 Thursday, 6th Mar 2008 23:29 QPR go back to the scene of one of their greatest recent triumphs on Saturday to face relegation haunted Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday (22nd) v Queens Park Rangers (15th) Hillsborough has been the scene of some fantastic, and vital, victories in QPR’s recent history. Of course the stand out performance is the 3-1 win here in 2004 when we needed to win to keep Bristol City at bay and secure promotion – in front of 8000 travelling QPR fans we did the business on a bright but crisp day in South Yorkshire, and then we drank the city dry in the evening. What a fine day it was. On our way out of the Premier League we won here 3-0, a result that gave us brief hope of avoiding the drop before it was extinguished on that dreadful day at Coventry. Ray Wilkins’ first away win of manager came on this ground when Maddix and Ferdinand scored in the second half. Some really great memories there, and they all come flooding back whenever I board the tram out to this end of my now home city and watch the huge Hillsborough stands home into view across the park. Of course we’ve had some dark days on this ground as well. Chief among them the 5-2 drubbing we had here the season we were relegated from the First Division. Peter Crouch scored twice for us and was a credit to the club and his profession but with the likes of Ready, Morrow, Kiwomya, Lisbie and Darlington around him we never had much of a chance that afternoon or during the season as a whole. Gerald Sibon got a hat trick for goodness sake. Of course that’s not quite as bad as conceding a hat trick to Carlton Palmer as we did in one of two quick fire four goal defeats in this part of the world during the 1990s. We lost three one without much of a fight a few years later at the height of the Thompson out campaign (Devon White scored from 30 yards!) and we’ve been annihilated 7-1 on this ground in the dim and distant past as well. A real mixed bag, wonderful beer fuelled and successful away days or nightmares watched between your fingers. Jekyll and Hyde if you like. What better game therefore than Sheff Wed away for the current QPR team who go from free scoring world beaters to clueless clod hoppers at the drop of a hat. Magnificent in the first half against Burnley we promptly collapsed from 2-0 up to 4-2 down. Awesome against Bristol City and Stoke at home, hammering both the promotion pushers out of sight, and then lifeless, limp and lacking in application at Barnsley and Coventry resulting in two 0-0 draws when both games were there for the taking. It’s clear that we’re happy to attack with freedom and not worry about the defending quite so much at home, while on the road it’s all about the clean sheet and securing a point above all else. Still you can’t be quite sure what QPR team is going to turn up at the moment – the hard working, free passing, high scoring world beaters from the Stoke game or the pub football side that we had out there against Coventry. Same starting eleven both matches, two entirely different performances. So with Wednesday desperate for points is this going to be Palmer/Sibon hat trick territory this weekend, or a repeat of Paul Furlong volleying in and 8000 QPR fans having a multiple orgasm? Five minutes on Sheffield Wednesday That wouldn’t be entirely unfamiliar territory for them of course, this is only their third season back at this level after a two year spell in the division below. The likes of Danny Wilson, Paul Jewell, Terry Yorath and Chris Turner all had a crack at turning the ailing club around following their relegation from the Premiership but they’ve never threatened a return and the seemingly terminal decline resulted in a drop to the third tier and much wringing of hands over how such a big club could end p so low on the league ladder. They didn’t start terrifically in the third tier either despite promises of an immediate return and by the time we arrived there at the end of 2003/04 the natives were restless, their season was over, and a black balloon protest against the board greeted the teams as QPR secured promotion. Ken Bates was there that day looking to complete a takeover, lucky escape there, but although they can be grateful that Leeds got to be part of the bearded one’s latest conquest rather than them Chairman Dave Allen remained unpopular at the club right up until autumn last year when he finally announced he was selling the club. One thing Allen did do after we’d won promotion was replace Turner with Paul Sturrock as manager and within six months he had them back in the second tier via the play offs. I think even Sturrock was surprised with the speed at which he accomplished that and the following season was a struggle in the Championship but they did manage to consolidate. It was just before our visit to Hillsborough lat season that things turned sour. Wednesday won just one of their first 12 games in the league and got done 4-1 by Wrexham in the League Cup – a run of results that cost Sturrock his job. The fans were outraged and arrived at the ground on the day we visited with more balloons and protest banners. Sturrock was held in high regard after his promotion season and it seemed that while the good will of the board had run out the fans were still willing to give the Scot more time. They were hardly placated when first choice Steve Cotterill was refused permission to move by Burnley and they ended up with Scunthorpe’s Brian Laws instead. That looked like a master stroke on the board’s behalf when Laws took Wednesday from the bottom three to the brink of the play offs, largely thanks to a run of seven wins from the final nine games of the season. Had the campaign lasted another fortnight they would have made it into the six and as the form side you would have been a fool to back against them. Laws lost Bougherra, McLean and Brunt in the summer but was allowed to spend the money and introduced Francis Jeffers from Blackburn following a successful loan spell in this league with Ipswich. Hopes were high for a big assault on the top six in his first full season in charge after the great run at the end of the previous season. Wednesday started with a 4-1 defeat at Ipswich on day one and have got steadily worse since then. With Allen negotiating the sale of the club Laws seems safe in his job when Wednesday managers have been sacked by Allen for a lot less over the past decade. It’s likely that Laws will be replaced when any takeover is complete because he really has made a pig’s ear of this season – whether the new board will take charge of a Championship club or League One side will