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RANGERS WELCOME BLACKPOOL
Monday 10th March 2008
by Ron Norris & Simon Skinner

Rangers are back in W12 for the first of two massive home games against teams around us that could shape the rest of the season. Scunthorpe visit on Saturday but first Blackpool come to Loftus Road on Tuesday night. Six points will mean a relaxing run in and defeat in either game is simply unthinkable.
 

Queens Park Rangers v Blackpool
The Championship
 Tuesday 11th March 2008
Kick Off 20:00

 
TEAM NEWS

Gigi will be hoping to have Fitz Hall fit again after he missed Saturday’s defeat against Sheffield Wednesday. The back four was a shadow of its former self with Stewart in there and if Hall makes it he seems certain to drop out. Hogan Ephraim is suspended after his red card on Saturday. Mahon may come into the starting eleven after getting a run out on Saturday; if he does then Leigertwood will make way. Following his display on Saturday De Canio must also be giving serious thought to benching Agyemang although the Ephraim suspension means that this is now highly unlikely. Personally I would go with Vine and Blackstock up top with Balanta coming in on the left of midfield.

Paul Grayson doesn’t have any fresh injury worries for this one. His side have been on a decent trot of form of late, unbeaten in four games, although three of those have been at the not fit for purpose Bloomfield Road. There will be Loftus Road return for Ian Evatt; perhaps if the game gets dull we could have him and Barker out for a 100 yard “dash” at half time!

RON & SIMON'S
SELECT XI		          
Vine Blackstock
Balanta Mahon Rowlands Buzsaky
  Delaney   Connolly   Hall   Mancienne  
        Camp        
A QUICK GUIDE TO OUR OPPONENTS
 
BLACKPOOL IN BRIEF: If you had offered Blackpool twelfth in the league with nine games to play at the start of the season you would have had your hand snapped off. Their good league position is in no small part to their form at home where they have been beaten just three times. The wind that howls down their half a ground seems to do for most teams, Rangers included, and they make the most of it. Recently they have been revitalised with the loan signing of Paul Dickov, the experienced striker has managed to bag five goals in five starts and one sub appearance.
 

LAST FIVE GAMES
Date Versus Venue F A
08/03/08 Southampton Home 2 2
04/03/08 Barnsley Home 1 1
01/03/08 Norwich Away 2 1
23/02/08 Charlton Home 5 3
16/02/08 Ipswich Away 1 2

TOP SCORERS
Name League Cups Total
K. Gorkss 5 2 7
B. Burgess 5 1 6
W. Hoolahan 5 1 6
G. Taylor-Fletcher 6 0 6
P. Dickov 5 0 5
 

CLASH OF THE DAY: Damien Delaney v. Shaun Barker. A feature of Rangers’ attacking play in the past few weeks has been how well left back Delaney has been linking with the attack. He bagged a goal at Wednesday at the weekend and ploughed up and down the flank all afternoon. Barker will need to show some attacking intent himself in order to force the Rangers man to do some work defensively.
 
RANGERS VERSUS .....
 

LAST TIME OUT: “Yet another wind assisted bomb from Rachubka dropped towards the Rangers box and Stewart went to meet it. His header skewed sideways and into the path of Burgess who had the simple chance of heading over the exposed Camp.” Blackpool 1-0 Queens Park Rangers, Saturday 1st December 2007.
 
HEAD TO HEAD
Overall
Played QPR B/Pool Draws
20 11 3 6
At QPR
Played QPR B/Pool Draws
10 8 1 1
 

OTHER MEETINGS: Rangers are well ahead in the league head to head with nine wins to Blackpool’s three, there have been a further three draws. The last time The Tangerines visited Loftus Road was the opening day of the 03/04 season. It was about 120F on the pitch, they turned up all in black and Rangers promptly belted five past them with Ainsworth getting two and Langley, Gallen and Palmer getting one apiece. You have to go back for February 1972 for their last win at Rangers.
 

LEAGUE STANDINGS
Pos Team P GD Pts
12th Blackpool 37 2 47
15th QPR 37 -5 45
 
GENERAL INFORMATION

THE REFEREE

Keith Hill is in charge for this one and he is not a referee that causes warm feelings to flood through me. He dismissed Leigertwood for two non bookable offences in the Watford game earlier this season and cost us a point at Sheffield Wednesday last season with a quite disgraceful penalty decision. This season he has booked ninety six in twenty six which is pretty high and he has also dismissed five. He hasn’t managed a card free game this season.
THE REF RECORD
Season Games Yellows Reds
2007-08 26 96 5
2006-07 34 117 9
2005-06 24 66 7
2004-05 16 47 3
2003-04 32 93 4
 

 
   

OPPONENTS LINKS
Official Website BlackpoolFC.co.uk
Fans Website Tangerine Planet
Fans Website Seasiders
Message Board AVFTT

MATCH DAY ODDS
Bookie QPR Draw B/Pool
10/11 11/5 5/2
10/11 9/4 12/5
5/6 9/4 11/4
   
 

SIX DEGREES OF SEP-R-ATION: Gavin Mahon to Ian Evatt. Mahon made his name at Brentford; his final appearance for The Bees came against Oldham. Ben Burgess got two in that game for the men from Middlesex. He was on loan from Blackburn who promptly flogged him to Stockport and his first game for The Other Hatters came in a 1-0 reverse at Colchester. Karl Duguid scored the winner that day; he is still at Layer Road and played in their defeat at Palace on Saturday. Palace’s winner came from Ben Watson. Watson played a number of games alongside Paul Dickov whilst the mouthy Scotsman was on loan from Manchester City. Dickov is now of course on loan at Bloomfield Road where he is a team mate of former R’s defender Ian Evatt.
 
RON AND SIMON'S PREDICT-OFF
SIMON: Blackpool are certainly stronger at home than on the road although they did notch a fine 2-1 win at Norwich in their last away game. This is a game that Rangers have to win. Our midweek home record in recent seasons has been nothing short of atrocious and it needs to be rectified starting now. Two wins will knock any lingering relegation fears on the head in my opinion and I think we will scrape a narrow one. 2-1 to Rangers.

RON: After the stupid slip up in Sheffield we must now set about taking no less than six points from the next two home games. Much like a small child, Rangers seem afraid of the dark at Loftus Road this season and we need to deal with that on Tuesday night. Blackpool dominated us at their place but, like Stoke before them, I strongly feel De Canio would have learned from that and have a plan and, like Stoke, I think we'll bounce back and get the upper hand in this one. 2-0 to Rangers.

Current score: Ron 17 Simon 16