-
Ealing Gazette - By Yann Tear & David Mcintyre
Rs must heed early defensive warning
QPR will look to take Martin Cranie on loan again if their defensive woes continue - and if he isn't sold by Portsmouth.
Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United was a nasty setback for Rangers and came after shaky defensive performances in victories over Barnsley and Swindon.
The form of summer signing Kaspars Gorkss is a concern. The Latvian featured in only two pre-season games because of the wrangling over his move from Blackpool and his lack of match sharpness has been exposed.
Gorkss is a centre-back of proven Championship quality and is expected to prove it in time, but the Rangers hierarchy are looking at possible reinforcements.
Cranie impressed before a broken leg cut short his loan spell at Loftus Road last season and earlier this summer the Rs tried hard to secure his return on a season-long loan deal.
Now they have approached Portsmouth again in an attempt to bring the player back on loan.
Pompey are willing to sell the England U21 international for around £1.5m but could struggle to find a buyer, particularly given Cranie's recent injury.
That would pave the way for Cranie to rejoin QPR on loan if Rangers continue to struggle like they did at Bramall Lane.
Iain Dowie's side were 2-0 down after just 13 minutes following two goals from
striker Billy Sharp, who completed his hat-trick six minutes after half-time by pouncing to score after keeper Radek Cerny failed to gather a corner.
"Our inability to defend set plays cost us dearly," Dowie admitted.
"We're one of the biggest teams on the planet, so it's bizarre. Although we pressed in the second half we fell to another set-piece, which really sticks in the throat. I think we've got enough ability to cope.
"We don't want to overreact because we've had a mad 20 minutes."
Gareth Ainsworth believes the defeat will act as a good wake-up call.
"I thought they overpowered us physically, which in a strange way is going to be good because it's a lesson learned very early," the winger-coach told the Gazette.
"It's also a message to everyone that we're not the Chelsea of the Championship. We're not going to romp it as the bookies keep saying. It's going to be tough to get out of the division.
"Hopefully the reaction will be good and we can't wait for the next game now to put it right."
Ainsworth added: "We are great with free-kicks we get but it's a question of tightening up at the other end. It was the problem last year and we don't want a repeat.
"We are going to work hard at defending corners and freekicks. It's unbelievably important. Get that right and you won't go far wrong."
Dowie will be able to call upon Martin Rowlands for this weekend's home game against Doncaster.
The Rangers captain is available again after serving a three-match suspension and featured in a midweek behindclosed-doors friendly at West Ham, where Hogan Ephraim returned after a spell on the sidelines with shin splints.
Former Hammer Ephraim scored in the 2-2 draw, with Italian winger Matteo Alberti netting from the penalty spot....Ealing Gazette
QPR's League Cup Record: Ealing Gazette - Twice finalists, but League Cup has been no love affair
FOR a club with such fond memories of the League Cup, there will be no great feelings of optimism about Tuesday night's second round tie against Carlisle.
Rangers will be attempting to reach the third round of the competition for only the second time in a decade and the last time they managed it, they were easily brushed aside by Man City at Loftus Road.
It is only the fourth time they have reached the second round in 10 attempts, which is a poor return for a club that should be amongst the strongest of first round opponents.
No QPR fan will need reminding that 41 years ago, their team enjoyed the most romantic moment in their history when they triumphed in the first League Cup final to be played at Wembley. And they were a Third Division team too.
But that success was by no means typical, even though the Rs made it to the final again in 1986 - when a very good Oxford United side swept to an easy 3-0 win in the days when the competition was sponsored by the Milk Marketing Board.
Rangers last reached the fourth round (the last 16) in 1995 when they lost 1-0 at Aston Villa.
They last reached the quarter-finals in 1989 when eventual winners Nottingham Forest beat them 5-2 at the City Ground.
Although they flopped in the 86 final, Rangers have good reasons to remember that glorious cup run because they beat Chelsea 2-0 away in a quarter final replay and ousted Liverpool 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals after a 1-0 home win.
The results since then have been in stark contrast and Rangers fans will feel it is high time the club re-connected with those happy League Cup moments. Ealing Gazette
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, August 22, 2008
QPR Returning for Cranie Loan?...Ainsworth on Defending...QPR's "League Cup" Record
Blog Archive
-
▼
2008
(1621)
-
▼
August
(154)
- Bernie Ecclestone on QPR - Not Got The Football Bug!
- Ex-QPRs in Action and Flashbacks: Wilks' Higbury G...
- QPR's Strong Draw at Bristol City - Reports and Co...
- Ten Man QPR Draw at Bristol City - Early Reports
- Teams: QPR Vs Bristol City
- Carling Cup Draw: QPR Drawn Away to Aston Villa - ...
- Previewing QPR's Visit to Bristol City
- "Lesema Can become Next Messi or Maradona"
- Snippets - Bristol City on QPR...Ben Watson?...Eir...
- Ledesma at QPR and Paladini's Response
- QPR Coach Bobby Ross Retiring - (The Amended State...
- Bristol City's Captain Snippet - "A lot of money ...
- QPR Not Rushing To Make Ledesma Signing Permanent
- QPR Snippets - Praise, Snideness and Rumour
- QPR Injury Update: Buzsaky, Vine and Hall
- Brian Glanville Perspective of QPR
- Updated: Frazier Campbell for QPR? (Newspaper Goss...
