QPR v Arsenal – Match Preview

Today we have another London derby, with perhaps not quite not the intensity of those against the team from the wrong end of Seven Sisters Road, but a derby game none the less.

Welcome Queens Park Rangers

QPR were founded in 1882 by an amalgamation of St. Judes with Christchurch Rangers, many of whose players came from the Queens Park area of north west London, hence the name.  Their home ground is Loftus Road and has been since 1917, although they did play at the White City Stadium for a period 1931 to 1933 and for the 1962/63 season.

QPR have never won either the old First Division or the Premiership, their best finish was as runners-up in the 1975/76 season.  They were beaten finalists in the FA Cup in 1981/82, taking Spurs to a replay which they lost 1-0.  The Rangers won the League Cup in 1966/67.

QPR have had an array of top class players, among them Terry Venables, Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles and Gerry Francis.  Venables returned as Manager in 1980 and left to manage Barcelona in 1983.

Rodney Marsh

The current manager is Neil Warnock who was appointed in March 2010, he has since led the club into the Premiership with promotion at the start of the present campaign.  This was not without some difficulties as QPR where found guilty of financial shenanigans and fined £875,000 although no points were deducted.

Warnock has been described as a “colourful” character who is never short of a word or three for the press and it is not unknown for him to be critical of officials, opposing managers and indeed his own players.

It’s been a tough introduction to Premiership football for QPR although their away form is better than that at home.  Of the nine away games played they have won three, drawn one and lost five, scoring ten goals but conceding seventeen.  Currently in sixteenth place their seventeen points are keeping them just three points above the drop zone.

Just like the last game, against Wolves, this looks a banker home win for The Gunners and we all know how that turned out!

Starting Line-up

Szczesny

Djourou  Koscielny  Meretesacker  Vermaelen

Ramsey  Arteta  Song

Oxlade-Chamberlain  van Persie  Gervinho

Walcott missed out against Wolves, with a bug of some sort, if he doesn’t recover I would love to see the Ox given a start, maybe playing alongside van Persie.  I can’t see Wenger resting the Dutch Maestro when there is still the possibility of him breaking Shearer’s record.

Final Thought

Will QPR’s number 17 get a warm welcome?

Joey Barton