QPR end a dramatic, chaotic, emotional 2024 exhausted; they start 2025 at home to a Watford side they really should have beaten when these two met just a couple of weeks back.

QPR (5-11-8 WWDWLD 17th) v Watford (11-4-8 DDWLWL 7th)

Sky’s Super Saturday Brunch Spectacular >>> Wednesday January 1, 2025 >>> Kick Off 12.30 >>> Weather – Another bloody storm >>> Loftus Road, London, W12

Another storm for another home game. Another outright cruel kick off time. And another year ticked off.

This time 12 months ago QPR were five without a win and had just chucked in the standard horrendous Boxing Day performance at Millwall. Having won only two of the first 17 games this was less than ideal. I spent this preview stressing how imperative it was to make the most of a January which, through quirk of fixture list and cup draw, presented the R’s with five consecutive home games. We immediately lost the first three of those. Against Cardiff on New Year’s Day we conceded the sort of goals you’d expect if you hired one of the Looney Tunes as your set piece coach. Goofy's my favourite.

I watched the fifth game in the sequence, at home to fellow strugglers Huddersfield, in a hotel lobby bar in New Orleans. The game kicked off at 07.30 local time and the bar was closed. There were two of us there, and nobody else. An aggressive playlist of Christmas tracks was piped in as an assault on our senses throughout. Could it be turned off? Given there’s only two of us here, it’s 07.30 in the morning, the bar is closed and it’s fucking January 28? Please? No. No it could not. So there we sat, listening to Chris Rea, watching Steve Martin run his wind sprints, suffering QPR slopping out whatever absolute dirge it was that passed for a performance that day. Kenneth Paal’s stoppage time equaliser was something of a sliding doors moment for both clubs – instead of six points clear Huddersfield stayed in touch, sacked Darren Moore, and got relegated. Honestly, though, by the time he scored it I was numb. If you’d offered me death when Jack Rudoni scored four minutes from time I’d have taken it. Just kill me now. Give me the knife, I’ll do it myself.

There were other low points to come. A Wednesday night defeat in Stoke stands out in particular. A queue out the door to check in to the Premier Inn opposite the Vauxhall Garage on the A508, couples literally being turned away at three in the afternoon with a ‘no room at the inn’ message because it was Valentine’s Day. A sign on the door that the bar would close at 22.30. A lot of neck tattoos. You’ll accuse me of exaggerating, ‘come on Clive it’s not all that bad’ and so on, but there cannot be a greater microcosm of our decline as a nation on the world stage, collapse of our society and standards, disintegration of our morals and dignity, abandonment of our hope and future, than people queuing to get in the Stoke Premier Inn on Valentine's Day. If there is, I don’t want to hear about it. It made me profoundly sad. I cried in that queue. And the worst thing about it? I wasn’t even there to get laid. We lost one nil and I spent an hour traipsing back down a canal searching Google Maps for an open off licence.

That one of several ‘what are you doing with your life?’ moments. Watching that absolute wally Begovic drop one in his own net at Plymouth another. Spending a day negotiating ever more convoluted train diverts to get to the hellscape that is Elland Road and watch QPR lose a game 2-0 I knew they’d lost before I even woke up that morning. Bleak.

To escape from that situation (the league table, not the Stoke Premier Inn) was always going to require some extreme highs. I thought Sinclair Armstrong’s goal at Leicester and the celebrations that followed would take some topping. Within a couple of weeks we’d scored a goal I’ll take to my grave.

The anxiety of a Birmingham free kick on the very precipice of the QPR box in the last minute of the game, Blues looking to move out of trouble and paint us firmly in the picture for that last relegation spot, watched through barely parted fingers. The relief, and sigh, and exhale when the shot beat the wall but not the goalkeeper. The settle down and internal monologue we all go through about a point not being a bad result, could have been a lot worse, still in our hands, still plenty of opportunity… Meanwhile QPR have moved off down the right side of the field, Armstrong has nudged Captain Wacky (later renamed Dion Sanderson) under the ball, Jimmy Dunne has taken the loose ball on his chest as it dropped, looked over his shoulder and prepared to pull out into traffic. The strike, the connection, the arc of the ball, the despairing John Ruddy back arch in mid-air. Footballing perfection. If you had to spell an English crowd’s goal celebration you’d start with a Y. This one started with an O. It’s between Jimmy Dunne and Steve Cook for my QPR player of the calendar year, but there’s no doubt about the best moment. The best moment of this or any other year.

