Andy Davies has refereed both QPR and Birmingham in thrashings against Newcastle this season, and on Saturday he takes charge of the pair at St Andrew's.

Referee >>> Andy Davies (Hampshire), refereed QPR’s 6-0 home hammering by Newcastle in September.

Assistants >>> Daniel Leach (Oxfordshire) and Paul Hodskinson (Lancashire), Leach also ran the line in that Newcastle debacle.

Fourth Official >>> John Busby (Oxfordshire)

Previously

QPR 0 Newcastle 6, Tuesday September 13, 2016, Championship

Jonjo Shelvey dominated this match completely from the centre of the Newcastle midfield. A talented player, only at this level through personality flaws, he’ll do that to a few teams this season. He set the tone for the night in the first 12 minutes — three nasty tackles, two rows with QPR players, one argument with referee Andy Davies who really should have booked him, one shot which deflected into the net off Perez who was flagged offside, one shot drilled just wide and then one shot into the net via two deflections to give his side the lead. Nice clear message stamped all over the game — we’re not here to piss about, we mean business, we’re already 1-0 up, what have you lot got?

Often in such circumstances you see the beaten team picking up bookings for frustrated tackles and kicks out at opponents — QPR didn’t even get close enough to Newcastle to commit a foul and referee Davies’ cards stayed firmly in his pocket. There never seemed to be any inkling that we should change formation, limit the damage, add a man to the middle of midfield, get some men behind the ball and at least try and hold out for ten minutes, maybe commit a few fouls to disrupt the play, or anything really. It was barbaric. Almost cruel. I honestly thought they were going to get double figures. Never mind not at the races, QPR weren’t on the same planet.

QPR: Smithies 5; Onuoha 3, Caulker 3 (Lynch 89, -), Hall 4, Bidwell 4; Perch 5 (Wszolek 18, 3), Henry 3, Cousins 3, Ngabokoto 4 (Sylla 57, 6); Chery 4, Washington 3

Subs not used: Borysiuk, Ingram, El Khayati, Shodipo

Newcastle: Sels 6; Anita 8, Lascelles 8, Clark 8, Dummett 7 (Hanley 65, 8); Gouffran 7 (Atsu 61, 7), Hayden 8, Shelvey 9, Ritchie 8; Mitrovic 8 (Yedlin 74, 6), Perez 8

Subs not used: Colback, Gayle, Diame, Darlow

Goals: Shelvey 12 (assisted Mitrovic), 48 (unassisted), Perez 30 (assisted Ritchie), Clark 56 (assisted Ritchie), Mitrovic 63 (unassisted), Hanley 79 (assisted Clark)

Referee — Andy Davies (Hampshire) 7 Nothing to really referee, with QPR rarely close enough to Newcastle to put a tackle in and commit a foul. Two borderline offside decisions, one given as a goal which looked about right, one disallowed which looked generous. Shelvey could easily have been booked in the first ten minutes but other than that he was essentially marshalling a procession.

Sheff Wed 1 QPR 1, Tuesday February 23, 2016, Championship

It looked like a typical QPR in the north evening was unfolding, and that feeling only grew immediately after half time when Grant Hall had one go at tripping Gary Hooper in the penalty area, failed, and Nedum Onuoha swept in to finish the job with an obvious foul for a spot kick. But Hooper, with ten goals in 11 matches prior to kick off, didn’t take the penalty himself and although Nuhiu’s record from 12 yards is apparently decent, his kick was tame and read expertly by Smithies who saved and held the ball down to his left.

Rangers looked stretched to breaking point as Wednesday freed Lee into the Kop End penalty box for a final time, and Grant Hall’s desperate lunge looked like a fool’s mission to rescue the situation. Only the theatrical fall from the Wednesday player, and the distance of Old Father Time from the incident, can have counted in QPR’s favour — it looked like a stick on penalty at the time and the home crowd and bench were as happy as Graeme Souness at Jamie Redknapp’s birthday party when it wasn’t awarded. Carvalhal came onto the field at the final whistle to demand answers. We’d have been fuming too.

Sheff Wed: Westwood 6; Hunt 6, Lees 7, Sasso 6, Pudil 6; Wallace 7, Lee 7, Bannan 6, McGeady 5 (Jao 62, 6); Hooper 6, Nuhiu 5

Subs not used: Loovens, McGugan, Bennett, Helan, Lopez, Price

Goals: Nuhiu 63 (assisted Pudil)

Bookings: Wallace 72 (foul)

QPR: Smithies 8; Onuoha 5, Hall 6, Angella 7, Perch 6; Phillips 5, Tozser 7, Henry 6, Luongo 6, El Khayati 7 (Mackie 79, 6); Washington 6 (Polter 73, 6)

Subs not used: Chery, Hoilett, Ingram, Petrasso, Diakite

Goals: Tozser 57 (unassisted)

Bookings: Phillips 76 (foul)

Referee — Andy Davies (Hampshire) 6 (Graham Salisbury {Lancashire} 80, 5) Davies did ok, although it seemed odd that Phillips and Wallace were booked for their fouls in reasonably neutral positions while Pudil and Jao escaped censor for deliberate chops on Washington and Luongo respectively, right on the edge of the Wednesday box as dangerous situations developed. The home crowd were unhappy that he let Karl Henry get away with so much, but he rightly awarded them a penalty for Onuoha’s reckless challenge. Obviously the talking point for his late replacement was the final minute penalty appeal from Kieran Lee which looked absolutely blatant at the time, and still does now really although Lee probably convinced the official otherwise by falling so theatrically. Still looks a foul by Hall though, so for the second time this season Rangers have had the rub of the green against Sheff Wed from a referee.

Stats

A slightly high 99 yellows and a slightly low four reds from 27 appearances this season — the Newcastle thrashing the only game he’s shown no cards at all in, and surely the least competitive he’s overseen. Eight bookings at Cardiff and Villa is his biggest single haul so far and he booked seven and sent one off at Ipswich and Brighton as well. His last Birmingham match, funnily enough, was their 4-0 loss to… Newcastle.

Davies finished last season with 127 yellows and five reds from his 36 matches (3.52 bookings a game). He booked eight at Charlton v Leeds in the Championship which was his busiest afternoon. This I his first ever Newcastle appointment.

Other Listings

Championship >>> Our old chum Keith Stroud has Ipswich v Leeds while Lee Probert’s comeback from injury continues at Burton v Norwich.

League One >>> Bit rich of Owen Coyle to be complaining about questionable decisions on Blackburn goals at Sheff Wed on Tuesday night — the referee who made them, Scott Duncan, is at Chesterfield v Bury this weekend. Mike Jones drops down from the top flight for the promotion battle between Sheff Utd and Scunthorpe.

League Two >>> Darren Deadman at Doncaster Luton. Pray for the children.

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Pictures — Action Images

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