QPR's Leicester Loss: Reports and Comments...Relegation Rivals Remaining...Year Flashback: QPR Axe Assistant Coach

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- Remaining Games for QPR's Relegation Rivals

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- Gary Johnson appointed Manager of Peterbrough.....Russell Slade Appointed Manager of Orient

- On This Day in Football...April 6th


London Evening Standard/Ian Gibb - Calvin Andrew ready to laugh at Neil Warnock's expense
- The irony won't be lost on Calvin Andrew if Crystal Palace give Queens Park Rangers a push towards relegation on Saturday.
- Neil Warnock left Palace for what he perceived to be a bigger club but his new side are in trouble after their 4-0 thrashing at Leicester.
- Andrew said: “It would definitely be ironic. And by the look of things, from their result, it's on the cards.”
- Asked if he would smile if it happened, the striker admitted: “Yes, I would . . . a little, cheeky one!”
- Andrew scored in the 3-1 victory over Preston that lifted his team out of the bottom three and if they win at home to QPR they will jump above the club Warnock decided had more ambition than administration stricken Palace.
- Andrew, signed by Warnock, finished off Preston after strikes from Neil Danns and 19-goal Darren Ambrose had turned round a 1-0 deficit. Boss Paul Hart said: “Calvin is astonishing in his work rate, desire to get about the pitch, win headers and put people under pressure.”
- Rangers have now gone seven games without a win and Warnock said: “We know Palace will be difficult. We've got five games left and nobody is safe.” Standard


Leicester 0 QPR 4

QPR Official Site - WARNOCK ON LEICESTER
Posted on: Mon 05 Apr 2010

QPR boss Neil Warnock admits that his side need to 'muck in' over the coming weeks if they are to secure their Championship status following the R's 4-0 defeat at Leicester City.

On a disappointing afternoon for the Hoops, goals from the lively Martyn Waghorn (2), Andy King and Steve Howard gave the Play-Off chasing Foxes maximum points at the Walkers Stadium.

"I'm disappointed. The first two goals were absolutely diabolical and it just showed one or two deficiencies up," Warnock told http://www.qpr.co.uk./

"We've got five games to go and nobody is safe, we know that.

"We've got Crystal Palace away on Saturday which is a difficult game, but then we've got three out of four home matches to finish on."

Warnock added: "I think that Steve Howard had a bit too much for us today with his nous, and Martyn Waghorn showed his class.

"After the third goal, you just wanted the whistle to go. I'd really like to be in Leicester's position.

"If Leicester don't go up it'd be nice to come back with a team that would give them a right good game and play football in the right way.

"I think we do need some more players but we need to muck in with what we've got and make sure we get sufficient points.

"It's a really exciting prospect (next season) but it's not very nice at the moment.

"Since I've been at the Club we've lost two, and I believe we could have won every game we've played - that's how tight the League is." QPR


SPORTING LIFE - Nigel Pearson - doubts City could afford striker.

Leicester manager Nigel Pearson admits the Foxes are unlikely to be able to sign striker Martyn Waghorn on a permanent basis.

Waghorn, on a season-long loan from Sunderland, scored twice to bring his tally for the campaign to 11 as City hammered QPR 4-0 to notch their first win in six games.

Pearson said: "Waghorn's been a great loan signing. He's doing very well for us. It has been a good experience for him here and I know he's enjoying himself.

"But if I were Sunderland why would I want to sell him? And there is a question mark against if we could afford him anyway."

Waghorn said: "I've been asked by Leicester fans all season if I'll be staying. I love it at Leicester but we will have to wait and see what happens in the summer.

"I haven't spoken to (Sunderland manager) Steve Bruce about the situation, we will just have to wait and see what happens."

Waghorn added to Andy King's opener in the 45th minute when he pounced on a weak clearance by visiting goalkeeper Carl Ikeme and guided the ball into an unguarded net from 35 yards.

He made it 3-0 five minutes after the break when Richie Wellens won possession in midfield and knocked the ball forward to Waghorn who stepped inside before curling a superb left-foot shot into the top corner from 20 yards.

Michael Morrison dinked in a cross for Steve Howard to flick home a header from six yards to complete the rout.

Waghorn added: "A hat-trick today would have been nice. I had a couple of other chances but the result is the main thing.

"Hopefully our blip is now over and everything will be fine and we'll be okay for the play-offs."

The Foxes are one point clear of seventh-placed Blackpool.

QPR manager Neil Warnock was disappointed to lose the game after his side dominated possession in the first half.

He said: "Believe it or not I'm disappointed we didn't win the game, which might sound a bit silly and as if I was a character out of 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest'.

"But their first two goals were absolutely diabolical and showed the hard work we are going to have to put in.

"And then after their third goal went in we were just waiting for the final whistle to go."

