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RANGERS TRAVEL TO COVENTRY
Tuesday 4th March 2008
by Ron Norris & Simon Skinner

Another week another midweek game as The Football League continues to flog the players half to death! This time it is an away game against struggling Coventry City under the stewardship for Chris Coleman. If they play like they did on Sunday then three points it is, if not, then it’s anybody’s guess!

 

Coventry City v Queens Park Rangers
The Championship
 Wednesday 5th March 2008
Kick Off 19:45

 
TEAM NEWS

If it isn’t a case of as you were for De Canio after Sunday then I would be very surprised. The two games this week could pretty much guarantee Championship football next season so he should be going in with his strongest XI. Mahon is still missing with the knee ligament problem that has sidelined him for the last three. Other than that it is a clean bill of health for a change. 

Cookie Coleman seems certain to bring the experienced duo of Stephen Hughes and Michael Doyle into the heart of his midfield as they return from injury and suspension respectively. Michael Hughes and Kevin Thornton may be the ones to make way as Coleman looks to get back on track after tasting defeat in their last two. As with Rangers, there are no other injury issues.
 
RON & SIMON'S
SELECT XI		          
Vine Agyemang
Ephraim Leigertwood Rowlands Buzsaky
  Delaney   Connolly   Hall   Mancienne  
        Camp        
A QUICK GUIDE TO OUR OPPONENTS
 
COVENTRY IN BRIEF: Things didn’t ever really work out for the thesaurus sporting Iain Dowie. Only last week I saw him moaning about his plight on Sky, transfer embargo this, broken promises that. Suck it up Chophead! Ray Ranson had obviously heard enough of the bellyaching behind closed doors and jettisoned him as soon as he had the chance saying that they wanted the club to go in different directions. Chris Coleman has come in and won one and lost two of his three games in charge. Words of advice to the chairman though; if you ever need him at a press conference then make sure he is banned from student discos!
 

LAST FIVE GAMES
Date Versus Venue F A
01/03/08 Scunthorpe Away 1 2
26/02/08 Burnley Away 0 2
23/02/08 Leicester Home 2 0
16/02/08 West Brom Home 0 5
12/02/08 Cardiff Home 0 0

TOP SCORERS
Name League Cups Total
M. Mifsud 9 7 16
L. Best 6 1 7
D. Adebola 4 2 6
M. Doyle 4 0 4
J. Tabb 3 1 4
 

CLASH OF THE DAY: Marcus Hall v. Akos Buzsaky. On Sunday Buzsaky really looked as though he was comfortable in his new role on the right of midfield. He used the ball well, beat his man at will and scored a terrific goal. Hall will need to use all of his experience to contain him; the experienced full back likes to rattle into people so don’t be surprised to see the early reducer deployed.
 
RANGERS VERSUS .....
 

LAST TIME OUT: “A cross from the left saw Kyle isolate Timoska at the back post and the big Scotsman got the jump on him and then clambered right over the top of him and powered a fine header past the helpless Camp. It was a classic bit of big mans play.” Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Coventry City, Tuesday 6th November 2007.
 
HEAD TO HEAD
Overall
Played QPR Coventry Draws
101 34 42 25
At Coventry
Played QPR Coventry Draws
49 10 25 14
 

OTHER MEETINGS: The Sky Blues are well ahead in the head to head with a seven win advantage, forty games to thirty three. There have been a further twenty four draws. Rangers won at The Bruce Rioch last season and before that they won their final game at Highfield Road thanks to strikes from Jamie Cureton and Georges Santos
 

LEAGUE STANDINGS
Pos Team P GD Pts
15th QPR 35 -4 44
20th Coventry 34 -13 39
 
GENERAL INFORMATION

THE REFEREE

It is a so called Elite List official that takes charge of this one as Mike Dean takes up the whistle. Rangers have already had Dean once this season; he gave a decent anonymous display against Chelsea in the FA Cup. You have to go back to Boxing Day 2004 for his last Coventry game, a 2-1 home defeat against Sheffield United. So far this season he has topped the century for yellow cards in thirty games and sent seven off. Both of those are fairly steep compared to some we have seen this season.

THE REF RECORD
Season Games Yellows Reds
2007-08 30 102 7
2006-07 43 173 16
2005-06 41 134 10
2004-05 24 66 7
2003-04 38 98 9
 

 
   

OPPONENTS LINKS
Official Website CCFC.co.uk
Fans Website Gary Mabbutt's Knee
Message Board The Last Post
Travel Info Football Ground Guide

MATCH DAY ODDS
Bookie Coventry Draw QPR
7/5 21/10 8/5
5/4 11/5 7/4
5/4 9/4 7/4
   
 

SIX DEGREES OF SEP-R-ATION: Stephen Hughes to Michael Mancienne. Hughes began his career at Arsenal and scored his first Gunners goal against Sunderland who included Michael Bridges amongst their number. Bridges is best remembered for his spell at Leeds United where he scored twenty one goals one season. The last of those was fired past Paul Gerrard, then of Everton. Gerrard is currently contracted to Sheffield United but he has only mustered three appearances, the last of which was against Portsmouth. Gary O’Neil scored for Pompey that day and amongst the subs was Andy Griffin. Griffin of course was playing right back for Stoke City on Sunday and his opposite number was Michael Mancienne.

 
RON AND SIMON'S PREDICT-OFF
SIMON: The battle hardened R’s fan inside me is already thinking “hmmm, good result on Sunday against the second placed team, we are going to fall flat on our arses”. I really hope I am wrong as that has been a problem that has blighted us for years and one that De Canio alluded to in his post match comments. The players will need to knuckle down, be as stingy at the back as they were against Stoke and if they are half as potent going forward then it could be a good night. However, any midweek away trip can never be considered a formality and I would probably settle for the point. 1-1.

RON: I managed to miss the fine 3-0 home win over second placed Bristol City, I went to the next away game fully expecting us to throw it back in my face by turning in an awful performance against a struggling Southampton side, but we won 3-2. Now this weekend I was forced to miss the fine 3-0 home win over second placed Stoke City. I am going to the next away game fully expecting us to throw it back in my face by turning in an awful performance against a struggling Coventry side. On that basis alone I'll take us for a win! 2-1 to Rangers and into the top half of the table we go!

Current score: Ron 17 Simon 15