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Match Day Thread Sunderland v QPR

Discussion in 'Queens Park Rangers' started by QPR999, Oct 13, 2017.

  1. QPR999

    QPR999 Well-Known Member
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    QUEENS Park Rangers will make their furthest trip of the season when facing recently relegated Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this weekend.

    The 554 mile round trip to Wearside is the first of two back to back away games with the R’s playing Bolton next week. With both teams currently languishing in the relegation zone, on paper the upcoming games represent an ideal chance for the Hoops to break their duck on the road this season.

    Sunderland are looking to rebuild after a difficult last few seasons. Despite being in the Premier League, life as a Black Cats fan has not been the most enjoyable with the club flirting with relegation for the past four years.

    However, last year they left themselves with too much to do and their relegation to the Championship was sealed. Former manager David Moyes resigned in May and their two best players Jermaine Defoe and Jordan Pickford both departed in the summer.

    This has left new manager Simon Grayson, who they appointed after a good season with Preston North End, with a huge rebuilding task.

    Adjusting to life in the Championship after a relegation can be difficult and Sunderland have made a particularly bad start, winning just won of their opening 11 games and find themselves second from bottom.

    Many of their issues have been defensively – only Bolton and Burton Albion have conceded more than Grayson’s side and Bolton are also the only team to have picked up less points at home than the Black Cats.

    But if Sunderland want to draw some inspiration for the rest of the season they only need to look at some of the quality they possess in their squad. Players such as the towering centre half Lamine Kone and skillful winger Aiden McGeady are talents that every manager in the division would like to be able to call upon.

    There’s also proven Premier League options such as Lee Cattermole, Bryan Oviedo and John O’Shea that Grayson has at his disposal which leads to the conclusion that this is currently an under-performing side that won’t be in the bottom three for too long.

    But whilst they are down there and struggling for form, Ian Holloway will know that Saturday presents an opportunity for his side to pick up some points on the road. The atmosphere at the Stadium of Light can be difficult for the home side and a good start from the R’s could be key to how the game plays out.

    The international break probably came at the right time for Ollie’s side after a run of five games without a victory, it’s given the team a chance to refresh and go again.

    With four important games coming up in October the main challenge for Rangers is to start showing some consistency in performances and results, especially away from home, to help climb up what is a very tight looking Championship table.


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    Stats
    • Sunderland have won just three league games at home in the last 12 months
    • Only Birmingham City (1) have picked up less points on the road than QPR this season (2)
    • Just one draw between the two sides in the last 10 games in all competitions


    Manager Viewpoints
    Ian Holloway: “We’ve just got to get about our business. So far to only pick up two points on the road from how we’ve played is pretty criminal really but we can’t blame anyone else except ourselves. Simon Grayson is a fantastic manager and it’s a tough place to go but they are struggling at the minute so let’s give it a go and see how we do.”

    Simon Grayson: “It will be a tough game. We all know what Ian’s (Holloway) like he’ll be kicking every ball and have his team fired up. We’ve watched them over the last few weeks and they have played a few different systems so don’t really know what to expect from them but what I do know is they are a hungry side and desperate to do well.”

    Team News
    QPR: Massimo Luongo is fit and available to play after being away on international duty with Australia. Ian Holloway also confirmed that Jordan Cousins could be included in the 18 but the game comes too soon for Grant Hall who made his return from injury for the Under-23s during the week but still needs to build up his match fitness.

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    Sunderland: Youngster Josh Maja could return to the Sunderland squad after overcoming a knee injury that has kept him out for the season. Both Paddy McNair and Lewis Grabban are close to a return but won’t feature on Saturday.

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    Referee
    Steve Martin: First time refereeing a QPR match in almost a year. Last game was 15th October 2016 against Reading.

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    A Sunderland Fans View

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    Can Sunderland finally end their home hoodoo with the defeat of Queens Park Rangers? There’s a compelling argument that this is the weekend they will. Rangers are 16th and without an away win this season, while Sunderland looked reinvigorated at Preston and the return of Duncan Watmore to the fold is an inestimable boost, even if he doesn’t start the match, which he is unlikely to.

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    Those players away on international duty have all returned unscathed and with Jonny Williams fit, though obviously disappointed that Wales failed to qualify for the World Cup, the home game against QPR gives him the perfect opportunity to run that out of his system. Even if he doesn’t start the match, he is sure to be involved at some point. Aiden McGeady again proved what an asset he is with his performance at Deepdale.

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    There are a few in the QPR team that are no strangers to Simon Grayson. Alex Baptiste, Joel Lynch and Alex Smithies all played for him at Blackpool or Huddersfield. One player to keep an eye on is summer signing David Wheeler who began the season with Exeter City. The winger cum forward played for Exeter at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland’s 6-3 League Cup win and scored for the League Two outfit, and could well come back into Ian Holloway’s starting line-up this weekend.

