-
CARDIFF OFFICIAL SITE
RANGERS NOT YET SAFE
This Saturday's opponents Queen's Park Rangers are currently just four points clear of the relegation zone with three matches left - against us at Loftus Road on Saturday, away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on April 28th, and then at home to Stoke City in their final match on May 6th.
Rangers have shown improved form since mid-March with four wins, two draws and two defeats including last Saturday's 2-1 reverse at Sunderland. They will be without former Bluebirds winger Gareth Ainsworth on Saturday - a leg injury against Luton on Easter Monday against Luton Town kept him out last weekend, while on-loan midfielder Inigo Idiakez played his final game for Rangers as substitute at Sunderland last weekend before returning to Southampton.
Although Dexter Blackstock did not score last Saturday, he has been in good form in recent weeks with four goals in his previous four matches, while midfielder Martin Rowlands was back in the line-up last weekend in place of Ainsworth, and scored from the penalty spot at Sunderland.
Rangers, who finished in 21st place last season, eight points clear of the bottom three, currently average 12,766 for home Championship games, and their largest attendance of the season so far is 15,188 for the 1-1 draw against Sheffield Wednesday on March 10th.
We will be looking to avoid a Championship "double" against us this weekend - Rangers were 1-0 winners at Ninian Park on November 17th with a goal from substitute Ray Jones.
Our last two visits to Loftus Road have ended in 1-0 defeats via goals from Marc Nygaard and Danny Shittu - our last away victory coming the year of our promotion to the Championship when Robert Earnshaw bagged three with Andy Campbell getting a last minute fourth in a 4-0 win. Cardiff Official
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - PREVIEW BLUEBIRDS
Cardiff City supporters will probably be glad to see the back of Queens Park Rangers this season.
For it was the R's who instigated their rapid mid-season decline in November, when a last-gasp Ray Jones goal dealt the then table-toppers a huge blow in their quest for an automatic promotion place.
After a flying start to the campaign, Dave Jones' side have struggled in the second half of the season.
The statistics don't lie and it appears that when star-man Michael Chopra fails to hit the back of the net, Cardiff fail to fire.
Indeed, it's no coincidence that the former Newcastle front-man's goal drought around the turn of the year - which saw him fail to net in seven matches in all competitions - coincided with the Bluebirds' sudden decline in form.
If truth be known, they've struggled ever since and at the time of writing, six points currently separate them from the fourth and final play-off spot.
Jones bemoaned his side's failure to make that extra push for the Premiership after two Easter defeats hammered their play-off hopes.
"We're up there, but it's disappointing to be just short," he said after the 2-0 defeat at Burnley.
"We've come a long way in a short time, people forget that. We're a brand new team, rebuilding with a lot of kids.
"But I wish we had the determination to push on, that's where we're short. Some players may not get this chance again."
The Bluebirds have three games left - but all hope of a play-off place appears to have faded after the stalemate with Stoke City last weekend.
Top scorer (league goals only): Michael CHOPRA 22
Last league game:
Cardiff City 1, Stoke City 1.
Coca Cola Championship.
April 14th 2007.
Cardiff City: Forde, McNaughton, Purse (Gilbert 79), Johnson, Gunter, Whittingham, McPhail, Parry (Flood 60), Ledley, Chopra, Thompson.
Subs Not Used: Alexander, Feeney, Blake.
Bluebirds gaffer Dave Jones: "I thought we deserved a point as we had most of the possession, but we must believe in the way we play.
"We are a young side and we have to think that the younger players will learn from their mistakes quickly.
"But if I don't think they will reach the level I require I won't hesitate to shift them out and bring new players in, this club will continue to grow."
Superhoopsbet.co.uk match odds:
QPR 11/10
Cardiff City 2/1
Draw 12/5
Hot-shot Michael Chopra
Star Man: Michael CHOPRA
A scorer of 22 goals in all competitions so far this season, Michael Chopra is widely regarded as England's brightest prospect outside the top-flight.
