Paul MacInnes on QPR's miserable start to the season
And that’s the end of an entertaining night in the Championship, a division that promises to be very exciting and quite unpredictable this season. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Sweet dreams wherever you are, and don’t forget to say a prayer for poor old Steve McClaren. Nighty night!
Ben Fisher was at the Liberty tonight. Here’s our man’s take on an excellent game of football between two sides who will surely be in the mix for promotion this season.
Post-match pint. In order to celebrate / drown your sorrows.
FULL TIME: Rotherham United 2-3 Hull City
And there’s no completed fightback for Rotherham. A much-needed three points for Nigel Adkins, who received some pelters upon going down at home to Blackburn.
FULL TIME: Derby County 2-0 Ipswich Town
Paul Hurst is still looking for his first win as Ipswich boss. But Frank Lampard has his second as Derby manager under his belt.
FULL TIME: Swansea City 2-2 Leeds United
There goes Leeds’ 100 percent record under Marcelo Bielsa, but his team did extremely well to come back after a miserable start. Graham Potter will be very happy as well: his Swans already look an utterly different proposition to the miserable goal-shy version of last season. Stevie Wonder’s Uptight plays over the PA: the first line, “Baby, everything is all right” just about sums it up. Both sides will be happy with their performance, and the general direction in which they’re heading.
FULL TIME: QPR 0-3 Bristol City
Rangers remain rooted to the bottom of the Championship. No points, and a negative goal difference of 11 after a mere four matches. This has not started well for Steve McClaren. Bristol City meanwhile go back down the M4 with their first three-point haul in the boot of the bus.
90 min +3: A corner for Leeds, deep into stoppage time. Hernandez takes it, from the left. McBurnie heads it powerfully clear, with blue shirts lurking, an intervention nearly as important as his goals.
90 min: Both sides have a chance to win it late at the Liberty! Celina tries to pass one into the bottom left from the edge of the box, but Peacock-Farrell’s trailing leg denies him. Then down the other end, Harrison is put through, but he hesitates fatally and the chance is gone!
GOAL! QPR 0-3 Bristol City (Weimann 90)
The QPR fans were earlier telling the City supporters that their team is dreadful, on account of being just two goals up. Top-notch terrace patter. Anyway, this has sorted that little problem out. Andreas Weimann scores his second of the night. Oh Steve, Steve, Steve.
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85 min: Both sets of fans are in good voice at the Liberty, with the home support singing their hymns and arias, while the visitors are marching on together. A result of both teams putting in a good performance. Hats off to Potter and Bielsa. Compare and contrast to Loftus Road, where QPR fans are giving Steve McClaren a full and frank critique of his managerial abilities. Oh Steve!
84 min: Graham Potter makes his last change. Joel Asoro comes on for Martin Olsson.
82 min: Saiz juggles the ball down the left, but can’t keep it in play with Swansea on the back foot and Harrison hoping for a cut-back. Leeds have been inconsistent tonight, but when they’ve been good, they’ve put on a fine show. Swansea look serious contenders for promotion too. The Championship is going to be some division this season!
GOAL! Swansea City 2-2 Leeds United (Hernandez 79)
It continues to be a really open, entertaining game at the Liberty. And just as I was typing that, Bamford spins van der Hoorn down the left and races into space. He curls low into the box. Rodon can’t intercept, the ball flying between his legs. Pablo Hernandez, once of Swansea, cuts in from the right and meets the cross first time, steering it into the bottom left. He starts to celebrate, then remembers he used to play for the Swans, so stops respectfully. But what a finish!
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GOAL! Rotherham United 2-3 Hull City (Proctor 75)
Jamie Proctor halves the arrears at the New York Stadium.
75 min: Leroy Fer, making his first start of the season, trots off to warm applause from the home fans. He’s replaced by Tom Carroll after a performance of perpetual motion.
GOAL! Derby County 2-0 Ipswich Town (Lawrence 68)
Tom Lawrence buries a free kick into the top corner. It’s looking like Derby will beat Ipswich on their own turf for the first time in 11 attempts.
71 min: From the right, Douglas curls a long free kick to the far post. Harrison was preparing to head it back across goal, but the plan is scuppered by Fulton. Shame, because it looked as though a pretty training-ground move was in the process of unfolding. Not that Swansea fans will care a jot, of course.
68 min: Baker curls a low cross through the Swansea box from the right. Bamford isn’t a million miles away from it. Just before, there’s a wee lesson learned by young Jamie Shackleton, who thinks a ball down the right is going out of play for a throw, and turns his back on it, wandering off. But the spin keeps it in on the line, and serious embarrassment is avoided when Douglas mops up, because McBurnie was lurking.
