With the season effectively over for both Barnsley and QPR Saturday's meeting at Oakwell could provide a facinating insight into the mindset and attitude of both squads.

Barnsley (18th) v Queens Park Rangers (14th)
Coca Cola Championship
Saturday April 24, Kick Off 3pm
Oakwell, Barnsley

I cannot imagine there is a single non-Japanese person reading this who does not slack off a little bit (or a lot) at work when the boss is away. Unless you’re working for yourself or doing a job you genuinely love then how do you motivate yourself to work when there’s nobody looking over your shoulder and making you do it? It’s like when you were at school and the supply teacher walked into a lesson – books away, smile on face, feet on desk.

This Saturday at Oakwell we have what tennis fans would refer to as a ‘dead rubber’. A match of next to no meaning whatsoever for either set of players or fans. With very little history, other than QPR being poor at Oakwell and Barnsley being dire at Loftus Road, between the two sides this will either come down to who gets lucky in a dreadful, evenly matched encounter, or who wants it more.

Both teams are under the guidance of different managers to those that they started the season with and both Mark Robins and Neil Warnock will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to have a whole summer of building and start with a clean slate next season having come into situations already in progress, and apparently heading for disaster, this campaign. So if the sad passing of QPR record appearance holder Tony Ingham isn’t enough to fire the QPR players to perform this Saturday, how about wanting to be a part of the Warnock revolution. In the next two games decisions will be formed in the minds of Warnock and Robins about who will stay and who will go.

Personally I think QPR will be a pretty exciting place to be next season, so for players that want to be a part of that here’s an opportunity to stake their claim. .

Five minutes on Barnsley
Recent History: Barnsley’s season is petering out somewhat with no wins from their last eight matches. That has plunged them back down to 18th in the table from a comfortable midtable position. While never really in relegation trouble through the run in the end to the campaign will be a disappointment to the man who rescued them from an almost certain one way trip to League One when he took over earlier in the season.

LFW didn’t get much right in the season preview before the big kick off but we did tip Barnsley as the worst team in the competition and Simon Davey as the most likely manager to win the sack race. Six games in, with Barnsley drawing one and losing five of those and sitting rock bottom, Davey was indeed the first manager shown the door and it looked like a long hard season was going to be in store for the Tykes.

From the outside looking in the treatment of Davey looked harsh. Barnsley are never going to be anything other than a lower Championship/upper League One side and having managed a tight budget and enjoyed some memorable cup runs during his time in the hot seat Davey probably felt badly done to. However speak to anybody from Barnsley and they will tell you that few tears were shed when he left the club. Davey’s ideas had become tired, his transfer activity last summer weakened the team, they hadn’t been playing well for a good 18 months – a fact covered up by the cup runs – and they were destined for relegation. Of course people like Chris Kamara sticking up for their mates by using their media commitments to lambast every board that dares to dismiss its manager as reactionary and not providing enough time cloud the issue. I think the job that Mark Robins has done since coming into Oakwell has fully justified the sacking of Davey.

Robins did a superb job in difficult circumstances at Rotherham – taking a club playing in a half closed ground, in administration and about to be relegated to the bottom division and turning them round into the League Two promotion chasers they are today. He showed a canny eye for a player in the transfer market and terrific tactical knowledge. It was wonderful to see both the job he did there, and a Championship club taking a chance on an English manager from the lower leagues and reaping the rewards. Robins won five and drew one of his first seven games and had Barnsley in play off form through the winter before their recent stall.

It could just be that with the spectre of relegation removed and the play offs too far away Barnsley have simply put the cue on the rack. Robins must be hoping firstly it’s nothing more than that, and secondly that if it is they can shake it off over the pre season and hit the ground running next season. To be honest Robins, along with Scunthorpe’s Nigel Adkins, is my Championship manager of the season but I don’t believe form is something you can just flick on and off like a light whenever it suits you and it’s all very well saying that their current run of games don’t really matter and they will simply pick up and do well at the start of next season. It’s a bit like turning a super tanker around, although Robins getting a full summer transfer window to shape the team in his image will certainly help.

