Burnley (3 Managers in 11 Years) 1 QPR (7 Managers in 18 Months "Drifting Like the Rudderless Ship they are") 0

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- [See Earlier: Burnley-QPR Match Reports and Managerial Comments]

Sunday Times/Peter Oliver - Queens Park Rangers humbled by Burnley
- HOW Queens Park Rangers must envy Burnley’s stability, not to mention their league position as they all but secured a place in the play-offs with a fifth win in seven games.
- While Rangers look for a fifth manager in 18 months after the dismissal of Paulo Sousa, Burnley are on only their third in 11 years. The incumbent, Owen Coyle, is ready to commit himself to 2012 by agreeing a new contract.
- Having nurtured a side recognised already for its cup football this season, Coyle has also proved he can produce a team capable of prospering over the longer distance. Since losing to Arsenal in the FA Cup just over a month ago, Burnley are unbeaten in six games and have won four of them.
- A top-six place that once eluded them by goal difference is now theirs for the taking, even if their next two games against Cardiff and Sheffield United will be a serious test.
- Yesterday Burnley were down to 18 fit players, including a goalkeeper who had five stitches inserted in an eye wound sustained in training on Friday. At full strength they only have 19 senior players.
- In such circumstances Chris Eagles might appear a luxury but the former Manchester United winger has bought into the work ethic. “I think there is even more to come from him,” said Coyle. “I don’t think I’ve got to the bottom of him yet and I am working every day in training with him to get there.”
- Radek Cerny saved superbly from Graham Alexander in the first half and after the break Clarke Carlisle headed home from a corner, hit the post with a header and had an effort cleared off the line.
- Gareth Ainsworth, again the caretaker at Loftus Road, insists he will not let Rangers’ season die around them but apart from a Rowan Vine effort that was well saved by Brian Jensen, they offered little and look to be drifting like the rudderless ship they are.
Star man: Chris Eagles (Burnley) Yellow card: Burnley: Kalvenes Referee: M Haywood Attendance: 15,058
BURNLEY: Jensen 7, Williams 7, Carlisle 7, Caldwell 7, Kalvenes 7, Elliott 8, Alexander 7, McCann 7, Eagles 8 (McDonald 90min), Rodriguez 7 (Paterson 86min), Blake 7 (Gudjonsson 79min)
QPR: Cerny 7, Ramage 5, Connolly 6, Gorkss 5, Delaney 5, Leigertwood 5, Ephraim 5 (Lopez 72min), Routledge 6, Vine 6 (Alberti 84min), Taarabt 5, Di Carmine 4 (Cook 54min)
Sunday Times


Sunday Mirror - Carlisle keeps Clarets on track
- BURNLEY 1 QPR 0 Carlisle 49
- Clarke Carlisle's bullet header gave Burnley three vital points as Owen Coyle's side consolidated their place in the play-off zone.
- Carlisle headed home a Robbie Blake corner at the beginning of the second half as the Clarets moved seven points clear of the pack chasing the top six.
- Rangers had their moments in an entertaining match but ended a hectic week which saw manager Paulo Sousa axed after just 26 games marooned in mid-table.
- Burnley started brightly with Wade Elliott having a shot after just seven seconds.
- Jay Rodriguez then headed a Blake free-kick over in a highpaced start before Chris Eagles looked to have a decent penalty shout turned away after he was impeded in the area.
- Coyle's side were in control but a quick break by the visitors almost led to the opening goal. Hogan Ephraim carried the ball forward before playing it out to Wayne Routledge on the right. His cross evaded the entire Clarets defence and Rowan Vine looked certain to score but the imposing figure of goalkeeper Brian Jensen blocked the striker's volley.
- The Clarets came within inches of taking the lead just 45 seconds into the second half. Blake was again the supplier of a superb delivery from a right-wing corner and Carlisle sent a powabove erful header past Cerny which rattled the post.
- But in the 49th minute the hosts were ahead from an identical set-piece. Blake floated the corner to the exact same spot and Carlisle again rose his marker to thump a header past Cerny.
- Coyle hailed his side's character, and said: "We just have to look after ourselves and we did that today. To give that level of performance at this stage of the season spoke volumes of the side's character." QPR caretaker manager Gareth Ainsworth refused to discuss the departure last week of Sousa but promised that his side would play out the rest of the season with pride.
- He said: "I'm proud of the lads, they battled hard. I've had one crack at being manager before and I am very proud to be involved and will continue to lead the side out for as long as I'm asked to." Sunday Mirror


