Glad It's All Over...

Preston 2-1 QPR

Preston sneaked into the play-offs on the last day of the season with a 2-1 win over QPR at Deepdale on Sunday, but only just...



My sincere apologies for the lateness of this report, but as mentioned, what with it being the last game and all, the gang and I thought we would make a long weekend of it and descended on Blackpool. Little did we know at the time of booking, that we would be in a Bed and Breakfast in the gay area and was welcomed on arrival by a Paul O'Grady look and soundalike, but that's another thing. Sadly, PK was unable to join us at the last minute due to an ankle injury, hope you feel better soon mate!

Anyways, moving swiftly on and we made the short trip over to Deepdale for the lunchtime kick off and arrived in good time for a much needed hair of the dog in a local pub. As you know, Preston needed to win, which normally means an inevitable defeat for the QPR. But this was far from an easy ride for the home side as the R's put in a very decent performance.

Albeit watched through glazed eyes, Preston took the lead on 37 minutes through an uncharacteritic mistake from Kaspars Gorkss, who received a goal kick from Cerny, underhit it back to his keeper and Jon Parkin nipped in to take the ball, round Cerny and fire into the net. The expected Preston onslaught/QPR surrender did not happen and Rangers drew level on 57 minutes - Vine played a through ball to Agyemang and he beat Youl Mawene to slide the ball past the keeper to level the scores.



Shortly after, Deepdale lifted with news of Cardiff's demise at Sheffield Wednesday and they re-took the lead on 74 minutes - when a Parkin long throw was flicked on by substitute Chris Brown and St Ledger headed home from inside the six-yard box, depsite Connolly's desperate attempts to clear off the line. I was particularly disappointed that it was Sean St Ledger that got the eventual winner, as my memories of him are that of a spoilt brat whingeing,moaning,sulking and generally throwing his toys out of the pram in the corner, all because he was asked to play right back in training. This was during his time at Peterborough of course and the Big Ron Manager documentary.

QPR pushed on and made it a nervous end for the home supporters, with Ephraim having a deflected effort saved and then, right at the end, Carter cleared off the line from Matthew Connolly in stoppage time to the relief of a nervy Deepdale. The final whistle went soon after, the home fans poured onto the pitch in celebration and the R's travelling support had to once agan, politely acknowledge their opponents successes. Well Done Preston and Good Luck in the Play-Offs.

QPR: Cerny, Mahon (Balanta, 82), Delaney, Vine, Gorkss, Leigertwood, Connolly, Routledge, Ramage, Agyemang (German, 75), Ephraim. Subs Not Used: Hall, Cole, Alberti

Lofty's Man of the Match - Hogan Ephraim

So, despite the good performance, it was another disappointing end to what has been a very trying season. The end of the football season is something I have always dreaded, but to be honest, I am welcoming this one with open arms and am looking forward to the Summer break immensely.

Yes, I will be renewing my Season Ticket and yes, I will be travelling up and down the country next season and yes, I will be returning for the friendlies. But for now, all that remains for me to do is thank Lee for his excellent additions to these pages and to each and everyone of you for your continued support of this site. It isn't always easy to write and remain upbeat, but your support and comments certainly help me through the not so good times.

Thank You All and Come On You R'sssssssss!!!!

Delayed...

Preston 2-1 QPR

Due to myself and the gang seeing the season off in style, with a weekend in Blackpool, the report will be slightly delayed due to tiredness and over indulgence...

I thank you...

Same Old Rangers...

QPR 0-0 Plymouth

Plymouth came for a point, QPR weren't up for it, what do you get? One of the worst games ever seen at Loftus Road.



My apologies for the lateness of this report, but myself and the gang attended the QPR Player of the Year Dinner Dance at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel - more on that very shortly. But onto the game and you would really think that with everything that has gone on this season, the players would at least have put on a performance for the last home game of the season or better still, look half interested in doing so?

QPR: Cerny, Stewart, Mahon, Leigertwood, Routledge, Agyemang (German 66), Gorkss, Connolly, Cook (Balanta 56), Miller (Ramage 62), Helguson. Subs: Delaney, Hall.

Lofty's Man of the Match - is cancelled this week

There really isn't anymore I could add about the game so basically, I won't. But sadly, the players took their, what seemed to be, a couldn't give a toss attitude to the Player of the Year Dinner and Dance.

