Gary Borrowdale has joined League One side Carlisle on a month long loan deal. Back at Loftus Road another game has been moved for Sky coverage.
Borrowdale, still only 25, has only featured three times for the R’s this season and has been something of a figure of fun to QPR fans since arriving from Coventry in 2008. He was brought to the club on loan initially just as Iain Dowie was sacked and although new boss Paulo Sousa neither wanted nor rated the player the deal had already been agreed and he signed anyway. A loan spell at Charlton followed, before Jim Magilton found use for him briefly. Mainly though he has been a mainstay of our reserve side, rarely even making the bench for the first team.
Carlisle are in the running for the League One play offs and made the final of the JP Trophy tonight by beating Huddersfield over two legs – a game in which Borrowdale made his first start.
Carlisle boss Greg Abbott told the club’s official website: “With the injury to Joe Dudgeon we wanted to bring someone in to provide competition for places in that area, and Gary fits the bill.He is a player who needs football and he jumped at the chance of coming here, and we think he's a good one to add to the mix. He is experienced and he's ready to go, and we are looking forward to working with him."
Borrowdale said: “I only found out about the chance of a move here on Sunday but once I did it was all sorted within half an hour. I'm at a stage in my career where I just want to play games, so I saw the move as a good opportunity for me to do just that as chances are a bit limited for me at QPR currently. QPR are doing brilliantly this season but for me it's a bit frustrating watching from the sidelines. Every player just wants to be out there playing football but at the moment I can't really argue with the manager's team selections as he's got the club right up there at the top of the Championship.
"One of the guys down there knows the manager here and he told me it would be a good move. He said the club likes to play football and that I'll get treated well, and my first impressions are that is definitely the case.
“I know that my first game could potentially be a massive one but I'm ready for that. When I looked up some of the results the first leg of the JPT area final was the one that stood out. It's a great lead to have going into the second leg but we've got to be wary that Huddersfield are a strong side and will be having a right good go to try and get back in the tie.
"I'm probably a more defensive full-back but when I get the chance I like to try and get forward and give support down the wing. I've noticed the club has one of the best defensive records in the division and hopefully I can help keep that up while I'm here."
Elsewhere Neil Warnock has been signing the praises of another of his left footed players Petter Vaagan Moen who may be in line for a start against Nottingham Forest this Sunday with Hogan Ephraim suspended and Tommy Smith sstruggling with injury.
Warnock told the Kilburn Times: “Petter’s fitted in. When I watched him, I always knew he was an English kind of player – he’s not afraid of a tackle. He’s got a great left foot, takes good free-kicks and there’s his personality – he’s bubbly and everybody likes him. He’s given us a new dimension because, up to now, we’ve only had Faurlin who’s a natural left-footer. We thought, in the circumstances, he’d be a good signing. He’s going to try and establish himself over the next couple of years and I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t play a lot of the games in that time.”
Clint Hill has also been speaking today, telling the Ealing Gazette that this QPR team is the best side he has played in. Hill, a 32 year old veteran of more than 400 appearances at Oldham, Stoke and Palace and a League Cup finalist with Tranmere, said: “"This is the best team I've played with in terms of the quality of players that we've got. Palace was a different situation, we had a great squad there and were on a great run, as we are now. But individual players and everything, this is the best team I've played in. I'm enjoying every minute and glad that I'm here.
"Taarbs is brilliant. You know what you're going to get from him. He's an outstanding talent, and will always get you a goal or win you a game. He's the best player I've played with, the things he can do with the ball are outstanding. I'm glad I'm not playing against him."
Finally the all too familiar feeling of a fixture change descended on the message boards today. Yet another Saturday 3pm kick off at Loftus Road has bitten the dust with Sky Sports choosing to show our match against Sheffield Unite on Monday, April 4, at 7.45pm. The game was originally scheduled two days earlier. It means that Rangers now have only three Saturday 3pm kick offs at Loftus Road left this season, against Derby, Palace and Leicester, having not played at home at the traditional time since the last weekend in November. Rangers will now have played just 12 of their home matches at 3pm on a Saturday this season.
The game against Neil Warnock’s former club could be a crucial one with QPR riding high at the top of the league while the Blades, on their third permanent manager of the season already, are currently in the relegation zone.
There was good news for one of our former charges, but bad news for two others at the real St James’ Park on Monday evening. Marcus Bean is set to play at Wembley for the first time in his career after his Brentford side beat Exeter 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate in the southern final of the Johnston’s Paint Trophy. Bean’s delight was in stark contrast to the mood of Exeter striking duo Jamie Cureton and Daniel Nardiello. Despite dominating the first leg and going into the home game as favourites, against a Bees side without a manager following the sacking of Andy Scott, the Grecians failed to perform and were beaten even more easily than the scoreline suggests. The silver lining to the Nardiello cloud was provided by way of an eye catching late goal – but by then it was mere consolation.
Bean made 76 appearances for Rangers between 2002 and 2006 after graduating from the youth set up at Loftus Road. He was released on a free transfer to Blackpool in 2006 and has been with Brentford since 2008. Nardiello was signed from Barnsley on a free transfer by John Gregory in 2007 but made just eight appearances without scoring as the club was taken over and better players were brought in. He was given to Blackpool as part of the comporimse to smooth the transfer of Kaspars Gorkss to Loftus Road. He has since had permanent and loan spells with Barnsley, Blackpool, Hartlepool, Bury, Oldham and now Exeter. Cureton scored seven goals, four of them against Coventry and two against Port Vale, for QPR between February 2004 and June 2005. He was released to Swindon but soon joined Colchester and enjoyed an outstanding 24 goal season in the Championship earning him a move back to his first club Norwich. Now aged 35 he has 11 goals for League One Exeter this season.
- PFA chairman Gordon Taylor has criticised under pressure Derby boss for branding striker Tomasz Cywka as “not very bright” after he conceded pressure prior to Portsmouth’s late equaliser against the Rams at the weekend. David Nugent’s last minute goal continued a run of just one win from 12 games for Derby. Taylor said: “It cannot be appropriate to criticise your team in such a way in public. We'll sort things out...otherwise it looks an untenable situation. It's a breach of the trust between the players and the manager and the manager and the players, but I would hope that Nigel sees it that way as well.”
- Norwich vice chairman Michael Foulger has bought a further £2m worth of shares in the club – money which the Canaries say will be erring fenced for manager Paul Lambert to spend on players.
- Sought after striker Steve Morrison has committed his future to Millwall by signing a new contract to 2013. Manager Kenny Jackett said: “Steve's very optimistic about the future here. He conducted himself very well throughout the transfer window when there had been a lot of speculation."
- Leicester say they are looking to loan out their reigning Player of the Year Jack Hobbs. Nigel Pearson is interested in bringing the 22 year old to Hull while the Foxes are chasing Chelsea’s 19 year old defender Jeffrey Bruma on loan.
- Forest manager Billy Davies says the news that midfield powerhouse Guy Moussi is likely to miss the rest of the season with a torn thigh muscle is a “disaster”. Davies said: “It's a massive blow and the timescale will definitely be around the 12-week mark - which is a disaster. It's bad news for the player and bad news for the club."