The Manager: Next week LoftforWords will be asking for votes for the end of season awards on the message board – and one of the categories will be Championship manager of the season. For me the award is a toss up between Scunthorpe’s Nigel Adkins and Barnsley’s Mark Robins. Robins, the man who apparently saved Alex Ferguson’s job at Man Utd with that famous goal at Nottingham Forest, is one of several former United players now making a name for himself as a manager in his own right. While not immediately striking as ideal management material the fair haired striker, who also enjoyed great times with Norwich City as a player, did a superb job in difficult circumstances at Rotherham United and no earned a shot at Championship football as a result. Robins arrived at Rotherham as a player initially in 2000 at the journeyman stage of his career that had also seen him play for Bristol City, Man City, Burton Albion, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, Walsall and others. He assisted boss Alan Knill prior to his sacking in February 2007.

Rotherham were in a mess at this stage. The brief glory period under Ronnie Moore when they climbed into the second tier and upset big teams in cup competitions had given way to financial uncertainty and relegation. Rotherham were 13 points adrift at the bottom of League One, playing in a ground with an unfinished main stand and had supporters protesting against Ken Booth the chairman. Inevitable relegation and administration followed and Robins dealt with it all in his first full management role. Rotherham moved away from Millmoor to the Don Valley, away from Booth, and although they were deducted 17 points at the start of last season for their financial position Robins uncovered talent like Reuben Reid (now West Brom) and led them on a campaign of league and cup success that claimed the Championship scalps of Wolves, Sheff Wed and Southampton and would have resulted in at least a play off place but for the deduction.

Rotherham looked a good bet for promotion this season as Robins picked up Rochdale’s 17 goal striker Adam Le Fondre in the summer transfer window but, sadly from a Millers point of view, Robins’ work had not gone unnoticed and he was the top man in the frame for the first Championship job to become available in 2009/10 at Barnsley. Robins joined in September after a protracted battle over compensation between the two clubs and won his first match at Derby 3-2. Whether he has made the right decision or not only time will tell - he left a club where he was loved and probably had a job for as long as he wanted, a club back on the up it seems, for one that will always be fighting to stay in the Championship rather than looking to push out of it through the top end. Barnsley get through managers at a decent rate, not a Flavio Briatore rate of course but 11 bosses including caretakers since 2000 all the same. Whether Robins would have been better furthering his reputation under little pressure at Rotherham rather than trying to do that at Oakwell remains to be seen. The early results are certainly promising though. Barnsley were, for my money, the worst team in this league when he took them over but their form until recently has been the stuff of play off contenders and only a bad run of no wins from the last eight has restricted their progress on the league ladder. It will be very interesting to see how Robins does in his first full season in charge after a summer to bring in his own players – Barnsley can ill-afford to yet again win the sack race at the start of next season and have to appoint somebody else in the first three months of the season.

Three to Watch: Time was not so long ago that Barnsley striker Andy Gray was one of the league’s hottest properties. A big, strapping target man who not only did the winning headers, holding the ball up, flicking through balls on job for his various partners but also scored prolifically as well. The complete Championship centre forward basically. He got 20 goals in 80 appearances at Bradford and 25 in roughly the same number at Sheffield United but things did not work out for him in the Premiership when Sunderland spent £1m on him to try and prop up their doomed top flight return under Mick McCarthy. Further good times at Burnley followed but he seems to have stagnated a little recently. He proved to be an expensive mistake for Charlton who ended last season relegated with Gray able to contribute just nine goals in shy of 50 appearances and he found himself at Barnsley, unloved and available for nothing, looking to rebuild his reputation. Gray will always be a handfull for defences at this level, and QPR struggled to cope with him at Loftus Road in September, but six goals from 20 starts and 11 sub appearances, and nothing in his last six games suggests his best days are well behind him.

Gray is partnered in attack by Canadian Iain Hume who still bears the haunting scar across the side of his head after last year’s disgusting incident with Chris Morgan. The well known Sheff Utd thug was never given anything more than the yellow card he received on the day for elbowing Hume in the head, fracturing his skull and leaving him in intensive care with brain bleeds. Hume has returned this year, but the scar serves as a lasting reminder. Still, Hume scored at Loftus Road on the opening day last season and made a regular habit of it with Leicester as well - he has four career goals against Rangers - so he will need to be watched closely, despite a mediocre record of just five goals this season – two of them in their last home game against Peterborough.

Barnsley’s newly crowned young player of the year and also the winner of the club’s goal of the season is former Liverpool trainee Adam Hammill. While obviously not good enough to make it at the very top of the game in this country, Hammill has shown himself to be a very promising midfielder in the Championship posing a goal threat and great work rate. Rangers must keep an eye on his late runs from deep on Saturday.

