 Thursday, 4th Aug 2011 23:41 by Clive Whittingham QPR round off their pre-season campaign with a trip to Luton Town on Friday night. An all ticket match at a ground where both sets of fans have revelled in attacking each other down the years seems an odd choice for a ‘friendly’. Luton Town v QPRPre-Season Friendly >>> Friday August 5, 2011 >>> Kick Off 7.45pm >>> Kenilworth Road, Luton QPR have something of a chequered history with friendly games - the behind closed doors match with the touring Chinese youth side being the most infamous recent example. In case you have forgotten that’s the one that our “nothing is official until it’s on the…” official website denied was happening only to then find the club in the midst of a media storm when it actually did take place and descended into a 22 man brawl. One you may have forgotten about though, as it never actually happened, was the proposed 2003 fixture against Lebanon in Beirut. Rangers were apparently offered a six figure sum by the Lebanese FA to take part but declined in a rare moment of common sense. I recall writing a spoof travel guide for QPR fans wishing to attend that fixture by train – only the seven changes over three days surprisingly enough, although it did say that it would be pot luck whether the track was still actually there or not for the final leg of the trip. Another that never quite got off the ground was the 2006 trip to MK Dons, arranged at short notice after Brentford cancelled our game at Griffin Park but shelved by Gianni Paladini amid accusations that supporters had called the club and threatened him had he gone ahead with it. At this time many clubs were pulling out of games against the Dons amid protests by supporters who did not like the way the club came into being and didn’t want their own sides to play them unless they absolutely had to. Whether it’s Paladini’s fault or not it is fair to say that since he took over the running of the club and then brought in Bernie and Flavio the quality of our pre-season matches has been rank. Even when we were dead on our feet and Ian Holloway was rummaging through 40 trialists in a summer trying to find the basis of a Second Division squad we still played Celtic in front of a full house. Tottenham, Steaua Bucharest and Ajax all came down to Loftus Road for games. Really, Chievo apart when Dowie was in charge, we’ve played nobody of any ability at all until possibly this summer’s trip abroad. At the time of the MK Dons game I was actually on QPR’s side. Gary Waddock was the manager, Nick Ward was the big name summer signing and the tour to Italy had been a complete disaster with no serious test for the playing squad whatsoever. I said at the time that anything that Waddock felt would give his new side a better chance was worthwhile pursuing, even if that meant acknowledging MK Dons’ existance. It’s long been my opinion that you shouldn’t go into the first match of the season playing a team substantially better than anything else you’ve faced that summer although that opinion is clearly wrong because after spending last summer kicking Tavistock and Torquay up and down the South West we then trounced Barnsley and didn’t lose any of our first 19 league games. All of which brings me onto this Friday’s game at Luton Town – hastily arranged, and then quickly made all ticket as the realisation started to dawn on both clubs and the local police that this is possibly the worst idea anybody has come up with since Flavio Briatore turned to Bernie Ecclestone and said: “Do you know what Bernie? I quite fancy getting involved with this football malarkey.”
