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QPR travel to Sheffield in Championship game of the day - full match preview
QPR travel to Sheffield in Championship game of the day - full match preview
Friday, 15th Aug 2008 09:25

QPR's new look side travels north on Saturday for a seriously stern test against one of the promotion favourites Sheffield United.

Sheffield United v Queens Park Rangers
Coca Cola Championship
Saturday August 16, Kick Off 3pm
Bramall Lane, Sheffield


It’s been a bit harrowing following QPR over the past few years. We never seem to have been more than three days away from going bust, or three games away from a relegation of some sorts, and we’ve always had plenty to worry ourselves with. Now, with new owners and talented players, it seems that both those fears are behind us and as supporters it’s not something we’re comfortable with.

We’re so used to getting uptight about things to do with QPR that we’re now actively seeking things to moan about. At the Barnsley game we were giving stick to players we could only ever have dreamed would be playing for QPR just a few short months ago. Radek Cerny, Peter Ramage, Fitz Hall, Mikele Leigertwood, Gavin Mahon - these are the kind of players we looked at the bigger teams buying and bringing to Loftus Road and thought ‘if only we could buy one or two players like that’.

The threat of impending disaster has apparently been lifted from Loftus Road both behind the scenes and on the pitch and our team is now starting to look like it might be seriously good to watch. Those brave souls that went to Swindon in the rain on Tuesday have come back raving about the likes of Ledesma, Balanta and Parejo and the commentators on both BBC Radio Swindon Fanatics and Sky Sports gave glowing reports of the football we played.

The Championship may be a turgid league at times, see last weekend’s televised fixtures for details, but we’re shaping up as one of the more entertaining sides it has to offer and we should probably all just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. This Saturday we travel to Sheffield United for one of the most attractive fixtures on the Championship calendar this season. I’m really, really looking forward to this one. United are one of my tips for the top two this season and have an outstanding team for this level on paper while we have three or four players in our travelling party that you don’t mind paying even our club’s extortionate ticket prices to go and watch.

This is a game that promises goals and good football in what is, for me, the Championship’s outstanding stadium at a relatively affordable ticket price. If you’re as yet undecided I say get yourself up here. If you’re already booked and ready to go I’d be surprised if you’re not treated to a real advert for our division this Saturday at Bramall Lane. I can’t wait.

Five minutes on Sheffield United
United seem to have just about recovered from the shock and trauma caused when you’re chairman has a brain explosion and appoints Bryan Robson as manager.

United were looking forward to starting life in the Premiership two years ago today after many years of near misses with Neil Warnock in charge. They made a very decent fist of the top flight for the first two third of the season as well but Warnock was very negative in away games and made strange tactical decisions which ultimately cost the Blades their place in the top flight. Even right at the death of the season when it was starting to look like United might not be so safe after all they went to Aston Villa who had nothing to play for and had long since packed up and headed off for the summer and started with one up front before surrendering to a 3-0 defeat.

Of course everybody talks, rightly, about the shocking way West Ham were let off with offences that Luton have since been nailed to the floor for but in truth United said nothing, did nothing and apparently didn’t give two hoots about it until the final week of the season when suddenly they realised they were in trouble and of course when Wigan turned up on the final day and won they kicked off about it big time.

So focussed on arguing the toss about the Hammers were the board at Bramall Lane that they failed to check the CV of Warnock’s replacement that summer and lo the mythical figure of death Bryan Robson was employed again. Chairmen rarely seem to get further than ‘former Man Utd and England captain’ when they go to appoint Robson, conveniently forgetting the relegations he suffered as a manager at Middlesbrough, Bradford and West Brom. United fans were running onto the pitch to hurl their shirts at ‘Robbo’ from an early stage of the season and eventually, with the division’s outstanding team on paper looking nervously over its shoulder at the bottom three, he was given the boot in February.

Considering the abysmal job he did it was ridiculous that it took that long for United to get rid of him and had they bitten the bullet and done it even a couple of weeks earlier the season could still have been salvaged and a play off spot achieved. Kevin Blackwell came in as his replacement and showed “Captain Marvel” how you actually manage a professional football team. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of Kevin Blackwell’s, but even he managed to get United playing. They lost only three of their remaining 15 league matches and won eight of those which meant they went into the final game of the season at Southampton with a slim chance of making the six. Like I say had they got rid of the walking disaster area that is Robson even a week or so earlier they probably would have done it because in his last few days at the club they were held to a home draw by eventually relegated Scunthorpe who played most of the match with ten men, drew with Colchester who were also relegated in the end, and drew at home to a criminally out of form Watford team. Just one win from one of those games would have sent them into the last day in the play offs.

