With several first teamers definitely out and a host of others rated as doubtful, QPR are down to the bare bones as they travel to Carrow Road on Saturday.
Barclays Premier League >>> Saturday November 26, 2011 >>> Kick off 3pm >>> Carrow Road, Norwich
Having been fortunate enough to clap eyes on the much talked about Four Year Plan documentary in Amsterdam this week it confirmed the fears I held at the time about the way Flavio Briatore ran their club during his tumultuous reign. Audience members without a vested interest in the well being of the Super Hoops chuckled at Briatore’s double act with Gianni Paladini as it played out on the big screen in the Tuchinski cinema – the QPR fans in the audience watched through barely parted fingers. A full review will follow early next week
One thing it did reaffirm is that QPR are rarely more than three weeks away from the next crisis of some description. That remains the case today, despite Briatore and Paladini no longer hanging around to cause them. Even in the bright new dawn of Tony Fernandes’ ownership Rangers still have an uncanny ability to seek out a problem right at the very moment things seem to be going quite well.
Thankfully it’s a more conventional problem enveloping Loftus Road this week as we prepare to travel across the flats of Suffolk and Norfolk to face an enterprising Norwich City side – namely the fitness of players. Luke Young is out with the knee injury sustained at Stoke and Joey Barton is sidelined by a suspension for yellow card accumulation. They join long term absentees Keiron Dyer and DJ Campbell on the sidelines.
Heidar Helguson’s gory facial injury sustained at the Britannia Stadium threatens his participation and his natural replacement Jay Bothroyd is also said to be struggling which, with Campbell out and Rob Hulse not included in the 25 man squad, leaves Neil Warnock to select a strike force from Jamie Mackie, winger Shaun Wright Phillips and young Troy Hewitt who was playing for Harrow Borough this time last year and has played all but 30 minutes of his football this season for Dagenham and Redbridge in League Two without any great success. Adel Taarabt is presumably fit and available as well, but his overall situation remains shrouded with mystery. Thankfully the news on Helguson and Bothroyd seems more positive this evening.
Things aren’t much better in defence where Armand Traore, as seems to be the case every week, is doubtful with a persistent thigh injury and Danny Gabbidon has also been ruled out. Gabbidon arrived from West Ham with a reputation for injury proneness which he is gleefully living up to so far. He and Fitz Hall are barely one complete centre back between them given their frequent sabbaticals – both seem to be working on a three week on three week off rota at the moment and luckily (if the return of Fitz Hall to the team can ever be classed as lucky) Gabbidon’s withdrawal seems to have coincided with Hall’s return to semi-fitness once again. If not Clint Hill would be first in line for a centre back slot with Matthew Connolly labouring with an ankle problem if he is not required to cover for Traore at left back.
Earlier this week Neil Warnock attempted to sign free agent Richard Wright with goalkeeper Brian Murphy ripping a calf muscle last week and leaving us only with Radek Cerny to cover for Paddy Kenny. If you haven’t been keeping count I make that 11 of our 25 man squad either definitely out or doubtful, eight of which would be considered first team regulars. And that’s without going into the rumour that one of the unnamed senior pros has been ruled out for six months this week.
Such injury issues blight clubs frequently but the timing of this for Neil Warnock couldn’t really be worse. After what is increasingly looking like a watershed moment during the half time interval of our recent defeat at Tottenham QPR have looked exceptionally good, played some fantastic football and moved into the top half of the table. The games this week against Norwich and West Brom were seen as a decent opportunity to post points between nightmare fixture run number one that included consecutive games with Chelsea, Spurs and Man City and before nightmare fixture run number two that will see Rangers face Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal in quick succession in December.
The last thing Warnock really needed was to lose half his squad to one ailment or another ahead of two games that a full strength Rangers side would surely be confident of taking four points from as a bare minimum despite a lousy record at Carrow Road. But this is QPR, like a naughty schoolboy whose parents fret over whenever things go quiet. It was all going just too well.
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Team News: So, those 11 players again for you: Joey Barton (suspension), Luke Young (knee), DJ Campbell (broken foot), Brian Murphy (torn calf), Danny Gabbidon (bit of a tart) and Kieron Dyer (a lot of a tart) are all definitely ruled out. Heidar Helguson (mangled face), Jay Bothroyd (something to do with his leg), Armand Traore (thigh), Fitz Hall (usual collection of issues), and Matthew Connolly (ankle) are doubtful. If you’re keeping track that leaves the following players available for selection from the 25 man squad, which of course doesn’t include our younger players: Paddy Kenny, Radek Cerny, Bradley Orr, Clint Hill, Anton Ferdinand, Shaun Derry, Alejandro Faurlin, Jamie Mackie, Shaun Wright Phillips, Adel Taarabt, Jason Puncheon, Bruno Perone (the horror), Akos Buzsaky and Tommy Smith.