That in a year where we stayed up by walloping Leeds United 4-0 at Loftus Road. A glorious 90s throwback. Brian Moore, on commentary, confusing Bradley Allen with Clive, as he runs in behind onto a Ray Wilkins pass for the ages, “and Lukic has lost it a moment…”. A euphoria so intense and infectious QPR scored again immediately from the kick off. Sinton with the shot. Lukic a beaten fellow there. Leeds. Are. Rocking. Rolled all the way back and replayed, by Ilias Chair, and Lucas Andersen. Sam Field with the fourth. Leeds falling apart again. A result which ultimately condemned both sides to another season in the Championship. For QPR, everything we’d always wanted. For Leeds, their worst nightmare come to insane life. For every football fan, everywhere, absolutely hilarious. Four nil. One of those nights, under the lights, at Loftus Road. Happy New Year Jack and Tash. Have a Strongbow Dark Fruits on us.

I still maintain, for my money, we played better than that for a draw against West Brom. Only denied a victory by an ever decreasingly likely series of goalline clearances and missed penalties on a night we came together to remember Stan Bowles and the ground absolutely hummed. As Lovely Sam Field says, “when we’re good, we’re really good”. I guess narrowing that gap between our best and worst – a quest both Ian Holloway and Mark Warburton talked about embarking on frequently and both also failed to conquer – might be a good new year’s resolution. That and keeping the ball for more than two touches after our own throw ins. Then again it’s the gap that makes those highs so high. I don’t know many teams who can go from that performance against Preston to that performance against Swansea, that day against Birmingham to a 2-0 home defeat to Sheff Wed, that West Brom night to a damp squib against Boro, quite as often and extremely as we do. I also don’t know a club or team I love as much as this one either.

I found the start of this season tough to take. Partly because of the way the club went about its business in the summer, all secrets and lies, cloaks and daggers, big reveals and tiny dick energy. Mainly, though, because I’d let myself believe. This team, playing like it did against West Brom and Leeds. This squad, burnished with greater FFP headroom. This manager, given a blank canvas to start afresh. I’m not saying I thought we were going to get promoted, but I envisioned the longed-for midtable finish, steady progress, calm spring. I didn’t expect to be laying awake at night wondering who Portsmouth have got left to play. More fool me, I guess. Should know better by now.

We are, though, slowly but surely, getting things back together. We’re an odd watch. We’re gaining results with no possession, no goals, and often no shots. Results, though, are coming. This despite a season-long, ongoing, escalating, issue with injured senior players. There’s some tough stuff ahead for this team if Steve Cook is out for any period of time. Southampton’s young Peterborough graduate Ronnie Edwards is the first link of the January silly season – centre back rapidly moving from bottom of our priority list to near the top in the last week. A theme for the whole year though has been a manager, and a team, that finds a way. Sometimes unconventional, sometimes spawny, sometimes random, sometimes outright weird, but an ability through 2024 to get the job done by hook or crook.

The other theme has been the phenomenal support. Home games now routinely sell out. On our travels the nasty, entitled, expectant, coked up following we came out of lockdown carrying has disappeared to be replaced by a fiercely loyal, supportive, together bunch of people. There’s an understanding of this league’s ever more polarised haves and have nots financial situation - people know what we’re up against FFP wise. There’s an ongoing love for the manager, whose name was chanted repeatedly when the team was a dozen games without a win (something Cifuentes himself said was remarkable). Does Cifuentes get everything right? No. Do we agree with every decision he makes? No. Did he potentially fuck that game at Norwich a couple of days ago? Yes. There is, however, respect for the work this manager has done with the resources he’s been provided. A guy in a difficult situation, trying his best.

That goes for the team as well. Are they any good? Not really. They seem to care about what they’re doing though. You could point the occasional finger, but they’re trying. You could pick holes, sure, but it’s very difficult to stay angry at people like Paul Smyth, Jimmy Dunne, Sam Field, Steve Cook, Paul Nardi, Koki Saito etc for too long. They seem a likeable bunch, doing their best.

