For the second time in as many home games QPR face former coach John Eustace in the opposition dug out as the new Derby manager brings his struggling side to Loftus Road.

QPR (10-11-11 WWLLWL 13th) v Derby (7-8-17 LLLLDD 21st)

Sky Super Saturday Brunch Spectacular >>> Friday February 14, 2025 >>> Kick Off 20.00 >>> Weather – Fleeting daylight >>> Loftus Road, London, W12

QPR and Derby. Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona (Shepherd’s Bush), where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. Ohhhhhhhhh Bobby Zamora etc etc.

Not beyond the realms of possibility, of course, that John Eustace could have been in the opposite dugout for this one, and not just because this Championship bed hopper seems keen to take the whole division out for a spin before settling on a life partner.

His has been an unconventional path. I know the leap from non-league to Championship is considerable in both level and financial renumeration, but it did always strike me at odd that he traded in his number one gig at Kidderminster – where the style of football, successive play-off qualification and FA Cup progress was bound to bring more attractive girls a calling sooner rather than later – to come to skinted QPR and do bibs, balls and cones for Steve McClaren.

In between delivering his ‘Quality, Professional, Relentless’ PowerPoint presentation, McClaren was clear in his first meeting with the QPR fan sites that his style is very much about calm, composed, control – on and off the pitch. The way McClaren saw it, he told us, was there were two broad types of approach to managing football games – chaos, and control – and he was very much in the latter camp. Then we spent ten minutes having to explain why A Kick Up The R’s was called A Kick Up The R’s.

That was a clear departure from the entertaining/infuriating madness of Ian Holloway – a man who responded to a 4-2 midweek victory against Sheff Wed by dropping half the team, including the goalscorers, and losing 2-1 at home to Preston three days later. Still love him. Eustace felt a good fit into this apparently more considered approach. To listen to him, on mic at least, is not to glean too much about anything at all really. Like a long, hot day four afternoon in the Headingley sun watching Geoff Boycott steadily straight bat a meaningless County Championship game away to a draw. Come on John, tell us a joke or something.

McClaren’s reign started catastrophically, promised much through the autumn, then collapsed completely. Consecutive defeats at home to Rotherham and Bolton – the former Rotherham’s only Championship away win in three years, the latter marked by McClaren frantically flapping around trying to change a substitution while it was being made when the crowd threatened to riot at the withdrawal of Pawel Wszolek – strongly suggested that whatever control he’d desired or previously held had long since been lost.

Usually when a manager gets binned his staff go with him, if only because whoever is coming in as replacement will want his own sidekicks. Eustace outlasted McClaren though, taking QPR as caretaker manager for some (extremely) mild uptake through the remaining games – a surprise 4-0 shellacking of Swansea, and then last day dead rubber win at Sheff Wed. He was kept on by Mark Warburton as well, under strong recommendation from the people hiring him. Perhaps that was Rangers being tight and not wanting to pay off another member of staff having dismissed Ian Holloway and Marc Bircham while they were fulfilling their remit to let Tony Fernandes scratch his McClaren itch only to then have to send him and his umbrella on their way eight months later. Lee Hoos, though, had a strong references for Eustace from Sean Dyche, who had worked together with Hoos at Burnley, and liked him.

Warburton and Eustace worked together for three years at Loftus Road during which time both Blackpool and Swansea came calling for his services as a number one. If moving from managing Kidderminster to assisting at QPR felt a little odd, sticking around in the coaching role at Loftus Road when actual Championship teams are offering you their top job felt positively perverse.

It felt like all this was gearing up for Eustace to become our manager (which would have been the sensible thing to do, before Mick Beale 'got us in the room') but, when it became clear Warburton’s time was up In W12, a final league game of the season at Swansea took on an odd feeling where the manager and his staff had to see out the final match all knowing they were being dismissed the day after.

A normal football man would have been tempted to toss that off with a team of kids, but that would have been disrespectful to Swansea, the competition, and the travelling supporters, and if there’s one thing Mark Warburton cannot stand it’s disrespect (far from it, Nick). In the team hotel the night before the game Eustace was happy to tell supporters he was “waiting to see what Warbs does next” with the clear implication being he intended to go with him, Neil Banfield et al into the next job. One wonders how the conversation went down when Warburton subsequently spurned interest from Birmingham and the MLS to be an assistant himself at West Ham – something that, despite a European trophy that year, you suspect Warbs regrets now given he and Moyes disagreed on style of football, he missed being the main man and hasn’t had a sniff of a top job since.

