Three defeats on the trot against the division’s poorer teams is less than ideal preparation for a run of three games against buoyant opponents for Ian Holloway’s beleaguered QPR.

Queens Park Rangers (6-5-9, 18th) v Derby County (9-5-6, 10th)

Mercantile Credit Trophy >>> Wednesday December 14, 2016 >>> Kick Off 19.45 >>> Weather — Dark >>> Loftus Road, London, W12

Well we always do better against the better teams anyway, he said swigging Captain Morgan’s straight from the bottle.

Having pissed away three matches against the three lowest scoring, most out of form sides in the league — three defeats, one goal scored — QPR now face three games against the exact opposite. Derby County, Aston Villa and Brighton dwarf Rangers in size of support, size of playing budget, quality of squad and recent form and they’re all up next over a Christmas period that’s rarely kind to Rangers even when we’re packing a good team. Ian Holloway might be wishing he’d stayed in the television studio.

His appointment as QPR manager was always likely to be a risky one, as we said at the time — less than a month ago, it should be pointed out. An appointment no other Championship side would have made, there was always the potential that it was a real heart over head moment. But although it’s not going well at the moment, it’s ludicrous even by QPR standards to be thinking that any kind of solid opinion one way or the other can be reached after just four matches.

That hasn’t, naturally, stopped our resident mouth breathers reaching their usual conclusion already — three straight defeats means QPR should sack the manager immediately whether he’s been here for three games or 103. “Appoint Big Sam now” said one Tweet to chairman Tony Fernandes, presumably sent by the sort of lacking in self-awareness pleb that doesn’t let people get off the tube first. Sam Allardyce? Former England manager Sam Allardyce. Sam Allardyce who’s still, despite the pints of wine incident, short priced favourite for any Premier League managerial job that comes up — including, remarkably, West Ham. He’s going to come here is he? To QPR, with no money to spend, in the Championship? Have a day off will you please.

Incidentally, you ever get the feeling you’ve missed a meeting somewhere? Didn’t the ‘Academy of Football’ brigade (like the QPR mouth breathers but more bombastic) chase him out of town last time because his functional football wouldn’t possibly do when they got to the athletics stadium in White Elephant Park? And now he’s favourite to get the job again? Mind you, I thought Shteeve McClaren going back to Derby seemed far-fetched and look at them now.

There have been some chinks of light in this concerning start to Holloway’s second coming. At Ipswich until the second goal went in, at Rotherham until they took the lead, and even the period of time immediately before the Wolves opener despite being down to ten men, QPR were playing reasonably well, on the front foot, in an attractive manner. Holloway is right that it’s the reaction to conceding goals that’s the main issue — Rangers just completely give up. Whether that’s a lack of confidence, a lack of leadership on the field, poor management (substitutions etc) or lack of ability is going to be the key to whether Holloway can get this team going again.

But there has been some troubling stuff as well. In every game, including the one we won against Norwich, Rangers have got worse with every substitution made. We’re already, albeit thanks to injury and illness elsewhere, back to starting Conor Washington up front alone. Doesn’t work. May as well not bother turning up.

The total lack of width in the side is utterly perplexing. Rangers have looked at their most threatening this season when getting the ball wide to players like Pawel Wzsolek and Mide Shodipo, and getting crosses over to, mainly, Idrissa Sylla. We used to moan that Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink would only start doing this in the final 20 minutes of matches when everything else had gone to shit, and now we don’t do it at all.

And then there’s this Sandro fascination which we’ve spoken about a time or two already. I’m dying for him to prove me wrong — usually when LFW gets stuck into a player he whops one in from 30 yards and makes us look stupid. Maybe that will be tonight and I hope it is. But when a player is so leaden footed, so off the pace, so unable to turn without notifying the coastguard first, that he makes Rotherham’s Lee Frecklington look like the bastard love child of Zinedine Zidane and Ruud Gullit one can’t help but be slightly concerned at what Derby’s free flowing three man midfield is going to do to us if we persist with this ridiculous notion that Sandro can not only play that position we’ve specifically created for him, but can play it so well it justifies his inclusion even though we know he’ll be knackered and have to go off after an hour. Whatever Joe Newell gets for Christmas, it won’t be as good as the absolute gift QPR presented him with at the New York Stadium on Saturday — Newell v Sandro was like watching a lads v dads match.