The support has responded in kind. It’s been a privilege to travel and stand among you all over this last 12 months. I’m astounded how a support base that once invaded the pitch while eighth in the Premier League to protest against profitable player sales these days responds to adversity. There hasn’t been a word of complaint or protest. The support base has turned up in enormous numbers, and supported. It’s something to be genuinely proud about. There’s a wonderful dads-and-daughters trend among the home and awayers. The dads giving it “what on earth are we doing with our lives”, the daughters pretending to despair of their father. All of them absolutely loving it. There’s a growing group of young lads shunning the Premier League and football on screens to follow a Championship side. You should follow the All About R’s YouTube channel, if only for the goal celebrations. It’s a joy. It’s a joy to be part of. We’ve got the best football ground in the country. I look around it every week and everybody there is bloody captivated. Illness? Magic spell? You don’t get this following Man U.

To all of them, and all of you, the happiest of Happy New Years. If you’ve taken the time out to get in touch this week, or over the season, thank you so much. If you subscribe to our Patreon, you saved my life. It’s the only reason the site exists. Providing that Mel Johnson interview for you was one of the privileges of my 2024. I wish I was still sitting there talking to him now. I think if I hadn’t insisted on catching the last train I might well still be.

Sure, there have been moments of abject despair. There have been other Stoke Premier Inns. There will be more of those to come, particularly if Cook and others are out long term and our January recruitment is as ropey as our summer buys. That magic still crackles though. Angus Gunn takes half a step right guessing, Rayan Kolli nips in ahead with hair parachuting out behind, and for one moment you’re a child again. Watching Les. Watching Ray.

What are we doing with our lives? What is anybody doing with any of their lives? Why not do this with yours? You R’s.

Links >>> Clever boy – Oppo Profile >>> Diakite’s reign of terror – History >>> Martin in charge – Referee >>> Watford Official Website >>> Vicarage Road - Ground Guide >>> WFC Forums — Message Board >>> Watford Observer — Local Press >>> Voices of the Vic — Podcast

Below the fold

Team News: Lucas Andersen was the latest player to pick up a muscle injury in the draw at Norwich. He joins a list that includes Jack Colback and Karamoko Dembele as long term absentees and recently had key centre back pairing Steve Cook and Liam Morrison added to it. The good news is that, after sitting out he game at Carrow Road, Jake Clarke-Salter should be able to return here. Decisions to be made on whether Ilias Chair is physically ready to do two games in such quick succession, and if Michi Frey might come in from the start up front.

Watford are potentially light in midfield for this when where key man Imrân Louza picked up a knock in the Cardiff defeat and will take a late fitness test. Tom dele-Bashiru and Kevin Keben are already medium term absentees. Rocco Vata is doubtful.

Elsewhere: More shocking developments in the Championship this week where news breaks that Wayne Rooney was not a very good appointment as Plymouth manager after all. I know, can’t believe it. The bit of the season preview which wrote itself comes to pass just two weeks short of QPR getting a chance to get down there and try take advantage of the ongoing farce. Argyle face Bristol City at home in another cruel lunchtime kick off tomorrow, but it’s the away form any new manager will have to sort out there – defeat at lowly Oxford means it’s now two draws, 11 defeats, three goals scored and 35 conceded. The Green Army has done in excess of 7,000 miles of travelling since last seeing an away victory, at Rotherham last April.

One of the other easier calls from the summer was the inevitable nonsense at Stoke who are about to appoint manager number three of the season. The departure of Narcis Pelach (another obviously stupid idea to begin with) prompted a last minute win against high flying Sunderland last time out and they’re now heading up for a 0-0 draw at another promotion chaser Burnley. Mark Robins is a strong favourite for this gig, which looks all shrewd and sensible and that. Stoke have made a mess of shrewd, sensible stuff before though – Michael O’Neill, Alex Neil, Stephen Schumacher all pretty reasonable appointments on the face of it. While Robins’ sacking after his incredible decade at Coventry was universally condemned and seen as ridiculously harsh, the Sky Blues have failed to fire since Robins parted ways with long term assistant and ‘brains behind the outfit’ Adi Viveash in the summer. If Viveash isn’t going back in with him here I just wonder if this is Stoke doing Stoke things again.

