Rangers Come Off Their High With Coventry Loss

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Confirmation re Cranie Injury: Broken Fibula

QPR Official Site - CRANIE FEARS CONFIRMED
On-loan defender Martin Cranie suffered a fractured fibula in the 2-1 defeat to Coventry City on Tuesday night.
The Portsmouth loanee was forced from the fray in the 20th minute against the Sky Blues.
The England Under-21 international went straight to hospital for an X-ray, which confirmed the fracture.
Cranie will return to Portsmouth for his rehabilitation.
"It's a great shame," R's physio Paul Hunter told www.qpr.co.uk.
"It's a similar injury to the one Simon Walton sustained in pre-season.
"Martin has been fantastic since he joined us and it's a real blow. We wish him all the best with his recovery."
Meanwhile, Mikele Leigertwood is inked in to see a specialist later today after he suffered a broken nose on Tuesday evening.
Marc Nygaard was also ruled out in the first half and the Great Dane will have a scan on his hamstring this afternoon. QPR

SPORTING LIFE = DOWIE HAPPY TURNING RAGS TO RICHES
By Andy Sims, PA Sport
Coventry manager Iain Dowie has backed his paupers to carry on matching the Coca-Cola Championship's big spenders following a dramatic 2-1 win at QPR.
Rangers, recently bought up by Formula One moguls Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone and boasting new signings in Rowan Vine, Scott Sinclair and Akos Buzsaky, looked to be heading for a second victory under new boss Luigi De Canio at Loftus Road.
Buszaky, who joined from Plymouth last week ahead of a permanent deal in January, fired the hosts ahead five minutes after the interval.
But Michael Mifsud's 11th of the season dragged City level and the side who are £30million in debt and saddled with a transfer embargo grabbed all three points courtesy of Kevin Kyle's stoppage-time header.
"To come here and get a win is very pleasing and says something about the spirit of the lads," said Dowie.
"They've got some big acquisitions for big money and some quality players and we knew we had to cope with that, but we've got players who aren't prepared to give up.
"If we'd have lost or drawn it would have been unjust. And I'm pleased for Kevin Kyle who has had an unjustly unfair time with the fans.
"Let's not concern ourselves about the transfers. With this group of players we will be competitive in this league.
"I would love to be able to do a few deals but until someone tells me I can we'll just get on with it."
Dowie continues to be linked with the vacant managerial post at Leicester, but was not prepared to discuss any other clubs.
"It's nicer to be linked than touted for the sack," he added.
City are now up to fifth on the back of three straight wins, although that looked unlikely when Buzsaky's 20-yarder was deflected past Dimi Konstantopoulos.
But Mifsud continued his hot streak when he rounded Lee Camp and found the net despite the despairing slide of Sampsa Timoska.
And Kyle ended his goal drought when he popped up at the far post to head Marcus Hall's cross past Camp in the first minute of stoppage time.
De Canio took his first defeat on the chin, although he pointed to the loss of three players to injury in the first half as a major factor.
Martin Cranie looked in a lot of trouble when he hurt himself in a tackle after 20 minutes, while Mikele Leigertwood and Marc Nygaard also limped off.
"When you lose it's never nice and especially in the last minute it's even harder - but that's football," said the Italian.
"We lost three important players and probably paid for that in the second half.
"My first priority is to get the team away from the situation it is in, then I have ideas to get us up the table." Sporting Life

Coventry Official Site- IAN DOWIE's POST MATCH COMMENTS Dowie's delight!
Sky Blues boss Iain Dowie couldn't contain his delight as his side came from behind to beat QPR 2-1 at Loftus Road tonight.
City had been 1-0 down thanks to a screamer from Akos Buzsaky, before an equaliser from Michael Mifsud and a late goal from Kevin Kyle saw the visitors snatch all three points.
"I don't think that we played our best football tonight but I cannot fault the character of our players to come back and win like that.
"I'm delighted for Kyler because I think he has been through a tough time of late. The fans were rightly singing his name at the final whistle and that was nice to hear.
"That makes it three league wins on the bounce for us and we've worked hard to achieve that. But although the win at Loftus Road is fantastic, we now have another tough game at home to West Bromwich Albion on Monday. That's how quickly games in this division come around." Coventry