depend on their results compared to Coventry’s over the next two months. It’s a real shame, but the Owls look the least equipped of the four or five sides trying to avoid the final relegation spot and look the most likely to join Scunthorpe and Colchester downstairs next season. They do have games in hand on their side though. Who to watch out for Ben joined QPR in a blaze of publicity back in the summer and announced his arrival with a brace against Fulham in a pre-season match. Hopes were high that he could be the 20 goal striker we’d been crying out for and the disappointment in the away end at Bristol City on day one when we heard he’d been rushed to hospital to have his appendix out was palpable. When he came back a month later he never ever looked like quite the same player as the one that had destroyed Fulham. Gregory and De Canio both tried him, up front and wide in midfield, to absolutely no effect. Three months and just nine appearances later, during which time barely a week went by without us hearing from his mouthy Mum about just how awful QPR were being to Mummy’s Little Soldier, he mercifully returned to Chelsea. For a full international with a big reputation he looked like a kid out of his depth, no better or worse than anything that’s come through our own ranks in recent years and hardly worth the hassle we went to in signing him. Since joining Sheff Wed he’s yet to start, and has three sub appearances with no goals. Thoroughly crap and out of his depth all season, we’ve all seen this film before – he’s bound to score at least once against us. The men currently occupying the striking roles and keeping Sahar out of the team are Marcus Tudgay and Enoch Showumni. Tudgay is one of the few Wednesday players you look at and see genuine Championship level ability and has eight goals so far this season. Showumni on the other hand looks like a man of more use to Wednesday next season if they go down. The former Luton man was not surprisingly unable to get in the Bristol City side this year and the signing of him by Wednesday smacked a little of desperation. Five games without a goal since the move, during which time the Owls have collectively only managed to score twice, doesn’t hint at the signing being a roaring success. Although he has troubled us before in his Luton days I’d hope Fitz Hall should be able to cope with a player as limited as that – famous last words there. Further back they have Graham Kavanagh in midfield on loan from Sunderland. His temporary spell at the club before Christmas sparked their best form of the season and the momentum was killed when Roy Keane recalled him to the Stadium of Light. He’s getting on a bit now but he’s better than anything Wednesday have in that part of the pitch now Whelen and Brunt have moved on. Wednesday won four out of seven league games during his first spell but have only managed one from six recently and time is starting to tick. The most eye catching part of Wednesday’s side is down the left flank where Jermaine Johnson does the attacking and Tommy Spurr supports from left back. These two and Tudgay are well capable at this level, and QPR of course tried to buy both of them during the January transfer window. Johnson arrived at Hillsborough via Bradford City and was particularly superb in a memorable 2-0 victory against Sheffield United earlier this season – that return fixture comes on April 8, no doubt the home side will be relishing the chance to get revenge and possibly hammer a final nail into the Wednesday coffin. Spurr is a product of their youth set up, originally starting life as a centre half but more recently making the left back spot his own. He’s very comfortable on the ball, easy on the eye and effective going forward. I was very disappointed when we didn’t complete the signing of him in January and I’d like to see us return with an offer during the summer months. He’s Wednesday’s best player for me. Goal keeper Lee Grant was man of the match when these sides met at Loftus Road before Christmas. Past Meetings QPR: Camp 7, Malcolm 4 (Timoska 65, 7), Mancienne 8, Stewart 9, Barker 8, Rowlands 6, Leigertwood 9, Buzsaky 7, Vine 7, Blackstock 7 (Nygaard 82, -),Sinclair 8 Sheff Wed: Grant 9, Simek 7, Hinds 7, Michael Johnson 7, Spurr 8,Jermaine Johnson 7 (Small 80, -), Watson 7, Folly 7, O'Brien 7,Sodje 7 (Burton 57, 7), Tudgay 7 QPR 0 Sheff Wed 0 Match Report On our last visit to Hillsborough Rangers came out on the wrong end of a five goal thriller. A poor first half from the visitors saw Wednesday go into a two goal half time lead thanks to Marcus Tudgay. In the first game after Paul Sturrock’s sacking it looked like new manager syndrome was set to strike yet again but within 15 minutes of the restart Rangers were level. Two crosses from the left by Lee Cook were both headed in by Dexter Blackstock. After that there only looked like being one winner but a penalty turned the game back in Wednesday’s favour – awarded against Paul Jones for a foul on Burton when he appeared to get a good hand on the ball. Steve Maclean stepped up and slammed the spot kick home. Wednesday launched a late surge but ultimately just missed out on the play offs, QPR strung some results together late in the day themselves and stayed up with two games to spare. Sheff Wed: Jones 5, Simek 7, Hills 8, Bougherra 7, Spurr 6, Lunt 6, Folly 7, Small 7, Brunt 7, Tudgay 8 (Talbot 90 -), Burton 6 (MacLean 40, 7) QPR: Paul Jones 5, Bignot 6 (Gallen 85, -), Rehman 3, Stewart 3, Bircham 5 (Mancienne 45, 5), Rowlands 6 (Ward 67, 3), Lomas 4, Cook 7, Smith 5, Ray Jones 6, Blackstock 7 Sheff Wed 3 QPR 2 Match Report Head to Head Previous Sheff Wed v QPR results Team News Wednesday were on the end of their own Andy D’Urso special on Tuesday night against West Brom and are consequently without tricky winger Jermaine Johnson who starts a four game ban following his straight red for a frivolous (there’s that word in its correct context Football Association, it means you reduce the number of games he’s banned for) clash with Jonathan Greening. Referee What’s going on elsewhere? Form Rangers are unbeaten in their last four games since losing 4-2 to Burnley and haven’t conceded a goal in their last three. There have been three draws and a thumping 3-0 win at home against Stoke in that time. Rangers have lost two, drawn two and won two of their last six away games – including a 3-2 win at Southampton and a 4-2 success at Watford. Rangers have lost seven away games this season which is equal to or better than every other team below them in the table. Prediction
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