An opportunity missed then, and Blackwell is looking to make up for lost time this season. Blackwell was a goalkeeper by trade in his playing days, predominantly with Boston, Scarborough and Plymouth, where he first teamed up with Neil Warnock. Blackwell worked as a coach with Colin at Huddersfield and Plymouth before he retired completely from playing and joined Warnock again at Bury and then Sheffield United. He forged his reputation at Bramall Lane as the club reached play off, League and FA Cup semi finals and in 2004 he was given his first chance to manage a team full time by Leeds. He led the Elland Road outfit to the Championship play off final in his first year but they were soundly beaten by Watford and he was sacked three months into the following season after a poor start.

Blackwell tried again at Luton but failed to keep them in the Championship after taking over from Mike Newell and then of course it all fell apart at Kenilworth Road and Blackwell was fired by the administrators. Sheffield United represents by far the most secure and stable environment for Blackwell to show what he can do.

United have the ground, finances and squad to make a massive impact at this level and with Robson now consigned to the dim and distant past Blackwell really has to get them pushing on this year before the parachute payments dry up.

Men to watch
Of course the big name in the Blades squad is striker James Beattie who bagged 22 goals in his first season with the club last term and was deservedly named as the club’s Player of the Year at the end of the campaign. Beattie started his career at Blackburn but first came to the nation’s attention with his goal scoring exploits at Southampton. A £5m move to Everton didn’t really work out for him in the end but he should be too good to be stuck in this league in all honesty – for me there’s always a question mark over his attitude, at Southampton whenever a manager was under pressure Beattie would mysteriously disappear with some injury or other only to miraculously return for the new manager’s first match in charge. The good news for QPR is he’s injured again this weekend and won’t be playing.

That leaves Blackwell to select from Jon Stead, Billy Sharp, Darius Henderson and Danny Webber in attack. There’s a mixture of different types of players there but none of them have really made it at this level as yet on a consistent basis. Stead looked like the real deal when Blackburn bought him from Huddersfield but the change of manager at Ewood Park didn’t suit him and he’s since journeyed around clubs in the top flight and second tier, mostly on loan. Look dangerous but never seems to score enough goals. Likewise Danny Webber who looked to be the division’s top talent when he first emerged at Watford following his release at Man Utd but despite an annoying tendency to score against QPR he seems to have struggled to cement a place in the team at Bramall Lane.

Billy Sharp started his career in this part of the world but after finding himself buried under Warnock’s ever growing collection of forward he joined Scunthorpe United and played a massive part in their rise up the league ladder – scoring 23 goals in his first season and 32 in his second as the Iron moved into the Championship. United paid nearly £2m to bring him back from Glanford Park but with the majority of his goals in the lower league coming inside the penalty area either snapping up loose balls or being fed by Andy Keogh he found it tougher in a league where defences are meaner and Keogh is playing for a different club.

Henderson is a new arrival this summer and frankly looks over priced to me at £2m but he’s certainly a big handful. He’s never been prolific, 15 goals for Watford in 2005/06 is his best haul to date, but it’s his flick ons and target man play that Blackwell will be hoping inspires one of the others to start firing until Beattie returns.

Further back there’s plenty of ability and talent for this division in the United midfield. Lee Hendrie caught the eye on loan at Stoke the season before last but endured a difficult first season in Sheffield and ended the campaign on loan at relegated Leicester. He’s back at Bramall Lane this season and was by all accounts right back to his best in the cup in the week. Throw in Michael Tonge who has long been admired by Premiership manager but never quite made it, the experienced Gary Speed and Championship journeyman Matthew Spring and Blacwell certainly has plenty to choose from. In wide areas David Cotterill has joined from Wigan, David Carney is a tidy player and Keith Gillespie needs no introduction.

They look very strong at the back as well with Matthew Kilgallon well capable of playing at the higher level and Ugo Ehiogu who would be a Premiership player if his career hadn’t been wrecked by injury to date. They do of course have Chris Morgan as well – it remains a mystery how somebody with such little ability has made such a good living out of the game and you’ll notice him on Saturday, he’ll be the one mercilessly kicking the more talented players as they run past him and trying to referee the match.

Watch out for full back Greg Halford’s long throw and while it may be tempting to abuse Paddy Kenny for his weight, it only seems to improve his performances against us so maybe we should leave off this time. Or maybe not!

