Lofty Heights... 'Ohhh Bobby Zamooooora!!!'

A look at Queens Park Rangers F.C. through the eyes of the fans - follow us on twitter @loftyheights70, @LoftyQPR and @qprleeroy








Sunday, September 27, 2009

R's on The Road.......... To Newcastle United.


On Wednesday night the Superhoops look to continue their impressive run of form when they travel to the North-East for their most northern fixture on the season against another team in good form, Newcastle United.

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The Stadium.

Current Capacity – 52,000


Newcastle United were born in 1892 after two rival teams, Newcastle West End and Newcastle East End, merged after Newcastle West End were hit with financial difficulties. When the club merged several names were suggested like Newcastle City and Newcastle Rangers but it was decided that the name Newcastle United would be taken on and they would play at Newcastle West End’s old ground, St. James Park.
Following the Bradford fire in 1985 the club decided to give the ground some much needed renovation but progress was extremely slow due to financial difficulties. After Sir John Hall’s takeover in 1992 progress was finally made and the stadium was redeveloped with the finishing touches applied in 2000. Once completed the ground held the second highest attendance in the country behind Old Trafford. Now St. James Park is the largest ground outside the top flight of English football.
The away fans will be housed on the far side of the Sir John Hall Stand. I must warn you that 14 flights of stairs must be climbed before reaching the away section, so do give yourself plenty of time before kick off so you take your seat in plenty of time.

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The History between the teams.

At Newcastle (19 games)

Newcastle 10
QPR 7
Draw 2

This is the first fixture between the clubs since 6th April 1996 when Newcastle beat QPR 2-1 at St. James Park 2-1. In fact 5 of the last 7 fixtures between the clubs have ended in a 2-1 score line to either side.
The last QPR away win in the North-East was when the clubs first met in the second season of the Premier League in 1993; once again the score line was 2-1. Les Ferdinand was one of the scorers for Rangers before, a few years later, joining Newcastle for £6 million.

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How to get there.

By Car:-
The all important post code that sat nav users need is NE1 4ST.
Go up the M1 and come off at junction 32 where you join the M18. Leave at junction 2 of the M18 where you will then join up with the A1 which will lead you up to Newcastle. Leave at the A184 junction, which is shortly after the Angel of the North. It is advised to park up at the Gateshead metro station here and catch the metro into Newcastle. If you choose to continue on into the City centre then then roads you need to follow are the A6082, A189, A6082 and back onto the A189 and this will lead you on into where the ground is.

By Train:- Newcastle Central is half a mile away from the ground and will take you about 10 minutes to walk there. I have been unable to attain the directions from the station to the ground but I am certain that it is easy to find from there.


Pubs 'n' Grub.

With the ground slap bang in the middle of the City Centre there is a large amount of food and drink outlets you can choose from so I’m sure you will find plenty to your liking.
The pubs which have been recommended for our visit are A Head of Steam, The Lounge and O’Neills. If you choose to not wear colours then the Wetherspoons called The Union Rooms.
Alcohol is served in the ground and all food served comes in the Newcastle United brand. I have no prices to give you rough estimates of costing I’m afraid.

Great performance leaves us all Buz-zing


Having seen the R’s perform well in the previous two away fixtures at Cardiff and Chelsea, today we arrived at Loftus Road with high hopes. With a home victory so far eluding us today was the perfect opportunity to take three points, rejuvenated Barnsley were the opponents.

Barnsley have enjoyed a small turn around since Mark Robins took the hot-seat and even beat Burnley in the cup during the week, their reward was announced at lunchtime – a trip to Old Trafford. Having seen the draw the question had to be asked, would Barnsley be distracted by the trip and would the Superhoops be able to capitalise on it? Those were a few questions that were asked as me, Lofty, PK and Mark were joined by two young R’s Aaron and Coral, who was attending her first game at Loftus Road.

The same team that defeated Cardiff 2-0 last week took to the field in hope that they could extend Barnsley’s dreadful run of results at Loftus Road, they haven’t won on their last 19 visits which stretches back 59 years!


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The opening minutes saw opportunities at both ends, Buzsaky having an effort cleared by a sea of Barnsley legs and Ian Hume scuffing an effort wide when all of the gang thought disaster was about to strike.
Rangers continued to knock the ball around really well and on seven minutes we witnessed the opening goal.
Rowlands won the ball in centre midfield and laid the ball off to Leigertwood, as he advanced the Barnsley midfield and defence just stood off him and no challenge came so when he was 20 yards out he unleashed an unstoppable low drive into the bottom right hand corner.
Just eight minutes later it was 2-0.
Rangers broke away and as Watson advanced through the Barnsley half he spotted the run behind the Barnsley defence by Buzsaky, Watson slid a ball through and Buzsaky was more than happy to take advantage of this opportunity as he curled his effort into the same corner as Leigertwood did previously.
Hot on the heels of the second goal it looked as if a third was going to follow and effectively end the game as a contest. Watson was once again the provider, this time he played in the on rushing Routledge, his effort once again beat Barnsley keeper David Preece but he saw the shot bounce off the foot off the left hand post.
It was great to finally see the team knocking the ball around with relative ease but still seem as if we were playing within ourselves and had an extra gear or two in reserve.
Barnsley then created their first opportunities since the opening exchanges but a fantastic last ditch challenge by Damion Stewart on Andy Gray and then Gary Borrowdale timed his sliding tackle perfectly on Ian Hume to deny another goal scoring opportunity.
Rangers then got themselves a third goal and looked to be cruising towards their first win of the season.
Once again the break was down the left hand side and Simpson was in possession. He held the ball up until laying off to Buzsaky. Like with the first goal, for Leigertwood, the defence just stood off Buzsaky and with Preece not far off his line the Hungarian curled his shot from 30 yards out, over the keeper and into the top right corner. A truly wonderful strike and is an early contender for goal of the season!

