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- Three Year Flashback: Roberto Mancini as QPR's Next Manager?!
- QPR Too Small For Beckham?
- Next Showing of "The Four Year Plan" - Amsterdam in just over a week
- Guardian Gallery (Which Featured Neil Warnock last year) seeks Adel Taarabt Photoshop Cartoons
- Continuing Articles re John Terry
- An Ongoing Query: The Official Supporters Club (OSC)...Is it Still Active?)
- A NEW BOOK ABOUT QPR: Just out: a new personal account by a QPR fan, John "gramps" Clifford of what it was like following QPR in the old days (The late 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.) The Book's title is "Queen's Park Rangers: The Old Days (1939-1970)" and includes a forword by former QPR (Three-time) player, Mark Lazarus, and former longtime QPR Club Secretary, Ron Phillips -Foreward by Mark Lazarus. Introduction by Ron Phillips - BOOK ORDER DETAILS
Talksport/Anton Stanley - Exclusive – Fernandes: Here at QPR we’re already planning our January signings
- Queens Park Rangers chairman Tony Fernandes has told talkSPORT that he and Neil Warnock are already plotting to sign new players in January.
- The Super Hoops have performed admirably so far this season and currently sit 12th in the league after promotion from the Championship.
And Fernandes insists if his manager wants to sign players to strengthen their squad he will happily get his wallet out.
“I will oblige,” he said. “We’ve done so much good work. We had nine days last time to rebuild a squad. We’ve got a bit more time now.
- “We’ve actually started the process already, I get interesting e-mails from Neil, he doesn’t know how to use e-mail. He writes everything down, scans it and then sends it over to me, it’s a new form of communication for me but it’s tremendous.
-“We’ve got a bit of time, the scouts are out and we’ve got some interesting names. We’ll definitely get back in the transfer market. We have a thin squad so we need to deepen that a little.” Talksport
- VIDEO of QPR-Manchester City Goals
BURTON MAIL- Warnock bemoans luck after defeat
QPR boss Neil Warnock could only bemoan his luck after watching his side give everything but come away empty-handed from a 3-2 defeat against Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester City at Loftus Road.
Rangers became the first side to go in front against City this season, thanks to Jay Bothroyd, and then levelled with two goals either side of the break. Even after Yaya Toure had headed home what turned out to be the winner QPR had chances, with Heidar Helguson hitting the bar and Jamie Mackie failing to go down when Warnock felt he would have been granted a certain penalty.
It all led to a frustrating outcome for the QPR chief, who said: "It is a diabolical result. Football can be a cruel game sometimes. You do not get what you deserve."
He added: "We have made three errors in 90 minutes against a side I would regard as the best in the world, and got punished every time.
"The performance probably surprised a few people, but I think we can get even better. I guess you have to take it on the chin. It is results like that that make them champions elect."
After a lethargic first half hour, the visitors rallied through Edin Dzeko's 10th goal of the season before star man David Silva produced the moment of the match.
The man who may struggle to get a game for Spain against England next week had a number of options when Dzeko rolled a pass to him inside the box.
As the QPR defenders stood back and waited, Silva seized the initiative, darting on to the ball far too quickly for Danny Gabbidon, but with enough distance ahead of Anton Ferdinand to bury his shot into the home net.
Once in front, City were not to be headed a second time, with Toure finishing the game off to complete a remarkable 11-game tally of 31 points and 39 goals.
"The only time I have seen attacking like that is when I watch Barcelona on TV," said City assistant boss David Platt. "We have won the game because we have scored three more goals. We feel as though there are goals in the team. Even at 1-0 down, even if it had gone to 2-0, I knew we were not out of it because we have such a goal threat about us." Burton Mail
SPORTING LIFE - WARNOCK FRUSTRATED BY CITY LOSS
QPR boss Neil Warnock could only bemoan his luck after watching his side give everything but come away empty-handed from a 3-2 defeat against Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester City at Loftus Road.