Five minutes on LutonRecent History: There is plenty of recent history between QPR and Luton Town; certainly rather more than you might expect for two teams that now find themselves four divisions apart. The teams last met in the league only just over four years ago at the end of the 2006/07 season. QPR clung on for their Championship lives that season thanks to some fine management from John Gregory, Luton were one of the three sides relegated instead as a catalogue of mismanagement and corruption started to unravel at Kenilworth Road. The following season Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone pitched up at Loftus Road ushering in a new era – still just as farcical, but with better players on the field – while the authorities set about ensuring Luton would never see the light of the Championship division day again for many a long year. There but for the grace of God go we? That day at Loftus Road when Paul Furlong stooped so majestically to head home the final nail in Luton’s coffin will forever live in the memory. A QPR legend’s final goal in our colours, at the Loft End, in the last minute, to relegate Luton Bastard Town. I’ve not had much sex better than that I’ve got to be honest. In the preceding years there had been plenty of needle between the clubs. QPR knocked Luton out of the FA Cup in 2001 thanks to a fairly generous late penalty award in the first game at Kenilworth Road and two Chris Kiwomya goals in the replay but Luton responded in kind in 2007, again winning after a replay forced by Shabazz Baidoo’s clearly handled goal. Then there was the Tony Thorpe saga, where QPR took advantage of Luton failing to pay their players for the month by swooping in and taking their best player for pittance under the terms of his deal. The atmosphere at a subsequent match at Kenilworth Road wasn’t improved much by another last minute goal from Paul Furlong. When we were competing for promotion from the Second Division so were Luton - initially under Big Fat Joe Kinnear and then Mike Newell. They had a bloody good side at that time; Rowan Vine, back when he could actually kick a ball; Kevin Nicholls, the midfield enforcer; Carlos Edwards down one wing; the always impressive Markus Heikkinen at the back; Curtis Davies; Leon Barnett and others. But there was always the underlying impression that all was not well. Kinnear himself was removed controversially in 2003 despite revitalising the club and leading it to promotion from the Third Division. The fans revolted against the newly installed board of John Gurney and Bill Tomlins who got an employee of Northampton Town to sign the letters removing Kinnear and assistant Mick Harford from their posts. The method of placating them was to hold a phone vote among fans for the new manager which, despite QPR attempts to get Nigel Spackman installed, resulted in Kinnear winning through with 82% of the vote. The club then ignored this and appointed Mike Newell instead, who had just finished a brief, disastrous, spell as Hartlepool manager where he took them from a certain automatic promotion to crawling over the line on the last day amid accusations that rather too much alcohol went into his team selections. Newell, in fairness, did a good job as Luton manager but that feeling that all was not well was only exacerbated by looking down his team sheet. How were Luton, in an antiquated 9,000 stadium, maintaining an excellent Championship squad without going bust? The simple answer is: illegally. Chairman Bill Tomlins was overseeing a regime that made illegal payments to players and agents through third parties, thereby keeping them from the football authorities and tax man. They entered administration following relegation, despite selling £9m worth of talent. That saw them deducted ten points which was good enough to relegated them again in 2007/08 and then, for 2008/09, they were deducted a league record 30 points for a combination of failing to exit administration properly and the various financial malpractices of the, now, former board of directors. That Mike Newell, the manager who had overseen the team at the time, and the directors who instigated it all had left by this point was deemed irrelevant. The FA and league decided to punish Mick Harford, the players and fans who were left behind to clear up the mess. Their relegation was assured before a ball had even been kicked, although they did reach the LDV Vans final at Wembley that year and each shook League chairman Brian Mahwinney’s hand before the game on the pitch which is a lot better than I would have done in the same situation. Now in the Conference and