Stoke City v. QPR (2 Oct: Championship - Match 12) [R]

[Atouk]

Stoke City -- 5th, 11 GP, 5-5-1, +3 GD (12 GS), 20 points
v.
QPR -- 4th, 11 GP, 6-2-3, +3 GD (19 GS), 20 points
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2 October 13:00
Britannia Stadium
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Rangers News:

Mid-week hattrick man Jamie Cureton is a doubt after picking up a hamstring problem at practice on Thursday. The BBC reports (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/3689234.stm) that Jake Cole is struggling to recover from an injury, so we may be without cover for Day.

The Opponent:

No new injury concerns for Stoke, according to the BBC, and their only change could be the addition of fit-again Steve Guppy.

Stoke has lost just once in 11 league games, winning 5 and drawing 5 (they also lost to Oldham in the first round of the Carling Cup). Their last six (most recent first):
A Leeds D, 0-0
A Burnley D, 2-2
H Forest D, 0-0
H Ipswich W, 3-2
A Preston L, 0-3
H Derby W, 1-0

The Series:

QPR leads the series, 11-5-5. In 01/02, the teams were together in the old Division Two, with Rangers winning both meetings by 1-0 scores.

The Referee:

Eddie Evans has been assigned. In 9 games this season, he's issued 36 yellows and 0 reds. He's worked 3 in the Championship, with the others coming in lower divisions, down to the Conference North, or League Cup games. Last season, he worked our 2-0 home win over Colchester (Colchester had a man sent off in the 33rd minute -- no other cards in the game). He also worked our 4-2 win at Chesterfield the season before (Bircham and Padula booked).

[Atouk]

0-0 at the half. Stoke had a man sent off for violent conduct in the 41st in an incident with Bircham, so we're a man up for the final 45. Furs picked up a late yellow.

Starting XI:
Day; Rose, Santos, Shittu, Bignot; Cook, Bircham, Gallen, Rowlands; Cureton, Furlong.

Bench:
Edghill, Branco, Padula, McLeod, Bean.

[Atouk]

Stoke 0-1 QPR -- the SuperHoops got a 69th minute goal from Gallen. Now, we're playing keep-away, passing, passing, passing to try to keep Stoke at bay. So far, so good. 7 minutes plus stoppage to go.

UUUURRRRR's!

[Atouk]

Stoke 0-1 QPR
FULL TIME

Oh, yeah! Six straight!

[HiJazzey]

The ref took his sweet time to whistle for full time. The game finished after all the other 3 o'clock kickoffs.

But, thank god, no late surprises.

QPR are up tp 3rd place now!

[Maczebus]

Well that was fun - I've just got back from the Britannia Stadium and I only live a 10 minute walk away. Stoke fans endearing themselves to everyone again.

Anyway, good game if a little too scrappy from Rangers. First quarter was pretty even I'd say - some good stuff in midfield but big Dan was being skinned alive by Akinbiyi and if Akinbiyi had had an ounce of skill he should have scored at least twice. A good save by Day very early in the game and a few last ditch tackles saved us. It's actually a mystery how Akinbiyi managed to stay on the pitch - he was a liability for Stoke on occasion.
It was a bad tempered affair overall. Akinbiyi kept falling over in the box which wasn't popular with our lot - don't know whether the ref not listening to him pissed him off a bit but from then on he was nuts. Then there was the sending off incident - Bircham involved but I was at the other end and couldn't get a proper view as to what actually went on. Basically there was some kind of altercation, Bircham went down, Taggart got sent off - straight red. Now this really got the Stoke fans going who then aimed all their vitriol at Bircham and the travelling 'Ellerslie road wankers' (replete with the appropriate number of Burberry baseball caps). So, a man up we should be going great guns - we didn't. There was another fracas a few minutes later involving Furlong - who got a yellow. Plus Akinbiyi whose ongoing spat with Bircham was getting nastier and nastier. At one point a bottle or two got thrown at the nearby Rangers players taking throw-ins. And Stoke's actions at this? Send a load of stewards to look at the Rangers supporters - useful.
The Stoke players really were wound-up by the end of the first half - a yellow or two I think came after the red for Taggart.
A full 5 minutes of added time because of the major stoppages.
Ok, so the second half starts and I finish my meat and potato pie and bovril - I await a second half Rangers will dominate. I'm still waiting for that 15 minutes later after Stoke look like they can seriously put 2 or more past us. A few hairy moments later and the score is still 0-0, just.
We get the ball but seem unable to do much with it - passes going nowhere, or just straight to Stoke players. Cook kept getting the ball and in space too, so he'd run and want 4 touches too many eventually running into 3 Stoke players. Often we made it just too difficult for ourselves - it seemed we thought we were something like Brazil circa 1970. Then Kev scored and suddenly everything was alright with the world.
Rowlands and Cook both still had 'mares, but fortunately Bircham was half decent, Big Dan was ok and the others kept the average up.
Then Bircham was subbed and as he was going off, Akinbiyi followed him and was right in his face saying something which probably wasn't very nice. The ref then booked him - which I got excited about as I thought he'd already been booked (how he hadn't I do not know) but it was his first. Bircham needed an escort to the changing rooms as the resident Stoke nutters chucked all manner of colourful language at him not to mention a few bottles and whatnot. The 2 stewards there obviously couldn't handle this and dozens of Police then turned up and stopped them getting to Bircham and the wanker Rangers fans who by now were themselves a bit hyper.
Basically after we scored it got a lot easier - it seemed as though Stoke sort of gave up. We had a few more chances but occasionally came unstuck again when we thought we were 1970 Brazil and did the 'ole, ole' passing thing. But fortunately Stoke were a spent force and couldn't capitalise.
The whistle couldn't come soon enough - but it did and then thew after match fun began.
Well Stoke fans have a reputation and they did live up to it. The initial announcement was that QPR fans that came on the train should hang around in the away coachpark and wait for coaches to take you there. But then it all went pear shaped so we were all locked in this little enclave with our respective wankers having a real good go at each other despite there being a rather large fence in between. The Police eventually managed to get them to move along but apparently even when they had they were waiting for the team coach and supporters buses with bricks etc. Eventually we were allowed to go when they'd deemed it safe. Over an hour we were standing in that damn place waiting for the local Stokies to grow a frontal lobe.
Anyway - that's my day.
Ok but eventful match, good result - backward locals.

