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Dave Mcintyre/West London Sport
Warnock worries over Gabbidon injury
18/12/2011
by David McIntyre
QPR have more defensive injury worries after Danny Gabbidon picked up a knock during their defeat against Manchester United.
Already without the sidelined Anton Ferdinand, who could be out for a number of weeks, Rangers will assess Gabbidon on Monday amid fears he may not be fit for the important midweek home game against Sunderland.
Gabbidon required stitches in a leg wound, while forward Jay Bothroyd is also struggling after suffering a knee strain during the 2-0 loss against the Premier League champions.
“It’s hard to know straight after a game, so we’ll have to assess it in the next day or two,” said Warnock, who plans to recall goalkeeper Paddy Kenny to the starting line-up for Wednesday’s match.
Rangers were soundly beaten at Loftus Road, but Warnock felt they could have given United a run for their money had substitute DJ Campbell taken a late chance.
He said: “It would have been interesting had we scored to give them 15 minutes under the cosh, just to see how they reacted, but we couldn’t take the chances.
“The two goals we conceded were because of sloppiness in midfield – two square passes they intercepted - and we were punished.”
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Queens Park Rangers in their home games have been a real problem to a lot of teams.
“But we kept them quiet for most of the game and we played some terrific football at times, and I’m pleased with that.”
http://www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/warnock-worries-over-gabbidon-injury/
QPR vs Manchester United
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QPR Official Site -NW: UNITED 'BETTER THAN US'
Neil Warnock admits the R's were beaten by the 'better side' in this afternoon's (Sunday) 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Loftus Road.
Michael Carrick's second-half strike added to a Wayne Rooney opener after just 57 seconds for the current Barclays Premier League champions, who more than deserved the win.
Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk: "It was disappointing. Both goals came from sloppy midfield passing.
"We said about being careful before the game and we reiterated it at half-time.
"But overall, I can't complain. Yes, they were better than us - but you'd expect that from the Champions.
"We kept going and we kept creating chances - I think Heidar (Helguson) could have done better from a corner and had DJ (Campbell) have scored with 15 minutes to go, you never know.
"There are a lot of pluses to come from the game. Matt Connolly had his first game back for four months and I thought he looked good. And Radek did well again in goal.
"I can't fault the lads - I'm just disappointed with the way we conceded the goals."
He added: "One or two of the lads were disappointed with their own performances, but they'll bounce back.
"We should have collected more points than we have done this season - but all of the bottom half are in the same boat, looking over their shoulders.
"I'm sure we'll be doing that for the next couple of months."
http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/TheGaffer/0,,10373~2551632,00.html
GUARDIAN
Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick gave impressive United an easy victory at QPR
Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick lead Manchester United stroll at QPR
Dominic Fifield at Loftus Road
For a few, tantalising hours, Manchester United's cover was blown. The champions have spent the past month prospering on the quiet, serene domestic progress, going almost unnoticed amid the fallout of Champions League elimination as the focus invariably drew instead to their resurgent City rivals. Yet with this latest victory United were fleetingly restored to the summit, briefly peeping out over the rest to offer a reminder that their title defence remains persuasive.
This had appeared an awkward fixture in an arena where Chelsea have already stumbled this term, but it ended as something approaching a stroll. QPR were breached before they even had a foothold in the game and rarely suggested they could recover thereafter, with United's dominance hardly reflected in the scoreline. Had profligacy not crept into their approach they could have conjured a dismissal as eye-catching as those mustered over the campaign's early weeks. Regardless, they never hinted at surrendering their win.
At present, this team feels as if they are still warming up, readying themselves for the second half of the season when momentum is more traditionally whipped up. On this evidence they should spring from a position of rude health in the new year. Javier Hernández returned here, with Dimitar Berbatov also on the bench and the treatment room not quite as cluttered now as it was. That will bolster options, but confidence is already buoyed. Memories of the swashbuckling thrashings handed out so regularly in the autumn may be fading, but the side's response to disintegrating so farcically in the Manchester derby in late October has been impressive. Defensive surety has been restored.
This was a sixth win in seven matches, with only two goals – one a contentious penalty at home to Newcastle United – having been shipped en route. QPR's most enterprising play was reserved for when the unpredictable Adel Taarabt entered the fray with the game already gone but, one horrible miss from DJ Campbell aside, they chiselled out only half-chances even as Patrice Evra laboured to contain Jamie Mackie on the flank. Sir Alex Ferguson will be relieved that normal service appears to have been resumed at the back, particularly with Nemanja Vidic now a long-term absentee.
