Gregory Lavishes Praise on Bolder & Cullip...Bolder NOT in "Team of the Week"...FA Drop Bailey Charges but QPR Charges Remain...Further Match Reports

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No QPR Players in this week's Football League "Team of the Week." (Not even Adam Bolder- Chelsea's 17 year old, Scott Sinclair, on loan at Ian Holloway's Plymouth, is - Team of the Week

QPR OFFICIAL SITE - 'HE'S MY GATTUSO'
John Gregory has revealed the real reason why he signed Adam Bolder - 'he's my Gattuso' the gaffer told www.qpr.co.uk.
Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk after Saturday's 3-1 win, the gaffer - albeit slightly tongue in cheek - compared the former Derby County midfielder to the AC Milan and Italy ace, commenting: "Me and Gianni (Paladini) call him our Gattuso!
"He tackles, he fights, he keeps possession and he's a fantastic professional.
"He was outstanding (against Burnley) and there's still a lot more to come from him.''
While Gregory called Bolder's performance 'sensational,' he also rightly drooled over the displays of the R's two other January signings, Danny Cullip and Sampsa Timoska.
"Danny kept it simple. He is a great asset for us and was very dominant in the heart of our defence,'' said Gregory.
"Sami is still learning to adapt to the English game but he was outstanding.
"All three players have a huge part to play for this Football Club.''QPR

QPR OFFICIAL SITE CHARGE WITHDRAWN
After review, a charge of improper conduct against R's midfielder Stefan Bailey has been withdrawn.
The charge referred to a mass confrontation during the match at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday 23rd January.
Both QPR and Luton Town were charged with failing to ensure that their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion. QPR

But as the BBC notes, the club still has to face charges.
BBC - FA drops charge against QPR man
"...The two clubs still face their charges of failing to control their players - and have until 12 February to respond. "BBC

re on Loan Goalie Sean Thomas
STOPPER SEAN HAS IT ALL TO PROVE IN THE STICKS
Bristol Evening Post 05 February 2007
Gary Johnson will use the rest of this season to assess whether to offer young goalkeeper Sean Thomas a contract for 2007-08.The Queens Park Rangers stopper is on loan to City for the rest of this campaign.
Thomas, 20, is providing back up to Adriano Basso and Chris Weale.
The Bristol City manager said: "It is like an extended trial for him - he's got a very good personality and is bubbly and enthusiastic.
"We wanted to make sure that if Bass or Wealie got injured we weren't having a panic up and trying to get an emergency loan in.
"He is only 20 and our academy keeper, Lee Ballard, is only 17 or 18 so he's even younger but we had to put him on the bench on a couple of occasions earlier in the season but Sean is a lot more experienced than Lee because he has played a lot of reserve games.
"It's also handy to have another goalkeeper for training purposes so you don't end up flogging the main two keepers all the time."
Thomas has already impressed number one Basso with his work in training.
"He is young and he has to learn but I also have to learn and I am 31 years old," said the Brazilian.
"He works hard and he grows more and more everyday.
"He is positive and he is always lively and that is important."
City's next reserve game is away to Cardiff next Wednesday, their first Pontin's Combination match in almost two months - This is Bristol



FURTHER MATCH REPORTS

MIRROR FOOTBALL: BOLDER: I'LL ROLL OVER OUR RIVALS
POCKET battleship Adam Bolder has pledged to put the boot into QPR's relegation rivals as Rangers bid to dodge the drop.

Bolder, who quit Derby for Loftus Road a week ago to get first-team football, is just 5ft 9in and weighs only 10st 8lb. But the lightweight midfielder has vowed to make up for his lack of muscle with crunching tackles as the season hotsup.

Bolder helped John Gregory's side climb out of the bottom three by beating Burnley on his home debut on Saturday.

"I'll be breaking things up and smashing a few people," said Bolder.
"That's a massive part of the game when you're down here. You need grit and determination as much as anything."
The next team to feel Bolder's battleplan will be Southend, who host Rangers at Roots Hall on Friday night. QPR had lost four games on the bounce before seeing off plummeting Burnley, who have not won in the league for 11 games, dating back to November 28.

Bolder set up Lee Cook for the opener after 13 minutes. Chris McCann's header five minutes later levelled for the visitors, cracking their six-match league goalless streak But poor marking allowed Dexter Blackstock and Steve Lomas to nod home for Rangers after 55 and 72 minutes.

The Clarets are now just seven points above the drop zone, and boss Steve Cotterill is pinning his hopes on the new strike partnership of recently resigned Ade Akinbiyi and the fit-again Andy Gray.

Cotterill said: "Andy holds that ball up very well and Ade likes to get behind defenders. We need to get the ball into Andy's feet and play." Mirror

QPR 3 Burnley 1 - Gary York, Lancashire Evening Telgraph
ENGLAND'S rugby union supporters were not the only ones in London saying a little 'thank you' for the return of their star man.
They waited a very long time for Jonny Wilkinson's comeback and his superb display galvanised his country to a Six Nations victory over Scotland at Twickenham.
On the opposite side of the River Thames, Andy Gray was back on the teamsheet for Burnley, and how glad they are for that.
advertisementAt a time like this - with results going fast against the Clarets - the return of their leading goalscorer could just be the Jonny-style inspiration they need to lift themselves out of a rut.

