Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
QPR hope to dodge Preston repeat as Blackburn visit — Preview
Friday, 9th Sep 2016 18:19 by Clive Whittingham

QPR have already lost at home to a Lancashire team sitting bottom of the table without a win to its name once this season and will hope to avoid an identical fate when Blackburn come to W12 on Saturday.

Queens Park Rangers v Mad Indian Chicken Farmers

Championship >>> Saturday September 10, 2016 >>> Kick Off 15.00 >>> Weather — Wet. But don’t worry, glorious sunshine again when we go back to work on Monday >>> Loftus Road, London, W12

No Wigan preview last time out you may both have noticed, apologies for that. Like some sort of football blogging version of Alan Partridge with his lager, Baileys and gin and tonic chaser there I stood, clutching the bar, unable to physically do any more. Seven matches in the first three weeks of the season, absolutely exhausted by the end of August. I’d honestly rather have got a job cleaning John Prescott’s downstairs toilet than try and write another preview of another Championship match at that stage. How long have we been drinking? About three quarters of an hour. Only eight months to go.

Anyway, September is a new month altogether, and with seven matches to come in the next 21 days it’s one with some chest hair. It’s September 10 tomorrow and before the end of October 1 QPR will have faced the division’s top and bottom sides, the favourites to win the league, their nearest local rivals, a Premier League team in the cup, a newly promoted team away from home, and Birmingham City. It’s not fucking workable really is it? And then another fortnight off kicking what’s left of our heels. Load of old nonsense.

With that in mind it was rather tempting to just shovel across a load of stuff I wrote three weeks ago for the visit of Preston North End. A Lancashire side, coming to Loftus Road, without a win to their name, bottom of the league. It’s all the same, only the names have changed.

Simon Grayson set his side up brilliantly that day, and deserved his 2-0 win. By stationing John Welsh at the base of his midfield he crowded the space Tjaronn Chery had been operating in during previous games, but did so without sacrificing a striker and Jermaine Beckford and Callum Robinson’s hot pants were able to run amok at the other end. Clever stuff, but QPR need to have more about them than that.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was surprisingly bold and attacking in the opening league game against Leeds, giving a full debut to youngster Mo Shodipo on the wing to good effect, and was rewarded with a 3-0 win. It’s been rather more cautious since then, with Jordan Cousins playing wide right rather than his preferred central role, which is being held by Karl Henry who is more useful than most supporters give him credit for but probably not required for home games such as Preston or this one with Blackburn. Meanwhile Yeni Ngbakoto is playing on the left even though he’s right footed — so trendy these days, so fucking ball-acheing — which sees him cut infield and crowd that space around Chery even more. Presumably when Pawel Wszolek is up to speed we’ll play with two wingers either side of Chery with Cousins deeper and be much better for it, but there’s nothing to stop us doing that before then, and giving Shodipo another little run out here perhaps. If we can’t throw a little caution to the wind in this fixture when can we? And, regardless of who we’re playing, we can’t be a team that’s totally shut out of a game simple by having its ten marked properly.

We also wait with bated breath to see what sort of Massimo Luongo comes back from his latest international duty in the outer reaches of the solar system. He started brilliantly last season having arrived from Swindon, but faded uncontrollably after his first Australia trip of the season at the start of September and never really recovered — three of his five Man of the Match awards and four of his six assists last season came in August. After a good start to this campaign it would be intensely frustrating for that to happen again, though he’s likely to be benched tomorrow in any case having spent most of the last fortnight at 36,000 feet.

Three wins to nil, the least shots faced in the league, eight goals scored in five league fixtures, fifth in the league. But QPR haven’t scored from open play in a Championship fixture yet, and were outplayed by unfancied Barnsley and Preston. So totally physically dominant against Leeds and Cardiff, so tired and leggy by the time PNE came to town. There are still so many questions about what we can expect from this QPR side, and I doubt a big dollop of seven matches smacked right in the gob over the next three weeks will provide many answers for us.

It’s a battle of attrition this, and it starts again in the Crown at 10.59 tomorrow morning. This must not, repeat not, turn into an all-night rave.

Links >>> Circling the drain — Opposition Profile >>> Long winter ahead — Interview >>> Blackburn ghost goal — History >>> Card happy Stroud — Referee >>> How’s the water pressure? Fans’ forum

Highlights of a 2-2 draw between these sides on the plastic pitch at Loftus Road in 1982. A game notable for Blackburn’s second goal, which was allowed to stand despite bouncing out of play in the build up.

Saturday

Team News: Massimo Luongo’s week of international duty on the moon means he may well be rested to the bench, with Ariel Borysiuk, Karl Henry and Jordan Cousins left to compete for the central midfield spots. Pawel Wszolek must wait for his debut thanks to a suspension carried over from his time with Hellas Verona — still, could be worse, Southend loaned Ryan Innis from Crystal Palace last month only for him to be abruptly jailed today. Idrissa Sylla is at liberty to make a debut, but is likely to start on the bench. Joel Lynch and Jamie Mackie are the long term absentees.