- Additional Gareth Ainsworth quote from BBC
- "Burnley is a tough place to come and I have a lot of respect for Owen Coyle and what he has achieved here. "We want to pick up points and we can still have a say in promotion and relegation this season. We don't want the season to die now but I want the players to enjoy it." BBC


SUNDAY PEOPLE/Steve Bott - BURNLEY 1-0 QPR
- Owen Coyle hailed his battling Burnley side despite being accused of a "sneaky" victory.
- Clarke Carlisle and Chris Eagles are both claiming the goal that moved the Clarets seven points clear in the final play-off place.
- Carlisle's bullet header just after halftime was touched in by Eagles with stand-in QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth insisting it was handled over the line.
- "It was a sneaky handball and they have got away with it," said Ainsworth.
- "Our goalkeeper ran 30 yards to protest about it and he wouldn't have done that if he didn't think there was anything wrong with the goal. He is saying Eagles handballed it." After Blackpool's victory at Preston earlier in the day, this was a massive result for Coyle's men and the boss was quick to salute his players.
- "We just have to look after ourselves and we did that today," the Scot said.
"The last 10 minutes were nervy but we had a lot of chances and should have had more than a one-goal lead going into that period.
"The lads thought that Clarke's second header, which was cleared, was over the line but I couldn't tell from the sidelines.
"To give that level of performance at this stage of the season spoke volumes of the side's character.
"There were so many positives to take from the game, most of all three points and now we have another tough game at Cardiff on Easter Monday." Coyle will need Carlisle at his commanding best against the Bluebirds.
He's the biggest player in the Burnley squad, but against Rangers he added to a solid defensive display by providing the breakthrough on 49 minutes before the controversy raged over how and who scored.
Carlisle went close to a second goal on 70 minutes, but his header was cleared off the line by Hogan Ephraim.
Burnley dominated from the off and produced a string of fine crosses in the first 30 minutes. But with just one man up front in Jay Rodriguez - making his first full appearance for the team - there just wasn't enough bodies in the box to convert the chances.
Rodriguez saw a header saved by Radek Cerny in the 34th minute.
A minute later Burnley midfield man Graham Alexander powered in a great shot from 16 yards out that brought another fine save from the Rangers keeper.
Poor
Ainsworth refused to talk about the sacking of manager Paulo Sousa in midweek, but whoever is handed the full-time job at Loftus Road has got a difficult task if this display is anything to go by.
The visitors were desperately poor in attack and an offside effort from Rowan Vine which struck the post in the fourth minute was as good as it got.
Their defence, with Kaspars Gorkss the only one to really shine, was adequate. The same can be said for the five-man midfield.
- Ainsworth is clearly just filling a gap and may not last until the end of the season. If he does, Rangers will have to produce something a lot better than this if the new man is going to have anything at all to work on next season.
- "We have our values and we want a say in one or two things that are going to happen," Ainsworth said. "I want us to play with smiles on our faces.
- "I thought the lads played really well.
- Burnley is a tough place to come. I have a lot of respect for Owen Coyle.
- "We want to pick up points and we can still have a say in promotion and relegation this season."
Burnley: Jensen 6 - Williams 7, *CARLISLE 8, Caldwell 7, Kalvenes 6 - Eagles 7 (McDonald, 89mins), Alexander 6, Elliott 7, McCann 6, Blake 7 (Gudjonsson, 79mins) - Rodriguez 6 (Paterson, 86mins).

Qpr: Cerny 6 - Ramage 5, *GORKSS 7, Connolly 6, Delaney 5 - Routledge 5, Vine 5 (Alberti, 84mins), Ephraim 6, Leigertwood 5, Taarabt 5 - Di Carmine 4 (Cook, 54mins 5). Referee: M Haywood 7. Sunday People


- Comment on the Burnley result or the actions of this past week which culminated in Sousa's Axing