The injury list is growing
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PUBLISHED
11:53 30th September 2016
by @QPRFC
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says it’s nice to be thinking about football as he looks ahead to Fulham clash …
- Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink admits it's "not been an easy few days"
- R's boss looking forward to derby at Fulham
- Hasselbaink says fixture at Craven Cottage is a "very important match"
JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink is hoping he can end a difficult few days with victory at Fulham on Saturday afternoon.
The QPR manager is currently the focus of an internal investigation following allegations in a national newspaper, and on the eve of our derby at Craven Cottage, he told
www.qpr.co.uk: “It has not been an easy few days but we are trying to overcome that and are concentrating fully on Fulham.
“We want to put a really good match together.
“They will provide us with difficulties but I am looking forward to the game. It is nice to be thinking about football, and that is what we are putting all our energies towards.”
As a player, Hasselbaink knows all about this type of game, and what they mean to supporters. Having played in Madrid, London and north-east derbies, he has plenty of experience when it comes to such fixtures.
He is the first to admit they are more than just another game.
“Derbies are a bit special, they are,” he acknowledged. “For the fans and the players. It is going to be a very important match for my players because of the history.
“Look, it’s three points available like any other league game but we know it has got that something extra as well because of how much it means to the fans. But it means a lot to the players and the owners too.
“These are the games you want to be involved in as a professional, and the players are looking forward to it.”
While recent arrivals at the club such as Ariel Borysiuk and Pawel Wszolek may not have featured in London derbies to date, the R’s boss holds no concerns about their ability to handle the occasion.
“They might not be aware of the size of the game but they know what derbies are about from their own country – although in England derby games are a bit different.
“That is why they wanted to come to England – because of that passion. That is why I wanted to come to England when I was a player. For the passion, the atmosphere and the supporters.
“They will live up to the atmosphere and the energy of the game.”
Hasselbaink has a growing injury list to contend with as he selects his team for the game against Slavisa Jokanovic’s side.
With Jake Bidwell joining the likes of Jack Robinson, James Perch, Jordan Cousins, Ben Gladwin, Jamie Mackie and Idrissa Sylla in the treatment room, Hasselbaink concedes he will have to shuffle his pack on Saturday.
“We don’t want to concentrate too much on that (the injuries), it’s the players that we have available that have to go and do it, and I am more than confident that they will,” he said.
“We might have to shuffle a little bit. Some people might have to play in different positions and we might have to tweak the formation, but the most important thing is that as a team we are together and doing the team ethics right.
“If we do that, then it is going to be a really exciting match.”
With Bidwell set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines after dislocating his shoulder at Burton Albion on Tuesday evening, Hasselbaink confirmed Perch is “very close” to a return.
Read more at
http://www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/2...nship-fulham-3338252.aspx#4BYOkBcak51AOi0f.99
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