The middle regions of the league table have taken on a comforting familiarity as QPR and Bristol City gear up for the most Championship midtable dead rubber that ever did Championship.

QPR (16-9-16 LLWWWD 12th) v Bristol City (16-9-16 LLDLWW 11th)

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“Bristol City have sacked Struber and appointed Roy Hodgson as manager.”

“THE Roy Hodgson?”

The Championship can certainly be a rich source of entertainment and storylines (as long as you don’t have to watch the football). Some of them are predictable – Watford are onto a third manager of the season. Some of them are not – the third one is Will Still’s brother. Some of them come out of left (or right) field – Ipswich have had Nigel Farage around for tea. Some of them are high farce – Sheff Wed have injured a seventh goalkeeper of the season and are in the market for another emergency loan. And some of them are very Stoke indeed – Stoke have re-signed Steven Nzonzi (50) from Iran.

Last week you had Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill releasing Norwich's Ruairi McConville, Preston's Ali McCann and Hull City's Paddy McNair early from international duty to give them more time to prepare for their Good Friday games which were coincidentally against Portsmouth, Leicester and Oxford who are battling with Blackburn Rovers and their manager Michael O’Neill against relegation to League One. In the interests of fairness (come on, a good story’s a good story) none of them were fit enough to play in those games (McNair was an unused sub) and none of them lost, but it didn’t stop Oxford (whose four call ups were kept in the squad by Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill) complaining to the league about a potential conflict of interest with Blackburn manager Michael O’Neill.

Still, Roy Hodgson? Now 78-years-old, out of the game since leaving Crystal Palace in February 2024, and a good 15 years older than the next most senior boss in the top four tiers (coincidentally that’s Steve ‘Ozempic’ Evans across the city at Bristol Rovers). Roy, can you pick your feet up while I hoover?

That felt like a strange move even for a club in this division, more an exhumation than an appointment, and Roy seemed to think so too during a classic press conference for the ages at Ashton Gate.

Among other things, Hodgson basically admitted he didn’t know what he was doing there and said it was no job for a man of his age which at one point he seemed to think was 79. He also pointed out he’d never been properly compensated when City had sacked him first time around in 1982 when he’d had to remortgage his house - a grudge of some 44 years which made me wonder whether Channel 4 missed a trick not casting him in the lead of their Woman Of Substance remake instead of Jessica Reynolds (it would only have been mildly weirder than giving him this job). When the City spokesman on stage suggested his experience may prove useful in the club’s search for a sporting director this summer Hodgson did a tight five on how he didn’t understand what a sporting director was, or why they were required.

Still, there he was on the touchline (Lynne, are those your mother's cataract glasses?) for what was remarkably a first ever career meeting with Charlton on Good Friday - a game he said he was looking forward to until somebody told him all his defenders were injured. Homework done, City won 2-1 (what were you worried about?) and it was all back to Ashton Gate for a follow up 1-0 success against Sheff Utd and a very satisfying weekend all round. If you're good enough, you're old enough. Chris Wilder said his team had battered City throughout and Roy was good enough to admit that to him afterwards. I bet he laughed and laughed all the way back to his big comfy wingback chair. Still got it.

Now heading to Loftus Road, a ground City haven’t lost on in the league in eight attempts going back to 2016, Hodgson is eyeing the club’s first consecutive away wins since November 2024. Or, if he’s really ambitious, a first Bristol City penalty in 69 games and 521 days. Retirement? Bloke’s having the time of his life. You love to see it (just not tomorrow).

QPR had their own weird and wonderful Easter week. A club that once successfully voted Jamie Pollock as the Man of the Millennium (narrowly beating Jesus Christ into second place) and has had a remarkable ten own goals scored in their favour since the start of last season (twice beating the club record) certainly has a rich history in this medium. Those who were there will struggle to forget Andy Pearce’s similar swing-and-a-miss attempt for Coventry at the Loft End back in 1993. Still, that was quite something to execute last Monday, even if Thierry Small had been trying to do it and, like the Portsmouth game before it (six goals scored from six touches in the opposition box), it did leave you momentarily dumbfounded as you struggled to recall ever seeing anything quite like that before. Own Goal is now QPR’s joint second top scorer on six, behind Burrell and Kone on ten each and level with the suddenly bang-in-form Paul Smyth.