Previous Meetings
These two sides faced each other in pretty quick succession after Christmas last season. The first game was at Bramall Lane where Bryan Robson earned himself a stay of execution with a 2-1 win against a QPR team that was still bedding in after a plethora of January transfers. One of the new arrivals Matt Connolly crossed to another Patrick Agyemang who scored his first goal for the club just before half time but United produced their best performance during Robson’s brief spell with the club in the second half and two defensive disasters brought Sheff Utd back into the game with a Stewart own goal and then won it for them as Hendrie rounded the fallen Connolly and stranded Camp to hammer in a second. Rangers were denied what looked like a blatant penalty in the dying embers of the game when an Akos Buzsaky volley was apparently punched from the goal line by Kilgallon – the referee awarded only a corner.

Sheff Utd: Kenny 8, Bromby 6, Kilgallon 7, Armstrong 6, Geary 6 (Gillespie 84, -), Carney 8, Hendrie 8 (Stead 69, 6), Speed 6, Tonge 6, Hulse 6, Sharp 6 (Shelton 90, -)
Subs Not Used: Montgomery, Lucketti
Booked: Hendrie (dissent)
Goals: Stewart 64 og (unassisted), Hendrie 69 (assisted Sharp)

QPR: Camp 5, Connolly 5, Hall 6, Stewart 5, Barker 4 (Blackstock 73, 5) Lee 6, Mahon 7, Buzsaky 7, Rowlands 7, Vine 5, Agyemang 7
Subs Not Used: Bolder, Ainsworth, Walton, Ephraim
Booked: Blackstock (late tackle)
Goals: Agyemang 45 (assisted Connolly)

Match Report

At Loftus Road a poor game finished level thanks to a late leveller from centre half Chris Morgan. Rangers had taken the lead in the first half thanks to a first senior goal from Angelo Balanta whose flicked near post header flew past Kenny and into the School End net. QPR were poor though in truth, coming off the back of a morale sapping midweek hammering by Burnley, and it was no real surprise when Morgan scrambled the ball home from the edge of the area with a quarter of an hour still to play. A point was no more than the Blades, by this time under the guidance of Kevin Blackwell, deserved from the game.

QPR: Camp 6, Mancienne 6, Connolly 7 (Stewart 73, 6), Hall 7, Delaney 7, Ephraim 7, Rowlands 7, Leigertwood 5, Balanta 7 (Blackstock 73, 6), Vine 5, Agyemang 5
Subs Not Used: Pickens, Lee, Rehman
Goals: Balanta 19 (assisted Ephraim)

Sheff Utd: Kenny 6, Geary 6, Morgan 7, Kilgallon 7, Naysmith 5, Stead 7 (Shelton 77, 6), Tonge 6, Armstrong 7, Quinn 7, Sharp 5 (Cotterill 70, 6), Beattie 6 (Hulse 77, 6)
Subs Not Used: Gillespie, Lucketti
Booked: Morgan (foul), Geary (foul)
Goals: Morgan 78 (unassisted)

Match Report

Head to Head
Sheff Utd Wins – 12
Draws – 15
QPR wins – 15

Previous Sheff Utd v QPR results:
2007/08 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 1 (Balanta)
2007/08 Sheff Utd 2 QPR 1 (Agyemang)
2005/06 Sheff Utd 2 QPR 3 (Nygaard, Morgan og, Furlong)
2005/06 QPR 2 Sheff Utd 1 (Bircham, Moore)
2004/05 Sheff Utd 3 QPR 2 (Rowlands, Gallen)
2004/05 QPR 0 Sheff Utd 1
2003/04 Sheff Utd 0 QPR 2 (Rowlands 2)
2000/01 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 3 (Ngonge)
2000/01 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Koejoe)
1999/00 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Beck)
1999/00 QPR 3 Sheff Utd 1 (Breaker, Wardley, Steiner)
1998/99 Sheff Utd 2 QPR 0
1998/99 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 2 (Peacock pen)
1997/98 QPR 2 Sheff Utd 2 (Sheron, Ready)
1997/98 Sheff Utd 2 QPR 2 (Murray, Morrow)
1996/07 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 0 (Spencer pen)
1996/97 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Slade)
1993/94 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 1 (Barker)
1993/94 QPR 2 Sheff Utd 1 (Wilson pen, Sinclair)
1992/93 Sheff Utd 1 QPR 2 (Allen, Holloway)
1992/93 QPR 3 Sheff Utd 2 (Ferdinand, Barker, Bailey)
1991/92 Sheff Utd 0 QPR 0
1991/92 QPR 1 Sheff Utd 0 (Wegerle)

Rangers’ 3-2 win at Bramall Lane under Gary Waddock in 2006 is the features match in this week’s ‘Connections and Memories’ column. The R’s triumphed in a dramatic game thanks to a late strike from Paul Furlong. Click here for more details.