Speaking of Alex Neil, he has indeed taken over at Millwall which feels like a really good fit to me. He starts off at home to Oxford where former Millwall boss Gary Rowett has started off with two quickfire wins to lift the U’s back out of the drop zone.

It’s tightened up a bit down there with Cardiff and Hull also recording surprising wins on the road at play-off contenders Watford and Blackburn. They’ll try and follow those up at home with Frank Lampard’s Coventry heading to Wales and 3-3 draw enthusiasts Middlesbrough going to Hull in the early evening game. Blackburn, meanwhile, will do well to bounce back with a tough away trip to Red Bull Leeds who have the division’s best home record.

Probably of most interest to us from a clutch of 3pm games is Portsmouth at home to Swanselona. You’ll also find Luton hosting Norwich, Sheff Wed against Derby and West Brom at home to Preston Knob End in that timeslot.

The game of the day is the 8pmer between automatic promotion contenders Sunderland and Sheffield Red Stripe.

Referee: Did somebody say wind sprints? Details.

Form

QPR: Best performance of the season, worst performance of the season, and something somewhere in between - QPR are WLD from three Christmas games. The heavy defeat at Swansea on Boxing Day ended an unbeaten run of seven which included a 0-0 at Vicarage Road in the first meeting – a game Rangers really should have won, and played a good deal better in than a couple of others in that sequence that did end in victory. The draw at Carrow Road means it’s now one defeat in nine for Marti Cifuentes’ side who are five points north of the drop zone having ended November five points adrift at the bottom.

It’s been a big turn around from the start to the season where the R’s won only one of their first 16. At Loftus Road the change has been even more dramatic. Rangers won none of their first nine home league games, 11 in all comps – a club record worst ever start to a season on their own patch. No Championship team has conceded more at home than QPR’s 17 so far. However, they come into this one unbeaten in four in W12 and have won the last three here scoring seven and conceding just the one. The last time the R’s won four consecutive home games was in 2017 when Ian Holloway’s team beat Wigan, Cardiff, Barnsley (all 2-1) and then Rotherham 5-1.

Ante Crnac’s header into his own net bang on half time at Norwich is the third own goal that’s been scored in QPR’s favour this season. ‘Own goals’ is now joint top league scorer with three – along with Michi Frey, Jimmy Dunne and Rayan Kolli. The 3-0 win at home to Norwich in the corresponding fixture is still the only time Rangers have scored more than two goals in a game all season. They have registered just one shot on target in their last three away games.

Rangers lost 2-1 at home to Cardiff last New Year’s Day. If they lose again here it will be the first time in club history they’ve lost on January 1 two years in a row.

Watford: It’s not quite on a Plymouth level of extreme but the difference between Watford at Vicarage Road and Watford elsewhere is really quite stark. Watford are third in the home table and 18th in away table. They’ve won only eight away points this season compared to 29 home points. They’ve won only 3 of 16 away in the Championship (D4 L9) under Cleverley compared to ten wins in 16 home games (D5 L1).

The surprise defeat to lowly Cardiff last time out was their first home loss of the season - 9-2-1. Add in their cup games and it’s won 11, drawn two, lost one, scored 25 and conceded eight. The Hornets, infamously, started last season with a 4-0 home success over hapless QPR which led Gareth Ainsworth to proclaim them potential champions. They won only five of their remaining 22 home matches – only whipping boys Rotherham won fewer games on their own ground than Watford in 23/24. The Cardiff game did continue a more concerning trend though – Callum Robinson’s opener was the tenth time the Hornets have conceded in the first ten minutes of a game.

Away from home, less good. Watford have only won twice on the road, drawing a further two and losing seven. The wins came 3-2 at Millwall on day one and a random 6-2 blow out at Sheff Wed at the start of November (their only win in the last ten away fixtures). Vakoun Bayo (sold to Udinese and loaned back, because of course) is the Watford top scorer with nine but four of those were in that game at Hillsborough. The Hornets have lost two and drawn two of four away games since. They’ve lost only three, and won half, of their last 12 games coming into this game, but have lost two of the last three after losing only one of the previous nine. Watford have won two of their last three away league games in London (L1), having gone 18 consecutive games winless in the capital beforehand (D3 L15).