Rangers became the first side to go in front against City this season, thanks to Jay Bothroyd, and then levelled after the game had turned in City's favour with two goals either side of the break.
Even after Yaya Toure had headed home what turned out to be the winner QPR had chances, with Heidar Helguson hitting the bar and young striker Jamie Mackie failing to go down when Warnock felt he would have been granted a certain penalty.
It all led to a frustrating outcome for the QPR chief.
"It is a diabolical result," said Warnock.
"Football can be a cruel game sometimes. You do not get what you deserve.
"We have made three errors in 90 minutes against a side I would regard as the best in the world, and got punished every time.
"The performance probably surprised a few people, but I think we can get even better.
"I guess you have to take it on the chin. It is results like that that make them champions elect."
Warnock's frustration was understandable.
Probably more than any other side this season, certainly Manchester United, who conceded six to City at Old Trafford a fortnight ago, QPR made the Blues dig deep into their vast reserves.
After a lethargic first half hour, the visitors rallied through Edin Dzeko's 10th goal of the season before star man David Silva produced the moment of the match.
The man who may struggle to get a game for Spain against England next week had a number of options when Dzeko rolled a pass to him inside the box.
As the QPR defenders stood back and waited, Silva seized the initiative, darting on to the ball far too quickly for Danny Gabbidon, but with enough distance ahead of Anton Ferdinand to bury his shot into the home net.
Once in front, City were not to be headed a second time, with Toure finishing the game off to complete a remarkable 11-game tally of 31 points and 39 goals.
"The only time I have seen attacking like that is when I watch Barcelona on TV," said City assistant boss David Platt.
"We have won the game because we have scored three more goals. We feel as though there are goals in the team. Even at 1-0 down, even if it had gone to 2-0, I knew we were not out of it because we have such a goal threat about us."
City maintain a five-point advantage over Manchester United, and on current evidence it is difficult to see how that advantage will be lost.
However, as a former double winner himself, Platt knows the Blues can take nothing for granted.
"Things can change in an instant," he said.
"Five points is not many. The league is starting to take shape. Those teams up at the top, United, Chelsea and Arsenal, are starting to win games on a regular basis.
"Not many of those teams drop points, so we have to keep going."
Warnock is looking further ahead to January and the possibility of strengthening his squad, with funds likely to be invested by new owner Tony Fernandes.
However, he could only wistfully wonder at what might have been near the end.
"Any striker in this league will go down if they get touched," he said.
"Today, Mario Balotelli went down without being touched. But Jamie stayed on his feet.
"He's a young lad. He is just glad to be here, isn't he? Naive is what I would call it, amongst a few other things." Sporting Life
Manchester City Official Site Comments on QPR
City players were universal in their praise of QPR after coming from behind to win 3-2 at Loftus Road.
Edin Dzeko, Yaya Toure and Joe Hart were all relieved men after the Blues maintained their five point lead at the summit of the Premier League.
“It was perhaps the hardest away game of the season so far,” said Dzeko whose goal just before half-time levelled the scores.
“I was surprised by QPR but in a positive way and they kept going right to the end.”
Hart who made a couple of crucial saves in front of the watching England boss Fabio Capello could hardly contain his excitement.
“That was a proper Premier League match,” he beamed. “Hats off to QPR. It was a great game and I loved every minute of it.
“We can play better than we did but we dug deep and we can be proud that we won that game and what we achieved. Not many teams will come here and win, especially in a night game.
“It was the first time I have played a Loftus Road and it was great, the fans, the atmosphere, the whole thing. We scored some fantastic goals and Joleon Lescott really stepped up in Vincent Kompany’s absence.”
The last word though went to Yaya Toure whose superb header decided the game and took his tallyf the week to three.
“If you want to win league titles then these are the games in which you have to come out top,” he declared. “We are all so happy that we go into the break still five points clear and unbeaten it is fantastic.
“Everyone is happy and working hard for each other and for the manager and that is what you saw on the pitch at QPR. Joe Hart deserves praise too. He is a fantastic goalkeeper and makes great saves when he has to.”
