 Friday, 26th Sep 2008 12:06 A victory for The Rams in the battle of the tickets. It remains to be seen what happens on the pitch - and in the stands. Queens Park Rangers v Derby County Coca Cola Championship 3:00pm 27th September 2008 Loftus Road, Shepherds Bush, London
The Hoops were widely predicted to be challenging for Champions this year. Stories of immense amounts of money being available to turn Rangers into a new West London rival for Chelsea were rife in the press. This was all based on the combined wealth of Vijay Mallya, Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone. The supporters expected an increase in ticket prices however so
far the Rangers board seems to be handling its relationship with the fans in a totally insensitive manner. The price rises - including the ones for this game - are in danger of driving the fans away. £40 for a game against Derby might be within the range of the fans on the King's Road; in Shepherds Bush times are harder. There is talk of a protest before the game - with fans possibly refusing to take their seats until ten minutes into the game or keeping silent for the first ten minutes. It looks like QPR fans have a way to go yet before they are out of the woods. On the pitch however things are looking a lot better. Iain Dowie's team currently lie fourth in the table. They are unbeaten at home and are still in the Carling Cup after dumping out Villa in the shock of the round. Dowie said after the game; "We gave it all we had. If we lose, we lose. I can cope with losing to good sides and maybe on another day Villa would have won. But it's not as though our goalkeeper had to make two or three world-class saves and that is testament to the effort they gave." To be fair to Villa, they did rest six players following their
Derby match against WBA however it was still a good result. It was a good return to form for QPR following their narrow defeat at Coventry. After that game, Iain Dowie said; "I've watched Coventry a few times and I've not seen them outplayed like they were in the second half. I'm very proud of the second-half display and but for the break of a ball and a few bits of heroic defending by their back four, it could have been our day." It sounds like Rangers are on form. Dexter Blackstock has managed
5 goals so far this season with midfielder Emmanuel Ledesma chipping in with 4. Damien Stewart has scored 3 from defence - so the Hoops are scoring from all over the field. Derby fans will remember Blackstock from the his loan period in 2005. He scored 3 times and was only recalled when George Burley took over at Southampton. The R's other ex-Rams Lee Camp and Adam Bolder are only likely to make the bench at best on Saturday. QPR statistics Current team
Leading scorer Dexter Black Stock - 5 goals (4 league, 1 cup) The Rams In spite of the late arrival of the tickets, it appears that many Derby fans will still be travelling. According to the ticket office, there were less than 100 tickets still available at Pride Park. There are tickets available on the gate for fans who can't get to Pride Park to pick up tickets. This should be a real test for the Rams. The first shoots of recovery have been there for the fans to see in the last few games. The addition of Miles Addison and Nacer Barazite to the team seems to have been the key. The team seem to have found some spirit. Against a well organised Cardiff side, the team battened down the hatches and shut up shop and earned a credible point. After the game, Paul Jewell said; "We didn't play well but we have got something out of the game. We would definitely have lost a month ago. We'd have fallen to pieces when they equalised, but there is a lot more resolve and desire in the team now." Jewell sounds much more relaxed now things are starting to go his way. He went on; "Determination has got to come first and I am pleased we have shown that. It's going to take a few more results for us to relax completely and play the football we're capable of." Relaxation is the key and much of it can be put down to a new confidence in the defence. Albrechtson and Leacock look calm and composed in the centre while Stewart & Connolly defend first and get forward second. We still make mistakes and can concede from set pieces, but that's there to be worked on. Most of the fans seem to have become more relaxed in the last couple of games. The poor showing by the team in the first couple of games could have been exacerbated by the anxiety of the fans. The fans however appreciate the effort of the team and there's a lot less anger in the stands. Mick's team: Carroll, Connolly, Albrechtsen, Leacock, Stewart, Barazite, Addison, Green, Davies, Ellington, Hulse Assuming Commons is not fit. Alternatively, should Jewell want to beef up midfield, I'd replace Hulse with Nyatanga who would play in defence and Leacock could support Addison in midfield. What the Bookies think The Hoops are at 4/6 for the win while the draw is at 12/5. The Rams are at 10/3 for their first away win. Dexter Blackstock is at 5/1 to score while the best odds on all of the Rams strikers are 8/1. Information for travelling fans Driving: It's 130 miles to Loftus Rd. Take the M1 south to J1 and
then take the North Circular. Cross two roundabouts and on the third take the Western Avenue exit. This is the A40 - follow it towards White City/Shepherds Bush. Turn right into Wood Lane and right again into South Africa Road for the ground. Parking: Footballgroundguide.Com recommends parking opposite the BBC centre at Ariel Way Industrial however it is £7! There is street parking to be had in this area however you need to get there early. A better way is to park in a tube station with a car park on the edge of London and then take the tube or the Train there. The nearest Tube is Shepherds Bush on the Hammersmith & City line. Footballgroundguide.com recommends using White City tube as it's less busy. The nearest mainline station is Kensington Olympia. They also point out that Queens Park station is nowhere near Loftus Rd! Drinking: The Springbok Pub near the ground is now for home fans only. Apparently the bouncers on the door check tickets. There are plenty of pubs in the Shepherds Bush area including a Weatherspoons, O'Neills and Walkabout. There is no drink available in the away end at Loftus Rd. Mick's prediction Tough one this. On paper, you'd expect Rangers to win. We have to accept there will be setbacks on the road to recovery. That said, as long as the team performs as well as it can, the fans will have no complaints. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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