Just another week at QPR – a shock away win, a cup upset, a high profile signing, and now we head to Wigan for our third game of the Premiership season.
Barclays Premier League >>> Saturday August 27 >>> Kick Off 12.30pm >>> DW Stadium, Wigan
I am now at the stage where editing LoftforWords is a full time job. This site, and our club, cannot be left alone for even half a day without something else happening. I’m in Edinburgh for work this week, and thought I was pretty safe to be there having spent hours on Wednesday night putting the Wigan preview together in advance. It was hardly a surprise to see that blown out of the window on Friday.
This is the thing – could QPR actually do anything that surprises us any more? Travelling up on the train earlier this week the news that Joey Barton was on the same line heading the other way met with barely any reaction at all from my QPR supporting colleague and I as it started to filter in on the wires.
My theory initially was that this was all a big publicity stunt that suited both parties – QPR wanting to be seen by other more realistic signings as a club that’s in for big names and Barton clearly wanting to extract the contract extension he’s been angling after at Newcastle all summer. That feeling only grew when the transfer dragged onto into a second and then a third day and was exacerbated further by the “second medical” story because in the past QPR medicals have consisted of a swift half in the Springbok and then all back to Gianni’s office for the cigars and brown envelope exchange. Hell Dean Sturridge passed his medical at Loftus Road by getting the Wolves physio to ring the club and say he would “probably be alright” – suddenly we’re giving people second medicals now?
It just all seemed a bit like the “I’m going to count to three” style of parenting that often brings about the desired result through prolonged brinkmanship. “I’m going you know, I’m really going to sign for QPR if I don’t get that contract soon. I’ll count to three. One…. Two…. Two and a half…. Two and two thirds…. Two and three quarters….” until in the end he didn’t really have any choice but to sign. Perhaps I’m being harsh as usual – I said Amit Bhatia’s resignation over the ticket prices was a PR stunt and then the prices were lowered within a week of him returning to the club and now they said they wanted to sign Joey Barton and they have done.
Nothing would surprise me now. Barton could decide after a week he’s made a huge mistake after all, he could smack Adel Taarabt in the face, he could be named the Football Writer’s Player of the Year and go to next summer’s European Championships at the heart of the QPR midfield, he could stop in the middle of the pitch against Newcastle on his home debut and in front of a live television audience pull off a rubber mask while his new and former team mates gasp Scooby Doo style and cry “Mr Dawson the old training ground caretaker!” I can honestly say I’d probably jut mumble something about our club being ridiculous and then move on if any of that happened.
QPR have had a meningitis outbreak sweep through the club; they’ve been bankrupt and then nearly bankrupt again; they’ve been owned by three of the richest men in the world who brought their supermodel girlfriends to matches; they’ve worked through one manager after another including one who lasted just five matches; they’ve had one player murdered and another killed in a car accident; they had their title winning season dragged out to the last day by a legal hearing into a dodgy transfer deal; there was an incident where the chairman said he was forced to resign at gunpoint and a subsequent court case; we’ve been locked out of the training ground and then when we got back into it we had a riot with the Chinese national side resulting in the assistant manager getting the sack; we spent £2.5m on the only Australian in the history of the country not to settle in Earls Court; we’ve had long serving members of staff mysteriously removed; we’ve been taken to employment tribunals by players and lost – they cancelled Dream Team because it was no longer realistic but Harchester United didn’t get up to half of this. And now Joey Barton has arrived.
With Faurlin-gate still ongoing but the title mathematically safe after a win at Watford last season Neil Warnock laughed as he tried to summarise the situation for the television cameras and simply said through a manic smile “QPR eh?”
The question has to be what next? Well, Wigan is next, and nothing from a 4-0 win to a 4-0 defeat would really come as a genuine surprise.
Team News: Whether Barton can actually play or not in this game is a matter of some conjecture. Both Barton and Warnock said on QPR Player that he can, but the interviews were recorded on Thursday and the transfer wasn’t announced until after the noon deadline on Friday. Against a team that is at its best when attacking in wide areas the last thing QPR needed was a crisis at full back, which wasn’t a particularly strong area to begin with. Clint Hill serves the final match of a three game suspension for his sending off against Bolton and Bradley Orr pulled up with a muscle injury against Rochdale on Tuesday. With Kieron Dyer nursing a chipped bone in his foot it leaves Warnock facing the possibility that he may have to play a back four made up entirely of centre halves this weekend. Further forward there are likely to be recalls to the starting 11 for DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd who were both hit by a virus prior to last week’s game at Everton.