GOAL! Derby County 1-0 Ipswich Town (Ledley 59)
A 25-yarder from Joe Ledley whistles into the top corner, and the deadlock is finally broken at Pride Park! Some relief in the pipeline for Frank Lampard, who lost the first home game of his managerial career 4-1 against Leeds.
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65 min: ... then Leeds make their last, Patrick Bamford coming on for Kemar Roofe. You have to admire the boldness of Bielsa’s substitutions. He makes his decision, and doesn’t hang about.
64 min: Swansea make their first change of the night, as Jefferson Montero replaces the impressive Barrie McKay.
63 min: Fer and Celina combine as the pair drive down the centre of the pitch. The latter can’t quite set up the former for a shot ... but Leeds were nearly opened up yet again.
61 min: McBurnie is this close to his hat-trick. He wins a header on the edge of the Leeds box, knocking it down to McKay, who returns it to him along the inside-right channel. McBurnie’s in space, and threads a shot towards the bottom left. Peacock-Farrell fingertips around the post, and the corner comes to nothing.
59 min: A slight lull at the Liberty. It’s been like that pretty much from the get-go at Pride Park, so be thankful for small mercies.
56 min: Young Jamie Shackleton once again waltzes past Olsson as though he’s not there. This time he ripples the side netting with an ambitious shot from a tight angle on the right. Shackleton looks a player.
55 min: A free kick for Swansea, who have reestablished their dominance, out on the right. Celina curls it to the far post, where Fulton nearly flicks home. Leeds half clear. McKay, 25 yards out down the inside-left channel, hits a first-time sidefooted riser that only just curls wide of the top-right corner. That would have been a stunner. McKay really does look the business when he’s on song.
GOAL! Rotherham United 1-3 Hull City (Irvine 47)
Jackson Irvine scores his second of the match. Fraizer Campbell with the assist. This could be a huge result for Nigel Adkins.
GOAL! Swansea City 2-1 Leeds United (McBurnie 50)
McKay zips down the left flank and stands one into the middle. It doesn’t quite find McBurnie. No matter! Swansea are soon coming back at Leeds down the same flank. Olsson makes the run this time, and hooks into the centre, where McBurnie rises high and plants a stunning header across Peacock-Farrell and into the top right!
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GOAL! QPR 0-2 Bristol City (Weimann 50)
Oh Steve! pt. II. Bristol City haven’t beaten Rangers since 1977. They’ll never have a better chance to break that sorry run. Andreas Weimann meets Niclas Eliasson’s cross and plants a header into the net.
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48 min: Leeds are knocking it around in the higher tempo favoured by their new manager. Not to any great effect so far, but Swansea are no longer in charge as they were before the Leeds equaliser.
OK, we’re off again at the Liberty! Leeds have made another change; Bielsa isn’t afraid to make the big decisions. Ezgjan Alioski is replaced by Jack Harrison.
Half-time hot dog. Look at this little scamp go!
The half-times
Derby County 0-0 Ipswich Town
QPR 0-1 Bristol City
Rotherham United 1-2 Hull City
Swansea City 1-1 Leeds United
GOAL! Rotherham United 1-2 Hull City (Campbell 45)
The Tigers have turned it around against the Millers. Fraizer Campbell converts Eric Lichaj’s cross. As things stand, Hull have catapulted themselves out of the relegation places into mid-table ... for what any of that is worth, four games in.
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45 min: Leeds were totally outplayed for 40 minutes. Now they’re pinging it around like they did against Southampton in 1972! Well, not quite. But they are stroking it about with great confidence now ... and any old excuse, eh?
GOAL! QPR 0-1 Bristol City (Taylor 41)
Oh Steve!
42 min: Shackleton is only playing because Liam Cooper twanged his hamstring in the warm-up. He’s a central midfielder by trade, but can also put in a shift at right back ... which is something he’s doing in fine fashion tonight!
GOAL! Swansea City 1-1 Leeds United (Roofe 40)
Utterly against the run of play, this. And it’s all down to 18-year-old Jamie Shackleton, who suddenly turns on the jets down the right, and burns past Olsson. He enters the box and fires a low ball along the corridor of uncertainty. Roofe can’t miss, sidefooting home from six yards!
