Ipswich Town v Queens Park Rangers
Tuesday 26th December 2017 – 15:00
Portman Road
Quick word from me
I just want to take this opportunity to wish everyone on this forum a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year.
As you will see below from Mike’s comments, although he couldn’t write his pre-match thoughts after the Wolves result came through, he still took the time out to contribute to this preview which exemplifies the dedication to the forum that he, as well as Marko, Colin and Trev make on an ongoing basis. Also, let’s not forget Andy’s contribution with the excellent Prediction League. Thank you chaps.
Best Wishes Dave
Ps … I hope Santa lets us smash QPR for Christmas!
Pre-Match Thoughts - Bluemike
As I am having to write this preview prior to the trip to Wolves we can but only hope that things went our way and we put in a strong performance that would have been a minimum requirement for us to take something from the game. Win lose or Draw it is not games like this that will determine our fate come May, that said wins at places like this would most definitely be the ones that could well see us gatecrash the top Six. We now find ourselves at the half way point of the season and I suppose a half term report could well read " steady improvement being made with the promise of much more to come, Defence must try harder" I think it is definitely true to say that very few Town fans could honestly see us a mere two points off the play off places at this stage of the campaign, I know we have banged on about it all season long but it has also been achieved with an injury list like nothing we have seen before and had we had all those players available to us it really does make you wonder where we could have been, we are still bang on course to top the Seventy point mark so a couple of unexpected wins would really see us in with a great shout of a top Six finish.
With the January transfer window rapidly approaching it has already been suggested that once again it will be a quiet time at Portman Road and our most likely activity will be looking into the loan market. We already know we have Keiffer Moore probably returning from his loan spell at Rotherham while Striker Aaron Drinnan will be joining us from Waterford in Ireland, a deal already struck and in place, clearly our defence looks to be the most likely area of the team in need of strengthening so a defender or two would be most welcome, I can honestly see Connor Goldson being brought in, after all the Centre Back was at Portman Road back in August and had actually agreed to signed on the dotted line only for Brighton to stall long enough for the deal to fail to meet the deadline, he has played very little football since by all accounts so don't be surprised to see this deal take place at the second time of asking. Mick has already said with Dean Gerken injured we may look to bring in another keeper too to keep us up to strength in that department but that aside it looks like being a bit of a non entity once more for us hopeful fans.
Boxing day sees Ian Holloway bring his QPR team to Portman Road and hopefully Town will be out to avenge the 1-2 reverse we suffered at Loftus Road back in September, we just never got going that day and it wasn't until a piece of Celina magic late in the game that we ever looked like doing anything, it was probably one of the most disappointing performances by Town this season. At our best we will be too good for them at home so hopefully we take the game to them and all being well a larger than normal crowd will turn up to get behind the Boys. Currently in Eighteenth place Rangers find themselves only Eight points above the dotted line so will no doubt be scrapping for every point they can get, current form is not great, in fact they have won only One of their last Seven league games but they can boast of a fine win over League leaders Wolves at the end of October so on their day they can be a match for anyone. I can see Town being just a bit too strong for QPR and all being well another Three points will be ours come 4.50pm to keep our fine home run going. COYB'S
The Opposition – Queens Park Rangers
The club was formed in 1886, when a team known as St Jude's (formed in 1884) merged with Christchurch Rangers (formed in 1882). The resulting team was called Queens Park Rangers, because most of the players came from the Queen's Park area of North-West London. QPR became a professional team in 1889 and played their home games in nearly 20 different stadia (a league record), before permanently settling at Loftus Road in 1917.
QPR were promoted as champions of Division 3 South in the 1947–48 season and enjoyed four seasons in the Second Division, before being relegated in 1951–52.
In 1966–67, QPR won the Division Three championship and became the first Third Division club to win the League Cup on Saturday, 4 March 1967. After winning promotion in 1968 to the top flight for the first time in their history, Rangers were relegated after just one season and spent the next four years in Division 2.
In 1974 Dave Sexton joined as manager and, in 1975–76 led QPR to the runners-up spot in the First Division, missing out on the Championship by a single point with a squad containing seven England internationals and internationals from the home nations.
The late 1970s also saw some cup success with Rangers reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup and in their first entry into European football reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup losing to AEK Athens on penalties. Following Sexton's departure in 1977 the club eventually slipped into the Second Division in 1979.
In 1980 Terry Venables took over as manager and the club installed a 'plastic pitch'. In 1982 QPR, still playing in the Second Division, reached the FA Cup Final for the only time in the club's history, but lost to Tottenham 1-0 in the replay.
The following season 1982–83 QPR went on to win the Second Division championship and returned to English football's top division. After a respectable fifth-place finish, and UEFA Cup qualification. Over the next seven years, various managers came and went from Loftus Road and the club spent many seasons finishing mid table but avoided relegation. The most successful season during this period was the 1987–88 season in which QPR finished fifth, missing out on a UEFA Cup campaign due to the ban on English clubs in European competition as a result of the Heysel Stadium disaster.
