While Arsenal away should be one of the stand-out fixtures of any QPR season, it's highly likely the team selection and performance will betray a focus on two quick-fire home matches to follow immediately afterwards.
These are the matches you're supposed to look forward to, QPR fans. Arsenal, at their shiny new stadium, in front of 60,000 people (well, probably less, but it'll be announced as that) on Boxing Day.
These are the games you're supposed to aim for and aspire to during those long, hard, cold seasons kicking around in the lower divisions. Twice QPR were sent to Plymouth on Boxing Day, once for a particularly cruel 12.30 kick off. Last season they played at Watford, with no strikers, and drew 0-0. You're meant to cast glances northwards in those games and wonder what it would be like to be playing at Ashburton Grove, Old Trafford and Anfield instead. To dream of what Richard Scudamore calls the "best league in the world” while he strokes your hair as you suckle at his withered teet.
When these teams come to Loftus Road, it's everything you could ever dream of. Packed to the rafters with alcohol-fuelled football fans of the authentic type, Rangers' cramped, outdated home has intimidated the best during the last four years. QPR have taken four points from two home league games with Chelsea, two draws from three matches with Man City, three points from six against Arsenal, four from six against Spurs, Liverpool have been beaten in memorable circumstances. Something the club really need to bear in mind when talking about a new stadium. Phil Beard and co say we can't compete in the Premier League at Loftus Road. The results suggest we can't compete without it. There's more to football than "milking the asset”. Or, at least, there should be.
When, four minutes from time, Charlie Austin climbs from the ground and plants a firm, decisive header past England goalkeeper Ben Foster to complete a comeback from two goals down to win 3-2 against West Bromwich Albion, bringing a capacity Loftus Road to its feet so everybody can jump all over everybody else... you wonder if there's anywhere else on earth you'd rather be. Certainly not in the division below. This time last year Austin was doing something similar — an improbable climb and a header that carried more power than the drop kick of most amateur goalkeepers — to win another match in Shepherd's Bush. Trouble is, that was against Doncaster Rovers, during a shambolic performance, in weather only previously heard of in the vengeful bits of the Bible. It wasn't quite the same.
But away from home the romance and attraction of the Premier League wears very thin very quickly. Away matches, even against the division's mediocre sides, are not to be lost, rather than there to be won. Defensive formations are deployed, negative tactics, time wasting at 0-0. Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmiechel was time wasting at Loftus Road recently after a quarter of an hour. Once Rangers had turned that game around and led 3-2 he was tearing around like Adem Gemilli showing it was a tactic, rather than a physical issue. As a regular watcher of QPR, even with the formidable home form, why anybody would be so fearful of them to waste time 15 minutes into a match with a one goal lead is beyond me.
It's a fairly safe bet, and I genuinely hope this is as good as my usual predictions, that QPR won't bother too much with this Boxing Day game at Arsenal. Expect a multitude of changes and players rested. Expect players you hoped never to start again to do just that. Rio Ferdinand might take a break from book signing and baseball cap sales (£30 in the club shop) and put in an appearance. QPR's Christmas work will be done in two days time at home to Palace and then on New Year's Day against Swansea — or, at least, that's the plan.
Rangers won't be alone in this. West Ham, currently fourth, will go to Chelsea and try to grind out a goalless draw by sticking everybody behind the ball and playing for time. Newcastle, ninth, will do likewise at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
Very shortly after winning promotion to the Premier League you discover that the away games are largely an expensive waste of time, and the away games against the bigger clubs even worse than that. Wolves, during their recent top flight stint, fielded such a weakened team at Olkd Trafford they were fined for it. Manager Mick McCarthy had written the game off, preferring to concentrate on more winnable home matches to come. A bit rich, you may think, of the Premier League to penalise the littlies for that attitude, when it's their big-club-orientated policies like the Elite Player Performance Plan and top four qualifying for the Champions League that have created this situation where 13 or 14 of the teams in their division don';t see away games against the other six or seven as worth bothering with. Like a footballing version of being shot as a coward for refusing to climb out of a trench into sheets of machine gun fire.
I wonder if it was always like this. In the 1980s Liverpool were the dominant force, and known for their copious amounts of dodgy penalty awards. But did teams ever go to Anfield and give up? Was parking the bus a thing back then? Did we see flat back eights trying to grind out goalless draws, even from reasonably high-ranking teams in the league? Did we see managers resting nine players for trips to Merseyside because there was no point in even bothering to try and beat them?
These aren't rhetorical questions, I'm genuinely interested.
Because while Championship QPR players may have dreamed of Boxing Day games at Arsenal, in all likelihood Harry Redknapp and his squad have already got more than one eye on Palace. It shouldn't be that way, but nobody could possibly blame them if it is. It's an attitude held by many teams that gets Arsenal, the ultimate flat track bully, into the top four every season. It's an outlook that makes these extortionate away tickets burn even more in your wallet. And it's not a sustainable situation at all, because even the all conquering Premier League can't continue to sell £54 seats and £1000 season tickets for uncompetitive games.
And then QPR won 2-1...
Links >>> The flat track to fourth place — opposition profile >>> The endless pursuit of fourth — interview >>> John Jensen's only Arsenal goal — history >>> Atkinson in charge — referee
Samba Diakite thumps in his only QPR goal to seal a 2-1 win against the Gunners at Loftus Road in April 2012 as the R's strung an unlikely run of five straight home victories together to survive in the Premier League. Swansea, Stoke, Tottenham and Liverpool were the other victims.
