QPR travel to Middlesbrough on Saturday for what looks set to be Mick Harford's last game in charge ahead of the potential appointment of Neil Warnock early next week.

Middlesbrough (9th) v Queens Park Rangers(18th)
Coca Cola Championship
Saturday February 27, Kick Off 3pm
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough

My dad used to hate Mark Dennis. "You dirty bastard Dennis," he would shout as the flaxen haired full back hacked through the back of whoever the QPR winger was that day. Every time Southampton came to W12 you knew it wouldn't be long before, firstly, Dennis snapped somebody in half and, secondly, my dad would be up giving him the rounds of the kitchen. Of course as it turned out QPR then signed Mark Dennis and within a few minutes of his first Loftus Road appearance an unsuspecting opposition winger was dying a slow and painful death in front of the Ellerslie Road stand after one of Dennis' specials. "Well played Mark Dennis" my dad cried standing to applaud.

It's a bit different when these detestable hate figures play for your club isn't it? I mean unless our club ever stooped low enough to bring in a complete scumbag like Marlon King or Lee Hughes or a complete incompetent eejit like Bryan Robson (or Paul Hart) I cannot ever imagine not even giving a new QPR player or manager the benefit of the doubt, at least for a few weeks. When we make a signing we always hope for the best - even when somebody with the track record of Marcus Bent or the injury history of Dean Sturridge arrives you try and put a brave face on things and look for the positives.

And so it appears we are about to put our trust in Neil 'Colin' Warnock to lead us into a brave new Indian led era at Loftus Road. Be honest how many times have you laughed and hurled abuse at Warnock when he does his mock, astonished rage act with his hands behind his head on the touchline? How many times have you engaged in a rousing chorus of 'fuck off Warnock'? Well, apparently, from next week he'll be ours.

Judging from the message boards it would seem the appointment would be welcomed by the majority of fans, certainly I'm in favour of it and I've always hated him, when had he been mentioned as a potential QPR manager straight after the takeover there probably would have been a public outcry. We have got into this situation where Warnock seems like not only a viable but a bloody good option for us through a succession of poor decisions and mis-management. "Inexperience" was Amit Bhatia's excuse in a very welcome QPR Player interview in the week; "egotistical idiocy" would be my somewhat more damning assessment of the way Flavio Briatore managed this club into a position whereby no manager worth their salt will touch us with a barge pole.

If we can indeed persuade a manager of Warnock's standing and experience, and don't get me wrong he's not the best manager in the world or even the best manager in our division, then bring him on as quickly as possible. He may be Colin, but he can be our Colin.

Five minutes on Middlesbrough
The story so far: Boro's first season back at this level since 1998 has mirrored very closely our First Division campaign in 1996/97 after our relegation from the Premiership. Back then we had come out of the top flight having sold one too many of our better players and appointed an inexperienced manager in Ray Wilkins. Rangers kept faith with Wilkins into the following season, then harshly sacked him early on in the campaign despite us making a semi-reasonable start to life at the new level. That left his replacement, Stewart Houston, with an inherited squad that he took far too long to assess and strengthen and ultimately, although he did make some excellent signings like Chelsea striker John Spencer, that run of games around Wilkins' departure and Houston's appointment and settling in period cost us a playoff spot by the end of the season.

Middlesbrough arrived in this league with Gareth Southgate still in charge. From the outside it seemed as though the Middlesbrough support was split roughly 60/40 in favour of getting rid of him but he was allowed to start the season in charge. I remember watching them on the opening night against Sheffield United at the Riverside and thinking they looked very, very weak in attack. A bizarre 5-1 win at Loftus Road apart I still think that they just do not have the firepower to mount a serious challenge in this league – Alliadiere and Miller is rumoured to be their strike force on Saturday and although that might be enough to beat our woeful defence, you’re not winning this division with those two. Despite that Southgate had them fourth in the table, a point off the top two, when he was abruptly and surprisingly sacked on October 20 after a 2-0 home win against Derby.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing - Boro failed to win any of their next five after Southgate's departure, have only won five games in total since then and are now ninth and five points adrift of the play offs. But even without the benefit of hindsight the decision to remove Southgate, or rather the timing of it, seemed very strange indeed. Steve Gibson is a notoriously patient chairman and has had numerous opportunities to fire Southgate over the past 18 months as the club slipped from Premiership mainstays and UEFA cup finalists into the relegation battle and then the Championship. When he did eventually sack him it was just at a moment when he finally seemed to be turning it around. Surely it would have made more sense to get rid of him last summer?