Norwich have been hit hard in defence as well with Zak Whitbread and Daniel Ayala out and Russell Martin expected to deputise in the middle of the defence again. Ritchie De Laet is also injured, which given his performance for Portsmouth at Loftus Road last season is actually a bad thing for QPR – how he is playing Premiership football this year I do not know.
Elsewhere: Well it’s an absolute humdinger to start the Premiership weekend – Stoke v Blackburn in the Saturday lunchtime match sounds about as attractive as a jalfrezi enema but Sky seem to think somebody somewhere will want to watch it. There ae some more intriguing games at 3pm with Bolton v Everton a atch between two surprise strugglers and Newcastle’s trip to man Utd looking more competitive than it usually is. Sunderland v Wigan looks like something of a six pointer, the Latics have lost eight straight matches before this one, and it’s all eyes on Andre Villas Boas as Wolves visit Stamford Bridge. Arsenal v Fulham is the evening game. The match of the weekend is Liverpool v Man City on Sunday preceded by Swansea v Villa.
Referee: QPR probably need a bit of luck this weekend, so it’s a good job we have our favourite referee Mark Clattenburg in tow. Clattenburg has remarkably presided over two QPR promotion celebrations (the only two in the last 25 years) and the club’s only ever play off victory. This season he was in charge of our home draw with Blackburn. His full glorious QPR case file can be viewed here.
Norwich: Two Norwich records are on the line this weekend. They haven’t lost three successive games in three seasons but could do on Saturday, while a goal from Steve Morrison would break the club record for scoring in four successive Premiership matches currently held by Dean Ashton and Chris Sutton. The Canaries are yet to keep a clean sheet this season and conceded penalties in all of their first five league matches this season.
QPR: QPR’s recent record on this ground is awful. A 1-0 win in 2008 thanks to a thrice taken Martin Rowlands free kick is the only victory secured in eight visits and Rangers have had a man sent off on their last three games at Carrow Road – Matthew Connolly received two of those red cards and Damion Stewart the other. QPR have the best away record outside the top five with three road wins already this season – in 2005 Norwich were relegated from the Premiership without winning a single away game all season. QPR have four wins so far this year, three away and one at home. Heidar Helguson has five goals in five matches after his brace at Stoke but the two goals scored by the home team at the Britannia Stadium last weekend take Rangers to 22 conceded for the season which is the worst record outside the bottom three. That’s skewed slightly by the 6-0 defeat at Fulham of course but that came when Neil Warnock had a few injuries to deal with and he’s certainly got that this weekend.
Betting: Professional odds compiler Owen Goulding offers his thoughts ahead of the Norwich trip.
A coat of post paint stopped us copping on the Shaun Wright Phillips bet of the weekend last week , but I for one, did not mind one bit once that final whistle went. This week we travel to East Anglia. The loss of Joey Barton may be significant and Norwich will be looking forward to this one as much as QPR. The prices currently available for the match look about right with Norwich very slight favs - I could of been interested in playing QPR had Barton not been suspended, but there are a couple of prices that do look interesting. 19/20 with Ladbrokes for over 2.5goals looks a gimme and in the goal scorer market, I like the look of Armand Traore opening his account at 16/1 with Titanbet. So for my bet of the weekend, I recommend backing over 2.5 Goals at 19/20 at Ladbrokes. I also recommend three small bets on Traore to score first last and anytime at 40/1, 40/1 and 16/1 respectively.
Prediction: We never seem to win at Carrow Road and sadly our injury issues mean we’re unlikely to this Saturday in my opinion. At full strength I’d probably back us for a result here because Norwich are not crash hot at the back and have injury problems there themselves, while QPR are attacking with real verve and purpose at the moment. Perhaps this one all hangs on the fitness of Jay Bothroyd and Heidar Helguson. If one or both can play then we have a great chance, if not then we’ll probably be beaten. Don’t underestimate the importance of Barton’s absence here – his partnership with Faurlin was really blossoming and I have my doubts about Shaun Derry’s ability to play in this new look system that has brought so much joy in recent weeks. Then again, I’ve had doubts about Shaun Derry before and he revels in proving them all wrong. What worries me is that the last time we had a few players out was for Fulham away and we were well beaten that day with the general consensus being we lack strength in depth, particularly in defence. I can’t see it being as bad again but with a potential back four of Orr, Hall, Ferdinand and Hill on the field I don’t see things going well.
Norwich win 5/4 with Paddy Power, more than 2.5 goals 19/20 with Ladbrokes.
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