[Maczebus]

Forgot to add that it wasn't just the locals who kicked off after the match. Being penned in for all that time actually meant that some of the players came out and wandered around. Bignot was chating to a few people and I overheard him say that it all went off between the players on the way back to the changing rooms. It appears the Bircham incident really turned what was going to be a rather dour match into something rather more spicy.

[AEK]

And we are in a tie for second place in the standings. Not bad.

[art]

Didnt something like all that happen the last time QPR went to Stoke too? A couple years ago in D2? I remember hearing about trouble getting to the buses after the game.

[Atouk]

maczebus, thanks for the excellent recap! Sounds like a fun, if quite tense, day.

According to the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/3711178.stm), one Stoke fan was arrested before the match and two R's supporters were arrested for "public order offenses." About the hold-up after the match, they said:Police say they had to deal with a number of Stoke City hooligans as they escorted supporters back to the train station after the game.

They say they believe there is still a significant hooligan element at the team's games and have appealed to all true supporters to help beat the problem. The Table:

1 Wigan Athletic 12 14 24
2 Ipswich Town 12 8 24
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3 Reading 12 6 23
4 QPR 12 4 23
5 West Ham Utd 12 2 21
6 Stoke City 12 2 20
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7 Sunderland 12 6 18
8 Watford 11 5 17
9 Millwall 10 1 17
10 Plymouth 12 0 17
11 Burnley 12 3 16
12 Leicester City 12 1 16
13 Sheff Utd 12 -2 16
14 Preston 12 0 15
15 Derby County 12 -1 15
16 Brighton 12 -4 15
17 Leeds United 11 1 14
18 Coventry City 12 -3 13
19 Crewe 11 -3 12
20 Wolves 11 -2 11
21 Gillingham 12 -11 10
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22 Nottm Forest 12 -7 9
23 Cardiff City 12 -9 9
24 Rotherham Utd 12 -11 5

14 points ahead of the top relegation spot; 1 point (and a substantial goal difference) behind the leader.

[Northside Rovers]

Boy do I like the looks of that table.

[ross from st paul]

Boy do I like the looks of that table.
No kiddin'.
Just think, Rovers: last spring, your boy Jefe gave me ******** about how Reading were going to kick R's ass this season, they're the REAL SuperHoops, blahblahblah. Can't wait 'til their first fixture. (12/19)

[QPR Kevin H]

No kiddin'.
Just think, Rovers: last spring, your boy Jefe gave me ******** about how Reading were going to kick R's ass this season, they're the REAL SuperHoops, blahblahblah. Can't wait 'til their first fixture. (12/19)
Anyone who tries to talk ******** using Reading as the protagonist needs their head checked. And remember, that match will be on US television (Setanta Pub Channel)

[ross from st paul]

Anyone who tries to talk ******** using Reading as the protagonist needs their head checked. And remember, that match will be on US television (Setanta Pub Channel)
:D
Mostly, I just mentioned that because I'd heard that Jefe and Rovers are the hoops rivals among Dallas Burn fans.