Rovers added Marvin Emnes and Charlie Mulgrew to their attack at the end of the transfer deadline and they can play for the first time here, along with Corry Evans who joined in the summer but has only just worked out where Blackburn is. Talented West Ham cherub Martin Samuelsen is also available for a first start of his loan deal. Elliott Bennett and Adam Henley are refusing to come down from a rooftop protest against the club’s canteen provisions while Elliott Ward (leprosy) is also ruled out.

Elsewhere: There’s some intriguing little numbers flouncing around this matchday 482 of the 2016/17 Championship slog, and Reading v Ipswich tonight as well which is nice.

The Derby Chokers have pressed the button so hard and frantically after winning just one of their first five that the word ‘Panic’ has almost completely rubbed off and they must now wait and see if £8m Matej Vydra can kick start their campaign when Newcastle come to the farm for the Saturday evening Sky match. Similarly, Aston Train Wreck and their £15m striker Jonathan Kodija host Nottingham Trees at the vomitarium on Sunday.

That leaves nine fixtures for 15.00 on Saturday including our own, and Preston v Barnsley which I mention here merely to get out of the way.

There’s a South Yorkshire derby between the Champions of Europe and the early surprise package Borussia Huddersfield while Tarquin and Rupert will be hiding the valuables and that 2005 Barolo lest it be used as a mixer by those loveable culture vultures from Birmingham City.

Key change. You’re here, there’s nothing I fear, least of all Brighton v Brentford.

Christ, four more, running out of puff/will to live here. Wolves v Nigel Clough’s Burton Albion might be alright, Rotherham v the other dark horse Bristol City might not. Norwich are likely to beat Cardiff, Wigan RLFC are likely to lose at Sheffield Owls despite their inconsistent start.

Huddle together for warmth children.

Referee: Good old Keith Stroud, who’s been on the league list since the Queen Mum was still putting it about, used to be quite a lucky referee for QPR. In fact Rangers didn’t lose any of their first ten encounters with him, and he was in charge of three 3-0 wins (Ipswich A, Middlesbrough A, Sheff Utd H) as Neil Warnock’s wonderful side won this division in 2010. But it’s gone slightly awry since — four straight defeats — and not without a certain amount of controversy along the way. Stroud was last in charge of the R’s at Franchise FC last season, awarding two penalties to the hosts and denying Rangers a stone waller in the second half. Extensive case history and some recent stats available here as ever.

Form

QPR: Rangers are playing their cards close to their chest. Three victories to nil in the first five matches, and fewer shots faced than any other side in the league so far (nine), and yet defensively shambolic in a 3-2 defeat at newly promoted Barnsley and then again in the last home match against Preston who, like Blackburn, were bottom without a win prior to kick off. Rangers have not struggled for goals — eight in the first five league games — but none of them have come from open play and four of them were penalties. Rangers were only beaten four times at home in the whole of last season (Hull, Forest, Middlesbrough, Fulham) — all four matches were televised. QPR have nine points and sit fifth, but had ten and were fourth at this stage last season.

Blackburn: Rovers have taken just one point from their opening five league games (a 2-2 home draw against newly promoted Burton Albion) and needed extra time to overcome Crewe Alexandra at home in the League Cup. So far on the road 3-0 at Wigan and 2-1 at Cardiff City. But they do have a decent record at Loftus Road — unbeaten in seven of which five were drawn including the last three — and against QPR in general — ten games since QPR last recorded a win. The R’s came within a minute of breaking that at Ewood Park in January only to draw 1-1, while the fixture at Loftus Road was the night Darren Deadman’s Travelling Circus was in town and played out as a farcical 2-2 draw. It took eight matches for Rovers to register their first win last season, and they’ve gone five so far this.

Prediction: Reigning Prediction League champion Dylan Pressman mused…

“Blackburn have only managed one point so far this season and they are going to find the going rough on Saturday as they face a rested and organised QPR side. 3-0 to the Superhoops, with only the woodwork saving Blackburn from an even bigger score. Seb to score the first.”

Dylan’s Prediction: QPR 3-0 Blackburn. Scorer — Seb Polter

LFW’s Prediction: QPR 2-0 Blackburn. Scorer — Steven Caulker

The Twitter @loftforwords

Pictures — Action Images


Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



TacticalR added 22:13 - Sep 9
Thanks for your preview.

Yest, it's a long season, and we don't know where we are yet. The Preston match was a warning that you can't take anything for granted. I really hope we don't go behind first, because we seem to have a hell of a job getting back into a game if we do go behind. Shodipo also makes a big difference, but perhaps JFH is worried about overplaying him.
0

Myke added 23:14 - Sep 9
Thanks Clive. Is Manning anywhere close to first team action? Contract up next summer and we seem hell bent on buying wingers so it doesn't look good for him
0


You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 31 bloggers

Knees-up Mother Brown #22 by wessex_exile
Knees-up Mother Brown #18 by wessex_exile

Queens Park Rangers Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© FansNetwork 2024