When we appointed Houston to replace Wilkins there was no such thing as a transfer window, Rangers were able to bring in the likes of Peacock and Spencer long before January. Gordon Strachan took over Southgate's team, and Southgate's loan signings, and only in January was he able to add some players of his own. In the meantime they have lost star man Adam Johnson to Man City, and sent a load of temporary signings made by Southgate, such as Dave Kitson and Sean St Ledger, back to their parent clubs.

We finished eighth in our first season at this level, a position we've never once come close to matching since. With only one further season of parachute payments remaining Middlesbrough must either push hard for the top six now, make absolutely sure they're well positioned to attack next season or risk treading a path well worn by the likes of QPR, Charlton, Norwich, Southampton, Leeds and others.

The Manager: Gordon Strachan arrived at the Riverside Stadium in October and has won only five of his 21 games in charge so far. As a player he won a the First Division title with Leeds, and the FA Cup with Manchester United – he made more than 150 appearances for both and scored 70 goals after 55 in 83 north of the border in Alex Ferguson’s impressive Aberdeen side where he won the league twice, the cup three times and the Cup Winners Cup. Strachan won 50 caps for Scotland when Scotland used to produce decent players. He finished his playing career with Coventry City and after playing under some great managers, and Howard Wilkinson, perhaps it was inevitable that he would move into management. He did so at Highfield Road.

Coventry were perennial relegation strugglers when he took over, and usually lucky bastards it has to be said, and he engineered an escape early on in his career when Middlesbrough went down instead having drawn on the final day and been deducted three points for failing to turn up for a game at Blackburn after a flu virus swept the camp. Had Boro shown up for that game with a youth team and lost 38-0 they would have stayed up. Ironic really considering where Strachan is now. He built an entertaining side at Coventry – I recall a thrilling 3-2 victory against Man Utd with Huckerby, Dublin and Hadji to the fore – but a rot set in as players were sold and Strachan was deeply unpopular with Sky Blues fans by the time they were relegated in 2001. Sacked shortly after the start of the 2001/02 campaign Strachan quickly jumped back on the horse at Southampton where he again did a fine job, taking them to the 2003 FA Cup final where they were beaten by Arsenal. He took a break from management from 2004 but returned 18 months later at Celtic. Martin O’Neill was a tough act to follow and despite winning three SPL titles, three cups and three manager of the year titles Celtic fans on radio phone in programmes (never a good barometer it must be said) rarely have a good word to say about him.

Middlesbrough is his fourth club and despite failings in the past and a poor start so far it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t been a success for the majority of his time at all three of his previous clubs. Boro fans must however be worried by the slide out of the promotion picture since he took over, and a penchant for signings from the SPL which rarely, if ever, prove successful in modern English football such is the vast difference in quality between the top two divisions in England when compared to the same divisions north of the border. The days when players like Strachan moved south and ripped the top flight of English football apart are long gone, and Strachan's desire to turn Boro into some kind of second Celtic must be a concern - 260 minutes without a goal and counting.

Three to Watch: It says something for the turnover in players at Boro this season that the three players I earmarked in this section for the December fixture are no longer with the club – Adam Johnson, Dave Kitson and Sean St Ledger.

One of the main reasons Middlesbrough were relegated, in my opinion, was the decision to not only allow Mark Schwarzer to leave, but also not to replace him adequately. Schwarzer is an Australian international goalkeeper who has played at the World Cup, in the UEFA Cup final with Boro and is now excelling in Europe once more with Roy Hodgson’s excellent Fulham team. For Middlesbrough to expect to get away with allowing him to leave and using Brad Jones (seriously dodgy) and Ross Turnbull (seriously inexperienced) in his stead was foolhardy. This season, with Turnbull picked off by Chelsea, they have turned back to experience with veteran keeper Danny Coyne between the sticks.

Coyne may have seemed a strange close season signing for one of this division’s bigger names, but he was outstanding at this level in more than 300 appearances for Grimsby and Tranmere, and has been excelling in the lower leagues for the past few years back at Prenton park. His shot stopping is second to none outside the Premiership and QPR fans still have nightmares about his miraculous performance at Loftus Road in 2001 when Grimsby won 1-0 despite being out shot ten to one by Rangers.

One thing (one of many) that really gets my angry about modern football is the way the bigger Premiership clubs immediately hoover up any kids with any hint of talent playing for lower division clubs before they have even had a chance to develop, then bung them off into a giant reserve or academy squad and we never hear from them again. Tottenham are one of the biggest culprits, snaffling our own Dean Parrett and Palace’s John Bostock and bunging them in with 30 other lads their age in the academy set up. Bostock was a first team regular in this league with Crystal Palace, Tottenham stole him for a ridiculously small tribunal fee and now he plays his football on loan at Brentford where, from a Spurs point of view, he can’t do them any harm.

