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Ask anyone two weeks ago who they thought would be the first team down this season, the team on everyone's lips would have been QPR. The squad looked altogether weak and anyone wanting to name the 25 man squads, would not have guessed players like Ageymang, Emphraim and S.hittu now would find themselves on the sidelines and looking to play elsewhere in the loan transfer window.
Thats just how far we have come in a very short space of time with everyone eagerly awaiting the new look QPR team to take on Newcastle United this Monday night. They have started the season really well, despite no real quality back-up for the players sold nor without a recognised number 9 striker, relying instead on players like Leon Best and former West Ham Ba to hold the line.
Warnock has been very shrewd in the transfer market and has called on experience to see us through the first stages of hopefully sustaining our premiership survival. He brought in players who have something to prove, some been discarded on the sidelines or just simply our of favour with there former respective clubs. In SWP, Young and Dyer you have 3 players that between them have played 75 times for England abeit sometime ago, then you have Joey Barton and Jay Bothroyd whose England careers have in more recent times been very short to say the least.
I suspect Warnock likes to take a gamble because he knows he can get the best out of players. If this week is to go by, then I can expect a team unity that will mean each player will give his all for each other. I can only base this so far on the "uggs" incident involving Jay Bothroyd, but you can see from the banter between players that we have very little ego amongst the group which is really important for the stability of the club in both the short and long term. Some have likened it already to the Wimbledon Crazy gang period in the late eighties/early nineties. Its far too early to say if this is the case, but players that bond together early on will play an intergral part in winning football matches. For example, under Ian Holloway we never had the best team in the world, but we gained promotion with team unity and close bonding resulting firstly in Promotion to the Championship, then staying there.
The one surprise signing for me is Armand Traore who may well take the Premiership by storm, but I have a hunch that Clint Hill will retain his place. Not on anything that Warnock has said, just a gut feeling at this stage. We cannot judge a player like Traore on the game he played against Manchester united, but looking back he was never a regular under Wenger and in fact played 10 games out on loan for Juventus, so I'm not atltogether sure he will get his debut against Newcastle United.
Again though, like all of the signings that came in this transfer window, he has something to prove. I suspect many would have gone for Puncheon being the big surprise, but what this kid does have is pace and you need plenty of it in the Premiership. I suspect he will do far better than many predict, it would not surprise me in order to open a game up, him being the first choice subsitiute to use that pace and get in behind opposing defences.
Now for the game, many eyes and media attention will be on Joey Barton. You could not have written a better script if you wanted to and it was obvious after the recent falling out with the Newcastle United board which included having to train with the reserves and the odd time even on his own, that his Newcastle United playing days were over. We could question the ethics of Twitter and whether footballers should be airing dirty linen in public, but it did show that he had become frustrated and I presume he wanted to convey to the Geordie faithful that he was very much loyal to them, at the same time realising that he could not work for his former employers anymore. Its very much Newcastle United loss and our gain. Whether he proves to be a match winner or a controversial figure on the night remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure he will start and will be regarded by Warnock as the main leader on the pitch, even though the token gesture will be for him to hand the captains armband to Adel Taarabt as per normal.
Make no mistake the game against Newcastle United is winnable, though they have started much better than I and others anticipated. On reflection the draw at The Emirates considering the start made by Arsenal is nothing to write home about, but to win a fiercely competitiive North East derby away to Sunderland takes some doing. The fact they have only conceded one goal all season in the Premiership, shows that Alan Pardew has got the defence watertight and they will be very difficult to break down. Most Geordie fans would like to see Ba and Best start, but I suspect barring injuries he will start with the same team that beat Fulham pretty comortably two weeks ago. One danger man on the right will definitely be Obertan. No great shakes at Manchester United, he has by all accounts been very dangerous so far this season.
The QPR starting 11 for the Newcastle United game is hard one to call, though I suspect Neil Warnock already knows today (Friday) what starting 11 he intends to start with. At this stage many fans will have differences of opinion and this is completely my guess at the way I think the team will look. Some decisions are no brainers like Young in for Orr (due to injury) and SWp starting the on right probably at the expense of someone like Busacky and play 2 central midfielders. I suspect at home he will not play 3 in the central part of midfield but will go for the juggler and play it very attacking to start with. The season starts on Monday for Neil Warnock and I think he will want to show that we can win these games, so I would expect Barton in for Derry and Taarabt in a more advancing role then of late.
I'm going for this line up against Newcastle United. I'm not altogether sure he will give home starts to all the new sigings and with Campbell only now back to full fitness, its questionable if Warnock will actually start with him.
Kenny
Young
Gabbidon
Hall (if fit)/Ferdinand on bench
Hill
SWP
Barton
Faurlin
Smith
Taarabt
Bothroyd
I suspect we will get the full house the new owners deserve having so far kept to the promises they outlined at the start of the take-over. I'm not sure they will get the result they deserve. It will take time for this team to gel and it will be some acheivement to get 3 points against a now proven premiership side, one that has started so well.
I think we can get a draw from this game and I can see much improvement with this team as the season progresses but at this time I am going for a 1-1 score line. No doubt, Baarton will get stuck in and I think we are yet to the best of Taarabt this season, so it makes for a wonderful game that we can all enjoy down at Loftus Road or watching live on SKY.
