After a two month break QPR were back in action yesterday with a new manager, new players and a new kit on a sunny day in Stevenage.

For the last few weeks I've been going back and forth about whether to go to this game and on Friday afternoon I got a call from my dad to say I could have free tickets for the game via Anthony Thomas who several years ago played for his Sunday league team before going semi pro and is now at Stevenage. I turned down the offer thinking I would be better off staying at home then going to the cinema with the wife.

A few lunchtime pints later and after reading Dave Mcintyre's excellent preview on the BBC 606 page I started to drop a few hints to Carly and by Saturday morning she agreed we should go to the game as long as she didn't have to drive.

It was now too late to get the free tickets but we went off anyway on a train full of Celtic fans into Paddington and then onto Kings Cross for the short journey to Stevenage.

We opted to go for a pre match drink in the Wetherspoons pub in town. It felt like the season had started as we walked in the first faces we saw were Mark and Pete with their kids who we usually see at most home and away games. More and more regular faces we travel to games with turned up and we knew we'd made the right decision to spend our Saturday following QPR rather than shopping in Windsor.

We left the pub just after half two and it felt like a pretty long walk to the stadium mainly as it was all uphill to get the stadium but it was all well signposted and even split to let us know which way to go for away fans and which way for home fans.

Inside the stadium the facilities looked pretty basic but the stadium was probably better than many in the football league. The away end was all seater and packed with QPR fans, I shouldn't have been surprised by it looked like around 1,500 had made the trip and we found it hard to spot seats together so decided to split up and four of us found seats behind the goal near the corner flag and the rest went into the home end by the corner flag.

We had just taken our seats as the team did a pre match huddle and we desperately tried to work out who everyone was. The players were wearing the new third choice kit which looked far better live than it did on the website.

As ever with these pre season games the first twenty minute or so are usually made up of supporters saying who is the number 7 etc. As it turned out we only had two new players in the starting eleven but a new haircut for Lee Camp had me trying to work out who the new keeper was for a few minutes.

Rangers lined up with a 4-4-2 formation. Camp was in goal and the defence was barker and Ramage at full back with Rehmann and Stewart in the middle. Even against a conference side three of that back four looked completely out of their depth at times.

In midfield Gareth Ainsworth started on the right with Ephraim on the left. Martin Rowlands shook off his injury to start in the middle with Adam Bolder. Up front was Patrick Agyemang alongside loan signing Samuel Di Carmine making his debut for QPR.

We began the game defending the goal in front of the QPR fans and looked a little shaky to start with. Rangers tried to play the ball out of defence and keep possession in a cagy start but we had the usual problems of making one sloppy pass and giving it away to give Stevenage a chance. Rehmann and Rowlands were the guilty parties early on and gave the ball away far too often.

After around five minutes the first chance of the game arrived after a long ball forward from Stevenage and Stewart allowed the ball to bounce and that allowed Antony Thomas to get in behind Stewart but barker got across to help out as Thomas failed to get his shot away.

The home side looked the more dangerous and were not all long ball they tried to play some decent football and a lovely move should have opened the scoring. An interchange of passes in midfield resulted in a ball into the box where Thomas Cushioned his header to Morison who got away from Rehmann and placed a shot past Camp into the bottom corner.

The home fans celebrated but the linesmen flagged for offside in what looked a very close decision. That was a big warning for Rangers and we began to wake up and get into the game as Bolder won a few strong tackles in midfield and we tried to get the ball up to Agyemang whose pace was causing a few problems from deep positions but he seemed to stop when he got near the box and allowed Stevenage to get men back and block out the danger.

Stevenage continued to have the better of the chances with a free kick on the left headed wide of the post and in another attack Ramage did well to snuff out the danger with a good block.

Rangers first real chance came through Agyemang when he won the ball off a Stevenage defender and burst into the box with a great show of pace but I thought he took one touch too many to get it back under control and his shot was blocked away for a corner.

The game began to open up and both sides had chances. Our best move of the game up to that point almost resulted in a goal. Bolder found Ainsworth on the right and he linked well with Ramage who whipped in an excellent cross to the near post where Di Carmine was running into space and met the cross with a diving header which crashed against the post.