Warnock added: "I hope Leicester go up. I like Nigel Pearson and this is a great stadium. But if they don't make it, it would be nice to come back here with a different team next season and give them a right good game.

"We don't have enough physical presence at the moment. I think if we had Steve Howard and Martyn Waghorn, we might have won the game." Sporting Life


Telegraph Leicester City 4 QPR 0: match report By David McVay at the Walkers Stadium

The excruciating back pain recently suffered by Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson is nothing compared to the agonies endured by the club's fans during a poor sequence of four successive defeats.

Happily, for the supporters at least, their pain relief arrived in emphatic fashion as QPR's relegation fears deepened at the Walkers Stadium.

Andy King's close range finish eased tensions early on although had QPR demonstrated a cutting edge they might have translated overwhelming possession into goals.

As it was, a glaring error by Carl Ikene allowed Martyn Waghorn to sweep the ball in to an empty net from 40 yards out, a scuffed clearance and an embarrassing farewell gift for the on-loan Wolves goalkeeper.

Waghorn's second was an impressive left foot shot into the roof of the net and only the crossbar denied the on-loan Sunderland forward his hat trick before a trademark Steve Howard header completed the rout and kept his team one point ahead of Blackpool in the final play-off place.

A weekend of disparate venues beckons as Leicester travel to relegated Peterborough while Blackpool play away to Newcastle. It is no less intriguing for QPR whose manager Neil Warnock makes the short journey back to Crystal Palace, the club he left in the relegation mire last month" Telegraph


BBC Leicester 4 - 0 QPR

Pearson's side remain on course to seal a play-off place
Leicester ended a run of four straight defeats with a win over struggling QPR that keeps them in the play-off places.

Leicester were ahead after five minutes when Steve Howard headed down a cross for Andy King to tap in from six yards.

Martin Waghorn made it 2-0, passing into an unguarded net from 30 yards after QPR keeper Carl Ikeme fluffed a kick straight to the on-loan striker.

Waghorn curled in a superb second from 25 yards just after the break and Howard headed in to complete the rout.

The Foxes' confident victory was in marked contrast to their previous four matches, all of which ended in defeat - and it ensured they preserved their play-off place, with seventh-placed Blackpool winning 2-0 at home to Doncaster on Monday.

Despite four successive draws offering hope that a corner had been turned at QPR, they remain in trouble only three points above the relegation zone and on the strength of this performance face a nervous end to their campaign.

However, despite the early setback of King's goal, QPR showed some fight and were not without their chances in the first half, with Lee Cook's goal-bound effort denied by a sliding block from Wayne Brown, home keeper Chris Weale saving a long-range Adel Taraabt shot and Hogan Ephraim sending an overhead kick over the bar.

They also had the ball in the net in the 35th minute when Jay Simpson deflected Mikele Leigertwood's 25-yard strike into the net, but the former Arsenal striker was ruled to be offside.

However, the second goal - resulting from a shocking miss-kick from Ikeme, which fell to Waghorn who found the empty net for his 10th goal of the season - was a decisive blow.

His second goal, and the home side's third, was simply magnificent as he picked up the ball 30 yards out and beat a man before curling in a dipping shot that struck the underside of the bar on it's way into the goal.

Any hopes QPR had of gaining a foothold in the match evaporated when Simpson missed two good chances just before the hour, firstly snatching at a shot from 15 yards and putting it wide before seeing a close range effort saved by the legs of Weale.

Waghorn was twice denied his hat-trick in the space of the same move when his 25-yard free-kick struck the bar and then Ikeme tipped the midfielder's volley wide of goal.

But there was plenty of time left for the home side to add a fourth through Howard's well-placed header after the away side had been denied a consolation when Taraabt's shot struck a post. BBC


QPR Official Site
Martyn Waghorn capped a fine individual display with two goals as promotion contenders Leicester City sealed a comfortable win over QPR at the Walkers Stadium.

City took the lead as early as the 5th minute. Paul Gallagher's cross was nodded down by Steve Howard into the path of Andy King, who tucked the ball into the bottom corner of net.

The R's looked to be heading into the break just a goal down before a mistake from Carl Ikeme gifted the Foxes with a second, as Waghorn capitalised on a sliced clearance to finish into an unguarded goal.

And the hosts maintained their momentum after half-time. First Waghorn curled home a beautiful effort that went in off the bar, before Howard nodded home Michael Morrison's cross for the fourth.

Neil Warnock made just a single alteration to the QPR side for the trip to face the Foxes, with Tamas Priskin making way for Lee Cook in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

Ikeme was in goal for the R's in his final appearance for the Club before he returns to Wolves following the end of his loan spell in W12.

Peter Ramage, Damion Stewart, Kaspars Gorkss and Matt Hill made up the backline for Rangers.