[art]

...and West Ham is next. Man o man, looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

http://www.americanphoto.co.jp/pages/eiga/HU/Previews/Plans-38527.jpg

[art]

have to say though that after watching the Reading-West Ham extended highlights on Reading World (ahhh, World Extra...:)) if there was any one (or two) games I'd want to see first hand this year, it would be the West Ham games, they play such an open flowing style, much like QPR. QPR-West Ham, given the form and style of both sides, could be an awesome match to watch.

[art]

Check this hilarious post from a Yank hoop supporter posted on the Stoke City rivals message board:

http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=944&p=16&style=2&forumId=3276&action=1&replytoid=536288706

Simpletons listen Up

When your disgrace of a Football Club come to West London don't think you'll be having bevvies on the green with the normal folk like when our friends from Plymouth come and visit. You see they have what they call jobs and future so enjoy their football and meeting others and enhancing their own fine reputation. After the majority of your 'support' started acting like badly trained Chimps throwing things and wetting yourselves and screaming incoherent 'must be really thick' comments you have now notified the Metropolitan Police that you are a disgraceful act.

You know what they'll do.... First they'll meet you way before London on the train. Then they'll segregate you so you don't scare the tourists and little children out shopping with their families. They may, I don't think they will, get a you dump that serves weaker than a week old teabag beer. Then they will march you like a bunch of refugees to the ground where of course you will get an opportunity to act like animals in front of the normal folks here at QPR as you have done before according to other supporters who have had the misfortune to realise that your not some cuddly nothing Club that everyone thinks you are but a breeding ground for hate.

You will then be taught a lesson in lungbusting singing and you will take your rightful place underneath the famous Queens Park Rangers just like Saturday due to your inability to control your hormones. Taggert, Akinbaye or whatever that clowns name is and your skinny number 17 will tremble as 15000 Hoops fans give them a fair and decent roasting of Loftus Road proportions. You of course will be drowned out and an insignificant background noise but we know you'll lower yourself to abuse the disabled gang in the Paddock to your left and of course this will be expected of such low and disgraceful human sub standard behaviour. Any throwing of bottles and you will be removed trussed up like a chicken by her majesties law enforcement and the Sky camera's will be there so anything worse than last week and your club will be in big trouble looking pretty bad to an international audience tuning in to follow QPR, no not Stoke, QPR.

As for QPR being the new Cardiff..... Wrong my hill living turf eating wife swapping hillbilles. Thats you, we've already shown as supporters we can and do get on with others but you lot have proven yourselves to be one of those groups that have to frog marched round and whether you know it or not people look at you like your freaks.... pointing and staring as you snarl and try and shout at little kids and threaten families. What a horrible way to support a Club. You can't be approached and you can't mingle and you sure as hell can't go to one of the worlds most important places and act like you do in the teletubbie hills.

Try not to stink the place up though it's one thing having to look at the unwashed masses but it's another to have to smell that upwind. You lot are used to it as you probably been smelling that way for a long time but it's a really pungent sulphuric smell, kind of eggy, that coupled with your behaviour and those messy looking cave dwellers you call women could do with a makeover. Blew your chance in the big city though as you'll not be welcome to walk with the normal. Shame.

Anyway carry on and Serpico can you stop sticking your fingers down your crack hole and smelling it and Spacie I'll let you know when we find a suitable cage for you to be transported in to London. We'll park you just round the corner from the Bush Ranger and you can snarl and chew on a piece of whale blubber and everyone can stare at you and wonder what went wrong with human evoloution in the Potteries.

one more thing Stoke 0 Big Daddy Rangers 1

[Maczebus]

Thing is - it's not until you've lived in Stoke that the accuracy of that post really hits home.
let me tell you - it's full of the people that that poster was slightly (and I do mean only slightly - especially about the women) characterising.
It is really only until you live here that you start understanding the reasons behind the way they are. The place is a sh1t hole with a double inferiority complex being a dying industrial town between Manchester and Birmingham. Anyone living here must just be peed off with their lot in life.

After saturday I made the decision never to watch another game here.

Talking of which - why the hell am I finding it so damn hard to find a rangers fixture list online?? If anyone can point me to one I'd be grateful. Thanks

[ross from st paul]

Talking of which - why the hell am I finding it so damn hard to find a rangers fixture list online?? If anyone can point me to one I'd be grateful. Thanks
On qpr.co.uk ("Official," not "World," site), the "Match" link, followed by "Fixtures & Results;" has first team, reserves, and U18's.

[Atouk]

Here's a link to an interview with Chris Day (http://www.givemefootball.com/interviews.html?interviewID=834&method=full) after Saturday's victory.