QPR did a surprising double over Watford in 2022/23, winning 3-2 here at the height of the Mick Beale ‘era’, and then beating them 1-0 at Loftus Road for Gareth Ainsworth’s first win in charge – QPR’s only win in 21 games. Watford repaid that with a double of their own last term – 4-0 at Vicarage Road, 2-1 at Loftus Road when Jake Livermore scored two goals in a game for the first time since 2016. That 4-0 thrashing halted a four-match unbeaten run for QPR here, three of them wins, dating back to the 2-0 victory in 2010/11 which sealed the Championship title for Neil Warnock’s men. The 0-0 in the first meeting means Rangers are winless in three meetings having won the previous three. If Watford win here it will be the first time ever they’ve won consecutive games at Loftus Road. QPR have a 51-33-35 winning record over history.

Watford have won their opening league game of the year in just three of the last 16 years (D2 L11) and drew 3-3 with Plymouth on New Year’s Day 2024.

Prediction: In our Prediction League for 2024/25 we’ll once again be handing out prizes for being top at Christmas and overall winner from The Art of Football - sample the merch from our sponsor’s newly extended QPR collection here. For the first time last year we had joint winners so this season you’ll be hearing from one or both WestonsuperR and SimplyNico in the match previews.

Nico’s Prediction: “The Christmas Roadshow takes us back to HQ and an appointment with comedy manager sackers, Watford, who are currently lurking immediately outside the play-off places (which, on past form, would typically result in a vote of confidence from their chairman for Tom Cleverley). Our injury situation continues to deteriorate – we are now losing pretty much one player per game, and, as the Norwich game showed, when we have to make substitutions, we are back to the midfield collapsing and then exposing our (makeshift) defence. We are also back to relying on our joint top scorer, OG. Whilst Watford’s form is patchy, and they are not playing well away from Vicarage Road, over the course of 90 minutes, we have sufficient problems all over the pitch due to squad depth to present an opportunity to score against us, and I can see this ending as a draw.”

Weston’s Call “Highlights how difficult it is to predict QPR results when you compare the last three matches - Preston could be performance of the season, Swansea possibly the worst and Norwich thoroughly decent first half, pretty awful second. Anything could happen against Watford, a heavy defeat or comfortably win quite possible, so I will sit on the fence and go with a draw.”

Nico’s Prediction: QPR 1-1 Watford. Scorer – Jimmy Dunne

WestonSuperR’s Prediction: QPR 1-1 Watford. Scorer – Rayan Kolli

LFW’s Prediction: QPR 1-1 Watford. Scorer – Paul Smyth

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Pictures - Reuters Connect

062259 added 23:49 - Dec 31 Renewal
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SouthAfricanRanger added 01:59 - Jan 1 Thank you Clive for all. A Happy New Year to all.
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Hoopstar added 08:42 - Jan 1 Thanks Clive - been meaning to up my membership level and have just done so. Great to be able to make a small contribution to something that I derive a lot of pleasure from.
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londonscottish added 09:49 - Jan 1 Thanks Clive. What a great read to kick off 2025. UUUUUURRRRRRRRssssssss!
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HastingsRanger added 13:44 - Jan 1 As ever, many thanks for all the excellent write ups. Happy New Year to you.
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Phil_i_P_Daddy added 18:48 - Jan 1 👍🏻👏🏻🙌🏻👑
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sydneyqpr added 09:48 - Jan 2 Many thanks for the insightful, informative and quite often hilarious pieces which you so obligingly put together week in week out season after season. Always a must read on a Monday down under which keeps me in contact with the fabric and dna of this unique club and its wonderful support. Cheers.
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sydneyqpr added 09:48 - Jan 2 Many thanks for the insightful, informative and quite often hilarious pieces which you so obligingly put together week in week out season after season. Always a must read on a Monday down under which keeps me in contact with the fabric and dna of this unique club and its wonderful support. Cheers.
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