Skipper Mikele Leigertwood and Alejandro Faurlin started in holding roles in midfield, with Hogan Ephraim and Lee Cook deployed further forward out wide.

Adel Taarabt played just off Jay Simpson in attack.

Amidst the blustery conditions at the Walkers Stadium, only five minutes had gone before City raced into an early lead.

Gallagher received the ball on the right-hand side before he sent a delicious, in-swinging cross into the path of Howard.

The big striker used all of his experience to hold off his marker before he nodded the ball into the path of King, who guided the ball home into the bottom corner from 12-yards out.

Undeterred, Rangers immediately went out in search of an equaliser to restore parity.

Taarabt received the ball midway into the Foxes half before he drove at the Leicester defence and fashioned a weak shot that went straight at Chris Weale in the hosts' net.

Soon after, Leigertwood won the ball with a superb challenge in midfield before he passed to Taarabt, who looked up before sliding a tremendous through ball into the path of Cook on the right.

Just as it looked as though the midfielder was about the smash an effort goalwards from the edge of the box, Bruno Berner's timely sliding intervention took the ball out for a corner.

Moments later, Faurlin sent a sweeping pass out wide to Ramage, who controlled before delivering a dangerous cross that looked certain to be heading to a QPR man before Morrison came across to head the ball away for a corner.

Both sides were enjoying an equal amount of possession, though it was Rangers who were creating more opportunities.

This time, a cutting through ball sent Simpson free down the left, who cut the ball back to Taarabt around 25-yards out before the Spurs loanee shot straight at Weale.

The R's thought they had found a leveller just short of the break, with Leigertwood's powerful drive from 30 yards deflecting off Simpson before finding the net.

However Simpson, unfortunately for the visitors, was deemed by the assistant official to be in an offside position.

Moments later, Taarabt picked up possession on midway before passing to Cook who, from 25-yards out, smashed a shot straight into the arms of the Leicester keeper.

Taarabt then received the ball on the left before sending in a brilliant centre to an unmarked Ephraim. With his back to goal, the winger attempted a lobbed shot over the advancing Weale that dropped just over the crossbar for Rangers.

On the stroke of half-time, disaster struck for the R's.

Wayne Brown's long punt up field looked to be heading safely into the path of the Ikeme, who rushed out of his penalty area to deal with the ball.

The R's keeper made a hash of his clearance, however, and when the ball fell to Waghorn 35 yards from goal, he stayed calm to steer the ball into an empty net.

Leicester wasted little time in adding a stylish third goal just five minutes after the break.

Richie Wellens dispossessed Taarabt in the Foxes' half before driving past halfway and feeding Waghorn 30 yards from goal.

The Sunderland loanee took the ball into his stride before he opened his body and curled home a beautiful shot that smashed against the underside of the bar before finding the goal.

The hosts then almost instantly added a fourth.

Howard and King combined on the edge of the box to feed Waghorn in the area, who dragged an effort wide of the right-hand post when under pressure from the QPR defence.

Play then switched to the other end. A ball from deep found Simpson on the edge of the box, who flicked the ball over his marker before firing straight at Weale as the keeper came rushing off of his goal-line to thwart the frontman.

Leicester were firmly in control, though, with Waghorn in inspired form for the hosts.

After the Foxes won a free-kick from 30-yards out, the striker stepped up to fire in a ferocious shot that cannoned off the crossbar and back into play.

The ball bounced around in the R's box before the ball was cleared only as far as Waghorn, who had remained outside of the area, and he took a touch before forcing a fine diving save from Ikeme.

Rangers then went within inches of pulling one back. Taarabt once again picked the ball up in midfield before he drove at the Foxes defence and blasted a low shot against the foot of the right-hand post that went out of play.

Leicester were soon back on the attack and added number four with just 12 minutes remaining.

Morrison picked up possession on the right before sending over a cross into the direction of Howard, who made no mistake to nod home past Ikeme to rubber stamp the win.

Leicester City: Weale, Morrisson, Brown, Howard, King, Berner, Waghorn (Vaughan 80), Wellens (Adams 80), Gallagher, Hobbs, Spearing.

Subs: Neilson, Oakley, Logan, N'Guessan, Kermorgant.
Goals: King (5), Waghorn (45 & 50), Howard (78)
QPR: Ikeme, Ramage, Stewart, Leigertwood, Gorkss, Cook (Buzsaky 55), Faurlin, Hill, Simpson (Balanta 77), Ephraim, Taarabt.
Subs: Cerny, Vine, Tosic, Oastler, German.
Bookings: Ephraim
Attendance: 22, 079.
Referee: Mr T Kettle QPR


- Three Charity/Sponsorship Events

- Some "Home-Grown" QPR Smilie Messageboard Icons

- An Ex-QPR Chairman, Bill Power (BP) Health Update

- DELAY in Football League's Agents Fees Report