Evening Telegraph - Iain Dowie praises last-gaps winner Kevin Kyle - By Andy Turner
IAIN DOWIE praised Kevin Kyle after the striker's header saw the Sky Blues win against QPR last night.
Dowie praised the ‘guts’ his Sky Blues side showed to come from behind to win 2-1 at Loftus Road.
And he paid tribute to striker Kyle, who came off the bench to head City’s winner after Michael Mifsud had cancelled out Akos Buzsaky’s opener.
"I am delighted for Kevin," said Dowie. "He has had a rough time and unjustly so.
"But he came up with an unstoppable header just as he did at Barnsley on the opening day of the season.
"Of course it has affected him. I’ve had it before at West Ham where I went 15 games without a goal and then scored an own goal and their supporters are probably less forgiving than Coventry’s!
"But he has come through it and I am very pleased for him."
"It's always about guts and we had plenty of that.
"If we had come away with anything but a win it would not have been a fair reflection of the match."
The Sky Blues had dominated the game from start to finish but looked destined to finish without all three points until Kyle won it in the 90th minute.
The victory moves them back up to fifth in the Championship and when asked how City compared to other sides in the division, Dowie said: "We are doing okay.
"We faced a couple of teams who have spent money in the last couple of games but we have to cope with that.
"But barring the games against Plymouth and Watford, we have shown we can compete with anyone in this league and we have a group of players that will never give up."
The Coventry boss revealed his fears for full-back David McNamee who was taken off as a precaution after feeling a twinge in his hamstring.
"I really hope for the lad that it does not turn out to be serious," he said. "He has been excellent in the last two or three games.
"We took him off as a precautionary measure and we will have to wait and see."
Dowie was also quizzed about links with the vacancy at Leicester but he fired back: "We've just won a game so it would be rude to start talking about other jobs.
"I have a contract here and all I can say is that is nice to be linked with jobs rather than being touted for the sack." Telegraph

Mail - Kyle in nick of time for Dowie
QPR 1 COVENTRY 2
Kevin Kyle struck in injury time to derail the QPR revival and put Coventry's season back on track.
It looked like the visitors had wasted an excellent first half as they failed to score and then allowed QPR's new loan signing Akos Buzsaky to score a superb goal.
But Michael Mifsud levelled with his 11th of the season, and sub Kyle headed in at the back post from Jay Tabb's cross.
Coventry manager Iain Dowie opted for an uncharacteristic 4-3-3 formation. Mifsud had the first chance but, before he could shoot, Martin Cranie dispossessed him with a perfectly timed sliding tackle.
Mifsud was involved again in the 13th minute when he cut back a dangerous cross that QPR scrambled clear.
Dele Adebola was the architect of dominant Coventry's next clear opportunity, laying the ball back to the edge of the penalty area for Mifsud to shoot wide.
Adebola threatened before half time, but his close-range headed effort went straight at keeper Lee Camp.
The nearest QPR came was a powerful strike from newcomer Scott Sinclair.
QPR began the second half more positively but they looked susceptible to the counter-attack. Adebola threaded a ball through to Mifsud, who was 16 yards out, but slipped.
That miss proved even more costly a moment later as new signing Buzsaky held off a couple of challenges and brilliantly fired the ball into the top corner on 50 minutes to put QPR ahead.
Mifsud made amends just after the hour when he ran on to a through ball and rounded Camp, but was fortunate to see his shot deflect in off the retreating Sampsa Timoska. Mail

