QPR vs Reading - Sunday Match Reports

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- Among the Copy/Pasted Articles Today:
- Parejo on His Time at QPR and His Hopes in Spain.
- New Kilgalon Bid?
- Flashback: Gerry Francis on QPR in Crisis
- Borrowdale's Signing: What was said at the time
- "The Greatest Goals of All Time"
- Manager Peter Taylor accuses local paper of showing a "lack of respect" for Wycombe - Because it published an "undisclosed" transfer fee Wycombe received
- England's 2018 World Cup Competitors as Hosts
- Simon Walton Still Has to Prove to His Manager
- Joe Kinnear: Two Decades Out of Touch.


QPR vs READING - MATCH REPORTS

The Times/John Aizlewood - Reading slip in promotion bid
- THIS contest promised much but delivered little. Both teams showed glimpses of why they might ascend come May, but although both managers claimed superiority, neither could seriously quibble with the shared spoils.
- Queens Park Rangers, part muscle, part elegance, were the first-half moral victors and have now thwarted Reading twice. Meanwhile, Reading themselves looked more likely in the second half.
- “A difficult pitch and a strong wind made it a random but intense game,” noted visiting manager Steve Coppell.
- “I always want three points,” sighed QPR first-team coach Paulo Sousa, “especially from a game we controlled, but one point is better than nothing against a clinical team like Reading.”
- For all their millions, QPR have resisted the temptation to splurge. Instead, they have built from the foundations and with Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore making personal checks upon their personal cheques, Liam Miller, on loan from Sunderland and their only transfer window arrival, made his home debut and Rangers held hitherto rampant Reading.
- This morning they find themselves sniffing at the playoff places and unbeaten in eight Championship games. With Gavin Mahon offering the steel to Wayne Routledge’s silk and Damion Stewart a defensive colossus, Rangers took the game to an initially timid Reading.
- Heidar Helguson headed Lee Cook’s cross wide when well-placed in the 12th minute. At the other end, the lively Leroy Lita forced Lee Camp to paw aside a scuffed effort from 12 yards.
- As Rangers waned in the second half, Reading waxed. The midfield trojan Kalifa Cisse made himself an outlet for most of their good work, Stephen Hunt was a niggly threat and Lita, making his first start for Reading since August, began to make penalty area mischief.
- Indeed, Lita’s quick thinking soon forced Camp into another smart save and Matthew Connolly cleared off the line in the 74th minute when Jimmy Kebe’s drive deflected off Damien Delaney, but the visitors failed to turn advantage into goals.
- Star man: Lee Camp (QPR)
Yellow cards: QPR: Helguson Reading: S Hunt, Duberry
Referee: J Moss Attendance: 17,120
QPR: Camp 7, Connolly 6, Stewart 7, Gorkss 6, Delaney 6, Mahon 7 (Ephraim 77min), Routledge 7, Leigertwood 7, Miller 6, Cook 6 (Di Carmine 90min), Helguson 4, (Blackstock 86min)
READING: Federici 6, Rosenior 6, Duberry 6, Pearce 6, Armstrong 6, Kebe 5 (Gunnarsson 90min), Harper 6, Cisse 7, S Hunt 6, Lita 7, Doyle 6 The Times


