QPR -- 11th - 1 GP, 1 Point, 0 GD -- last year 18th v. Cardiff City -- 20th - 1 GP, 0 Points, -1 GD -- last year 13th ------ 18 August 2007 15:00 Loftus Road ------ Rangers News: Gregory told the official site that Blackstock and Nardiello will return to the starting lineup. In addition, he said John Curtis and Damion Stewart will return after being rested. Hogan Ephraim is again available after he wasn't allowed to play in the Carling Cup match. Chris Barker will serve the final game in a three-match ban earned playing for Colchester last season. The Opponent: Cardiff opened the league season at home with a 0-1 loss to Stoke City. They hosted and defeated Brighton 1-0 after extra time in the Carling Cup during the week. Cardiff will host Orient in the next round. They finished 5 positions and 11 points ahead of QPR last season. Cardiff lost Michael Chopra in the summer and has added a cast of aging stars including Robbie Fowler, former QPR midfielder Trevor Sinclair, former Rangers and Dundee midfielder Gavin Rae, and now Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Fowler is not yet fit and won't feature against QPR, Hasselbaink signed this week and will join his new teammates on Monday, while Sinclair and Rae are both likely to play. Midfielder Riccardo Scimeca and striker Steve Thompson are out. This week, "Cardiff City's main financial backers have initiated legal proceedings against the club over claims they have not repaid more than £30m in debts." Cardiff chairman Peter Risdale said "The statements released by Hextalls LLP seem to be an ill-informed mixture of fiction and general confusion." Cardiff Counsel indicated this wouldn't impact the development of Cardiff's new ground. Risdale said that this money, which includes £24m previously borrowed plus interest, isn't due until 2016. The Series: QPR leads the series 29-10-22 with a 23-9-20 lead in league play. QPR won both meetings last year, 1-0, including a win at Ninian Park when the Bluebirds were at the top of the table (and on Sky, too!). Two of my 24 live QPR games have been against Cardiff -- the hearbreaking loss in the play-off final at the Millennium Stadium, 0-1 after extra time was the first; I got a measure of revenge in seeing the R's win 1-0 at Loftus Road in the Championship two years later after we'd achieved promition in the year in between. Big Dan Shittu got the goal in that one! Since that loss in the play-off final, the R's have 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss against Cardiff.
Ephraim gets the start. Neither Biggie nor Cullip enter the starting lineup, but both are available off the bench. Ward makes the bench, joining Nygaard as our two attacking options in reserve. QPR: Camp; Rehman, Stewart, Mancienne, Curtis; Rowlands, Bolder, Moore, Ephraim; Nardiello, Blackstock. Subs: Cole, Bignot, Cullip, Ward, Nygaard. Cardiff City: Turnbull, McNaughton, Capaldi, Rae, Loovens, MacLean, McPhail, Parry, Johnson, Ledley, Sinclair. Subs: Oakes, Purse, Whittingham, Feeney, Gunter.
No, but I logged on about 15 minutes ago and I'm getting the audio feed. I saw someone at qprdot.org asking the same thing in the last few minutes, though. We're underway. 4-4-2. Ephraim on the left, Moore on the right, Rowlands and Bolder in the center of midfield.
First corner of the day for the R's as Moore pressures the Cardiff defense. Foul on QPR on the corner kick.
Nardiello with a shot over the bar. Nice skill to control it before taking the shot. [R] in this thread for all English league matches -- any level. Spurs up 1-0 over Derby in the 2nd minute. Ipswich with a quick goal at Plymouth.
R's defend a corner. Quick counter from the R's -- header away from Blackstock, to Rowlands, to Ephraim. Cardiff got back and stalled the break by knocking it out of bounds. Long throw from Rehman into the box, but no Rangers could get near it.
Sorry to hear it. I'll make frequent updates. 18 minutes in... 0-0. Long free kick into the box by Cardiff. Handled easily by Camp, who was also fouled. Free kick QPR. Fulham is up 1-0 at home to Boro. McBride with the goal.
R's comes forward. Blackstock to Ephraim. Ephraim's shot was deflected and then seemed to strike the arm of a Cardiff defender in the box. Referee waves it off -- it did hit the arm, but was deflected, so he must have ruled there was no intent.
Moore comes up the right, lays it off to Rowlands, the ball is won by Cardiff, but only as far as Rehman. Nice challenge by Rehman. The ball is sent back to Camp as the R's retain possession.
Freekick to Cardiff on the halfway line. Adam Bolder was booked... apparently for dissent as he wasn't the one who made the foul. From the freekick, the ball is flicked by Stewart but not cleared and gets through to Camp who tips it over the bar. Corner sent in, possessed by Cardiff, volley from Sinclair tipped behind for another corner. On that one, it was cleared out, but Cardiff sent it back in, had a decent chance, and gets yet another corner. Crap... volley from 6-yard box and goal by Stephen MacLean for Cardiff. Three straight corners and they finally break through.
Paul Parry is being credited for the Cardiff goal, not MacLean. Sinclair sends in a shot, Mancienne heads away, Moore plays it out and Cardiff gets a throw-in. A moment later, Cardiff gets a corner. Thereafter, they shot over the bar. We're a bit wobbly at the moment.
More attacking from Cardiff. Sinclair's run pulled defenders away, Parry sends in a good ball, MacLean heads wide.
Rowlands with a freekick. Looking for Stewart, but Cardiff heads away. Ephraim gets the ball, gets around a player but Cardiff knocks it out for a QPR corner. Rowlands takes... just wide of the post as he looks for Stewart. Palace 1-0 up at home against Leicester City.
Cardiff's Kevin McNaughton is getting treatment. Appears to be a hamstring and the commentator thinks he'll be coming off.
Header from an unmarked Sinclair... goes wide. We tried to play the offside trap, but Curtis stayed back and kept two players on. The mistake should have cost us. Still 0-1.
Zesh Rehman goes in the book -- was juts a tad late on a tackle. Commentator thought the card was a bit harsh. Reading just scored to go 1-0 up at home against Everton in the battle of American keepers.