The second part of our fans’ forum piece looks ahead to the rest of the season. What can QPR do to steer clear of trouble and is there cause for optimism?

The fans say…

For the second time this week we turn to our learned panel of supporters for their opinions: Rob Gilbert from Blog and White Hoops, Dave Barton from Dave’s Unofficial QPR Site, regular LFW columnist Chris King and LFW official photographer and writer of the QPR Today blog Neil Dejyothin.

In your opinion, what needs to be done to keep QPR in the Premiership this season?

Rob - Keep it simple and keep our heads. Players such as Onuoha, Ferdinand, Young, Barton, SWP, Zamora and Cisse know this league and have succeeded in it. Fulham, Everton, Swansea, Stoke and Bolton are a real opportunity to pick up points despite our form. Don't be stupid, play our game and the points will come.

Neil - I honestly don't know. I think we've taken so many huge risks at so many different levels, that staying up should be considered a remarkable achievement. And even then I think if we did survive, we should consider ourselves very lucky indeed.

But to try and give you three things:

- The first is settling the squad down and gelling them. We need a consistent and similar team out on the pitch week in, week out.

- The second is to grind out some results. I've only seen thirty minutes of good football since Hughes got here, but there's a whole host of reasons for that, including new players gelling, new ideas and so on. So the players have just got to dig deep and find a way to get points - we're already past the point where performance is important now.

- The third is to get our high profile players back to form. If Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joey Barton can reach the level they're expected, even just somewhere near it, we have a chance, but otherwise I think Djibril Cissé and Adel Taarabt will be key.

Dave - The obvious answer is win a few games but to do that I think they need to work on three major aspects over the next week to stand a chance:

- First is team spirit. Time away getting to know each other and form a bond much like teams do in pre season is a good idea because there seems to be very little fighting for each other on the pitch at the moment and very little in the way of players helping each other through a rough patch in a game.

- Second is set pieces. We look like conceding every time we face one and never look like scoring from one. I'd be working hard on that area, making sure we have a plan on how we are defending and are able to implement it. Then work out several attacking plans, at the moment we seem to pick one player to take all the corners for one game then change it the next week. I'd vary it in a game, have Barton, Taarabt, Buzsaky and Wright-Phillips alternate the corners and at least give teams something to think about. Having a plan from these other than hit and hope might be handy as well.

- Finally I'd be working on keeping possession under pressure and not being afraid to go backwards to keep the ball. We give it away so cheaply at times and it's costing us goals on the counter attack.

Chris - QPR need to change captain, Joey Barton is not a fit leader. His Twitter outbursts make the club’s management appear weak and ineffective, and on the pitch his performances across the season haven’t been sufficient to even earn him a starting place, let alone the armband. It should be given to Anton Ferdinand, and Barton dropped for Diakite until his hunger returns. Rangers should also look to play three up front, Cisse and Mackie on the wings, and Zamora through the middle. To stay up, the R’s need to learn how to hold onto a lead, and pick up points at home.

Name your preferred starting 11 and formation for the Fulham game.

Rob - Kenny, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Traore, SWP, Barton, Diakite, Taarabt, Zamora, Mackie in a 442.

Chris - Cerny, Young, Ferdinand, Onuoha, Taiwo, Buzsaky, Diakite, Barton, Mackie, Helguson, Zamora (if all fit) – 4-3-3

Dave - Hughes is a 4-4-2 man so that’s what we’ll play. I think we need experience at back, a solid central midfield and creativity in the final third, I’d have Helguson on the bench as I think him and Zamora are too similar to play together.

I’d go with Kenny, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Hill, Taiwo, Wright-Phillips, Diakate, Barton, Taarabt, Zamora, Mackie

Neil - This is a tough one, because it depends on availability of players and we've had a hard time keeping them fit consistently throughout the campaign. Then there's form. If I had the numbers, I wouldn't even pick Shaun Wright-Phillips or Joey Barton at the moment because I think their performances are so crucial to the balance of our play and their poor form is causing us to collapse both ways. But we do not have many options.

