MX23RW : Tuesday, April 22 11:11:28| >> :600:120342:120342:
[monks data]
QPR logo
Championship | Gameweek 1
Aug 7, 2021 at 3pm UK
Loftus Road
Millwall logo

QPR
1 - 1
Millwall

Dickie (31')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Wallace (11')
Ballard (15'), Wallace (43'), Saville (59')

Gary Rowett not worried about Jed Wallace's commitment to Millwall

Gary Rowett not worried about Jed Wallace's commitment to Millwall
© Reuters
The winger is out of contract next summer.

Millwall boss Gary Rowett believes Jed Wallace proved his commitment to the club with his performance and goal celebration against QPR.

The Lions began their Sky Bet Championship season with a 1-1 draw in west London, where Wallace ran to the opposite end of the pitch to celebrate in front of the away fans after firing in the opening goal.

Rob Dickie's brilliant strike hauled Rangers level just after the half-hour mark.

Wallace has entered the final year of his contract and Millwall have so far been unable to tie him to a new deal.

Rowett was reluctant to comment on the issue but insisted Wallace would not be perturbed by the uncertainty over his future.

He said: "There's no change to the situation. Any comment I make will be flipped into a number of stories. He's committed, as you saw with the celebration.

"It was nice for him to show that his situation at the moment certainly won't affect him.

"He wants to play well for the club and wants to play well for the fans. He'll certainly relish those moments and is a big-game player.

"It was a great goal and I thought he performed really well, particularly in the first half."

Millwall were on top until centre-back Dickie's 30-yard thunderbolt but Rowett felt it was Stefan Johansen's growing influence which proved to be the Lions' undoing.

"Johansen maybe just started to dictate the game a little bit," he said. "We needed to get closer and disrupt that flow that he started to produce for QPR.

"We certainly tried to but I felt we ran out of energy when we most needed it.

"But I'm not displeased. We navigated the game well and defended well. I think we'll get better as the games go on."

QPR boss Mark Warburton felt his team were given a reminder of how demanding the Championship can be.

Following an excellent second half of last season and the signings of the likes of Johansen and Charlie Austin, both of whom made a big impact while on loan, optimism among Rangers fans has been high.

A pre-season win over Manchester United added to the positivity but the home side struggled to settle during a frenetic opening to the match.

Warburton said: "We started slowly, they were the better team and deserved the lead.

"We knew what was coming – they get the ball forward quickly and are dangerous with their physicality.

"We didn't deal with it well in the first 15 minutes. But when we started to play towards the end of the first half we hurt them.

"We have to recognise that that's the Championship out there. We had great games against Man U and Leicester and they're lovely to have, but that's the Championship today and you've got to deal with all aspects of it.

"I think both teams tired towards the end. It's the first game and a big occasion with an intense atmosphere. Both teams looked drained in the last 10 minutes."

Dickie was QPR's player of the year last season and enhanced his growing reputation with another excellent display.

"Rob was very, very good. I was very impressed with Rob," Warburton said.

"He controlled the ball very well and took responsibility to go in tight and mark, and aerially I thought he was strong right to the end of the game."

ID:458541:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4355:
Written by
P A
No Data Analysis info

Click here for more stories about Gary Rowett

Click here for more stories about Millwall

Game History

How you voted: QPR vs Millwall

Queens Park Rangers
Draw
Millwall
Queens Park Rangers
73.4%
Draw
12.9%
Millwall
13.7%
124
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic pictured on November 5, 2018
Read Next:
Saturday's Championship predictions including Sheffield United vs. Birmingham
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds442713489296094
2Burnley442616261154694
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd442771060352586
4Sunderland4421131058411776
5Bristol City441716115749867
6Coventry CityCoventry44199166257566
7Middlesbrough441891764541063
8Millwall441712154546-163
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn44188185046462
10West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom441418125244860
11Swansea CitySwansea44179184852-460
12Watford44168205158-756
13Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds441511185867-956
14Norwich CityNorwich441314176766153
15Queens Park RangersQPR441314175258-653
16Portsmouth441410205669-1352
17Stoke CityStoke441214184560-1550
18Preston North EndPreston441019154555-1049
19Oxford UnitedOxford Utd441213194462-1849
20Hull City441212204352-948
21Derby CountyDerby441210224756-946
22Luton TownLuton441210224164-2346
23Cardiff CityCardiff44916194669-2343
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth441013214885-3743


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!