After falling down the pecking order at Newcastle United, the Geordie ace joined the Bluebirds in June 2006 for an initial fee of £500,000.
The 23 year-old - who has been capped at England Under-21 level - is already being touted for senior honours in the not too distant future.
Head to head: QPR wins: 22
Cardiff wins: 20
Draws: 9
Last league meeting:
Cardiff City 0, Queens Park Rangers 1 (Jones).
Coca Cola Championship.
November 17th 2006.
QPR OFFICIAL SITE
THE REF - CARDIFF OFFICIAL SITE "Middle Man"
Our referee this Saturday afternoon at QPR is none other than Uriah Rennie.
The Premiership official has taken charge of thirty nine games this season, eleven of them in the Championship. From his thirty nine games to date he has shown one hundred and twenty three yellow cards plus five reds, the last coming to Jamie Forresterof League Two outfit Lincoln City in their 3-1 loss to Notts County in February.
Although this will be the first time in 2006/07 that he will referee Cardiff, Rennie has conducted a QPR match - their 2-1 home loss to Sunderland at the end of November.
The last time we saw him stand in the middle was our 3-1 home loss to Watford last season. Prior connections stretch back to our Division Two Promotion year and an away win at Colchester.
According to Wikipedia, standing at over 6 ft 2 in tall and weighing 16 stone (100 kg), Rennie practices both kick-boxing and aikido. Keith Hackett, head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board has described him as "the fittest referee we have ever seen on the national and world scene."
In short, don't mess with the ref. Cardiff
See Also: Hammanless Cardiff Visit Loftus Road
Welcome to QPR REPORT - A completely unofficial and unaffiliated fan site focusing on G-d's Chosen Team, Queen's Park Rangers (QPR) FC. (Visit also QPR Report Messageboard and Follow on Twitter.) QPR Report accepts no sponsorship, advertising or financial contributions. In 2008, QPR Report was named as one of the top two blogs in the Football League
QPR Report Twitter Feed
Friday, April 20, 2007
Blog Archive
-
▼
2007
(1727)
-
▼
April
(101)
- Coming Changes at Loftus Road
- Ex-QPR's Richard Graham Released By Barnet
- Former QPR Dean Parrett Played in England's Wemble...
- Former QPR Player Appointed Premiership Manager
- Stoke Looking at QPR: Want More Tickets
- QPR's Jake Cole Speaking About His Hopes
- How Ex-QPR Players Did Yesterday
- QPR Lose to Wolves - Reports & Comments
- Witney United Chairman Comments Re QPR
- Nostalgia: Three Years Since Chairman Paladini Bou...
- Ex-QPR - Ian Holloway on Coach Gary Penrice Expand...
- QPR Versus Wolves
- QPR Fined Over January Luton "Brawl"
- Simon Royce Apparently NOT Being Recalled from Gil...
- QPR Fan Forum Held with Chairman Paladini, Manager...
- Managerial Longevity: QPR'sJohn Gregory Already 6...
- One Year Ago: Paladini Spoke...Players Released......
- QPR Fan Forum Tonight...Recalling The Last Fan Forum
- QPR Goalie Lee Camp Again Goes Back to Derby!
- Nostalgia: Three Years Ago today, Gianni Paladini ...
- Nostalgia 1: QPR's Final Game Team Lineups over Pa...
- Gregory and Paladini and Ainsworth on QPR and Fort...
- John Gregory Stays on as QPR Manager
- John Gregory's Record at QPR: 46 Points from 36 Ga...
- QPR Captain Bignot Highly Praises Gregory....Addit...
- No Lee Cook in PFA Championship Team of the Year
- QPR's Defeat of Cardiff: Additional Reports & Comm...
- Les Ferdinand Profile - His Love For Newcastle, Hi...
- How Various Ex-QPR's Did Yesterday
- QPR's Manager John Gregory's Post Match Comments
- QPR Beat Cardiff and Guarantee Championship Footba...
