Three days after the Bolton gale, Rangers are heading back north this evening to take on in-form Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Sheffield Wednesday (6th) v Queens Park Rangers (12th)

Championship >>> Tuesday February 23, 2016 >>> Kick Off 19.45 >>> Weather — Clear night, bloody freezing >>> Hillsborough, Sheffield

Hillsborough, generally speaking, isn’t a particularly happy hunting ground for QPR.

The R’s lost 7-1 here in the 1980s, and during the early 1990s Sheffield Wednesday used to beat Gerry Francis’ team routinely, including a 4-1 on this ground where Carlton bloody Palmer scored a hat trick. Few performances and results summed up the state of financially destitute QPR circa 2000/01 than the 5-2 defeat to a terrible Wednesday team and even when Rangers were promoted from this division in 2013/14, they lost here 3-0 and were lucky to get nil.

But it has also been the scene of some memorable victories for the Hoops. Mark Falco stepping off the bench to inspire a 2-0 win in 1988/89, Simon Barker lobbing Kevin Pressman from 25 yards and then Gregory Goodridge scoring direct from a corner in 1995/96 and more recently Kaspars Gorkss’ flying header just when it looked like Jim Magilton was going to be some sort of saviour.

But, of course, it’s the final day of the 2003/04 season which we all remember the most. The best part of 7,500 QPR fans behind the goal, another 3,500 watching on a big screen at Loftus Road, and plenty more in the home ends to see the R’s complete three years of rebuilding with a richly deserved promotion.

My younger brother hadn’t been able to get a ticket with us in the away end that day, and being only 13/14 was deemed too young to brave the home ends alone. My mum, who hates football and hates QPR even more, caved in two days before the game and dispatched me to the Sheffield Wednesday ticket office to buy two in the side stand for the pair of them because she felt he probably ought to be there to see it. Paul did as he was told, and sat quietly during the QPR goals so as not to inflame any potential situation with the home fans. It was all too much for my mum though, who jumped up and cheered when Chris Carr put through his own net because, quote, “I like my kids to be happy”.

It was an emotive day for the players and supporters alike, you could see that group cared about what they were doing and trying to achieve. Lee Cook, who had a loan spell at Rangers the season before and returned to the club permanently that summer, told the podcast this week that one of the big factors was the amount of leadership in the team. Vocal players, not necessarily just the captain, maintained standards, drove the team on and intimidated opponents.

Cook spoke about how Danny Shittu, still a young inexperienced player at that time, would go a long way to winning his individual battle in the tunnel before the game, letting opposition strikers know what was coming their way, making a lot of noise and revving his side up. This QPR team at the moment, whether you think it’s a work in progress or a lost cause, lacks any sort of leader really. Back then Steve Palmer, Marc Bircham, Shittu and others were all big talkers. Now, it looks like a quiet team to me. In a recent home game a break in play saw the opposition crowding round their bench discussing tactics, while the QPR players sort of milled about.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink seems like a strong, vocal character and it wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t bring some of those into his team this summer. Nedum Onuoha is the captain, and could easily do the same Shittu intimidation job given his physique, but he seems too nice at times.

On cold Tuesday nights away at in-form, talented teams like Sheffield Wednesday, you need that leadership. Let’s hope the apparent lack of it isn’t exposed too brutally at Hillsborough this evening.

Links >>> Holloway’s crowning glory — History >>> Sheff Wed long awaited top flight return — Interview >>> Davies in charge — Referee

Another excuse, as if one were needed, to relive that memorable QPR promotion winning victory at Hillsborough in the final match of the 2003/04 season.

Tuesday

Team News: Ale Faurlin is allegedly back in contention for a start here after recovering from his thigh injury. Nasser El Khayati’s impressive cameo at Bolton may see him make his first start for the club, probably ahead of Junior Hoilett who seemed to have returned to his medically induced coma at Bolton.

One half of Sheff Wed’s lively forward line, Fernando Forestieri, is suspended tonight — mercifully — after his sending off at Preston on Saturday. On loan winger Aiden McGeady comes back into contention after measles while Glenn Loovens (mumps) and Sam Hutchinson (rubella) are both doubts.

