After a first win in ten attempts against Swansea on Tuesday night QPR face an almost identical test this Saturday as another play off chasing side comes to town - Bristol City.

Queens Park Rangers (11th) v Bristol City (8th)
Coca Cola Championship
Saturday March 21, Kick Off 3pm
Loftus Road, London, W12

”If you stand at the finishing post of the Owlerton Greyhound Stadium in Sheffield you cannot see the dogs coming round the final corner. You see them set off, you see them roar around the first two corners, fly down the back straight, turn again and then it’s all in the lap of the Gods. You stand and you clutch your betting slip and you listen to the roars from the back of the stand and you hope for the best. Then, in literally the space of half a second, they return to view, cross the line and it is all over. Nine times out of ten you are twenty notes lighter.

...this ridiculous set of fixtures will be the footballing equivalent of the Owlerton Greyhound Stadium. Be it through Radio London, the internet, ceefax (does that still exist?) or word of mouth many are going to be left to keep up with this last turn and straight through means other than being able to see it for themselves. If you do hold out hopes of us making the six this season then hold onto your betting slips, see what you can, and hope that when we reappear for the final five matches in April and May in half decent shape.”

That, regular readers will both be able to tell you, is an excerpt from the introduction of the LoftforWords match preview for the Ipswich match a month ago. QPR went into that game after a two week break in fixtures ninth in the table, three points behind Preston in sixth and hopeful of emerging from the other side of a ridiculous seven games in 28 day period still in with a shout of making the top six. That we are now seven points away and all but out of the picture as we come to the final game in that sequence, before another totally necessary two week gap of course, owes much to a collapse in form and confidence that few saw coming. Prior to the swansea game we were not so much ‘in decent shape’ as dead on our feet.

Tuesday night’s tight one goal win against Martinez’s team was our first success in ten attempts. While the last couple of months following QPR have been pretty dire I would hope that the poor run, and especially Tuesday night’s match, will have taught the players and coaches a thing or two for next season. Firstly - there is no substitute for hard work. Even with Blackstock, Routledge, Cook, Buzsaky, Vine, Rowlands and Stewart all missing we still beat what is widely recognised as one of the division’s best teams in Swansea simply by working really hard. Secondly a bit of quality goes a long way - Hogan Ephraim and Adel Taarabt played well against the Swans and that made all the difference. QPR have been devoid of quality and hard work for several weeks now and have been punished by one poor side after another.

The Championship is a poor quality league. Players like Buzsaky and Taarabt stand out a mile, simply because they can actually control the ball and play the game. QPR have allowed themselves to drift this year - injuries have played a part of course but we showed on Tuesday that hard work can overcome that in a division as poor as this. Would we have been beaten 2-0 by Doncaster last week had we worked as hard as we did on Tuesday? I don’t think so. And so while the players will hopefully learn the value of pulling their fingers out and grafting as they did against Swansea, Birmingham and Wolves on a more consistent basis those in charge of the club will recognise that just one or two players of genuine quality can make such a difference. Rather than wasting money on inflating the squad further with players like Gary Borrowdale and Liam Miller who have brought absolutely nothing to Rangers since their arrival let’s commit any funds that are available this summer solely towards the acquisition of the one thing we lack when everybody is fit - a genuine goal scorer.

In the meantime there can be no excuse for a drop in the work rate we saw against Swansea in the remaining matches, starting this Saturday with Bristol City at Loftus Road.

Five minutes on Bristol City
Our visitors this weekend are very similar in many ways to the Swansea team we just about managed to beat on Tuesday. Both are recent arrivals in this division, both have hugely promising and highly sought after managers and both have aspirations of making the play offs this season.

Swansea have won many friends in this division this season with their attractive style of play but looked weary against Rangers on Tuesday - perhaps a first season of Championship football since the mid 1980s and an extended run in the FA Cup is taking its toll on a side that looked a shadow of the one that played QPR earlier in the season. That defeat leaves the Swans five points adrift of the top six with two defeats already this week and their chances of making the six seem to be slipping away. City on the other hand are a point and a place better off and were unfortunate not to beat Cardiff City at Ashton Gate live on Sky last weekend.