Arsenal continue to miss Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey who are fighting to be fit for more taxing Christmas fixtures. Tomas Rosicky and reserve keeper David Ospina are fit to play.
Elsewhere: So what else, you may ask, is oozing forth from Richard Scudamore's mammary gland by way of entertainment for us this Boxing Day?
For once, he's onto a winner. When the BBC thinks two "special” episodes of Miranda passes for "original” Christmas content it would be a blessed relief to see a Chelsea dream team selected by John Terry play a friendly match against the greatest ever Manchester United side led by Gary Neville. It's not that bad, but it's not that far off.
So we have Big Racist John and the Boys against Big Fat Sam's Big Fat Brand of Entertaining Football to start with — analysis of how that "might” go can be found above. Then there are eight matches at 15.00!! Imagine that on a Saturday. Thankfully, this is a Friday, so it's ok.
There are a trio of teams who should win, going to three teams who should lose, but none of The Men of Liverpool together collectively as one at Burnley, Spurs at Leicester or Southampton at Palace look like safe coupon ticks. Louis Van Gaal v Newcastle is worth even fewer column inches than Big Racist John and the Boys.
From a QPR point of view, Sunderland and Hull are taking points from each other, West Brom have it all on against Man City and Aston Villa will find it tough at Swansea. Given that QPR will almost certainly surrender to a poor defeat, we could do with a few favours there.
Also: Everton v Meticulous Mark and the Taffia. Eh. Eh. Eh? Is there anybody there?
Referee: As if a trip to Arsenal when the whole team is focused on another game two days later wasn't going to be difficult enough, the authorities have deemed that Martin Atkinson should be the referee for it. This is an official highly rated by those who have to rate such things, who continues to be awarded the big matches in this country and sent abroad for European duty. He's also somebody with zero feeling for the game, who has been in dismal form for a very long time now, and who has been particularly dreadful in QPR matches since the R's returned to the top flight three seasons ago. The Clint Hill non-goal at Bolton is one of a catlogue of outraegously bad mistakes he's made with the Hoops in recent appointments, which culminated in his shambolic handling of the Stoke home game back in September. For all the gory details, click here.
QPR: Everything we said before, plus one. QPR have lost their first eight league matches on the road this season — nine if you include the League Cup defeat at League Two side Burton — and will equal the Premier League record currently held by the 1995/96 Bolton side if they lose again at Arsenal. They've conceded 21 goals and scored just three in those matches. That's in stark contrast to the seventh best home record in the league: won five, drawn two, lost two, scored 17, conceded 12. If you're looking for hope, QPR still have to travel to the eight teams with the division's worst home records in the second half of the season, having started with ten of the best. That begins in January with a journey to Burnley. This lopsided form cannot continue much longer beyond this fixture. Falling two down against West Brom before rallying means Redknapp's side have fallen behind in 13 of their 17 games so far this season — more than any other team. Charlie Austin has scored nine goals in his last eight league appearances, but all but the flick at Chelsea have been at home.
Betting: Professional odds compiler Owen Goulding is the 'right sort', and has worked over Christmas to tell us...
"Rangers travel across London on the back of another three point haul at home against West Brom. The truth of the matter, however, is that Rangers were second best for much of the game and only the striking prowess of Charlie Austin made sure they ended the game with maximum points. QPR's woes away from home are evident for all to see and have been spoken of endlessly on this forum and many other media outlets also. Arsenal themselves often struggle on the road, but at home they have only lost once this season, a few weeks back against a resurgent Man Utd.
"Arsenal aren't playing well at the moment but the problem I see here for Rangers is their weakest areas at present are on the flanks, which unfortunately for the Hoops is an area Arsenal excel in. Kieran Gibbs and Calum Chambers are particularly adventurous in recent weeks from full back positions, helping support Sanchez and Cazorla and iImust admit, the 16/1 on Gibbs to score any time is of interest. But my bet for this game is going to be Cazorla to score at any time at a definite overpriced 11/4. His movement and prowess from dead ball situations is likely to cause many a headache for the QPR full backs and he can add to his recent tally of three goals in his last three games. With Redknapp and the Superhoops very likely have one eye on Palace at home a few days later, I expect to see QPR on the end of a Boxing Day stuffing on Friday.”
Recommended bet: Arsenal v QPR - Santi Cazorla To Score Anytime @11/4 (Coral)
Prediction: Reigning Prediction League champion WestonSuperR also filed the following on Christmas Eve...
"I am surprised that any positivity surrounding our ability to winaAway remains at all but I note with interest that a poster on Loftforwords this week was recommending we back the boys to win a The Emirates at odds of 11/1. I've seen nothing for the entire season is far of away performances to tempt me at those odds, you could probably offer me double that and I'd still keep my cash in my pocket. Not once have we finished an away game and been genuinely hard done by to end up with nothing.
"Tactically this is a tough one: play 4-4-2 and I think we will be completely out-passed and overrun in midfield; play something along the lines of 4-5-1 and we are likely to have a similar, very negative, performance as we saw at Spurs, Man Utd etc. Of course there is the added complication of squad rotation with three games in seven days. No matter what team selection is made and how we approach the match I think our long wait for points on the road will have to wait for at least one more match as I am sure Arsenal will have too much for us on this occasion.”
John's Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 QPR. No scorer.
LFW's Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 QPR. No scorer.
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