Elsewhere: Everybody is playing Championship football tonight, for what else is there to do on a cold February eve? Everybody that is except Derby Sheep, who are special and are continuing their so-far-failed attempts to win a one ticket raffle with the visit of the Mad Chicken Farmers tomorrow evening.

The pick of the Tuesday games is either Big Spending Burnley, up into second place, at home to Nottingham Trees, who’ve quietly bored their way into the top ten of late; or Boro, enduring a sticky patch, against The Red Dragons, who lead the chasing pack immediately behind the top six. Trevor Kettle is refereeing the latter, so it might come with a death toll.

Get your “you must have come in an immaculately restored and preserved classic two-seater vehicle” chants ready for Tarquin and Rupert as they prepare to make the long journey north to the Champions of Europe. Or, as is more likely, they don’t.
That’s just one of several fixtures to file under ‘ridiculous’ as the league continues its policy of sending clubs as far as they possibly can for their Tuesday night fixtures. Belgium’s Finest, one imagines, won’t be taking a big following to Preston. Nor Neil Warnock’s Rotherham down to Waitrose. Nor Tigers Tigers Rah Rah Rah to Ipswich. This is mindless scheduling, and it’s happening every round of midweek games this season.

It actually makes Franchise’s 150 jaunt up to Huddersfield look respectable while the Wurzels hosting Brighton and Brentford v Wolves are practically local derbies by comparison.

Birmingham v Bolton is a match between two teams beginning with B.

Referee: As seems to be the norm at the moment, a relative newbie on the league list gets his first QPR appointment in this match. Andy Davies is the man in the middle and his details and statistics are available here.

Form

Sheff Wed: Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Preston brought to an end an impressive run of one loss, two draws and seven victories from ten matches which have lifted Sheff Wed four points clear of Cardiff and the rest of the chasing pack just outside the play-offs. But Rangers shouldn’t be too excited about Joe Garner’s winner against the ten men at the weekend — only one team has won at Hillsborough this season and Wednesday have won ten and drawn five of the other 15 fixtures on this ground. Middlesbrough are the only side to have won here, and that was back in August. Since then Carvalhal’s side have won nine and drawn four in the league as well as beating Arsenal and Fulham here in the two cup competitions. They’ve scored freely as well, with the 4-0 success against Brentford in the last match here improving the record to a league-leading 32 scored and just 13 conceded.

QPR: Another tie at the weekend, this time at Bolton, moves QPR onto 13 draws for the season (from 32 games played) which is the joint most in the division along with Cardiff, Leeds, Blackburn and… Bolton. It was, like so many of Rangers’ matches this season, a game that could easily have gone both other ways. Taking the Fulham debacles out of it, only Charlton have beaten QPR by more than a one goal margin this season while Rangers have only recorded successes by two goals or more against Rotherham and MK Dons. Incidentally, forgot to mention this at the weekend, the disaster against Fulham at Loftus Road brought to an end a remarkable run of 19 league matches without conceding a goal in the first half. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has won just two of his 14 games in charge, but equally only lost four and just three in the league, such is the propensity of this team to draw matches. Rangers have lost only one and won two of the last seven and are unbeaten in four away games.

Prediction: Reigning Prediction League champion isawqpratwhitecity tells us…

"Here's a game to stoke up an angry forum. Wednesday's form has been pretty good of late, barring their last game, losing to a rapidly improving Preston after they were reduced to ten men. I think that is only going to make them more determined to win here. I'm counting on Jimmy getting some shape into mid-field just to avoid a hiding."

Jim’s Prediction: Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 QPR. No Scorer

LFW’s Prediction: Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 QPR. No Scorer.

The Twitter @loftforwords

Pictures — Action Images

Photo: Action Images

TacticalR added 17:39 - Feb 23 Thanks for your preview. It's not going to be easy, as Sheffield Wednesday are one of the form sides of the division. However, generally we have played better when we know it's not going to be easy. At least Forestieri is out.
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