Before I go on, I just have to say that the gang and I had a great night out, it was just the QPR side of things that was the disappointment. It started well enough, the food was nice enough which was in between Rodney Marsh hosting proceedings - which included an auction, a raffle and of course, the awards, which were;

Supporters' Player of the Year - Damion Stewart

Supporters' Player of the Year Runner Up - Kaspars Gorkss

Daphne Biggs Supporters' Young Player of the Year - Matthew Connolly

Ray Jones Players' Player of the Year - Damion Stewart

Kiyan Prince Goal of the Season - Martin Rowlands v Wolves

Community Commitment Award - Gareth Ainsworth



Going back a step and the first disappointment of the night - one of the auction items was labelled as ' Lotto Merchandise', which turned out to be a Fiorentina shirt that once belonged to the disgraced, former Chelsea striker, Adrian Mutu! It goes without saying, that this auction didn't fetch an awful lot. But you seriously have to question whoever at QPR would auction a shirt from a former player of our biggest rivals?? Anyway, moving on...

After a welcoming speech from Amit Bhatia, the awards started and brought more disappointment. I can appreciate that many people would be terrified at the thought of public speaking, but for Damion Stewart, Kaspars Gorkss and Matthew Connolly, to not even say a 'THANK YOU' to the supporters that had voted for them, was a pretty poor show.

The poor show continued after the awards had finished as all but a couple of QPR players made a swift exit. This is disgraceful! The supporters pay their money to follow their team all over the country and with regards to last night's event, payed £70 to be there, not including those who stayed at the hotel at £70/£80 for the night and also paying the hotel's outrageous bar prices( and indeed, phone prices as our friend Lindsay was asked to pay £65 for the privelage of making a 20 minute, local phone call from her room!!)- and these players, can't even bother to to put aside ONE evening a year to chat with supporters, have photos, sign autographs etc etc

As mentioned, myself and the gang didn't let this spoil our evening, but there was plenty there that were extremely disappointed and angry with the attitude of the players and indeed, QPR in general. This was a chance at the very least for the players to give a little something back to the fans. They chose not to do so and it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue to support this club who in return, quite obviously, just don't care about the supporters any more.

To end on a positive, Gareth Ainsworth is an exception to the above and he epitomises what this Club used to be all about. Myself and some of the gang are privelaged to know Gaz personally and after catching a chat with him last night, he himself was keen to get away and back to his family and no more so, for his new three week old baby daughter. But in trying to do so, he never once refused an photo, autograph and chat with any supporter that approached him and he finally left at just after midnight. A absolute credit to Queens Park Rangers!!

QPR Fail to Keep the Wolves from the Premier League Door...

Wolves 1-0 QPR

QPR failed to put the promotion party on hold, as a goal from Sylvan Ebanks-Blake fired Wolves back into the Premier League.



Myself, PK and Special Guest for the day from White Hart Lane, Glenn, set off at around half past ten for a breeze of a journey and arrived at Molinuex just before 12.30. Due to the pubs around the ground recommended to be generally avoided, we took a pre match in the local Asda and a few cans in the car park, before going in to join the party.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any jitters from Wolves who settled quickly and had much the better of the first half, but Rangers were dealing well with what ever was thrown at them and the sides went in level at half time. But just seconds into the second half, the home crowd erupted as Damion Stewart tried to usher the ball out of play, but was caught out by Andy Keogh. who squared into the path of Ebanks-Blake who had the simple task of side-footing the ball home from just six yards.



The R's continued to battle on and had two great chances of their own. After Rowan Vine saw his deflected effort strike the bar, the best chance fell to Helguson, who, went put clean through from Gavin Mahon, fired straight at Hennesey in the Wolves goal. Wolves then obvuously decided to shut up shop when Marlon Harewood replaced Ebanks-Blake and despite the calls from the PA Announcer to keep the pitch clear, thousands of Wolves fans charged on at the final whistle to celebrate and begin the party.

QPR: Cerny, Stewart, Mahon, Routledge, Vine (Taarabt 63), Gorkss, Ramage, Connolly, Cook (Ephraim 63), Lòpez (Leigertwood 85), Helguson. Subs: Delaney, Miller.

Lofty's Man of the Match - Matt Connolly, an outstanding performance at the back for the R's.

In summary, Rangers were always going to be on a bit of a hiding to nothing, as having little but pride to play for against a Wolves side driving for promotion and the Championship. But Ainsworth`s QPR side were certainly not disgraced. The result I suppose was a fair reflection, but it could have been very different had Rangers taken some very good chances. With the celebrations going on inside the Stadium, it meant a reasonably quick getaway and home at a much more reasonable hour to that of Burnley last week.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Wolves and their fans on a great season and GOOD LUCK next year in the Premier League!!