City have been in this division a year longer than Swansea of course but like Roberto Martinez’s men they took the league by storm last season - making the play off final at the first attempt. Gary Johnson’s men played good football all year although they could count themselves somewhat fortunate to make it through their semi final with Crystal Palace - the London side were the better team for long periods of the two legged tie and probably would have gone to Wembley themselves had Ben watson, now with Wigan, not missed a crucial penalty in normal time of the second leg in the West Country. City went on to win in the extra half hour with a fine individual goal from Lee Trundle.

Second season syndrome is often a problem for promoted teams that do well first time around, Ipswich Town’s last Premiership relegation being the most spectacular recent example, and last summer did not start particularly well for City when they lost midfielder Nick Carle to Palace for £1m just six months after buying him. Carle was City’s most impressive player for me at the tale end of last season but clearly wasn’t a popular figure in the dressing room - his first return to Ashton Gate with Palace descended into violence as a water bottle was thrown at him on the pitch and a fight ensued in the car park afterwards with City’s other man with a reputation Michael McIndoe to the fore.

City did however spend more than £2m on striker Nicky Maynard whose record of 36 goals in 67 appearances at Crewe had sent visiting scouts flocking to Gresty Road. Maynard though has blown hot and cold at the higher level, scoring just twice in his first eighteen appearances. His fine goal against Cardiff last weekend was only his tenth of the season, a poor return for the outlay made.

At Christmas the fears over second season syndrome certainly seemed to be well founded - City were eighteenth in the league with just two wins from twelve home games and all thoughts seemed to be on avoiding relegation. That poor start may end up costing them come May but since then they have been much more like the City side we saw last season. Since winning 4-2 at Watford on Boxing Day The Reds have clocked up nine wins in seventeen matches, including a run of five consecutive wins at the end of January and beginning of February that rekindled memories of the astonishing run they went on in 2003/04 that QPR did well to withstand in the quest for promotion. I would normally link to the “they’re running scared, it will be all over bar the shouting when we play them” Brian Tinnion interview from the time but the PFA seems to have scandalously removed it from their new look website - I shall continue to search, it cheers me up in times of trouble.

Assuming, as I am doing, that Ipswich are out of the picture seven points behind City are one of seven teams competing for four places - although in Reading’s case that would very much be the booby prize for their efforts. City will have to go some to make it and to some extent it is out of their hands although we are still sufficiently far out from the end of the season for them to assume that a decent winning run will take them there. They could have done with the two points dropped against Cardiff last weekend though.

With wins required, and fast, Gary Johnson has come in for some criticism for not using the loan market to strengthen his squad for the run in. Johnson, who started his coaching career at Cambridge under John Beck and refined his skills as the national coach of Latvia before enjoying two promotions with Yeovil, has done a wonderful job with City and is greatly admired by fans of other teams, not least our own. However with another failed tilt at promotion seeming the likely outcome of this campaign he has been forced to defend his transfer policy.

Johnson told BBC Radio Bristol: “We've a small squad because I wanted everyone to feel if somebody's out they can come in rather than me going out and getting loans all over the place. Whenever we don't win a game I read articles and websites that say I've got to go out and get a loan, get this, get the other. But this group of lads are the ones that have got us this far and I'm showing faith in them to take us as far as we can go this season. We don't know where we're going to end up yet, but once again this group have put us in a challenging position with only seven games to go."

A win at Loftus Road on saturday will soon quieten any critics he does have and even if they don’t City fans would do well to remember where they were when Johnson took over and just how short a time that was ago.

Men to watch
We may as well start with Maynard I suppose having already mentioned him. He was one of the hottest properties outside the Premiership last summer when City splashed out £2.3m on him. His record at Crewe was impressive but he has struggled at times this season - he scored a class goal against Cardiff last week though so maybe he will start to find some consistently good form during the run in. He needs to because City’s squad does look light on strikers. Maynard will no doubt be partnered by Dele Adebola who has scored against us for four different clubs, including City, and bagged the equaliser against us at Ashton Gate in August.

Other than that though there is only really Stern John on loan from Southampton to choose from - Steve Brooker was allowed to leave in January and Lee Trundle is back from an unimpressive loan at Leeds. I’ve never rated John as a player but he did score nineteen goals in a poor Southampton side last season and so I wonder, with just two goals to his name in fourteen appearances for City, whether Maynard’s poor form is more down to the way City use their strikers than his inability to play at this higher level.

