressive Hennessey gathered the ball easily. It was a stark contrast to the effort he threw in his own net against Burnley last week and it showed that despite his tender years he already has a good attitude to the game. 

There was a lot of aerial bombardment coming from both teams and Rangers were certainly getting the better of it. Stewart and Rehman were dealing with anything in the air with ease and Bothroyd should have been cautioned for an awful challenge on Rehman as he attacked another high hoof. Zesh got a great leap in and as he met the ball Bothroyd took his legs from beneath him and he crashed to the floor completely out of control. Had he tipped over any further he could have been seriously hurt but given the abject performance of referee Graham it is little surprise he escaped censure. No sour grapes here though, he was awful for both sides! 

Wolves were almost caught out when Ainsworth, playing as well as he has in at least twelve months, played a hopeful ball forward and the hopeless Collins just ignored it! Blackstock quickly got on the ball but his strike at goal was deflected away for a corner. From the resulting kick Stewart missed the target.  

Ainsworth took time off from tearing Michael Gray a new arse to crack a volley goalward from thirty yards; once again Hennessey fielded it easily. Rowlands was also getting into the action and looked like he benefited from the night off up at Burnley in the week. Having robbed a Wolves player in midfield he burst forward before firing in a low shot from distance that was tipped wide by Hennessey.  

Blackstock missed a glorious chance to give Rangers the lead when Wolves failed to clear a corner properly and Ainsworth burst past Gray again and cut a great ball back from the by-line. Blackstock arrived near post but seemed to get his feet in a muddle and screwed his shot wide when he really should have scored. For all his hard work I thought he looked cumbersome again, mind you, it is little surprise he is lacking in match fitness having missed so much of the season. 

Wolves were all over the shop now and Buzsaky and Leigertwood were doing a great job of occupying their middle pair of Olofinjana and Henry. The former has always been impressive every time I have seen him and certainly looks as though he is playing below his level. Such was the chasing he was getting though he presented the ball to Rowlands who again surged forward for a shot and was again denied by a good low save from Hennessey.  

The referee was continuing to incense both sets of players and fans with his bizarre decision making. Nygaard was getting thrown all over the place by Darren Ward and all too often nothing was done about it. Similarly Ainsworth rattled into Gray a couple of times, on one occasion leaving him in a heap in front of the home dugout with little thought of a free kick being awarded.  

Just before the break Graham finally spotted a foul and it counted against Rangers. A ball to the back stick was met by Blackstock and he turned it back across goal for Ainsworth to bundle the ball in. The referee had “spotted” a foul by Dexter though and ruled it out. It looked harsh to me especially as he hadn’t been vaguely bothered about giving free kicks for similar offences anywhere on the park from either side. 

Wolves almost Rangers pay when they charged to the other end and won a free kick when Stewart was adjudged to have fouled Bothroyd. A great ball was whipped in a Rehman produced a superb defensive header to glance the ball behind for a corner, or a goal kick as it turned out from the bizarre referee! 

Rangers were denied a blatant free kick when a mazy Buzsaky run was ended with a crude hack on the edge of the Wolves box. From that non-decision the away team burst to the other end of the field where Darron Gibson dragged his shot wide.  

Rangers would certainly have been the happier side going in at the break but once again they had been left ruing a succession of spurned chances. If ever a team needed a deadly striker then this is it as given the chances we are now creating we could easily have been cruising away from the danger zone, instead we are propping up the rest. Hopefully one of the six players Paladini bragged about signing is such a player. 

Blackstock should have scored only minutes into the half when the shocking Collins was betrayed by his leaden hoofs again and he completely missed a nothing ball forward. Blackstock stole in behind him and took the shot early having spotted Hennessey off his line. The young Welshman was beaten all ends up but the ball faded wide of his right hand post. 

Stewart should have done better when he met a Buzsaky corner again but his firm downward header bounced hard and looped up over the bar. The miss should have been made academic soon after when Rangers were denied the most stick on of stick on penalties.   

A ball was played into the feet of Nygaard and as he got it under control former Luton full back Kevin Foley got a grip of the big man. Nygaard turned and still Foley hung on, Nygaard tried to move off and still Foley hung on before the Dane eventually went down. Everyone in the ground expected the whistle but amazingly the ref waived the appeals away. Graham had pretty much bottle out of most of the big calls so I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. This was only his third game at this level and I would be amazed if there were many more in the near future. 

Wolves finally managed to test Camp with a meaningful effort when Stephen Ward flicked a back header at goal and the R’s keeper had to back pedal to flip it over the top. As has happened so often Rangers were starting to get pushed deeper and deeper but luckily this time Rehman and Stewart were meeting every challenge head on. 

It was a rare moment when they got pulled out of position that should have ended with Wolves taking the lead. Gibson found space on the right and Rehman moved across with his man only to see the ball bypass him. Stephen Elliott had slipped away from Stewart and ran in behind him to meet the ball and tap it into the empty net. Only he didn’t! He somehow came up with one of the worst finishes this side of Dominic Iorfa against Leeds United all those years ago and he managed to send it wide.  

Wolves were certainly having the better of the game now and it was no surprise that it came when Olofinjana and Henry managed to escape the shackles of the R’s midfield. Olofinjana must have thought he had a simple tap in when he found some space in the Rangers box but Blackstock suddenly appeared from nowhere to toe the ball away for a corner. 

A change was needed by this point as there were a good twenty minutes left and Rangers were carrying some passengers. Ainsworth had been outstanding and turned in a monumental shift but he was blowing hard. Sinclair probably should have come on ten minutes before he did. Blackstock was also out on his feet and Nygaard was hobbling around after appearing to turn an ankle. 

Despite the tiredness the R’s players were still trying to show for the midfielders and a through ball to Blackstock almost brought a goal. He managed to hold off the attentions of Collins and turn the ball into Rowlands’ path. The stand in skipped met the ball with a thunderous strike that looked as though it was arrowing into the roof of the net before Hennessey produced another top save to tip it over the bar.  

The final chance of the game also fell to Rangers as Ainsworth once again left Gray groping for a chunk of shirt. The winger galloped away and fired a shot across the face of goal and wide. It was almost identical to Gibson’s first half effort, what made it more miraculous was the fact that Ainsworth was struggling to walk by now let alone run! 

There were a few grumbles at the end of the game but this was a decent affair and those neutrals watching may well have thought that Rangers were the team sitting higher in the table. Wolves were poor, the front two really didn’t have a sniff against Rehman and Stewart, and if Bothroyd was as good as he thinks he is he would be a world beater!  

Having not been at the Burnley game I only had reports of how well the centre backs had played but if they were anything like this then fair play. I am not going to pretend that we don’t need someone consistently better than Rehman in but he was superb on the day and my man of the match.  

A striker is key for us now. Vine isn’t the answer of you want someone prolific. You need an Earnshaw or Chopra type player who will bury the slightest of chances. There are plenty being made, Rangers hit the target ten times in this game but you have to make them unstoppable and they aren’t. It might cost a few mill but if it does then so be it, goals will keep you up and goals will take you up. 

Man of the Match – Zesh Rehman. This was a photo finish between Zesh and Ainsworth but the big centre back edges it for me. If only he could learn the art of consistent performances then his career may have progressed further than it has.

simon@qprnet.com