QPR have made their best start to a season since they were last promoted 13 years ago and launched a new ‘anthem’ to mark the occasion – just another week at the country’s smallest big club and biggest small club.

QPR (3-1-0 DWDWW 2nd) v Middlesbrough (2-1-1 WWLWWD 5th)

Sky’s Super Saturday Brunch Spectacular >>> Saturday September 5, 2026 >>> Kick Off 15.00 >>> Weather – Sunny and breezy >>> Loftus Road, London, W12

A 33rd meeting of QPR and Cardiff since the second tier got its rebrand, the Championship’s third most played fixture, and rarely have Rangers looked as capable of escaping this purgatory as they do at the moment.

The nerves at the end were perhaps understandable – 2-1 is a horrible scoreline and ours has not proven to be a particularly trustworthy team over many years – but that was a 4-1 game on Wednesday for my money. Some of the football the R’s served up in the first hour, some of the chances they created, is as good as I’ve seen here in years. Sometimes it’s okay to sit back and enjoy, particularly in August/September.

Yes, as Julien Stéphan himself is at pains to point out, we need to be more clinical and ruthless when on top – we’ve already left two points on the table against Bolton and could have been caught out leaving the Blackburn and Cardiff games closer than they needed to be – but the trendy ‘underlying numbers’ are all pointing the right way. The R’s have the second highest xG, most shots on target, most shots inside the oppo box, most touches inside the oppo box, second highest ‘big chances’.

For now, at this point in the season, I’m just happy watching us play. I was surprised by the lukewarm message board response to the Cardiff game. I thought we were excellent for long periods and could easily have won by many more goals. Ronnie Edwards has started the year in glistening form, switching between defence and midfield as required with consummate ease, gliding down the middle of the pitch with the ball at (both) feet. What a lovely football player he is. Tariq Lamptey, after a rusty first outing, has been a joy in his two appearances since. He could twist and turn his way out of a safe.

At the moment we only seem to have about an hour of this in the tank. Twice now Stéphan has had to make four substitutions at once in the second half, twice it’s hobbled the team, made the whole think look disjointed, and killed QPR’s momentum in the game. Rangers were on the wane before the changes against the Bluebirds though. It’s necessary to manage players through who have chequered injury histories and try to prevent the squad being decimated through the winter as it has been the last two years. On the positive side - imagine what it might look like when/if we get up to speed and can do a full 90.

Of course, as only our club can, one of the big talking points to emerge from Wednesday’s game wasn’t the team putting ten points from a possible 12 on the board to start a season for the first time since 2013/14 (our last promotion), but a controversial change to the pre-match playlist.

London Calling, a classic from The Clash and QPR supporting Mick Jones, bumped in favour of an attempt at a new ‘club anthem’ which was booed and heckled by some in the ground at the time, and has since gone somewhat viral online with even ITV Football trying to grab some social media engagement out of the negative reaction. In a row back we’re now going to run out to Hi Ho Silver Lining, which is also not the right answer. That’s for when we win/somebody orders a £30+ round in The Askew. Was this really a problem that needed fixing? Just leave it as it is. Same with Dean McKee’s wonderful poem – why did that need a backing track, exactly?

Music is a very subjective thing at the best of times. I'd still run out to Tina Turner, so I'm not the person to ask on this. Football club traditions are not to be trifled with lightly (while we’re on this, where is Jude the Cat please?). There’s an amazing musical heritage around QPR with people like Jones and Glen Matlock following the club. Songs and chants grow up organically, often at away games (Pigbag, which we share with Boro, from Coventry away in the mid-90s if I remember correctly?), and often with a very unique story behind them. We play Silver Lining after a victory because it was the favourite song of the late, great club matriarch Daphne Biggs, for example. I always feel like if you try and manufacture these thing or artificially push something new and contrived onto a support base it’s not going to go well. It remains a total mystery to me how on earth Arsenal have managed to get away with that “North London Forever” dirge, and that their fans actually sing along to it (!!). Sadly I think there are lots of people in the game who’ve looked at that and thought “we could do with one of those” rather than the correct answer which is “kill it with fire before it lays eggs”.

I feel really sorry for the lads who’ve been involved in putting ours together. They haven't done this with any malice - in theory it's a nice thing to try and do. I know Sam a little bit, I passed my programme column onto him many years ago, he’s a great guy, QPR through and through from a Rangers family. He’s done some great stuff in the past with the R Generation initiative. To see them getting dragged to the extent they have has not been nice to watch. You don’t like the song, don’t agree with the change, fair enough, but some of the comments towards a couple of young QPR supporting lads have been brutal and the overall reaction completely over the top for what’s actually happened here. This is a club that used to run out to Fix You by Coldplay for a while so let’s not be overly precious about this (although that also did happen organically, and have a story behind it). I’m not sure why the internet needs to be quite as aggressively cruel as it is at times. Do we need to two-foot people like this?