- Cardiff vs QPR - Cardiff Views & Preparations
- Ex-QPR's Clarke Carlisle on Problems Overcome
- Flashback Six Years: QPR Relegated
- Cardiff Preview of QPR Game
- American-Based Soccer Writer Looks at QPR and Comp...
- Royce Joins Gillingham
- QPR's Season Tickets Prices & Declining Attendances
- Gone-Back-to-Southampton Idiakez Talks re QPR and ...
- This Weekend's Crucial Games
- Half-a-Year Since QPR "Parted Company With" Gary W...
- Ex-QPR Player & Manager Trevor Francis Birthday
- Mail "Gossip" - Spurs Looking at Cook
- QPR Announce Season Ticket Price Reduction for Nex...
- Almost Five Years Since QPR's ABC Loan, Exit Admin...
- Ex-QPR's Dean Parrett in England U-16 Squad to Pla...
- QPR Goalie Paul Jones Turns 40
- Gregory: No Player Contracts Till Status Determine...
- Hopefully Good News for QPR re Lee Camp: Derby's B...
- QPR Officially Announce Witney Friendly is Cancelled
- Ex-QPR Adam Miller, Staying at Stevenage
- Hammanless Cardiff Visit Loftus Road
- The "History" of QPR's Non-Game vs Witney United
- Idiakez Returns to Southampton
- Ex-QPR's Danny Dichio Moves to North America, MLS ...
- QPR vs Sunderland - Additional Reports & Comments
- Tony Roberts on His Hoped-For Return to League Foo...
- Championship Relegation Strugglers: Final Fixtures
- Championship Relegation: Past Seasons Points Total...
- Coleman to Replace Gregory?
- How "QPR Players" Not at QPR Did Yesterday: Dohert...
- QPR's Sunderland Defeat - Mangerial Comments & Mat...
- Four Years Ago: QPR's Troubles ...One Year Ago: Wa...
- Oops at Swindon re Takeover Disclosure
- Sunderland vs QPR Previews
- Ex-QPR's Peter Crouch Explains Supported QPR NOT C...
- Witney United Denounce QPR Chairman, Gianni Paladini
- Ex-QPR's Ian Evatt Doing Great at Blackpool
- QPR's Young Star, Shabbaz Baidoo Celebrates a Birt...
- QPR NOT Playing Witney United Friendly
- Report of Fans Consultative Group Meeting with The...
- Club Announces Fan Forum...Reminder of Last Fan Forum
- QPR's Zesh Rehman on being good Enough For Premier...
- QPR Trailing in the "Coca Cola 'Buy A Player' Leag...
- Ainsworth Writes about his Injury and on QPR's Sur...
- QPR Snippets: Cole Suspended...Chairman's Rib...Ga...
- Gregory on Staying Up...Cullip on Gregory...Moore ...
- Witney vs QPR April 30?
- Couple of Ex-QPR Defenders' Birthdays
- Six Months Ago II: The Fan Forum with Paladini & G...
- Six Months Ago I: Tracy Stent's Comprehensive Tria...
- QPR's Crucial Luton Victory - Further Reports
- Gallen's Sciatic Problem: Returned
- Gareth Ainsworth Breaks Leg
- QPR SCRAPE a Victory Over Luton
- Additional Reports of QPR's Win in Coventry
- QPR's Coventry Victory:Reports & Comments Compilation
- Billy Bonds on Nigel Quashie as a QPR Youth Player
- The Final Month...The Final Game
- Inigo Idiakez QPR Loan Extended
- Son of QPR Holdings Chairman' Joins Racing Lineup
- Gregory Critiques His Inherited Players...Stewart ...
- Six Months Since Backroom Departures & Arrivals
- Gregory Critical of Pre-Season Preparations & Look...
- QPR's Vital Victory - Compilation of Reports & Com...
- Victory for Queens Park Rangers over Preston
- Twenty-Five Years Ago Today: QPR Reach Wembley For...
- QPR's Press/Directors Stewards "Departing"
- QPR Player Makes Championship "Team of The Week"
- QPR's WBA Loss - Further Reports and Comments
-
▼
April
(101)