v QPR (a) - 25/2/23

[Herbie6590]

A visit to Shepherd’s Bush for an encounter with the Superhoops & a chance to assess “new manager bounce” once again this season. Also a chance for a Jim Bowen style “look at what you could’ve won” as Mr Ainsworth takes up his position…

[WacoRover]

Yes, this is yet another “big one” on the schedule. 
 

I think many of us fancied Ainsworth as our next manager. Who knows- maybe he will someday. This is a challenging job for him, but one not bereft of talent. 

I see Rovers picking up a point- or three. 

COYB! 
 

[arbitro]

Gareth on his appointment and his Rovers connection.

 

[WacoRover]

20 minutes ago, arbitro said:

Gareth on his appointment and his Rovers connection.

 

I definitely think it means more to him. He will have his troops ready, I am sure. 

[ben_the_beast]

I think the biggest thing for Qpr was lifting the negativity which had seeped into the club and get the players smiling/playing with confidence again. Ainsworth will certainly do that. 

They've had a tough season. After a mega start under Michael Beale, he flirted with Wolves for a while which seemed to derail them. He rejected Wolves released a statement about loyalty to the club who had given him his chance, only to jump ship a month later. 

Critchley has had a shocker and the whole club looked lost. They've got some quality players, but like us lacked a striker and brought in Chris Martin, whom I'd have liked us to sign once the window slammed shut. 

Both Ainsworth and the fans will be well up for it. I think we need to keep it tight and silence the crowd, then grow into the game. 

[Mattyblue]

I suppose when about 15 clubs have sacked their manager by February (some of them twice) it’s hard to avoid teams with a new man in situ…

Edited February 22, 2023 by Mattyblue

[jim mk2]

Good news - our group was going to QPR but now we're not. We've seen us win just 1 point away from home this season

Bad news - I don't think our staying away will make any difference. It's come a week too late and QPR will be lifted by the arrival of a new manager - a Blackburn lad who will be well and truly up for it

QPR 1 Rovers 0

Hope I'm wrong

 

[martonrover]

QPR will have the benefit of not playing in midweek, to add to their new manager bounce.

We are running out of fit players.

Best hope is to grind out another hard fought draw.

 

 

[rigger]

4 minutes ago, martonrover said:

QPR will have the benefit of not playing in midweek, to add to their new manager bounce.

We are running out of fit players.

Best hope is to grind out another hard fought draw.

 

 

I think we have been reasonably lucky, in that for the most, we have had cover for the injuries. We are in the strange situation, of our team becoming stronger when injured players are replaced .

Edited February 22, 2023 by rigger

[Admiral Nelsen]

As bad as our injuries are just now, they seem to be in the same boat. Arguably even worse. Chris Willock, Clarke-Salter, Tyler Roberts, Dykes and Ethan Laird all out last weekend. Most of those are key players too. 

 

They'll be well up for this one with the new manager, but their squad isn't great and they'll still be fragile after being on such poor form.

 

Going for a rare second goal for the Rovers in a 0-2 win.

[Guest]

I'd be happy with a point here to keep things ticking over.

[DeeCee]

Got a QPR supporter at work, had a small bet with him of who's gonna finish higher in the table, he offered to pay me a couple of days ago, going double or quits on this game - before GA was appointed 😢

[Danny O.Brien]

If we really want to finish in the top six we should be going for a win here. But absolutely not getting beat. If we can keep up our home form and take points away from home we will be there abouts. Especially if they're missing as many players as last weekend.

Edited February 22, 2023 by Danny O.Brien

[martonrover]

2 hours ago, rigger said:

I think we have been reasonably lucky, in that for the most, we have had cover for the injuries. We are in the strange situation, of our team becoming stronger when injured players are replaced .

Yes, I agree to a point, but Dack and Brereton Diaz getting injured tipped the scales.

We are desperately short up front.

[rigger]

1 hour ago, martonrover said:

Yes, I agree to a point, but Dack and Brereton Diaz getting injured tipped the scales.

We are desperately short up front.

Neither are up front players, we are not short up-front because of injuries. We are short up front because Gally is playing shit, Hirst wasn't good enough, and at the moment neither are Vale or Leonard. I still think that playing two central forwards, Gally and Dolan, is the way we should go. If we stay with the present system, Smodics will replace Dack, and Dolan will replaced Diaz

[simongarnerisgod]

strange ground is loftus road,must be one of the smallest pitches in the whole football pyramid,i think we`ll grab victory late on

[joey_big_nose]

Id play the same team as against Blackpool, but start Carter obviously, and start Hedges in place of Gallagher.

