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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

QPR-Burnley Preview II: When Played Burnley Last, QPR Were Bottom

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QPR play Burnley tonight. Burnley's away record this season is 7 wins. 4 draws. 4 defeats.
Two months ago, QPR's "shock victory" at Burnley enabled QPR to get off the bottom of the table. Before that Burnley match the table had seen QPR very last:
Scunthorpe 21-23
Leicester 20-22
Norwich 21-21
Colchester 21-20
Preston 21-18
QPR 20-17
QPR's Team vs Burnley back in December
QPR: Camp, Rehman, Stewart, Malcolm, Barker, Ainsworth (Moore 90), Bolder, Leigertwood (Walton 88), Sinclair (Blackstock 75), Nygaard, Vine. Subs Not Used: Cole, Balanta.
Burnley: Kiraly, Alexander, Carlisle (Gudjonsson 48), Unsworth, Harley, Elliott, Mahon (James O'Connor 63), McCann, Lafferty, Blake (Jones 63), Gray.
Subs Not Used: Jensen, Akinbiyi.
See Reports: - Match Reports of Burnley 0-QPR 2 - Also: Additional Reports and Comments of QPR's win at Burnley.>

TONIGHT
Burnley Official Site Coyle's Six-Shooters!
Owen Coyle is again eyeing a top six spot as Burnley look to go into their mini-break by halting QPR's recent surge up the Championship table.
Five wins in seven games have turned Loftus Road fans' despair into dreams of making the play offs.
However, resurgent Rangers will be wary of the Clarets, who have the third best away record in the Championship with seven wins and only four defeats in 15 games on their travels.
And with a blank weekend to come - during which Burnley will play Bohemians in Dublin on Friday night in a friendly - the gaffer is looking to sign off with a result that can boost his own side's promotion chances.
"We are one point off that coveted sixth spot at the moment and we are trying everything we can to get in there," insisted Coyle.
"I think teams are very wary that we have good players and we're playing well, and as much as we didn't hit the heights we've hit on Saturday (1-1 v Colchester), when I look back, I felt we did enough to win the game.
"But Saturday has gone now and we have the opportunity to go to QPR and get three more points.
"They have made wholesale changes and spent a lot of money, but it will still be 11 v 11 out on the pitch and we feel we can go there and win the game.
"We will be respectful, but if we perform to our standards we can win games and that's what we will look to do.
"We are not fearful of going anywhere and given the fact we are idle this weekend, it could be a very important three points."
Burnley will delay naming their side until the 11th hour for the 8pm kick off at Loftus Road.
David Unsworth has been laid low with a bug, while midfield terrier Chris McCann will have a late fitness test on his injured groin.
Clarets World will have full, 90-minute commentary from Loftus Road this evening, with Phil Bird on air from 7.50pm. Burnley


Lancashire Telegraph - Suzanne Geldard - Coyle wants a second chance
TONIGHT'S trip to Loftus Road will provide the first opportunity for Owen Coyle to face the same team twice.
But even though the last meeting with Queens Park Rangers was just nine weeks ago, the Burnley manager knows they are a much different proposition now.
Formula One tycoons Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, who alone has an estimated fortune of £2.24billion, have also recruited steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, reputedly the fifth richest man in the world, into their takeover.
But Ecclestone has refuted suggestions that manager Luigi De Canio has a bottomless pit of cash with which to strengthen his squad.
"QPR isn't a wealthy club. It's a club that's owned by some wealthy people," he said. "No one is going to be lashing out lots of money. Things need to be done correctly and that's what we're going to do."
But a £5million war chest for the January transfer window alone is not to be sniffed at.
Such financial clout allowed them to make the loan signings of Akos Buzsaky and Rowan Vine permanent, from Plymouth Argyle and Birmingham City respectively, as well as adding Arsenal defender Matthew Connolly, Patrick Agyemang from Preston, and former West Ham United winger Hogan Ephraim last month, to drag QPR from the depths of the Championship (they were bottom when they last met Burnley on December 11) to potential promotion contenders.
De Canio has conjured an incredible turnaround in a short space of time, but although a disappointing defeat to Rangers at Turf Moor is still fresh in the memory, Coyle doesn't fear going to Loftus Road.
"I thought we dominated that (home) game, and should have won it, but Clarke Carlisle got injured five minutes into the second half, and then lost a goal from a set play from the man Clarke was picking up," said the Burnley boss, for whom the visit of QPR was his sixth game in charge.
"But we carried on the fight and had numerous opportunities, the ball was in QPR's box for the entire second half, and then Gabor (Kiraly) came up for the corner..."
Rangers broke from that late set piece, allowing Vine to make the scoreline more flattering and put the win beyond doubt in the dying moments.
"They've made a lot of changes (since then) and got a decent side," continued Coyle. "But we know it's a game we can win.
"We are respectful, but I have absolutely no fear. We will go there and be positive, look to take the game to them and we're well capable of taking the points."
An enviable away record adds weight to the Clarets' confidence, having won seven and drawn four of their 15 trips so far.
"I think teams are very wary that we have good players, and we're playing well," said Coyle. "And as much as we didn't hit the heights we've hit on Saturday (against Colchester), when I look back, I felt we did enough to win the game.
"I don't think the pitch was that great on Saturday, particularly out wide for Wade (Elliott) and Kyle (Lafferty), where it looked very bobbly.
"It's the same for both sides, but although we've had a lot of rain the pitch needs to be as flat as we can get it, and that's something we need to make sure of.
"The way we want to play, we want to have a surface that's conducive to passing the ball, and I thought the pitch played it's part in our performance on Saturday."
One factor of the home draw to the U's Coyle was pleased with, however, was the backing of supporters.
"I think the fans can recognise what we're trying to do, trying to pass and move the ball," he said.
"How other teams play is up to them, but we're not just going to play the ball from back to front, that's why the grass is there, to play on it.
"That's what we're trying to do.
"I think the players recognise the fans are with them, and they are turning out in numbers.
"I think prior to me coming in, there was under 10,000 here for the game against Hull, and the last three games we've had 14,000 on twice, and 15,000 on Saturday.
"I know there are incentives involved, but they are coming out in numbers and we want to reward them for that, and give them something to shout about." Lancashire Telegraph

See Also: "Previewing Burnley's Trip to QPR - No Clarke Carlisle"

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