R's On The Road... to Wolves

by Lee Brown

On Saturday QPR travel on their penultimate away fixture of the season to promotion chasing Wolves. If Wolves pick up the 3 points from this game then they will be automatically promoted and possibly crowned champions, provided results go in their favour.

Can Rangers become party poopers???



THE STADIUM

Current Capacity at Molineux - 28,500.

Molineux is a fantastic football ground to visit, despite not having many happy memories in my past four visits there, we've lost all four games! It is a very unique arena and has a lot of character about the place. The ground is built in an oval shape and a good atmosphere can be generated within the confines of the ground, despite having a fairly large space in the corners of the stands.

Molineux has been the home for Wolves since 1889. It has been completely redeveloped over the years. The Steve Bull stand, which is where the away fans are usually in attendance, was the first to have a make over in 1979 and despite the work being carried out so many years ago it was a stand built way ahead of its time and is still looking very fresh in comparison to the other three stands surrounding it. In the early 1990's the Stan Cullis, Billy Wright and Jack Harris stands were all rebuilt, with the Jack Harris stand being the final one to be finished in 1993.

There are plans afoot to expand the capacity at Molineux to 40-45,000. This would include knocking down the Stan Cullis stand to increase the seating there as well as filling in the two corners between the Stan Cullis stand and the two on each side of it, the Billy Wright stand and Steve Bull stand.

A quick reminder to Rangers fans, we are no longer in the Steve Bull stand for this fixture.We are now in the Jack Harris stand, so proceed to entry 5 when you wish to enter the stadium. There is unreserved seating so take your place early to get the best possible view for yourselves.

Also as you enter the turnstiles you will receive a refund on your ticket as tickets in the Jack Harris are a lot cheaper.

A list of the refunds available are as shown...

£3.90 adult
£1.00 senior
£1.00 U17
£2.00 U12

HISTORY

At Wolverhampton Wanderers (20)

Wolverhampton Wanderers 10
Queens Park Rangers 6
Draws 4

In recent years this has not been a happy hunting ground for the R's. The last victory came at the end of September in the 98/99 season. Rangers ran out 2-1 winners on the day. Six more visits have passed since then, Wolves have won 4 and drawn 2. Last year has the closest Rangers have come to ending that sequence, a fantastically entertaining encounter which ended 3-3. Wolves grabbed a dramatic 97th minute equalizer through Andy Keogh (I think) in the 5 minutes of stoppage time that was allocated.

TRAVEL

By Car:- Sat nav users use this postcode - WV1 4QR

There are 2ways of getting to Molineux so I shall try my best to describe both ways.

Turn off the M6 at junction 10 and bear left onto the A454. Head towards the City Centre/University and you will hit clear signage for Molineux as you near your final destination.

Jump onto the M42 heading towards the M5. On the M5 turn off at junction 2. You will encounter a number of roundabouts but head towards Wolverhampton/University North. You will jump onto the ring road this way which will lead you up towards the ground, which will be clearly signposted as u near the stadium.

By Train:- The train station is located is the middle of the city centre. As you walk out of the station proceed to walk towards the town centre. At this point you will come across the inner ring road and turn right. Follow the ring road around as is goes to the left in a circular fashion. You will then see Molineux on your right hand side as you approach the ground.

Pubs 'n' Grub.

It is strongly advised to not enter any pub within touching distance of the ground as the Wolves fanatics dominate these areas. If you fancy a pre match beverage then you have two options. Either try one of the pubs in the city centre, it is advised to keep colours to a minium here. Alternatively you can enjoy a drink in the ground, which is a lot more hassle free, unless you are not a fan of queuing, especially at half time.

There is a large array of burger vans around the stadia for you to enjoy. If you feel like tasting the delights inside the ground then here is a small piece of info that may help. Hot dogs/burgers are £2.20 as well as all the pies being £2.20. I have never ventured into the town but i'm sure it will be easy to find a difference range of food available.

Memorable...

QPR 3-2 Sheff Weds

A Damion Stewart header in the 88th minute completed a remarkable comeback for QPR from being 2-0 down to win all three points, in what was a very entertaining afternoon at Loftus Road.

Before the game, there was a minutes applause in honour of QPR League Cup Winning Captain, Mike Keen, who sadly died at the weekend following a short illness. He was 69. Keen made 393 appearances for the R's, scoring 39 goals - RIP Mike.