The play quickly switched to the other end where Ramage was caught on and a decent low cross into the middle was cleared by Stewart for a corner.

Rangers then took the lead with a well worked goal. Di Carmine held the ball up and played it to Ephraim who burst into the game turning one way then the other before getting into the box and firing a low shot into the bottom corner. It was a good finish by Ephraim and was really his first contribution to the game.

The lead wasn't really deserved but it seemed to give us a bit of confidence and we looked the more likely to score after that.

Gareth Ainsworth went close with a header that was well saved whilst Ephraim beat him man on two occasions but his shot was off target on both occasions. Stevenage continued to look a threat on the break with Rangers creating most of our own problems as Rowlands and Rehmann gave the ball away in dangerous positions.

Antony Thomas was the man causing the main problems for us with his strength and pace. He twice got away from Stewart but his finishing was poor slicing both efforts off target. Former Mansfield striker Iyseden Christie came on midway through the first half and it looks like him and Thomas will be a decent pairing for Stevenage next season as they continued to cause problems for the QPR back four.

The chances continued to come for Stevenage as good work on the right brought a ball into the box for Christie who broke clear of the defence and volleyed a shot towards the bottom corner which Camp did well to push round the post.

Chris Barker did well to get across and slide in to clear a dangerous ball into the box off the line with Christie breathing down his neck. This was the first time I have seen Barker since the Chelsea game back in January and on this showing I'd be surprised if he played many games next season.

The home side had done more than enough to draw level but Rangers still looked dangerous when we got possession in the final third and Ainsworth was causing a few problems, he once again linked well with Ramage to be put through in the box but his cross the far post was just too high for the onrushing Agyemang.

As the half time whistle went I think Iain Dowie will have been given food for thought by the performance. There were positives with the work and bite in midfield of Bolder whilst Ainsworth, Ephraim and Agyemang all showed glimpses of what they can do.

The team was very one paced though and lacked an injection of life where we could change the tempo and get in behind them. The performance of the back four will have also given Dowie a cause for concern and that will hopefully be the last time we see Stewart and Rehmann paired together.

We decided to move seats at half time and move into the main stand and sat with a few mates for a different view of the second half. We watched what turned out to be the second half team warm up and it looked like we had more or two trialists among them although it turned out they were straight from the youth team. Despite some mumours of excitement the ginger lad warming up wasn't Ben Watson.

As the teams came out for the second half we had made ten changes and it was now a case of trying to work out who everybody was. It took us a while to work it out but the second half side was Camp in goal behind a back four of Delaney, Hall, Walton, Connolly. Alberti, Mahon, Ledesma, Rose were in midfield with Balanta and Blackstock up front.

This side started the half on fire with far more pace and attacking intent. Poor Stevenage looked a little shell shocked as the youthful Rangers side threatened to run riot.

Rangers got a second goal within a minute of the re start and it was a great finish. We thought at first the scorer was an Italian trialist but turned out to be Romone Rose. The youngster was out on the left wing and giving his full back a torrid time.

He cut inside and was picked out by Balanta on the edge of the box. Rose took a touch inside on his right foot and drilled a shot past the keeper at his near post to make it 2-0.

Rose was looking the pick of the team as the game restarted and he again got on the ball and powered past his full back before cutting back on his right foot and putting in an excellent cross for Blackstock whose header was saved by the rather chubby keeper.

The keeper wasn't quite as chubby as the linesmen though who wobbled up and down the line and looked like he needed a larger size of shirt.

Not wishing to be outdone by Ramone Rose our new Italian signing Matteo Alberti got in on the act with a strong ruin in from the right and a neat pass to Blackstock almost got a third goal. Dexter held off three challenges and worked his way into space near the penalty spot only to try and lay it off to Balanta rather than shoot. If Blackstock could be a little greedier in front of goal then I think his place in the side would be far safer than it is.

Jorge Ledesma was given his first chance to shine from the corner and showed he has very good delivery as he whipped in a dangerous ball into the box.

The chances kept coming as we poured forward with Mahon just sitting in front of the back four and the youngsters seemed to have licence to go all out attack which was exciting to watch. Ledesma was looking to run with the ball at his feet and he found Blackstock with a decent through ball but the attack came to nothing.