If there is cause for concern, then the number of opportunities passed up might prompt vague consternation. "We should have scored a lot of goals," said Ferguson. "We were wasteful with a lot of the chances we had. We should have won it by the 30-minute mark, but the goalkeeper kept them in the game." But we're used to situations like that where we miss chances. Look at the Aston Villa game [this month]: we had opportunities in the last third of the field. Quite a few games we've won 1-0 and said: 'We should have scored more.' But you know they've got the concentration at the back to deal with that."
There was relief at the sight of Michael Carrick intercepting Joey Barton's crossfield pass and gliding up‑field unchallenged, Alejandro Faurlín trailing behind him and QPR's defensive unit in collective retreat, before converting his first Premier League goal in almost two years. The 30-year-old had not registered in any competition for 70 games and made an unlikely scorer, though he may merely have lost patience at seeing team-mates pass up their own chances to rubber‑stamp the win.
This side will run up cricket scores again in the near future. Phil Jones struck a post and was denied superbly by Radek Cerny, but his galloping runs from deep mark him out as an exceptional talent. Wayne Rooney appears to have tapped into the teenager's wavelength and slid him through almost at will. Neil Warnock suggested with a smile that his opposite number may have been "disappointed" with Rooney's display, though that felt rather more like mischief making. The England forward was outstanding as scorer and provider. A weight appears to have been lifted from his shoulders after his Euro 2012 ban trimmed.
United can only benefit from now on in. The striker opened the scoring after 53 seconds and Rangers never recovered once Matthew Connolly had sliced his first meaningful touch high but not clear of trouble. Rooney and Antonio Valencia combined slickly with the former nodding in the Ecuadorian's cross, Luke Young's panicked and desperate dive across the scorer rather summing up the hosts' early confusion. Barton admitted the home side "fell short" on the day, with their sloppiness epitomised by Danny Gabbidon's late appearance for the second half. Warnock was "gob-smacked" when he realised his centre-half had not been on the field as the period kicked off.
QPR will emerge stronger in January but lent heavily on Cerny here, who made outstanding saves from Valencia and Danny Welbeck, though Paddy Kenny is now waiting to return. Welbeck was denied a good goal by an over-eager linesman's flag, with Jonny Evans nodding against the bar when the goalkeeper was by-passed.
While the deficit remained at one, QPR clung to hope but David de Gea blocked Heidar Helguson's attempt and parity remained elusive. "They were better than us," said Warnock, "but they're the champions, aren't they." They may now have returned to second place, but their threat to City above them merely grows.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/dec/18/qpr-manchester-united-premier-league
TELEGRAPH
Manchester United threw down the gauntlet to Manchester City today with the easiest of wins at QPR.
Wayne Rooney netted his 15th goal of the season after just 52 seconds and the champions then missed a succession of chances before Michael Carrick's first top-flight goal for almost two years all but sealed the points.
United could easily have scored six against a QPR side who twice went close themselves through Heidar Helguson and also saw substitute DJ Campbell miss the easiest of volleys.
The win put United a point clear of City ahead of the latter's game against Arsenal and though Sir Alex Ferguson's men might have crashed out of the Champions League and Carling Cup, they have taken 19 points from 21 since losing 6-1 to their Roberto Mancini's side, proving they will not give up their title without a fight.
Ferguson would have been choking on his cornflakes this morning were he to have read a newspaper interview in which former United captain Roy Keane escalated their recent spat.
Keane has been particularly critical of the club's youngsters, who had another chance to prove him wrong at Loftus Road today - and it took them less than a minute to strike.
Rooney nodded the ball out to Antonio Valencia down the right before bursting into the box and stooping to head home the winger's cross.
Only a desperate block from Danny Gabbidon prevented Danny Welbeck making it 2-0 two minutes later but United's vulnerable defence was almost exposed when Heidar Helguson's free header floated over from Joey Barton's corner.
The game eventually settled down before a 17th-minute flashpoint that saw Rio Ferdinand booked for hounding Howard Webb.
The defender's ire would have increased six minutes later when Welbeck was wrongly flagged offside after racing clear and steering in what he thought was United's second goal.
But Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Valencia ought to have made that irrelevant in the space of three minutes just before the half-hour.
First, Evans nodded Chris Smalling's flick-on from a corner against the crossbar.
Jones - again deployed in midfield for injury-hit United - was then sent clear by Rooney only to lose out one-on-one with Radek Cerny.