Links >>> Barnsley Official Website >>> Barnsley Message Board

History
Recent Meetings:
Rangers were in flying form when these sides clashed for the first time this season at Loftus Road at the end of September. Mikele Leigertwood got things underway early with a powerful run and shot from long range and Akos Buzsaky doubled the lead with a soft shot that goalkeeper David Preece really should have done better with. The keeper had no chance whatsoever with Buzsaky’s second, and Rangers’ third, before half time when the Hungarian drew his foot back and buried a sublime effort in the top corner from the thick end of 30 yards out. Rangers seemed really in the mood but Stephen Foster quelled the premature celebrations when he headed in a free kick five minutes after the break and when Andy Gray buried a penalty a few minutes later hearts were in mouths all around Loftus Road. Luckily Preece came to our aid again, letting a routine shot from Ben Watson squirm away from him and into the net in amateur fashion. That re-relaxed the home side who completed the rout with a scrappy fifth from Jay Simpson that Kaspars Gorkss attempted to claim after coming up from the back for a late corner.

QPR: Cerny 7, Leigertwood 8, Gorkss 6, Stewart 7, Borrowdale 7, Routledge 7 (Faurlin 69, 7) Rowlands 8, Watson 8, Buzsaky 9, Vine 7 (Taarabt 69, 6), Simpson 8 (Pellicori 80, 6)
Subs Not Used: Heaton, Ramage, Mahon, Ephraim
Booked: Borrowdale (foul)
Goals: Leigertwood 7 (unassisted), Buzsaky 15 (assisted Watson), 39 (assisted Simpson), Watson 67 (assisted Buzsaky/Vine), Simpson 79 (assisted Buzsaky/Gorkss)

Barnsley: Preece 3, Butterfield 5 (Kozluk 57, 5), Foster 6, Dickinson 4,Shotton 4, Colace 6, De Silva 7, Hammill 7, Doyle 6, Hume 7, A Gray 6 (Campbell-Ryce 76, 6)
Subs Not Used: Rusling, Bogdanovic, Devaney, J Gray, Thompson
Booked: Shotton (foul), De Silva (foul), Kozluk (foul)
Goals: Foster 51 (assisted Hume), Andy Gray 56 (penalty)

These sides last met at Oakwell in February 2009 when the hosts ran out 2-1 winners thanks to a lacklustre QPR performance. With Barnsley’s classy midfielders Bogdanovic and De Silva to the fore the hosts looked a good bet to push on up the league after this victory but ultimately sunk back into relegation trouble. QPR’s goal came from a typically rampaging run down the left by full back damien delaney who ended a flowing move with a diving header. That equalised five minutes before the break but QPR contrived to lose another before half time and never really threatened to get back into the match in the second half.

Barnsley: Muller 6, Hassell 7, Foster 7, Guedes 7, Kozluk 7, Colace 8, Teymourian 8, De Silva 8, Hammill 7 (Devaney 82, 6), Mifsud 6, Bogdanovic 8 (Macken 66, 6)
Subs Not Used: Steele, El Haimour, Rigters
Booked: De Silva (repetitive fouling)
Goals: Bogdanovic 26 (assisted Mifsud), De Silva 43 (unassisted)

QPR: Cerny 5, Connolly 6, Stewart 6, Gorkss 6, Delaney 6, Routledge 6, Leigertwood 5, Miller 4 (Rose 55, 5), Alberti 6 (Lopez 69, 7), Blackstock 3, Helguson 3 (Di Carmine 80, 4)
Subs Not Used: Hall, Mahon
Goals: Delaney 35 (assisted Alberti)


