Saturday 26th September 2009
The Coca-Cola Championship
Loftus Road Stadium
Referee: K G Evans
Kick-off: 15:00
Queens Park Rangers (12th) V Barnsley (22nd)
By The Godfather

Following a narrow loss to Chelsea in the Carling Cup, Queens Park Rangers will be focusing on the Football League Championship once again. This Saturday, Magilton’s team will be aiming to gain their first home win of the campaign when they come up against a struggling Barnsley side. After putting up a good fight against the Premiership leaders, Rangers supporters will be feeling very confident about this fixture.

Barnsley

Season 2008-09 finish: 20th place.

Manager: Mark Robins. The former Manchester United and Norwich City striker gained a reputation as a talented manager during his two-year spell with Rotherham United (2007 to 2009). Last season, despite a seventeen-point deduction imposed by the Football Association, Robins’ side challenged for promotion, in the end only just missing out. He was appointed as the new Barnsley boss on September 9th, replacing the sacked Simon Davey. He faces the difficult task of keeping the Tykes in the Championship.

Overview

Since their promotion in 2006, Barnsley have narrowly escaped the drop on three occasions, thanks in part to the managerial skills of Simon Davey. However, after a dreadful start to the 2009/10 campaign, which saw the team pick up only two points from a possible fifteen, Davey was sacked, with Mark Robins being announced as his replacement.

As Steve Claridge pointed out on “The Football League Show”, what exactly is the Chairman’s expectation for this season? Isn’t it inevitable that Barnsley, with a limited transfer budget and a squad lacking in depth, will struggle in such a competitive division? Was it really fair to blame Simon Davey?

To Mark Robins’ credit, he has picked up a couple of very impressive results since taking control earlier this month, his team beating Derby County in the league and then Burnley in the Carling Cup. If they can take the three points at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon then they may well start to pull themselves clear of the relegation zone. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.

Men to watch

Barnsley’s main attacking threat on Saturday afternoon will be Canadian international, Iain Hume. In November of last year, there were doubts as to whether the talented striker would play again after sustaining a life-threatening skull fracture in a fixture against Sheffield United. However, after spending nine months on the sidelines, the 25 year-old has completed a superb comeback and could play a key role in Barnsley’s 2009/10 campaign. The former Leicester City man is a free-kick specialist and has an irritating habit of scoring against Queens Park Rangers.

Jon Macken is likely to partner Hume in attack. The 32 year-old has bags of experience at this level, having played for Preston, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Derby. Overall he has notched 15 goals in 69 appearances for the Tykes since joining them in January 2008. He could be one to watch on Saturday afternoon.

Mark Robins could also select Andy Gray in his starting line-up. The 31 year-old is a proven goalscorer in the Championship, having enjoyed highly successful spells with Sheffield United and Burnley. The striker signed for the Tykes from Charlton during the summer for an undisclosed fee and has so far netted two goals in five matches.

On the wing, Jamal Campbell-Ryce could return from injury to face Queens Park Rangers. Campbell-Ryce is someone I rate very highly indeed. I remember the Jamaican international tearing the Rs fullbacks apart during that terrible 5-0 loss at Southend United. Without doubt, the 26 year-old’s pace and skill will pose a real threat on Saturday afternoon.

In the middle of the park, Anderson de Silva could give the likes of Watson and Rowlands a stern test on Saturday. The Brazilian signed for Barnsley from Everton on a permanent basis in January 2008 after impressing the supporters during two loan spells. The 27 year-old offers the team skill and creativity.

On Wednesday, Mark Robins secured the services of three new defenders on temporary deals, the most impressive of which looks to be Suad Filekovic. The 31 year-old has enjoyed a reasonably successful career in Eastern Europe, his excellent performances earning him 14 caps for the Slovenian national team. The other two defenders, Carl ****inson and Ryan Shotton, are both products of Stoke City’s youth academy and could be involved on Saturday afternoon.

In goal, David Preece is likely to keep his place. The 33 year-old lists Sunderland, Darlington, Aberdeen and Silkeborg IF among his former clubs. He signed for the Tykes on a one-year deal during the summer.

Previous Match

February 2009 – Barnsley picked up a massive victory in their fight to stay in the Championship at Oakwell, beating Queens Park Rangers by two goals to one. Daniel Bogdanovic headed in the opening goal, before Damien Delaney nodded home the equaliser. However, the Tykes got the winner just before half time when Anderson de Silva pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area and rifled his shot into the net. QPR pushed for a leveller during the second period but couldn’t make a breakthrough.

QPR Manager, Paulo Sousa: "I said when I first came here that my ambitions were to create a solid base for next season and we are doing that. When you get close to the play-offs, you start to think about it, but a lot of our rivals also dropped points. When you see that Nottingham Forest won at Reading you can still believe it's possible."

Barnsley 2-1 Queens Park Rangers

League Form

Queens Park Rangers: LDWDW (Last league match – Cardiff 0-2 QPR).

Barnsley: LLLWD (Last league match – Barnsley 0-0 Swansea).

QPR Team News

Matthew Connolly could miss this match through illness. Fitz Hall and Angelo Balanta have both sat out of the last few games through groin injuries and may be unavailable on Saturday afternoon. However, Ben Watson is likely to be back in contention for a starting place and Tom Heaton could continue in goal after an impressive performance against Chelsea on Wednesday night.

Prediction

After two decent displays against Cardiff City and Chelsea, I am feeling very optimistic about this fixture. Buoyed by their Carling Cup victory in mid-week, Barnsley could provide a stern test for the Super Hoops. However, if the likes of Rowlands and Watson are able to get on the ball and influence proceedings, then this could prove to be a comfortable victory for Magilton’s team.

Queens Park Rangers 2-0 Barnsley