It’s a running problem with Sandro. Literally, a running problem. He can’t turn, or run, so opposition midfielders are able to run round him and off him into the space behind. In even his brief outings so far this season we’ve seen Rotherham score one, Wolves score one and Sunderland bag two through doing exactly this — midfielders running off the back of a lead weight. While that problem remains we couldn’t really be playing anybody worse tonight, especially as Holloway openly questioned the commitment of the Derby players during his television pundit work.

The complete dropping of Shodipo is a real shame. The bright spark in a dark season so far, I’ve no doubt Holloway is right when he says he’s got a lot to learn about positioning without the ball and defensive work. But having caned him for one mistake, in a victory against Norwich, I haven’t seen the same treatment metered out to much more senior professionals who’ve made much worse mistakes that have cost us games since. Where was the lashing for James Perch after that Wolves debacle? Or Sandro after Rotherham? Sandro needs to be ‘shown some love’ apparently but where was that for Shodipo?

And the complete withdrawal of Borysiuk, Wzsolek and Sylla also doesn’t sit quite right. There’s been injury, illness and bereavement involved there but there have also been comments about communication, getting the message across, “getting the French lads to run around a bit more” and so on. Marc Bircham made a comment on the podcast before returning to the club about the importance of an English core to the team in the Championship. That’s all a big Mike Bassett for me, particularly as Borysiuk was playing well before he came out of the team — certainly far better than the expensive lump that’s parked in his place now — and Sylla has been much better, and a bigger goal threat, than Seb Polter so far this term.

Holloway’s previous time as boss was defined by troughs in form that were often snapped by a fresh face coming into the team unexpectedly — Lee Cook on loan from Watford, Paul Furlong after suspension, injury and a dire first half to the season, Gino Padula after spending the previous few months watching Tommy Williams play his position. At least, with Wzsolek, Borysiuk, Sylla and Shodipo kicking around there is still that hope that an answer can be found.

Of course it’s also possible that actually this team, this squad, isn’t very good. That Hasselbaink was getting as much out of them as there was to get. That this idea that they just needed to be a bit more attacking, a bit happier, and everything would be brilliant is a bit fanciful. If it is that then we’re bang in trouble.

Links >>> Zamora’s Wembley moment — History >>> Second coming of Shteeve — Interview >>> Thorpedo — Podcast >>> Coote gets Derby gig — Referee

All the play-off final stuff you could ever want is in the history link above, so instead here’s the highlights of the last meeting between these sides when goals from Tjaronn Chery and Gabrielle Angella helped the R’s to a 2-0 win.

Wednesday

Team News: James Perch timed his moronic Wolves behaviour wrong so doesn’t get Christmas off, though given he’d done the same thing against Ipswich the game before I wouldn’t put it past him blasting straight through the back of somebody tonight as well so he can get his feet up on Boxing Day. Jamie Mackie came through 67 minutes for the under 23s and may make the bench for the first time since March, along with Ariel Borysiuk who also played in that second string win against Watford. Steven Caulker (hip) and Jack Robinson (everything, all the time) remain sidelined.

For Derby Ikechi Anya is out hunting consonants tonight while Max Lowe is a doubt with cystitis.

Elsewhere: Not quite sure what Shane Duffy’s problem with the Mad Indian Chicken Farmers is but having scored three own goals in their colours back in August he returned to Ewood Park last night and notched his first goal at the right end for new club Brighton. A 3-2 win there lifts them above Champions Newcastle by two points, with Rafa Benitez’s side facing struggling Wigan Warriors in the live game this evening.

Those two are streaking away at the top though, with Reading an increasingly distant third after their 2-0 loss to the Champions of Europe. Borussia Huddersfield continue to hang in there in fourth after beating Nigel Clough’s Burton Albion 1-0 on the road while the Sheffield Owls’ 2-0 home victory against neighbours Barnsley tucks them into sixth behind Gary Monk’s side.

The chasing pack is led by Brum who beat lowly Ipswich 2-1 at home and Norwich who beat in from Leddersford 1-0 on Sky. Relegated Rotherham’s dramatic return to form continued with a bold 2-1 defeat at Tarquin and Rupert’s riverside gaff, a result which leaves the cravat wearers nicely positioned in eighth.

Down at the bottom the Seventh Annual Neil Warnock Farewell Tour enjoyed an encore winner against Wolves to tighten things up behind QPR. This week’s game between two sides beginning with B went the way of Brentford at Bristol City.

