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Ollie works on message with Wolves in town - Preview
Thursday, 1st Dec 2016 13:30 by Clive Whittingham

QPR welcome Wolves to Loftus Road tonight for Ian Holloway's third game in charge, aiming to recover from the weekend loss at Ipswich.

Queens Park Rangers (15th, 6-5-7) v Wolverhampton Wanderers (21st, 4-6-8)

Mercantile Credit Trophy >>> Thursday :-| December 1, 2016 >>> Kick Off 19.45 >>> Weather — Brass Monkeys >>> Loftus Road, London, W12

One win, one defeat, we’re already two games into the second coming of Ian Holloway. I say ‘already’ because eight of QPR’s last ten managers haven’t made it to 40 matches so we’re well on the way now.

Obviously, we all want Holloway’s return to Loftus Road to work out a good deal better than that. Not only because we should always want the manager to do well because it means the team is doing well — a fairly obvious point but one that frequently went missing during the brief reigns of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Chris Ramsey. But also because of the emotional connection Holloway has with the club, and us with him.

Following the 200th Anniversary Open All R’s Podcast interview with the new (old) manager on Tuesday, Holloway spoke honestly, openly and at length with LFW and a number of other websites, podcasts and fan groups about the situation he’s found at QPR and what he hopes to be able to do here.

He was at pains to stress how much he’s changed as a manager since he was last here. More attacking, more adventurous, more well rounded, more experienced — all round better equipped to do the job than he was last time, and he did bloody well last time.

But football has changed as well. There was a telling remark about how football dressing rooms have changed from his time as a player to places where groups of players sit around silently staring at mobile phones. Will modern footballers respond to Holloway’s unique manners and methods once the novelty of him being new and trying new things has worn off?

Ollie has a habit of getting on a roll. Occasionally this is about topics fed to him by Sky monkeys in press conferences, of no relevance or concern to QPR fans whatsoever, and those are the things that make all the headlines — the FA, Gareth Southgate, Wayne Rooney and so on.

When he gets into his flow talking about QPR, it’s captivating. But then it’s meant to be captivating to us, we’re QPR fans. Will the modern day, iPhone wielding, professional footballer buy into this? Or will they wonder who this unusual old man is and why he’s banging on so much? Holloway getting his message across, and the players buying into it, as he did and they did in his first spell in charge, are crucial to his success here — as is the supporters giving him time and not mouthing off to the chairman on social media if things aren’t going quite to plan after a dozen games.

For now, a couple of tricky games to negotiate. Tonight a very poor Wolves side in bad form come to town, but they bring a formidable Loftus Road record with them and with Sky’s frankly laughable decision to move this fixture (I mean, who cares about this other than us?) from a Saturday afternoon to a freezing cold Thursday night guaranteeing a low crowd and poor atmosphere it’s a more difficult game than it would be for most other Championship sides. Likewise our trip to whipping boys Rotherham next week, who will almost certainly be giving a new manager his first game against us.

Links >>> Ian Holloway 200th anniversary podcast >>> Another foreign takeover — Interview >>> http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/44392/tv-favourite- favourite Robinson — Referee

Highlights of last season’s thrilling 1-1 draw between these two sides at Loftus Road last season.

Thursday

Team News: QPR mercifully have Massimo Luongo available again after illness — the R’s have taken 1.72 points a game with the Australian in the team this season and 0.60 without him. Steven Caulker is working his way back from a hip injury and although Jamie Mackie remains on the long term injured list, he is expected to play some part at Rotherham next week.

Nouha Dicko is pushing for a recall to Wolves’ starting line up but Mike Williamson (too tall), Jordan Graham (the bends) and Michal Zyro (rickets) are all out for Paul Lambert’s struggling side.

Elsewhere: This weekend’s televised games, spread across three glorious summers evenings in front of enormous crowds, bring together several former giants of the English game, and QPR and Wolves.

Champions Newcastle are at free scoring, free conceding Nottingham Trees tomorrow night and then it’s Champions of Europe at home to Leddersford on Saturday evening.

Nine games for 15.00 on Saturday then. Ahhhh, I remember Saturday 15.00. As do all the pubs and businesses round Shepherd’s Bush which see their takings go through the floor when Sky leave us without a Saturday game from the end of November to the beginning of February.

The Mad Indian Chicken Farmers are at home to Borussia Huddersfield while Ipswich go to The Wurzels. Tarquin and Rupert welcome Reading to the Cottage of Iniquity and the Sheffield Owls are home to the Preston Knob Ends. The Second Coming of Shteve takes a trip to Wigan Warriors and The Seventh Annual Neil Warnock Farewell Tour is back in its home venue for a match with Brighton.

Norwich’s Cameron Jerome saw an old fella called Fred lose his footing slightly in the pedestrianised area of the city centre recently. Everybody will hold their mobile phone torches in the air after 53 minutes of Saturday’s game with Brentford as a mark of respect.

Kenny Jackett resigning as Relegated Rotherham’s manager after just six matches was the most bizarre thing that’s happened since Kenny Jackett was appointed by Rotherham in the first place. Their caretaker boss starts against Nigel Clough’s Burton Albion.

Birmingham v Barnsley is this weekend’s match between two sides beginning with B.

Referee: As seems to be the case for the Sky games every week, referee Tim Robinson is in charge of this one. He was last at Loftus Road for the annual humbling by near neighbours Fulham, and made rather a mess of an uncompetitive game. More details of that, and his recent stats available here.

Form

QPR: Rangers’ record at Loftus Road has not been great this season, but the nervous win against Norwich here last time out made it three for the season in W12 and it’s now just one defeat in five for the R’s on their own patch. QPR have only won three of their last 14 matches however, and the 3-0 shellacking at Ipswich means it’s three defeats in the last five matches heading into this game. Only Wigan (six), Cardiff (eight) and Derby (eight) have scored fewer home goals than QPR (nine).

Wolves: Wolves have won two, drawn four and lost three of their away games so far this season — winning at Birmingham and Newcastle during what was initially a decent start to the season. Walter Zenga’s team won six and drew three of the first 12 in all competitions before falling into something of a hole that led to the recent appointment of Paul Lambert. They’re now winless in nine, with six defeats, and haven’t scored in the last two games. Wolves have only lost once in their previous 12 visits to this ground though.

Prediction: Reigning Prediction League champion Dylan Pressman tells us…

“After a bright start to the season, Wolves have struggled mightily, without a win since September. They don't score many goals, but nor do QPR, so I am predicting a close game on Thursday, with QPR coming away with a 2-1 home victory. Chery to score first for us.”


Dylan’s Prediction: QPR 2-1 Wolves. Scorer — Tjaronn Chery


LFW’s Prediction: QPR 1-1 Wolves. Scorer — Conor Washington

The Twitter/Instagram @loftforwords

The Pictures — Action Images


Action Images



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