QPR Report Monday: WBA Tonight..."Tell-All" Book About QPR...Hogan Speaks..Past QPR Managerial Arrival and Departure Announcements

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- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER! ...QPR Report Messageboard - with latest updates and posts throughout the day!
- For Earlier Posts on QPR, scroll down or click on QPR Report

- Forthcoming: "Tell-All" Book About QPR by an ex-QPR Employee

- WBA vs QPR Previews (and Flashbacks)

- David Webb Today (and "Yesterday"): Webb Speaking about Chelsea, QPR and his Life Today

- Repost: The Different Type of Messageboard Poster

- From Stuart Houston to...Jim Magilton?: QPR Statements Announcing Their Appointment and Departure

- Q&A With Ephraim Hogan
- "..."QPR told me on the day I left that I had to be back after a month and they had no intention of selling me. They told me that at the start of the season as well but we'll see what happens. I've got a year-and-a-half left on my contract and I'm happy there. If they want to sell me then they want to sell me but I've come here to play my own game and make an impression..."

- Flashback Six Months: Assessing and/or Praising the Magilton Appointment

- Five Year Flashback: Q&A With Then QPR CEO, Mark Devlin

- Flashback (8 Years): Club/Fan Meeting Report

- Top Fotball Websites and Blogs

- Bidding War for QPR's Raheem Sterling?...Gorman Backs Magilton...QPR and Football Snippets...Paul Hart for Spurs?

- Allardyice, Savage and Souness Assessing Manager/Player Clashes

- Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Latest Name for QPR Manager

- Update: QPR Involvement in Indian Football

- F1: Max Mosley Writing re Flavio Briatore

- Swansea's Britton Disappointed With Sousa

- Video Flashback: Cup Final Interviews With Clive Allen and Tony Currie

- Watford's "I Was There When Lloyd [Doyley] Scored" T-Shirts!


West Bromwich Albion Official Site - Di Matteo expects focussed Hoops
- ROBERTO Di Matteo reckons QPR's off-the-field issues will have little impact on the Hoops' performance tonight (ko 7.45pm) - and has tipped them to surge back into the promotion-chasing pack.

Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham will be in charge of the West London side at The Hawthorns following boss Jim Magilton's suspension.

And they will be desperate to end a poor run which has yielded one point from the last four games and seen them slump to 14th in the Coca-Cola Championship table.

Di Matteo says QPR have enough talent in their ranks to halt their slide and claims his troops will have to be on their mettle in front of the live TV cameras if they are going to close the gap on leaders Newcastle to five points.

"Chris Hughton was not in permanent charge of Newcastle at the start of the season and that didn't have much of an impact on them," said the head coach, who confirmed vice-captain Jonas Olsson will take the armband in the absence of the suspended Scott Carson.

"Once players get out onto the pitch, they do their business, their jobs.

"But I don't know whether QPR's situation will galvanise them or not because I've never been in that situation as a player or manager.

"What I can say is that the table changes almost on a weekly basis, with teams going in and out of the play-off positions and others getting closer to the top two.

"It will be a long, hard season and things will change.

"I definitely thought before Tuesday that Cardiff would be one of the contenders and I think QPR will be.

"They are all definitely still in the mix up."

Former loan signing Jay Simpson, who scored twice in 17 Baggies appearances last season, returns to The Hawthorns in a rich vein of form having already netted eight times this term.

But Di Matteo says the Arsenal striker isn't the Hoops' only goal threat.

"Simpson is having a good season," he added.

"He is a good player and is dangerous with his pace and finishing.

"His link-up play with Routledge is very good and he's got very technical players alongside him who can put the ball in for him, like Buzsaky and Taarabt."

A return to winning ways would re-establish Albion's five-point cushion over third place.

And Di Matteo says it is important his side solely focus on their own business.

"Newcastle have been on a great run and, although they were held on Saturday, seem to have been winning games quite easily," added the Italian.

"Our target is to go up - whether we do it in first place, second place or through the play-offs.

"What is important is the end result.

"Our defeat against Cardiff felt a little bit like taking a step back but I also felt that before Tuesday we had made two steps forward in many ways and for many reasons.

"When you're progressing and developing, you have to move forward but you're also going to move backward sometimes.

"That's when you have to reassess everything.

"You have to start working on the basics again, hopefully start moving forward and kick on from there.

"I guess it's all part of a long season." WBA


And could-have-been a QPR Man, Simon Cox

WBA Official Site - Cox wants fresh start against Rangers
Posted on: Mon 14 Dec 2009
SIMON Cox is hoping to banish the memories of Albion's 2-0 defeat by Cardiff by beating another of their promotion rivals, QPR, tonight (ko 7.45pm).