Cerny, who performed heroics in the previous weekend's defeat at Liverpool, followed that by thwarting Valencia from point-blank range, with Evans seeing his header from the resulting corner cleared off the line by Alejandro Faurlin.
QPR almost made United pay when David De Gea saved Helguson's low strike with his leg, while Bothroyd was close with a skidding shot from 20 yards.
That was enough to silence briefly the visiting fans, who mocked their own side's Champions League exit with a chant of "Channel 5 is wonderful".
QPR ended the first half on top but Rooney took just 20 seconds to test Cerny with a low drive after the restart as United continued to look more likely to score the game's second goal.
And they did just that in the 56th minute when Barton gifted the ball to Carrick, who was allowed to carry it 30 yards by a backpedalling defence before drilling beyond Cerny from the edge of the box.
Rooney just failed to get a telling connection on a difficult goalline chance before Jones was booked for upending Bothroyd.
United were looking deadly on the break and Cerny tipped over Welbeck's curler before the striker was withdrawn for Javier Hernandez, who made a shock recovery from injury to start on the bench.
QPR responded by throwing on DJ Campbell and Adel Taarabt for Helguson and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The gulf in class was becoming embarrassing as Jones casually sidefooted against the post with just under a quarter of the game remaining.
The two Rangers substitutes should have combined to halve the deficit 15 minutes from time when Campbell volleyed Taraabt's cross over the bar from six yards.
Clint Hill then came on for Bothroyd and Giggs replaced Rooney, with Ashley Young also sent on for Nani late on as United easily saw out time.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/8961471/Queens-Park-Rangers-0-Manchester-United-2-match-report.html
Goal.com
Mock the Weekend: QPR are so bad they made Michael Carrick look like Lionel Messi
The Manchester United man dribbled from the halfway line to stroke home, while Jonathan Woodgate put in one of the worst performances by a professional footballer ever...
The oft-derided midfielder showed that he's not just about sideways passes and half-heartedly covering ground with a composed and classy display in the win over QPR, and capped it off with a virtuoso solo goal reminiscent of the Argentine wizard.
Well, it was and it wasn't.
The England man received the ball after Joey Barton carelessly passed it in his direction on the halfway line and though he did dribble a full 40 yards, he was allowed to get himself into a shooting position at a snail's pace and without a single challenge being made to him. And his shot, slapped low, hardly had enough zip or spin on it to trouble Radek Cerny, but somehow the Czech – who had been having a supernaturally good game up to that point – let it slip through his grasp and in at his near post. Whoops.
All the same, hats off to Carrick for showing that he isn't the most uninspiring midfielder to regularly turn out for a title-winning team. That honour now belongs to John Obi Mikel..."
Also Goal.com
BAD WEEKEND
Joey Barton
Gave the ball away to allow Michael Carrick to walk the ball into the goal but at least admitted he was wrong after the game via Twitter with a rather embarrassing – par for the course – conceited message that he cocked up but would bounce back to prove his 'haters' wrong once again. No you won't, they will all still think you're a 'helmet' regardless of how you play, Joey.
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2011/12/19/2808789/mock-the-weekend-qpr-are-so-bad-they-made-michael-carrick?
Dave McIntyre/West London Sport
Utd ease to victory at QPR
18/12/2011
by David McIntyre
QPR 0 Manchester United 2
Neil Warnock spent much of the summer warning that his team would suffer the odd thrashing in the Premier League, and after barely a minute of this match it seemed likely they would be demolished.
Fortunately for the QPR manager, Manchester United’s superiority was not reflected in the final scoreline, although the need for Warnock to sign reinforcements during the January transfer window was again underlined.
Wayne Rooney’s early header and Michael Carrick’s right-footed shot gave the visitors a comfortable win on their first trip to Loftus Road since Eric Cantona’s 98th-minute equaliser nudged the R’s towards relegation from the top flight in 1996.
Rangers’ defending has been shoddy in recent weeks even with their first-choice centre-back pairing and even though Anton Ferdinand has at times been culpable, his absence through injury against the champions was always likely to prove costly.
And it took United only 53 seconds to go ahead. Rooney nodded the ball out to Antonio Valencia and then sauntered in the box to head home the Ecuadorian’s cross.
United continued to have the upper hand and almost went further ahead when Jonny Evans headed against the bar after Radek Cerny failed to claim Nani’s left-wing corner.
Cerny, given the nod ahead of the fit-again Paddy Kenny, made amends by producing two good saves before the break.
The Czech keeper raced from his line to thwart Phil Jones, who had been put through by Rooney, before pulling off a fine instinctive stop to deny Valencia.