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39 min: Celina has been the star of the show so far. He dribbles across the front of the box, left to right, in the style of George Best. Upon reaching the right-hand edge of the D, he tries to float a chip over Peacock-Farrell, who is well off his line. Just a little too much on it, and it’s over the bar. But that was mighty fancy.
37 min: Baker is booked for a fairly agricultural lunge on Fer. Bielsa might be the aesthete’s aesthete, but his side are not afraid to put it about.
36 min: A couple of corners for Leeds, finally putting some pressure on the hosts. The second nearly catches Swansea cold: it’s played back up the left wing for Douglas, who whips into the penalty box from deep. Berardi meets it with a powerful header ... but not an accurate one.
34 min: Swansea remain in the ascendancy. Celina slashes a shot wide left from distance. A frustrated Ayling crumps McBurnie on the back of his noggin. For a second it looks as though there’ll be a good old-fashioned exchange of views between several players, but it all calms down quickly enough.
GOAL! Rotherham United 1-1 Hull City (Irvine 28)
Jackson Irvine levels things up at the New York Stadium. Some respite for Nigel Adkins, who is already under pressure from Hull’s not particularly chuffed fans after a sluggish start to the season.
28 min: Bielsa makes an early tactical change, hooking the struggling Phillips - already booked and repeatedly stripped naked by Celina - for Baker.
27 min: Roofe upends van der Hoorn, who was striding out of defence with great pomp and purpose. He’s booked for that. Leeds look collectively frustrated.
GOAL! Swansea City 1-0 Leeds United (McBurnie 24)
Swansea have been utterly dominant, and this had been coming. Phillips gives up possession in the midfield. McKay dribbles with great purpose down the inside-left channel. He’s got the entire Leeds back line in panicked reverse. He slips the ball right to Celina, who immediately clips it back inside to McBurnie. The striker - a Leeds fan in his youth - takes a touch and fires it into the bottom left. That’s a lovely goal.
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GOAL! Rotherham United 1-0 Hull City (Wood 16)
Ryan Manning crosses, and Richard Wood heads home. Rotherham have already beaten Ipswich and Wigan at home, in the Championship and League Cup respectively. They’ve started well if they’re to make it three wins from three.
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18 min: ... and scuffs a pitiful pearoller into the arms of Mulder. Douglas has the self-awareness to let his head drop a bit in shame, and smile in a self-deprecating fashion.
17 min: Fulton clips Saiz’s ankle, 30 yards from the Swansea goal in the centre of the pitch. The first real chance for the visitors to craft something, and threaten Swansea’s goal. Douglas shapes to have an ambitious dig ...
15 min: No goals in any of the other games, either. No flipping!
14 min: Celina curls it in. Leeds can only half clear, and the ball falls to Olsson, who tries to shape a shot into the top left from the edge of the box. It’s high and not so handsome.
13 min: Celina has Phillips on toast down the right. He drops a shoulder and makes to scoot off again; Phillips tugs him back and is rightly booked as a result. A chance for Swansea to load the box.
11 min: Celina sends Roberts scampering down the right with a lovely ball slipped along the wing. Roberts is in acres, but his cutback, intended for McBurnie, is no good. Swansea have enjoyed much the better of it so far.
8 min: It’s very discombobulating watching Leeds United against a team playing in white. Now I know how Barcelona must have felt when Liverpool rocked up at the Nou Camp in the Uefa Cup all those years ago wearing crispy Real Madrid referencing tops.
6 min: Swansea are asserting some early dominance. Leeds are holding their shape well enough - the late replacement Shackleton has already made one confidence-building clearance - but they’re struggling to get out of their final third right now.
4 min: Swansea push Leeds back a little. McKay, who was excellent on the opening day of the season against Sheffield United, dances down the left and swings a ball in for Roberts, who fresh-air swipes on the penalty spot.
2 min: Both teams have started really brightly at the Liberty. Hernandez threatened to break clear in the very early stages for Leeds, while Rodon has embarked on a long Beckenbaueresque sashay down the middle. It’s nice and open.
A late change for Leeds. Liam Cooper has knacked himself in the warm-up, and Jamie Shackleton takes his place. Anyway, we’re off at the Liberty. And everywhere else, I should imagine, as we embark on this MBM-Clocko amalgam which will end up being something, one way or another.
Marcelo Bielsa talks! “Both Roofe and Bamford are options for number nine, but Roofe is in a good moment. Swansea are a very difficult test, they have very good players. Their style of play is attractive.” Bielsa was communicating in English, incidentally, asking questions of his interpreter rather than simply talking through him. His interpreter, who has been working with him since his days at Marseille, is by all accounts a French academic and world-renowned expert in USA-Cuba relations. This fact registers 11 out of 10 on the Bielsa-o-meter.
