If the fans of a football team, as the saying goes, are truly the twelfth player on the pitch, then its about time that the Loftus Road faithful realised that we are quite capable of scoring an own goal.

It started tonight with throwing the ball away from opposition players, which is something that has been creeping in at QPR lately. This is not just childish, it is un-sporting (sorry, an old fashioned concept I know) and whether it comes from the players or the fans, it reflects badly on us all.

Then there’s the treatment meted out to visiting greats. Tonight it was Andy Cole’s turn. You may not like him (personally I do like him), but he’s one of the highest scoring players in English footballing history, and there’s no doubt that he deserves respect from any true fan of the game.

A bit of ironic banter along the lines of “who are you?” or “you’re not famous anymore” is fine by me. But outright abuse, such as yelling “wankerl wanker” isn’t just in poor taste, its downright dumb when directed at a player of his quality.

At that stage, we were 2-0 up and cruising. Then a few bright sparks decide to wind up Mr Cole. The result? A hatrick for him, and a 2-4 defeat for us that he orchestrated.

I used to be proud of the atmosphere and quick-fire wit at Loftus Road. Now I fear we’re in danger of having it ruined by the kind of morons who think its funny to sing songs about people having aids. <p style="font-size:10px;text-align:right;">Tags: qpr, football</p>