Kean, and Blackburn, teetering on the brink – opposition focus http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/footba...rn,_teetering_on_the_brink_–_opposition_focus
A Blackburn fans perspective, QPRreport Q&A http://qprreport.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=26963&page=1#198172
BBC London are only covering this match online, but full radio commentary for this match will again be available nationally from 1pm Saturday, via Absolute Radio Extra - broadcast on 1215AM, DAB, Online and Sky channel 0106 - also via Iphone!: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/absolute-radio-extra/id448996814?mt=8
The Pre-Match Warm Up: QPR v Blackburn These international breaks are starting to seem a tad pesky. I know we had the same ones in The Football League but with less games this season it just seems like there are much bigger gaps between matches to me. No matter though as QPR return to action on Saturday with a home fixture against Blackburn Rovers. After the mauling at Fulham all eyes will be on us to see how we respond against a side hardly going great guns so far this term. Match: Queens Park Rangers v Blackburn Rovers Venue: Loftus Road Competition: The Premier League Date: Saturday 15th October 2011 Kick off time: 15:00 Neil Warnock still has some defensive issues ahead of Saturday’s game particularly in the shape of Danny Gabbidon who continues to miss out thanks to the knee injury he collected at Wolves. Fitz Hall has been deputising but he himself got injured in the warm up against Fulham, although he did play the full match. Matt Connolly is also nursing a sore ankle and is said to be touch and go so assuming Hall doesn’t go ping seems unlikely to start. Kieron Dyer’s problems only continue to get worse as his foot injury has manifested itself into something much more serious and he is set for a much longer absence than first hoped. There is better news at left back though as Armand Traore returns from suspension and that will surely make a huge difference to the shape of our play this weekend. Steve Kean has spent much of this season without some really key players so he’ll be relived to see the likes of Ryan Nelson and David Dunn nearing fitness. Neither was risked during Rovers recent jaunt to India but Kean is said to be hopeful that both may play some part on Saturday. Dunn hasn’t played since limping out at Newcastle a month ago whilst Nelson has only featured once this season, against Villa in August. Michel Salgado missed the 4-0 defeat against Manchester City, and although he also didn’t feature in India, is thought to be good to go for the weekend. Martin Olsson sat out the same game thanks to the red card he received against Newcastle but his one match ban is over and having helped Sweden to a top two finish in their Euro 2012 qualifiers with the winning goal against Finland last Friday will be raring to go. It’s been a torrid start to the season for Blackburn Rovers who already find themselves second from bottom with four points and, even at this early stage, are surely facing a long old fight to retain their top flight status. Seven premier league games have resulted in one win and a draw with five defeats so far. The win came in a fantastic, rollercoaster affair against Arsenal at Ewood Park whilst the draw was picked up on the road at Fulham, which to be fair is a lot better than we did. Games against Wolves, Everton and Blackburn have resulted in defeats of varying magnitudes whilst they’ve also lost at Villa and Newcastle on their travels. It’s not been a great return on the road for Rovers fans so far either, they’ve seen their side ship seven in three games and only score three. Rovers edge the head to head overall with 17 wins to our 14 in the 38 games played between the sides but we’ve only met twice in the last ten years and both of those were in FA Cup third round ties. Those games were played at Ewood Park in 2006 and 2010 and both saw the home side victorious 3-0 and 1-0 respectively. The last time we clashed at Loftus Road was in April 2001 when Blackburn, on their way to promotion that year, beat us 3-1 despite Chris Plummer giving us an early lead. They finished the season in second place and we of course ended up second bottom. Prior to that they have always proved to be tricky opponents, particularly during the early-mid 90’s when we were both in The Premier League together. A run of eight games between April 1994 and December 2000 saw us win just the one, a 2-0 away win in 1999 when Stuart Wardley and Kevin Gallen grabbed the goals. We’ve also only won once in the last six meetings at Loftus Road when a 1992 Colin Hendry own goal was enough to secure us all three points. Future former Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean has been in charge at Ewood Park since the departure of Big Sam in December last year. Initially as caretaker then given the role permanently it smacked of a cheap option and so far he’s done little disprove that theory. Some people just don’t look like football managers, you can spot them a mile off and it’s clear from the get go they haven’t got a clue. The likes of Steve Wigley at Southampton and Les Reed at Charlton are perfect examples of real head shakers, they were never going to work, everyone could see it and Kean fits nicely in that category for me. It’s a disastrous appointment and one they’ll regret unless they do something about it very soon which judging by the owners’ description of him as “a brilliant manager” this week, doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon. QPR have only scored three goals against Blackburn in the last nine hundred minutes of football. Blackburn have never won at Loftus Road in October. Rovers have done the double over us in three out of the last four Premier League campaigns. I began my career at Blackburn Rovers making a handful of appearances over a seven year spell. I played on loan from Rovers at Queens Park Rangers in the year 2000. I last played league football for Tranmere Rovers and am now with Clitheroe in the Northern Premier League. Answer in the next Pre-Match Warm Up , the answer from the last Who Am I was Leroy Rosenior. The Fulham game was pretty horrendous but we’ve had enough time to put it behind us and hopefully Warnock will have it well out of the players systems by now. Personally I wouldn’t panic and tinker too much if I was the R’s boss. I’d stick to what we know and give the players the chance to bounce back. The return of Traore will be a welcome boost and will surely give the defence some much needed poise and pace going forward and perhaps I might bring DJ Campbell in for a start ahead of Jay Bothroyd but other than that I’d pretty much go with the usual suspects one more time. Blackburn games haven’t been easy in the past and I don’t expect this to be any different despite Rovers’ lowly league position and horrible form. They could see some key players return to the side and if they do have any fight in them surely they have to start showing it now or things will get even worse for their beleaguered manager. I’m not going to push any panic buttons, even if we don’t win this one frankly. That said though ahead of a run of fixtures that sees us play Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester City and Stoke it would be rather nice to take all three points on Saturday as we can’t expect an awful lot out of those games. I have one of my nagging doubts and I’m not entirely convinced this will be our day. Rovers need a lift and Rangers are excellent at helping out teams in distress so I’m going to take us for just a draw on Saturday, ten quid on one all would see a return of £70 from a £10 stake. iReader http://www.qprnet.com/index.php/match-previews/219-preview-blackburnh
Mackie must be patient, says QPR boss QPR manager Neil Warnock has told Jamie Mackie he must be patient in his bid to return to the starting line-up. The forward did not feature in a midweek reserve match against Tottenham but will be in the squad for Saturday’s Premier League game at home to Blackburn – nine months after breaking his leg in an FA Cup tie against the Lancashire side. Mackie, who made his long-awaited return as a substitute against Fulham last time out, has told Warnock he is now ready to start. But Warnock insisted: “We do have to be careful and be patient because you do tend to want to throw him in because he works so hard. I’ve never seen anyone work like him to get fit. “He didn’t play in the game against Spurs because we had a really tough training session which I wanted him to take part in. He’s absolutely fine though and he’ll tell you he’s ready now, but we won’t take any chances.” Warnock is assessing his options ahead of Saturday's game DJ Campbell appears to have finally recovered from the illness which has plagued him for the last couple of months and is also hoping to start for a Rangers side that has managed only one goal at Loftus Road this season – and that was an own goal by Aston Villa’s Richard Dunne. “There’s a few options we’re looking at and we have to score goals – especially at home, where we need to break teams down,” said Warnock. “We also have to be careful though because we have played well in most of the games this season and we don’t want a knee-jerk reaction.” On Saturday QPR will aim to set a record for the most money raised by football supporters during a Premier League match. Fans can donate by texting ‘QPRW12 £3’ to 70070. The texts are free to send and every penny donated will go to the QPR in the Community Trust. The initiative is being backed by former R’s defender Steve Wicks, who will appear on the pitch at half-time and encourage fans to donate. www.twitter.com/davidmcintyre76 www.twitter.com/westlondonsport iReader http://www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/mackie-must-be-patient-says-qpr-boss/
Beleaguered Blackburn boss knows defeat at QPR could spell the end - QPR - London 24 Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean Beleaguered Blackburn boss knows defeat at QPR could spell the end Ian Cooper Friday, October 14, 2011 12:00 PM Preview: QPR v Blackburn Rovers The axe could hardly be hovering any closer to Steve Kean’s head as he brings his Blackburn side to Loftus Road on Saturday desperate for a win. At odds of 5/4, Kean (pictured) is the favourite to be the first top-flight manager of the season to lose his job. His side have managed just four points from their first seven games, losing at home to Wolves, Everton and Manchester City, and picking up a solitary away point at Fulham. Their sole victory, a brave 4-3 win over Arsenal, briefly appeased the Rovers faithful, but a 4-0 hammering by City in their last game quickly had the vultures circling again. Blackburn midfielder David Dunn called for fans to be ‘realistic’ after the City result, but the grim reality for Kean is that his side sit second from bottom of the league, above only Bolton. It has certainly been an inauspicious start to his Blackburn