OBSERVER/Jamie Jackson
Yaya Touré gives Manchester City a late escape at Queens Park Rangers
Yaya Touré (centre) celebrates scoring Manchester City's winner against QPR at Loftus Road. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA
Queens Park Rangers are becoming the side none of the Premier League aristocrats wish to face at Loftus Road. A helter-skelter encounter ended with Manchester City escaping back to the north with all the points when a draw, at least, would have been fairer on Neil Warnock's gang.
Heidar Helguson came agonisingly close to securing a result that would have been as famous as the victory here against Chelsea last month when his late header defeated Joe Hart, but not the bar, and Roberto Mancini's men could depart west London having done what André Villas-Boas's band had not.
"This was our best performance [of the season] given who we were playing," Warnock said. "We got some indifferent press [following] Chelsea, everybody saying it was against nine men. But if you watch the game, for 40 minutes with 11 men we were on top of them as well. So today put that to bed really."
What did he think of the result? "Diabolical. It's a cruel game, you don't get what you deserve sometimes, but that's football. And as well as we've played, we've made three errors in 90-odd minutes against the best team in England if not the world at the moment."
David Platt, City's assistant manager, agreed with Warnock's assessment of QPR's display. "It wasn't tougher than we anticipated, we expected the kind of game we got – you've got to give full credit to Warnock," he said.
"Dare to dream. Dream the impossible and never take no for an answer," had been the exhortation of Tony Fernandes, the QPR owner, to supporters following two weeks in which a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur had been preceded by that 1-0 win here against Chelsea.
After 28 minutes of a pell-mell first half that QPR dominated yet still ended level, the dream came alive again. Joey Barton swung in a free-kick from the right and Jay Bothroyd rose higher than Stefan Savic to head sweetly into the corner beyond Hart.
If the goal had been on the way since kick-off, moments later QPR nearly had the second. Shaun Wright-Phillips was released into acres of space down the left-hand corridor and when his shot was smothered, the ball was relayed to Jamie Mackie: only a finger-tingling save from Hart stopped the forward's rocket from doubling the lead.
As the 45 minutes neared its end, Bothroyd had an easier chance than his earlier strike to further the advantage, as City again failed to deal with the aerial ball, which their title-chasing rivals will note. Helguson stood up a cross from the right, but Bothroyd's header could only clip the post.
City struggled to establish the smooth rhythm that has been evident under Mancini this season, as QPR continually surged forward, winning tackles and headers and generally ensuring the visitors were pinned on their heels.
This stymied City's geometry, the slide-rule passes going awry from even the usually precise David Silva, and Sergio Agüero at one point clumsily knocking-on the ball when he should have controlled it.
But as any top team can and do, City found a way to score, Edin Dzeko ensuring their travelling support ended the half doing the Poznan. The 25-year-old's 15th goal of the season came after he collected James Milner's pass and walked through the area, before swivelling and beating Paddy Kenny to his right.
Fernandes said that the Chelsea victory was for the fans, who will have particularly enjoyed slipping down their pints in this locality afterwards. Noting how QPR got at their near neighbours that day, Mancini had taken no chances in selection against the Premier League's 12th best team, as he chased an eighth win on the bounce.
The XI the Italian fielded was arguably the strongest available, with only Mario Balotelli and Samir Nasri having a decent argument for inclusion. Those two began on the bench. Vincent Kompany, the captain, was suspended so Savic was handed his first start for the club. But as the teams trotted out for the second half, Mancini needed to consider when he might have to tinker.
This was the measure of the job QPR had so far done. And Hart was instantly required to save his side, beating away a fierce left-foot shot blazed at him by Barton. Yet cruelly, QPR were about to fall behind to an offering of sublime skill from Silva. Dzeko moved along the left and found the Spaniard in front of goal, with Danny Gabbidon in attendance and, after a magical shimmy from Silva that left the defender trailing in a different postcode, he drilled home.