Head to Head:
Barnsley wins - 14
Draws - 10
QPR wins - 21

Previous Results:
2009/10 QPR 5 Barnsley 2 (Buzsaky 2, Leigertwood, Watson, Simpson)
2008/09 Barnsley 2 QPR 1 (Delaney)
2008/09 QPR 2 Barnsley 1 (Hall 2)
2007/08 Barnsley 0 QPR 0
2007/08 QPR 2 Barnsley 0 (Agyemang, Vine)
2006/07 Barnsley 2 QPR 0
2006/07 QPR 1 Barnsley 0 (Rowlands)
2003/04 Barnsley 3 QPR 3 (Furlong 2, Kay og)
2003/04 QPR 4 Barnsley 0 (Gallen, Rowlands, Ainsworth, Thorpe)
2002/03 QPR 1 Barnsley 0 (Pacquette)
2002/03 Barnsley 1 QPR 0
2000/01 QPR 2 Barnsley 0 (Kiwomya, Crouch)
2000/01 Barnsley 4 QPR 2 (Kiwomya 2)
1999/00 Barnsley 1 QPR 1 (Rose)
1999/00 QPR 2 Barnsley 2 (Darlington, Steiner)
1998/99 Barnsley 1 QPR 0
1998/99 QPR 2 Barnsley 1 (Langley, Gallen)
1996/97 QPR 3 Barnsley 2 (Peacock, Spencer, Sinclair)
1996/97 QPR 3 Barnsley 1 (Spencer 3)
1996/97 Barnsley 1 QPR 3 (Perry, Barker, Dichio)

Played for both clubs:
John Curtis
Barnsley (loan) 1999
QPR 2007
If there was ever an example of how far we have come in the last eighteen months then John Curtis could be it. Rewind a season or so and we were all discussing in great depth what a useful player Curtis could be. How wrong we were and how times have changed eh!?

Curtis began life in the famous Manchester United youth ranks and was part of the side that won the FA Youth Cup in 1995, a team that included Ronnie Wallwork and captained by Phil Neville. Much was expected of the versatile defender and two years later he made his first team bow for the Red Devils in a League Cup defeat to Ipswich. He would make a further 13 appearances over the next two campaigns but struggled to get a regular run in a team that was on its way to an unprecedented treble.

At the start of the 1999-00 season, Curtis joined First Division side Barnsley on loan to get regular first-team football just a week after playing against Lazio. At Oakwell, Curtis enjoyed a regular slot in the Barnsley back four for the whole campaign, including the two draws against the R’s as they Tykes made it all the way to Wembley, only to lose to Ipswich in the play-off final. He impressed so much that Graeme Souness signed the defender that summer for 150,000. It proved an astute buy, as Curtis was an almost ever-present as Rovers were promoted to the Premier League as runners-up. However an injury meant that Curtis missed most of the following season and by the time he was fit again, he struggled to regain his place in the Rovers side and was released at the end of his contract after a loan spell at Sheffield United. He then had spells with Leicester, Portsmouth and Preston without success before joining League One Nottingham Forest in 2005. It proved to be a decent move for Curtis and established himself as first choice right-back for Forest in their bid promotion back to the Championship. A bid that proved unsuccessful in both Curtis seasons at the City Ground and after tightening the purse strings at Forest , John was let go by the club.

The same day he was released, QPR manager John Gregory snapped the player-up and brought the defender to Loftus Road. It seemed like a good deal for both club and player, with Rangers struggling for money but needing reinforcements and Curtis getting the chance at a higher level once again. But despite an average debut in a 2-2 draw with Bristol City, he looked way out of his depth for next four games which all ended in resounding defeats, including the humiliating 5-1 defeat to WBA live in front of the Sky Cameras. After that game Gregory was sacked by Rangers brand new millionaire owners Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone and Curtis never played for Rangers again. His contract was paid up that December. He endured a number of unsuccessful trials at the likes of Northampton and Worcester City after that but has now retired and is currently studying for a physical science degree – read more. Will go down as one of QPR’s all time worst players.

Links >>> QPR 5 Barnsley 2 Match Report >>> Barnsley 2 QPR 1 Match Report >>> Connections and Memories >>> Match Report Archive

This Saturday
Team News:
Having resisted the urge for wholesale changes against a Watford side still embroiled in the battle at the bottom Neil Warnock may decide to put out a rather different line up for this dead rubber. Martin Rowlands, Gavin Mahon (knees), Matt Connolly (ankle) and Damion Stewart (fractured skull) are all out for the rest of the season and loanees like Tamas Priskin, Matt Hill and Jay Simpson who are unlikely to be here next season are being used sparingly. This could all mean further first team opportunities for youngsters like Antonio German and Joe Oastler who came on for his full debut on Tuesday night. Josh Parker, who has been used a couple of times from the bench recently, may also get more of a run. Akos Buzsaky, Adel Taarabt and Alejandro Faurlin are all carrying knocks after a physical battle with Watford on Tuesday.

