Leave that wasp alone - preview Monday, 24th Mar 2014 22:23 by Clive Whittingham QPR face a difficult task on Tuesday night as they welcome the division’s form side Wigan to Loftus Road in a battle between fourth and fifth in the Championship Queens Park Rangers (4th) v Wigan Athletic (5th)Old First Division, Old Old Second Division >>> Tuesday March 24, 2014 >>> Kick Off 19.45 >>> Loftus Road , London , W12 So there we all sat, me and half a dozen other of the similarly afflicted members of the international television business community, peering up at the big screen in Cannes’ premiere Irish sports bar, watching it all unfold. QPR v Wigan, a thousand miles from comfort, in an unlikely setting. This fixture last season coincided with an event called MipTV, which is held in Cannes once a year and brings all the executives from every television channel in the world together in one place to buy and sell programmes while the rest of us chase them around the zoo and try to work out what on earth is going on. And while it’s always a ball ache to the beyond help die hards like myself to miss a match for a work event, even a work event somewhere warm and sunny, it really should not have mattered that day. QPR were down, relegated by monumental defensive calamities the previous week at Aston Villa and Fulham — two defeats in winnable games that had undone all the good work of consecutive wins against Southampton and Sunderland the week before. But you’d never have known it to look at us all in that bar, gripping the sides of our chairs and necking neat whiskey. We were definitely, definitely, absolutely, certainly relegated when Bobby Zamora decided, after weeks of limping around, that his bad hip was alright after all — or alright enough to lift his leg above his head and stud Jordi Gomez in the face for an obvious red card in any case — but they say it’s the hope that kills you and so we pressed on with the game, with the whiskey, and with the faint flicker of optimism that it might be alright after all. When, ten minutes from time, Stephane Mbia launched a counter attack from an aborted Wigan free kick routine he teed up Loic Remy for a first time shot on the run that hummed into the top corner like no effort on goal I’ve ever seen before. The ball hung still in the air, while travelling at a million miles an hour. It nearly ripped the net off the back of the posts. In Cannes I found myself running towards the screen, presumably intending to jump through it and land in my seat in W12 as if it were some sort of magical vortex opening up. As we all know, QPR became known in the 2012/13 Premier League for being bloody stupid. Like an errant child who shouldn’t be left unsupervised for too long they were rarely more than half an hour away from a total disaster on or off the pitch all season long. Don’t touch that wasp sweetheart, don’t touch that wasp sweetheart, don’t touch that wasp sweetheart…. Stung. On that occasion the R’s, and Mbia in particular, decided the best way to defend a single goal lead in a do or die relegation six pointer while playing with ten men was to start conceding a succession of presentable free kicks around the edge of the QPR penalty box. The last of those came four minutes into injury time and was whipped, with the final kick of the game, into the top corner by Shaun Maloney. In the end, Wigan were relegated as well. The goal did nothing to save their own skin, and effectively relegated QPR in the process — the R’s didn’t win any of the remaining six games after that. But for the small band of travelling fans that day, the unrivalled feeling of joy that can only come with the lesser spotted last minute goal was theirs to take home and hold onto. Not only that but later in the season they won the FA Cup, against all the odds, with another injury time strike from Ben Watson. It’s a relief to hear from Wigan fans that although it seems the run to Wembley and subsequent titanic struggle with the billion pound City team hamstrung in the league and prevented their annual great escape from relegation, they wouldn’t swap the cup for Premier League status. The Latics, more than most, embrace the old fashioned ideal that days out at Wembley, trophies and medals are what the sport is for, rather than early cup exist and making sure you cement seventeenth place in a top division you have no chance of ever winning. They’re back again this year — three trips to Wembley inside 12 months — imagine that. Just imagine that. Lucky sods. On Tuesday night it’s Championship action though, as fourth meets fifth in the second tier at Loftus Road. There could be any number of angles to look at this game from for the overworked LFW match previewer. I considered analysing whether Saturday’s win at Middlesbrough is a turning point for the R’s or not. Then I wondered whether a piece pointing out how Uwe Rosler is very cleverly furthering his managerial reputation by pitching up first at the excellently run League One outfit Brentford, then the similarly stable and sensible Wigan club, would be in order and comparing it to the struggles of whoever the QPR manager is amidst the farce that permeates every corner of our shambolically organised set up. It crossed my mind that a piece talking about how Peter Skapetis, an Australian youth international who has scored freely for QPR’s