under the stewardship of a new consortium fronted by former daytime TV host Nick Owen Luton is being steadily rebuilt as a club. While at Kenilworth Road they will always be hamstrung by the limitations it places upon them but they’re probably at least one league below their true level at the moment. Defeat in the Conference play off final against Wimbledon last season condemns them to another season in non-league but crowds are holding up and they are among the favourites to win the Blue Square Premier division this season. Manager: Gary Brabin is the latest manager charged with firing Luton back to the big time after Mick Harford and then Richard Money were both tried and failed since relegation from the Football League. Brabin is an aggressive, objectionable Scouser whose playing career reads like an A to Z of northern shitholes and who has so far done little, as far as I can see, to justify him being handed the top job in non-league football. As a player you wouldn’t have picked Brabin out as future managerial material. He worked hard as a no-nonsense midfield player to earn a £200,000 move to Blackpool in 1996 when Nigel Worthington was manager but he was later shipped out to Lincoln on loan when he placed a condom on the shoulder of a team mate during a club photocall without anybody, including the local newspaper editor, noticing he’d done it. Prior to that he’d played more than 100 times for non-league Runcorn, and more than 60 times for Doncaster Rovers. Spells with Hull, Boston, Torquay, Chester, Halifax, Southport, Burscough and Welsh side The New Saints followed before he moved into management at Conference North side Southport. There, having taken over halfway through the 2007/08 season, he made the play offs but lost and then moved onto Cambridge United in the Conference where, again, he made the play offs in 2009 but lost to Torquay United. That was enough for him to win the Conference Manager of the Year award but he was sacked after a disagreement with his board and then got the Luton job after first serving as scout and then assistant manager at Kenilworth Road. Even as a manager Brabin has been a controversial and hot headed figure. Cambridge owner George Rolls blamed a deterioration of their relationship on the decision to sack him – the pair had apparently fallen out over the playing budget. Brabin said: “I had no issue with any other board or staff member at the club. I love Cambridge, the club and the town; I didn't want to leave and was looking forward to next season." Fair enough if this was a one off but Brabin’s temperament is highly questionable. His Wikipedia profile is littered with disciplinary incidents, including a sending off at Crewe while playing for Blackpool where staff members had to pull him off an opponent on the ground. Another incident in the dressing rooms at Brentford that left the home side’s Jamie Bates in hospital is also cited. Type his name into YouTube and the first clip is of him responding to a 3-2 home defeat by Macclesfield in his Hull days by punching an opponent straight in the face the second the final whistle sounds. And so it goes on. At the end of last season in a 1-0 defeat at York, Brabin became animated and subsequently injured two stewards who tried to escort him from the touchline. Brabin had objected to a foul by York player Scott Kerr which only received a yellow card. He was sent from the dugout for his response to the referee, and aggressive conduct towards members of the York City coaching staff. On his way off he assaulted the stewards escorting him. Brabin again argued his case well. He said: “I’ve shown a bit of passion like most managers in this league and been punished for it. Their bench was showing passion and we were showing passion and I thought they were showing more than us. The referee has decided to send me off. The referee sent me off and the rest of it was a storm in a teacup. I thought I was unfairly sent off. I think the stats don’t lie. The manager of the side with the least bookings is sent off. I was disappointed I couldn’t see the second half and disappointed with the result and the injuries we’ve got.” But then this sort of thing just seems to follow this former nightclub boucer around. Three to Watch: Luton’s goal threat in chief last season came from powerful striker Matthew Barnes-Homer who finally seems to be finding his feet in the professional game after initially drifting through the reserve sides of Aldershot and Wycombe and the lower reaches of non-league with Bromsgrove. He hit 20 Conference goals for Kidderminster in 2008/09 and Luton moved for him the following