Wigan defender Antolin Alcaraz is definitely out with a torn thigh muscle suffered against Swansea last weekend – he will not return to action for at least a month. Winger Victor Moses is also a doubt with a groin strain. Steve Gohouri (calf) misses out.
Elsewhere: A Bank Holiday weekend split almost equally between Saturday and Sunday fixtures starts with a West Midlands derby between Aston Villa and Wolves followed 25 minutes later by our game. Blackburn v Everton looks the dullest of the 3pm kick offs, although both teams have made uncomfortable starts to the season and will be desperate for a win. Chelsea v Norwich would appear to be a slightly one sided affair waiting to happen while Swansea v Sunderland looks altogether more fascinating. In the early evening kick off Liverpool host Bolton.
There are a couple of belting matches on Sunday. First up Spurs, beaten by Man Utd on Monday night, face in form Man City at White Hart Lane. That’s followed by Man Utd playing Arsenal at Old Trafford. Less thrilling looking clashes for Newcastle at home to Fulham and West Brom v Stoke round up the weekend. Worth pointing out at this stage that Fulham are playing on Sunday because of European commitments and if they qualify for the Europa League group stage, which seems highly likely, our game at Craven Cottage later this season will also be moved.
Referee: Those watching Sky Sports on Sunday will have been treated to a lively Championship encounter from Upton Park where Leeds were the visitors. Both teams were left feeling aggrieved that day at a number of key penalty decisions – West Ham had two clear cut ones waved away, Leeds had a dodgy one awarded and another obvious one turned down. That merry little farce hasn’t stopped the authorities giving referee Michael Oliver a Premiership game this weekend though – his first of the season. Oliver has refereed QPR twice before with mixed reviews. Click here for his full case file.
Wigan: The Latics are in the unique position of starting the season against the three newly promoted teams – they’ve already drawn 1-1 here with Norwich and 0-0 at Swansea this weekend, missing a sack load of chances into the bargain which hints at where their problem may lie this season. Last season they stayed up by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season after winning their final two league games – they came from two down to beat West Ham at the DW then went to Stoke and won on the last day. Their run of four wins and three draws from their final nine matches was easily their best form of the season and came at just the right moment for them. They stayed up despite losing their first two games of the season, both at home, 4-0 and 6-0. Wigan won five and drew eight of their 19 home matches last season – Wolves, West Brom, Blackburn, Birmingham and the Hammers lost here while Bolton, Man Utd, Villa, Newcastle, Man City, Chelsea and Blackpool all won.
QPR: For QPR suddenly the home form is becoming a bit of a problem. The Rochdale defeat in the week made it five games at Loftus Road without a win, although it scarcely registered with many fans following last weekend’s 1-0 win at Everton. QPR’s two games in the league so far couldn’t have been more different and provide few pointers on what to expect here, on a ground where they are yet to lose in three previous visits. Last season Rangers won five and drew two of their last nine road trips, losing four away games all season overall at Leeds, Norwich, Scunthorpe and Millwall.
Prediction: The key to this game will lie in the wide areas. QPR were weak at full back anyway but with injuries and suspensions already biting hard into those two positions we’re facing the prospect of another re-jig of the back four, and four centre halves trying to fill in this weekend. Wigan meanwhile are particularly strong in wide areas, although the news that Victor Moses is struggling with injury is certainly welcome. For QPR the key to winning the game is firstly attacking Wigan as much as possible because they’re not great in defence and if the ball is at that end of the pitch then they can’t get their wide players into the game as much, and secondly closing down the service into the wide areas which will mostly come through Watson and McCarthy. Shaun Derry will be the key man in that regard, assuming Joey Barton doesn’t play. Wigan struggle to score and QPR would be happy with a draw as they await reinforcements so…
1-1 draw, 5/1 or 11/2 with all outlets.
Links >>> Fixture History >>> Wigan Focus >>> Referee >>> Travel Guide
Tweet @loftforwords