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The half time interval was a very enjoyable one for us all, think some of us were even in shock as we were so in control and at times the game had a training kind of feel to it.
A few of us expected that maybe a change or two would come around seeing as we have two very difficult away fixtures in the next seven days but there wasn’t any and the second half begun.

After a decent opening five minutes and with an effort just being flashed wide by Simpson it looked as if service was resumed but Barnsley, who must’ve had a stern talking to by manager Mark Robins, had different ideas.
It was a corner from the left for the visitors that proved to be the undoing of what looked to be a solid R’s back four. The corner was floated in and Foster arrived unchallenged at the far post to guide the ball home and give Barnsley a glimmer of hope.
Three minutes later that glimmer turned into a real opportunity of coming back into the game.
Damion Stewart inadvertently tripped Hammill just inside the box and the ref awarded the visitors a penalty.
Gray took the penalty and Cerny done brilliantly to save it but unfortunately the rebound fell kindly to Gray once again and he lashed the ball home from close range.
Cerny then produced the save of the match as he managed to get his finger tips to Hume’s curling effort which seemingly looked as if it was heading for the top corner.
You could feel the tension build in the stadium as Rangers who seemed to be cruising at half time now looked as if they were going to throw away all the hard work from the opening 45 minutes.
After seeing out a difficult ten minute period normal service resumed.
Buzsaky this time turned provider as his cross was laid off by Vine into the path of the fantastic Ben Watson and his shot went straight at Preece but he was unable to keep hold of the shot and it spun back into the net. You had to feel sorry for the goalkeeper there but the fans were not going to let him off lightly as they started to sing “you’re supposed to catch the ball” and after Cerny caught a ball up at the other end of the pitch the song changed to “that’s how you catch the ball”.

Just after the fourth goal a double substitution was made, Faurlin and Taarabt came on for Routledge and Vine.

The goals didn’t stop there either!

A corner from the right hand side from Faurlin floated towards the back post, Gorkss was there to head the ball back into the danger area and Simpson was there to get the last touch on what will probably the easiest goal he will ever score in the hoops.
The game was over as a contest back there was enough time for a sour moment to be left in the R’s fans memories.
Rangers broke away with Taarabt and as he advanced the Barnsley defence melted away in front of him. Buzsaky was free in space and if Taarabt laid the ball off to him then it would’ve been the perfect opportunity for Buz to get his hat trick, instead he took the greedy option and didn’t even get a shot in. The R’s faithful went mental and Taarabt’s reaction didn’t go down well with the group of us in Upper Loft. When he did pass a minute or so later, which was greeted by a few ironic cheers, once again got a reaction from the arrogant Moroccan. He looked disinterested from that moment on and really needs to be told to improve his attitude before pulling on the hooped shirt once again. We’ve performed fantastically in the last three games without him so I think he will have to get used to life on the bench for a while longer anyway.

So a fantastic seven goal thriller that had everything in it and some brilliant goals to watch over the weekend. The next test up at Newcastle looks to be a tasty encounter after their 4-0 demolition job at Ipswich.

All that remains in the Man of the Match award.
This week Lofty has given the award to two players, Akos Buzsaky for his two wonderful goals and Ben Watson for controlling the midfield.

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QPR: Cerny, Stewart, Leigertwood, Routledge (Faurlin 69), Vine (Taarabt 69), Buzsaky, Gorkss, Rowlands, Watson, Simpson (Pellicori 79), Borrowdale.

Subs not used: Heaton, Ramage, Mahon, Ephraim.

Goals: Leigertwood (7), Buzsaky (15 & 39), Watson (67), Simpson (79)

Barnsley: Preece, Colace, Foster, Hume (Bogdanovic 60), De Silva, Butterfield (Kozluk 56), Hammill, A. Gray (Campbell-Ryce 76), Dickinson, Shotton, Doyle.

Subs not used: Rusling, Devaney, J. Gary, Thompson.

Goals: Foster (51), Gray (55)

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Rangers and we're proud of it!!


It was West London vs South West London as QPR made the short trip down the road to take on Premiership leaders Chelsea.

