 Friday, 2nd May 2008 13:14 QPR bring the curtain down on an eventuful season with a home game against champions elect West Brom on Sunday. Queens Park Rangers (14th) v West Bromwich Albion (1st) It seems an age since I wrote the preview for this fixture that was played at the Hawthorns back in September. A lot has happened since then including the installing of Gigi De Canio as our manager, seven or so new players, and of course our league position has improved somewhat in comparison to where we were just before the away fixture. At the time, we were also the only team in the league that had not won a game so far into the season, whilst West Brom were sitting third in the table. As we go into Sunday’s game, we know that we’ll have achieved mid-table mediocrity (sounds good though doesn’t it?) whilst for the Baggies, barring a miracle, they’ll know that they have secured promotion back to the Premier League within two years of having dropped out of it in 2006. Who picks up the Championship title is still to be decided between themselves and Stoke City (assuming Stoke win) and Sunday’s encounter promises to be an interesting one. I see on our official website, QPR fans are being urged to get into the ground early as there will be some kind of presentation going on beforehand involving Les Ferdinand, Stan Bowles and Gerry Francis, and with the Baggies bringing a few thousand themselves down from the black country for this game, I’m really looking forward to Sunday afternoon. Five minutes on West Brom Tony Mowbray started his management learning at Portman Road under the watchful eye of George Burley after he retired from playing at the turn of the new Millennium. Following the departure of Burley, he continued to work there, under Joe Royle and then in 2004 got his chance to manage first hand when he was offered the manager’s position at Hibs. After his first season there he went on to scoop the SPL manager of the year after guiding his new club to a UEFA cup spot. He went on to have a very decent second year there and left Hibs in a very healthy state on the pitch when the offer came in to him with the position of the hot seat at WBA. Mowbray strikes me as being a no nonsense type of manager but one who also encourages fast and attacking football, which was more than evident when they took us apart back in September. Mowbray took them to a final position of fourth in the table and the Baggies went on to beat their black country rivals Wolves in the semi finals of the play off’s and were subsequently the favourites in the Championship play off final last May - the first championship play off final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium. Their opponents were unfancied Derby County but as is the case sometimes with football the underdogs pulled off a smash and grab 1-0 win to send the Rams up to the Premiership whilst WBA were left to lick their wounds. In fact so sore by losing were they that the WBA players that day did not go up the Wembley steps to collect their losers’ medals. As we go into the final game of this campaign, the Baggies have achieved their aim at second time of asking, though it’s been touch and go all season and it’s only been over the course of the last couple of weeks really that we have had a clearer picture as to the most likely teams to gain automatic promotion. With West Brom all but sealing it with the point they earned against Southampton on Monday night, it’s a case now of can they clinch the Championship against us and, more importantly, do they have what is required to prevent themselves doing a Derby County next season? Who to watch out for I would say that the Baggies have probably the best midfield in this division, which could help them next season if they are serious about staying up. Players such as Jonathan Greening (who of course played under Sir Alex Ferguson); Chris Brunt, Slovenian Robert Koren, and ex Middlesbrough midfielder, James Morrison, tells us how strong they are in that department. Up front there’s Kevin Phillips and we all know enough about him - 22 goals in 28 appearances so far. Gulp! He’s partnered by either ex Manchester City prodigy Ishmael Miller, who signed permanently for the Baggies in January and who has nine goals under his belt so far, or Roman Bednar who is on a season long loan from Hearts and has scored 13 goals for his loan side this campaign means they have plenty of fire power between the three of them. *Tracy’s star man Previous Meetings QPR: Camp 6, Bignot 6, Cullip 6, Stewart 6, Mancienne 7, Ainsworth 8 (Ricketts 82, -), Bolder 7, Idiakez - (Lomas 13, 6), Cook 5, Furlong 6, Nygaard 7 (Blackstock 61, 8) WBA: Kiely 8, Robinson 5, Clement 6, Sodje 8, McShane 7, Greening 7, Koren 7, Carter, 6 (Ellington 46 7), Koumas 7, Phillips 7 (Gera 77), Kamara 7 (Chaplow 85 -) As mentioned above, we have of course already played the Baggies at the Hawthorns this season, and if you can bear it, you can read the match report provided by Clive from this game via the link below. West Brom: Kiely 7, Albrechtsen 7, Hoefkens 7, Barnett 7, Robinson 7, Koren 8, Greening 8 (Gera 67, 7), Teixeira 8 (Brunt 63, 7), Morrison 8, Miller 8 (Beattie 67, 8), Phillips 9 QPR: Camp 8, Rehman 2 (Curtis 46, 3), Cullip 3, Stewart 4, Barker 2 (Bignot 60, 5), Ainsworth 7, Bolder 4, Rowlands 4, Moore 5, Blackstock 4, Sahar 4 (Ephraim 60, 5) Head to Head: Past QPR v West Brom Results QPR’s one and only Cup win came at Wembley in 1967 against the Baggies. That memorable 3-2 win is the featured match in this week’s Memories and Connections section. Click Here for a mach report, fans’ memories and details of player connections between the two sides. Team News For the visitors there are no real worries or concerns about recent injuries or with any suspensions. I would expect to see Ishmael Miller keep his place up front alongside Kevin Phillips whilst for Neil Clement it will be an emotional day as I read an article last weekend in which he was saying he was hoping his young daughter would be mascot for the QPR game as it would be fitting as a tribute to her late granddad (Dave Clement, who of course is a QPR legend). For Clement junior, this promotion is now his third with West Brom which is made all the more sweeter for him as there were concerns 18 months or so ago that his playing days might be over after sustaining a nasty knee injury. Referee What else is going on elsewhere? If ever there was a six pointer game then it sure is taking place at the Britannia Stadium, where if Stoke win, they will be promoted, but if the visitors Leicester win, they will be securing their Championship status for next season. I have butterflies in my tummy just thinking about that for all fans concerned with both clubs and I really wouldn’t like to say how that one will go. The other club still with hope of gaining automatic promotion should Stoke miss out, is Hull City and they are away at Ipswich Town. Lots of other games taking place which involves those teams involved in the relegation scrap/chasing that elusive play off place and Tony’s guide below gives more info on this. Form Our April form wasn’t so bad either and it’s a shame we blotted our mini unbeaten run with the defeat at Norwich last week because before that you’d have had to have gone back eight games ago in mid March (Sheffield Wednesday) to when we were last defeated. As it is the visitors are top of the table on 78 points whilst we sit at 14th position and have 58 points. Prediction Fancy the R’s for a win? Discuss this match on the Message Board Click here and be the first user to comment on this story
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