For anyone that has QPR Player we now have the Big Match Show which not only covers pre-match, but gives half time analysis and after match thoughts. That all starts at 6.45pm on monday night. You can email us now and anytime leading up to the game on qprplayer@qpr.co.uk
The above report is written by me and purely my thoughts on the upcoming fixture.
Thats just how far we have come in a very short space of time with everyone eagerly awaiting the new look QPR team to take on Newcastle United this Monday night. They have started the season really well, despite no real quality back-up for the players sold nor without a recognised number 9 striker, relying instead on players like Leon Best and former West Ham Ba to hold the line.
Warnock has been very shrewd in the transfer market and has called on experience to see us through the first stages of hopefully sustaining our premiership survival. He brought in players who have something to prove, some been discarded on the sidelines or just simply our of favour with there former respective clubs. In SWP, Young and Dyer you have 3 players that between them have played 75 times for England abeit sometime ago, then you have Joey Barton and Jay Bothroyd whose England careers have in more recent times been very short to say the least.
I suspect Warnock likes to take a gamble because he knows he can get the best out of players. If this week is to go by, then I can expect a team unity that will mean each player will give his all for each other. I can only base this so far on the "uggs" incident involving Jay Bothroyd, but you can see from the banter between players that we have very little ego amongst the group which is really important for the stability of the club in both the short and long term. Some have likened it already to the Wimbledon Crazy gang period in the late eighties/early nineties. Its far too early to say if this is the case, but players that bond together early on will play an intergral part in winning football matches. For example, under Ian Holloway we never had the best team in the world, but we gained promotion with team unity and close bonding resulting firstly in Promotion to the Championship, then staying there.
The one surprise signing for me is Armand Traore who may well take the Premiership by storm, but I have a hunch that Clint Hill will retain his place. Not on anything that Warnock has said, just a gut feeling at this stage. We cannot judge a player like Traore on the game he played against Manchester united, but looking back he was never a regular under Wenger and in fact played 10 games out on loan for Juventus, so I'm not atltogether sure he will get his debut against Newcastle United.
Again though, like all of the signings that came in this transfer window, he has something to prove. I suspect many would have gone for Puncheon being the big surprise, but what this kid does have is pace and you need plenty of it in the Premiership. I suspect he will do far better than many predict, it would not surprise me in order to open a game up, him being the first choice subsitiute to use that pace and get in behind opposing defences.
Now for the game, many eyes and media attention will be on Joey Barton. You could not have written a better script if you wanted to and it was obvious after the recent falling out with the Newcastle United board which included having to train with the reserves and the odd time even on his own, that his Newcastle United playing days were over. We could question the ethics of Twitter and whether footballers should be airing dirty linen in public, but it did show that he had become frustrated and I presume he wanted to convey to the Geordie faithful that he was very much loyal to them, at the same time realising that he could not work for his former employers anymore. Its very much Newcastle United loss and our gain. Whether he proves to be a match winner or a controversial figure on the night remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure he will start and will be regarded by Warnock as the main leader on the pitch, even though the token gesture will be for him to hand the captains armband to Adel Taarabt as per normal.
Make no mistake the game against Newcastle United is winnable, though they have started much better than I and others anticipated. On reflection the draw at The Emirates considering the start made by Arsenal is nothing to write home about, but to win a fiercely competitiive North East derby away to Sunderland takes some doing. The fact they have only conceded one goal all season in the Premiership, shows that Alan Pardew has got the defence watertight and they will be very difficult to break down. Most Geordie fans would like to see Ba and Best start, but I suspect barring injuries he will start with the same team that beat Fulham pretty comortably two weeks ago. One danger man on the right will definitely be Obertan. No great shakes at Manchester United, he has by all accounts been very dangerous so far this season.
The QPR starting 11 for the Newcastle United game is hard one to call, though I suspect Neil Warnock already knows today (Friday) what starting 11 he intends to start with. At this stage many fans will have differences of opinion and this is completely my guess at the way I think the team will look. Some decisions are no brainers like Young in for Orr (due to injury) and SWp starting the on right probably at the expense of someone like Busacky and play 2 central midfielders. I suspect at home he will not play 3 in the central part of midfield but will go for the juggler and play it very attacking to start with. The season starts on Monday for Neil Warnock and I think he will want to show that we can win these games, so I would expect Barton in for Derry and Taarabt in a more advancing role then of late.
I'm going for this line up against Newcastle United. I'm not altogether sure he will give home starts to all the new sigings and with Campbell only now back to full fitness, its questionable if Warnock will actually start with him.
Kenny
Young
Gabbidon
Hall (if fit)/Ferdinand on bench
Hill
SWP
Barton
Faurlin
Smith
Taarabt
Bothroyd
I suspect we will get the full house the new owners deserve having so far kept to the promises they outlined at the start of the take-over. I'm not sure they will get the result they deserve. It will take time for this team to gel and it will be some acheivement to get 3 points against a now proven premiership side, one that has started so well.
I think we can get a draw from this game and I can see much improvement with this team as the season progresses but at this time I am going for a 1-1 score line. No doubt, Baarton will get stuck in and I think we are yet to the best of Taarabt this season, so it makes for a wonderful game that we can all enjoy down at Loftus Road or watching live on SKY.
For anyone that has QPR Player we now have the Big Match Show which not only covers pre-match, but gives half time analysis and after match thoughts. That all starts at 6.45pm on monday night. You can email us now and anytime leading up to the game on qprplayer@qpr.co.uk
The above report is written by me and purely my thoughts on the upcoming fixture.
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