This summer they were at it again, throwing silly money at Sheffield United for their two young full backs Kyles Naughton and Walker. Between them in the proceeding nine months they have managed to make one start and two substitute appearances. Again these are players who were playing first team football, week in week out, in the Championship. Now they’re playing reserve team football at Stevenage Borough’s ground. Walker jumped at the chance to go back on loan to Sheffield United, Naughton is the latest loan signing made by Middlesbrough. He looked very, very assured with the Blades last season and will certainly strengthen Gordon Strachan’s team. Raheem Sterling beware is all I would say, the grass isn’t always greener.

Another of my pet hates (I have too many to list to be fair) is Scottish football. What is the point in a sport where you know who will win every time? Not much it seems, judging by the pitiful crowds around the rest of the clubs. If I was a publican who had paid the extortionate Sky Sports rates this season I would be absolutely livid at the amount of piss poor, uncompetitive, repetitive, boring Scottish football has been scheduled for the prime Saturday lunch time kick off by the satellite sports channels.

It could be worse though, you could be a Middlesbrough fan watching Gordon Strachan spend millions to bring players from a sub standard league into a competitive and unforgiving one. I’ve picked out Barry Robson for this section, simply because I think the former Celtic man probably has the best chance of any Strachan has signed of being a reasonable success – he excelled for Dundee United and was therefore, of course, immediately hoarded by Celtic in much the same way Tottenham hoard young English talent so nobody else can get their hands on it. Boro also paid £3.5m for Scott McDonald from Celtic who is without a goal in four since arriving, missed a penalty at Blackpool and is now an injury doubt. They also signed Lee Miller from Aberdeen – a failure in League One with Bristol City. If you want a good quality piece of meat you don’t shop at Lidl.

Links >>> Middlesbrough Official Website >>> Boro Message Board >>> Travel Guide

History
Recent Meetings:
Rangers lost 5-1 to Boro at Loftus Road in December, the start of a chain of events that led to the departure of Jim Magilton and the implosion of a promising season from which we are yet to recover. Boro, in what must surely be their best performance of the season, cut Rangers to ribbons to provide a first victory in charge for new manager Gordon Strachan in his sixth game at the helm. Dave Kitson gave Boro a one goal half time lead but they cut loose in the second half when Leroy Lita ran riot, scoring twice and setting up another fro Gary O'Neil. The impressive Mark Yeates rounded off the rout with a fifth late on, only a brief flash from subs Rowan Vine and Patrick Agyemang who combined to score for the R's ten seconds after coming on, provided anything for the home crowd to cheer.

QPR: Cerny 4, Leigertwood 3, Hall 3, Gorkss 4, Borrowdale 6, Taarabt 5, Watson 3, Faurlin 6, Routledge 5 (Pellicori 80, -), Simpson 6 (Agyemang 52, 6), Buzsaky 4 (Vine 52, 5)
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Ramage, Stewart, Williams
Booked: Hall (foul)
Goals: Agyemang 53 (assisted Vine)

Middlesbrough: Jones 6, R Williams 7, St. Ledger 7, Wheater 8, Pogatetz 8, O'Neil 9 (Digard 79, 7), Arca 7, Yeates 8, Osbourne 7, Kitson 8,Lita 9
Subs Not Used: Coyne, Hoyte, Riggott, Emnes, McMahon, L Williams
Booked: Lita (over celebrating), O'Neil (foul)
Goals: Kitson 31 (assisted O’Neil), Lita 50 (penalty), 60 (assisted Yeates), O'Neil 75 (assisted Lita), Yeates 87 (unassisted)

QPR meekly surrendered their place in the FA Cup to Boro on their last trip to the Riverside Stadium in 1998. The late introduction of Kevin Gallen to the original third round tie had proved crucial as he scored to claim a 2-2 draw after John Spencer had given Rangers the lead. On a cold night in the north though it was all to no avail as Andy Campbell and Robbie Mustoe scored in four second half minutes to send the home side through. Six weeks later the R's beat Boro 5-0 at Loftus Road in the freak result of the season. Rangers just about stayed in the league, Boro went on to win promotion.

