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Tuesday, January 01, 2008

QPR Win Again: Defeating Ian Holloway's Leicester and Nine Points Out of Playoff Spot

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QPR 3 Leicester 1 (HT 2-0) with first half goals from Stewart and Bolder and a second half goal from Blackstock. QPR, with 30 points from 26 games, are now nine points out of a playoff spot, with 20 games remaining. QPR's last six games: Four Wins, a draw and a loss. League Table. QPR's crowd 13,000+. This was Vine and Malcolm's last games before their loan ends. What happens next remains to be seen.

MANAGERIAL COMMENTS - QPR OFFICIAL SITE - ONLY THE BEGINNING
Luigi De Canio refused to get too carried away following the 3-1 victory against fellow strugglers Leicester City.
Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk after goals from Damion Stewart, Adam Bolder and Dexter Blackstock gave the R's maximum points, De Canio said: "I was pleased with the performance, but there is still so much more to come.
"We will have a bit more time with the players on the training ground now after the festive period, and that is where we will fine tune things.
"We can't keep conceding in the manner we are, but tactically and technically we did very well.
"I thought we were always in control of the game, because we played with intelligence and maturity."
De Canio added: "It was great to see us score three goals, after we found the back of the net four times at Watford.
"Dexter worked very hard for his goal and the other two were very well worked goals.
We are moving in the right direction and that is very satisfying for everyone connected to the Football Club." QPR


BBC - # QPR coach Luigi De Canio:

"We played well but we still can and must play better.
"The players need to keep on improving in certain areas and defending is an example of that, we must concentrate for 90 minutes.
"When we score, we must not be content with that. We must keep trying to score a second and third goal because the best form of defence is attack."
# Leicester manager Ian Hollaway:
"Both Steve (Howard) and Barry (Hayles) showed what they are all about.
"Steve, who played 90 minutes for Derby the day before yesterday, hit the post and Barry chased everything.
"I don't want everything to fall to them because we have other forwards, but with them around now I've got more options.
"I'm obviously disappointed but I have spoken to my players about positivity. We have to look to the future." BBC

SPORTING LIFE - HOLLOWAY IMPRESSED BY FOXES DUO
"Leicester boss Ian Holloway insisted there is more to come from strikers Steve Howard and Barry Hayles after their Foxes careers began with a 3-1 defeat at QPR.
Former Rangers manager Holloway endured a miserable return to Loftus Road.
Goals from Damion Stewart, Adam Bolder and Dexter Blackstock put QPR in command before Iain Hume pulled one back with a sweetly-struck free-kick.
Howard, a £1million signing from Derby, came on as a 32nd-minute substitute with Leicester already 2-0 down.
But Holloway said: "Both Steve and Barry showed what they are all about.
"Steve, who played 90 minutes for Derby the day before yesterday, hit the post and Barry chased everything.
"I don't want everything to fall to them because we have other forwards, but with them around now I've got more options.
"I'm obviously disappointed but I have spoken to my players about positivity. We have to look to the future."
Stewart's header from Akos Buzsaky's corner gave Rangers the lead after a quarter of an hour.
They went further ahead when Blackstock headed Rowan Vine's cross into the path of Bolder, who nodded in from close range.
Howard tried to galvanise his new team and nearly scored a spectacular goal four minutes into the second half, when his 35-yard drive hit the woodwork with keeper Lee Camp beaten.
Eight minutes later, QPR went 3-0 up.
Again a left-wing cross from Vine did the damage, this time enabling Blackstock to head home his first goal since the opening day of the season.
Hume's goal gave Leicester hope, but they never looked like coming back and Howard missed a great chance when he headed wide late on.
Holloway added: "My lot usually do better from set-pieces but I have to say the delivery from QPR was excellent.
"For their second goal, Blackstock got the header and the midfielder Bolder got in unopposed to score. As a former midfielder myself, I really did not like that. You have to go with the runner."