The Telegraph/Nick Hoult - Paolo Sousa draws motivation as Reading fail to break QPR resolve - Queens Park Rangers (0) 0 Reading (0) 0
- Perhaps every other club in the Championship should have a word with Queens Park Rangers. Reading went into this game with a goalscoring record better than any other side in the division but once again failed to break through against a resolute Rangers defence.
- With the chance to move top of the Championship a tantalising prospect at kick-off, Coppell's team did not lack motivation to beat a Rangers side developing something of a knack for drawing matches under Paolo Sousa.
- It was Rangers who ended Reading's 100 per cent home record at the end of October when they earned a 0-0 draw, one of the bright spots of Iain Dowie's time at the club.
- Many things have changed since then with Sousa becoming the club's third manager in 12 months but some things stay the same – a clean sheet against Reading.
- Coppell will today spend his time in the pub and out of mobile phone reach. Ostensible he is hoping the transfer window quietly clicks shut. Instead he may be hoping nobody calls to remind him of this match.
- "It was a difficult pitch for both sides to play on and the wind was deceptively strong which made a difference to the tempo of the game," said Coppell. "Although we may have edged it there was not enough goalmouth action."
- Too right. Both sides were set up in a similar mould and their style of play seemed to negate each other's good points. The ball was passed around cleanly and crisply and both defences were well drilled but life as a centre forward was spent waiting for the final pass that never arrived.
- Rangers gave a debut to Liam Miller, the midfielder signed on loan from Sunderland last week, and along with Gavin Mahon he formed a solid core which Reading struggled to break down.
- With Lee Cook and Wayne Routledge on the flanks, QPR have a classy element but during the first half they had little to show for their greater share of the ball.
- Heidar Helguson failed to get on the end of a dangerous Cook cross in the first five minutes and the winger then had a free kick saved by Adam Federici. But the best chance of the opening half fell to Reading's Leroy Lita, whose shot from the penalty spot was saved low down by Lee Camp.
- In the 72nd minute a scramble of legs and heads saw QPR clear a header off the line from Jimmy Kebe and when Camp dropped a long ball into the box at the feet of Lita it seemed Reading's time had arrived. But under pressure from Mahon, Lita shot wide. Telegraph


The Mirror/Mike Allen
- Leroy Lita shone and the rest froze, as the Premier League dreams of these two sides were given a reality check.
- Lita was just about the only player to have a meaningful shot during a game that started as a fascinating examination of both teams' promotion prospects - and ended in a stalemate notable only for its misplaced passes.
- Reading fear that the final 24 hours of the transfer window will see them lose Stephen Hunt and James Harper - key men in any Royals' push for an automatic slot.
- Manager Steve Coppell has vowed to go to his local pub where there is no mobile-phone reception!
- Coppell, an outspoken critic of the transfer rules, said: "It is a restraint of trade and then we have a shambolic loan system which is a pretence and geared towards the Premier League."
- This time next year Reading are likely to be back among the big boys, - but they will have to play better than this to survive.
- Rangers have promotion aspirations of their own, and although this was their first match at Loftus Road for 21 days, they have become play-off contenders.
- The signing of Wayne Routledge early in the transfer window was a signal that Paulo Sousa, Rangers' highly rated coach, is not going to go mad with his billionaire bosses' cash.
- But Routledge was caught up in the general malaise and although Reading doubled-up on him, he failed to produce a first touch or final ball to match his tricks, flicks and pace.
- It was hard to see how QPR have put together an eight-match unbeaten run, especially as their early dominance brought just one decent first-half chance when Heidar Helguson should have scored but failed to connect with Lee Cook's cross.
- Sousa's assertion that his team had the better chances, was like QPR's long range shooting - wide of the mark. But he was right to say: "Reading were very competitive and intelligent. I feel proud of my players that they can compete with them."
- Lita forced Lee Camp to push a shot onto the outside of a post. Then his deflected effort brought a near-post save from the Rangers keeper.
- Lita and Kevin Doyle were denied in a scramble after a clearance struck Damien Delaney's back.
- For their part, Rangers never even warmed the fingers of Reading keeper Adam Federici. The Mirror