But he probably should have kept out the shot from Carrick, whose goal 10 minutes into the second half came after the England midfielder got away from Alejandro Faurlin and ran towards the edge of the penalty area before trying his luck.
Warnock made a double substitution on 65 minutes in a bid to breath some life into his side, bringing on DJ Campbell and Adel Taarabt.
But United continued to dominate and they hit the woodwork again when Jones fired against the post after receiving Nani’s pass.
Rangers’ shortcomings at both end of the pitch were evident, but had Jay Bothroyd done better with two first-half opportunities United would have had to move out of third gear.
Bothroyd blazed over after Jamie Mackie pulled the ball back for him and also missed the target when trying to blast in the rebound after Heidar Helguson’s shot had been blocked by keeper David De Gea.
http://www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/man-utd-ease-to-win-at-qp
Read more: http://qprreport.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=28313#ixzz1gyDMRthB
QPR Official Site
Goals in each half from Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick saw Manchester United return to the top of the Barclays Premier League table at Loftus Road.
In a battle between last season's Champions from the top-flight and Football League, Sir Alex Ferguson's men - defeated only once in the league this season - were excellent value for their victory.
Rooney put United in front after just 57 seconds, expertly nodding home Antonio Valencia's cross from the right.
Rangers grew stronger as the first half progressed but hopes of getting back into this contest were ultimately dashed when Carrick slotted home a second for the visitors 11 minutes after the interva
R's boss Neil Warnock made two changes to his starting line-up for the visit of United.
Heidar Helguson - who missed last weekend's defeat at Liverpool owing to a knock - returned to the starting eleven at the expense of Tommy Smith.
Anton Ferdinand, meanwhile, was forced to sit out against brother Rio's side with a hamstring injury, with Fitz Hall taking his place.
Radek Cerny kept his place in goal for the R's.
Luke Young, Hall, Danny Gabbidon and Armand Traore lined up in defence.
Jamie Mackie began from the right-hand side of midfield, with skipper Joey Barton and Ale Faurlin in the centre and Shaun Wright-Phillips operating from the left.
Helguson was joined by Jay Bothroyd in attack.
United wasted little time in stamping their mark on this affair - it was little less than a minute, in fact, when Rooney struck the opening goal.
The England striker - hot from his double that helped sink Wolves at Old Trafford last Saturday - exchanged passes with Valencia, before the latter found space down the right.
The wide-man's delivery thereafter was to a tee, finding the head Rooney, who expertly guided the ball into the left-hand side of the net.
Two minutes later, United almost doubled their lead. Rooney and Nani combined to put Danny Welbeck through on goal, before the front-man forced a fine block from Cerny.
The R's fashioned their first attempt on five minutes. Barton played a neat ball into Wright-Phillips, whose drive from 25 yards whistled just over the bar.
Rangers again went close just a minute later. Helguson nodded Barton's corner from the right just past the upright.
United, it must be said, were in control midway into first half - keeping possession extremely well.
QPR would, however, go close on the counter attack in the 18th minute.
Barton freed Mackie on the right and, when the industrious attacker fed Bothroyd in the box, he could only blaze an effort - albeit with his weaker right foot - over the bar.
But United were soon back on the attack. Jonny Evans somehow crashed a header from a corner against the bar from all of three-yards out on 28 minutes.
Just a minute later, the R's had Cerny to thank for keeping the margin to just a single goal.
Rooney's sublime pass left QPR's back four for dead and, when Phil Jones stole in the try and slide an effort past Cerny, the keeper's trailing right leg wide diverted the ball wide for a corner.
The Czech custodian was at it again on 31 minutes.
Nani's corner from the left eventually ended in Rooney seeing a side-footed effort blocked on the line, before Welbeck's blast from the rebound forced a stunning point-blank save from Cerny.
QPR improved as the first-half wore on. Bothroyd's flick-on after a long kick from Cerny saw Helguson steal in to force a smart save from David De Gea.
Bothroyd then smashed over the loose ball.
The former Cardiff City forward went closer with an effort on 33 minutes.
Traore's centre from the left was cleared by Ferdinand only as far as Bothroyd on the edge of the penalty area, whose shot on the volley flew just wide of the post.
This was much better from the R's - who went mightily close to drawing level on the stroke of half-time.
Superb possession football from Rangers eventually saw the ball find Bothroyd on the left, before his teasing ball across the six-yard box somehow went out - without a touch - for a goal kick.