QPR coach Luigi De Canio said: "We played well but we still can and must play better.
"We need to keep on improving in certain areas and defending is an example of that, but Damion Stewart will be a very good player when he learns to concentrate for the full 90 minutes.
"And when we score, we must not be content with that. We must keep trying to score a second and third goal because the best form of defence is attack."
Rangers will now look to complete the signings of defenders Fitz Hall from Wigan and Matt Connolly from Arsenal, with on-loan Plymouth midfielder Akos Buzsaky's permanent move set to be rubber-stamped.
The club has money to spend following a takeover by Formula One magnates Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore and have targeted a host of other players.
De Canio added: "We will now sit down with the board and see who enters the club's plans.
"Anyone who can be beneficial to QPR will be taken into consideration." Sporting Life
Also: Leicester official Site - Views of Defender, Gareth McAuley

QPR OFFICIAL SITE
The R's revival continued on New Year's Day, as fellow strugglers Leicester City were put to the sword at a raucous Loftus Road.
In a one-sided first half, Damion Stewart opened the scoring with his fourth goal in seven outings, before Adam Bolder made it 2-0 with a close range header.
Dexter Blackstock all but guaranteed maximum points for the hosts when soared to head home number three, and although Iain Hume pulled a goal back with a spectacular free-kick, the R's made it nine points out of 12 over the festive period - and in some style too.
Luigi De Canio made two changes following the 4-2 victory against Watford three days earlier.
Akos Buzsaky and Rowan Vine returned to the starting XI, at the expense of Angelo Balanta and Marc Nygaard.
Former R's boss Ian Holloway handed Barry Hayles his Leicester debut, but fellow new-boy Steve Howard had to make do with a place amongst the Foxes substitutes.
Buoyed by his two-goal cameo in the final match of 2007, Martin Rowlands was soon back in the groove in W12.
A neat piece of close control in the heart of the R's midfield gave him the space to ping an inch-perfect ball out wide to Gareth Ainsworth, who in turn fizzed the ball across goal.
The Foxes only half cleared their lines and Bolder followed up to sting the palms of visiting custodian Paul Henderson.
At the other end, Hume's speculative 25-yard free-kick had Lee Camp scrambling across his goal, but thankfully the ball faded wide of the right hand upright.
The Rangers faithful didn't have to wait too long to see their side score their first goal of 2008 though, as Stewart notched his fifth of the season in the 16th minute.
Buzsaky inevitably played his part, sending in an inviting corner to the edge of the six-yard box, which Stewart met on the full and powered home beyond the despairing dive of Henderson.
Encouraged to attack at every given opportunity by the expressive De Canio, Blackstock headed onto the roof of the net from Ainsworth's volleyed cross, before Vine's audacious 20th minute flicked effort flew inches wide of the post.
De Canio's bold approach was rewarded with a second goal in the 27th minute, as Bolder finished off a free-flowing attacking move with a close range header.
Rowlands' expansive 40-yard cross-field pass found Vine, who with time to look up, delivered a textbook cross to the far post.
Blackstock hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity, before heading back across goal to the R's skipper, who nodded into an empty net for the easiest goal he's ever likely to score.
Holloway reacted by bringing on Howard for the unlucky Joe Mattock in the 32nd minute, as the Foxes switched to an attacking 4-3-3 formation.
But it was Rangers who continued to orchestrate proceedings up until the break, with Blackstock glancing the ball inches wide of Henderson's left hand post.
To their credit, the Foxes come out of the traps quickly after the break.
Howard thrashed a fearsome 25-yard drive off the face of the post, but despite their improved offering, it was the hosts who grabbed the all-important third goal of the game in the 56th minute.
Vine's majestic wide play saw him get to the by-line and when Blackstock rose above a static Leicester rearguard, there was only ever going to be one outcome, as the R's number nine headed home his second goal of the campaign.
Leicester were by no means down and out though, as Hume reduced the arrears with a sublime 30-yard free-kick just three minutes later.
Camp stood no chance as the ball nestled in the top corner of the net, to the delight of the 600 or so Foxes fans that made the New Years Day journey down from the Midlands.
Howard squandered a glorious chance to bag his first goal for his new Club when he glanced a header wide 15 minutes from time, but in truth, that was as good as it got for the visitors, as Rangers kick-started 2008 with a convincing home victory.
QPR: Camp, Barker, Stewart, Bolder (Nygaard 74), Blackstock (Walton 92), Buzsaky, Ainsworth (Mahon 67), Rowlands, Malcolm, Vine, Rehman. Subs: Cole, Balanta.
Scorers: Stewart 16, Bolder 27, Blackstock 56
Bookings: Bolder 44
Leicester City: Henderson, Chambers (Wesolowski 57), Kisnorbo, N'Gotty (Sheehan 62), McAuley, Clemence, Hume, Fryatt, Stearman, Mattock (Howard 32), Hayles.
Subs: Hayes, Kenton.
Scorers: Hume 59
Bookings: Wesolowski 83, Hayles 91
Referee: Mr P Miller
Attendance: 13, 326 QPR


