QPR Start at Home to Blackpool - QPR's 2009-2010 Fixtures...Reactions

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- QPR's 2009/2010 Fixtures

- Week-by-Week Championship Fixtures
- Week-by-Week Premiership Fixtures


QPR Official Site - R'S AT HOME ON OPENING DAY
- Jim Magilton's first competitive outing as the new QPR gaffer will see him go head-to-head with R's old-boy Ian Holloway, whose Blackpool side will visit Loftus Road on the opening day of the 2009/10 Coca Cola Championship season.

Ollie, as he is affectionately known, will bring his Tangerines to W12 on Saturday 8th August, before the R's face the long journey to Plymouth Argyle seven days later.

Sandwiched in between those two matches will be the small matter of a 380-mile round journey to Exeter City in the Carling Cup.

Next up for the R's will be a midweek trip to Bristol City, before Nottingham Forest visit Loftus Road on Saturday 22nd August.

"There's never any easy games in this division, but I'm pleased with our opening fixtures," Magilton told www.qpr.co.uk.

"I wanted a home fixture first up and we've got that. The fact it's Ian Holloway's side adds a bit of spice to the occasion too, which is great.

"Both Manager's will be really looking forward to it for obvious reasons - it will be a really special day."

Magilton added: "The timing of the Plymouth away fixture, so soon after our trip to Exeter in the Cup, could have been kinder, but it's just one of those things that the fixture lists always seem to throw up.

"It's a tough start, but I'm pleased with it all the same."

Other eye catching fixtures include a midweek trip to St James Park - home of Newcastle United - in late September, as well as the mouth-watering prospect of a journey to Magilton's former Club, Ipswich Town, on Monday 28th December.

The R's are at home against Bristol City on Boxing Day, whilst Barnsley provide the opposition for the R's final away fixture on the penultimate weekend of the campaign.

To round things off nicely, the Geordies are the visitors to Loftus Road on the final day of the season.

"Let's hope there's plenty riding on that one," added Magilton.

"They'll travel in their thousands and it will be a fantastic occasion. It's one to really, really look forward to, but there's a lot of football to be played between now and then, that's for sure." QPR


Blackpool Official Site - Holloway Reaction

Following the release of the provisional fixture list for the new season, www.blackpoolfc.co.uk caught up with Pool boss Ian Holloway and began by asking him about the season opener at Loftus Road,

"I knew I was going to play some of my ex teams at certain times of the season," said the Pool boss, " but it will be a great time to play them before they spend their mega, mega bucks that they have got. Obviously they have a sparkling interior of the ground now and a new manager but like I said I just can't wait to take the Tangerine army there and give it a right good go."

Holloway played over 150 League games for the Hoops and was manager of the Shepherds Bush outfit for almost five years and Ollie was quick to point out, he will be given a warm welcome by the Loftus Road faithful,

"I won't get stick, I have been back there a few times now and I have always had a very good reception from them," laughed Holloway," I will probably get stick from Leicester and Plymouth and obviously Bristol City but if we ever drew Bristol Rovers, I would get a good reception."

"It was quite emotional last time I took a team to QPR, they were all singing there is only one Ian Holloway and when I left there the supporters were singing my name, but I can't wait to get there and show them what we are all about, it won't be about Ian Holloway and QPR it will be about Blackpool and getting off to a good start."

It isn't the first time the two sides have met on the opening day and Holloway was in the QPR dug out when his team swept the Seasiders aside in a 5-0 battering asked for his memories of the game, Holloway said, "

"I remember it well, Steve McMahon was manager of us then and I remember they had signed a couple of academy players from Blackburn and having watched Blackpool pre-season and in some of the games the season before we knew that Blackpool had a tendency to overplay in midfield and we worked hard in midfield on winning the ball and breaking at pace and three of the five goals came from that, hopefully the score line won't be anything like that for them and who knows it might be a scoreline like that for us."

That game saw the club criticised for wearing a new black kit on the opening day of the season and Ollie said he won't be making that mistake again,

"No matter what the weather I will telling our kit man to make sure the Tangerine kit is packed, it is such a unique kit it won't clash with their blue and white, I am certainly cutting the dash with the Tangerine shorts at home at the minute, my neighbours have all bought sunglasses because the shorts are so bright and my legs are so white and the people across the valley are telling me to get inside because the shorts are so bright! But on a serious note, our Tangerine colours are so unique and the history of the club is so rich and special, I feel honoured to be part of it, when you look at the great players that have played for the club over the years, the likes of Stanley Matthews, Stan Mortensen, Jimmy Armfield, Alan Suddick, Tony Green, I feel honoured to be part of it and I can't wait to try and help take this club forward and make some more great players. We have a great history at the club and I want to be part of making more history."

The first home game of the new campaign sees Pool up against Cardiff City who are managed by Holloway's close friend Dave Jones,

"Dave is one of my best mates in football, he is a fantastic fella and he kept his dignity when he was wrongly treated by Southampton, he likes to play the game the right way and I thought he was desperately unlucky last year not to have got in the play-offs, he has had to sell some his better players because the offers were too good to turn down, but he has a good squad of players and it will be another game I can't wait for, our home form last season was not good and we know we have to put that better and it will be important to get off to a good start at home, but like I keep saying I can't wait, I can't wait to get on the grass and working with the players. I know it is an old cliché and every manager will say it, we have to play everyone at some time so it doesn't matter when, but I wanted to have one of my former teams in the opening few games and I have that so I can't complain..."
. Blackpool


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