Tricky game 21 - Preview Tuesday, 15th Dec 2015 14:42 by LFW QPR welcome unbeaten league leaders Brighton, and our old chum Bobby Zamora, back to Loftus Road this evening for a televised Championship encounter. Queens Park Rangers (13th) v Brighton and Hove Albion (1st)Championship >>> Saturday December 15, 2015 >>> Kick Off 19.45 >>> Weather — Cold, Wet >>> Loftus Road, London, W12 >>> Live on Sky Sports 1 A club that doesn't know its name, or its date of birth, is always going to struggle to agree on the design for a new badge. The ones revealed on the official website today have, predictably, divided opinion but are, surely, a vast, vast improvement on the monstrosity we currently parade around in at the whim of one Italian megalomaniac. As per a conversation I had on the Twitter earlier, I quite like that we don't really know whether to put an apostrophe (back) in Queens, nor are we really sure whether 'Queens Park Rangers' should be considered as born in 1882 or 1886. It kind of adds to the chaotic, absent-minded, accident-prone history of the club we all love. Option two for me, but I'd be happy with one or three. A tiny part of that history was eroded ever so slightly on Saturday when Brighton got a draw at Derby — that could easily have been a win, but for a controversial late penalty award. With that, they took the record for the longest unbeaten start to a season in this division with 20 games — a record previously held by Neil Warnock's QPR side of 2010/11. Honestly, I thought that 19 game run would stand for years — that Brighton have beaten it so soon highlights the size of the task we have on our hands tonight. Of course, the omens are quite good when you compare the respective seasons. QPR lost game 20 and 21 that season, falling first to Watford at Loftus Road and then to Leeds at snowbound Elland Road. Could Brighton find the new-look, harder-working, high-press Queens Park Rangers a hurdle too far this evening? The involvement of a striker or two (sorcery) could tip the balance in Rangers' favour. That 2010/11 side was the last time I felt genuinely proud of a QPR team. And it was a team, regardless of the focus on Adel Taarabt. Committed, organised, fit, drilled… a team. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has used the word "together" repeatedly since he arrived at the club and that idea of pulling the latest disparate collection of weirdoes we've assembled into one committed mass is a dream I hope he can realise. If recent history is anything to go by, you win this division with teams, built over a reasonable length of time, sometimes at some expense but not always — not collections of expensive individuals. Rangers have been promoted from the Championship since, of course, in the most dramatic fashion possible. Bobby Zamora returns to Shepherd's Bush for the first time this evening, enjoying a remarkable Indian summer back at the club which launched his career in the first place. That 2013/14 promotion season was nowhere near as enjoyable as the 2010/11 one, in part because we all knew deep down we were basically buying the success, pouring so much money into the wage bill that it should have been impossible to fail — in the end, we didn't fail, but Christ we came close. There wasn't a lot to be proud about that year, in my opinion, and the whole thing only seemed to really get going when the play-offs started and the team looked like a team all of a sudden. The Zamora goal, the day at Wembley, the night out afterwards, however… probably the best day of our lives for many QPR fans of the modern generation. Zamora was, overall, a poor signing for QPR. Expensive, both in transfer fee and wages, on a ridiculous contract with long standing fitness issues. He didn't score often, although towards the end of his spell he developed a knack of scoring spectacular goals, and wasn't fit enough to play 90 minutes at a time for basically his entire time here. In fact, in the run up to Wembley, fans had chanted his name rather ironically, he'd become a sort of figure of fun before one swing of his left boot from a Richard Keogh assist turned him into a club legend. He played reasonably well last year in the Premier League, and could rarely be faulted for effort though. He'll get good reception tonight for the goal alone, the money from which paid for his four year stay and then some. We could do without him repeating it on his old stomping ground tonight though. Brighton, for all their success, haven’t won a league game by more than a single goal all season and have drawn seven of their ten away matches. QPR are miserly at both ends at the moment. Everything points to a tight match with every goal, if any goals are scored at all, being absolutely vital. Maybe try Charlie Austin for the first half hour, when his team mates are fit enough to support him, rather than the last 30, when if Saturday's anything to go by, the won't be. Links >>>Zamora’s Indian Summer - Interview>>>QPR’s greatest ever manager? History>>>Squirrel alert — Referee >>> Jimmy's surprise midweek presser — Presser Well, any old excuse… TuesdayTeam News: Charlie Austin has allegedly finally shaken off the calf injury that has been troubling him since Fulham away so QPR may, may, actually start with a striker on the field tonight. If he can play from the start, Matt Phillips will finally, mercifully, drop back into his recognised right wing spot with Karl Henry dropping down to the bench. Brighton are missing Liam Rosenior to the New Year with polio while Gaetan Bong is refusing to play until people stop giggling at his name. Kazenga LuaLua and Sam Baldock are Christmas shopping. Elsewhere: Nine matches this evening, just for the hell of it, not like people are busy spending money elsewhere. Boro v Big Spending Burnley probably the game of the evening, although that Preston v Brum goalless draw will be igniting the passions of literally half a dozen people in the North West I'm sure. Charlton hosting Barings Bank has the look of footballing suicide and Huddersfield v Rotherham isn't far behind it. Running down the list for the rest it's the Red Dragons v Abacus, the Sheep v the Wurzels and Franchise v Sheffield Owls. Fresh from their weekend exertions, Tarquin and Rupert have already opened the Malbec to breathe ahead of a visit from Ipswich. Referee: Paul Tierney, a man who once lost control of a similar match here at Loftus Road with Leicester following the arrival of the local squirrel, is back in Shepherd’s Bush tonight for his first QPR appointment of the season. Full details of his previous brush with the local wildlife available here. FormQPR: A 0-0 draw with Burnley on Saturday was right on form for QPR who have scored just two goals in their last seven matches now, both from corner kicks. The clean sheet was the third consecutive shut-out recorded by what was the division’s leakiest defence a couple of months ago. Four of Rangers’ last five opponents have failed to score and Middlesbrough only managed one amidst that run. The R’s haven’t conceded a goal in open play in five matches. Only Nottingham Forest have won at Loftus Road this season but five of the ten games played here so far have finished in draws. Brighton: Saturday’s controversial late penalty at Derby robbed Brighton of a 2-1 win, but the 2-2 draw continues their unbeaten start to the league season to 20 matches — breaking the 19 match unbeaten start record that Neil Warnock’s QPR set on their way to the title in 2010/11. They are drawing a lot of late, five of the last eight, and they haven’t won a game by more than a single goal all season, but it’s a remarkable record all the same. Away from home they have won three (Ipswich, Fulham, Leeds) and drawn seven (Huddersfield, Wolves, Bolton, Sheff Wed, Reading, Burnley, Derby) of their ten trips so far. Their last four road games have finished level. Brighton haven’t won in Shepherd’s Bush in nine attempts. Bobby Zamora has the league’s best ‘goals per minute’ ratio with a strike every 94 so far this season. Charlie Austin is third with a goal every 134 minutes. Andre Gray sits between the two. Prediction:Reigning Prediction League champion isawqpratwhitecity says… "Throw away the form book for this one; it's being written in Brighton anyway. Expect more 'where's the striker?'-type banging-on to follow this game." Jim’s Prediction: QPR 0-0 Brighton. No Scorer LFW’s Prediction: QPR 1-1 Brighton. Scorer — Charlie Austin The Twitter @loftforwords Pictures — Action Images Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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