Rangers had a goal disallowed for what looked offside when Alberti put Blackstock through and he squared it for Balanta to roll into an empty net. The Balanta/Blackstock partnership looked quite promising with the two linking well together and looking to run in behind the back four which created space for the wide players.

Out on the left Romone Rose continued to tease and torment his full back and put some dangerous balls into the box. Rangers had a decent penalty shout turned away when Blackstock was bundled over in the box but he still managed to get too his feet and win a corner.

From the set piece it looked like we had worked on it in training as Ledesma picked out Delaney and he miss hit his shot which flew wide but it was good to see us try something different from a corner.

It was all very comfortable now and we had another penalty shout when Ledesma was brought down but it was deemed to be right on the edge of the box. The players all had words on who would take it and it looked too close for a curler but Ledesma fancied it. He lined it up and curled it over the wall with the keeper beaten and it cannoned off the crossbar. So unlucky for Rangers and the young Argentinean continued to look a player with bags of ability.

Ranger's third and final goal came with another decent move. A ball forward was well controlled by Blackstock who laid it off to Rose who took a touch before picking out Alberti at the far post with his cross and the young Italian made no mistake smashing the ball through the keeper's legs before celebrating with the QPR fans behind the goal.

It looked like we would run riot and win by five or six which would have been unfair after the first half showing. To their credit Stevenage fought back and good work by Thomas saw him get a cross in and find an unmarked Christie to head past Camp. Poor marking by Walton and Hall who looked like they switched off but as I say it was no more than Stevenage deserved.

Rangers went back on the attack and the theatrics of Ledesma caused much amusement. One tackle on him saw him scream out loud which promoted QPR fans to scream every time a tackle went in, something the Stevenage fans quickly joined in with. Ledesma was showing a bad side to his game with some ridiculous dives and after being caught by an accidental elbow he collapsed to the floor like he had been shot rolling around and then jumping up to try and gets the defender sent off. It was all very unnecessary and if Ledesma is going to make it in England he'll need to cut that out of his game.

He showed the good side of him before the end with a good run with the ball at his feet and a shot which flew just wide of the post.
The last fifteen minutes or so belonged to the home side as Rangers sat back and seemed happy with the afternoons work. Rangers failed to cut out several crosses and with better finishing we could have been in a bit of trouble.

Rangers made one last change with about ten minutes left as Reece Crowther came on and he was almost beaten by his own man when Gavin Mahon swooped with a diving header from a free kick to head it over his own bar.

This was my first chance to see Crowther and the young goalkeeper looked massive, well over six foot and came out to claim a few crosses during his time on the pitch perhaps one to look out for in the future.

The clock ran down to 90 minutes and the final whistle signalled an end to an entertaining afternoon. This was a typical pre season game with the game played at a slow pace for much of the game but there was plenty to enjoy from both sides performances and both teams will have high hopes for the new season.

You can never read too much into these games but the main things I came away with was we tried to play it on the floor all the way through and created some decent chances this way. The new players all have ability but probably shouldn't all be thrown into the team at once. Romone Rose was the most impressive, be interesting to see more of him next season. The second half team was far more attacking with plenty of pace and I imagine the idea will be to merge that attacking pace and power with a solid base. If Dowie can do that we should be in for a good season.

If I was Dowie I'd be quite happy with the quality of the squad but we still need strengthening, the defence continues to lack a leader and I think cover for Rowlands is important, he went down with a knock in the first half and looked behind the other players fitness wise. It's still very early though so sure that will change soon.

I'd also like to see another option on the left, preferably a left footer. That's where we do lack going forward on the left having to stop and get back on the right foot worked ok for Ephraim and Rose but we did another option with someone to just get it over on his left foot.

We seem so much more fluid on the right wing where players can either cross first time or take one touch then get it in the box.

All in all though it was an enjoyable day at a nice stadium and great to see some live football again. Next up for Rangers first team is Northampton on Wednesday before a short tour of Scotland.

