A game in hand is worth... — Preview Tuesday, 18th Mar 2014 01:55 by Clive Whittingham Injury hit QPR head to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night for a game in hand which, if won, can provide a real fillip for their promotion hopes as the season starts to reach its business end. Sheffield Wednesday (16th) v Queens Park Rangers (4th)Old First Division, Old Old Second Division >>> Tuesday March 18, 2014 >>> Kick Off 19.45 >>> Hillsborough, Sheffield, The North Whisper it quietly, but I think QPR have got this nailed now. Harry Redknapp was right all along — “Saturday Tuesday Saturday Tuesday, it’s going to be ‘ard” he said three quarters of a million times through July and August last year. And it bloody is — bank balances decimated, injury lists mounting, miles upon miles of countryside covered in the lamented absence of a high speed rail link between London and Birmingham, forced to travel by horseback to far flung corners of Charlton and Reading, the stragglers have started to fall. Faced with another midweeker the majority of second tier teams have tossed their hands to the sky and flounced “God damn it Championship… you know I love you… but you gotta hell of a lot to learn about modern day sports science.” Sorry Meatloaf. Like weak oxen picked off by savage lions, they lay scattered across the plains, unable to play. There are only three games in our division this Tuesday night. Three. Just six teams standing there begging to be punched again. “We can take it,” they cry, “in the stomach this time. Harder.” Yes, that’s right ladies and gentlemen, it’s one of those all important QPR games in hand, and if we learnt anything from Billy Davies and Nottingham Forest the last time we were in this division it’s that games in hand are very important indeed. You may remember Forest coming to Loftus Road in the 2010/11 promotion season and, despite having Radoslaw Majewski sent off in the first half, holding on for a point in fairly comfortable style. The final whistle was greeted with a roar of approval from the School End, and Davies — looking very much like Danger Mouse’s sidekick Penfold — marched up to them and gave them a fist salute. I didn’t hang around, but I assumed from the reaction that later on in the afternoon the wild celebrations were interrupted for the presentation of some sort of major domestic trophy. Like I say, I was back in the Crown and Sceptre by then. The thing was, Forest had two games in hand on QPR at that point and, judging by their reaction, games in hand are actually better than wins: one point for a draw, three for a win, five for a game in hand. Watch out world, here come Nottingham Forest. Or, actually, as the case turned out to be, there go QPR, off into the distance and the Premier League. Turns out games in hand are only what you make of them. QPR should be pretty confident of making plenty of this extra fixture at Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night. There’s plenty counting against them — the games really are coming thick and fast for the R’s at the moment, and they’ve often lived up to the southern softies stereotype on these long midweek slecks up north in recent times. Throw in an injury crisis that’s ruling out players even faster than QPR can sign them — unprecedented — and it’s clear this is going to be no walk in the park. Rob Green, Danny Simpson, Clint Hill, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Armand Traore, Jermaine Jenas, Alejandro Faurlin, Matt Phillips, Ravel Morrison, Charlie Austin and Kevin Doyle would make a reasonably useful starting 11 at this level and QPR may have to leave them all at home this Tuesday due to one knack or another. You could throw in Andy Johnson as well, but he’d probably break when he hit the ground. That list, in theory, means that this fixture, which has been on and off like a bride’s nightie thanks to the inclement weather and Sheffield Wednesday’s meandering and ultimately doomed FA Cup run, has fallen at a bad time. But then had it been played on the original date in January the R’s would have faced an Owls side not only imbued by the kind of relief that only kicking Dave Jones’ face out of your life permanently can bring, but also boasting the goal scoring prowess of man-child Connor Wickham, who scored eight goals in 11 appearances for Wednesday on loan but is now getting his raw steak from the canteen at Leeds United’s training ground where the staff flee the building upon his arrival screaming “this enormous child will devour us all.” That said, his loaned replacement Leon Best has never minded a goal or two against QPR down the years. It will be interesting to see how Harry Redknapp approaches this one given the selection problems. He’s rather too prone to putting square pegs in round holes, rather than picking a younger and unproven player in the correct position, and then making excuses afterwards about injuries and fixture pile up afterwards for my taste — and has been since he was at Tottenham. Yes it’s unfortunate to be missing so many players, but there is plenty of quality still available, certainly enough to cause problems to a Sheffield Wednesday side that, despite improvements under Stuart Gray, is a seriously mediocre outfit. If QPR win despite the injuries, showing depth of squad, creativity and bravery in team selection, and determination on the field, it will be a statement of intent. Lose here, and struggle again on Saturday at Middlesbrough, while talking about bad luck with injuries, and it not only starts to breed an excuse culture, but also smacks rather of running a white flag up a pole. QPR have more than enough about them to take four points from the two away games this week, which would give them seven from a seven day period and go some way to cementing their spot in the top six, if they’re positive, enthusiastic and resilient. Here’s hoping. Links >>> History >>> Opposition profile >>> Referee >>> Travel Guide
