Stoke City v QPR (27 November: Championship Match 17) [R]

[QPR Kevin H]

Here's to 3 points away from home on a cold Tuesday night!

Official Site Preview (http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Preview/0,,10373~1176364,00.html)

The R's travel to The Britannia Stadium tonight, to lock horns with a Stoke City side suffering from a blip in form in front of their own supporters.

Tony Pulis' men currently occupy a noteworthy tenth place in the Coca Cola Championship, but their poor home form represents Luigi De Canio's side with a genuine opportunity of returning from the Trent with maximum points.

Indeed, the Potters' last home victory arrived against Colchester United some seven weeks ago - a run which has seen them fail to register maximum points in their previous three fixtures at The Britannia.

A Stoke Perspective (http://www.whydelilah.co.uk/news/Di-canio-is-QPR-s--r61181724.aspx)

And from the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/7110837.stm)

Striker Ricardo Fuller returns for Stoke after a one-match ban, with Vincent Pericard dropping to the bench.

There will be a late decision on midfielder Liam Lawrence (hamstring), while Jon Parkin is back after flu.

QPR must decide whether to stick with on-loan Derby defender Bob Malcolm or recall Sampsa Timoska.

After seven weeks out, striker Dexter Blackstock came through 80 minutes unscathed on Saturday and should play while Marc Nygaard is also fit.

[Atouk]

The Table:

The Coca-Cola Football League Championship Table
Pos Team P GD PTS

1 Watford 17 10 36
2 West Brom 17 19 31
------
3 Charlton 17 9 31
4 Plymouth 17 5 27
5 Wolverhampton 17 3 27
6 Bristol City 17 -1 27
------
7 Barnsley 17 -1 26
8 Ipswich 16 8 25
9 Hull 17 5 25
10 Stoke 17 0 24
11 Coventry 17 -6 24
12 Southampton 17 -8 23
13 Burnley 16 1 22
14 Leicester 17 4 21
15 Sheff Utd 17 0 21
16 Sheff Wed 17 -3 20
17 Scunthorpe 17 -3 20
18 Cardiff 17 -3 19
19 Colchester 17 -1 17
20 Crystal Palace 17 -3 17
21 Blackpool 16 -4 16
------
22 QPR 16 -10 16
23 Preston 17 -7 15
24 Norwich 17 -14 12

Stoke's Form:

Stoke has lost their last three in a row at home (0-1 Sheff Utd; 1-3 Coventry; 2-4 Sheff Wed). They opened the season with 3 wins and 2 draws at home before their recent run of poor form. They drew at Burnley 0-0 last weekend and won 3-2 at Scunthorpe in their prior away game.

The Series:

QPR leads 14-6-7 overall and 13-6-7 in league play. Last season, Stoke won at home while it was a 1-1 draw at HQ. In 05/06, the away team won both meetings, 2-1. In 04/05, QPR won 'em both, 1-0. We'd last met before that in 01/02 when QPR also won 'em both, 1-0. Before that, the clubs hadn't met since 97/98.

The teams first met in the FA Cup in 1947/48 (their only ever meeting in any cup) with QPR winning 3-0. They didn't meet in league play until 1968/69 when both were in the old, old Division One (now the Premier League).

[QPR Kevin H]

Teams... Timoska comes in for Malcolm

Stoke City: Simonsen, Wright, Cort, Shawcross, Pugh, Lawrence, Delap, Eustace, Cresswell, Sidibe, Fuller.

Subs: Hoult, Wilkinson, Zakuani, Phillips, Parkin.

QPR: Camp, Barker, Stewart, Mancienne, Blackstock, Buzsaky, Rowlands, Vine, Timoska, Leigertwood, Sinclair.

Subs: Cole, Bolder, Ainsworth, Malcolm, Nygaard.

[Atouk]

We're underway! UUURRRRs!

Uriah Rennie is the ref.

A Stoke player is getting treatment in the first minute after a clash of heads with a teammate.

[Atouk]

...and we're down. Long throw-in into the box, flicked across goal, headed goal.

Stoke 1-0 QPR

:mad:

[QPR Kevin H]

a shit day continues :(

[Atouk]

Good counter for the R's. 4 on 2. Ball put out of a QPR corner.

[Atouk]

Handball on QPR. Corner wasted.

[MetroAnt]

Poor start but theres a long way to go.

[Atouk]

Stoke's Ricardo Fuller just hit the post.

[QPR Kevin H]

2-nil, we're getting trounced

[Atouk]

Goal -- Stoke score from a corner. We had just 9 on the field (I think Mancienne and Stewart were both off getting treatment -- not sure if those are the two).

[MetroAnt]

I take back what I said. This is brutal.

[Atouk]

Stewart has returned to the field. Mancienne had to exit -- Bob Malcolm enters in his place.

[QPR Kevin H]

Mancienne had to exit
That's not good at all. We could get crushed with Stewart and Malcolm in the middle.

[QPR Kevin H]

Norwich have the only other goal in the division. They lead at Blackpool.

[QPR Kevin H]

******Champs League Score ******

Looks like Sevilla and Arsenal are playing a great match, the Spaniards are up 2-1 in the first half.

[Atouk]

Stoke 2-0 QPR
HALF TIME

:(

[QPR Kevin H]

HT

2-nil to Stoke

[QPR Kevin H]

Oh dear, Blackstock is off straight away in the 2nd

Straight red for a sloppy challenge