QPRnet.com :: The Pre-Match Warm Up

The Pre-Match Warm Up
Sunday 30th April 2006
by Ron Norris & Simon Skinner

The last match of a tiring season finally comes around on Sunday as Rangers travel to Champions Reading. Can we finish the season in style? Oi! Stop sniggering.....

TEAM NEWS

After today’s cull inside Loftus Road it is hard to predict what sort of side we might see at Reading this Sunday. With fourteen players being told they are on their proverbial bikes Waddock may well choose to go with youth although this could be seriously dangerous.

The usual suspects are all still missing and we are unlikely to see Gallen rolled out for one game even if he is fit. With Nygaard suspended Giant Ray Jones may get a full debut as Furlong’s partner as we still don’t know whether Baidoo has regained his fitness.

Reading should welcome back skipper Graeme Murty for this one after he ricked his neck last week. Mr Punch doppelganger Glen Little is set to miss out with a groin problem. Other than long term absentee Leroy Lita there is precious little else for Steve Coppell to worry about other than making sure he doesn’t get champagne in his eye

THE PROBABLY NOT VERY PROBABLE TEAM BUT WE HAVEN'T A CLUE
		Furlong	Jones R


	Cook	Bailey	Donnelly	Ainsworth


	Milanese	Kanyuka	Shittu	Shimmin



		Jones P

A QUICK GUIDE TO OUR OPPONENTS

READING IN BRIEF

What a season the men in stripes have had. Having lost their opening game of the season they regrouped and then proceeded to batter everyone out of sight. A win and three goals on Sunday will take them to a record points haul for this division as well as 100 league goals. This has not been a flash in the pan though. The Reading board allowed Coppell time to build his squad and they have now been rewarded with promotion to the top flight for the first time in the clubs history.

LAST FIVE GAMES
Date	Versus	Venue	F	A
22/04/06	Sheff Weds	Away	1	1
17/04/06	Stoke	Home	3	1
15/04/06	Leeds	Away	1	1
08/04/06	Cardiff	Away	5	2
01/04/06	Derby	Home	5	0


TOP SCORERS
Name	FLC	FAC	LC	Total
Dave Kitson	17	0	4	21
Kevin Doyle	18	1	0	19
Leroy Lita	14	1	3	18

RUBBISH FACT

Remember the Simod Cup? Reading do, they were the first side to win it when they beat Luton 4-1 in 1988.

RANGERS VERSUS .....

LAST TIME OUT

Queens Park Rangers 1 - 2 Reading
Saturday 5th November 2005

“They won a corner when Shittu needlessly touched a ball that he was trying to shepherd out for a goal kick. The initial kick was hacked behind by Ainsworth but the second found Ivar Ingimarsson unmarked at the near post and his header carried too much power to allow Royce to keep it out.”

LEAGUE STANDINGS
Pos	Team	P	GD	Pts
1st	Reading	45	+66	103
20th	QPR	45	-14	50


HEAD TO HEAD
Played	QPR	Reading	Draws
73	34	24	15

OTHER MEETINGS

Rangers have come away from the Madejski Stadium with nothing on their last two visits. A streaky goal from Andy Hughes did for them in January 2002 before the infamous “Jacks” incident of December 2004. On this occasion a fluke from Shorey was enough as ten man Rangers struggled. The last time Rangers beat Reading was at the decrepit Elm Park when goals from John Spencer and a Steven Swales own goal were enough.

GENERAL INFORMATION

THE REFEREE

The referee for the final game of the season is Darren Drysdale who is in only his second year on the Football League list. He has never reffed a Rangers game before so it is hard to know what to expect. The last time he kept his cards in his pocket for ninety minutes was on the opening day so I think it is fair to assume that his pencil might get some action before the afternoon is over.

THE REF RECORD
Season	Games	Yellows	Reds
2005-06	32	117	9
2004-05	28	64	3
2003-04	0	0	0


OPPONENTS LINKS
Official Website	ReadingFC.co.uk
Fans Websites	Hob Nob Anyone?
Travel Information	Football Ground Guide

QPR CONNECTIONS

Michael Meaker was hardly the world’s most exhilarating winger but he managed to eek out a league career with five different league clubs. Having come through the youth ranks at Rangers the mop topped wide man never really established himself and was farmed out to Reading for a staggering £500k! It just goes to show how the arse has fallen out of the transfer market these days doesn’t it!

RON AND SIMON'S PREDICT-OFF

RON: It’s nearly all over, the season finishes on Sunday – thank God! Rangers travel to worthy champions and Super Hoops wannabes, Reading this weekend for, what is bound to be, a bit of a beating. We’ll put up a bit of a fight, Reading will win, get their points record and then celebrate like, well like they’ve won the league. There’s nothing I like more than watching another team celebrate in front of us. I just can’t wait. 3-1 to Reading.

SIMON: To be honest I have no idea how this is going to pan out. I don’t know who will be playing and I don’t know whether the people that will be playing want to. The only thing I do know is that Reading will be right at it and that they will beat us with a fair amount of ease. 3-0 Reading.

Current score: Ron 23 Simon 38