For all its peculiarities and perversities, the Championship can be a fairly predictable beast. I say that happily in the knowledge that I tipped Hull to go down and they’re now fifth and said I’d lost faith in Middlesbrough who are presently third. Coming up with a league table or even calling results from week to week is like knitting fog at this level, but still… we’re in that bit of the year where the parachute payments and the deeper squads start to take hold after all. Remember when Southampton were languishing in 16th and sacking the manager? Now sixth, eight wins out of nine, 15 unbeaten, FA Cup semi-final, 5-1 away win at Wrexham during the week. Ipswich, similarly slow starters, now second as Boro and Millwall wobble. Joining the heavily docked Sheff Wed in the relegation zone it’s increasingly likely to be Oxford and Portsmouth, two teams promoted from that division just 18 months ago. A year and a half at this level enough for Pompey owner Michael Eisner to this week declare it a “financial catastrophe” in waiting. Portsmouth £4.7m loss pales against our own £20m, or Hull’s remarkable £41m.

It’s of no surprise to long term watchers of the second tier that this meeting between QPR and Bristol City is a dead rubber between two of the division’s most midtable sides – 11th v 12th, 16-9-16 records both. The only shock is why on earth Sky would want to put it on, when they’ve got Coventry’s title procession on one side and Norwich v Ipswich on the other. (Because cunts, that’s why - ed)

Gary Weaver can scream on and on about castles under siege, citadels being stormed, flags being planted, the Championship changing the lives of these people, in this town, and this city, all he likes. It’s the same shit every year. Every summer we lament the division looks tougher than ever (Wolves will spend, West Ham would win every game) and every winter it’s a similar soupy sludge, won more often than not by the team that spent the most money on the biggest squad that endured the fewest injuries or was conditioned to cope better with the ones it did get.

Just look at that midtable area this week. What a glorious sight. The Championship mainstays in their forever home: 11th Bristol City (11th consecutive Championship season), 12th QPR (same), 13th Stoke (eighth straight year at this level, never once a top half finish), 14th Preston (12th consecutive year), 15th Swansea (eighth year), 16th Birmingham (15 of the last 16 seasons in this league, 14 of those in the bottom half).

Christ alive, there’s no wonder that vote to extend the play-off sailed through unopposed is there? Mind you, in those 65 different seasons we’ve listed there, do you now how many top eight finishes this lot have managed? Six. (Bristol City 8th 18/19, 6th 24/25, Birmingham 4th 11/12, Preston 7th 17/18, Swansea 6th and 4th 19/20, 20/21). So they’d have benefited from the extension a grand total of twice in 65 years.

It’ll evidentially take more than dropping the dotted line from sixth to eighth to break out of this purgatory, and boredom is not something you want to set into a support base. Bristol City have not had an untypical year by their standards, but having been in the play-offs 12 months prior and seen many of their top players sold there is vocalised agg at Ashton Gate against the ownership despite a shiny new training ground and extensive stadium redevelopment. They haven’t sold their allocation tomorrow. Preston fans were booing and heckling their own side (again) by the end of last week’s draw. Stoke are thoroughly fed up. Swansea have been placated by improvements under Vitor Matos but are running low on tolerance if next year starts badly. Chris Davies won’t survive this bottom half finish at monied St Andrew’s - can’t wait to see what ‘big name’ their star-fucker owners lumber them with instead.

The QPR fans were on the turn a month ago when the side lost 5-0, 4-0, 2-0 and 1-0 inside a fortnight – poor results and insipid performances, admittedly against mostly good sides while missing loads of players. They’re a lot happier now after three wins and a near miss in four games – a rare top half finish now in the offing, albeit playing against mostly poor sides with key players returning from injury.