Man of the Match: Romone Rose

Players Ratings
Lee Camp A new look Lee Camp is possibly the player under the most pressure in pre season with the arrival of Radek Cerny. His injury means Camp will get a few games to prove himself and didn't do himself any harm with this performance. He made one excellent save in the first half and had to be alert during the game as Stevenage looked dangerous at times. The only complaint would be his kicking which wasn't great and under no pressure he sliced one clearance out of the stadium which lead to an ironic chant of England's number one. 7/10
Peter Ramage The new boy from Newcastle had a sluggish start but I don't think he was helped playing alongside Rehmann and Stewart who can make the best full backs looked nervous. He needs to work on cutting out crosses as too often he stood off his man and allowed the ball to be delivered. He got better as the game wore on and going forward he looked promising whipping some decent balls into the box. 6/10
Chris Barker My first chance to see Barker since January and it's safe to say he hasn't got any quicker. Barker had an average game doing very little wrong and making one excellent clearance off the line. His lack of pace is still a major problem though both going forward and defensively. He made it difficult for us to build attacks on the left as he couldn't get forward quick enough to support Ephraim. He is still a decent back up for Delaney though when the season starts. 6/10
Zesh Rehman Zesh is an annoying player to watch. One minute he can make an excellent interception the next he'll make a simple pass look difficult by giving the ball away. He looked very shaky alongside Stewart and struggled with the pace and power of the front two of Steveange. Rehmann got better as the half wore on but I'd be surprised if we saw him in action when the season starts unless we suffer through injuries. 6/10
Damion Stewart Damion showed all of his worst traits in this performance. His positional play was very poor and he was caught out on several occasions ball watching and allowing the ball to bounce and give Antony Thomas far too many chances. Stewart did make a few good blocks but overall I think he'll be disappointed with his performance and will not have impressed Iain Dowie. 5/10
Gareth Ainsworth You know what you are getting with Ainsworth no matter if it is pre season of a six pointer in the league he will give his all for the cause. I was not expecting to see Ainsworth play but he seems keen to continue his playing career and on this evidence he is not finished yet. He worked hard on the right wing and delivered some decent crosses in the first half. He linked well with Ramage as well as causing a few problems in the air where he almost scored. I don;t think he'll be a regular in the team anymore but he once again showed he is a useful player to have in the squad. 7/10
Adam Bolder Many expected Bolder to leave in the summer but so far he is still with us and I thought he showed he is worth keeping around the squad. Bolder was strong in the tackle and added some drive to the midfield. He looked to keep the ball with simple passes which was OK but going forward he lacked the creativity to create anything for the attacking players. Several fans around me seemed to be critical of Bolder but overall I thought he had a decent game 6/10
Martin Rowlands It was good to see Rowlands back after his injury which ruled him out of the Republic of Ireland internationals. He got off to a sluggish start with his passing a little off and he looked annoyed with himself. He got better as the half wore on though and began to use the ball better and sprayed a few lovely cross field balls to Ainsworth. He looks a little short of fitness compared to the rest but that is probably due to him missing the start of pre season with an injury . 6/10
Hogan Ephraim Hogan had a slow start to the game but came to life as the half wore on. Ephraim took his goal well with a good bit of skill to fashion the chance and a nice finish. After his goals he seemed to grow in confidence and created one or two things for his team mates. As ever with Ephraim he struggled to get past his man on the outside and get crosses in choosing instead to come inside everytime which can be easier to defend against 6/10
Samuel Di Carmine The on loan striker had a decent debut for us playing up front with Patrick Agyemang. He held the ball up well and looked to bring players into player whilst the more explosive players like Agyemang looked to get in behind the back four. Di Carmine had one chance to score with a diving header which hit the post but overall he looked like he could be a decent signing. 7/10
Patrick Agyemang Patrick wearing bright red boots looked lively on the ball and created one or two problems with his pace. He ran at defenders from deep but for me took too many touches before getting his shots away which gave the defenders a chance to get blocks in which is what happened. He didn't get much attacking support from midfield so had to go it alone more often than he would have wanted but overall a decent performance 7/10
SUBS
Matthew Connolly Matthew came on at half time and played at right back. He didn't look at his best defensively. He did have very little help from Alberti so found himself against two players more often than he would have liked but he is capable of much better than this and allowed far too many crosses to be delivered. Going forward though he offered good support to the midfield and was comfortbale on the ball as ever. 6/10