Gerry Francis was appointed manager in the summer of 1991. In the 1991–92 First Division campaign they finished mid-table in the league and were founder members of the new Premier League, finishing 5th, as top London club, in the 1992–93 inaugural season. Midway through the 1994–95 season Francis resigned and Ray Wilkins was installed as player-manager. Wilkins led QPR to an eighth-place finish in the Premiership
QPR struggled throughout the following season and were relegated at the end of the 1995–96 season. QPR then competed in Division 1 until 2001 under a succession of managers. Gerry Francis returned in 1998, however the 2000–2001 season proved to be a disaster, and Francis resigned in early 2001.
Charismatic former player Ian Holloway became manager but was unable to stop Rangers from being relegated to England's third tier for the first time for more than thirty years.
Following the 2003–2004 season QPR returned to Division 1 and struggled for consistent form over the next two campaigns before Holloway was suspended amidst rumours of his departure for Leicester City
During this same period, QPR became embroiled in financial and boardroom controversy. Although the club had floated on the Alternative Investment Market in 1991, in 2001 it entered administration (receivership). A period of financial hardship followed and the club left administration after receiving a £10m high-interest emergency loan which continued to burden the club. Scandals involving the directors, shareholders and others emerged in 2005–06 season and included allegations of blackmail and threats of violence against the club's chairman Gianni Paladini.
Following this low point in the club's history as Rangers also faced mounting financial pressure, in the same month it was announced that the club had been bought by wealthy Formula One businessmen Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone. During the 2007–08 season, Rangers competed in the Football League Championship. Further investment followed in early 2008 as the club looked to push for promotion to the Premier League within four years, on the back of greater financial stability. On 14 May 2008 Iain Dowie was announced as the manager to begin the campaign to return Rangers to the top flight. However, on 24 October 2008 Iain Dowie was sacked after just fifteen games in charge of the club.
On 19 November 2008, QPR named former Portugal midfielder Paulo Sousa as their new first team coach. However, on 9 April 2009, his contract was terminated. In June 2009 Jim Magilton was named as new manager of QPR. Despite leading QPR to a good start to the 2009–10 season, a loss of form meant he left the club by mutual consent on 16 December 2009. He was replaced by Paul Hart on the next day. Less than a month and only 5 games after becoming manager at QPR, Paul Hart parted with the club on 14 January 2010.
On 30 April 2011, QPR secured promotion to the Premier League by winning the Championship. A subsequent FA investigation involving QPR's acquisition of Alejandro Faurlín threatened to deduct points from the side and put their promotion into jeopardy. The investigation concluded on 7 May 2011, with QPR found to be at fault in two of the seven charges, and received a £875,000 fine. However, there were no points deducted by the FA, and QPR's promotion to the Premier League was secured.
In January 2012, club chairman Tony Fernandes appointed Mark Hughes as team manager 36 hours after the previous incumbent Neil Warnock was sacked. QPR escaped relegation on the last day of the season.
On 23 November 2012, Mark Hughes was sacked on the back of a poor start to the 2012–13 season, with the club languishing at the bottom of the Premier League despite significant financial investment in new players. A day later, Harry Redknapp was confirmed as the new manager. On 28 April 2013, with 3 games of the season to play, QPR were relegated from the Premier League down to the Championship after two seasons in the top flight.
During the 2013–14 season, QPR finished 4th in the Championship, and qualified for the play-offs where they defeated Wigan Athletic in the semi-finals. In the final against favourites Derby County on 24 May 2014, QPR won 1–0 with a goal in the 90th minute to return to the Premier League.
The return to the top flight was a brief one however with QPR being relegated from the Premiership in last place at the conclusion of the 2014/15 season.
After a poor start to the Championship, Chris Ramsey was sacked in November 2015. Former manager Neil Warnock returned to the hot seat in interim charge. On 4 December 2015, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was appointed the club's new manager on a rolling contract.
Hasselbaink was sacked on 5 November 2016, just 11 months after being in charge, six days later QPR reappointed Ian Holloway who was previously in-charge 10 years ago.
Last season QPR finished in 18th place with 53 points.
The Gaffer – Ian Holloway
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
[youtube] [/youtube]
Media Watch - K L Blue
Form Guide
Ipswich Last 5 Matches currently in 10th place with 35 points
28 Nov Derby County 0 - 1 Ipswich Town
2 Dec Ipswich Town 4 - 2 Nottm Forest
9 Dec Middlesbrough 2 - 0 Ipswich Town
16 Dec Ipswich Town 2 - 0 Reading
23 Dec Wolverhampton 1 - 0 Ipswich Town
QPR Last 5 Matches currently in 18th place with 26 points
7 Nov QP Rangers 2 - 2 Brentford
2 Dec Preston 1 - 0 QP Rangers
9 Dec QP Rangers 1 - 3 Leeds Utd
16 Dec Birmingham City 1 - 2 QP Rangers
23 Dec QP Rangers 1 - 1 Bristol City
Fixtures of Interest
BARNSLEY VS PRESTON N.E.
CARDIFF CITY VS FULHAM
MIDDLESBROUGH VS BOLTON
Match Referee – Andy Davies
IPSWICH TOWN 2 QUEENS PARK RANGERS 1
. Best to just forget the game and move on! 
fooking 0-0 at home to a 10 man QPR??? what the f**k went wrong, Celina on the bench and comes on in 84th minute replacing Sears,