A finish round about where we are now would be some steady, considered progress, and with a number of promising individuals (Madsen, Burrell, Kone, Edwards, Morgan) going into next year with a full year (or two) of Championship under their belts there’s potential to be a bit of a dark horse if known faults in goal, at full back and central midfield are addressed. Still, we cannot have a third straight year of a treatment room looking like Emergency Ward Six, and the propensity to collapse and lose games by four or five (or six or seven) as often as we do can’t continue if we’re to go anywhere. If that’s still happening then we’ll be right back here next April, playing Bristol City, with me copying and pasting this piece.

For now, nice to enjoy a few games without the tyranny of the league table haunting our every waking thought, and for those of us who don’t like change there’s a certain comfort in it looking the way it does. Just not forever, okay? Okay?

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- To make your life easier, the good people at Hammersmith & Fulham Council are also running a trial restricting non-borough residents from driving/parking on the roads around Wormholt Park. Cameras and PCN fines are in operations.

Below The Fold

Team News: When Richard Kone went down in front of the away end at Deepdale it looked very much like the curse of the QPR hamstrings had struck again. However, the Ivorian got to his feet, played on, and was instrumental in the comeback to seal a point that should really have been three. We’ll wait to see if he’s come through that unscathed to start again on Saturday.

Other than that, it’s pretty much as you were with Rumarn Burrell, Ilias Chair, Nicolas Madsen and Justin Obikwu all apparently training and reasonably close to returns but yet to make the bench yet. Teenager Leon Scarlett was an unused sub for the first time on Monday, though given Koki Saito was not named at all I did wonder whether that was a late withdrawal by the Japanese winger and the 19th man got a call having travelled with the team – we’ll wait and see if Scarlett keeps his place, or Koki returns this week.

Jaylan Pearman continued his hot streak for the development squad with two more goals against Bournemouth on Friday – our scouts who watch that team regularly are increasingly impressed with the Australian youngster so potentially watch out for him getting minutes in the remaining five fixtures.

Roy Hodgson inherited an intimidating injury list at Ashton Gate which was particularly acute at centre back and included our former charge Rob Dickie. Noah Eile was their only fit central defender for the visit of Sheff Utd on Monday but that situation could improve tomorrow with Dickie, Ross McCrorie, George Tanner and Joe Williams all back training this week.

"It would be good to at least get them another period of time training with them before we do that. But of course, we are at bare bones in certain areas of the club - the defending area we are barebones - so there is a chance that we will be asking Rob and George to come back a little bit earlier than what we'd have normally liked,” Hodgson said in his pre-match press conference.

Elsewhere: With five games to go we’re getting to the point where things get decided for real and Coventry can seal their return to the Premier League after 26 years away with the right set of results this weekend.

Frank Lampard’s side have their gimme at home to Sheff Wed (a failure to win in this game would see the Owls set the record for the longest winless run in all competitions by a Football League, 37) so will almost certainly win and then it’s waiting to see how the three teams stuck behind them all on 72 points get on.

Millwall, who did the hard bit of the Easter weekend by winning at Boro but then lost at home to Norwich, get to go first tonight at West Brom. The Lions have the division’s best away record with 36 points won so far. Ipswich are next up, playing the Old Farm Derby at Carrow Road at the same time as Cov are playing Wednesday in the 12.30 kick offs tomorrow. Boro have to watch all that take place before hosting Portsmouth in the afternoon.

The chase for the remaining play-off places now seems to be about perming two from four – Hull 68, Southampton 66, Wrexham 64, Derby 63. Having made a real statement with a 5-1 midweek win at Wrexham, red hot Saints now have another chance to put one over a direct rival as they host Derby. It’s eight wins in nine games and 16 unbeaten for Tonda Eckert’s team. Hull travel to Sheff Utd while Wrexham are at Birmingham Sunday lunchtime – if the owners had their way that would presumably be played on some converted baseball diamond in San Diego.

