 Friday, 27th Aug 2010 07:40 by Mick McDermott The Rams return home looking to arrest a two game losing streak against the early pace setters in the Championship.
Derby County v Queens Park RangersPride Park - Derbyshire CountyNPower Championship30th August 2010 - 15:00pmDerby v QPR – Historical:
P 38 W 9 D 10 L 19 F 36 A 59
Last Match at Pride Park: Sat 24 Oct Derby 2 - 4 QPR (Dickov, Savage)
QPR Form: 1/24 P 3 W 3 D 0 L 0 F 9 A 0 Leading scorers: Helguson (2), Taarabt (2)
Derby Form: 16/24 P 3 W 1 D 0 L 2 F 4 A 5 Leading scorers: Hulse (1), Commons (1), Cywka (1), Moxey (1)
The Rams: The euphoria of the Leeds victory is fading fast and three defeats on the bounce has got the Pride Park faithful twitiching in their seats. Most people acknowledge that the performances are better than they've been for a few years - but we aren't getting the results. Injuries aren't helping and many people are questioning the lack of investment in the squad. We have bought players in and so far they have looked good. It still seems we have to shift players out before new players come in and despite the press release talking of a marquee player like Barker, he still hasn't appeared. The board is to be congratulated for the investment they have bought into the club but fans are asking "when are we going to see investment in the team?" Some of the reported investors in the club are mega wealthy - an investment in the squad that turned us into promotion material would give a massive return on any investment. Why isn't it happening?
Probable Team: Bywater Brayford Leacock Barker Roberts Bailey Savage Cywka Green Commons Porter Subs – Deeney, Moxey, Buxton, Pringle, Martin, Porter
Current Squad: 1 KEEPER Stephen Bywater 2 DEFENDER John Brayford 3 DEFENDER Gareth Roberts 4 MIDFIELD Paul Green 5 DEFENDER Shaun Barker (vice-captain) 6 DEFENDER Dean Leacock 7 STRIKER Steve Davies INJURED 8 MIDFIELD Robbie Savage (captain) 9 STRIKER Rob Hulse LFT 10 MIDFIELD Kris Commons 11 MIDFIELD Stephen Pearson INJURED 12 STRIKER Chris Porter LFT 13 KEEPER Saul Deeney 14 DEFENDER Russell Anderson INJURED 15 MIDFIELD David Martin 16 MIDFIELD James Bailey 17 DEFENDER Jake Buxton 18 MIDFIELD Ben Pringle 19 STRIKER Tomasz Cywka INJURED 20 DEFENDER Miles Addison INJURED 21 DEFENDER Dean Moxey 22 STRIKER Luke Varney 23 MIDFIELD Conor Doyle 31 KEEPER Ross Atkins 32 KEEPER James Severn 33 MIDFIELD Arnaud Mendy 35 MIDFIELD Jeff Hendrick 36 DEFENDER Kallum Keane 37 MIDFIELD Ryan Connolly 38 DEFENDER Mitchell Hanson 39 MIDFIELD Medi Abalimba
Queens Park Rangers: Three games played and won, 9 goals scored and none conceded - it looks like QPR are finally starting to get it together for a promotion push. A few years ago, they were being touted as the next Chelsea with limitless funds and a 'Sky's the limit' ambition. It hasn't worked out that way yet with only the original investment to buy the club being the only money seen. A string of managers has come and gone and Neil Warnock is in charge of the club. Loathe or hate Colin he knows how to get a Championship club playing. Last weeks 2-0 victory over Scunthorpe was achieved at a canter Adel Taarabt playing a role in both goals. Colin was pleased with the attitude of his players and with the win. From the official QPR site: "It's so difficult because you're expected to win. We're delighted". "I think the opportunities were there. We played some really good football and if their goalkeeper doesn't get ten out of ten in the newspapers tomorrow, there's something wrong isn't there!" "Adel's (Taarabt) doing well at the moment, we play a system that suits him as well. It's all about teamwork and getting the best out of every individual." Warnock is full of praise for the owners of the club: "The club has let me manage," said Warnock. "Everyone knew there would be a time when they had to give the job to a trusted manager rather than changing all the time."
Current Squad: No. Position Player 1 Keeper Paddy Kenny 2 Defender Bradley Orr 3 Defender Clint Hill 4 Midfield Shaun Derry 5 Defender Fitz Hall 6 Midfield Mikele Leigertwood 7 Midfield Adel Taarabt 9 Striker Heiðar Helguson 10 Midfield Ákos Buzsáky 11 Midfield Alejandro Faurlín 12 Striker Jamie Mackie 13 Defender Kaspars Gorkšs 14 Midfield Martin Rowlands 16 Defender Matthew Connolly 17 Midfield Lee Cook 19 Striker Patrick Agyemang 20 Striker Rowan Vine 21 Striker Alessandro Pellicori 22 Defender Peter Ramage 24 Keeper Radek Cerný 25 Midfield Hogan Ephraim 26 Defender Gary Borrowdale 27 Defender Lee Brown 28 Defender Joe Oastler 30 Midfield Romone Rose 32 Keeper Elvijs Putninš 33 Striker Antonio German 34 Midfield Max Ehmer 35 Midfield Josh Parker
What the bookies think: QPT are clear favorites at 7/5 while the Rams are a pathetic 2/1. The draw is 11/5. The Bookies clearly don't know about our striker problems as Rob Hulse at 6/1 followed by Kris Commons and Chris Porter are at 7/1.Dean Moxey is 11/1. For QPR, Heidar Helguson is at 5/1, Jamie Mackie is 6/1, Leon Clarke, Antonio German an Adel Taarabt are at 7/1.
Information for traveling fans: Driving: It’s M1 to J25 for Derby. Follow Brian Clough Way towards the city until you see Pride Park on the right. The ground and away parking are signposted. About 162 miles and a three hour drive. Parking: Away fans can park at Catalyst on London Rd opposite the Navigation pub. It's about 10-15 minutes from the ground. Don't be tempted to park at Pride Park shopping centre unless you fancy being clamped. You can also park at the Fireplace showroom just at the turn off the A52 for Pride Park. Don’t be in a rush to leave however as it takes an age to get out of there. Another alternative is to pass the exit for Pride Park on Brian Clough Way and head for Pentagon Island... Take the first exit and turn left and after a few hundred yards you will come to The Cattle Market Car Park. It's about 10 minutes walk to the ground from here. Drinking: There are a few pubs very close to the ground but if you come by train, the locale around the station is fairly inviting. The Crown and Cushion at the junction of London Rd always seems to be full of away supporters. The Brunswick is a must for any real ale fans and the Alexandra next door is my personal favourite. Fans tend to mingle in these pubs and as long as you're not being aggressive, the atmosphere is good. The Waterfall opposite the station is okay as well. If you are driving, the Navigation Pub on London Rd opposite the parking area is your best bet. Around the ground there's a Frankie & Bennie's, Harvester and the Pride Park but these tend to be very busy.
Mick's prediction: It depends who is fit and who plays up front but hopefully the performances we have been putting in will come good. I fancy us to at least break QPR's run of clean sheets. Can we keep them out at the other end? Probably not. I reckon an entertaining score draw. Rams 2 - 2 QPR
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