season. In 2010/11 he top scored for the Hatters with 18 goals in all competitions and 16 in the league. The challenge has been finding a regular partner for him. Our old charge Kevin Gallen was briefly tried last season, veteran former Brentford man Lloyd Owusu scored six goals in 13 starts after returning from a spell with Adelaide and the pacy Amari Morgan-Smith, a one-time Stockport trainee available on a free after the collapse of his previous club Ilkeston notched five in 15 starts. On the face of it though the best bet would probably be barrel chested striker Danny Crow. He is a rarity in football as somebody who actually came out of the Big Ron Manager fly-on-the-wal series with some credit during his time at Peterborough. While the situation at London Road fell apart around Crow’s ears he scored regularly – 33 in 90 appearances. He has a penchant for a lower league footballer’s haircut and always looks to be carrying an extra stone in weight to me but he subsequently spent time on loan with big spending Notts County before playing for Brabin at Cambridge and then following him to Luton. He’s probably one level below where he should be at and should form a useful partnership with Barnes-Homer in the Conference this season. At the other end, another former Peterborough man is goalkeeper Mark Tyler. He played 43 times for Luton last season and will more than likely be the first choice again this term. When QPR played in the Second Division (League One) Tyler was the top man in goal for Peterborough and regularly linked with moves to the higher divisions only to then have his thunder stolen by Joe Lewis who worked his way to the cusp of an England cap while at London Road. Tyler is another who should be too good for the level he is currently at. Links >>> Official Website >>> Message Board
HistoryRecent Meetings: The last time these teams met in competition was over the Easter Bank Holiday in 2007. An unlikely run of victories at Leicester, Coventry and against Preston at home had lifted John Gregory’s QPR side to the brink of safety. Luton meanwhile, mired in financial problems, were all but relegated when they arrived in W12. Despite the improved form and lowly position of the visitors Rangers were absolutely awful for the majority of the game, taking an undeserved first half lead through Dexter Blackstock but quickly relinquishing it to goals by Coyne and David Bell from the penalty spot after Marc Nygaard’s extraordinary handball in his own area. That set the nerves on edge again among the home crowd and many could barely watch as Dexter Blackstock stroked home a controversial penalty of his own nine minutes from time – a spot kick preceded by some gamesmanship by former R Richard Langley who tried to put off the kicker. That set the scene for stoppage time when Paul Furlong rolled back the years with what would prove to be his final goal in Hoops – a last gasp diving header at the Loft End that brought the house down. QPR: Camp 6, Kanyuka 5 (Timoska 62, 7), Cullip 6, Stewart 6, Bignot 6, Bolder 6, Ainsworth 6 (Smith 22, 6), Lomas 6, Moore 6, Nygaard 5 (Furlong 64, 7), Blackstock 8 Subs Not Used: Cole, Ricketts. Booked: Bolder (foul) Goals: Blackstock 41, 81 pen, Furlong 90. Luton: Brill 6, Keane 5, Coyne 6, Heikkinen 5, Emanuel 5, Brkovic 6 (Morgan 41 4, Langley 5)), Spring 5, Robinson 5, Bell 7, Andrew 5, Talbot 6 (Idrizaj 85, -) Subs Not Used: Foley, Perrett Booked: Andrew (foul), Heikkinen (foul) Goals: Coyne 45, Bell 51 pen. Poor old Nygaard’s luck wasn’t in against Luton earlier that season either. The teams would meet four times in 2006/07 having drawn each other in the FA Cup Third Round – Rangers forced a replay from the first match at Loftus Road thanks to an equaliser from Shabazz Baidoo who appeared to punch the ball in with his fist. But the Hatters became the latest side to continue QPR’s awful recent FA Cup record when they won 1-0 at Kenilworth Road. Rangers dominated from start to finish but with Nygaard missing one sitter after another extra time looked likely, until another hapless character Zesh Rehman intervened with a laughable own goal, beautifully executed from 15 yards out under no pressure at all. Luton: Brill 8, Foley 6, Davis 6, Coyne 6, Perrett 5, Bell 7, Robinson 6, Langley 7, Emanuel 6, Boyd 5, Brkovic 6 (Morgan 76, 7). Subs Not Used: Barrett, O'Leary, Keane, Stevens. Booked: Coyne, Morgan. Goals: Rehman 80 og. QPR: Royce 5, Rehman 6, Mancienne 8, Stewart 7, Milanese 7, Smith 6 (Ainsworth 84, -), Bailey 5, Lomas 6, Cook 7, Blackstock 7,Nygaard 5 (Ray Jones 72, 5). Subs Not Used: Cole, Kanyuka, Furlong. Sent Off: Bailey (74).