career for centre-back Scott Dann, who signed from relegated Birmingham City on the final day of the summer transfer window. A defence with Dann and Christopher Samba at its heart should, in theory, be a solid bedrock for Blackburn, yet their back-line is yet to keep a clean sheet so far. Kean’s side are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, which can adapt to 4-5-1 when they are without the ball. In front of goalkeeper Paul Robinson, Dann and Samba will be flanked by either former Real Madrid star Michel Salgado or England Under-20 captain Jason Lowe on the right, and former France international Gael Givet at left-back. Serbian international Radosav Petrovic is a relatively unknown quantity on the right of midfield; an imposing figure at 6ft 4ins, Petrovic looks more suited to centre-back than midfield, but has 19 caps and has already made five appearances since he signed from Partizan Belgrade in July. Steven Nzonzi should occupy the central midfield berth, while Dunn adds a more physical option as he returns from the calf injury he sustained against Fulham in September. On the left of midfield Morten Gamst Pedersen is a threat, and decent from set pieces, although the Norwegian international rarely lives up to the standards he set earlier in his Blackburn career. Junior Hoilett is capable of playing either up front or in left midfield, and he is potentially Rovers’ most potent attacking weapon, having scored six goals last season – including the winner against QPR when the two sides met in the FA Cup third round in January. Another summer signing, David Goodwillie, is yet to net in the Premier League since his move from Dundee United, although he did score against Sheffield Wednesday in the Carling Cup. Former Everton, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth striker Yakubu leads the line for Kean’s side and is the club’s top scorer, with both his goals coming in the win over Arsenal in September. While both managers will feel he needs maximum points from this clash, only one faces potentially dire consequences if he fails. Rovers are unlikely to offer the same counter-attacking threat that both Aston Villa and Newcastle provided, and it could be the result that costs Kean his job – 2-1 to Rangers. Follow Ian Cooper on Twitter @QPRTimes iReader
QPR v Blackburn preview Hoops looking to pile more pressure on Steve Kean Last updated: 14th October 2011 Neil Warnock (l): Will be looking for a response from QPR Form Guide QPR: WLDWDL Blackburn: LLDWLL Injuries QPR: Hulse, Dyer, Gabbidon, Connolly Blackburn: Nelsen, Salgado SkyBet odds: QPR 4/5 Draw 5/2 Blackburn 7/2 Opta Stat: QPR have failed to score in four of their seven Premier League games and only netted via an own goal in one of the others (against Aston Villa). Related links Teams Blackburn Rovers Queens Park Rangers Also see Breaking newswire Experts Transfers £30 Free Matched Bet Sky on Twitter After spending two weeks reflecting on a 6-0 defeat to Fulham, QPR will be desperate to return to Premier League action this weekend and make amends for their Craven Cottage horror show with a win over struggling Blackburn. It has been a strange season so far for Neil Warnock's men, who began the campaign with a 4-0 home defeat by Bolton, before heading to Goodison Park to shock Everton 1-0. The takeover by Tony Fernandes and the subsequent pre-deadline day transfer splurge then raised expectations at Loftus Road, but any team with that many new players will take time to settle. Things looked to be clicking into place when Wolves were dismantled 3-0 at Molineux midway through September, but progress has since stalled - only a last gasp Richard Dunne own-goal spared them another home defeat against Aston Villa before their nightmare by the Thames a fortnight ago. A first home win and some signs of consistency will be at the forefront of Neil Warnock's mind on Saturday. Rovers boss Steve Kean will argue that he needs the points even more; they currently sit second from bottom with just one win from their opening seven games and the fans are restless - with protests at each of their last two home league games and more planned in the near future. Even a mid-season promotional trip to India, the home of owners Venky's, could not provide the embattled Rovers boss with some respite - a 'Kean out' banner being unfurled in the stands at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune during a friendly last weekend. The Scot insists he will not walk away from the job and he retains the backing of Venky's, though co-owner Venkatesh Rao's revelation that their current position is 'painful' and that 'results must improve' suggests Kean needs to turn things around and fast. The Lancashire club can point to a decent record against QPR as reason for optimism - they have lost just one of the last 11 meetings with the Hoops, winning the last three Premier League meetings by a 1-0 scoreline and also beating them by the same score in the FA Cup earlier this year. However, most of those games stretch back 10 years or more and a run of just one win and eight defeats from their last 12 away games suggests the Rovers faithful could be in for some capital punishment at Loftus Road this weekend. Team news Danny Gabbidon looks likely to miss out for QPR with a knee injury that has sidelined him since the win at Wolves last month, while Kieron Dyer is facing yet another long lay-off after suffering a setback in his recovery from a foot injury and Rob Hulse also remains a