Team News
QPR actually have a selection headache this weekend. Dowie has Parejo, Leigertwood and Mahon to select from in the middle of midfield with Martin Rowlands set to return from suspension next week against Doncaster. Up front Balanta must be pushing for a starting role after scoring at Swindon on Tuesday – he partnered Blackstock at Swindon and with Agyemang struggling for form Dowie may do well to stick with that. At the back Damion Stewart is likely to be back on the bench after a poor showing at Swindon – expect Gorkss and Hall to be reunited. Ramage or Connolly and Cerny or Camp are the other points for discussion. Hogan Ephraim was stretchered off in the reserve game at Harrow on Wednesday and misses out.

The big news for the home side is the absence of James Beattie who is set to miss the August action with a knee injury. United picked up no new injuries in the Port Vale win on Wednesday and Kevin Blackwell says he’s looking forward to the selection headache one or two players have given him. Darius Henderson, David Cotterill and Matthew Spring all started and Blackwell says two of them will play again this weekend. Danny Webber was also apparently unlucky not to play at Birmingham and scored against Vale so he may get a look in.
Injury List

In this week’s poll 51% of those who voted preferred a Blackstock and Balanta partnership up front for this weekend’s game - results

Referee
Graham Laws from Tyne and Wear is the official for this game and QPR have mixed recent memories of him. Towards the end of last season he awarded a very controversial goal to Dexter Blackstock in a 1-1 draw at Hull, but in his previous QPR fixture some four years beforehand he had an absolute nightmare booking eight and sending off Kevin McLeod in a game at Wrexham. Luckily we won 2-0 anyway, largely thanks to a miraculous save by Chris Day with the score at 1-0.
Details

Elsewhere
For me Sheff Utd v QPR is the game of the weekend but Sky and ITV think differently. The live match on Saturday evening is at Ashton Gate as Derby visit Bristol City – things certainly don’t get any easier for Paul Jewell. The main match on the Championship on Sunday morning is Birmingham’s trip to Southampton – I can see Birmingham becoming ‘the new Leeds’ on that programme i.e. main match every bloody week. Strangely that fixture will be repeated in a fortnight after they pulled each other in the League Cup draw on Wednesday. Swansea and Doncaster both have their first home games at this level against Forest and Cardiff respectively.
Tony’s Championship Preview

Form
These two teams have three wins from four competitive games so far this season. The one blemish came last weekend when United were beaten 1-0 at Birmingham thanks to an injury time goal from Kevin Phillips. In fairness United had done more than enough to get a point and could feel themselves very hard done to in that one – they took their frustrations out on Port Vale in the League Cup on Wednesday and won 3-1. Rangers laboured to a win against Barnsley in which the 2-1 scoreline flattered the winning side, then played Swindon off the park on Tuesday night but only won 3-2. The Blades certainly had a busy summer with six first team friendlies and five matches for a ‘Sheffield United XI’. Ferencvaros, Tienen, Helmond Sport, Scunthorpe and Bury were all beaten by the first team before a 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield. The reserve/youth side beat Stocksbridge, Sheffield FC, Mansfield and drew at Alfreton Town.

Prediction
First of all I think this is going to be a fantastic game to watch and I’m really looking forward to it. Were Beattie playing for Sheffield United I’d probably back us for a defeat by the odd goal in five but as he’s not and we’ve got plenty of threats in our line up I’m going to back us to get something here in a really entertaining encounter.
Sheff Utd 2 QPR 2

Don’t forget to register your predictions in this year’s Prediction League that has a season ticket as the overall network prize this season.



Discuss this story on the Message Board

Three users have commented on this story. Click here to add your thoughts:

What a good read that was and I'm a Blade. Every angle covered and written with no bias. I too agree that it should be an open, entertaining game. We may have no Beattie but we've got other strikers who'll be busting a gut to score and prove that they can be his partner when he returns. Also, correct me if I'm wrong here, you'll be bringing about 1,500 up the M1 which equates to Bramall Lane being roughly 95% home support with the crowd hitting 28/29k. My prediction is for 2-1 or even a spectacular 3-2 - Paul

One of the best and most accurate pre-match reports i've read in years. The comment about Chris Morgan is spot on the money and most Blades could not agree more. Game score prediction Blades 2 Super Hoops 1 - Steve

Excellent piece of sport journalism. I too am a Blade and wish that we had someone as talented as this writer, to cover my clubs exploits on a weekly basis. It should be a good game today, played out in front of a good crowd and atmosphere and where we should also see a few goals too, with any luck. Good luck to QPR for the season ahead and well done on bringing in the money men to Loftus Road. Jammy sods!! Up the Mighty Blades!! - Steven

 

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