Steve Cotterill's men remain 15th in the Championship table following their fifth league defeat in six outings.

Lacking in confidence and belief, and without a win in the calendar year, they fell to a QPR side that before the weekend sunk into the relegation zone smarting from their own disappointing run of defeats.

And if Burnley don't regain the form that stood them so excellently earlier in the season, they will find themselves peering over their shoulders, in trouble near the lower region of the table.

Back in early November, it was a completely different story with Burnley dreaming of the Premiership promised land after a stunning start to the campaign.

But a sudden turnaround - co-inciding with Gray's absence away from the side - has seen them slip out of the play-off running somewhat.

At the moment, Burnley must glean as many positives as they can after a hugely disappointing day at the office at Loftus Road.

And one giant positive is the return of Gray after over two months sidelined with a triple-metatarsal break to his right foot.

Seeing Gray back in action again on the pitch is a sight for sore eyes - especially as the Clarets have failed to register a victory in his absence and struggled to put the ball in the back of the net.

The Yorkshire striker has been a revelation at Turf Moor since making a £750,000 move from Sunderland last summer.

After clocking up double figures before the beginning of the December, Gray was a sure-fire bet to reach the golden 20-goal milestone before the curtain comes down on the Championship season.

But the Scottish international is now back in the reckoning after coming on as a second-half substitute and Burnley will be keeping their fingers crossed that he continues where he left off before sustaining his injury against Leeds.

Gray's introduction with 25 minutes remaining at South Africa Road, in a triple substitution that included a debut for deadline-day signing Steven Caldwell, was unable to, however, prevent the Clarets slipping to defeat.

Both clubs were equally desperate for a win, as a disastrous run of 11 defeats from their last 13 league outings had seen the Hoops sucked into the dropzone.

With so much at stake, it was little surprise that Burnley and Rangers looked short of confidence and that materialised with both sides jittery in possession.

A differing match-up in formation saw Ade Akinbiyi start alone up front in a 4-5-1 with Kyle Lafferty working down the left in a five-man midfield, while the hosts adopted a three-prong attack.

Despite the scrappy opening, the Clarets looked the more comfortable and came close to snatching a dream start in the fourth minute.

Akinbiyi's beautifully cushioned header from John McGreal's high ball fell into the path of onrushing Alan Mahon who looked set to pounce from eight yards out, But the ball didn't quite sit comfortably for the Dubliner and Sampsa Timoska nipped in with an excellent covering tackle.

Burnley continued to settle into their stride, until a costly mistake in possession by Lafferty led to Rangers breaking the deadlock.

The Northern Ireland teenager - who is expected to lead the line for his country against Wales on Wednesday - was robbed by Adam Bolder and Rangers duly the punished the error in a clinical three-on-three raid.

After racing 40 yards upfield, Bolder slotted in Lee Cook and the striker made no mistake inside the Clarets box, firing low past Pollitt into the far corner.

But the Londoners' lead was short-lived as McCann headed the visitors level within six minutes - proving Burnley's first Championship strike in almost 10 hours.

Following good controlled build up play, Gudjonsson picked out McCann with a perfectly weighted cross and, from 10 yards out, the 19-year-old despatched into the top corner for his third goal of the season.

Loftus Road is proving a happy hunting ground for the young Irishman, having scored a fabulous goal in last season's corresponding fixture.

Burnley showed excellent character to respond in quick fashion, but any attempts to press ahead themselves were limited as the remainder of the first-half turned into a more disjointed affair.

With Akinbiyi ploughing a lone furrow against the home side's three-man central defence, the visitors just couldn't make enough inroads in the final third.

But although they struggled to mount another serious opportunity on goal, Burnley were in control up to the break and hardly pressing any panic buttons in defence.

The next goal was to prove crucial and QPR grabbed it as they upped their game after the break - putting Cotterill's men firmly on the back foot.

Gareth Ainsworth dragged a 20-yard shot wide in the opening exchanges and the pressure continued until Blackstock re-established the home side's lead powering home from a corner.

The former Southampton man rose strongly above Steve Foster and McCann to connect with Cook's outswinging delivery, giving Pollitt absolutely no chance.

An increasingly confident Rangers continued to pour forward and Cook came within a whisker when his fiercely-struck left-foot volley just dipped over the crossbar.

Cotterill made his triple-substitution on 65 minutes in an attempt to re-energise Burnley.

Gray received a rapturous reception as he came on to partner Akinbiyi, while Jones replaced Mahon and Foster was withdrawn for Caldwell, who slotted into the centre of defence with Duff pushed out right.

Within minutes of making his Clarets debut, Caldwell was immediately in the thick of the action and gave good vocal presence as he set about taking charge at the back.

But as Burnley strived to find their second equaliser of the afternoon, Rangers struck again after Pollitt superbly tipped wide a Blackstock's point-blank header.

From the resulting corner, Burnley were all at sea again as Hoops skipper Steve Lomas guiding Rowlands' delivery into the bottom corner.Facing an uphill battle, the Clarets tried desperately to mount a response in the final third.

Jones offered pace down the flanks and Gray set about troubling the Rangers three-man backline, but there was no way back for Burnley.

Late on, a dangerous free-kick from Jon Harley was hacked to safety, Damion Stewart cleared McGreal's goalbound header and Akinbiyi's back-header looped into Simon Joyce's hands. TElegraph