Peter Odemwingie's farcical about-face in midweek caused much merriment in football, but it was no laughing matter for Harry Redknapp, who has a striking crisis at QPR with Loic Remy sidelined by a groin injury and Bobby Zamora unable to play more than half a game.
Peter Odemwingie's farcical about-face in midweek caused much merriment in football, but it was no laughing matter for Harry Redknapp, who has a striking crisis at QPR with Loic Remy sidelined by a groin injury and Bobby Zamora unable to play more than half a game.
Odemwingie turned up at Loftus Road on transfer deadline day, only to be told no deal had been done and he had to go back to West Bromwich Albion with his tail between his legs. And Norwich fans mocked their opponents when Adel Taarabt missed a 56th-minute penalty that might have given QPR three invaluable points in their battle against relegation.
"Peter Odemwingie, he would have scored that one," they chanted, and Redknapp knew it could have made all the difference. "We just needed a break and when we got the penalty, I felt if we'd have scored it we'd have won," he said. "But we just couldn't convert it. Zamora made a big difference when he came on [as a substitute], but he can't play 90 minutes. He's had an op on his hip and it seizes up after 10 minutes. Getting him through 35 or 40 minutes is a miracle."
And there was more bad news after Remy, signed from Marseille for pounds 8?million last month, was injured on Friday. "Remy did a groin in the last minute of training yesterday. I don't know how long he will be out. We'll know more on Monday," Redknapp said.
Redknapp has overseen eight draws in the 15 games since he took over from Mark Hughes, but QPR need to start winning if they are to get off the bottom of the table, and an out-of-form Norwich side, without a win in seven weeks, was a perfect opportunity.
"It's obvious we need wins but we just have to keep going. We're unbeaten this year, and got good results against Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester City. I thought this was a game we could win, but it wasn't to be," Redknapp said.
Rangers were kept out by a combination of wayward finishing and superb goalkeeping from Mark Bunn, who saved Taarabt's penalty after he had tripped Jamie Mackie.
Bunn also kept out two long-range shots from the Moroccan, as well as tipping away a late piledriver from Andros Townsend, one of four January signings to make their debut for QPR. Christopher Samba, the most high profile and expensive of them, had a header cleared off the Norwich line by Grant Holt.
Norwich manager Chris Hughton kept his new striker Luciano Becchio on the substitutes' bench until the final few minutes of a game that was in the most part scrappy and indicative of two sides at the wrong end of the table.
Harry Redknapp played four new signings, with Andros Townsend taking the man of the match award. The winger, on loan from Spurs, had a shot well saved. Chris Samba came close with a header while Jermain Jenas and Tal Ben Haim came on late as substitutes, as did Luciano Becchio, who barely touched the ball for Norwich.
QPR (4-4-1-1): Cesar; Fabio (Ben Haim 74), Samba, Hill, Traore; Wright-Phillips (Zamora 54), Mbia (Jenas 69), Derry, Townsend; Taarabt; Mackie. Subs: Green, Park, Granero, Bothroyd.
Norwich (4-4-1-1): Bunn; Martin, Turner, Bassong, Garrido; Snodgrass, Tettey, Johnson, Pilkington (E Bennett 24); Hoolahan (Becchio 87); Holt. Subs: Camp, Whittaker, Howson, Jackson, R Bennett.
Referee: J Moss (Yorkshire).
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