Given the subs on Tuesday my suspicion is we will start Vale up top, and if we do that we are in trouble imo.

[martonrover]

2 hours ago, rigger said:

Neither are up front players, we are not short up-front because of injuries. We are short up front because Gally is playing shit, Hirst wasn't good enough, and at the moment neither are Vale or Leonard. I still think that playing two central forwards, Gally and Dolan, is the way we should go. If we stay with the present system, Smodics will replace Dack, and Dolan will replaced Diaz

Fair point and makes me look at it a bit more positively, although it still further reduces our likely goal threat.

Maybe the enforced rest will be a blessing in disguise for Diaz.

 

 

[M_B]

5 hours ago, rigger said:

I think we have been reasonably lucky, in that for the most, we have had cover for the injuries. We are in the strange situation, of our team becoming stronger when injured players are replaced .

It just shows the squad Tomasson inherited is a lot stronger than many would have had you believe. 

We've been top 6 virtually all season, despite the new signings, except Hyam, hardly pulling up any trees. 

[Guest]

We always come down to earth with a solid bump after a run of decent form, so no reason to expect anything other than a reverse at Loftus Road on Saturday. Ainsworth won't have had much time to put his marker on the players he's inherited, but suffice it to say there is enough on paper at QPR to more than give our lads a game.

Positives - we are not conceding many goals, and appear to work hard to deliver JDT's system these days, so not expecting a tonking

Negatives - everyone knows we can't score for sheet, and our squad is paper thin AND we can be bullied into lapses at critical times, so more than likely the wheels might come off due to the new manager bounce thing..

Other considerations: We have a small matter of a 5th round tie at Leicester next Tuesday, for a place in the last 8 - nice opportunity for some fringe players to stake their claim to a regular spot in the first 11, against vastly superior (on paper) opposition.

Back to Saturday:

Heart - QPR 1 Rovers 2

Head - QPR 1 Rovers 1

Hoops - QPR 7 Rovers 0

C'mon Rovers, Heart me up!

[R0verb0y]

Fwiw, @Shirley Crabtree Wrestler , I agree with your Heart more than your Head!

For some reason, we seem to be able to pull off results that, given the 'strength' of our squad, ought to be beyond us. I don't know if that's because many of the teams in the Division aren't as strong as we think they are.

I'm kind-of in agreement with @BournemouthFanGoEasy. I wonder whether, despite JDT's words about us being a medium- to long-term Project, any of us had really thought much about what he meant by that.

Now that we're getting closer to the end of the season, maybe getting promoted via the play-offs, then relegated with parachute payments to allow us to "do a Fulham", going up and coming back down using those parachute payments to improve gradually the quality of the squad incrementally in forthcoming close seasons wouldn't be too bad an outcome.

[bluebruce]

Can't say I'm optimistic- largely because I never ever like to play a side who just appointed a new manager. They're always trying to impress the new boss, and feel like their worries might be behind them etc. We seem to play sides who just got a new boss or at least a caretaker boss about 5 times a season lol

Also been a lot of games the last week or so for a smallish squad depleted by injuries. The bookies seem to be expecting it too, they have far better odds despite having far worse form.

[JHRover]

We've really, really, really struggled for goals of late, and that has been all too clear in the last 2 home games where we have just done enough. I fear that those struggles will be even harder to overcome away from home.

New manager or not if we want to secure a top 6 spot we need to be going and winning away games and after impressive results at Watford and WBA we should be confident at QPR. 

Sods law that we hit them at this point but it is still early days for Ainsworth there and he's a big job on in the space of a few days to turn it around. But with BBD and Dack both likely out and the players really putting a shift in of late I'm not too confident. Would love another 1-0 professional display.

[Andy]

I mean, if he's that much of a Rovers fan, he'd let us have the 3 points...

We need them more than QPR do at this stage of the season, like.

A draw would be ok, but wouldn't be surprised if this is one of those 'back down to earth' away defeats. I guess at least under JDT, we do actually stand a chance of taking points from teams in Feb, unlike what we've been used to in the last few years.

[bluebruce]

39 minutes ago, Andy said:

I mean, if he's that much of a Rovers fan, he'd let us have the 3 points...

We need them more than QPR do at this stage of the season, like.

A draw would be ok, but wouldn't be surprised if this is one of those 'back down to earth' away defeats. I guess at least under JDT, we do actually stand a chance of taking points from teams in Feb, unlike what we've been used to in the last few years.

If he's that much of a Rovers fan, he probably knows we're liable to bugger it up anyway 😂