Looking beyond the Fulham game, to the rest of the season, I’d want to work towards something that on paper looks unusual, but isn't. I'd have Paddy Kenny in goal, with a back four of Luke Young, Nedum Onuoha, Anton Ferdinand and Taye Taiwo. Taiwo's instruction would be to sit and hold and not venture too far forward, but I would allow Young to get forward as he's done, and provide support and overlapping runs from right-back.

Then I'd have Joey Barton and Samba Diakité sitting in the midfield, but allowing Barton to creep around to the right side. He would provide protection there, especially as Young moves forward, but also because I think Barton does suit the right side and his passing is better when he has less options and can only go one way. So having him creep towards the right in game should help him improve some of his basics.

I chose Diakité just because he's an unknown, but as my idea has quite a bit of work to do, and he's young and physical, he'd get the nod in this instance.

Then I'd have something very strange. No right winger. For now… I'd have Armand Traore over on the left side, who would be allowed to bomb on or come inside. He does these things naturally anyway and is the reason I'd have Taiwo just sitting and waiting in a defensive position. But the main idea would be to let Traore hit the flanks and whip balls in.

I'd have Adel Taarabt playing in the hole and generally allowed to go anywhere, but venturing right side if needed. But Young would be providing the outlet, or at times, Barton. Then I'd play two up top with Djibril Cissé and Bobby Zamora. I'd have Zamora coming into the hole when necessary, if Taarabt has wondered or moved to the right side. I'd play Cisse as far up the pitch as possible, but he can also cover wide areas if necessary because he's got a lot of pace to burn, but having him lurking on the shoulder seems a good idea to me.

Head on the block, will QPR survive relegation this season? Where will we finish and who do you think will be the bottom three?

Chris - QPR will only survive with a drastic turnaround in fortunes and the injection of urgency and discipline from the manager. Hughes has a mammoth task on his hands in trying to keep the R’s up, and it can be done, but with games running out it’s hard to imagine anything but a desperate slog to avoid the dreaded bottom three. If we beat Fulham and Everton, we can stay up. If not, it’s relegation. I’m going to go with eighteenth, and a valiant but ultimately fruitless battle against relegation. Bottom three will be QPR, Wigan and Bolton Wanderers.

Rob - Head on the block eh!? Well I've had a feeling for a long time that the Fulham game was vital. A win in a West London Derby could easily spur us on to survive. However a loss or a draw and I think it's curtains. Unfortunately I don't see us winning a pissing contest at the moment, let alone a derby against a well organised Fulham side. So I think we will lose next Saturday and ultimately go down in eighteenth with Wigan and Bolton. I'll revise that prediction if we beat Fulham and switch us out with Blackburn.

Neil - It pains me to say this, but I think we will go down and I hope I'm wrong about that. Whoever goes on a mini run is going to save themselves, but I just can't see us being that team. I think we will have some good performances and even great wins, but it may be too far and few between as we struggle to find the consistency we need over a period of time. As for bottom three, hmm…I'm not sure, my gut feeling is Blackburn will survive and Wigan and Wolves will be the other two to go, but if Wolves can get some momentum from a new manager then you never know.

Dave - Yes but only just. We’ll finish sixteenth with Wigan, Blackburn and Wolves going down.

LoftforWords says…

In yesterday’s forum piece I returned to a theme that I’ve been banging on about all season – the constant, and expensive, short termism that infests QPR. Today I’m going to start with another favourite topic, this season’s bizarrely structured fixture list.

By starting with Bolton at home on day one and finishing with Man City away on the final day Rangers managed to pull a list of dates for 2011/12 that essentially saw them staring with their easiest fixture and building up to their hardest. Looking through the list at the start of the season the potential problem stuck out like a sore thumb – QPR played none of the top eight before October, then played them all at once almost in ascending order. That horror run will be repeated over the final ten games of the season which is fast approaching.