The bottom six all playing each other last weekend did little to decide who’s filling the final two relegation spots as all three games ended in draws. Oxford played against ten-man Portsmouth for an hour, and were leading 2-1 at Fratton Park, but ended up with another draw (14 for the season now) which keeps them second bottom on 41 ahead of a home game with Watford. Pompey, 42 points, are away to Boro. In between, Leicester (41) also missed a huge opportunity by only drawing at Hillsborough. They now have a homer with Swansea.

No team in the bottom half has taken as many points as Blackburn since Michael O’Neill moved in at Ewood Park and another win at Stoke this weekend could push them safe. West Brom, a point behind, play tonight against Millwall.

Charlton v Preston rounds out the weekend list but watch out for a couple of important games in hand during the week as Ipswich try for a third time to get an away game at Portsmouth played, and Southampton host Blackburn.

Referee: Rookie Preston-based referee Edward Duckworth gets this tie, having made his Championship debut in the first meeting at Ashton Gate before Christmas. He’s pretty handy with the cards, averaging four a game. Details.

Form

- With 57 points already on the board, QPR have their best tally in four seasons, since 66 points in 2021-22 under Warbs Warburton.

- QPR have picked up ten points in their last four Championship matches, more than in their previous 11 games combined (W2 D3 L6).

- The draw at Preston means it’s four unbeaten for QPR in which they’ve scored 12 goals. This after four straight defeats in which they conceded 12. At home it’s two wins in a row with eight goals scored after three defeats in a row immediately prior.

- Thierry Small’s slice of luck in the Preston draw moves ‘own goals’ to QPR’s joint second top scorer this season with six (along with Paul Smyth). Last season Rangers were the beneficiaries of four own goals which was a club record at the time. Only Rumarn Burrell and Richard Kone (ten each) have scored more. Only Ipswich (also six) have benefited from own goals as much as Rangers.

- Those six contribute to QPR’s total of 58 goals scored. Millwall are fourth scoring two fewer. However, only Sheff Wed (82) have conceded more than Rangers’ 63. Only the Owls (42) and Wrexham (35) have conceded more home goals than our 32.

- QPR have conceded one goal in each of their last five games. They haven’t kept a clean sheet in ten games since a 0-0 at Charlton on February 6 in what feels likely to be Steve Cook’s penultimate appearance for the club.

- That draw was QPR’s ninth of the season. Only Norwich (eight) and Sheff Utd (six) have fewer ties on their record.

- Brad Potts’ goal at Deepdale was the 16th goal QPR have conceded in the ten minutes straight after half time this season in all comps – 23.5% of all the goals the team have conceded overall.

- Bristol City were without a win in six, and had been dumped out of the FA Cup by Port Vale, when Gerhard Struber was sacked and surprisingly replaced by Roy Hodgson. They’ve now won two in a row having beaten Charlton 2-1 and Sheff Utd 1-0 under the veteran former England boss. They’re looking for consecutive away wins for the first time since November 2024.

- Bristol City were the only Championship side to win both their games over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

- A victory in this game would see Hodgson equal his total from his 20 league games in charge of Bristol City during the 1981-82 season (W3 D5 L12).

- That win at The Valley was Bristol City’s eighth away victory so far. Only Derby and Norwich (nine each) have won more on the road while remaining outside the play-off places. Southampton are sixth with the same, and Ipswich are second with one fewer.

- QPR won the first meeting this season 2-1 with a second goal in as many trips to Ashton Gate from Paul Smyth. Rangers are unbeaten in six visits to Bristol City, winning five, dating back to 2019.

- Conversely, Bristol City are unbeaten in eight league visits to Loftus Road, winning five, dating back to October 2016 when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s Rangers won 1-0 with a goal from Idrissa Sylla. Rangers did win a game between the two on penalties early in Warbs’ reign after a 3-3 draw here, however.