Barnsley have several injury problems as they hunt for their first win in eight matches. Carl Dickinson is back in training after suffering a knee injury but his fitness will be assessed late on Saturday before a decision is made as to whether he will feature. Daniel Bogdanovic (knee) and Anderson De Silva (thigh) always play well against QPR but both are unlikely to be risked while midfielder Emil Halffredsson has returned to Reggina early after his loan spell was interrupted by a broken foot.

Elsewhere: With two rounds of Championship football left to play many of the issues in the Championship are already settled. Newcastle and West Brom are already promoted, Forest and Cariff are definitely in the play offs and Plymouth and Peterborough will both be playing League One football next season. The questions marks lie over the last two play off places, and the final relegation spot. At the top it’s two from Blackpool, Swansea and Leicester for the end of season knockouts. Leicester are four points clear of Blackpool so if they take more than a point from their last two games then they’re in – the Foxes are at Preston this weekend. Swansea look more vulnerable, Blackpool can leapfrog them with a win at bottom placed Peterborough this weekend if Swansea fail to beat Sheff Utd away. At the bottom Watford can make themselves safe with victory against Reading at home – that would leave the final spot between Palace and Sheff Wed who meet on the last day. Wednesday can actually be relegated this weekend – if they lose a difficult game at Cardiff and Palace beat West Brom on Sky on Monday night, as well as Watford winning, then the Owls would be down. If Wednesday go down then Brian Laws will have succeeded in relegating two teams in a single season, if Palace go then that honour goes to Paul Hart, and when you look at how the pair of them go about their business it’s no real surprise that they’ve been such unmitigated disasters this season.

Referee: We have Nottingham based official Russell Booth in charge of this game on Saturday. He joined the league list in 2004 and has refereed a fixture between these two sides once before, Rangers came out single goal victors at Loftus Road on that day in 2006 with Martin Rowlands getting the only goal of the game. Booth was in charge of our 4-0 win against Preston at Loftus Road earlier this season – more details and stats at the link below.

Links >>> Dean Sturridge Memorial Injury List >>> Arthur Gnohere Discipline Counter >>> Ton’y Championship Preview >>> Rookie Evans in charge >>> Referee League

Form
Barnsley: The Tykes’ season has featured an excellent run of form through the winter sandwiched between an abysmal beginning and end. They lost five and drew one of their first six league games before Mark Robins took charge and won five and drew one of the next seven. They even threatened a charge at the play offs midway through the season that started with everybody tipping them to be relegated and them being cut adrift early on. Things have gone a little awry recently though. Barnsley have won none of their last six and only one of their last eleven - a run started by a 6-1 pummelling at Newcastle which may well have dented confidence. Peterborough, Derby and Palace have taken a point each from Oakwell and Doncaster snatched all three in the last five games – promotion chasing Nottingham Forest were beaten 2-1 here though last month. They’re conceding goals regularly as well – 19 in the last 11 matches. At home this season they have won eight, drawn seven and lost seven.

QPR: It’s clear that Neil Warnock’s first task as QPR manager was to make the R’s more difficult to beat. Prior to his appointment the R’s had won just two and lost 11 of their last 18 matches. They were also without a clean sheet in 24 matches. In the 12 games under Warnock so far (he’d qualify for a long service award if Briatore was still running the show) Rangers have lost just three times, have won four and drawn five, and kept three clean sheets including one in the Tuesday night victory against Watford. This is all very creditable stuff when you consider just how bad we were under Hart and Harford. Rangers won their last away match, 2-0 at Crystal Palace, to bring to an end a run of 14 away games without a win. They have only lost once in four visits to South Yorkshire this season – two draws at Sheff Utd, a victory at Hillsborough and a defeat at Doncaster Rovers.

Prediction: Well I know I’ll get shot down in flames for this but for the final time this season I am going for a QPR win. We’ve got players capable of hurting Barnsley who haven’t been playing well for a few weeks now and with Warnock keen to finish the season on a high I think we might just have enough to do so at Oakwell, especially if we play anything like we did at Crystal Palace a fortnight ago. Rangers are 15/8 to win here and I may well be having a piece of that myself depending on how many of the injury doubts make it through – without Buzsaky and or Faurlin it will be very tough.
Away win

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