Now of course everybody plays the same team twice over the course of nine months so the fixtures are largely irrelevant in normal circumstances, but they’ve fallen in the worst possible way for QPR and been at the root of many of our problems this season. For example we conceded six goals and six points to Bolton and Wigan in August pre-Fernandes takeover when had we played them just a few weeks later and started with Man City at home and Liverpool away instead we’d probably be six points better off now and our rivals six worse. Having all the difficult games bunched together sapped confidence for a busy Christmas run of winnable games and ultimately cost Neil Warnock his job, the board all too acutely aware of the need to act fast with the same nasty run of games waiting for them from March onwards. And now, with a final four fixtures of Chelsea and Man City away, Spurs and Stoke at home we’re effectively battling to stay up with a shorter season than the teams around us.

Despite all of this I was absolutely sure we’d be fine this season until half time at Blackburn last week, and now I’m almost positive we’ll be relegated. Our team, on paper, is far superior to the other four teams that are down there with us but first of all that doesn’t matter, ask West Ham, and second of all we cannot get that team out there on the pitch often enough. Barton comes back from a three game ban and Cisse picks one up, by the time he’s back which other stupid bastard is going to have got themselves sent off and cost us a winnable match and his services for three matches?

When a team gets on top of QPR and starts to dominate, hitting the bar and the post and forcing outlandish saves from Paddy Kenny without scoring I’ll often relax back into my seat and say “It’s not their day.” Usually in such circumstances Rangers will win with their only attack of the game – that’s not exclusive to us, it’s a football wide phenomena. By the same token when I’m looking at a league thinking who is going to be relegated, along with the obvious candidates who simply lack quality, I’ll often go for the team that should stay up but is that lethal combination of not very good and not very lucky. That’s QPR this season.

When we play well we find a way not to win the game – either through a poor refereeing decision (Villa H, Norwich H, Chelsea H), missing a number of excellent chances (Newcastle H, West Brom H), a moment of individual crass stupidity (Wolves H, Norwich H) or some other piece of misfortune. When we play badly we’re not good enough to grind a result out (Liverpool A, Blackburn A, Arsenal A).

The body language of the team at Blackburn last week told me a lot as well. Don’t be fooled by that second half comeback, that was almost exclusively down to Jamie Mackie who found himself on a field with ten others who really didn’t look like they gave a toss in the first half as the goals rained down on them. I’ve seen that trait in QPR teams before, and recently relegated West Ham sides too. A trip to Portugal together may help, but I come back to the fixtures again because I’m of the opinion that Hughes will get this collection of individuals playing for each other just as we run out of winnable games. I expect us to suddenly start playing, and fighting, and looking pretty decent around March 10 at which point we’ll still lose because we’re playing the likes of Spurs, Man Utd and Man City.

The Premiership has never been easier for a promoted team to survive in than it is this season, and we’re making an absolute pig’s ear of it.

Team for Fulham: Kenny, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Taiwo, Taarabt, Barton, Diakite, Traore, Mackie, Zamora.

Two weeks ago I said there was no way Adel Taarabt could ever play anywhere other than striker in a 4-4-2 formation because his attitude and work rate would make him a liability anywhere else. Now suddenly the “new Adel” seems like he’s one of the first names on the team sheet, and probably wide in midfield as well given how he was crowded out of the Blackburn game through the middle. Jamie Mackie’s performance off the bench at Ewood Park probably means that he and Taarabt should edge out Shaun Wright-Phillips who, like Barton, I don’t think is playing as badly as people make out but is certainly not playing well. The centre of midfield is the big problem at the moment. Personally I think Hughes will say all the right things about Barton for as long as he needs him, and then bomb him out at the first possible opportunity. At the moment we’re relying on him, and Diakite who I dare say every QPR fan would have in their starting 11 for this game despite him only being in the country for a week.

Final Position Prediction: 18th, relegated with Bolton and Wigan. I think it’s been McCarthy holding Wolves back and whoever they manage to finally get to take the job will enjoy a new manager bounce that will see them climb away. Blackburn seem to have enough good players to get out of it despite everything going on around them, although they’re one Yakubu injury away from certain relegation. Wigan are the worst team in the division, Bolton have been unlucky with injuries and can only be saved in the short term by new manager syndrome as well.