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Graham Potter speaks! “Fer and Naughton both give us good experience. Leroy has been coming off the bench and helping us, and I thought it was the right time for him to start. It’s nice to have their know-how on the pitch. It’s slightly tactical but it freshens us up. We have to adapt, we have to have a plan. We’re looking forward to a test under the lights at the Liberty against a good team.”
Rotherham make just one change to the side that lost at Leeds on Saturday. Ryan Manning makes his full debut, replacing Sean Raggett. Under-fire Hull boss Nigel Adkins makes two swaps from the team booed off the park against Blackburn at the weekend. Reece Burke and Daniel Batty return from injury; Steven Kingsley is out.
Derby County make four changes to the team that went down 2-1 at Millwall last weekend. Craig Forsyth, George Evans, Mason Bennett and David Nugent are in; Scott Malone, Martyn Waghorn, Bradley Johnson and Florian Jozefzoon make way. Ipswich drew 1-1 with Aston Villa at the weekend with ten men; the dismissed Tayo Edun is replaced by Grant Ward.
QPR ring the changes after their 7-1 skelping at the Hawthorns. Angel Rangel makes his debut, while Alex Baptiste, Pawel Wszolek and Conor Washington also start. Osman Kakay, Jordan Cousins, Matt Smith and Joel Lynch miss out. Bristol City make two changes to the team that lost 2-0 at home to Middlesbrough. Korey Smith and Jamie Paterson are replaced by Matty Taylor and Niclas Eliasson.
Swansea City make two changes to the XI sent out for the goalless draw at Birmingham last Friday. Leroy Fer and Kyle Naughton come in; Tom Carroll and Joel Asoro step down. Leeds, flying high on confidence, name exactly the same team that beat Rotherham 2-0 at the weekend.
Tonight's teams
Derby County: Carson, Forsyth, Bryson, Tomori, Keogh, Mount, Lawrence, Evans, Bennett, Nugent, Bogle.
Ipswich Town: Bialkowski, Donacien, Nsiala, Chambers, Knudsen, Chalobah, Skuse, Nolan, Ward, Edwards, Harrison.
QPR: Ingram, Rangel, Leistner, Baptiste, Bidwell, Scowen, Luongo, Wszolek, Freeman, Eze, Washington.
Bristol City: Maenpaa, Pisano, Webster, Brownhill, Taylor, Weimann, Watkins, Kelly, Eliasson, Pack, Hunt.
Rotherham United: Rodak, Vyner, Ajayi, Wood, Mattock, Taylor, Vaulks, Palmer, Manning, Williams, Smith.
Hull City: Marshall, Lichaj, de Wijs, Burke, Evandro, Irvine, Kane, Batty, Bowen, Henriksen, Campbell.
Swansea City: Mulder, Naughton, van der Hoorn, Rodon, Olsson, Fulton, Fer, Celina, Roberts, McBurnie, McKay.
Leeds United: Peacock-Farrell, Ayling, Douglas, Cooper, Berardi, Phillips, Klich, Alioski, Hernandez, Saiz, Roofe
Preamble
Never mind the ongoing brilliance of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, the internal politics at Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, the brave new world of Unai Emery’s Arsenal, or the competent defending of Jurgen Klopp’s LIverpool ... the story of the season so far has surely been told by Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, where some sort of revolution appears to be taking place.
The former Argentina, Chile, Athletic Bilbao and Marseille coach has hit the ground running at Elland Road. It’s four wins out of four so far this season; can he make it five from five at Swansea City, who are freshly cashiered from the Premier League and have started confidently themselves under new man Graham Potter? It could be a very instructive evening in south Wales.
This Clocko will be mainly concentrating on that game, but keeping an eye on events elsewhere in the Championship too. Derby County welcome Ipswich Town to Pride Park, where Frank Lampard’s side will be looking to atone for their recent 4-1 capitulation against the aforementioned Leeds. Rotherham United, who have struggled away but won both of their home matches this season, host Hull City, who have just struggled. And QPR, who were humiliated 7-1 at West Brom three days ago, get back on the horse at Loftus Road against a slow-starting Bristol City.
Derby County v Ipswich Town
Queens Park Rangers v Bristol City
Rotherham United v Hull City
Swansea City v Leeds United
All kick-offs are 7.45pm BST. Team news when we have it. It’s on, on, on, on!
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