junior teams, played today for Stoke’s Under 21s, presumably with a view to a move there, and how you couldn’t possibly blame any young player at Loftus Road for looking elsewhere given that Rangers time and time and time and time again show that they’d far rather sign somebody over 30, or loan in a Premier League youngster, than give a run to one of their own. And I thought about a compare and contrast feature, looking at whether Wigan or QPR are really equipped to go back into the top flight next year and do any differently from how they did last term. But then I looked at that Shaun Maloney goal, and the Wigan reaction to it. And I looked at that ball at Middlesbrough on Saturday hitting a stray bottle cap, leaping over the goalkeeper’s foot, and being rolled into the empty net by Bobby Zamora of all people. And I remembered the reaction in the away end, and the riotous train journey home, and it occurred to me that football can still be fun. Even in a season as dreary as this, following a club as abysmally run as QPR are, there have been the occasional Tom Hitchcock, Ipswich away, Zamora at Middlesbrough moments. Occasionally, particularly in troubled times, perhaps it’s healthy to stop analysing, criticising and panicking and just try to enjoy the football — even if it’s just for one match preview out of 49. Step away from a situation you have no power or control over and look at the sport for what it is — a sport. QPR have made that mighty difficult this season with a drab, unimaginative, flawed approach to the modern possession-based game and a cavalier attitude to book keeping, but here on Tuesday we have the division’s form team against a Rangers side that can actually play a bit if it really puts its mind to it and has a point to prove having won only once against the top six teams in eight attempts this season. Under the lights at Loftus Road how wonderful it would be to see these two sides really go at each other, play to win the game, play to score goals rather than simply keep hold of the ball, and serve us up a real classic. Come on sweetheart, leave that wasp alone. Links >>> http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/34511/furlongs-last >>> http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/34510/highly-rated- >>> http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/34513>Opposition Profile This TuesdayTeam News: QPR's problems have eased ever so slightly ahead of this match. Richard Dunne is back from a one match ban, although given his declining form and a decent showing from Clint Hill and Nedum Onuoha at Middlesbrough , he may struggle to get back in. No such problems for Danny Simpson, who was back on the bench at the Riverside Stadium for the first time in two months and will waltz back in ahead of Aaron Hughes as soon as he's fit. Benoit Assou Ekotto was also tipped to be available for this game by Harry Redknapp last week, but Yun Suk-Young's man of the match display at left back on Saturday may see the Cameroon full back, who has been in dreadful form, left out regardless of fitness. Karl Henry missed out at the weekend with flu but should be fit here. Bobby Zamora scored as a substitute at the weekend which probably means Harry Redknapp will repeat the mistake of starting him on Tuesday despite him showing several times this season that he's much more effective coming off the bench. Kevin Doyle, Charlie Austin, Max Ehmer, Ale Faurlin and Matt Phillips are all long term absentees. Wigan welcome back two players from long term injury for this one. Shaun Maloney, scorer of that cruel last second equaliser in this fixture last season, has been out for six months with a back injury but is in the squad which has travelled to London for the game. Gary Caldwell has been out even longer — not a single appearance this season so far — but he too has travelled and is available. Nick Powell, on loan from Manchester United, is apparently in line for a recall. Elsewhere: Ahhh Billy Davies. A brilliant Championship manager, consumed by bitterness and paranoia to the point where he’s useless to anybody. Imagine if he just got on with managing the football team, imagine how good that would be. You’ve just imagined his Preston North End team, which he came close on two occasions to taking into the Premier League. Having treated Nottingham Trees’ quest to make the play offs as a sideshow to the real business of seeking revenge against all those who wronged him the first time, he’s fallen on his sword. And here comes Neil Warnock, fresh from retirement number three, to save the day. The Trees start their latest brave new era at home to Charlton. Home straight now for Burnley and Leicester who should make short work of Doncaster and Yeovil at home this Tuesday night. Third placed Derby Rams got to Ipswich Tractor. What else do we have here? Bolton v Blackpool is a derby from yesteryear, and takes place at roughly the same time as Huddersfield v Middlesbrough. I say the two winners play-off to determine once and for all who is the northernest of all the northern sides while Leeds are busy on their three day trek back from Bournemouth. Millwall v Birmingham will fight to determine who is the best of the teams who play in a plain blue home shirt. Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton shall do likewise in stripes. Which leaves Reading v Barnsley, which has consequences at both ends of the table, and Watford v Blackburn, which not even the good people of Watford or Blackburn care very much about. Referee: Simon Hooper is the top rated referee of the season so far on LFW with a mark of nine for his handling of our January game with Huddersfield at Loftus Road. He's back on Tuesday night, the latest big Championship appointment he's had this season suggesting he's being strongly considered for the step up to the Premier League next year. For his full QPR case history and recent stats please http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/34510/highly-rated- here. FormQPR: Rangers are currently in a win-lose-win-lose pattern spread across five matches. Unfortunately, having followed a 3-0 defeat at Sheff Wed with a 3-1 success at Middlesbrough at the weekend, that would set them up for a defeat here if it continues. Opening it up further, while Wigan have won nine and drawn one of their last ten, Rangers have only won three of theirs, losing five. They're now ten points away from second placed Burnley, but level with third placed Derby on 66 points, and perhaps more importantly nine points clear of seventh placed Forest with just nine matches of the season to go. The R's have kept 16 clean sheets in the league this season but have lost their prized record as the league's best defence to Brighton with recent leaks against Albion and Sheff Wed. Wigan: The Latics are flying — nine wins and a draw from their last ten games, and only two defeats in the last 23, has propelled them to fifth in the league, just four points behind QPR with a game in hand. It has also taken them back to Wembley for an FA Cup semi final and their impressive away wins at Cardiff and Man City in that competition are joined by recent victories at fellow play off chasers Nottingham Forest (4-1) and Brighton (2-1). In fact Wigan have won six consecutive away games since a January defeat at Huddersfield . They're scoring freely as well — 24 goals in this ten game run, 16 of them in the six away games. Overall this season they won eight, drawn two and lost eight on the road so although we've both gone for a draw in the predictions this week, it would seem an unlikely score on the stats side of things. QPR face a tough task here. Prediction: Reigning Prediction League champion Mase tells us… "It's a pity there's no play-off's for the Prediction League. It would make the remainder of the season much more interesting, wouldn't it? Just like in the Championship, it could imbue the remaining fixtures with a degree of tension not otherwise forthcoming. I am not sure what the prize would be for winning such a playoff, unlike the Championship playoff where winners gleefully play gatecrasher at a party they have no right, performance wise, to be at. On Tuesday, nearly a year to the day Rangers last faced Wigan here, with cataclysmic consequences, we are going toe-to-toe again. This time, it's for the right to enter a lottery to win a ticket to a competition we both bombed at last time. Arses handed on a plate to us regularly and Prediction Leagues won by those who could best pin the tail on the donkey and guess how many Liverpool , Spurs, Everton, West bloody Brom or whoever we played next would declare at while we busily tried our best not to score. Me, as it turned out. "The idea that Neil Warnock will likely shortly be holding aloft the scarf of one of QPR's promotion playoff rivals at Forest is enough to make me think back to our first full season under his leadership. Teamwork, flexibility of personnel to the cause, care and commitment all abounded from that team. On Saturday at the Boro we were fortunate, by all accounts, to get into the dressing room at 1-1 and then the farcical scenes in injury time at the end of the game put a spin on the outcome that many a Crimean electoral returning officer would have been proud of. None of the characteristics of Warnock's team seem in abundant supply now, but in Ravel Morrison we have someone on the team who can compensate for at least some of the sweat we're not breaking. "Wigan will be our toughest game for some time after a nominally benign run against some of the lesser lights of the league. Despite surprisingly failing to beat Yeovil last week they have it in their hands to overhaul Rangers, enjoying one of those fabled Games In Hand to boot. They still have to play Leicester and Burnley, and of course their ongoing involvement in the FA Cup is adding to the fixture backlog they have to cope with (and which, 12 months ago, was blamed in some quarters for a limp display away to Arsenal shortly after a victory in the latter stages of that competition to all but relegate them). If that were true, and the competition has a similar effect this year, I expect Wigan to fall away slightly. However, for the purposes of Tuesday, I think a draw would suit both sides more than they care to admit. Hopefully it's a better game than in 2012/13. I'm going for a draw but can I be quietly optimistic we may concede one less than them?" Mase's Prediction: QPR 2-2 Wigan . Scorer: Morrison LFW Prediction: QPR 1-1 Wigan . Scorer: Morrison The Twitter @loftforwords Pictures — Action Images Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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