The whole thing could be avoided with better supporter consultation. I’ve said this a few times but… take people with you. Involve them in the process. Consult, consult, consult. Bleed it in gradually, earlier in the playlist, to get people used to it, maybe? Don’t just send the club DJ out to bat on Facebook the morning of a game, whack it in as the team comes out, bill it as a new anthem and bump a popular song out the way in the process. It’s not fair on the lads that created it first and foremost. I think any group of QPR fans asked about this in advance would likely have told you that wouldn’t go well.

We spoke, at length, in the week about what the club is currently good at and where it has improved – the team and squad put together light years ahead of where it was at the end of Les Ferdinand’s time here. This is where we’re perhaps less good. Unfortunately, tradition and proper fan consultation is not a strong suit of our club presently – which is why we keep having things like fans organising their own sponsorless shirts to avoid Mr Q Casino, long standing kit individual kit sponsors (who have put thousands of pounds into the club over the years) finding out that this year it would be done by open auction just a few hours before that went live, or the situation where people in Y Block voted for safe standing without being made aware it would mean their season ticket prices doubling.

I’m not part of the Supporter Advisory Board so I don’t know what goes on at those meetings, but I do attend the semi-occasional meet ups between the club and the supporter groups/websites/podcasts and it feels to me that dissenting voices or alternative points of view are not particularly welcomed or listened to in that room. The club is going to do what it’s going to do and we can come along for the ride if we like but if not there’s a waiting list for season tickets now. Situations like this are easily avoided with a better, more open and conciliatory dialogue.

A shame for the lads involved that this has had so much negative airtime this week, but also a bit of a mad overreaction given how well things are going on the pitch. Saturday is an exciting prospect. This is the first big test of our new look team. Boro have been a thorn in the side for several years – they’ve scored four on each of their last two visits to Loftus Road and won the last five meetings between the sides. I feel like we’ve parred the course so far. We were fortunate to be gifted a fixture list that featured two newly promoted sides at home and the teams that finished 21st, 20th, 19th, 18th and 14th last season to begin with. We have done what I expected us to do with that. There are bigger tests on the other side of the jumbo international break, and this is the first properly decent opponent we’ve faced, so I’m fascinated to see how it goes.

Two of the early highflyers, the two teams with the most shots on goal in the league, going toe to toe in front of a packed-out Loftus Road? That is something we can all unite behind. Come on you R’s.

Links >>> Ten Mill Will – Oppo Profile >>> The element of surprise – History >>> Truly, Madley, Deeply – Referee >>> Middlesbrough Official Website >>> Teeside Gazette — Local Paper >>> FMTTM — Message Board >>> Boro Breakdown – Podcast >>> One Boro — Forum >>> Bonkers for Boro — Blog >>> Boropolis — Podcast

Parish Noticeboard
- No District Line on the Edgware Road-Wimbledon branch
- West Brom away tickets are finally going on sale today – digital ticket delivery for this one. Details.
- Clint Hill is this week’s guest of honour.

Below the fold

Team News: QPR now have some players worth rotating so expect plenty of that in this attempt to win game 3/3 in a three game week since Mick Beale’s Rangers beat Bristol City, Sheff Utd and Reading in October 2022. Injuries seem to remain limited to Karamoko Dembele and Boy Kemper with Nicolas Madsen, Dennis Cirkin and Tariq Lamptey among those having their minutes managed.

Jeremy Sarmiento misses out for Middlesbrough but summer arrival from Oxford and one-time QPR transfer target Myles Peart-Harris has been cleared to travel. Deadline day signings Connor Barron and Amario Cozier-Duberry await debuts. Riley McGree and Tommy Conway are among their troops having managed minutes.

Elsewhere: We expected things to be grim in the Championship corner of Lancashire this season, and we’ll get a further indication of just how grim when Blackburn and Preston meet at Deepdale on Saturday lunchtime. A coalition of Rovers supporter groups have penned an open letter demanding the removal of the club’s sporting director Rudy Gestede after a dire summer transfer window, while North End fans are in open revolt against their manager Paul Heckingbottom after starting with four defeats from four games.

There’s a real haves v have nots battle with Southampton travelling to Lincoln for a first league meeting since 1961 – no team in the country has as many clean sheets in 2026 as the Imps, who haven’t conceded in their last two league games. Stoke host Charlton in the Nathan Jones derby to start with on Saturday.

Big chunk of afternoon fixtures arguably led off by West Ham v Derby County which evokes wonderful late 90s Paulo Wanchope vibes, and Sheff Utd v Norwich which is one of those weird rivalries you don’t realise is a rivalry. Millwall have had a dreadful week, shipping five at Southampton and then losing 3-0 at home to Wrexham, as an early-year injury crisis bites hard into Alex Neil’s side. They have a kind fixture at home to Bolton but it’ll be interesting to see what they do with it.

