By Myles Palmer
QPR fanatic Pat Driscoll had told me that on-loan winger Jerome Thomas was man of the match in his first three games against Tranmere, Notts County and Swindon.
Acting chairman Nick Blackburn confirms this in the Patron’s Lounge before the game.
This derby was the last home fixture of the season and a noisy near-sellout, a crowd over 18,000.
Chief Exec David Davies tells us that the police believed public order was an issue if Brentford owner Ron Noades turned up, since R’s fans reckon Ron wants to merge and submerge their beloved club.
At one point Chris Wright was gonna come and keep Ron company. In the end, neither was at the game.
It was a hectic but sterile 0-0 draw.
Brentford are a busy,tidy workmanlike side, a typical Steve Coppell team.
More power than craft, but not without craft.
At half time I had a chat with Keith Burkinshaw, who said Brentford’s No 7 was a good little player.
I watched Paul Evans more closely in the second half and Keith was right.
Jerome Thomas is a slim, right-footed left winger who had scored a superb solo goal at Swindon last week.
But Brentford kept two men close to Thomas almost all the time. And nobody was making the right support runs for him.
When Nottingham Forest had John Robertson,a right-footed left winger who could pass beautifully, Tony Woodcock made runs ahead of Robbo and close to him.
So did the left-footed Gary Birtles and the left-footed Archie Gemmill.
If Thomas stays there on loan next season, that is something manager Ian Hollway should work on. It would be a very productive area.
The QPR goal narrowly survived some scares in the second half and the arrival of top scorer Andy Thomson added no new threat at the other end.
Ginger-haired Steve Sidwell played in central midfield for Brentford. He is also on loan from Arsenal and was OK, for a kid learning the game.
David Dein was sitting in the row in front of us and we said hello to him.
The post-match rituals were more interesting and revealing than the match.
Thousands of fans stayed behind to see the award of some trophies and listen to a heartfelt speech by honest Ian Holloway.
Had a chat with Bob Vaughan of World Soccer and Norman Fox of The Indie on Sunday but didn’t stay to watch the Hoops do a lap of honour.
I wish them well.QPR are a Nationwide 1 club and must have a chance or promotion next term now that they have reduced their overheads and unloaded all the under-achievers.
With the ITV Digital meltdown there will be 1,500 players looking for clubs this summer and Holloway should pick up some hungry players.
QPR is still in administration but the fans are incredibly loyal and crowds are always over 10,000.
Before the game I stood outside listening to white-haired sixty-year olds in baseball caps chatting in detail about matches that happened 30 years ago. Fans never cease to amaze me.
Still can’t get enthusiastic the semi-final tomorrow.
I keep worrying about Chelsea, not Middlesbrough.Chelsea worry me a lot.
Alen Boksic is somebody I put in the same category as Van Morrison and Eric Clapton.
He is way past his best, but if you’re as good as he was, you can never completely lose it.
So Boksic might score. But since that will not be the only goal of the game, I’m not losing any sleep over it.
My pal Nigel was at the training ground yesterday doing radio interviews with Freddie and Arsene.
Nigel reckons Ray Parlour will start, not Edu.
Nigel is a good judge of these things and a very knowledgeable Gooner.But I would be surprised if his call is correct.
My mate Stewart came round last Sunday afternoon to deliver two tickets for the semi.
I’ve sent them up to son Michael and his mate Ajay in Sheffield.
They will go over to Manchester tonight and stay with Dominic, a business student there. Dom is a United fan and works on security at Old Trafford on match days.
Michael has not seen an Arsenal game since starting at university and he has never been to Old Trafford.
Ajay, a law student from Kent, is a Gooner but has only seen the team once and that was a 0-0 draw.
So they are really looking forward to the game – much more than I am.
They have high hopes while I have only…curiousity, I suppose you would call it.
Tomorrow looks like a nice lazy day: get up late, go to Tai Chi class with Jan, come home, have some lunch, read the papers, watch the game on Sky at 4 pm.
By 4pm I might be psyched-up and wondering : Can Boksic get round Sol? Round Tony?
Is Thierry gonna play like a world-beater or a plonker?
Some games, I’m apprehensive, but not this one.
Now,at 9.25 on Saturday night, I think :Middlesbrough cannot win this game. Arsenal can lose it, but Middlesbrough cannot win it.
The FA Cup, like the title, is in Arsenal’s own hands.
As Arsene keeps saying,It’s about how well WE play.
13th April 2002.