QPR -- 4th, 12 GP, 7-2-3, +4 GD, 23 points v. West Ham United -- 5th, 12 GP, 6-3-3, +2 GD, 21 points ------ 16 October 15:00 Loftus Road ------ Rangers News: Olly is preaching caution, saying "We were never as bad as our first few games and we're not as good as our last six either. We're somewhere in between." Padula, Johnson, Bean, Branco, and McLeod all got run-outs in a 0-0 reserve-team draw with Brighton. Tony Thorpe is back in training, but isn't ready to play yet. He said he might be ready for the Wolves match next week. Gareth Ainsworth is two weeks from resuming training, Arthur Gnohere is expected to be out another month, and Nick Culkin won't be back in training before the new year. The XI who started against Stoke are all available. The match is a sell out (and the ground is back to full capacity). The Opponent: Olly is calling this one "the biggest test we've had so far this season." West Ham has five defenders injured, including Calum Davenport, who picked up an injury playing for England's U-21's this week. It's not yet known whether Davenport will play. The Hammers' last six, most recent first: H Wolves W, 1-0 A Derby D, 1-1 A Forest L, 1-2 H Notts County (Carling Cup) W, 3-2 H Ipswich D, 101 H Rotherham W, 1-0 The Series: Rangers trail by one game in a very tight series -- 18-18-19. West Ham holds a 16-15-13 edge in league play, while the R's have a one-game edge in the FA Cup and won the only League Cup meeting. The teams first met in the 1908/09 season (a 0-0 draw) and most recently met in the Premier League in 95/96. That year, the R's won the home match, 3-0, and dropped the away match, 0-1. In their three seasons together after the creation of the Premier League, the R's held a 3-2-1 edge in their twice-annual meetings. The Referee: Paul Taylor has been assigned. He's issued 28 yellows and 2 reds in 9 games thus far this season -- 5 of his 9 games have been in the Championship, including West Ham's 1-0 win at home over Reading. Last season, he worked our season-opening 5-0 win over Blackpool. He didn't work any of our games in 02/03 and in 01/02 he worked our 2-0 home win over Blackpool. In our most recent season at this level, he worked our 1-0 away win at Gillingham.
This should be a good gage on how the team is doing. It sounds like it should be an exciting match. It should also provide a good gate. Does anyone know if the club is still having problems with ground authorization that they had a few games ago. It would be a shame if they had to reduce the amount of tickets available for this match.
A story on the official site says "Supporters are reminded that Saturday's game is a full capacity sell-out and there will be no tickets available on the day for purchase," so it sounds like we've got things straightened out on the stewarding front.
Just watched the match preview on QPR World -- Prav reports that Matthew Rose and Georges Santos picked up minor injuries and haven't trained all week. Both will try to practice on Friday, but are both doubts for the match. He also reports that Ainsworth could be running by next week and that Gnohere is still about a month away.
I'm so looking forward to this game, could be one of the most exciting of the season. Too bad I have to work saturday and cant listen to it. As always, thanks Atouk for the vigilance. I'd give you more rep but i can't.
Here's a match preview from Soccernet; http://soccernet.espn.go.com/preview?id=152907&cc=5901 It mentions that the Hammers will be without their leading goal scorer for this match. This would be a match that I would buy on ppv, if available.
BBC Match Preview Sky Sports Match Preview Evening Standard article on Kevin Gallen Evening Standard on Davenport's injury and other West Ham news Soccer365 Match Preview
We're going with the same XI -- Santos and Rose must have come through fitness tests okay: Day; Rose, Santos, Shittu, Bignot; Cook, Bircham, Gallen, Rowlands; Cureton, Furlong. Bench: Edghill, McLeod, Branco, Padula, Bean -- no keeper on the bench. I'll only get to listen to the first half today (have to go to some friends' wedding).
Shittu has gone down hard a couple of times and just now got some treatment, but seems okay. Hang in there, Big Dan. We need you. 36th minute -- still 1-0.
Wow the super hoops are up to 3rd in the league. So far this has been a season of extremes. Hopefully they can stay healthy the remainder of the sesason.
7th consecutive??? WOW!!!! congrats... you guys are tearing up the CCC. now if a little of your winning ways could rub off on Argyle... we lose again.. something like we have lost 8 of our last 10.... UGH.... we lost to Wigan at home, they are top o the table, but i wouldve like to at least got a point... but we need a win at the bottom dweller next game... relegation you say???? u guys are driving towards promotion!!! well done!!!
Thanks! But there's a looooong way to go and there's danger in getting complacent. I suspect Plymouth will be ok, they're a better side than they're showing right now.
Art... i hope youre right..... same could be said for your revs as well... lets hope they make a good run into the playoffs.. GO GREEN
A costly victory: http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10373~577595,00.html Jamie Cureton is out for two weeks with a strained hamstring. Dan Shittu is out of Tuesday's game, and possibly out of Saturday's game, with a strained medial knee ligament -- the good news is that it is not the knee he injured last year. Marc Bircham is rated as 50/50 to play on Tuesday with an ankle injury. Matthew Rose and Georges Santos are nursing brused foot and achilles injuries, respectively. Hopefully those two will come through okay and can start in central defense, with Gino Padula or Richard Edghill taking Rose's place on the left. If Birch can't go, Beanie or Johnson or Branco can step in adequately. However, with Thorpe likely not back to match fitness, Cureton's injury could push Gallen back up front, meaning we'd likely have to start two of Bean/Johnson/Branco if Birch can't go. The official site also mentions McLeod as a possible partner for Furlong up front. I understand from his recent interview on QPRWorld that he's been getting some work up front as well as in midfield in training.
Pos Team Pts 1 Wigan Athletic 27 2 Reading 26 3 QPR 26 4 Ipswich Town 25 5 Sunderland 21 6 West Ham 21 7 Stoke City 20 8 Sheffield Utd 19 9 Watford 18 10 Burnley 17 11 Leeds United 17 12 Leicester City 17 Gotta love that table.