The Baggies striker revealed the players got things off their chest after their six-game unbeaten run came to an end on Tuesday.

And Roberto Di Matteo's second-placed men are eager to get back on track with a victory over the Hoops to reopen their five-point advantage on nearest rivals the Bluebirds and Nottingham Forest, who both secured 1-0 away wins over Middlesbrough and Swansea respectively at the weekend.

A Hawthorns win would also see the Baggies close the gap to five points on leaders Newcastle after they drew 2-2 at Barnsley.

"It is never easy in the Championship," said Cox, who is enjoying his longest-ever run of games at this level.

"I have got to know that and a lot of our lads knew it already.

"Every game is a tough game and we just hit a team who were probably coming back into form having hit a bit of a bad run lately.

"They won 1-0 the weekend before and then beat us - that might kick-start them.

"But we need to win tonight and maybe pull away from them if they are one of the teams chasing us.

"For the last five or six weeks we have been playing really well and when we got to Tuesday I think the Derby game took a lot more out of us than we probably expected.

"Another tough game on Tuesday was probably a little bit too soon for us but we had to play it.

"We've had a look at Tuesday's game and we've had a chat about it.

"It was a good chat and we said we had had a good five or six weeks and Tuesday was just a little speed bump on the road to promotion.

"It's one game and one result that isn't going to really do anything to our season.

"If we can win tonight then we will be back on the pace."

Rangers have slipped to 14th place after taking just one point from their last 12 - shipping 12 goals in the process.

And manager Jim Magilton is currently suspended, pending an internal inquiry, leaving youth team managerial duo Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham in temporary charge of first-team duties.

But the Londoners are the 33-goal fourth joint-top scorers in the division and victory over Albion would lift them to within a point of the play-off places.

"I watched their game against Watford on TV and they played well," Cox added.

"They were unlucky not to get the result and whatever happened afterwards is being dealt with in-house.

"It's nothing to do with us.

"We will prepare right and hopefully get back to winning ways.

"Hopefully they won't challenge us.

"Hopefully we'll be away up the table before they can catch us.

"But they are still a good side with good players.

"Everything has happened at QPR over the last two seasons and we would all like that kind of money thrown into a club.

"They have brought in good players and hopefully they will be alright, but not at the expense of us." WBA


QPR Official Site MATCHDAY PREVIEW: BAGGIES
- Rangers will be under the spotlight of the live Sky Sports cameras for a second Monday evening on the spin, when they travel to promotion-chasing West Bromwich Albion in the Coca Coca Championship tonight.
- Despite a 2-0 reverse at The Hawthorns last Tuesday versus Cardiff City, Albion currently occupy second place in the second tier, as Roberto Di Matteo looks to guide the Baggies back to the Promised Land of the Premier League in his first season in charge.
- In what promises to be a lively encounter, the R's will look to get back to winning ways under the stewardship of Caretaker duo Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham, for a first win in five.

Team News

There are no fresh injury worries for Rangers to contend with for their trip to the Midlands.

Steven Reid (hamstring) is out, but Matt Connolly could return following a recent pelvic injury.

While Lee Cook nears a return to the First Team after some months out with a knee injury, Gavin Mahon and Martin Rowlands (both knee) remain long-term absentees.

For Albion, Luke Moore is a doubt after picking up a thigh strain in their 2-2 draw at Derby County last weekend, as is Youssouf Mulumbu, who clocked up a knee injury in midweek against Cardiff.

West Brom goalkeeper Dean Kiely will make his first league start of the season as Scott Carson is suspended.

Previous Encounter
West Bromwich Albion 3, QPR 3
Coca-Cola Championship - October 31st 2006
It was a Halloween thriller at The Hawthorns as Rangers stole a share of the points from a dominant and attacking Albion.
West Brom had strolled in to a 2-0 lead through Nathan Ellington and Diomansy Kamara, but Damion Stewart's stoppage time strike just before half-time gave Rangers hope.
Kevin Gallen's second half strike gave Rangers yet more reason to believe there was something to be gained from the contest, only for Kamara to strike again to restore Albion's lead.

But it was second half substitute Marc Nygaard's 77th minute finish which gave Rangers a share of the spoils.

Pre-match Talk

Caretaker Manager Steve Gallen: "It's business as usual and we're all preparing for our trip to West Brom.

"We'll give our all for the Club, as we always have done, and fingers crossed we can start with a victory on Monday."

West Brom boss Roberto Di Matteo: "We'll have to start over again now.

"We're at the point where we had a good run - now we start from scratch again."


Match odds with Bet365

West Brom win - 4/6

Draw - 13/5

QPR win - 17/4

Match Coverage
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