MIRROR - De Canio: The only way is up - By Ann Gripper 07/11/2007
Luigi De Canio promised to keep QPR climbing the Championship table despite seeing their five-game unbeaten run ended by a last-gasp Coventry winner.
Akos Buzsaky put Rangers ahead after 50 minutes, but Maltese maestro Michael Mifsud levelled for the Sky Blues 11 minutes later.
Then substitute Kevin Kyle headed a stoppage-time winner for Iain Dowie's men.
De Canio said: "First we have to take the team out of this situation. I have an idea about going up the table, but we must see and then go further.
"We were unlucky because we lost three important players in the first half and we had to change our shape, and we probably paid for that in the second half.
"It's never nice when you lose and it's even harder when it's in the last moment."
After a winning start to his reign against Hull on Saturday, De Canio gave an instant debut to 18-year-old Scott Sinclair, on loan from Chelsea until December 15.
But by half-time Rangers had used all three substitutions after losing Mar tin Cranie, Mikele Leigertwood and Marc Nygaard to a cruel spate of injuries.
Five minutes after the break Buzsaky, who should sign permanently from Plymouth in January, produced a moment of magic. The Hungarian seized on a loose ball, calmly controlled it and shot home.
But Cranie's replacement Sampsa Timoska gave the Sky Blues a way back in when he played Mifsud in behind his own back line. The Maltese striker rounded keeper Lee Camp and Timoska could not quite recover to keep out the shot.
The visitors bombarded Rangers as they searched for a winner, helped by panicked clearances from the back four.
Leon Best and Mifsud both went close before Kyle pounced in the second minute of stoppage-time.
Dowie said: "When you go behind it shows something about the spirit of the lads and I couldn't be more delighted for Kevin Kyle. He's had an unjustly hard time with the fans." Mirror

Coventry Evening Telegraph - By Martin Smith
KEVIN KYLE'S header grabbed a vital Coventry City win at against QPR at Loftus Road last night.
Michael Mifsud and Kyle proved money is not everything by earning Coventry a dramatic last-gasp victory at QPR.
New Rangers manager Luigi De Canio looked to be on his way to his second win in charge when his first signing, Akos Buzsaky, thumped the hosts into the lead shortly after half-time.
But cash-strapped City, who are banned from making any transfers, hit back on the hour when Mifsud, the man known as the 'Mosquito', swooped to register his 11th goal of the season.
And substitute Kyle struck in stoppage time with a bullet header to secure a third straight Coca-Cola Championship win for Iain Dowie's troubled side.
Loftus Road is buzzing with the promise of better times at the moment, with Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone ploughing in funds and bringing a touch of Italian style into the dugout with last week's appointment of De Canio.
The contrast with Coventry could not be sharper, with the threat of administration looming over a club around £30million in the red and hit by a transfer embargo.
Sky Blues' manager, Dowie, continues to be linked with better offers.
But he had at least halted a recent slide with successive wins lifting the Sky Blues to the brink of the play-off places.
Victory keeps them on the coat-tails of the promotion chasers, while Rangers lost their first game in six to bring their revival to a halt.
Dowie, a former Rangers player and briefly manager, sent out an attacking line-up and Mifsud almost caught them napping in the opening stages, only for Martin Cranie to block his run on goal.
Leon Best then sprung the offside trap and Michael Mancienne was forced to clear his low cross with Mifsud lurking.
Rangers were dealt a blow in the 20th minute when on-loan Portsmouth defender Cranie injured himself in a tackle and had to be replaced by Sampsa Timoska.
Dele Adebola, looking to take advantage of the hosts' reshuffle, teed up Mifsud who fired just wide from the edge of the area.
Lee Camp saved well from Adebola, who also planted a header straight at the Rangers keeper.
Rangers pair Mikele Leigertwood and Marc Nygaard also succumbed to injuries, with Adam Bolder and Danny Nardiello joining the action as De Canio used all three substitutes in the first half.
For Rangers, only on-loan Chelsea winger Scott Sinclair, making his debut, threatened before the break, first with a mazy run and cross and then an angled drive which did not trouble Dimi Konstantopoulos.
The hosts put their laboured first-half display behind them just five minutes after half-time when Buzsaky collected the ball on the edge of the area, set himself and smashed a swerving shot across Konstantopoulos and into the left-hand corner.
But they were pegged back on the hour when Mifsud rounded Camp with Rangers looking for an offside flag.
Timoska slid in to try to block the diminutive striker's angled shot but could only help the ball into an unguarded net.
Camp had to be on his toes to deny Mifsud once more as the Maltese livewire raced clear, while at the other end Damion Stewart headed narrowly wide late on.
But in the first minute of stoppage time Marcus Hall crossed to the far post where Kyle rose to head the winner. Evening Telegraph


See Also Earlier QPR vs Coventry Reports and Comments on QPR's Loss to Coventry