- Victory here would be a first QPR double over this opponent since Ian Holloway’s side won home and away in the 2002/03 Second Division promotion race. Karl Connolly (two) and Kevin Gallen scored in a 3-1 away win while Gallen bagged the only goal of the home game from the penalty spot. City won an LDV Vans game here that year on penalties with a successful kick from a young Liam Rosenior.

- Bristol City are yet to be awarded a penalty this season. It’s 69 games and 521 days since their last spot kick – Anis Mehmeti scoring in a 2-1 home loss to Sheff Utd on Nov 5, 2024. From 2021 to 2024 the Robins went 116 EFL games and 837 days without a penalty. The division average is a penalty roughly every 11 games.

- Rumarn Burrell remains QPR’s top league scorer with ten despite not playing since the first weekend in January. Richard Kone has nine in the league and one in the cup. They’re the first Rangers strikers to reach double figures since Andre Gray got ten in 2021/22.

- Emil Riis scored for Bristol City in the first meeting and top scores here with 12 in the league and three in the cup. Scott Twine is the top Championship scorer with 11.

Prediction

In our Prediction League for 2025/26 we’ll once again be handing out prizes for being top at Christmas and overall winner from The Art of Football - sample the merch from our sponsor’s newly extended QPR collection here. JB007007 made big moves over Easter and now leads Garnham by six points with five games to go. QPR_Hibs won last season’s Prediction League at a canter and is lending his thoughts to this year’s previews…

“Recently I took over as the secretary of a club down here in sunny Worthing and, for the first time, I’ve had to print off and send out about 60 copies of the half-yearly newsletter. Twenty five of them went straight into the post-box, but in an effort to save some postage costs, I thought I’d have a go at hand-delivering the more local ones. The ones within five or so miles of my house. Within easy cycling distance. Let’s just say that I have a newfound respect for posties.

“I did my research first – hey, I’m not a complete idiot. I sorted the mail into different local postcodes and then found all of the streets on the map, working out the optimum route to take. Then I got on my bike and the fun began. The first issue I had was with a block of flats with a communal entry system that left me standing outside looking perplexed, until a delivery driver arrived and pressed a secret button marked “T” and was allowed in. Ah! The old “T” for trades button, of course – problem solved. The next block of flats obviously had no such button, and so I entrusted the newsletter to a little old lady standing outside. She assured me that she would deliver it once she had found her front door key. There’s no way that envelope made it to the intended recipient. My most challenging delivery though was one where I had to find house number 28 and the numbering system went 18, 20, 22, 53, 51…. I eventually had to ask a passer-by where number 28 was, and she pointed to the other side of the road. There it was, next to number 47, naturally. Very nearly one of your Great British pounds for a second-class stamp? What an absolute bargain.

“I watched the Preston game on a stream last Monday and I managed to miss the start of the second half, and therefore the Preston goal. I thought that Rangers played reasonably well and that we should have nicked all three points at the end. Like others have said, it was good to see Daniel Bennie getting into those goal-scoring positions, even if he did not have the final finishes. I like him and hope he will continue to get some game time. Richard Kone had one of his best games for us and there were a handful of others with strong performances as well.

“Bristol City won both of their Easter games, which must have come as a relief to them and to their upcoming, promising new manager (subs, please check) as they had a terrible March picking up only one point from a possible 12 and exiting the FA Cup to Port Vale. They currently have an identical record to QPR of 16 wins, 16 defeats and nine draws and sit one place above us in the table. They are, however, eighth in the away table based on points per game. Former R’s striker Sinclair Armstrong has been reduced to making ten-minute cameo appearances from the bench…

“QPR have not beaten Bristol City at Loftus Road in a league game since October 2016, when Idrissa Sylla scored the only goal of the game. In fact, our record is substantially better at Ashton Gate in recent years, including a 2- 1 victory there earlier this season. For that reason alone, I'm going to predict a low-scoring draw.”

QPR_Hibs Prediction: QPR 1-1 Bristol City. Scorer – Richard Kone

LFW’s Prediction: QPR 2-0 Bristol City. Scorer – Richard Kone

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