Inför Plymouth - QPR
Skall Rangers fortsätta vinna?.....och vår nye gästskribent gör debut!
Idag serverar vi en tvåspråkig "inför-analys", därmed välkomnar vi även vår nye gästskribent Lloydy som säkert några av er känner sedan innan! Lloydy heter egentligen Richard Lloyd och har varit Rangerssupporter sedan 1986 och en regelbunden Loftus Road-besökare (har bara missat 3 matcher) sedan 1997. Han älskar Sverige och håller på Öster (av alla lag...) Lloydy befinner sig denna helg i Plymouth och har utlovat en fyllig analys från matchen och helgen i
Cornwall.
----
Rangers gjorde en stark insats i lördags när man lade Barnsley på rygg hemma på Loftus Road, inte minst eftersom man på slutet spelade med en mycket ung och orutinerad uppställning. De skador man drog på sig har visat sig vara lite lindrigare än vad man först befarade. Matthew Rose och Richard Langley ersätts nu av Danny Shittu och Marc Bircham, båda avstängda i lördags. Troligt är också att både Dennis Oli och Gino Padula får nytt förtroende efter sina fina insatser mot Barnsley.
Plymouth tillhör den grupp av lag som jagar en av de åtrovärda kvalplatserna. Laget inledde säsongen bra och vann 4 av de 5 första matcherna för att därefter falla in i en rejäl svacka. Nu har man återhämtat en del av den mark man tidigare förlorat och laget blir en hård nöt att knäcka för Rangers. Man slogs dock sensationellt ut ur FA-cupen i tisdags, amatörlaget Dagenham vann med 2-0! En viss revanschlusta att vänta kanske? Rangers skall framför allt se upp med vasse fransmannen Paul Frio som gjort 5 mål från sin mittfältsposition samt formstarke anfallaren Ian Stonebridge. Det är över huvudtaget mycket franskt i Plymouth då även ordinarie burväktaren Romain Larrieu härstammar från grodornas land. Tränaren heter Paul Sturrock och har gjort ett antal landskamper för Skottland. Höstmatchen i London slutade 2-2 efter att Richard Pacquette kvitterat på övertid. Man räknar med storpublik på nybyggda Home Park varav ca 1500 Rangersfans, bland dem alltså Lloydy som rapporterar följande inför helgens drabbning!
------
Looking ahead to Plymouth
Welcome to my first piece for the Swedish Fans site, I have been asked to provide a ‘fans view’ from the Bush to keep you guys a bit closer to the action than you are able to be on a week-to-week basis.
I have met many of you both at the Loft and on my travels to Sweden and I hope to see some of you when I am over in Stockholm at the end of February – so keep Friday the 28th February free.
Onto this weekend and next up for QPR we have Plymouth. For those of you who don’t know Plymouth Argyle (to give them their full name) are based in the far South West of England, one of the longest trips of the season for many teams in our division and this has helped them to maintain a very good home record. They also tend to have a very good following and brought with them more than most visitors to the Loft earlier this season.
In that game we pulled ourselves back from 2-0 behind (their footballs not bad either though with a defeat to Tony Roberts non-league Dagenham & Redbridge side in the cup midweek it is anyone’s guess how that will effect their players) with the equaliser being scored by what seems to be Sweden’s favourite player Richard Pacquette. Another well-taken goal from the lad, who celebrates only his 20th birthday shortly, on Saturday against Barnsley should see him keep his place in the starting line up.
There are unfortunately some injuries to deal with. Mathew Rose was carried off against Barnsley are for anyone who saw him lying on the pitch will be relieved that he is only out 6 to 8 weeks. Richard Langley also went off having felt his old knee injury (probably as a result of all the games over Christmas) but as he is suspended for the Plymouth game it gives him a chance for a rest. Paul Furlong is also suspended but probably wouldn’t have played.
This could be Brett Angell’s last appearance for QPR (if he leaves the bench) as his contract is up. However, Lee Cook has signed on for another month from Watford and his appearances have undoubtedly contributed to our recent good form as he provides the width that Ollie has been looking for to allow him to play a more traditional 4-4-2 formation.
Anyway most of you are probably up to speed on the team news though I am sorry that I cannot bring the actual team directly to you as Petter managed last weekend from Mr Ian Holloway himself.
I am off to the West Country (the sticky out bit at the bottom left of England!!) tomorrow so hopefully nothing will have changed between now and then and I look forward to reporting back to you on what the travelling QPR fan can expect from Plymouth.
Rich
QPR’s Swedish Ambassador
