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QPRnet.com
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RANGERS WELCOME
DERBY
Friday 19th September 2008
by Ron Norris & Simon Skinner
After three games on the road in eight days it is time for some home
comforts for Rangers as Derby County come to Loftus Road. Confidence
should be sky high after the Villa win on Wednesday night and Dowie will
be hoping to secure the first of two home wins inside a week.
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Derby County v
Queens Park Rangers
The Championship
Saturday 27th September 2008
Kick Off 15:00
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TEAM NEWS |
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Dowie will have Cook
and Ramage available to him after both missed the game at Villa Park with
minor knocks. Connolly and Buzsaky deputised for them in that game and will
hope to retain their places. Blackstock should come in for Agyemang in the
lone striking role. Hall went down injured late on at Villa but will be fit
for this and should continue his partnership with Stewart after a fine
display from the pair last time out.
Paul Jewell will be
hoping that Rangers target Kris Commons is fit as the former Forest man
missed out on the Cardiff game with a hamstring problem. If he doesn’t make
it then Arsenal kid Nacer Barazite or Scottish international Stephen Pearson
will deputise. One player not likely to be involved is Robbie Savage, Derby
are looking to bin him as he is, for want of a better word, shite.
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RON & SIMON'S
SELECT XI |
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Blackstock |
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Buzsaky |
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Rowlands |
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Ledesma |
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Mahon |
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Parejo |
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Delaney |
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Stewart |
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Hall |
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Connolly |
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Cerny |
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A QUICK GUIDE TO OUR OPPONENTS |
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DERBY
IN BRIEF: I
am sure that when Paul Jewell saw his Derby side relegated back
to The Championship, in March (!), he thought that this season
would see The Rams rediscover their old form and have a tilt at
promotion. It hasn’t quite panned out like that though and Derby
finally won a league game some 361 days after their last, on 13th
September. Jewell has brought a whole host of players in as he
tries to jettison the dead wood but whilst it is easy to change
the players, the losing culture that surrounds the club may take
longer to shift. |
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LAST FIVE
GAMES |
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Date |
Versus |
Venue |
F |
A |
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20/09/08 |
Cardiff |
Home |
1 |
1 |
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16/09/08 |
Swansea |
Away |
1 |
1 |
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13/09/08 |
Sheff United |
Home |
2 |
1 |
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30/08/08 |
Barnsley |
Away |
0 |
2 |
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26/08/08 |
Preston |
Away |
1 |
0 |
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THE GREAT ...
Franny Lee
made his name as a player with Bolton before a prolific spell
with Manchester City that saw him become a key part of their
title winning side. He was upset when City decided to sell him
in 1974 and went on to prove his point with Derby County,
helping them to a league championship win of their own and
finishing the season as the leagues top scorer. After retiring
he made a fortune in the recycled paper business and pumped some
of that cash into buying City in 1994. Ironically though, the
man who made his money from bog roll left City deep in the shit
after relegation to the third tier of English football in 1998.
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TOP SCORERS |
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Name |
League |
Cups |
Total |
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Paul Green |
2 |
1 |
3 |
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Nathan Ellington |
0 |
3 |
3 |
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Rob Hulse |
1 |
0 |
1 |
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Martin Albrechtsen |
1 |
0 |
1 |
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Stephen Pearson |
1 |
0 |
1 |
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... AND THE GAFFER:
Paul
Jewell got his break in management at Bradford City, succeeding
the ever irritating Chris Kamara in 1998 and he paid his
chairman back by gaining promotion to the top flight in his
first full season in charge. The following year he performed
miracles to keep City in the Premier League on the last day but
quit when his chairman branded the season “a disappointment”. He
then had a short and unhappy spell at Sheffield Wednesday before
really coming into his own at Wigan, who he managed between 2001
and 2007. In those six years he led The Latics to the top flight
and stabilised them as a decent mid-table outfit before quitting
to take a break from the game. After being linked with every job
going he finally stepped back into management as boss of doomed
Derby County in November 2008. He promptly decided the squad was
appalling and set about rebuilding with his own players. However
they faired no better and Derby were abysmally relegated. It was
a torrid campaign that saw the manager score off the pitch more
often than his players did on it. This is a key season for
Jewell, he will be forgiven for the relegation as that was
sealed practically before he arrived but if he fails to get
County moving in the right direction soon he might find himself
taking another break from the game. |
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RANGERS VERSUS ..... |
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LAST TIME OUT:
“Furlong
who was up against the big, strong Darren Moore all night, got
on the end of the flick on and, with his back to goal, hooked a
shot towards the far corner. Bywater was stranded and didn’t
move as the ball rebounded off the post to the edge of the six
yard box where Rowlands dashed in to stoop and nod home the
opening goal.”
Derby County 1 - 1Queens Park
Rangers,
Tuesday 13th March 2007 |
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HEAD TO HEAD |
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Overall |
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Played |
QPR |
Derby |
Draws |
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40 |
10 |
15 |
15 |
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At Home |
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Played |
QPR |
Derby |
Draws |
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20 |
5 |
5 |
10 |
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OTHER
MEETINGS: As
seems to have been the case in most of our recent games, the
opposition has the better of the league head to head. Derby have
won thirteen games to Rangers’ nine, there have been a further
twelve draws. Rangers aren’t exactly red hot at home against The
Rams; the last win in W12 came in September 1982 when goals from
John Gregory, Terry Fenwick and a Simon Stainrod double secured
a thumping 4-1 win. |
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LEAGUE
STANDINGS |
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Pos |
Team |
Pld |
GD |
Pts |
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4th |
QPR |
7 |
3 |
13 |
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20th |
Derby |
7 |
-3 |
6 |
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CLASH OF THE DAY:
Emmanuel
Ledesma v. Jordan Stewart. Ledesma has looked a little out of
sorts since returning from his one match ban. The early season
spark isn’t quite there; perhaps the fact that he now has a
burgeoning reputation is starting to weigh him down a little? He
will be up against an experienced full back in Stewart but he is
a player that always seems more eye catching when attacking
rather than defending so Ledesma will need to ensure he does his
work going backwards also. |
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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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THE REFEREE |
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Anthony
Taylor is in charge for this one. He is still relatively new to
the list, in his last Rangers game he sent off Youssef Safri for
a horror challenge in our 3-2 win at Southampton last season. He
has never refereed Derby County. So far this season he has
booked eighteen in seven and is yet to send anyone off. |
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THE REF RECORD |
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Season |
Games |
Yellows |
Reds |
| 2008-09 |
7 |
18 |
0 |
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2007-08 |
36 |
105 |
10 |
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2006-07 |
26 |
78 |
5 |
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2005-06 |
- |
- |
- |
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2004-05 |
- |
- |
- |
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RON AND SIMON'S PREDICT-OFF |
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SIMON:
Having won two midweek
away games and been a bit unfortunate to get beaten in the other away game
last week, Rangers should be full of beans coming into this. Dowie should
freshen things up a little to give that extra spring in the step. If we play
to the best of our ability then this should be a routine home win but Derby
will be bang up for this as they go on the hunt for an elusive away league
win. I think Rangers will shade this one. 2-1 to The R’s.
RON:
The Villa game
was a fantastic occasion but it won’t mean an awful lot if we don’t take six
points from the next two home games, both of which should be winnable.
Blackpool follow on Tuesday but first Iain Dowie will need to put a dent in
Paul Jewell’s Derby before their resurgence can get going. We’ve looked
strong at home this year and I expect that to continue on Saturday. 2-0 to
Rangers.
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Current score: Ron 13 Simon 8 |
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