Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
QPR hunt rare road win at Ashton Gate - full match preview
QPR hunt rare road win at Ashton Gate - full match preview
Tuesday, 18th Aug 2009 10:46

After blowing the chance of a long overdue away win in the league at Plymouth on Saturday QPR must show they are made of sterner stuff when they travel to Bristol City tonight.

Bristol City v Queens Park Rangers
Coca Cola Championship
Tuesday August 18, Kick Off 7.45pm
Ashton Gate, Bristol


Sportsmanship is a funny old thing isn’t it? We are indignant when on the receiving end and reluctant when handing it out. If you are anything like me then whenever play is stopped for a head injury while QPR have possession of the ball you will clap if it is returned to the QPR goalkeeper upon the restart, but moan that you are now some 50 yards further back down the field, and you will jump about and scream bloody murder if a team fails to perform this charitable act of returning the ball. When the boot is on the other foot and it is Rangers’ turn to heave it back to an opposition goalkeeper you will often find yourself imploring them not to do it because the injured player was faking it or cheating.

I remember the look on Harry Redknapp’s face the day Paulo Di Canio decided to catch the ball on the edge of the Everton penalty box because he did not feel it was sportsman like to score while a goalkeeper was down injured elsewhere. “That’s Paulo” said his manager afterwards congratulating him for his gesture through gritted teeth that barely masked his burning fury that they had thrown away points in the name of being jolly good sports.

Be honest now, and I mean really honest, with yourself; if QPR were presented with a chance to play on after a goal had been scored because of incompetent refereeing would you want them to do so, or would you want Gavin Mahon to stick his hand in the air and either get the goal awarded or allow a walk through goal instead? What do you think is more likely should the weekend’s farcical events ever be repeated at the Loft End – widespread condemnation and booing around the ground as QPR fail to acknowledge a goal by Crystal Palace, or laughter and people cheering the lucky escape? We’ve got away with it lads, whey hey!

I honestly cannot say myself, it is a question I have mulled over in my mind since Saturday with this preview in mind and I still cannot make my mind up. In fairness to Bristol City if you look at the reaction of their players to the Freddy Sears ‘goal’ there is no immediate con job – many of them are walking away heads bowed and beginning an inquest. It seems to be crusty old Paul Hartley that instigates this ‘let’s play on and see what happens’ idea first and even that is after a good ten or 15 seconds of Palace goal celebration so it was hardly the con of the century on their part.

I’m drawn to a saying I often trot out and that is – nobody will ever feel sorry for you in football so do not feel sorry for anybody else. Football is a horrible, cruel game 95 per cent of the time unless you’re some cock-less moron who watches Man Utd in a replica shirt from the comfort of your own sofa every week and then go to the pub crowing about players using their first names. That is why the good times feel so good for most of us, because they are so few and far between. Palace’s reward for their perfectly legitimate goal here at the weekend was a one nil defeat with a last minute strike from Nicky Maynard, QPR also shipped in injury time at the weekend after playing Plymouth off the park. Football is just not fair sometimes and I have to admit, given the same opportunity, I would probably want to see QPR chance their arm and see if they can get away with it too. Thanks to that cheating/good fortune Bristol City have a chance to equal their best start to a season in seven years by making it seven points from nine tonight – and I would certainly rather us be on four than two ourselves had we managed to wangle a way out of that unjust equaliser on Saturday.

One thing is for sure, anybody that thinks a managerial duo of Neil Warnock and Keith Curle would have turned around and let Bristol City have a goal on Saturday in reversed circumstances is kidding themselves.

Five minutes on Bristol City
Recent History: While City have only been back at this level for two years it is sort of hard to ever imagine the division without them. Since winning promotion in 2006/07 they have enjoyed a trip to the play off final and finished upper mid table last season. It’s a good job they have wasted no time in consolidating and making an impact in the second tier, considering how long it took them to get here.

City were relegated from the First Division, as was, after just a single season in 1998/99 and from that moment on they spent their time disappointing punters who regularly backed them for promotion from the Second Division only to see them find new and innovative ways to choke. When QPR were promoted in 2003/04 it was Bristol City’s results we were watching closest come the final games of the season. City, then managed by Danny Wilson, had put together an extraordinary run of results during the winter winning eleven consecutive games to really turn up the heat on ourselves and Plymouth who had at one stage looked like running away with the division.

