The Pre-Match Warm Up
Monday 2nd April 2007
by Ron Norris & Simon Skinner |
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Rangers FACE PRESTON
After playing well
against West Brom, John Gregory now needs his team to turn a good
performance into a good result against Preston on Tuesday evening. The
chance of three points and moving up two places in the league is too
good to turn down. Can Rangers do it? |
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Match Preview |
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Queens Park Rangers v
Preston North End
The Championship
Tuesday 3rd April 2007
Kick Off 20:00 |
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TEAM NEWS |
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Rangers are likely to
be without the services of Inigo Idiakez after the Spaniard tweaked a hammy
in the early stages of Saturday’s game against West Brom. He came off as
soon as he felt it but it is still surely too soon for him. Rohan Ricketts
could come in although Lomas is the more likely candidate. Blackstock should
start after his goal off the bench but Martin Rowlands is once again likely
to miss out with what was supposed to be a minor hamstring strain.
Preston gaffer Paul
Simpson on the other hand should be able to welcome back first choice full
backs Graham Alexander and former R’s target Matt Hill. The only headache he
may have is whether to risk Callum Davidson after he injured his groin
against Leeds on Friday night. |
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A QUICK GUIDE TO OUR OPPONENTS |
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PRESTON IN
BRIEF |
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Despite a
change in manager during the summer, Preston have continued
their fine form of the past couple of seasons. Deepdale is a
real fortress now although they can be got at on the road. The
continued form of England international David Nugent continues
to draw attentions from The Premiership although the skills of
Brett Ormerod and Patrick Agyemang provide an ideal foil for the
stutter stepping scouser. |
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TOP SCORERS |
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Name |
FLC |
FAC |
LC |
Total |
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Dave Nugent |
14 |
2 |
0 |
16 |
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Patrick Agyemang |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
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Brett Ormerod |
6 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
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Graham Alexander |
5 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
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Danny Dichio |
5 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
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LAST FIVE
GAMES |
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Date |
Versus |
Venue |
F |
A |
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30/03/07 |
Leeds |
Away |
1 |
2 |
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17/03/07 |
Burnley |
Home |
2 |
0 |
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13/03/07 |
Ipswich |
Home |
1 |
0 |
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10/03/07 |
Hull |
Away |
0 |
2 |
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05/03/07 |
Southampton |
Home |
3 |
1 |
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CLASH OF THE
DAY |
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Lee Cook v. Graham Alexander. This could be a titanic battle
between one of the leagues best left wingers and one of the
leagues best right backs. Alexander likes to maraud down the
wing himself and it will be up to Cookie to keep him
sufficiently occupied. Cook was quiet by his standards on
Saturday and will be looking for a performance. |
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RANGERS VERSUS ..... |
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LAST TIME OUT |
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Preston North End 1 - 1 Queens Park
Rangers
Saturday 19th August 2006 |
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“They won another corner immediately though and this time Cook
took the kick. His ball into the box was flicked on by a gaggle
of four players and it headed towards Ainsworth. He allowed the
ball to come over his shoulder before toeing a volley past Carlo
Nash and in.” |
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HEAD TO HEAD |
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Overall |
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Played |
QPR |
Preston |
Draws |
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26 |
6 |
10 |
10 |
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At Loftus Road |
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Played |
QPR |
Preston |
Draws |
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13 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
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LEAGUE
STANDINGS |
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Pos |
Team |
P |
GD |
Pts |
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4th |
Preston |
39 |
14 |
68 |
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21st |
QPR |
39 |
-15 |
40 |
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OTHER MEETINGS |
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PNE have their noses in front in the league head to head with
eight wins to Rangers’ five. There have been ten draws between
the two sides over the years also. Preston have won on their
last two visits to Loftus Road and you have to go back to
January 1973 for the last time Rangers took maximum points when
goals from Gerry Francis and a Don Givens brace wrapped up a 3-0
victory. |
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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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THE REFEREE |
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Keith Stroud is the merry whistle blower for this one and it
will be his second game at Loftus Road this season. He took
charge of the home game with Leicester and sent off Foxes
defender Gareth McAuley for deliberate handball. He has doled
out eighty yellows in thirty one games along with three reds. He
has stepped up The Premiership this season also, taking charge
of the recent game between ‘Boro and Manchester City. |
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THE REF RECORD |
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Season |
Games |
Yellows |
Reds |
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2006-07 |
31 |
80 |
3 |
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2005-06 |
39 |
139 |
9 |
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2004-05 |
30 |
113 |
1 |
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2003-04 |
8 |
30 |
2 |
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QPR CONNECTIONS |
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The Hammersmith Horse is currently trotting round the Deepdale
paddock after leaving South Bermondsey for Lancashire in July
2005.
It would be fair to say Dichio hasn’t set the world alight up
there just five league goals in over sixty league outings.
He will be best remembered at Rangers for the mercenary manner
in which he joined Sampdoria. |
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RON AND SIMON'S PREDICT-OFF |
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SIMON:
West Brom
was a game that Rangers really couldn’t afford to lose, but they did. That
makes this game they can’t afford to lose absolutely bloody massive! A win
in this, our game in hand, will lift us four points above the bottom three
but that is going to be no easy task. Although our visitors have lost their
last three on the road including at Leeds on Friday night, any team with
Nugent in it has the potential to give you a walloping. I just hope we keep
it tight enough that we manage to take something from the game as taking
nothing would be disastrous. 1-1.
RON:
This
of course is our precious game in hand and as such offers us a real chance
of putting the pressure on the teams below us. Preston have lost their last
three away games, including defeats at relegation rivals Leeds and Hull,
something we now need to repeat. I predicted a win against West Brom based
on a wild theory involving a lucky shirt from Leicester. However it seems
that either there is no such thing as lucky shirts, or the Leicester win was
down to an, as yet, unidentified item of clothing. In either case we need
to win this one and I’m going to keep the faith and go for a 2-1 home
victory, although I might still have a rummage in the wardrobe this evening
to be on the safe side.
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Current score: Ron 26 Simon 24 |
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