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Stockdale, Harrison, Vickers, Festa, Maddison, Mustoe, Townsend, Campbell, Merson, Ormerod
Subs not used: Beck, Moreno, Hignett, Liddle, Fabio
Bookings: Festa
Goals: Campbell 54, Mustoe 59

QPR: Harper, Yates, Brevett (Barker), Quashie, Morrow, Ready, Spencer (Gallen), Peacock, Murray, Sheron, Sinclair
Subs not used: Bruce, Slade

Attendance: 21,817

Head to Head:
Middlesbrough wins - 12
Draws – 15
QPR wins – 13

Previous Results:
2009/10 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 5 (Agyemang)
1997/98 QPR 5 Middlesbrough 0 (Sheron 2, Gallen, Bruce, Vickers og)
1997/98 Middlesbrough 2 QPR 0 (FA Cup replay)
1997/98 QPR 2 Middlesbrough 2 (FA Cup - Gallen, Spencer)
1997/98 Middlesbrough 3 QPR 0
1995/96 QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1 (McDonald)
1995/96 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0
1992/93 Middlesbrough 0 QPR 1 (Ferdinand)
1992/93 QPR 3 Middlesbrough 3 (Ferdinand, Penrice, Sinton)
1988/89 QPR 0 Middlesbrough 0
1988/89 Middlesbrough 1 QPR 0

Links >>>  QPR 1 Middlesbrough 5 Match Report >>> Match Report Archive

This Saturday
Team News:
QPR welcome back Mikele Leigertwood from a three match suspension, although there is a suggestion on the Boro websites that he may be left out pending a move to the Riverside Stadium on loan next week. Considering he has only just signed a new contract at Loftus Road and we are between managers that seems a little far fetched but you never can tell with QPR. Peter Ramage and Matt Connolly both picked up injuries against Doncaster – Leigertwood will fill in for one or the other at right back or central midfield with Nigel Quashie the most likely beneficiary if neither can play. Gavin Mahon and Martin Rowlands are long term absentees, Marcus Bent remains a doubt (quelle surprise) but Tamas Priskin is fit again. Mick Harford must decide whether 18 year old Antonio German should start again after a goal and man of the match performance on his full debut last Saturday.

Middlesbrough have a doubt over Scott McDonald who is suffering with poor form and a hernia. Chris Killen is also out so expect Alliadiere and Miller to start together in attack. Jonathan Franks will start wide left unless Strachan succeeds in bringing in a(nother) loan player prior to kick off.

Elsewhere: Bizarrely there isn't a Championship game listed for coverage by Sky until Saturday March 20 when Bristol City face Newcastle. That means a full programme of Saturday 3pm kick offs this weekend. At the top, an East Midlands derby between Leicester and Forest at the Walkers Stadium stands out with the Foxes fifth and Forest second in the table. Down at the wrong end of the Championship finger nails will be bitten down to the bone in a relegation six pointer between Reading and Sheff Wed. Crystal Palace travel to Doncaster in what is being billed as Neil Warnock's final game in charge.

Referee: For the second time in very quick succession we have Northamptonshire official Andy Woolmer in charge this Saturday. He was the man in the middle for our recent FA Cup third round replay defeat by Sheffield United at Loftus Road when he awarded Rangers a very questionable penalty and denied United a fairly blatant one.

Links >>> Dean Sturridge Memorial Injury List >>> Arthur Gnohere Discipline Counter >>> Referee History >>> Referee League

Form
Middlesbrough: Gordon Strachan has won just five of his 21 games in charge of Middlesbrough so far, and has lost the last two at Blackpool and Forest without scoring a goal. They are unbeaten in five home matches in the league though, winning three, drawing two, conceding one and scoring seven. Six teams have won at The Riverside Stadium this year, you have to look down to Derby to find a team that has lost more at home this season - West Brom, Leicester, Watford, Plymouth, Blackpool and Cardiff have all won on this ground so far, all of them kept a clean sheet in the process. .

QPR: Last weekend's much needed victory against Doncaster did at least bring a halt to some of the worrying mounting statistics surrounding our team. That was our first win in ten attempts, but we are still without a clean sheet in 22 matches and have not won an away game in nine games, six of which have ended in defeat. The R's have still won more away games in the league this season than they did last, four as opposed to three, and they do have successes at Sheff Wed, Cardiff, Scunthorpe and Derby under their belts so far. The 2-1 success against Doncaster was the first time the R's have scored more than two in a game in six attempts.

Prediction: I could well be wrong but this game really doesn't stand out as one where a lot of goals will be scored, despite the 5-1 result at Loftus Road in December. Both teams have struggled to score recently, although neither is defending particularly well either. Last weekend's victory against Doncaster will have given QPR some confidence, and there was much to admire in the play of German, Simpson and others. I'm going to go for a single goal Boro victory, but it really wouldn't surprise me if we didn't actually go up there and get a positive result, I've just got a little inkling. .
Narrow defeat

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