Following the thumping win against Barnsley on Saturday manager Jim Magilton has lavished praise on Mikele Leigertwood who impressed with a goal and fine performance from right back.
Many, myself included, felt the decision to drop a reasonably in form Peter Ramage from the right back role to accommodate Leigertwood was harsh however the former Sheff Utd man has certainly more than justified the decision with his performances over the last seven days. He opened the scoring against Barnsley on Saturday with a forceful run and trademark long range shot in the seventh minute.
Magilton told the club’s official website: “Mikele is an outstanding athlete and an outstanding person, both on and off the park. He has goals in his locker, there's no doubt about that. He scored a wonderful goal playing in midfield earlier in the campaign from an area which I believe he can really exploit and he bombed on from right back on Saturday and scored another classic. He's an awesome individual. He's a proper footballer and I'm absolutely chuffed to bits with him.”
Having used the stick method to seemingly great effect with Akos Buzsaky recently, Magilton will be hoping for similar results from the carrot approach as the R’s prepare to go into away games at Newcastle on Wednesday and Swansea this weekend.
QPR have a representative in the division’s team of the week again, although as happened after the Cardiff win where Cerny and Gorkss were selected it perhaps isn’t the player you thought it might be. Akos Buzsaky’s two goal salvo was not enough to see him recognised ahead of Ben Watson, although in fairness Watson was outstanding on Saturday as well and scored one and made another himself. The team in full is Paul Rachubka (Blackpool), Chris Gunter (Forest), Jose Fonte (Palace), Sean St.Ledger (Middlesbrough), Dean Moxey (Derby), Etienne Esajas (Sheff Wed), Kevin Nolan (Newcastle), Richard Chaplow (Preston), Ben Watson (QPR), Billy Sharp (Doncaster), Leon Best (Coventry).
The news from Watford on Heidar Helguson’s fitness is that the Icelandic striker has torn his calf muscle. He suffered the injury after coming on and scoring twice against Leicester in the first appearance of his second spell at Vicarage Road and is set to miss their next two matches before hopefully returning for a game with Middlesbrough on October 17.
In former QPR news Kevin Gallen scored twice for Luton at the weekend as they won 4-3 at Cambridge United in the Conference.
Elsewhere in the Championship today Swansea have been dealt a massive blow with the new s that star turn Ferrie Bodde has again ruptured the cruciate ligament in his left knee. The Dutch midfielder missed almost all of last season with this injury and is likely to be out for at least ten months again. Bodde has been the subject of failed bids from derby and Wigan despite his injury problems but has now managed to rupture the replacement graft doctors used to repair his knee last time in the home match with Sheff Utd at the weekend. Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins said: “It's a big blow, not just for the football club but, more importantly, for Ferrie himself. He is devastated at the moment. But as a club we have told him we will look after him and stand by him every step of the way - as we did last time.”