If you’ll allow me to go off on a tangent for a moment Scunthorpe United have been blessed with a 20 goal a season striker almost every year for the last decade - Martin Carruthers, Steve MacLean, Paul Hayes, Billy Sharp, Martin Paterson and now Gary Hooper. Often these players have shown no hint of a 20 goal season before or since but for some reason pulling on the Scunthorpe colours brings them out in fits of goals. Similarly players like Tony Thorpe and jamie Cureton have scored hat fulls of goals elsewhere but come to QPR and struggle to get into double figures. I wonder whether it’s the way our teams are set up and play the game, even over a long period of time and with different managers, that could be a reason for this. Why would Stern John get 19 goals in a rank Southampton side and then hardly score at all for a play off chasing Bristol City one? Maybe he is just crap after all and I’m reading too much into it but still, it has interested me for a while.

In midfield City are currently without impressive midfielder Marvin Elliott through injury although this game was initially pinpointed as a potential comeback date so we may see him after all. In his absence manager’s son Lee Johnson, who scored against QPR at Ashton gate last season, has been doing the leg work along with gavin Williams who also scored against QPR in the recent past in his Ipswich days. Michael McIndoe provides the creativity from wide - he has always been an impressive performer on the wing but struggled with alcohol early in his career and has had more clubs than Tiger Woods - shifting quickly through seven in five and a half years before finally settling at City for the last 18 months. A good player but a bit of a loose cannon it seems.

At the back City may revert back to a flat back four with the suspension of captain Louis Carey this weekend. One of the centre halves is likely to be Liam Fontaine, who Johnson famously said would bare his backside in Burton’s window were he to score, and Jamie McCombe. I remain amazed that McCombe is playing at this level because despite his obvious height advantage over most of his opponents he was bloody rubbish at Scunthorpe two divisions lower than this and never for one moment looked like he would make a Championship defender. Full back Bradley Orr was half heartedly linked with a move to QPR earlier this season while Brazilian keeper Basso is one of the bets in the division.

Previous Meetings
QPR travelled to Bristol City earlier this season right at the end of August and fought out a one all draw. Rangers took the lead in the first half when Dexter Blackstock’s persistance in the penalty area was rewarded with a scrappy rebound goal in front of the travelling QPR fans. Unfortunately the lead lasted a matter of minutes as a poor piece of defensive play allowed Adebola to get his customary goal against QPR. Still confidence in the visiting dressing room wuld have been high at half time and it was therefore hugely unfortunate that Emmanuel Ledesma picked up a two yellow cards and a subsequent red straight after the break to leave the R’s hanging on for a point for more than half an hour. A wonderful save by Radek Cerny in injury time preserved the 1-1 scoreline.

City: Basso, Orr, Carey, Fontaine, McAllister (Webster), Wilson (Sproule), Skuse (Williams), Johnson, McIndoe, Adebola, Maynard
Subs not used: Weale, Brooker
Goals: Adebola 25
Bookings: Orr, Sproule

QPR: Cerny, Ramage, Stewart, Connolly, Delaney, Ledesma, Leigertwood, Mahon, Cook (Rowlands), Parejo (Agyemang), Blackstock
Subs not used: Camp, Gorkss, Balanta
Goals: Blackstock 18
Sent off: Ledesma 50
Bookings: Blackstock, Ledesma x2, Cook, Rowlands

Match Report

These sides last met at Loftus Road in February when QPR ran really hot and comprehensively beat promotion chasing City at Loftus Road. Patrick Agyemang continued his outstanding form after signing from Preston by first running through on goal and finishing confidently and then slamming in a second after good work from Akos Buzsaky. Those goals but QPR in control and with City’s two centre halves in really poor form they could have had more but settled for a vintage Buzsaky half volley from long range at the Loft End in the second half to complete the scoring. City hit the inside of the post in the second half through new signing Dele Adebola but they were well beaten on theday.

