Saturday 29th January 2011
The KC Stadium
Npower Football League Championship
Referee: K D Hill
Kick-off: 15:00
Hull City (12th) V Queens Park Rangers (1st)
By The Godfather

Neil Warnock secured the services of fans’ favourite, Danny Shittu, on Thursday afternoon. The Nigerian international was instrumental in QPR’s promotion campaign of 2003/04: let’s hope that he can contribute in a similar manner this season! He will no doubt provide strong cover for centre-backs, Matthew Connolly and Kaspars Gorkss.

Saturday’s match sees the league leaders travel to Hull City, who have dramatically improved in recent weeks. Manager, Nigel Pearson, will be hoping that the Tigers can launch a late play-off bid. I expect that this will be another very difficult test for Warnock’s men.

Hull City

Season 2009-10 finish: 19th position (Premiership).

Manager: Nigel Pearson

Following their relegation from the Premiership, Nigel Pearson, a coach I rate very highly, was appointed as Hull’s new manager. Pearson, of course, achieved considerable success with Leicester City, who reached the play-offs last season thanks to an exciting brand of football.

On paper, Hull boast one of the better squads in the division and, as a result, expectations were very high at the beginning of the campaign. Unfortunately for the supporters, results were disappointing during the early stages of the season, with the Tigers struggling towards the bottom end of the Championship table.

However, the Board stuck by their manager and, in recent weeks, results have improved. The Tigers now lie in 12th position, having recorded impressive wins over Bristol City, Sheffield United, Portsmouth and Barnsley. They are only eight points behind Leeds in 6th place, with a game in hand over their Yorkshire rivals.

Men to watch

Former QPR striker, Jay Simpson, could start for Nigel Pearson’s side. The 22 year-old started his career with Arsenal, but spent most of his time with the club out on loan. He joined Queens Park Rangers in August 2009 and, over the course of the season, earned a reputation as a “goal poacher”, notching a relatively impressive total of 12 goals. Although he does have the tendency to drift in and out of matches, Simpson is clinical inside the penalty area and could pose a threat on Saturday afternoon.

Hull City also have Matty Fryatt at their disposal, a player who was instrumental in Pearson’s Leicester City team last season. He netted 13 goals for the Foxes and would have probably got more had he not been sidelined for several months due to a broken jaw. Surprisingly, Leicester decided to let him go earlier this month, with the Tigers purchasing him for £1.2 million. A decent signing, in my view. He has since scored twice in three appearances for Hull City.

Robert Koren is likely to retain his place in central midfield. The 30 year-old captained the Slovenian national side during the 2010 World Cup, who were of course in England's group. At club level, he lists Lillestrom and West Brom among his former clubs, where he has excelled in the middle of the park. He is currently Hull’s joint top scorer, with six goals to his name so far this season.

QPR Team News

Ishmael Miller may have to miss this encounter, as he has been suffering with a virus this week. Similarly, Heidar Helguson could be unavailable through a groin injury. New signing, Danny Shittu, is unlikely to feature, but Pascal Chimbonda could make his QPR debut. Akos Buzsaky, meanwhile, has returned to full training. Peter Ramage and Jamie Mackie remain long-term absentees.

Prediction

When these two sides met back in 2005, the atmosphere was very hostile at the KC Stadium, with sections of the home crowd responsible for some offensive chants concerning the London bombings. I shall admit to disliking the club with a passion. Make no mistake: this can often be an intimidating stadium for travelling teams and supporters. This will make the match even more difficult.

That said, Queens Park Rangers will be feeling confident following their impressive victory over Coventry City. With the likes of Routledge and Taraabt on the pitch, I have no doubt that we will score goals. However, Hull also boast some serious firepower and, after some shaky defensive performances from the Rs in recent weeks, they will also pose a strong threat. Therefore, I am going to predict a high-scoring draw.

Hull City 2-2 Queens Park Rangers