Again, the topsy-turvy nature of the contest was about to have a defining influence. First, QPR were awarded an equaliser that should never have been. Armand Traoré had made several marauding runs down the left and after a further foray he picked out Bothroyd. His effort was goal-bound but it skimmed off Helguson, who was in an offside position and beat Hart, yet Martin Atkinson deemed it fair.
City's response was instant. This time Aleksandar Kolarov was the creator, pinging in a cross from which Yaya Touré made no mistake, heading firmly past Kenny to secure the win.
Warnock was left to complain that Mackie should have gone down in the City penalty area late on, calling him "naive".
On this performance, though, his troops are learning fast. Observer
Observer/Scott Murray: Minute by Minute of the Match
PAUL HAYWARD/GUARDIAN
Manchester City's talent show keeps the goal factory in business
Opponents of the league leaders now face a wide, curling wave of talent, as well as game-changing players on the bench
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Comments (26)
Paul Hayward at Loftus Road
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 5 November 2011 17.46 EDT
Article history
Manchester City's Edin Dzeko (left) and QPR's Anton Ferdinand compete for the ball during the game at Loftus Road. Photograph: Jed Leicester/Action Images
Question to David Platt, Manchester City's assistant manager: "Have you seen a more prolific forward line?" Answer: "Only when I watch Barcelona on TV."
City are a rocket burst of goals: 39 in 11 league fixtures now, with only 10 conceded. In a blistering two-week run in all competitions they have beaten Manchester United 6-1, Wolves 5-2 and 3-1, Villarreal 3-0 (away) and now Queens Park Rangers 3-2 four days after a Champions League trip to Spain. Yet this victory passes into the club's favourite scrapbook not for the goals but the tenacity displayed against a defiant QPR team who will win plenty of matches performing with this kind of joie de vivre.
"The important thing is that when we're not quite at it, passing-wise, and not cutting through teams, we can still win football matches," Platt said.
QPR's defenders will be astonished to hear that this was City "digging out" a win (Platt's phrase). Edin Dzeko tortured them with his centre-forward play, after a slow start, and David Silva's creativity was again a delight.
QPR's problem was: how do you stop a goal factory locating a branch on your turf? The extra incentive for Roberto Mancini's team had been wins earlier in the day for Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea. But the Hoops had an answer. For much of the first half they raced across Loftus Park like ice-skaters, joining attacks with relish and closing City's big names down. Only with Yaya Touré's 73rd-minute header did they finally submit in a scintillating match that had QPR fans recalling their glory days.
Neil Warnock said he had been working on a plan to stop the money monster and it nearly worked. The idea was that his guests might not fancy a test of passion in one of London's most atmospheric grounds. Hyperactivity will not always work against a side of City's calibre because they have so many players who can caress the ball, slow the pace and slip a pass at an unplayable angle.
QPR, though, only needed it to work once. "Are you Chelsea in disguise?" their fans sang, in honour of the recent victory over their neighbours. Chelsea's captain took a slap as well: "John Terry – we know what you said," they chanted, in support of their own Anton Ferdinand.
The oceanic gap between Heidar Helguson, the QPR striker, say, and Sergio Agüero at the other end is bound to tell across a whole season. Nor is there a David Silva at QPR's university training ground under the Heathrow flight path. But if you catch a top team in a fatigued state with the right tactics and the supporters play their part (as QPR's normally do), you can inflict a pained look even on the world's richest club.
Early energy and industry create chances. Those chances must be taken by the lesser side before the rich one wakes and responds. With City, opponents now face a wide, curling wave of talent, The manager of a bottom-half side should probably never let his team see the names of City's game-changers: in this case, Samir Nasri, Adam Johnson (who came on for Agüero) and Mario Balotelli, whose second-half dive would have embarrassed the amateur dramatics society of a small Somerset village (Balotelli was booked).