LEICESTER OFFICIAL SITE
Leicester City's first game of 2008 ended in defeat as they went down 3-1 at Queens Park Rangers on New Year's Day.
Two goals inside 11 first-half minutes from Damion Stewart and Adam Bolder together with Dexter Blackstock's 56th minute header did the damage at Loftus Road, with Iain Hume's seventh of the campaign proving scant consolation.
Despite an improved showing from the visitors after the interval, the loss put an end to the Foxes' three-match unbeaten run and made it a miserable start for debutants Barry Hayles and Steve Howard, who rattled the woodwork after the break.
Inside two minutes, Lee Camp was forced to race off his line to thwart Hayles, after Matty Fryatt had played in his fellow strike partner.
Paul Henderson, making only his second league start of the season, kept his side level three minutes later when he parried captain Bolder's snap-shot after Gareth Ainsworth's low cross from the right had only been half-cleared by Gareth McAuley.
Iain Hume came close at the other end on nine minutes when his curling free-kick from 25-yards flew narrowly wide of Camp's right-hand upright.
This was after Fryatt's impressive solo run was only stopped illegally by Stewart.
However, it was the home side who took the lead on 15 minutes through Stewart.
Akos Buzsaky's in-swinging corner from the left was met by the head of the on-rushing defender and he made no mistake from close range, planting the ball past Henderson and into the back of the net for the opener.
Hayles came close to restoring parity in the 18th minute when his fine run and chip proved too good for Camp but dropped the wrong side of the upright.
Bob Malcolm put his effort wide soon after following another Ainsworth cross then at the other end, James Chambers headed over from Joe Mattock's hanging centre on 20 minutes.
Fryatt shot just wide in the 24th minute but it was the Hoops who doubled their advantage two minutes later.
Rowan Vine's cross to the far post was headed back across goal by Dexter Blackstock for the unmarked Bolder, who had the simple task of nodding home in to an empty net for his side's second of the contest.
With his side already two goals down, Ian Holloway wasted no time in introducing new signing Howard in to the action, with Mattock making way for the former Luton and Derby man in the 31st minute.
His first job was to help defend a QPR free-kick but Henderson was equal to Buzsaky's attempt and got down well to smother his shot on the goal-line.
McAuley headed wide from Hume's corner on 37 minutes then Blackstock did likewise at the other end three minutes later.
Goalscorer Bolder was cautioned for a foul on Richard Stearman in the 44th minute but despite a late spell of Foxes pressure, it remained 2-0 to the home side at the interval.
City came close to reducing the deficit at the start of the second half when Hayles' goal-bound snap-shot was turned behind for a corner after Fryatt had jinked his way into the hosts' penalty area.
From the resulting corner, Stearman headed wide from Stephen Clemence's corner.
QPR again rode their luck in the 50th minute when Howard let fly from 25-yards but his venomous shot ricocheted back off the right-hand post and away to safety with Camp well-beaten.
And the Hoops rubbed salt in to City's wounds on 56 minutes when Blackstock headed home his side's third from Vine's hanging cross to the back post.
A minute later Chambers made way for James Wesolowski as the Foxes looked to salvage something out of the game.
And it was then 3-1 in the 59th minute when Hume fired home an unstoppable free-kick from 25-yards which left Camp rooted to the spot.
Alan Sheehan replaced Bruno N'Gotty on 62 minutes before Ainsworth made way for Gavin Mahon four minutes later.
City applied the pressure as they looked for a way back in to the game.
QPR made their second change in the 75th minute with Bolder going off and Marc Nygaard coming on.
Howard glanced wide from Hume's dangerous free-kick two minutes later before Wesolowski was cautioned for dissent as the minutes ticked away.
Henderson pushed Buzsaky's free-kick away from the danger area moments later then Camp brilliantly saved Fryatt's close range header after Hayles had teed him up.
The visitors continued to push forward during the four minutes of stoppage time but it proved not to be as it was the home fans celebrating at the final whistle.
City: Henderson, Stearman, Kisnorbo, McAuley, Mattock (Howard 31), Chambers (Wesolowski 57), Clemence (c), N'Gotty (Sheehan 62), Hume, Hayles, Fryatt. Subs not used: Hayes, Kenton.
QPR: Camp, Barker, Stewart, Bolder (c) (Nygaard 75), Blackstock (Walton 90), Buzaky, Ainsworth (Mahon 66), Rowlands, Malcolm, Vine, Rehman. Subs not used: Cole, Balanta.
Yellow Cards City: Wesolowski (82), Hayles (90)
QPR: Bolder (44)
Attendance: 13,326
Referee: P Miller Leicester

See Also: Daily Mail Match Report

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