They were cocky with it though, both players and supporters. The old LFW Rivals board was awash with City fans prematurely gloating and then of course there was the famous Brian Tinnion interview where he claimed Rangers and Argyle were “running scared” City were “in the driving seat” and it could be “all over bar the shouting by the time we play them in April.” It looked like the cocksure moron was going to be right a well when Tony Thorpe missed a great chance against his former club and QPR were beaten 1-0 at Ashton Gate but City choked – they lost to Stockport, Oldham, Tranmere and Luton and drew at home to Brighton meaning that although they won their final two matches, it was not enough as QPR matched them stride for stride and went up instead. In true City style they then lost to Brighton in the play off final and Wilson left the club.

You would think after his ill-advised quotes from the season before, ready made to be pinned to the dressing room walls at Loftus Road and Home Park, that veteran player Brian Tinnion was the last person City should have been turning to to replace Wilson who had in fairness done a very good job in this part of the world. Nevertheless that is who they went for, and decline set in. Having finished third in 2004 they missed the play offs altogether in 2005 and although Tinnion was allowed to spend big that summer on the likes of Michael Bridges and Marcus Stewart he was sacked in September after an embarrassing 7-1 defeat at Swansea with former R Kevin McLeod getting a hat trick.

City were embroiled in a relegation scrap at that stage and although they were able to tempt Gary Johnson from Yeovil where he had gained two promotions things did not improve right away and they found themselves dead last heading for Christmas after a club record run of nine straight defeats. Johnson has done a superb job though – they eventually finished above halfway that season and were promoted 12 months later at long last second behind Scunthorpe United.

City took the division by storm in their first season, beating Crystal Palace in the play off semi final and losing only narrowly to Hull City at Wembley. Last season was not quite as successful and by the end of the campaign City, particularly in a 2-1 defeat at Loftus Road, looked like a team in need of freshening up. The arrival of talented youngsters like Danny Haynes and Lewin Nyatanga will certainly help with that and they are sure to be a threat again this season.

Johnson has done an excellent job at Ashton Gate but has not been without his critics. When first appointed and on a terrible losing run he was branded a ‘Conference manager out of his depth’ by the chairman of the supporters club and fans again campaigned for his departure at the start of the season that would eventually see them promoted following a home defeat by Blackpool. Despite the promotion certain sections of City fans on message boards have complained about slow progress and whether he is the man to take them further. It seems incredible to an outsider looking in, I’d have Johnson at Loftus Road in a second.

The Manager: Gary Johnson is a much admired lower league manager in this country and abroad who gets his side playing an attractive brand of football – he hasn’t been without his critics among the Bristol City support though as three seasons of progress came to a bit of a stagnation in midtable last season. Johnson started coaching at Cambridge United with John Beck but after a successful time as national coach of the Latvia team he has returned to England playing a style of football a long way from Beck’s preferred hoof and hope tactics currently being shown at Conference side Histon. Johnson took Yeovil out of the Conference and into League One for the first time in their history, then moved to Ashton Gate. He made an inauspicious start with an nine game losing run, including hammerings like 4-2 at home to Chesterfield and 3-0 at home to Southend, plunging them deep into relegation trouble. It has been near constant improvement since then though with relegation avoided, promotion achieved, and the Championship play offs reached prior to last season’s mid-table finish. At Loftus Road last season the City side looked like one that needed freshening up; Johnson has been given the opportunity to do that this summer and is more than likely to see the season out regardless.

Three to Watch: The biggest problem I have had with the Bristol City team in recent years has been the centre halves – from what I have been able to make out from our games against them and their appearances on television the centre back pairing, and Jamie McCombe in particular, have just not been good enough for City to be serious challengers. McCombe is a player I watched grow up through the ranks at my home town club Scunthorpe United and he never looked to me anything more than a bottom division centre half, and even then he was prone to tripping over his own feet every so often. It amazes me he still gets a game at this level and the most important signing Gary Johnson made this summer for me was Derby’s Lewin Nyatanga.

He was propelled into the spotlight very early in his career when he was handed a call up to the full Welsh side aged just 17 and with only 19 first team appearances with his club behind him. Derby have been a strange club over the past few years though with a procession of managers and dodgy goings on behind the scenes. Nyatanga has therefore had to play most of his football out on loan, mainly at Barnsley but also at Sunderland. I am amazed that the latest incumbent at Pride Park Nigel Clough not only thinks Jake Buxton, a not especially impressive member of the Mansfield side relegated from the Football League the season before last, is a Championship defender and even more surprised that he has sold Nyatanga to play him. Still, Gary Johnson recognises the potential and for £500k he has a very promising young centre half and Nyatanga finally has a chance to knuckle down and show what he can do on a permanent basis in this division. I think he’s a great buy at that price.