Nottingham Trees against Preston Knob End this evening will be proceded by a minute of silence in memory of Simon Grayson’s hairline.

Referee: David Coote is our referee for this one, his second QPR appointment of his career and first since a home loss to Reading back in 2014. Now he was originally listed as ‘Nottinghamshire’ but, just in time for this match with Derby, is now down as ‘West Yorkshire’ which is hopefully part of some huge conspiracy that has seen a Nottingham Trees season ticket holder placed in charge of a Sheep match and keen for revenge after Sunday. Keep clutching those straws guys. Details and stats here.

Form

QPR: Rangers have lost three games in a row now, scoring just once, to drop to within three points of the relegation zone in the Championship. The R’s have won just three of their last 16 games, with five draws scattered among them, having started the season with four wins from seven in all competitions. Wolves became the fourth team to win at Loftus Road in the league already this season last time out here after Preston, Newcastle and Brentford — only Cardiff, Wolves and Rotherham (five) have lost more league games on their own patch this season. QPR have scored ten goals in their ten home games so far which is worse than all 17 teams above them in the table and three of the six below them. Only Wigan and Ipswich have scored fewer than Rangers’ 20 goals overall this season — even rock bottom Rotherham have bagged 21.

Derby: The Sheep sacked Nigel Pearson following a 2-1 defeat to Blackburn on September 24. At that point they were firmly ensconced in the bottom three with just one win (1-0 at Preston) from their first nine league games, and a paltry three goals scored. Pearson’s side failed to score in six of their first seven league matches this season. Immediately following his departure they won 2-0 at Cardiff — the first time they’d scored two in any game in any competition this season despite drawing League Two Grimsby and League One Carlisle in the cup — and really haven’t looked back since. They come into this game on a run of six straight victories in which they’ve scored 13 goals and kept five clean sheets, and eight wins and two draws from 11 games in which they’ve scored 17 and let in just four. Eight of their last 11 opponents have failed to score against them, including high flyers Norwich, Sheff Wed and Leeds. Away from home they’ve won at Wigan, Wolves, Cardiff and Preston this season with three clean sheets kept.

Prediction: If QPR can actually get in front in a game, maybe that belief and confidence will come back. But Derby’s defence is formidable at the moment and to be honest if this is going to turn around I’d expect it to do so against Aston Villa more than I do tonight. Pending team selection, I fear for us.

LFW’s Prediction: QPR 0-2 Derby County. No Scorer. Sandro substitution sweeptstake — 57th minute.

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PinnerPaul added 10:20 - Dec 14 Have to agree with your prediction at the end, especially as Villa were apparently very poor v Norwich last night. But hey ho, we are QPR and often/sometimes? win when least expected to, so here's hoping!
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Silverfoxqpr added 11:50 - Dec 14 "The total lack of width in the side is utterly perplexing. Rangers have looked at their most threatening this season when getting the ball wide to players like Pawel Wzsolek and Mide Shodipo, and getting crosses over to, mainly, Idrissa Sylla. We used to moan that Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink would only start doing this in the final 20 minutes of matches when everything else had gone to shit, and now we don’t do it at all" Absolutely spot on CW, appreciate I mentioned the exact same thing yesterday but it's completely baffling to me why we can't give this a go. As you allude to I'm actually very nervous about seeing the starting 11 this evening. Oh and I'll go 63 minutes re: Sandra.

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PinnerPaul added 12:33 - Dec 14 On the lack of width issue, IH mentioned that the player he would most like back was Matt Phillips. Seemed to imply he liked his wide men with a bit of strength/power and guess he doesn't see that in the existing bunch. I expect Mackie will come in wide ahead of the others when/if he gets 100% fit.
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wrinklyhoop added 13:05 - Dec 14 Sad but true all of that. On a side note, WTF has happened to Luongo? Sandro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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TacticalR added 14:57 - Dec 14 Thanks for your preview. On your final point, I do think a lot of our players are very ordinary (as are a lot of the players in other sides in the division). That's the reason Richard Langley laid the emphasis on consolidation on the QPR podcast at the beginning of the season and didn't get carried away with the post-Leeds euphoria. The problems have been compounded by selling off players who could chip in with goals. Of course having ordinary players is not the end of the world if Holloway can get them organised and can get the best out of them - that's how a lot of other teams in the division survive. I agree we have to get Shodipo back in the team - he has been a shining light in the darkness.

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