Dzeko, a leggy type whose touch often deserts him, always presents a problem to centre-backs with his persistence and strength. Agüero is a buzzy, elusive menace who can thrash a shot from anywhere with his short backlift. Silva is the artiste from the all-conquering Spanish school. As City fell behind, this gang went to work.
At the restart Agüero and Silva talked angles of attack, like two geometrists, and Ferdinand and Danny Gabbidon, QPR's two centre-halves hugged each other for comfort. But this QPR side quite fancies itself, and rightly so. The assimilation of new players has been quick. Most encouragingly, discards from bigger clubs (Joey Barton, Shaun Wright-Phillips) have arrived not as sulking big-shots but grafters ready to support a cause.
Two points clear of United at the kick-off (and only three ahead of Newcastle), City turned up the heat with a sweeping move that carried Dzeko down QPR's right flank from where he crossed for Silva. When the tapes of Silva's contribution to this campaign are cut City's second goal here ought to feature. Most strikers would have swiped at the ball first time, but Silva guided it to a position where Gabbidon, his nearest pursuer, might have been in another county.
The finish was a calm, graceful affirmation of Silva's mastery over time and space. QPR's equaliser was less pretty: a Bothroyd header that struck Helguson's crown and went in as he crouched on City's goalline. Then came Yaya Touré's deal-closer. Anything you can do, they can do better. Guardian
TELEGRAPH
By Gerry Cox at Loftus Road7:30PM GMT 05 Nov 201133 Comments
There were fireworks in the sky and fireworks on the pitch as Manchester City kept up their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League and their unbeaten record – but only just – against a spirited Queens Park Rangers side.
In a cracking game that matched the bonfire night entertainment in the skies around west London, Neil Warnock’s men went close to claiming another major scalp, having seen off their noisy neighbours Chelsea a fortnight ago.
Having taken a deserved lead through Jay Bothroyd, Rangers then came back to equalise after goals from Edin Dzeko and David Silva either side of half time had put City ahead.
It took a towering header from Yaya Touré to finish off QPR, who hit the woodwork late in the game.
“It was very tough but at the end we can be happy,” goalscorer Dzeko said on ESPN.
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“I must say, they are the best team we have played against this season and I want to pay compliments to Queens Park Rangers.
“I was very surprised at how they played, how good they were, especially in the first half, and then again in the second half as well after we scored the third goal.We can be very happy to win.”
It was thrilling stuff that kept City manager Roberto Mancini tense until the end, as his assistant David Platt admitted afterwards: “We knew it would be tough, and even when it was tight, it always looked like we could score a goal but also concede one, so we could not relax until the final whistle.
“Full credit to QPR and Neil Warnock for the way they stopped us playing our game. There are going to be times in a 38-game season when we don’t play at our very best, but we know there are goals in this team, and even when we go a goal down we feel we can score ourselves.”
Indeed, when Bothroyd powered in a header from Joey Barton’s deep cross in the 28th minute, it was the first time City had gone behind in a league game this season. It was not against the run of play, either, as Heidar Helguson went close three times in the opening quarter of the game.
The Icelandic striker was also denied by Joe Hart, who made a spectacular double save after stopping Jamie Mackie’s volley. Bothroyd should have increased QPR’s lead in the 40th minute but headed wide of the far post when Helguson’s cross found him unmarked.
It was a miss he would regret, as City went up the other end and equalised shortly afterwards. James Milner found Dzeko on the left and the tall striker cut in past Anton Ferdinand and hit a powerful low shot inside Paddy Kenny’s near post.
City’s fans celebrated in typical style, doing the 'Poznan’, and soon they were at it again, as Silva put them ahead five minutes into the second half.
A catalogue of defensive errors did not help, as Dzeko was allowed to cross from the left. Silva still had work to do, but his sublime first touch took out two defenders and gave him the narrowest of openings at the near post, which he found with precision.
City were now dominant and Dzeko would have increased their lead with another low drive from his left foot but for a fine save from Kenny.
But QPR refused to go easily and equalised in controversial style in the 68th minute. Shaun Wright-Phillips opened up his former side with a reverse pass to release Armand Traoré down the left, and his measured cross was met with a thumping header from Bothroyd.
