The Pre-Match Warm Up
Friday 30th March 2007
by Ron Norris & Simon Skinner |
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Rangers FACE BAGGIES
After a couple of weeks off Rangers
are back in action against promotion chasing West Brom on Saturday
afternoon. The Leicester win must have boosted confidence in the camp
but will the two week break have stopped the momentum? |
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Match Preview |
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Queens
Park Rangers v West Bromwich Albion
The Championship
Saturday 31st March 2007
Kick Off 15:00 |
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TEAM NEWS |
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Despite the fact that
Rangers haven’t played for two weeks Martin Rowlands has still not recovered
from his hamstring injury. This comes as little surprise though as his
powers of recovery are shocking. Rohan Ricketts is likely to take his place
on the right flank in place of the ineffective Ainsworth. Dexter Blackstock
is fit but he may not be able to displace Nygaard and Furlong after a good
showing at Leicester last time out. Other than that Bircham is the only
first teamer out as he ramps up his recovery following back surgery.
Tony Mowbray is able
to welcome Martin Albrechtsen back from suspension following the Dane’s red
card in their home defeat to Palace. The uncompromising pair of Paul
Robinson and Neil Clement are set to have painkilling injections to get them
through the game. John Hartson could miss out with a back injury, perhaps
this was done when showing a cab driver his arse in a recent drunken
escapade! |
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A QUICK GUIDE TO OUR OPPONENTS |
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BAGGIES IN
BRIEF |
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It would
be fair to say it took a while for Tony Mowbray to settle into
the role after the West Brom board gave Captain Marvel the tin
tack. Having now made his mark on the team the free scoring
Baggies nestled in the final play off berth. Recent form has
seen them pick up just two points in their last five games so
they will be keen to arrest a run of form that will be giving
the West Brom fans the last lap jitters. |
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TOP SCORERS |
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Name |
FLC |
FAC |
LC |
Total |
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Diomansy Kamara |
19 |
2 |
0 |
21 |
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Kevin Phillips |
12 |
3 |
0 |
15 |
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Nathan Ellington |
7 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
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Jason Koumas |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
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John Hartson |
5 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
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LAST FIVE
GAMES |
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Date |
Versus |
Venue |
F |
A |
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18/03/07 |
Birmingham |
Home |
1 |
1 |
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14/03/07 |
Palace |
Home |
2 |
3 |
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11/03/07 |
Wolves |
Away |
0 |
1 |
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03/03/07 |
Sunderland |
Home |
1 |
2 |
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27/02/07 |
Middlesbrough |
Home |
1 |
1 |
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CLASH OF THE
DAY |
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Lee Camp v. Diomansy Kamara. If Rangers are to get the bare
minimum point they must take from this game then the form of Lee
Camp will be key. Fresh from conceding the first ever goal at
the new Wembley last week he will be hoping for a tighter start
against one of the divisions most dynamic strikers. Kamara is
quick, strong, and deadly and can murder any team on his day. |
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RANGERS VERSUS ..... |
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LAST TIME OUT |
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West Brom 3 - 3 Queens Park
Rangers
Tuesday 31st October 2006 |
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“Cook was the instigator as he sent in an early cross that found
Nygaard rampaging in to the six yard box. The man who had
entered the field to a crescendo of booing from a section of the
R’s fans made no mistake as he powered a header past the
hopeless Zuberbuhler.” |
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HEAD TO HEAD |
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Overall |
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Played |
QPR |
West Brom |
Draws |
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31 |
12 |
12 |
7 |
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At Loftus Road |
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Played |
QPR |
West Brom |
Draws |
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16 |
3 |
8 |
5 |
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LEAGUE
STANDINGS |
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Pos |
Team |
P |
GD |
Pts |
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6th |
West Brom |
39 |
20 |
64 |
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21st |
QPR |
38 |
-14 |
40 |
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OTHER MEETINGS |
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Its ten wins apiece in the league head to head with another
seven games ending in stalemate including the cracking 3-3 at
The Hawthorns earlier this season. Rangers won the last time the
two sides met at Loftus Road when goals from Chris Plummer and
Sammy Koejoe wrapped up a 2-0 victory. |
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GENERAL INFORMATION |
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THE REFEREE |
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Paul Armstrong takes charge of this game in what will be just
his sixth Championship appointment of the season. His last game
at Loftus Road was against our visitors’ Black Country rivals
Wolves. The match ended in a goalless draw and Rangers should
have had a cast iron pen following some slight of hand from Lee
Naylor. This season he has a tally of sixty five yellows and
five reds in twenty five games. |
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THE REF RECORD |
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Season |
Games |
Yellows |
Reds |
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2006-07 |
25 |
65 |
5 |
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2005-06 |
32 |
68 |
3 |
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2004-05 |
34 |
72 |
8 |
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2003-04 |
30 |
89 |
6 |
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QPR CONNECTIONS |
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Andy McDermott was snapped up from the fabled Australian
Institute of Sport in August 1995 but only made six league
appearances for the R’s. Considering he played at right back his
goal return of two in those games isn’t too shabby!
West Brom snapped him up for a cool £400k and he went on to make
over fifty appearance before he moved on to Notts County in
August 2000. |
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RON AND SIMON'S PREDICT-OFF |
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SIMON:
This is the
first of two unbelievably tough games in the space of a few days for
Rangers. Defeat in either is unthinkable at the moment though so sharp minds
will be as much in demand as sharp skills. West Brom have had a little
wobble having not won in five so they will fly at us and with the backing of
3000 Baggies fans they will be bang up for it. If we can manage to keep it
tight then we can certainly sneak a point. 1-1.
RON:
After the fantastic win at Leicester another massive challenge awaits
Rangers in the shape of West Brom this Saturday. The Baggies have been
stuttering of late and are in danger of blowing their chances of promotion,
they've only won once away from home in the last four, although the
opposition has been of a better standard than us to be fair. Last time we
met we stole an unlikely point, can we steal an unlikely win on Saturday?
every side has a bogie team, I reckon we might be theirs. 2-1 to Rangers.
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Current score: Ron 26 Simon 24 |
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