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    Ian Holloway has, of course, a strong pedigree at this level having managed a number of teams in this division though his Rangers side have faltered of late with no win since a 2-1 home win over Ipswich at the beginning of September. More tellingly, though, Queens Park Rangers have not won away since a 4-1 win at Birmingham in February. One can hark back to QPR’s last season in the Premier League when in 2015 they arrived at the Stadium without an away win all season only to leave with three points after a 2-0 victory, but I sense this weekend the tables may be turned on the West Londoners.

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    #1
  2. Kilburn

    Kilburn Well-Known Member

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    Nice one Nines

    Re: "the first of two back to back away games with the R’s playing Bolton next week. With both teams currently languishing in the relegation zone, on paper the upcoming games represent an ideal chance for the Hoops to break their duck on the road this season."

    Hopefully these next two away games are not where the home sides finally get their acts together. I'm more hopeful for us getting a result at Bolton and would settle for a draw tomorrow at Sunderland.
     
    #2
  3. goldcoast hoop

    goldcoast hoop Well-Known Member

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    Suppose we will kick start there season
     
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  4. Ranger4ever

    Ranger4ever Well-Known Member

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    Brilliant match day thread. Well done Mr 999's

    Result to match please
     
    #4
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  5. Tramore Ranger

    Tramore Ranger Well-Known Member
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    C'mon U R's.....

    I'd take 4 point from these 2 games against Sunderland and Bolton..........
     
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  6. Sooperhoop

    Sooperhoop Well-Known Member

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    If we lose these two we're deep in the brown stuff, if we win them we're top half. Crazy league but I won't be happy till we pass the 50 point mark and that seems an awful long way off. Birmingham's win last night didn't help...
     
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  7. QPR999

    QPR999 Well-Known Member
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    Crikey, I wonder what he's up to now ?

    Ollie: '' We are looking at doing something else this weekend, a slight tweak. I believe it will work. ''
     
    #7
  8. Hoops Eternal

    Hoops Eternal Well-Known Member

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    Great stuff as usual nines, thanks.
     
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  9. QPR999

    QPR999 Well-Known Member
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    Sunderland haven't kept a clean sheet this season. C'mon R's today's the day to stop being the gift that keeps on giving.
     
    #9
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  10. Sooperhoop

    Sooperhoop Well-Known Member

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    This sounds very QPR...

     
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  11. QPR999

    QPR999 Well-Known Member
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    That's an excerpt from Clive W's match preview ...


    Plot twists or same old story? Preview

    Friday, 13th Oct 2017 09:33 by Clive Whittingham

    Two away games in a week usually means one thing for QPR, but against the bottom two in the league something surely has to change if there’s any hope of anything this season.

    Another vitally important and wildly entertaining international break/dark fortnight spent staring into the black abyss of how miserable your life would be if club football wasn’t in it, has finished. A fresh dose of Championship methadone is ready and waiting to pacify the discerning footballing heroin addict up in Sunderland this Saturday (somewhere between Newcastle and the moon if we recall correctly).

    Sunderland away a trip of such great distance and expense for what remains of QPR’s away support that it is frankly a miracle to see it taking place on a Saturday at 15.00 and not on a Tuesday morning, or Thursday tea time, or just before midnight on a Monday, at the behest of the Football League CEO/six foot cum rag Shaun Harvey.

    Harvey, friend of the site, insisted publicly this week the league believes all the local games that are easy to get to should be played on Saturday so more people can go, while all the long-distance and hard-to-reach trips should be played during the week necessitating two days off work and a 1am ride in the lift at the Premier Inn Blackburn with a Vauxhall Insignia-driving stationary salesman and whatever toothless hooker he found shivering down the side of the Wetherspoons. Awareness and knowledge of the target not seen since Harvey Weinstein published his book of chat up lines. From Shaun Harvey, that is, not the Blackburn whore - she knows her market.

    Continued here ... https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/46730
     
    #11
  12. Kilburn

    Kilburn Well-Known Member

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    #12
  13. Rangers Til I Die

    Rangers Til I Die Well-Known Member

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    Great thread. Thank you.
    Hoping for an away win today.
    COYRss.
     
    #13
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  14. QPR999

    QPR999 Well-Known Member
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  15. Hoops Eternal

    Hoops Eternal Well-Known Member

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    Why will he not start Washington?
     
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  16. Frome-Ranger

    Frome-Ranger Well-Known Member

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    Dropping the player who is apparently the first name on his team sheet these days by the looks of it.
     
    #16
  17. Totallyqpr

    Totallyqpr Well-Known Member

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    Robinson has broken a bone in his hand at training. Another defender out!
     
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  18. Sooperhoop

    Sooperhoop Well-Known Member

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    Robinson crocked again...<doh>
     
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  19. sb_73

    sb_73 Well-Known Member

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    So far this season he has played at least one ‘defensive’ wing back i.e a fullback. Today he isn’t.
     
    #19
  20. Frome-Ranger

    Frome-Ranger Well-Known Member

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    Ah that explains it, damn that kid is unlucky.
     
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