- Two QPR Birthdays...Richard Langley and Chis Day N...
- Tim Flowers NOT Yet Happy With QPR ...Nick Ward Ge...
- Carlisle-Area Perspectives of QPR Game - "United A...
- Football-Related Train Arrest Statistics
- Mahon and Ainsworth Speaking re QPR
- Dowie Would Like a Striker But Doesn't Much Expect...
- Cook Explains His Fulham Injury
- Updated - QPR's Carlisle Success - Additional Repo...
- Dowie Makes it Four Wins Out of Five - Reports and...
- Teams for QPR vs Carlisle
- Additional Carlisle QPR Previews
- QPR Snippets: Carlilse, Bowles and Masson...Lookin...
- Ian Holloway Talking About QPR's Prospects, Managi...
- QPR Flashbacks: "On This Day" - Opening Day Result...
- QPR's Doncaster Win - Additional Reports and Post-...
- Flashback: Barry Bridges Makes His QPR Debut - For...
- Terry Venables's QPR Return?...Davide Succi's Brace
- Match Reports and Comments....Comparing QPR's Star...
- QPR Vanquish Doncaster Rovers! Match Reports
- Teams: QPR vs Doncaster Rovers: Cerny Remains in G...
- Snippets - Delaney's Foreign Warning... Assessing ...
- On This Day: The Sublime (QPR's Incredible Bowles ...
- QPR Returning for Cranie Loan?...Ainsworth on Defe...
- "QPR Can be The New Chelsea" Comments of Parejo Be...
- QPR Snippets II: Doncaster's Manager on Big (Physi...
- Parejo Keeps Speaking - Compares QPR to Chelsea
- Previewing QPR vs Doncaster
- Snippets: Goalie and Ex-Captain Birthdays...Connol...
- No Salgado at Loftus Road?
- Parejo Aiming High! - "I Can Be The New Torres"
- QPR's Gavin Mahon on QPR's Foreign Loans and on No...
- Previewing Doncaster - Ex-QPR and Doncaster's Rufu...
- QPR Snippets - No Bodgani...Buzsaky Abused...Succi...
- Flashbacks: On This Day - Jim Gregory's Revolution...
- Snippets: Les Ferdinand Lauds Roy Wegerle and Ferd...
- QPR After Hajduk Split's Nikola Kalinic?....Trials...
- Ali Russell: No Near-Term Plans to Move...Ainswort...
- Damien Delaney on Playing for QPR and Ireland --- ...
- Snippets: Closed Door West Ham Friendly Ends in Dr...
- On This Day....QPR Games of Note
- No QPR-Genoa Friendly
- QPR Snippets: Managerial Sack & Promotion Odds---L...
- QPR Life Rope? Clubs Get One Extra Day To Buy Play...
- Next Up for QPR: Doncaster Rovers at Loftus Road -...
- Snippets: QPR Flops...Agyemang Recovery...Exiting ...
- "In Case You Missed It" - QPR-Related Items Over a...
- QPR's Loss - Sheffield United's Game
- Snippets: Dowie Acknowledges May Need Goalscorer.....
- QPR's Week in Perspective
- Football and Finances: Championship NOT Fourth Mos...
- QPR's Suffer Worst Loss to Sheffield United
- QPR's Loss to Sheffield United - Match Reports
- QPR's Unbeaten Record Ends as They Crash at Sheffi...
- QPR Fan Magazine AKUTRs Goes Online
- One Year Ago, QPR Appeared On The Brink...Ex-QPR S...
- Football's Richest Club Owners: #1 ...QPR's Lakshm...
- Snippets: Carlisle Response to QPR Draw....Ex-QPRs...
- Snippets: Ex-QPR Birthday...Leigertwood Assessed.....
- QPR's Next Challenge: Sheffield United
- Assessing QPR's Season Thus Far
- Snippets: Lee Cook Rubbishes Rumours...Harrow Win....
- Q&A With Dave McIntyre re QPR
- QPR Payments to Agents - Football League's Latest ...
- Football Finances Report - Survey of Football Club...
- Cup: QPR Face Club That Gave Us Stan Bowles
- Football League's Latest Agents Report is Out
- Snippets II - Simone Pavan Training With QPR....Ch...
- Carling Cup Draw Tonight
- Dowie's Selection "Problems"...Leigertwood's Desir...
- Agyemang Joins Delaney and Gorkss With an Internat...
- Snippets: QPR Player Interest...Further Swindon Re...
- QPR's 100% Start Continues! Victory at Swindon - R...
- Updated: Swindon vs QPR - Team Lineups
- Snippets: Ex-QPR Youth Ricky Sappleton Update
- Davide Succi for QPR? - "Succi: Offerta dal QPR di...
- QPR Deny Moving to Harrow
- QPR Not Yet Among the Top Clubs - World Rankings
- Swindon versus "The Chelsea of the Championship" -...
- No Ifil, No Kanyuka for Swindon vs QPR
- Making...Championship "Team of The Week"
- Snippets: A Concept QPR Could Emulate....Ex-QPRs U...
- QPR's Opening-Day Victory - Match Reports and Pres...
- QPR Interest in Chievo's Erjon Bogdani?
-
▼
August
(154)