In the end it was Eustace who got the Birmingham job himself. A frequent candidate for Championship relegation, under shambolic and frequently imprisoned Chinese ownership, this felt like a tough first gig at this level. Eustace, though, did a terrific job at St Andrew’s under incredibly trying circumstance. He got a functional, committed team together, finishing 17th in his first season with the club’s highest points total in five years. They beat QPR to nil in both fixtures – the game at St Andrew’s the infamous night of the “loyalty will always be rewarded” Mick Beale banner after he’d just turned down Wolves only to spend the day after in the director’s box at Ibrox.

When Rangers returned the following October, by now in some state under Gareth Ainsworth, the sides fought out a 0-0 which Brum followed with a 4-1 win against Huddersfield and 3-1 versus West Brom to climb to sixth. Now, if there’s one thing Birmingham really don’t like it’s being sixth in the Championship. The last time they’d ascended that high they fired Gary Rowett for getting them there and brought in former Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola, because it’s much more fun for Johnny Rich Twat to introduce all his bum chums to former Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola in the sponsor’s lounge afterwards then it is Gary from Bromsgrove. This time the big name honing in on the job was former Man Utd striker Wayne Rooney, because it’s much more fun for Johnny Rich Twat to introduce all his bum chums to former Man Utd striker Wayne Rooney in the sponsor’s lounge afterwards then it is John from Solihul. They were insanely fortunate not to be relegated first time around, and this time with a higher points total required they didn’t get away with it – dropped into League One on the final day, three more managers deep into their season.

Eustace has since had a remarkably similar spell with Blackburn. A frequent candidate for Championship relegation, under shambolic and frequently in court Indian ownership, this felt like a tough second gig at this level. Eustace, though, did a terrific job at Ewood Park under incredibly trying circumstance. He got a functional, committed team together, escaping a relegation that had looked increasingly likely when QPR won at Ewood Park for the first time in 25 years as part of a run of one win in 18 games for Rovers. This year, despite a summer in which their best players were sold and nobody at all was added until a couple of days before the season began, they’ve risen to an unlikely sixth in the table (there it is again) at which point Eustace has walked out.

This, we’re told, has been coming for some time. He’d applied for the jobs at West Brom and Coventry before the Derby vacancy came up. Backroom backstabbing over contracts and investment in a team he feels has got a chance of promotion this season with the right backing.

I have to say, even with the Venky’s notorious reputation, and Blackburn’s time-honoured tradition of collapsing after Christmas, it looks and feels a strange move with a lot more to it than what’s being said.

Derby are 21st, they’ve won four Championship games in 25 and recently lost seven league matches in a row. At Pride Park in August two of their best three players were Curtis Nelson who’s now out for the season with an exploded ACL and Eiran Cashin who has moved to Brighton. The transfer window is closed, so he can only work with what he’s got here, and what he’s got here is substantially less than what he had at Blackburn who added Cauley Woodrow and Emmanuel Dennis (a £20m purchase for Nottingham Forest just a couple of summers back) on deadline day. I don’t know about not being backed, if QPR had signed those two in this transfer window we’d be writing articles about how we’re clearly “pushing the boat out” and “going for it” again.

It leaves QPR in the odd (in fact completely unique in our history) situation of facing the same opposition manager two home games running in charge of different teams. Unfortunately, it casts into some doubt a result that, a fortnight ago, I’d have had down as an absolute shoo in home victory.

Derby are one of the teams we called right almost to the place in our season preview when among many profound observations (come on, let us have it, we had Luton third in the league) we said that while they look a big club, with a huge stadium and a large, steadfast support, if exactly the same squad was being brought into a Championship season by Paul Warne back at his previous gig in Rotherham we’d have no hesitation placing them last. Despite a good start, that was looking increasingly likely to be the case as Warne’s reign collapsed into those seven straight losses. A banker home win then. Well, now, who knows? Who knows what the Rams will look like, play like, this evening? Under the Valentine’s lights, on this, love’s day, at Loftus Road. You lucky things.