Three reasons for optimism

Rob

1 - The other four teams with us are utterly atrocious.

2 - Zamora and Cisse are more than good enough a strike force to keep any team up

3 - Taarabt looks like getting back to something like his best.

Dave

1 - Of our remaining thirteen games we have seven of them that we are capable of getting points from and if we manage that we’ll be fine.

2 - We have some real attacking talent in the side now and if Taarabt, Cissie, SWP and Zamora all click we can give anyone problems.

3 - Our owners seem to have a long term vision for the club and if we do survive then we could have a bright future.

Neil

1 - There's plenty to look forward to. On paper the squad is far stronger than at the start of the season and they can only really improve from here, even if time is against them.

2 - The second is that football never works in the way you might expect. It could take one good performance to make them all click and understand each other and we need that to happen. As much as there are tough fixtures in the run in, some of those sides will be feeling the pressure as well and that can help us. You would also expect us to get better the longer we go on, so hopefully we will reach a level where we're much more in those games than we think at this point in time.

3 - The third…when we've got our backs to the wall, we generally as fans galvanise ourselves and give it a go. If we're on top form, we can help accelerate the gelling process but getting behind the team passionately and helping them understand what it means to wear the shirt. The quicker they fall in love with us the better.

Chris

1 - There are still games remaining, and we have the players to turn this around, at least to a certain extent.

2 - Cisse and Zamora linked up well against Wolves and look to have the makings of a good partnership.

3 - The new signings need time to gel, and once they have had more playing time, we may see an improvement in the overall team performance.

LFW

1 – We have the best starting 11 of the teams at the bottom of the table by some considerable distance.

2 – Playing the top eight teams altogether at the end of the season may be a nightmare, but we did actually take two wins and a draw from those fixtures at the start of the season.

3 – We’re coming back from a two week break and team building trip into two winnable home games. Win them both and the whole mood and atmosphere will change.

The bookies say…

Professional odds compiler Owen Goulding offers the bookies’ perspective on the remainder of the season.

With 13 games left, it's looking like a five horse race in the battle to avoid relegation. Bookmakers and punters alike are frantically predicting results for each of the teams down there in a bid to find who will be playing under the Npower guise next year. Wigan are the current favourites at 1/3 and this seems about right to me. For every one step forward they make, they tend to take two steps back - Martinez performed the great escape last year, but this season I just can’t see it.

Blackburn, Bolton and Wolves are all priced at 4/6 for relegation. In my opinion, Wolves are the worst squad of the lot. Djibril Cisse helped McCarthy keep his job a bit longer but the truth is he should have gone long before. The team that has represented Wolves in recent weeks would only be a slightly above average Championship side in my opinion. Kevin Foley, David Edwards, Christophe Berra are very average. In fact, bar Kevin Doyle and Steve Fletcher, you would be hard pushed to find another player from Molineux that any other manager currently down there would want.

Which brings me on to QPR. QPR now have a whole host of players who the other four managers around them would kill for. This in part explains why QPR are rated by the bookies as the least likely of the five teams to be relegated. A current price of 5/4 means they are the only team of the five currently odds AGAINST for relegation. I know QPR fans aren't as confident, but it is definitely the case that Rangers have by far the best squad of the five on paper. A lot will depend on the influence of Diakite as the injury to Faurlin has been massive and Rangers are crying out for an all-energy ball winning midfielder.

Can anyone else be involved in the battle to avoid the drop? Well Stoke and Aston Villa look like candidates for the obligatory tumble down the table, but with the bottom five so far detached, I am discounting anyone else. I expect Wigan to go, I think with their current squad, even Paul Daniels would struggle to magic Wolves out of a return to the Championship. Which for me leaves one of three. Bolton have a little bit too much in their locker as I see it- QPR could easily get it together with the quality of players they have - especially with Diakite to come in and Taarabt currently displaying more tricks than Wayne Dobson. One twisted ankle for Yakubu coupled with a very difficult run in for Blackburn tips the balance for me. So its Wigan, Wolves and Blackburn - and you'll struggle to find a bookmaker who disagrees. Let’s hope the bookies have got it right.

