Two teams tipped for bright things this season but both struggling with no wins from their first six league games combined clash at Loftus Road on Saturday as QPR welcome Nottingham Forest.

Queens Park Rangers (17th) v Nottingham Forest (22nd)
Coca Cola Championship
Saturday August 22, Kick Off 3pm
Loftus Road, London, W12

There can be few greater pleasures in life than sitting down to a really well cooked meal. Northern the Elder, God rest him, used to joke that our Saturdays together went downhill after about 11am when the cooked breakfast was finished. At least, I think he was joking. We are three league games into the season now and the best memories I have of all of them are the pre-match meals - the traditional English breakfast at Scotts in Covent Garden prior to the Blackpool draw, the dustbin lid full of surf and turf in The Navy before Plymouth, and then they greatest piece of steak ever lightly killed and put on a plate in Bristol on Tuesday.

Had QPR taken a couple more of the eight million (rough estimate) chances they have created in those three matches then we would have at least seven and possibly nine points now and it would be the thought of meeting Nottingham Forest on Saturday making me salivate rather than Scott's number three with brown sauce. Rangers are currently like that kitchen that Gordan Ramsey walks into at the very start of his 'Nightmares' programme - not the one with the mouldy fridge and the piece of French toast served after being retrieved from the stomach of a dead dog by an alcoholic chef but the ones where they have three Michelin stars and no customers because it is all frightfully expensive, ridiculously fancy and takes three hours to arrive at the table because the cook is decorating the plate.

Ramsey preaches simplicity - eight dishes, five ingredients in each, fuck, shit, bollocks. Job done. He goes back in six months, they have invariably reverted to previous bad habits, he swears some more, job done again. Or so the final edit would have you believe anyway. While it is perfectly plausible to believe QPR could suddenly cut loose on a team in this league, having totally outplayed Blackpool and Plymouth and matched Bristol City bar 20 first half minutes, at the moment it is all too fancy and intricate. The build up play is superb to watch at times but the penalty box is bare and there are too many flicks and tricks going on when all we really need is somebody to give it a good hard whack into the back of the net. We need the football equivalent of a Ramsey - big, mean, angry, ruthless and happy to just stand in the penalty box yelling until he gets his own way, and the ball. Somebody to just finish it all off.

QPR have more chance of winning a Michelin Star than the Championship with Patrick Agyemang leading the line and the person in charge of the transfer window is just starting to feel a draught. It won't be long before they pull it too for a bit. Hopefully things will click on Saturday because if they do not, Forest have two former QPR players, sold more on the say so of Flavio Briatore than anybody else, who will create an ugly mood around Loftus Road with good performances in a Forest win if we are not careful.

Five minutes on Nottingham Forest
Recent History: Since their last relegation from the Premiership in 1999 Forest have followed a very similar path to the one we went down after coming out of the top flight three years earlier. Initial optimism and money for transfers unfortunately coincided with the appointment of the wrong manager, for Stewart Houston read David Platt, and when that was blown on a succession of poor signings, for Matthew Rose and Steve Morrow read Salvatore Matrecano and Gianluca Petrachi, Forest found themselves in financial strife.

The club's solution to this was to change managers with alarming frequency and although there was brief hope of a top flight return when Joe Kinnear took them to a thrilling, but ultimately unsuccessful, play off semi final against Sheffield United overall the trend was continuously downwards. Paul hart enjoyed some success initially but, like Kinnear, soon faded and it was left to one of football's most odious characters Gary Megson to finally oversee the relegation of the former European Champions to the third tier in 2005 for the first time in 54 years. Their fate was sealed by a 2-1 defeat at Loftus Road against a QPR side with nothing to play for on the final day of the season - just to really cap it all off for the long suffering supporters the Midland Mainline completely melted that night and fans faced a journey of up to nine hours back to Nottingham on several different trains, buses and taxis. Megson was sacked midway through the League One campaign after a poor 3-0 defeat at Oldham Athletic.