Damien Delaney Damien had the shortest break due to the Internationals in the summer and I think this showed. He looked a little off the pace and wasn't making many of his usual bursts forward from full back. Delaney had one chance to score from a clever free kick but got himself into a needless running battle with the right winger and looked a little rattled at times. 5/10
Fitz Hall Fitz Hall had very little to do for the first twenty minutes or so but he was busy towards the end with several crosses being throw in. Fitz managed to deal with most of the danger well and was strong against Christie and Thomas who had torn us apart at times in the first half. 6/10
Simon Walton A fresh start for Walton after a poor season last time out which was blighted by injuries and a loan spell at Hull City. He came on to play as a central defender and much like this time last year he looked composed on the ball and a decent player. His marking for the Stevenage goal left a lot to be desired but that can be worked on, he showed he has plenty of ability though and may finally get his chance at QPR. 7/10
Matteo Alberti A debut for the young Italian who Gianni Paladini was raving about at the end of last season. Well he had a decent debut and capped it with a goal. He started on the right wing and looked to get down the line and put crosses in. Alberti looked skillful and quite direct when he had the ball but needs to work on the defensive side of his game as he never really got back to help out Connolly. An encouraging start though for Alberti and there looks like he has plenty more to offer. 7/10
Gavin Mahon I take it Mahon made his loan move permanent in the summer despite no official word from the official web site. He came on in this game and did a good job for the team. He just sat in front of the back four and kept the ball moving with simple passes. He offered the protection to the back four and will be pleased with his afternoons work. 6/10
Jorge Ledesma The Argentine came in with plenty of hype after impressing the players and manager during training, It's easy to see why they were impressed. Ledesma is good on the ball, skilful and has a decent shot on him. His delivery from free kicks and corners was very good and he went close to scoring when he hit the bar. His cries and rolling around on the floor after being tackled got on my nerves by the end especially when he threw himself on the floor holding his face when no one touched him. He tried to get a player sent off for an elbow but it looked like very little in it to me. For all his qualities though he'll need to cut out the cheating if he is to make it with us. 7/10
Romone Rose For the first few minutes he was on I thought he was an Italian trialist but was pleased to se it was in fact a player from the youth team. Romone was excellent throughout showing bags of skill and he appears to have bulked up and looked far stronger than when i saw him before. He took his goal really well and tore his full back apart cutting inside onto his right foot and getting some good balls into the box. If he can build on this I think he may save us a few quid this season. 8/10
Dexter Blackstock Dexter looked bright and alert throughout the second half and was a little unlucky not to score. He linked well with Balanta and Rose but was a bit too unselfish in frotn of goal looking to create for others rather than take the chances himself. He looked sharp though and hopefully he can get a good pre season and start next season with a bang. 7/10
Angelo Balanta Another impressive cameo from Balanta. Angelo started up front and as I said before had a good partnership going with Blackstock. Balanta looks a little stronger than last year and held off some challenges and brought Alberti and ledsemsa into play quite well. He looked explosive when he ran at players and showed some nice flashes of Skill as well. He still has plenty of improving to do but looks like he has a good future at QPR. 7/10
Reece Crowther A debut in goal for Corwther and i epxect he'll get a few run outs for the reserevs this week and possibly a few more minutes int he first team with radek Cerny still injured. Crowther looked massive when he came on well over six foot and was kept busy in his short spell on the pitch claiming the ball at a few corners and making one late save from Christie. Not on long enough to earn much praise but he didn't do his chances any harm. 6/10
The Manager
Iain Dowie Dowie's first match in charge of QPR since getting the job in May and the biggest compliment I can pay him is that little has changed from the end of last season. By that I mean the style of football is still based around keeping possession and working openings rather than trying to hit the big man. He played two different sides, the first was a more solid experienced midfield with a rather ropey looking defence. This side looked OK but lacked any real pace. The second half side was a younger version and were all about running with the ball and using pace in behind the back four. This caused far more problems and Dowie will now try and get the right balance between the two sides in time for the start of the season. An encouraging start for the new manager.