Tweet @loftforwords, @neildejyothin, @robgilbz, @chriskking

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e1337prodigy added 00:27 - Feb 22 I don't think I can give a prediction, it's to scary to think about. I'm just going to enjoy watching them play (or shout at them if they play like cr**). As for the fulham game, if fulham score first within the first 30mins; I think that's it. As from all the articles I have been reading on the QPR website about their training in portugal, sounds like they were getting on well and working hard, but if fulham score first their morale will completely drop. I know that seems like a narrow minded view, but I haven't seen them being able to pick themselves up. The only way we can win games is to start defending better. We must stop letting these goals going in. As for the selection Cerny (mainly because I think Kenny is in poor form lately), Onuoha, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Taiwo, SWP, Barton, Diakite, Taarabt, Zamora, Mackie. To be honest, the only ones I'm certain on are Onuoha, Ferdinand, Taarabt, Zamora and Mackie. Diakite maybe, but obviously not seen him play. Very tempted to have Traore on instead... Even if we did lose against Fulham, it's not the end of the world. We still have some games we can salvage points from. H games against Everton, Swansea, Stoke (could get a draw). A games against Bolton, West Brom. Although knowing our luck we hit all these teams when they on fire. I think Blackburn surive. Wolves too, do they have a manager yet? Bolton Wigan and QPR to go down, unless we win convincingly against fulham, morale will get higher and everyone will play better (I hope).

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e1337prodigy added 00:28 - Feb 22 Oh wait, I just gave a prediction.. Got carried away. Hah!
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Kiwi76 added 01:06 - Feb 22 Not sure when they might come but a couple of wins and dynamic changes. First half against Blackburn was relegation but even with the recent wretched form we've still got teams below us. For once in recent memory thinking (hoping) that the break will be to our advantage.
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timcocking added 05:18 - Feb 22 If we lose the next couple, we're down. And if i'm honest, i expect Fulham and Everton to both beat us i'm afraid to say. Goals from Andy Johnson and Poggy, and of course a last minute winner for Pienaar. Please God make Diakite a class act.
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adhoc_qpr added 09:55 - Feb 22 Concede first against Fulham and we're sunk basically. Confidence will drain and we're not a team who can come back and get a win when behind (or even a draw most times). It’s not impossible we might stay up, but I really think 3 other teams would have to be really dire and finish on less than 30 points for that to happen. I’m more thinking of reasons to be positive when we go down now: 1.) We actually own Onouha, Cisse, Zamora, Young, Traore, Mackie, Taarabt, SWP, Ferdinand etc and they won’t all be sold and whoever remains would be the standout players in the Championship. 2.) Hughes is under contract, so either he stays or he quits – no compensation payment for a change and I think we could be an attractive proposition for a up and coming manager. 3.) TF and Beard are making all the right noises and I’ll take them at face value for the moment, until they act otherwise. 4.) Large parachute payments, the host of reserve players out of contract, hopefully relegation wage drop clauses and maybe selling Barton should soften the financial blow a bit. 5.) Cheaper tickets!

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MelakaRanger added 10:24 - Feb 22 "QPR need to change captain, Joey Barton is not a fit leader. His Twitter outbursts make the club’s management appear weak and ineffective, and on the pitch his performances across the season haven’t been sufficient to even earn him a starting place, let alone the armband" Three bad signings took place in the summer. Barton has been a poison slowly but surely killing the 'team spirit' SWP has flattered to deceive wherever and for whoever he has played Bothroyd never has been and never will be a #Premiership' quality player I think we should drop Barton & SWP for 2 or 3 games and give the team a chance to play as a 'team' and with a new Captain. I believe we will be relegated. I also believe that if we keep Hughes and drop Barton & SWP the team will be well set up for an instant return. Those two players are part of our problem and not part of our solution. Ironically Bothroyd coudl perform well for us in the Championship