QPR's performance towards the end of the first period would have given them much hope going into the second - but they still would have to be wary of the threat posed by United on the counter attack.
Rooney exemplified that point, forcing a low stop from Cerny just a minute after break.
United would, however, find a second goal on 56 minutes.
Barton was dispossessed by Carrick on halfway and, when the cultured midfielder drove up to the edge of the box, he coolly slotted an effort into the net, despite a touch from Cerny.
The visitors should have added another just three minutes later - but an unmarked Rooney could only guide an effort over the bar, after Valencia's ball from the right eventually found the former Everton hot-shot at the back post.
United again went within a whisker of extending their lead on 69 minutes, after Jones' low shot from 20 yards smashed against the bottom left-hand post and back into play.
Rangers themselves should have found a goal to reduce the deficit six minutes later.
Faurlin's clever pass found Adel Taarabt on the left-hand edge of the box and, when his pinpoint cross found fellow substitute DJ Campbell on six yards, he somehow diverted the ball over the bar, when it appeared easier to find the target.
QPR: Cerny, Gabbidon, Bothroyd, Faurlin, Mackie, Traore, Connolly, Barton, Young, Helguson (Campbell 66), Wright-Phillips (Taarabt 66).
Subs: Kenny, Orr, Hill, Derry, Smith.
Bookings: Gabbidon (26)
Manchester United: De Gea, Evra, Jones, Ferdinand, Evans, Rooney (Giggs 78), Smalling, Carrick, Nani (Young 88), Welbeck (Hernandez 63), Valencia.
Subs: Berbatov, Park, Lindegaard, Fryers.
Goals: Rooney (1), Carrick (56)
Bookings: Ferdinand (18), Evans (60)
Referee: Mr H Webb
Attendance: 18,033 (3047 away)
- QPR Play Everton at Loftus Road in the Fourth Round of the FA Youth Cup.
- QPR Welcome Manchester United
- Flashback: George Best's Final Game for Manchester United: Against QPR at Loftus Road
- QPR Report Interview: A Manchester United Fan Perspective of Manchester United on and Off The Pitch
When Saturday Comes (WSC) - Jamie Sellers - QPR approach Man Utd and the new year with hope
18 December ~ Manchester United visit Loftus Road today for the first time since 1996, when a Dennis Irwin own goal was cancelled out by an Eric Cantona equaliser in around the 15th and final minute of injury time allowed by Alex Ferguson. There followed much bitter gnashing of teeth among QPR fans, on the way to seeing our side relegated a few weeks later. A repeat of that result would be welcomed by the majority of the 18,000 crammed into the ground today. Rangers have only been turned over by Bolton in August and on an aberration of an afternoon at Fulham, but three of their four wins this season have come away from home. The only win at Loftus Road was against an extraordinarily petulant Chelsea.
Fifteen goals in as many games point to the chief problem. The reborn 34-year-old Heidar Helguson accounts for six, while injury and sloth respectively have largely kept summer signings DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd off the scoresheet.
Add to that an entirely new defence with a generous attitude to offering space at dead balls, and too few clean sheets, and you will see why Neil Warnock and new owner Tony Fernandes are planning a busy January. Joey Barton’s move to central midfield has benefited Alejandro Faurlin to the extent that Spurs and Arsenal are supposedly casting glances at the Argentinian. It is imperative that he stays.
Rangers end the year with trips to miserly Swansea and Arsenal. Before that they entertain a Sunderland side lifted by Martin O'Neill's appointment. Picking up four points before the transfer window opens wouldn't be disastrous.
Ominously, today's opponents' No.10 tends to score goals in clusters, as the Match of the Day pundits kindly reminded us after his drought-ending brace against Wolves last week. But Rangers’ better performances have come against the top sides at home, perhaps as much a result of the atmosphere created, as the realisation that another Fulham might be looming.
Who knows what could happen if we upset Wayne Rooney and co – as our players and fans did against the likes of Ashley Cole, David Luiz and Juan Mata – or play United at their own game as we so nearly did successfully against City in the best game seen in Shepherds Bush this century. The R's approach will need to be a more positive one than our last outing, when third-choice goalkeeper Radek Cerny almost single-handedly contained Liverpool in a very one-sided 1-0 defeat.
QPR’s prospects going into January look a hell of a lot sunnier than they did in August, in the last days of Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone. No one is tipping them for the drop now. But much depends on the shrewdness (and fitness) of Warnock’s next batch of signings, and the ability to address current issues. Jamie Sellers When Saturday Comes
