Martin Atkinson is in charge at Loftus Road on Saturday – one of the top referees in the country at the moment but not somebody who QPR have a good record with.
Referee >>> Martin Atkinson (West Yorkshire), top Premiership referee who QPR are yet to win with in seven attempts.
Assistants >>> Mike Mullakrey (Devon) and Andy Newbold (Leicestershire)
Fourth Official >>> Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire), awarded QPR a penalty in a 3-0 win at Sheffield United in August.
Stoke 1 QPR 0, Saturday December 9, 2006
In the 16th minute Stoke cut through down the R's left again and this time there was nothing Royce could do to prevent them taking the lead. Fuller ran in the wrong side of Milanese and the pair pulled and pushed each other for twenty yards until they reached the area and Fuller predictably hit the deck. Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot before the big Jamaican had even had a chance to complete his first roll.
Higginbotham took his usual penalty - hard and straight down the middle - to put Stoke one up. It was no more than they deserved.
Then a superb inswinging free kick from Mauro Milanese had goal written all over it but Nygaard failed to make contact at the back post and the ball drifted a couple of inches wide. Finally Jimmy Smith looked to be tripped just inside the area but his theatrical fall did him no favours and the appeals were waved away. For me, the Blackstock incident was a better shout and would have been given as a free kick anywhere else on the field, or as a penalty at the other end.
Rangers wouldn't have deserved a penalty equaliser even if they had been awarded. Furlong was introduced for Blackstock and although he looked sharp and got the ball moving a bit the chronic lack of width provided by the formation meant they never looked like scoring and Stoke were always comfortable. Marcus Bignot's mishit cross which Simonsen claimed right under his bar was as good as it got - and there's no way in the world that can be counted as a shot.
Just to infuriate the travelling faithful further the only chance to get a decent cross in the box with this formation was from corners and after taking a dismal short one in the first half, Milanese and Smith did exactly the same in the second half and it was again blocked away without reaching the penalty area. Quickly taken short corners when two on one out wide are a good idea, short corners when Stoke are back and it's two on two by the flag are a stupid, idiotic waste of time, which ironically is what this trip north turned out to be for the QPR fans.
Milanese compounded matters with a yellow card for a cynical handball preventing a Stoke break on halfway. Atkinson allowed an advantage to unfold before returning to book Milanese later. Nygaard was also carded for a clumsy foul on Duberry.
Stoke Simonsen n/a, Hoefkens 7, Duberry 8, Higginbotham 7, Griffin 8,Lawrence 8, Diao 7 (Brammer 80, -), Russell 7, Hendrie 8 (Berger 87, -),Sidibe 6, Fuller 7 (Pericard 74, 4).
Subs Not Used: Sweeney, Buxton.
Booked: Griffin.
Goals: Higginbotham 17 pen.
QPR Royce 7, Bignot 5, Mancienne 7, Stewart 7, Milanese 5,Rowlands 6 (Ward 87, -), Bailey 4, Gallen 5, Smith 6, Nygaard 6 (Baidoo 90, -),Blackstock 6 (Furlong 70, 7).
Subs Not Used: Cole, Bircham.
Booked: Mancienne, Milanese, Nygaard
Prior to that he was in charge of a 3-1 defeat at Watford on a Tuesday night in 2005 when Danny Shittu’s last minute goal served as mere consolation only. He refereed us three times in 2004/05 –a 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves when Carl Cort equalised late on, and notably a 2-1 defeat at West Ham where Tomasz Repka was allowed to remain on the field despite a horrific two footed tackle from behind on Tony Thorpe that ended Thorpe’s career at QPR and, as it turned out, in the Football League altogether and was one of the worst challenges I have ever seen at a game. Atkinson was also in charge of the infamous game at Wycombe played in a force nine gale during the promotion season when Rangers battled back from two down to draw.
So far this season Atkinson has shown 99 yellows and ten reds in 29 matches – including two red cards in his last two outings at Villa v Blackburn and Chelsea v Man Utd after which Alex Ferguson described him as “neither fair nor firm” – comments for which he has been charged with misconduct. He averages 3.41 yellows a game and this is his first Championship appointment of the season so far. Last seaso he showed a whopping 187 yellows and six reds in 48 matches (3.895 bookings a game) two eight booking games, ten games of six cards or more, and a Merseyside derby with six yellows and two reds. His last Palace match was in February 2007 when the Eagles beat Ipswich 2-1 at Selhurst Park but had Tom Soares sent off in the process.
League One >>> Premiership official Andre Marriner is charged with keeping control of the south coast promotion derby game between Bournemouth and Southampton, our old foe Trevor Kettle has Peterborough v Carlisle.
League Two >>> Gavin Ward has Crewe v Chesterfield
Tuesday >>> Mike Dean must have offended somebody, he has been seconded to Bury v Torquay during the week down in League Two.