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; the which if you with patient ears attend, what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. QPR 0 Derby 1 (Yates pen 66).

Links >>> Eustace raid – Oppo Profile >>> Match of the 70s – History >>> You again – Referee >>> Derby Official Website >>> Derby Telegraph — Local Press >>> Derby County Blog — Contributor’s blog >>> DCFCFans — Forum >>> Ground Guide – Pride Park

Below the fold

Team News: QPR look a little light up front again with Zan Celar now being joined on the absentee list by Rayan Kolli who’s out for a month leaving only Michi Frey and Alfie Lloyd as the options up top. The farce of Tuesday night’s stoppage time has brought QPR’s corner taking into sharp focus and that would certainly be improved by the return of Karamoko Dembele who, along with Lucas Andersen who can also deliver from wide, is back in full training. Jake Clarke-Salter is a long term/permanent absentee.

Hasn’t had much coverage on the club’s official channels but Daniel Bennie is away at the U20 Asia Cup in China this month, scoring in Australia’s first game – a 5-1 win against Kyrgyz Republic in Shenzhen.

Derby have had something of an epidemic of hamstring injuries of late with striker Dajaune Brown, defender Kane Wilson and winger Corey Blackett Taylor all sidelined. Centre backs Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin were outstanding in the first meeting at Pride Park, with the former opening the scoring with a fearsome header from a second half corner. Unfortunately for the Rams Nelson is out for the season with an ACL blow out and Cashin has been sold to Brighton for the thick end of £10m. Championship journeyman Matt Clarke has been drafted in from Boro along with Norwegian Sondre Langas. He’s been joined by much Viking team mate and much needed reinforcement up front Lars Jorgen Salvesen.

Elsewhere: The game of the Championship weekend is on Monday night when fourth placed Sunderland head to league leading Red Bull Leeds. With those two going last the two sides sitting in between them have a chance to capitalise, with Burnley now on a run of ten clean sheets in a row prior to Saturday lunchtime’s derby with Preston Knob End, and Sheffield Red Stripe away at Luton who, if they are going to escape from relegation, are certainly leaving it late and now sit rock bottom.

In a repeat of last season the top four are now so detached from the rest there’s a full 14 points between fourth and fifth, which is currently occupied by Blackburn who defied the turmoil and John Eustace departure with an impressive midweek win away at sixth placed West Brom. Rovers have a great chance to back that up with a home win against travel sick Plymouth this weekend, although the Green Army does seem to have suddenly coughed into life with a midweek thrashing of Millwall backing up their Liverpool heroics. West Brom go to The Den this weekend as both sides look to recover form those respective set backs.

There’s a hell of a chasing pack tucked in behind those play-off spots. Bristol City and Sheff Wed have both climbed to within two points of the six – City are at Cardiff this weekend while the Owls are at home to Coventry who are just a point further back level with Middlesbrough who are at home to cratering Watford. Norwich, away at Hull, are next in line behind that lot.

If Plymouth are going to start getting their act together under Miron Muslic then Luton won’t be the only side sweating on their Championship survival. Hull and Derby are next in line above those two but then comes Cardiff who’ve lost two in a row again, Portsmouth who are away at Oxford, and chronically out of form pair Stoke and Swanselona who play each other this weekend.

A couple of midweek games in hand include a crucial game between Luton and Plymouth, presently the bottom two, at Kenilworth Road on Wednesday night.

Referee: For the fifth time in his career David Webb gets a game between QPR and Derby. Imaginative work from the PGMOL. QPR have won only one of 16 games with this match official. Details.

Form

QPR: The defeat at Pride Park in October continues an unhappy recent trend of QPR struggling against the sides most recently promoted from League One. The R’s have won just one of the last 12 games against such opposition (D3 L8) although that win was in the most recent fixture, at home to Oxford in December.