Before the game, there had been rumours of protests against Flavio Briatore, which didn't happen, except for a few half hearted chants from certain sections of the ground. But again, it was a distinctively muted atmosphere around the ground before the kick off which remained until kick off time. The blue and white bar was half empty at half past two and the lady in one of the food kiosks in the Lower Loft, was reading her book. But gladly, Gareth Ainsworth's QPR side certainly lifted the spirits as the R's went on to produce an excellent performance in what was a thoroughly enoyable game of football.

In fact, why we ever had to comeback from 2 goals down is anyones guess?? Rangers literally peppered the Wednesday goal in the first half, had two goals disallowed and hit the post twice, before the Owls took the lead on 35 minutes - as Etienne Esajas's inswinging courner was headed into his own goal by QPR skipper Gavin Mahon.

It got worse after the break and at the start of the second half, Stewart tangled with Clarke in the box and referee Darren Deadman had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot and Tudgay slotted home the resulting spot kick. Rowan Vine entered the field on 56 minutes and just 6 minutes later, had reduced the deficit - Routledge's shot across goal could only be parried by Grant into the path of Vine, who tapped the ball home from two yards.

Ten minutes later, it was all square with Gavin Mahon bringing the scores level with a stooping header from a Cook cross at the far post. The comeback was complete with 2 minutes to go, when the excellent Cook, delivered another fine cross to the far post for Damion Stewart to head home powerfully from close range.



QPR: Cerny, Stewart, Mahon (Leigertwood 76), Routledge, Gorkss, Ramage, Connolly, Cook, López (Ephraim 68), Helguson, Taarabt (Vine 56). Subs: Delaney, Miller.

Lofty's Man of the Match - Lee Cook

In summary, there has been so much negativity around the club over the past week and I myself, must admit to being extremely lethargic about attending today's game and on more than one occasion, had thoughts of giving it a miss. But I am so glad I didn't as I saw a memorable game of football, a memorable comeback and a great performance from QPR!! Even more memorable for the memory of Mike Keen, with the R's coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2, as per that day in 1967!!

Come On You R'ssssss!!

Eagles Hands Clarets the Points...

Burnley 1-0 QPR

QPR ended what was a traumatic week for the Club, with a narrow defeat away at play off chasing Burnley at a sunny Turf Moor.



For one reason or another, it was a slightly late get away for myself, PK and Leeroy but we arrived in what was a very sunny Burnley at just after 2pm. As per usual for Burnley away, we used the excellent Cricket Club to park, but due to our later than normal arrival, we used the club for a post match beer rather than a pre match one and spoke with a few Clarets fans, who were as bemused at what was going on at QPR, as we were. But what was noticeable around Turf Moor amongst the QPR supporters, was how subdued it was and I have never been in an away end yet that was so quiet, but understandably so after the events of the week gone by and indeed, the season as a whole.

Moving onto the game which overall, was pretty forgettable. Burnley seemed nervous, Rangers looked lost and in all honesty, how could you blame them?? The contest was decided on 49 minutes as Burnley upped the tempo in as soon as the second half started - Carlisle towered to meet Blake's right-wing corner with a powerful header, which was clearly deflected into the net by the arm of Chris Eagles. Personally, I am always one who looks at player reactions in these incidents - Eagles looked at the linesman, and R's keeper Radek Cerny ran 40 odd yards to protest the decision, but in all that, the goal stood.



Rangers had a great chance to equalise late on, when Cook, albeit unexpectedly, met a powerful cross from the left and drilled the ball wide, but in truth, one goal would have always been enough for the home side today.

QPR: Cerny, Delaney, Leigertwood, Routledge, Vine (Alberti 85), Gorkss, Ramage, Connolly, Di Carmine (Cook 54), Ephraim (Lopez 72), Taarabt. Subs: Stewart, Mahon.

Lofty's Man of the Match - Kaspars Gorkss

In summary, Burnley deserved their win but despite the disappointment, one thing you couldn't blame Rangers for, was a lack of effort, which you would fully expect from a side led by Gareth Ainsworth. As mentioned, they looked lost at times and again, showed very little up front. Ironic really that QPR's top scorer, Dexter Blackstock, scored the all important winner for Nottingham Forest against Bristol City yesterday.

Note: For those who used to follow the pie rating, the Chicken Balti tasted yesterday at half time, was the best in the Championship - 10/10 without a shadow!!

And finally, warmest Congratulations go to QPR Legend, Paul Furlong, who scored his 200th career goal, with a superb header in Barnet's 1-0 win over Bournemouth yesterday!!



'THERE'S ONLY ONE FURLONG!!!'