The ball struck Helguson’s shoulder on the way in, and City appealed in vain for offside against the Icelandic striker.
But City wasted little time in regaining the lead as Yaya Touré rose imperiously to thunder a header past Kenny from Aleksandar Kolarov’s deep cross in the 74th minute. It was his second goal in four days, having scored against Villarreal in the Champions League, a game that Platt said took its toll on City’s players.
“Nasri was on the bench, not 100 per cent, and nor was Silva. Travelling in Europe takes away that sharpness but that is the price you pay if you want to be successful. The games come thick and fast,” Platt said.
Warnock was phlegmatic. “That is as good as we have played, but it’s a cruel game. We made only three errors all game and got punished.
“I was delighted with the performance and I enjoyed watching that game – it’s what the Premier League is all about.” TELEGRAPH
INDEPENDENT -Toure de force caps another City spree
Queens Park Rangers 2 Manchester City 3: Ivorian ensures table-toppers stay five points clear with decisive strike in five-goal thriller
Independent
WEST LONDON SPORT
Leaders Man City win thriller at QPR
05/11/2011
by Lyall Thomas
QPR 2 Manchester City 3
Yaya Toure’s 74th-minute header gave the Premier League leaders victory at Loftus Road, where QPR pushed them all the way.
Jay Bothroyd headed home Joey Barton’s free-kick to give Rangers the lead and Edin Dzeko’s fine solo effort levelled the score on the stroke of half-time.
A neat finish from David Silva put Manchester City ahead after the break before Heidar Helguson equalised with his third goal in four games.
But Toure’s winner denied the R’s a second upset in two weeks against one of the division’s elite.
After a humbling defeat away to Tottenham last week, QPR were glad to be back at home and hoping to emulate the 1-0 victory over Chelsea a fortnight ago.
And although the result was not reproduced, their performance was arguably better.
QPR striker Helguson netted his third goal in four matches
Helguson, whose penalty secured a the derby win over Chelsea, could have put Rangers ahead on two occassions in the opening quarter-of-an-hour, firing a volley just wide of the far post and then testing the hands of keeper Joe Hart after cutting inside from the right.
Rangers surged forward in numbers and after winning a corner, Helguson had a third chance, steering a header wide.
It was Bothroyd, though, who headed in the opener to put Rangers ahead after 28 minutes.
After he was fouled wide on the right, the striker worked free of his marker to head the resulting free-kick from Barton beyond Hart. Just as it did against Chelsea, Loftus Road erupted.
Rangers were unfazed by their opponents’ mesmerising ability to sweep down the other end and create chances, and the home fans thought a second goal was inevitable when Bothroyd rose again at the far post but headed wide a Jamie Mackie cross.
But again, as quickly as QPR had fashioned the opportunity, City were down the other end and they had an equaliser a minute before half-time.
Within seconds of James Milner advancing over the halfway-line, Dzeko cut inside from the left and beat two defenders with pace before firing inside keeper Paddy Kenny’s near post.
The Hoops resumed the second half with the impetus and more trickery from Shaun Wright-Phillips gave Barton the opportunity to force a great save from Hart, but the following 15 minutes turned into something of a shooting gallery for the league leaders.
And they took to the lead for the first time on 52 minutes.
Again, Dzeko peeled away to the left touchline and crossed low to the feet of Silva. The Spaniard needed just a deathly touch to move past Danny Gabbidon and score.
Both Dzeko and Aguero fired more shots the wrong side of the goal frame but it did nothing to deter the QPR spirit, and for this they deserved their 69th-minute equaliser through Helguson.
The City defenders were livid in their calls for offside, but as he deflected home Bothroyd’s header he was short of the last defender and the goal was legal.
But as much as Rangers deserved to draw level, the winning goal came after a serious lack of concentration at the back that allowed Toure to steal in between Gabbidon and Anton Ferdinand to head home. West London Sport
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