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HanwellHoop added 11:14 - Feb 22 Jeez! I thought this was meant to be the positive article? All of you predict us to get relegated, apart from the bookies - who I’m going with. As you quite rightly point out, we have the best squad out of all the relegation candidates and are currently not in the relegation zone. It's in our hands and I think we'll do just enough to avoid the drop. I wish we could drop Barton though. If Diakite is good why not try him, Taarabt, SWP and Traore in midfield?. Let the defenders defend and the midfield go all out in attack. Traore can defend a bit anyway and SWP gets back and stuck in a lot. Even Adel is starting to tackle a bit so it's not like the defence would be totally exposed. Sat is massive - I can’t wait! (Zamora hat-trick please)

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Spaghetti_Hoops added 11:48 - Feb 22 Dave and the odds compiler are the only ones making sense. As Owen says it's a five horse race. It doesn't matter that we have all sorts of weaknesses and problems if the other contenders are as bad or worse. As usual the journalists and bloggers tend to exaggerate and extrapolate poor short-term form and see a spiral of doom. The reality is less dramatic.
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adhoc_qpr added 12:17 - Feb 22 "As usual the journalists and bloggers tend to exaggerate and extrapolate poor short-term form and see a spiral of doom. The reality is less dramatic. " It's not really short term form is it though? It's 25 games of a porous defence, lightweight midfield and a fairly blunt attack - expecting Hughes to correct all these issues and go on an unprecedented run of form (exatly zero back to back wins to date...) is optimistic. The reality is there are 5 poor teams and relegation will likely go down to very narrow margins or goal difference because no one looks like they will drag themselves clear.

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Antti_Heinola added 12:22 - Feb 22 Good article again, really interesting, and I'm going with the majority. The fixture list means we are going down - compared to all the sides around us, it is horrific. We have already lost the games we needed to win to stay up. Cisse's suspension saw the coffin lid come down, now Martin Jol is standing there with a nail that looks like Andy Johnson. But I like the Championship, so I'm not too bothered - it's the summer of speculation I can't bear to think about.

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Neil_SI added 12:28 - Feb 22 I'm not a doom and gloom merchant, I think we would have struggled with staying up regardless of what happened and I actually feel that we've still had a wonderful season to date. I've been thoroughly entertained at various points of the campaign, but we've tampered with a lot of things in recent months and that's always very risky and more likely to cause you further teething issues than you want. It may be that we have to rely on other teams being worse around us to stay up and we'll happily take that, but we need to work ourselves into a position whereby we're not relying on anybody to keep us up. It's great that we've not been down in that bottom three all season, but that's happened to teams in the past who've slipped down there at the last minute and found the magnitude and pressure of the situation all too much to take. We have a strong squad on paper and need them to click and click quickly, but that doesn't guarantee us safety and we're also past the point where performances matter, it's all about the points we can get on the board. As fans, we've sort of got to look past any displays that aren't on the money, so long as we've got points on the board. At the moment, we're sounding like we're ready to boo every bad performance or dropped points and the quicker we just get behind the team and support them the better too. We're all in this together, and I suppose it's time to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk for everybody connected to the club.

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Northernr added 14:28 - Feb 22 "Dave and the odds compiler are the only ones making sense." Or to put it another, more accurate way, Spaghetti they're the ones who agree with you. Just because somebody profers a different point of view from yourself doesn't mean they're automatically wrong or not making sense.
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budaranger added 14:32 - Feb 22 Agree with Hanwell - we have the best squad out of the teams down there and are currently not in the bottom 3. It's in our hands and I think we'll do just enough to avoid the drop, but it will be tight all the way in... Whatvever division we are in next season, please God lets get rid of Barton in the summer - the man is bad news and infects every club he plays for.

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LambournR added 15:47 - Feb 22 This was supposed to be the more positive of the two articles? Halfway down I was ready to end it all. Hopefully the team can hark back to 2007, when in a very similar situation in the Championship (3 to go down from 6), finished strongly and won that mini-league. We need that again. I'd also like to think that the Bookies (who usually have a good idea of what is going to happen) are the one who are right come May.