When City reached the play off final in 2007/08 one of the most impressive performers in that team in my opinion was powerful midfielder Marvin Elliott. After four years and the best part of 150 appearances with Millwall Elliott was named in the division’s team of the season in his first campaign at Ashton Gate and his leggy, box to box running was the heartbeat of the City side. Both City and Elliott endured a more difficult second season at this level last season with the player sidelined with injury until the back end of September, and then again between January and March. With veteran midfielder Paul Hartley signed to play alongside him Elliott’s job as athletic workhorse, fetching and carrying for his senior partner in the same way Ian Holloway used to do for Ray Wilkins, is even more important and it will be interesting to see how they get on. With a wide players as quick and dangerous as Ivan Sproule and Danny Haynes to feed the success of that pairing will make or break City’s season.

Another reason City regressed back into a mid table finish last season following their Wembley heartbreak was the failure of big summer signing Nicky Maynard to make a serious impact following his arrival from Crewe. Gary Johnson has shown a willingness with Maynard and Lee Trundle to go into the lower divisions and give goal scorers a chance at a higher level but he has enjoyed little success with either. Maynard scored just 11 times last season following a £2m move to Ashton Gate and struggled to adapt and bring his prolific form from Crewe, where he bagged 35 in 67 appearances. Maynard remains the main threat in the City attack this season following the summer departure of Dele Adebola to Nottingham Forest, although Lithuanian Andrius Velicka has signed from Rangers and goes straight into the squad for Tuesday. Maynard scored a last minute winner in the controversial game with Crystal Palace at the weekend and City will be hoping that is the start of a more successful second bite at the Championship cherry for the 22 year old.

Links >>> Bristol City Official Website >>> Bristol City Message Board >>> Travel Guide

History
Recent Meetings:
These sides last met at Loftus Road in March. QPR had been on a dire run of nine matches without a win prior to a scrappy midweek victory at Loftus Road against Swansea City. That, and the introduction of Spurs loanee Adel Taarabt, seemed to lift a weight from the shoulders of the QPR players and they were in very decent touch against Gary Johnson’s men. Jordi Lopez’s superb 25 yard free kick, taken just moments after he had scuffed an identical effort into the wall, gave the R’s the lead before City equalised against the run of play through Michael McIndoe. Just as it looked like QPR were going to be held to yet another draw a storming run and cross from the left flank by Damien Delaney set up Adel Taarabt for a close range finish, his first goal for the club, and a match winner.

QPR: Cerny 7, Ramage 7, Connolly 7 (Helguson 61, 6), Gorkss 7, Delaney 7, Alberti 5 (Routledge 46, 5), Leigertwood 7, Lopez 8, Ephraim 7, Taarabt 8, Di Carmine 6 (Cook 73, 5)
Subs Not Used: Mahon, Vine
Booked: Taarabt (diving)
Goals: Lopez 65 (unassisted), Taarabt 81 (assisted Delaney)

Bristol City: Basso 7, Orr 6, McAllister 6, Fontaine 6, McCombe 4, McIndoe 7, Skuse 6, Sproule 7 (Styvar 86, -), Johnson 6 (Elliott 86, -), Adebola 7, Maynard 6
Subs Not Used: Henderson, James Wilson, John
Booked: Adebola (diving), Basso (dissent)
Goals: McIndoe 77 (assisted Sproule)

QPR last travelled to Bristol City almost a year ago to the day, right at the end of August 2008, and fought out a one all draw. Rangers took the lead in the first half when Dexter Blackstock’s persistence 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 Dele Adebola to get his customary goal against QPR. Still confidence in the visiting dressing room would 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

Head to Head:
Bristol City wins – 24
Draws – 22
QPR wins – 30

Past Results:
2008/09 QPR 2 Bristol City 1 (Taarabt, Lopez)
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)

Played for both clubs:
Tommy Doherty
Bristol City 1996-2006
QPR 2005-2008

Born and bred in Bristol, the Doc made his debut for the red side of Bristol in September 1997 in a 3-0 win over Luton Town. Over the next nine seasons he would become an integral part of the City team constantly battling for promotion from League One, captaining the side in his last two seasons at the club. In all, the competitive midfielder played just over 200 games for City in his spell before Ian Holloway come calling in the summer of 2005. Rangers and Holloway had frequently been linked with Doherty, a player that wasn’t unlike Ollie back in his playing days for the club, and the R’s boss finally got his man for an undisclosed fee. Now I remember one afternoon when we were supposed to be going to see QPR at Tranmere and it was called off late due to a frozen pitch Northern the Elder and I decided instead to go back to Sheffield and watch City at Wednesday. They were beaten 1-0 with a last minute goal, a result that would eventually condemn them to another season in League One and enable QPR to win promotion with a win on the same ground on the final day of the season. The abiding memory of the day for me though was Doherty tearing round the pitch kicking everything in sight, arguing with the referee and generally doing everything he could to get sent off.