Portsmouth, who’ve lost both home games so far, host Cardiff while Burnley’s stuttering start seeks a first win in five attempts with Bristol City heading to Turf Moor. Last time the Clarets went four without a win to start a campaign at this level was 2008/09, and they still won promotion that year. West Brom v Watford (one win in 12 now going back to last season) rounds out the afternoon games while surprise early league leaders Swansea get a nice, sociable 8pm kick off for their all-Welsh affair with Wrexham.

Referee: Andy Madley did his first QPR game since 2019 in our 3-1 win at Hull last season. He finished that campaign trying to hold onto Middlesbrough’s play-off second leg away at Southampton. Eeesh. Details.

Form

- QPR have started the season with a draw in normal time against Millwall, a 3-1 away win at Portsmouth, a 0-0 at home to Bolton and 2-1 wins at Blackburn and home to Cardiff. Five unbeaten having finished last season without a win in six games and losing the last four. It’s their best start to a season since they were promoted in 2013/14.

- QPR won on the opening day of the season for the first time since Mark Warburton’s Rangers beat Forest 2-0 at Loftus Road during lockdown in 2020, and the first away win on day one since the 2-1 at Stoke the year before that. The draw against Bolton means you still have to go back to 2016 - when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s savage pre-season did at least yield a 3-0 win against Leeds and 2-0 at Cardiff – to find the last time they won their first two. Rangers are four unbeaten to begin in the league for the first time since Warburton’s class of 2021/22 drew with Millwall and then won at Hull and Middlesbrough to kick off as part of an unbeaten run of six which could be equalled at Charlton on Wednesday.

- The midweek victory here against Cardiff snapped a run of five without a win at Loftus Road for QPR in all comps going back to the 2-1 victory over Watford on April 3.

- The ridiculous stat around possession continues to grow, with another win during the week against Cardiff achieved with 36.3% making it 68 games and 23 victories since QPR last beat a team while holding more of the ball than their opponent. Boro have held more possession than their opponent in three of the four league games played so far.

- QPR have won more points from losing positions than any other side in the Championship this season (six), coming from behind for two of their three wins so far.

- Boro have started with four wins, a draw and a loss from six games in all comps, although their two away games in the Championship so far have ended in defeat at Blackburn and a draw at Burnley.

- Boro have won their last three visits to Loftus Road (as many as they’d managed in the prior 26 - D11 L12) and scored four goals in each of the last two, winning 4-0 here on their last visit in March. The Teessiders have won the last five meetings between the sides home and away scoring at least two goals in each, with QPR last successful in September 2023 at the Riverside when Andre Dozzell and Jack Colback were the unlikely scorers for Gareth Ainsworth’s side.

- Boro are winless in their last six away league games, though five of these have been draws and their last victory came on this ground in March.

- No side has had more shots in the Championship this season than either QPR or Boro (both 70), while the R’s have had more shots on target (26) and more touches in the opposition box (127) than anyone else.

- Will Lankshear is the Championship’s top scorer with four. He has scored four of Boro’s seven league goals so far and six of their 11 in all comps.

- Rumarn Burrell’s double in the week were his first goals since January 4 and a 3-0 home win against Sheff Wed – the Jamaican has only appeared eight times in the intervening period due to injury mind. He missed a golden chance for a third in the second half too, which would have made him QPR’s first hat trick scorer since Nahki Wells on January 1, 2020 – also against Cardiff. Only Finn Azaz (11) has created more chances from open play for his teammates in the Championship this season than Burrell (ten).

Prediction

In our Prediction League for 2026/27 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 won both prizes last year and has kindly agreed to keep up tradition and offer his irrational dislikes of each of our opponents this year…

“Boro are a decent well run club and a big tick from me for Steve Gibson getting Southampton the punishment they fully deserved last season. I’ve been well looked after at The Riverside on a couple of occasions and it’s a proper football club. It does, however, irritate me that they do well at Loftus Road too frequently. I’m glad we’re playing them now as we are on a bit of a roll and as the autumn progresses I’m sure they will start clicking through the gears.

“Another good performance from us the other night where I thought we probably should have and deserved more goals. Just a little concern that we’re not converting some of the good quality chances. Fair play to Cardiff for making it hard work after our strong spell in the second half. I’m also encouraged that the three goals conceded so far have been almost unstoppable strikes.

“This game against Boro will without doubt be our toughest test and a good indicator of where we are. Again the pack will be reshuffled to cater for the busy two week period. I said at the start of the week that I’d be satisfied with four points and I’m sticking to that with a 1-1 draw and Burrell to score again.”

JB’s Prediction: QPR 1-1 Boro. Scorer – Rumarn Burrell

LFW’s Prediction: QPR 2-2 Boro. Scorer – Ilias Chair

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