QPR: Camp 7, Mancienne 8, Stewart 7, Rehman 7 (Connolly 76, 7), Delaney 7, Ephraim 7 (Lee 75, 7), Mahon 7, Buzsaky 7, Rowlands 8, Vine 7 (Leigertwood 89, -), Agyemang 8
Subs Not Used: Crowther, Blackstock
Booked: Rowlands (foul), Vine (diving)
Goals: Agyemang 18 (assisted Vine) 33 (assisted Buzsaky) Buzsaky 63 (assisted Agyemang)

Bristol City: Basso 6, Orr 5, Vasko 3 (Fontaine 46, 5), McCombe 2, McAllister 5, Carle 7 (Sproule 66, 6), Elliott 6, Johnson 5 (Noble 80, 6), McIndoe 6, Byfield 5, Adebola 6
Subs Not Used: Weale, Skuse
Booked: Adebola (repetitive fouling), Fontaine (foul)

Full Match Report


Head to Head:
QPR wins – 29
Draws – 22
Bristol City wins – 24

Past Bristol City v QPR results:
2008/09 Bristol City 1 QPR 1 (Blackstock)
2007/08 QPR 3 Bristol City 0 (Agyemang 2, Buzsaky)
2007/08 Bristol City 2 QPR 2 (Blackstock, Stewart)
2003/04 Bristol City 1 QPR 0
2003/04 QPR 1 Bristol City 1 (Padula)
2002/03 QPR 1 Bristol City 0 (Gallen pen)
2002/03 QPR 0 Bristol City 0 (Vans trophy, City won 5-4 on pens)
2002/03 Bristol City 1 QPR 3 (Connolly 2, Gallen)
2001/02 Bristol City 2 QPR 0
2001/02 QPR 0 Bristol City 0
1998/99 Bristol City 0 QPR 0
1998/99 QPR 1 Bristol City 1 (Ready)

Team News
QPR news to follow.
City are without influential skipper Lopuis Carey who is suspended for accumulating ten bookings and young defender Jordan Walker who has snapped his cruciate ligaments for the second time in his fledgling career.
Injury List

Referee
Lenient referee Grant Hegley is back at Loftus Road this Saturday to take charge of the Bristol City game. Hegley averages little over one card a match this season and has kept them in his pocket altogether on ten different occasions. He was the man in the middle when we drew 1-1 at home to Blackpool with Iain Dowie in charge earlier this season.
Details

Elsewhere
There are tough tests for the promotion aspirations of Wolves and Reading this weekend as they travel to Forest and Palace respectively. Wolves seem to just about be home and hosed now and Forest’s 5-0 defeat at Burnley last weekend has them worrying about an immediate return to League One but Palace are in no such trouble and Reading in no such form despite a 1-0 win at Doncaster on Tuesday. Birmingham should win at home to Norwich. At the bottom Blackpool v Southampton has all the makings of a classic six pointer – Southampton’s away record is actually one of the best in the division so they have what it takes to go to Bloomfield Road and win.
Tony’s Championship Preview

Form
It’s a strange thing form. From no wins in nine games QPR are now unbeaten in two games without conceding a goal - another win on Saturday and we’ll be wondering what all the fuss was about, some straw clutchers may even start twittering on about the play offs again. Mad game football sometimes. Tuesday night’s home win against Swansea was not only our first win in ten attempts but it was also our first home win in eight matches at Loftus Road. Despite that our home record of ten wins and five draws stands up well against most other teams in the division - Sheff Utd in four have nine and five for instance.

Bristol City’s record of eight away wins this season is bettered only by Wolves however they have lost their last two road games at Derby and Birmingham. City have won this season at Reading, Plymouth, Watford, Norwich, Southampton, Charlton, Blackpool and Coventry and it’s that away form that is keeping them in the play off hunt because at Ashton gate they have been held back by too many draws - ten from twenty games. They have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six but have won nine of fifteen games since Christmas lifting themselves from lower midtable into the play off picture.
Form Guide

Prediction
Hopefully the Swansea win will have instilled some much needed confidence into our team and the reward they got for their hard work on Tuesday inspired them to keep grafting this weekend. Even if both those things turn out to be true QPR do still lack a set of teeth up front and therefore backing a draw is always a safe option with Rangers – even if I still cannot get the type of draw right.
QPR 1 Bristol City 1

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