long-term absentee. Warnock can though welcome back Armand Traore after completing a one-match ban for his dismissal against Aston Villa last month. Rovers have no new injuries to contend with, meaning Kean could call upon the services of Michel Salgado as he returns to full fitness following a hamstring injury. Midfielder David Dunn is also expected to be fit after missing the last three matches with a calf strain while defender Ryan Nelsen is approaching a comeback following knee surgery. Martin Olsson is also available again after suspension. Possible starting XIs QPR: Kenny, Traore, Hall, Young, Ferdinand, Derry, Taarabt, Faurlin, Barton, Wright-Phillips,Bothroyd. Blackburn: Robinson, Givet, Dann, Samba,Olsson, Pedersen, Petrovic, Nzonzi, Hoilett, Goodwillie, Yakubu. iReader http://www.skysports.com/football/match_preview/0,19764,11065_3407772,00.html
GAFFER EXPECTS OPEN ROVERS CLASH Neil Warnock is expecting an open affair ahead of Blackburn Rovers' visit to Loftus Road on Saturday. The R's head into tomorrow's clash with Steve Kean's men eager to put aside our recent derby day defeat at Fulham, while Rovers are in desperate need of points to claw themselves out of the Premier League drop zone. And Warnock reckons that will lead to an attacking spectacle. He told www.qpr.co.uk: "Both sets of players will be intent on winning. "I think that's the attitude of nearly every team in the division nowadays - home and away. "You're bound to be disappointed after a drubbing, but training has been good (since Fulham). "We had a good battle against Blackburn in the FA Cup in January. "They're full of top players - as everyone is in the Premier League - but we're hoping that we can get a bit closer to them on Saturday." The R's were forced to contend with a number of injuries - as well as the suspension of Armand Traore - last time out at Craven Cottage. There's better news for Warnock this time around, however, with only Danny Gabbidon - as well as long-term injury victim Kieron Dyer - set to miss tomorrow's visit of Blackburn. "We've got no fresh injury concerns but Danny Gabbidon will definitely be out," Warnock continued. "It's touch and go but hopefully Matt Connolly will be ready too. "The injuries that we had, as well as Armand Traore's suspension, was a massive blow ahead of the Fulham game. "It just shows you that we need to keep lads together - we need everybody." Rangers are in Premier League action at home for the first time in three weeks on Saturday, and Warnock has also called on the Loftus Road faithful to keep up their recent outstanding support. Warnock said: "The fans were absolutely fantastic at Fulham. They appreciate how quickly we've got to where we are. "It's great for us to have that kind of support. "It would have been easy to slaughter us, but the support was amazing and I really do appreciate it." iReader
Dunn 'touch and go' for Rovers http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.u...news/9307074.Dunn__touch_and_go__for_Rovers/?
QPR’s gentle induction ends with vital Blackburn visit – full match preview http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/fb_news.php?storyid=14391
The QPR Box Office is delighted to confirm our home fixture against Blackburn Rovers at Loftus Road on Saturday is now a complete sell out. This includes the Members' Area, Family Area and Restricted View seats. This match is ALL TICKET for all home and away supporters - to avoid disappointment, please do not travel to the stadium without a ticket. Thank you once again for your FAN-tastic support.
Warnock: Our El is over now NEIL WARNOCK insists there is no bad blood between QPR and Blackburn — now that the "sewer rat" has jumped ship at Rovers. The two clubs meet today for the first time since their FA Cup clash in January when Rangers striker Jamie Mackie suffered a double broken leg. Hoops boss Warnock branded El-Hadji Diouf a "sewer rat" for standing over Mackie and taunting him as he was writhing in agony. Diouf is no longer at Ewood Park and Warnock said: "There was nothing wrong between the clubs. "It wasn't anything to do with both sets of players, it was just one particular individual whose name I don't even want to mention." Meanwhile, QPR have cancelled the contract of Italian Alessandro Pellicori. The striker, 30, arrived at Loftus Road two years ago but was loaned out to Italians Mantova and Torino. iReader
some streams, good luck with them! http://www.firstrowsports.tv/sport/football.html http://www.lshunter.tv/football-live-streaming-video-all.html http://www.vipbox.tv/sports/football.html http://www.epl424.org/
En Route as we speak meeting my lads at CJ then lunch and then to LR Great day Say hello if you are there I am in lime green corduroys 7-3 to us? Maybe I was hasty
QPR XI: Kenny, Young, Hall, Ferdinand, Traore, Derry, Faurlin, Barton Wright-Phillips, Mackie, Helguson Subs: Murphy, Orr, Taarabt, Bothroyd, Buzsaky, Smith, Puncheon. Blackburn XI: Robinson, Salgado, Olsson, Samba, Givet, Dann, Petrovic, Nzonzi, Hoilett, Roberts, Lowe. Blackburn Subs: Formica, Bunn, Rochina, Yakubu, Goodwillie, Vukcevic, Hanley Great to see Mackie back in the team but no DJ in the squad
think i saw somewhere that djs injured, bit worrying really as he's the only one that looks sharp up front for us at the moment...but i agree, good to see mackie back, hope he's still got the passion and the work-rate, although wouldnt be surprised to see him subbed off for bothroyd or taarabt at some point if he's looking tired. COYRs