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Irish_R added 15:59 - Feb 22 I have to reiterate our fixture list looks nasty but there are still winnable games in there. More so wigan and blackburn have just as bad a run in. Bolton have the kindest run in but they could not even beat wigan at home last time out and have the fa cup to still contend with. In wigan's favour they do finish with two home games out of three against newcastle and wolves with away to blackburn in between. Blackburn rely very heavily on the yak and any bad luck with him, injury or suspension could well end tbeir fight. I can honestly say we do not have a player we can say that about azhe us already gone ...faurlin. With the new squad we have a lot of good options in attack and with both zamora and cisse hitting net on their debuts I can only be optomistic that will continue although two more games without cisse hurts us a little but with the effervescent mackie now trulely back its not as big a miss but saying that i would rather he on the wing and zam and cisse up there. We need tarbs to to continue his current form a it gives opposition sometbing else to think about freeing space for others. Barton and diakite need to sit in front of the back 4 and i mean stay there as we have been caught on the counter way too easily . Win ugly, win 1-0, who cares, pretty football is no longer a concern. Keep it tight and keep it simple, stay focused and stay determined, hope this ideology is what was hammered into their heads in portugal. I will neither rule out villa or west brom being dragged into this by the time there is only a handful of games left. Are they really that much better, its only two wins of a difference in the whole season so far. Time to galvanise as a team and a club. I cannot affect my beloved team on matchday as I simply cannot afford travel etc from Ireland but I all out to all who do attend to shout/sing from the rooftops. Its still in our hands, its ours to lose. C'MON U RRRsssssssssss

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Spiritof67 added 20:11 - Feb 22 Before I get myself too depressed regarding our remaining series of fixtures and the dreaded run-in to the end of the season. I thought I would try and cheer myself up by looking at a few fixtures, where teams currently below, us will drop points before the end of the season. Newcastle V Wolves Sat 25 Feb Man City v Blackburn Sat 25 Feb Man City V Bolton Sat 3 Mar Bolton V QPR Sat 10 Mar Wolves V Blackburn Sat 10 Mar Norwich V Wigan Sun 11 Mar Wolves V Man Utd Sun 18 Mar Bolton V Blackburn Sat 24 Mar Liverpool V Wigan Sat 24 Mar Norwich V Wolves Sat 24 Mar Wolves V Bolton Sat 31 Mar Blackburn V Man Utd Mon 2 Apr Chelsea V Wigan Sat 7 Apr Newcastle V Bolton Mon 9 Apr Blackburn V Liverpool Tue 10 Apr Wigan V Man Utd Wed 11 Apr Wolves V Arsenal Wed 11 Apr Arsenal V Wigan Sat 14 Apr Wolves V Man City Sun 22 Apr Wigan V Newcastle Sat 28 Apr Tottenham V Blackburn Sun 29 Apr Blackburn V Wigan Sat 5 May Chelsea V Blackburn Sun 13 May Wigan V Wolves Sun 13 May So let’s start picking up points! U R’s

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jo_qpr63 added 20:51 - Feb 22 Imagine this scenario , last game of the season, man city need to beat us to win the league, we need to beat them to stay up!. What ever the outcome of this season i just hope that Tony Fenandes and Philip Beard have got a long term plan for our club. Its not the end of the world if we do get relagated as long as the behind the scenes business does'nt go t*ts up. We stand every chance of staying up and i dont understand why we should think playing the big boys is 100% a loosing game. Chelsea are struggling, Arsenal are doing not much, we already gave man city a good game and beat chelsea. There is nothing to show in the fixture list that its any harder during the last 13 games as the previous 25. We got the best players on paper then the other 4 teams around us and probably the best manager(at least we've got one!). Maybe i am just trying to convince myself we will be ok after reading all the negative views, like ,if Fulham score first its game over. Really!.C'mon u R's