Like us Forest spent three years in the division below, narrowly missing the play offs in 2005/06 when caretaker managers Ian McParland and Frank Barlow oversaw a tremendous run of results following Megson's departure - ultimately 28 points from a possible 39 was good enough only for seventh and the club was left to regret not booting Megson out sooner. Colin Calderwood was then rewarded for his fine work at Northampton Town with the City Ground job but while he had undoubtedly done well at the Sixfields his team did have a bit of a reputation for choking and had suffered two play off defeats prior to their eventual promotion back into League One in 2005/06.

Calderwood's Forest were seven points clear at one stage in 2006/07 but eventually lost a very attractive play off semi final to Yeovil. In 2007/08 they did it the opposite way round, staging a late run of six wins from seven matches, including a final day revenge mission against the Glovers, to not just make the top six but also snatch the second automatic spot behind Swansea from Carlisle and Doncaster who had been fighting it out between themselves for the entire season prior to the final few weeks. It was hoped that this momentum would carry on into the Championship last season but Forest merely reverted to their previous performance level and started the season very badly. A 2-1 defeat at Loftus Road in October stretched their winless run to nine matches and left them deeply mired in relegation problems. Things picked up over Christmas, with victories against Barnsley and Southampton, but a Boxing Day massacre at the hands of Doncaster, 4-2 at the City Ground, was enough for the board and Calderwood was sacked. Norwich, Ipswich and QPR all sacked managers last season shortly after defeats to Doncaster as well - the insulting view of Rovers as a tiny provincial club who everybody should just walk all over clearly playing heavily on the minds of money men who know sponsors won't pay money for hospitality to watch teams comprehensively outplayed by them.

Forest turned to former Derby manager Billy Davies to rescue them and although he endured a nervy start, clever use of the loan market late in the campaign enabled him to steer them to safety with something to spare. Forest fans that had criticised the appointment and his early performances were actually ringing the city's radio phone ins to apologise to him come May and a run of six games without defeat to end the campaign seven points clear of the trap door.

The Manager: Billy Davies once infamously introduced himself to the Derby based media by describing himself as “a bit of a c***” and while few would argue with him on that, I challenge you to find a better manager in this league. Davies took Preston to the play offs twice, Derby to the Premiership at the first time of asking, and kept Forest up comfortably last season. I know Rodney Marsh has a theory that English clubs should not be afraid to sack managers that lead them to promotion in favour of a new man more experienced and adept at consolidating a side in the higher division – a policy employed frequently in Italy. Davies’ Derby promotion was followed by a record breaking season in the top flight for all the wrong reasons where they won just once and he was sacked and replaced by Paul Jewell. I often wonder if Davies regretted the way he behaved and went about his business that summer when he spent the post play off final interviews and subsequent weeks moaning about not being allowed David Kelly as his assistant and his own contract situation rather than building a side for the top flight. In fairness to him, even Davies admitted that Derby had been promoted in the first year of what was supposed to be a three season programme and it was harsh on him that he was out of work for so long, with such a poor public image, because he took a team up too soon. Forest have really dropped on in my opinion and are a good dark horse bet this season, although having spent the money he has Davies may have some serious questions asked of him if things don’t go well and they have not started terrifically it must be said.

Three to Watch: Obviously most QPR eyes, possibly through hands, will be on Dexter Blackstock and Lee Camp this Saturday as the home crowd hopes and prays neither comes back to haunt us there are plenty of other danger men in the Forest ranks and it is a surprise to me that they have started the season so poorly.

A summer of frenzied transfer activity at the City Ground included the arrival of striker Dele Adebola on a free transfer from Bristol City. The veteran target man opened his Forest account on Tuesday night with a late consolation goal in the 4-2 defeat at home to Watford after coming on as a sub. That will further his quest for a starting place this weekend and if he does make the 11 then he will be very confident of adding to his tally at Loftus Road as he possesses a formidable scoring record against QPR. Adebola has scored seven times against Rangers in 14 appearances for Crewe, Birmingham, Coventry and Bristol City - his last came almost a year ago to the day as Rangers were held to a 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate after taking a first half lead through Adebola's potential strike partner on Saturday Dexter Blackstock. It looked like Adebola's career was on the wane when he joined Bradford City on loan in League One five years ago but he rediscovered his form at Coventry and has carved out a niche for himself as a physical forward in the Championship - capable of holding the ball up and bringing others into play. QPR always struggle to deal with him.