The Mail - Rangers fail to turn it on for record attendance
- Reading pocketed another point towards their promotion bid but slipped further behind Coca-Cola Championship leaders Wolves after a stalemate at QPR.
- The Royals kicked off two points off the top following their win over Wanderers on Tuesday night but found Rangers a tougher proposition at Loftus Road.
- The hosts have promotion ambitions of their own, sitting just outside the play-offs, but both sides gave the distinct impression they would settle for a point which made for a disappointing game for the 17,120 crowd - Rangers' biggest of the season.
- The outcome would have been different had Heidar Helguson not squandered a gilt-edged chance in the first half.
- Rangers goalkeeper Lee Camp thwarted Reading's best efforts, denying Kalifa Cisse and Leroy Lita either side of the interval.
- Stephen Hunt and James Harper were in the Reading line-up despite being linked with moves to the Premier League before Monday's deadline.
- But it was Rangers who dominated possession early on and Mikele Leigertwood fired wide before Helguson missed his straightforward opportunity to open the scoring.
Lively winger Lee Cook swung in a cross from the left but Iceland striker Helguson, arriving at the far post a couple of yards out, headed horribly wide.
Reading came within a whisker of taking the lead in the 17th minute when Kevin Doyle's shot ricocheted into the path of French midfielder Cisse, whose low drive was fingertipped around a post by Camp.
- Camp then had to palm away Lita's cross-shot before Hunt whipped in a dangerous cross which Damien Delaney cleared with Jimmy Kebe lurking.
Camp saved his side again at the start of the second half, keeping out Lita's angled drive which deflected of Kaspars Gorkss after the striker was sent through by Doyle's clever chip.
- Centre-half Alex Pearce was then inches away from connecting with Chris Armstrong's floated free-kick, but again the ball bounced to safety.
Rangers' best move of the match came on the hour mark when Liam Miller and Delaney combined well to send Cook scampering down the left wing, but his cross flew past Helguson's outstretched boot into Adam Federici's arms.
A late scramble caused minor panic in the Rangers goalmouth but neither Doyle nor Michael Duberry could force the ball home, before Hunt shot wide after Camp had spilled a high ball. The Mail


SPORTING LIFE/Andy Sims: MANAGERIAL COMMENTS COPPELL PLANS TO DODGE RAIDERS -
Reading manager Steve Coppell plans to dodge any raids from Premier League clubs for his players by holing up in the pub.
Royals midfielders Stephen Hunt and James Harper have been linked with moves to the top flight before the transfer window shuts on Monday.
But the likes of Middlesbrough, Tottenham, Fulham and Wigan will find it hard get hold of Coppell, who is no fan of the January window.
"I'm going to be in the pub on Sunday, and it's in an area where you can't get any phone reception, so I don't expect a great deal happening," he said.
"But if anyone goes then we will deal with it. If it happens, it happens. I said last week we'd be reactive rather than pro-active but if anything happens now it gives us little or no time to do something about it.
"It seems crazy to have to wait until Monday when this is the last day of the month. And then we have this shambolic emergency loan system. The whole thing is a pretence."
The Royals pocketed another point towards their promotion bid but slipped further behind leaders Wolves following a goalless draw at QPR.
Heidar Helguson missed a gilt-edged chance to put Rangers ahead when he nodded Lee Cook's cross wide early on.
Rangers goalkeeper Lee Camp thwarted Reading's best efforts, denying Kalifa Cisse and Leroy Lita either side of the interval, while the Royals' players felt they should have had a penalty when Hunt went down under a challenge from Gavin Mahon.
The hosts have promotion ambitions of their own but both sides gave the distinct impression they would settle for a point which made for disappointing fare for the 17,120 crowd - Rangers' biggest of the season.
Reading have hit 58 goals this season but have now been held to two goalless draws by QPR.
"It was a difficult pitch for either side to play on," added Coppell.
"All told I would say we edged it, but not by much. There was a terrific work-rate from both teams and it was a shame there wasn't goals in it somewhere."
Wolves, Reading and Birmingham look to be fighting for the two automatic promotion spots but Coppell believes QPR, among others, could yet have a say at the top.
"There are teams who are really putting on a surge," he said.
"QPR, the two Welsh teams, Burnley are there or thereabouts and Sheffield United as well. There is a little group who, if they maintain their surge will be definitely be a factor in things."
- Rangers are now unbeaten in their last eight Championship games and remain within striking distance of the play-offs.
"I'm never happy with one point, I always want three, but I'm happy with the performance of my team," said boss Paulo Sousa.
"It's not easy to play against a very compact, intelligent and clinical team.
"We needed to be strong and competitive and I felt we were. We controlled the rhythms of the game." Sporting Life

- SEE ALSO: Earlier Reports and Managerial Comments on QPR 0 Reading 0