Queens Park Rangers celebrate winning promotion from the Second Division on the final day of the 2003/04 season after a 3-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Goals from Kevin Gallen, Paul Furlong and a Chris Carr own goal meant the R’s pipped Bristol City to the second promotion spot at the very last hurdle. TuesdayTeam News: So let’s take these problems one at a time. First QPR suffered a series of quick fire, long term injuries to their best players. Matt Phillips (ankle), Charlie Austin (shoulder), Danny Simpson (back) and Ale Faurlin (knee) were all ruled out long term removing youth, pace, ability and goals from the team. Harry Redknapp tried to cover their absence with a series of loans but having added Little Tom Carroll, Fat Brazilian, Benoit Assou Ekotto, Kevin Doyle, Will Keane, Niko Kranjcar, Mobido Maiaga and Ravel Morrison on temporary deals the QPR boss then had to juggle the eight of them around each week because the league only permits five to be selected in a matchday squad. Then, against Brighton last Tuesday and Yeovil on Saturday, the R’s lost Assou-Ekotto to the shame of costing his team another goal, Jermaine Jenas and Armand Traore to muscle injuries, Rob Green to broken ribs and, potentially, Clint Hill and Ravel Morrison to strains as well. Bring your boots and get a game basically. Brian Murphy will make his league debut for Rangers in goal, three years after signing from Ipswich, but after that who turns out is anybody’s guess. The news that goalkeeper Chris Kirkland has missed the last three matches with a calf injury is the least surprising thing I’ve heard or seen since Fitz Hall’s last long throw failed to make the penalty area. Joe Mattock, tipped for great things as a kid at Leicester but in rapid decline since amid tales of off the field twatishness, has had a thigh strain but might be fit for this one. Elsewhere: The Globetrotters’ aggressive surge up the league table has condensed the top third of the division into a congealed mess of panic and form. Now fifth, Uwe Rosler’s men could move to within two points of QPR with a win against lowly Yeovil at home tonight, and they’d still have a game in hand after that as well. While the fixture congestion caused by their miraculous cup run may tire them, they’re showing few signs of fatigue at the moment and, as discussed, that game in hand counts for five points anyway. In the other game on Tuesday night, Bournemouth should be right at home on the sand at Charlton’s Valley. Don’t be surprised to see another nail hammered into the London side’s coffin there. Referee: Paul Tierney from Lancashire is the man in the middle for this Tuesday night clash, and that should be ok as long as the local wildlife keep themselves to themselves. Tierney has only refereed two QPR matches before, but one of those was the 1-0 defeat in W12 against league-leaders Leicester back in December when the officiating rather fell apart having been undermined by a five minute pitch invasion from the Loftus Road squirrel. Hopefully this referee will be able to command rather more authority this time around. For a full run down of his QPR case history and stats please click here. FormSheff Wed: It’s threatening to be a season of three parts for Sheffield Wednesday: act one — one win from the first 17 games, a run dire enough to get Dave Jones the sack; act two — 11 matches unbeaten, six of them won, after Stuart Gray took over to cement their Championship status; act three — the long, slow grind down to the end of the season with five of their last eight matches ending in defeat. Wednesday don’t draw often at the moment — two of the last 15, five of the last 23 — and they were on a run of four straight home wins prior to consecutive defeats here against Wigan and Derby. QPR: Rangers ended a run of five games without a win — three of them lost — with a 2-0 victory at Birmingham ten days ago, and then bounced back from the 2-0 loss at Brighton immediately after that with a 3-0 home success against Yeovil at the weekend. Still, eight wins from 24 matches isn’t any kind of promotion form. Brighton and QPR have conceded the joint fewest goals in the league this season — 28. On the road this season the R’s have won at Birmingham, Ipswich, Blackpool, Yeovil, Leeds and Bolton. Prediction: Credit to reigning Prediction League champion Mase who is keeping up the with Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday relentlessness admirably… “Bare bones. That's what we are down to now. More players in the hospital than available to take on Sheffield Wednesday. Possibly. “Our game in hand over some clubs sees us make the trip to South Yorkshire to take on Wednesday. The home side have been on a run that looked improbable given their lethargic autumn and have become much harder to beat and play against. Just a few more wins and they will be in the Championship again next season, which represents a fate sealed considerably earlier this season than in previous years. One thing they don't tend to do much, is to draw games - only two in their last dozen or so fixtures since the New Year. “Rangers will be hoping to pick up where they left off against Yeovil on Saturday but with the prospect of doing so with a weakened XI against a significantly better team, the chances must remain against. I am going to sit on the fence for this one, I just hope we can show some damned fight and maybe nick it 2-1. As it is, let's go for 1-1 and cross fingers and toes for better.” Mase’s Prediction: Sheff Wed 1-1 QPR. Scorer — Ravel Morrison. LFW’s Prediction; Sheff Wed 0-1 QPR. Scorer — Ravel Morrison. 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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