The same can be said of another of Billy Davies' summer captures Paul Mckenna from Preston. It took roughly £750k to prise the 31 year old central midfielder away from Deepdale where he had been for his entire professional career - making more than 400 appearances in white since signing professional terms in 1992. He is an all action, box to box type player with energy levels rarely seen. Similar in style to our own Martin Rowlands, McKenna always seems to play very, very well against QPR and Rangers will need to have a midfielder matching his work rate on Saturday.

One man you perhaps won't have seen before is Polish midfielder Radoslaw Majewski. He caught the eye at the beginning of last season when he gave Michael Mancienne a torrid time in an Under 21 match between Poland and England at Molineux. It was seen as something of a coup when Forest secured him on loan for the whole of this season from Polonia Warsaw in his homeland and he scored with virtually his first touch of the ball in a Forest shirt in a pre-season friendly with Rushden and Diamonds. Forest have apparently paid £130,000 to get him here just for this season with a future payment of £1.5m due if they want to make his stay permanent. Although he has five caps for Poland he has yet to really find his feet in the Championship and was on the bench on Tuesday for the Watford game, although he came on in the first half when Lewis McGugan fractured his cheekbone. If he does make an appearance at Loftus Road Rangers will have to watch him closely as there is some serious talent there waiting to be unleashed.

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History
Recent Meetings:
QPR won the last meeting between these two at Loftus Road without really playing that well. Forest were in the middle of a ten game run without a win and after a lacklustre first half where the visitors gave at least as good as they got if not better then Rangers cut loose. Youngster Angelo Balanta forced the first in off the underside of the bar from a Fitz Hall long throw and Akos Buzsay’s one and only goal of the season followed ten minutes later when another long throw was headed out to him on the edge of the box. Forest ensured a nervy ending with a late goal from McGugan but they looked low on confidence throughout and Rangers were able to hang on.

QPR: Cerny 8, Ramage 6, Stewart 7, Hall 7 (Connolly 65, 7), Delaney 6, Buzsaky 8 (Mahon 90, -), Leigertwood 6, Rowlands 6, Cook 6, Balanta 7 (Di Carmine 76, 6), Blackstock 6
Subs Not Used: Camp, Ledesma
Booked: Blackstock (foul), Cook (dissent)
Goals: Balanta 48 (assisted Delaney), Buzsaky 60 (assisted Hall)

Forest: Smith 5, Wilson 6, Bennett 6 (Lynch 46, 5), Chambers 6, Morgan 6, Fletcher 7 (McGugan 73, 7), Anderson 7 (Davies 73, 6), Cohen 6, Cole 6, McCleary 6, Tyson 7
Subs Not Used: Martin, Thornhill
Booked: McCleary (foul), Tyson (repetitive fouling)
Goals: McGugan 84 (assisted Cohen)

QPR have never, ever won at the City Ground and they will have few better chances to end that run of 27 matches than they did in February this year. Rangers were the better side for long periods and although Matteo Alberti showed his inexperienced in conceding a penalty to give the home side a first half lead against the run of play the Italian scored twice either side of the break to put QPR in front. R’s goalkeeper Lee Camp had spent a successful period on loan at the City Ground earlier in the season and received a great reception from the Forest fans which he acknowledged. That irked some QPR supporters who were singularly failing to get a similar reaction from Paulo Sousa at the time and the keeper incurred further wrath when he got caught under a back post cross that Chris Cohen nodded into the unguarded net. Many Rangers players named that match as their biggest disappointment in the entire season and the play off push died on its arse thereafter with a run of seven further matches without a win.