After one defeat in 13 it’s now three losses in four for Marti Cifuentes’ side after the midweek heartbreak in the last second at Coventry. The form remains decent at Loftus Road though. After no wins from the first nine home league games and 11 in all comps, Rangers have since won six of their last seven games here including last time out against John Eustace’s Blackburn. Wasting four corners in the closing moments of the Cov game only to lose to one proper delivery from jack Rudoni has brought Kenneth Paal and Ilias Chair’s delivery from set pieces into stark focus – Rangers are third in the Championship for goals from set plays but have had 43 corners in the last four matches without scoring.

While the loss to Derby in the last meeting was not unusual as a defeat to a newly promoted team, it was a rare recent QPR loss to this opposition and on that ground. Rangers have won four of their last six league meetings with the Rams, as many victories as they’d managed in 20 previous meetings (D8 L8). They’d won three of the prior four meetings with last minute goals with Luke Amos and Andre Gray winning the two 2021/22 meetings at the death and Macauley Bonne doing likewise in lockdown the year before. Derby have won just two of their last ten away league games against QPR (D4 L4), with both of those victories coming via 1-0 scorelines in December 2016 and January 2021.

Derby: Dave Barton has come up with a worldie stat for this one – John Eustace will be the first manager in QPR history to take charge of back to back games against the R’s at Loftus Road for different clubs. Last time we faced the same manager at home two games in a row was Danny Wilson for Barnsley in 1997 when Spencer got a hat trick in the league and Sinclair scored that goal in the cup.

The Rams were trucking along quite nicely when they comfortably beat Rangers at Pride Park at the start of October. That was a fourth victory in their first five home league games providing a nice base for a Championship survival bid. After losing three in a row that victory against Rangers started a useful run of one defeat in eight games, although five of those matches were drawn. Sadly, it’s been all downhill since then. Since winning three of opening five Championship games, they have won only four of last 25. County have won only two of their last 18 league games and ditched out of the FA Cup at League One Leyton Orient. They have lost 11 of their last 16 games and Paul Warne paid with his job when a 1-0 home loss to Sheff Utd made it seven Championship defeats in a row. Since then, under the caretaker stewardship of Matt Hamshaw, they have put two draws on the board with a last-minute Jerry Yates (top scorer with seven) penalty securing a decent 1-1 at Norwich followed by a frustrating midweek 0-0 against Oxford.

Away from home our visitors this evening are nine without a win in league and cup since winning 2-1 at Coventry back in November. That is their only away win in the league this season with five draws and ten defeats from the other 15 road trips. They’ve scored just 14 goals in 16 away games and conceded 27.

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: “After Tuesday’s Coventry misery, we have Friday under the lights against former assistant manager, John Eustace’s Derby. There is a piece in the Times today about Eustace wanting out from Blackburn and having been considered for both Coventry and Hull before landing this dream job. Derby have got a League One squad and a saviour in David Clowes who now wants to be substantially out of the club. It is a fact that Eustace can organise a team to make it more than the sum of its parts, but he really has his work cut out here. That said, we start the game with one fit striker, Michi Frey, who is good for about 70 minutes, and then have Alfie Lloyd to run around. Unless we score early, I can see us drawing this game. On balance though, I think this will be a low scoring win.”

Weston’s Call “The last minute goal on Tuesday was so tough to take, a decent performance that was worth a point against a solid Championship side. Recent matches suggest we are now very much a mid-table team and considering where Derby currently sit in the table and our home advantage we can win this one Don’t expect it to be easy, when is it ever following Rangers, but expect us to win by the odd goal.”

Nico’s Prediction: QPR 1-0 Derby. Scorer – Michi Frey

WestonSuperR’s Prediction: QPR 2-1 Derby. Scorer – Michi Frey

LFW’s Prediction: QPR 2-0 Derby. Scorer – Jimmy Dunne

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Pictures - Reuters Connect

062259 added 12:47 - Feb 14 strange
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simmo added 15:42 - Feb 14 Everyone has gone for a win have they? Fúck me.
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TacticalR added 18:51 - Feb 14 Thanks for your preview. Eustace's move is presumably due to a) things being such a mess at Blackburn that anything else is preferable and b) Eustace gambling that he can keep Derby up. One reason Eustace's Birmingham beat us was the sheer number of Birmingham players with big hair. Now we have Kolli for such occasions (even if he can't play tonight). It would be nice to think that the Eustace effect won't have kicked in yet, but who knows?

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