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hoops123 added 21:27 - Feb 22 It's difficult not to be pessimistic when it comes to the R's after all the trials and tribulations but for me relegation is not the end of the world. Many teams don't recover but I believe it will only be a temporary set back. Ultimately we have ambitious and wealthy owners. We will have the parachute payments. We need a clear out, but will have one of the strongest teams/squads the championship has seen. It will cost our progression another season and the owners a couple of quid but will not stop us going on to be a major player in the premier league in 2/3 seasons. Enjoy the rest of the season for what it is, but remember the bigger picture. With our very own Fabregas (Faurlin !)coming back next season, there's still plenty to look forward to.......Urrrsssss

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qprmick added 21:29 - Feb 22 I get the impression our team is a good team, the best team by far in the mix. I have seen no evidence of that. We might be good on paper, that is not good enough. I believe we will go down with a whimper with a brief flurry at the end.
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jo_qpr63 added 23:34 - Feb 22 On what evidence will we go down with a whimper? how much of the new signings have we seen to suggest this? Diakite has not even played yet. Zamora and Cisse have hardly played or taiwo and onouha and taarabt coming into some form. I dont for one minute think Barton would be happy to roll over either.
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Northernr added 00:11 - Feb 23 I think the first half performance at Blackburn where they were outplayed in every department by a poor side, out fought for every ball and slumped off at half time like they weren't actually that bothered about it only to then save some face when somebody who did give a toss came off the bench is your first piece of evidence for 'going down with a whimper'.
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Spaghetti_Hoops added 01:05 - Feb 23 Northern There are right opinions and there are wrong opinions. Time will tell who is right and who is wrong. The betting odds still suggest that those who have no emotional involvement, a good grasp of the probabilities, and also who put their money where their mouth is, think we have the best chance of the five to stay up. The doom-mongers recite a list of our failings as evidence that we are going down. I am sure that the doom-mongers at Wigan, Blackburn and Wolves have an even longer, more convincing list. It makes no sense to just look at our failings, but that is what many seem to do "It's not really short term form is it though? It's 25 games of a porous defence, lightweight midfield and a fairly blunt attack" Well yes if you compare us with the top dozen in the division but the Wolves defence consists of one man - Hennesey, the Wigan attack is toothless, Blackburn teeter on the edge of a black hole with their captain refusing to play for them........and so on. I know which team I would rather be supporting. Hughes is a cool customer. I always expected him to take his time in assessing the squad, work out his team and system methodically, and then build teamwork and confidence. During that period results were going to be difficult. In an ideal world that would still have accommodated a win against Wolves and a better show against Blackburn. It didn't but none of that changes the fundamentals. We are still not in the bottom three, we have good players ready to make an impact and a generally strong squad for relegation contenders. Extrapolating past form and expecting it to continue doesn't make sense in those circumstances. If you are thinking clearly you must be expecting us to improve. Of course it could all go wrong. The odds reflect that. Football is a very unpredictable game and there are 13 matches from which to pick up points. Whether it's Man Utd, Man City, whoever I wouldn't give up on those points just yet.

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qprmick added 08:09 - Feb 23 Time will tell, I hope I am wrong, but all the indications are the same as 1996 and every other relegation season and I go back to 1969.
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isawqpratwcity added 09:03 - Feb 23 I'm going to go with the bookies and stick with my original prediction of 16th. QPR pessimism flows through my veins, too, and I know that with this quality squad if we get relegated the team will have no-one to blame but themselves. I'm counting on them finding the heart to turn this around. Come on u R's!
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Antti_Heinola added 11:09 - Feb 23 Spaghetti, the bookies only reflect where the money is going and the money, quite rightly, will have been going on the teams who have been bottom 3 or 4 all season. Less money will go on us because our team looks decent on paper, we changed managers and consensus was that Hughes would 'keep them (us) up' just by dint of being there, somehow. What the odds don't reflect just yet is that our run in is, and by some distance, the hardest of all 5. Look at the table and the teams now and you would expect us to stay up - the average punter would expect us to stay up, bookies would expect us to stay up. But the fixtures and our recent performances only suggest otherwise. If we do stay up now it will be noting short of an incredible achievement because our situation is absolutely dire.

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