Nottm Forest: Smith 6, Chambers 7, Morgan 7, Wilson 6, Moloney 6, Heath 6, McGugan 8, Cohen 7, Thornhill 6 (Breckin 90, -), Tyson 5 (Newbold 15, 6), Garner 5 (McCleary 66, 6)
Subs Not Used: Gamble, Byrne
Booked: Moloney (foul), Newbold (foul), McCleary (foul), Morgan (foul)
Goals: McGugan 45 (penalty) Cohen 67 (assisted Chambers)

QPR: Camp 5, Connolly 7, Stewart 7, Gorkss 8, Delaney 7, Routledge 7, Leigertwood 7, Miller 6 (Ephraim 70, 6), Mahon 7, Alberti 7 (Balanta 83, 6), Di Carmine 6 (Blackstock 59, 6)
Subs Not Used: Hall, Rose
Booked: Alberti (shirt pulling)
Goals: Alberti 45 (assisted Connolly), 48 (assisted Routledge)

Head to Head:QPR wins - 14
Draws - 16
Forest wins – 24

Previous results:
2008/09 Forest 2 QPR 2 (Alberti 2)
2008/09 QPR 2 Forest 1 (Balanta, Buzsaky)
2004/05 QPR 2 Forest 1 (Bircham, Curtis OG)
2004/05 QPR 0 Forest 3 (FA Cup)
2004/05 Forest 2 QPR 1 (Santos)
2000/01 Forest 1 QPR 1 (Wardley)
2000/01 QPR 1 Forest 0 (Crouch)
1999/00 Forest 1 QPR 1 (Ready)
1999/00 QPR 1 Forest 1 (Kiwomya)
1997/98 QPR 0 Forest 1
1997/98 Forest 4 QPR 0
1995/96 Forest 3 QPR 0
1995/96 QPR 1 Forest 1 (Sinclair)
1994/95 QPR 1 Forest 1 (Barker)
1994/95 Forest 3 QPR 2 (Allen, Ferdinand)
1992/93 QPR 4 Forest 3 (Ferdinand 3, Wilson)
1992/93 Forest 1 QPR 0
1991/92 Forest 1 QPR 1 (Sinton)
1991/92 QPR 0 Forest

Played for both clubs:
Gary Bannister
QPR 1984-88
Nottingham Forest 1992-93
Born in Warrington in 1960 Bannister was one of the most consistent goal scorers of the 1980s, especially at Loftus Road. A product of the Coventry youth system, Bannister broke his way into the first team to make his debut in May 1978. To gain some first-team experience he was sent on loan to American side Detroit Express impressing with a goal every other game in a three month spell. Once back at City he found it difficult to break into the team and decided to drop a division, joining Sheffield Wednesday for £100,000. At Wednesday, Bannister started to show his predatory instincts and was top scorer for the club in each of his three seasons at Hillsborough, and helped the Owl’s gain promotion to the First Division. However Gary never got to play for Wednesday in the top flight as he was snapped up that summer by QPR who bought him to fill the void left by Clive Allen.

He made an immediate impact on the R’s faithful by scoring on his debut against West Brom and went on to have steady first campaign in the hoops, with most of his strikes coming at Loftus Road. But when Jim Smith took over the R’s in 1985 things really took off for Bannister and he flourished on Rangers plastic pitch and formed a formidable partnership with John Byrne. Their goals led R’s to Wembley, in their first League Cup Final since 1967, beating Liverpool in the semis on route. Sadly the final was a day Rangers would rather forget, as Oxford runaway with it winning 3-0. Bannister’s finest hour however came on Easter Monday 1986 when Rangers entertained local rivals Chelsea, who were within a shout of the title at the time. Many expected them to rollover Rangers but on a day that’s gone down in R’s folk law, QPR hit Chelsea with six without reply – Bannister getting three of them.