When he signed for QPR the Northern R’s laughed and recalled that day – so it was no surprise that the Doc’s time at W12 didn’t get off to the best start as he was sent off in a pre-season game. There were constant complaints that he looked unfit, overweight, drank like a fish and smoked like a chimney to deal with as well. However Tommy started the season with a place in the R’s midfield and would go onto play the first seven games of the season. A sending off against Luton at Loftus Road, for grasping a visiting player warmly by the throat, and then niggling injuries meant that the he struggled to get another run in the first-team and doubts were again raised over weight and fitness, again apparently due to too many cigarettes. too much alcohol and too much five-a-side with his Bristol mates on his days off. When Gary Waddock was placed in charge Doc found himself out of the first-team picture altogether and was farmed out on loan to Yeovil Town for the remainder of the season. Tommy never played another game for the R’s after that joining Wycombe first on loan then permanently and has been named in the League Two team of the season for the last two campaigns. A player with great ability, but a complete waste of talent who should have done so much more with his career.

Links >>> Bristol City 1 QPR 1 Match Report >>> QPR 2 Bristol City 1 Match Report >>> Match Report Archive >>> Connections and Memories

This Tuesday
Team News: QPR include big money summer signing Alejandro Faurlin in their squad for the first time following his summer switch from Instituto. The Argentinean has been sidelined with a thigh strain for the last month and is highly unlikely to start at Ashton Gate but will travel with the team and may possibly make the bench. The game comes too soon for Martin Rowlands and Angelo Balanta who were injured on the opening day against Blackpool but should both be back for the Forest game on Saturday. Lee Cook is a long term absentee.

Coty welcome Lithunian striker Andrius Velicka into their squad following the completion of a season long loan deal from Glasgow Rangers on Monday. Pacey forward Danny Haynes is back in contention after his one match ban for a sending off in the League Cup last Tuesday was completed on Saturday – under the old rules the former Ipswich man would have missed this match and as he has given us a torrid time in a couple of recent meetings with the Tractor Boys that would have been welcome. Louis has a calf injury and may miss out.

Elsewhere: There is a full programme of Championship action this midweek as the start of the league season continues apace. The two eye catching fixtures for me are trips by newly relegated sides to teams that have just joined us from League One – Middlesbrough, buoyed by an impressive three goal win at Swansea on Saturday, go to Scunthorpe while West Brom are at Peterborough. Paulo Sousa is yet to get off the mark with the Swans after two league defeats, he has a Reading side coming to the Liberty Stadium that looked a shadow of its former self in defeat at Newcastle on Saturday night. The Magpies will hope to continue confounding their critics on Wednesday night when Sheffield Wednesday come to Tyneside.

Referee: On a ground where Rob Shoebridge had his horror moment at the weekend QPR and Bristol City are refereed for the first time this Tuesday night by Birmingham teacher Phil Gibbs. This is only his second season on the league list, and second match in the Championship having only previously refereed Swansea’s 4-1 home win over Preston at this level before.

Links >>> Dean Sturridge Memorial Injury List >>> Arthur Gnohere Discipline Counter >>> Gibbs in charge of Rangers at scene of Saturday’s crime >>> Referee League

Form
Bristol City: Victory in this match would equal City’s best start to a season for seven years and extend their unbeaten run at Ashton Gate to 12 matches – Burnley were the last team to win here, way back in December 2008. City have not beaten QPR since winning promotion back to the Championship although both games played here between the two sides have ended up in draws. City were denied a play off place last season by too many drawn games at home – 13 in all - but they only lost three times on their own patch all season and are unbeaten in three games at the start of 2009/10.

Queens Park Rangers: While City’s unbeaten home record continued at the weekend, QPR’s search for a first away win in nine attempts was frustrated at Plymouth. I wholeheartedly agree with Jim Magilton when he says a lot of our players seem to be hoping for a change of luck away from home rather than going out there and making it happen. Since a 3-0 win at Blackpool in January the R’s have failed to win on the road in the league in nine attempts, losing five of those. Only relegated sides Charlton and Norwich had a comparable record on the road to QPR last season – the R’s won only three times away from home, one more than Charlton and the same as Norwich.

Prediction: Well my idea that we would draw on the opening day, win at Plymouth and lose here went out the window in injury time on Saturday. Nobody drew more games last season than Bristol City and the Robins are yet to beat Rangers since they were promoted back into this league. For those reasons I am upgrading my prediction for tonight from a defeat to a draw.
Score draw

Links >>> Championship Table >>> Total Form >>> Home Form >>> Away Form >>> Prediction League >>> Fantasy League

Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.


You need to login in order to post your comments

Queens Park Rangers Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© FansNetwork 2024