Head to Head >>> Luton wins 31 >>> Draws 28 >>> QPR wins 37
Previous Results: 2006/07 QPR 3 Luton 2 (Blackstock 2, Furlong) 2006/07 Luton 1 QPR 0* 2006/07 QPR 2 Luton 2* (Blackstock, Baidoo) 2006/07 Luton 2 QPR 3 (Smith, Blackstock, Heikennen og) 2005/06 Luton 2 QPR 0 2005/06 QPR 1 Luton 0 (Cook) 2003/04 QPR 1 Luton 1 (Furlong) 2003/04 Luton 1 QPR 1 (Furlong) 2002/03 QPR 2 Luton 0 (McLeod 2) 2002/03 Luton 0 QPR 0 2000/01 QPR 2 Luton 1* (Kiwomya 2) 2000/01 Luton 3 QPR 3* (Crouch 2, Peacock) 1991/92 QPR 2 Luton 1 (Ferdinand 2) 1991/92 Luton 0 QPR 1 (Barker) 1990/91 Luton 1 QPR 2 (Ferdinand 2) 1990/91 QPR 6 Luton 1 (Wegerle 2, Sinton, Wilkins, Falco, Parker) 1989/90 Luton 1 QPR 1 (Falco) 1989/90 QPR 0 Luton 0 1988/89 QPR 1 Luton 1 (Clarke) 1988/89 Luton 0 QPR 0 1987/88 Luton 2 QPR 1 (Kerslake) 1987/88 Luton 1 QPR 0* 1987/88 QPR 1 Luton 1* (Neill) 1987/88 QPR 2 Luton 0 (Coney, Fenwick) * - FA Cup Links >>> QPR 3 Luton 2 Match Report >>> Luton 1 QPR 0 Match Report >>> QPR 2 Luton 2 Match Report >>> Luton 2 QPR 3 Match Report
This FridayTeam News: Michael Doughty is rewarded for his impressive cameo at Crawley with a call up into the first team squad, although his game time may be limited having already played twice this week. Lee Cook, also in form at the Broadfield Stadium, is not so fortunate and will be moved on if Rangers can find a buyer. DJ Campbell completed his protracted move from Blackpool on Thursday and as this is the last friendly of the summer I’d suggest he is likely to take his place in what should be a pretty full strength line up on Friday. If I were a gambling man I’d expect Bothroyd to lead the line with Taarabt left and Smith right of Campbell in a supporting cast of three with Derry and Faurlin deeper lying, Hall and Gabbidon at centre back, Dyer at right back and Hill on the left with Kenny in goal. Form: The team selection at Crawley on Tuesday was something of a mixed bag but Rangers won through 4-2 nevertheless. I would suggest this will be much more of a first team outing than that was. So far what is seen as the starting 11 routed Tavistock and Bodmin in the South West and secured a very narrow, last minute 1-0 win at Plymouth as part of a tour of Devon and Cornwall. Since then they have lost 1-0 to Serie A side Cesena, drawn 1-1 with Serie B champions Atalanta, and beaten last season’s Europe League finalists Braga 1-0. Prior to that they won 1-0 at Harrow Borough. Luton have embarked on a jumbo pre-season campaign of 14 diverse fixtures. They were one of the teams that played Parma during their tour of the UK which did originally have a QPR included, this weekend, before the plan was shelved. The Italians won 2-0 here earlier this week. Another foreign visitor was Gabala, the Azerbaijan side managed by Tony Adams which also played at St Albans and Barnet during its tour. They play Conference North side Corby Town on Saturday before starting the league campaign at Telford a week later where the police arrangements for the travelling Luton fans have to be seen to be believed. How much longer is it going to be acceptable to treat football supporters like this? Directions: I think most QPR fans are probably well familiar with the state of the place we’re visiting, and how to get there, but if not then here’s a few tips. By train this is either Thameslink or East Midlands Trains from St Pancras with a journey time of around 30 minutes. After the match in the past fans have been subjected to a blockade and slow march back to the station – whether the police will bother or not for a friendly probably depends on how many turn up and whether there is any trouble before but the fact they’ve made it all ticket confirms they’re showing an interest. Leave yourself some time and head for the 1825 going there (arrives 1850) and the 2201 coming back (arrives 2229) for £13 off peak day return. In Luton come out of the main entrance at the station and turn right down the ramp, follow the road around in front of you keeping the railway line on your right and not crossing under it. Walk across Sainsbury’s car park to the main Dunstable Road which you then follow past an inordinate amount of shops that all apparently make a living selling plastic cleaning utensils and multi-packs of bog roll for £1 and the ground lurk to your left. Left down Oak Road for the away “end”. By car take the M1 to junction 11 and then take the A505 towards Luton. Go through one set of lights, turn right at the first roundabout and then left at the next one onto Hatters Way which passes by the ground which should appear on your left. At the next opportunity take a left and park up wherever you can. This is an all ticket fixture and as that decision was made at late notice expect long queues at the ticket collection window which I anticipate being understaffed and busy long after kick off. Cynical? We’ll see. @loftforwords is the place to be on Twitter. What for? Who knows, but 579 people currently agree. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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