He stayed at the Loft for another season until the arrival of Trevor Francis and Marc Falco saw him pushed out the picture and he moved back to first club Coventry . Spells at West Brom and Oxford followed before he joined Nottingham Forest in time for the inaugural season of the Premier League. But despite scoring against Rangers, the season at the City Ground was a disappointing one as Forest were relegated. He moved to Hong Kong side HK Rangers and played for Stoke and Darlington before retiring in 1996. Now owns a holiday apartment business in Cornwall .

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This Saturday
Team News: Martin Rowlands and Angelo Balanta were meant to be back in contention for this match after sitting out the three pronged assault on the South West with ankle knocks picked up against Blackpool on day one but have both been ruled out again. Lee Cook is still a good month away from making his return from knee surgery but new boy Alejandro Faurlin came through 86 minutes of action on his return from a thigh injury on Tuesday with no side affects. That essentially leaves selection down to Jim Magilton who has so far this season made 14 changes to his starting eleven match to match in just four games – these changes have included dropping the only two strikers to have scored for the game after their goal which just does not make sense to me.

Julian Bennet, James Perch and Kelvin Wilson are long term absentees for Forest and have been joined on the treatment table by the man who scored twice against Rangers for the Reds last season Lewis McGugan who fractured a cheekbone in the midweek thrashing by Watford and is expected to be out for six weeks. Luke Chambers missed the last three matches with suspension but returns for this game.

Elsewhere: The Saturday evening televised match sees Ipswich, without a win yet this season under Roy Keane, travelling to West Brom who have started quite nicely under Roberto De Matteo and are in the early thick of things after a 3-2 win at Peterborough on Tuesday night. The game of the weekend for me though is the Sunday clash between two of the early pace setters Cardiff and Bristol City. Swansea City are the only team without a point to their name and they travel Coventry City, who lost the division’s last 100 per cent record on Tuesday night, this weekend.

Referee: Once again this Saturday QPR have a referee for the very first time with James Linington travelling up from the Isle of Wight to take charge of this one assisted by linesmen by the names of Rock and Rowley would you believe. This is only Linington’s second ever Championship match following Watford’s 3-0 home win against Burnley last season.

Links >>> Dean Sturridge Memorial Injury List >>> Arthur Gnohere Discipline Counter >>> Tony’ Championship Preview >>> Linington ready to Rock and Rowley >>> Referee League

Form
QPR: Rangers drew at Loftus Road on day one against Blackpool, and needed a flukey late goal from Peter Ramage just to do that. Since then they have won one, drawn one and lost one in three away games down in the south west against Exeter, Plymouth and Bristol City respectively. QPR have had more shots one and off target than any other team in the division in the opening three league matches but have so far only scored two Championship goals and, again, one of those was an unintentional one from a full back. Once again it looks like scoring goals is going to be the key problem for a side that failed to do so on 23 occasions last year and drew 0-0 on 11 different occasions. Nobody has won at Loftus Road since Norwich's smash and grab raid in March eight games ago - nine if you count the 3-0 pre-season success against Southampton.

Nottingham Forest: Despite being tipped as play off dark horses by LFW prior to the start of the season Forest, like ourselves, are still looking for a first league win of the season. Like us they won comfortably in the League Cup first round, beating Bradford City 3-0, but following a goalless draw at Reading on day one they have been well beaten at home by Watford and narrowly defeated on their own patch by West Brom. They won just five times on the road last season and are without an away win in six attempts - although the last four have been draws.

Prediction: A draw looks to be the most likely result here to me as well. Both teams were tipped for better things than their current league positions suggest and neither will want to lose this game. Defeat for QPR, especially if either Blackstock or Camp play well, will put an end to the much calmer, more relaxed atmosphere round the QPR fans in the first few games once and for all. If QPR keep playing the way they are somebody will get a good hiding sooner or later, and it might well be Forest, but the lack of a clinical goal scorer means that consistently, over the course of a season, we're likely to see many more missed opportunities and frustrating draws at the end of great build up play and attractive performances.
Score draw

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