QPR 3, West Brom 1: Chris Lepkowski's big match verdict

Mar 8 2010 by Christopher Lepkowski, Birmingham Mail

In goal Carson will provoke more debate.

He has split Albion supporters – to the point that heckling is commonplace, along with tension from those who feel fans should not turn against players during the 90 minutes.

Those dissenting voices became louder during Saturday’s trip to west London, with his first catch following QPR’s opening goal being greeted with ironic cheers. It’s unfortunate it has come to this.

Perhaps Carson suffers from being a goalkeeper whose only ‘crime’, for want of a better word, was to be selected for England.

That distinction raised the stakes and, whether he likes it or not, it’s the basis on which he is judged, where perhaps he should viewed in the respect of what he is now – that being a goalkeeper playing at Championship level, rather than an international goalkeeper.

Heckling or not, you get the feeling that any remaining ambitions Carson had of making the England squad might have ebbed away by the time the third goal sailed in, regardless of whether the fault was his or more that of his defenders. Carson is still young and will develop. Whether he is given time and patience to learn from his mistakes remains to be seen.

You have to question the point of booing a player who is clearly prone to occasional dips in form.

While fans are entitled to voice their disapproval, the jeering and taunts can’t be helpful to goalkeeper or team.

Worse still, it will only fuel the further negativity between players and fans, which isn’t helpful to anyone, not least at this point in the season.

Albion have slipped behind in the automatic promotion race. Realistically you have to assume that the three-way battle for the top two is now a two-club duel for second spot. Surely not even Newcastle could blow the nine-point advantage they hold over Albion or the eight points they have over Nottingham Forest.

The Baggies don’t really get much time to dwell on results these days.

It’s back to league action against Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow. A game Albion can ill afford to drop any more points in.

The Baggies need to pick up their form or risk slipping behind in the race for automatic promotion. It’s still in their hands.