Having endured a few tube changes we finally got to Stamford Bridge and took to our seats with 5,900 other Rangers fanatics ready for the game against our most hated rivals. There was a sense of belief around the away end that tonight maybe, just maybe we would do a little bit of damage n scare Chelsea, also hoping that maybe someone would pick up the magic hat.

Two changes were made from the side that won up at Cardiff on Saturday. Tom Heaton replaced Radek Cerny in goal. Alessandro Faurlin came in for Ben Watson as Watson wasn’t given permission to play by Wigan.


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At kick off the Rangers boys had the place rocking!! The only noise that could be heard was those that were singing their hearts out in the Shed End. No noise from any other stand could be heard, I’m sure if the R’s fans were silent you would’ve probably heard a pin drop.

Rangers were given an early scare as Malouda put in an early effort but Heaton held well.
After that Rangers came into the game a lot more and seemed to slowly begin to believe that maybe they could cause the Chelsea back four problems.
Rangers started to notice that the opposition midfield was extremely narrow so as we broke away we often started out wide before cutting in and creating chances just in front of their defence.
Rowan Vine enjoyed a hell of a lot of possession in the first period and at times lacked the killer instinct that really could’ve made the difference. In one of the attacks Vine cut in from the left hand side and had acres of space in front of him, rather than attack in with pace he jogged the ball forwards and laid the ball off when it seemed as if the better option was to attack the space en route to goal and let rip in hope of either hitting the back of the net or getting a lucky deflection or rebound.
Rangers more than matched the hosts throughout the first half but only managed to get one shot on target for all the pressure that was put on them.

At half time the Rangers faithful had to be proud of the effort put in by the 11 out there and were faultless out there. Most optimism was shared between us and we grew to believe that we could nick a goal, however the worry was that with a Chelsea bench having the likes of Terry, Ashley Cole, Lampard and Essien there you had the feeling that one or two would be thrown on to try and win the game for them.

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As it was Lampard came on at the start of the half to try and spark the Chelsea team into life.
However Rangers carried on where they left off. When Vine slipped a through ball in a huge open space in Routledge’s path, it was a one on one race between him and the keeper. Hilario got there first and cleared but only just! If he lost that then Routledge would’ve had an open goal 30 yards out.
Soon disaster struck!
Routledge looked to have been fouled on the edge of the Chelsea 18 yard box, this wasn’t given and Chelsea broke away. Lampard then controlled to control the ball but as he controlled it the ball seemed to strike his hand, again this wasn’t given! Then to top things off as a through ball was put into Kalou’s path, it seemed as if he was offside, once again not given! From this Kalou finished off to put the hosts 1-0 up.
This seemed to spark more life into the R’s. A 5-10 minute spell inside the Chelsea half and 3 corners later Rangers still didn’t manage to make it on the scoresheet.
The hard working Vine was replaced by Taarabt.
Taarabt added something different to the Rangers attack but often found that he went one step too far and lost the ball in possession when maybe he should’ve looked to take an easier route in the attack.
On 74 minutes a surprise double substitution was made. The superb Rowlands and Simpson were taken off and replaced by Ephraim and Pellicori. This was maybe made as Magilton had one eye on Saturday’s game against Barnsley quickly followed up by two long distance away trips. Also with Rowlands just returning from injury he would’ve probably been shattered, especially after such a good performance on Saturday at Cardiff.
This seemed to change the way Rangers attacked and took the sting out of the R’s frontline.
We kept pushing and pushing for that all important equalizer but it just wasn’t to be.

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At full time you can honestly say every QPR fan in the ground and listening at home was proud of the effort that was put in tonight having more than matched Chelsea throughout the game. Every Rangers fan stood up and sung proud from start to finish and were shown the appreciation we deserved as the players and managers clapped us to say thank you.
For the first time in ages it really seemed as if the club had pulled together from all directions and had something to be proud of once again.

Picking a Man of the Match has been difficult and it is hard to pick out one outstanding individual as all 11 that played all done well in my eyes so for this time only the whole team will pick the award up.

QPR: Heaton, Stewart, Leigertwood, Routledge, Vine (Taarabt 66), Buzsaky, Gorkss, Rowlands (Ephraim 74), Faurlin, Simpson (Pellicori 74), Borrowdale.
Subs not used: Cerny, Ramage, Mahon, Agyemang.

Attendance: 37, 781 (5,900 QPR)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Oh so Simp-le as Rangers Rowl over Cardiff


Rangers fans took to the road today for their first ever visit to the brand new Cardiff City Stadium in hope to see the Superhoops gain their second straight victory on the road. Here is how the day panned out for the Lofty Heights crew.

Today we took a car full as Lofty, PK, Sam, Justin and I took to the road together for the first time this season as we headed west and over the border into Wales.
The day started with a slight wind up. Lofty text me an hour before we were due to meet and asked if we were running late as he and PK were already in McDonalds having a breakfast and awaiting the arrival of me, Sam and Justin. This got a few hearts racing and got us rushing around. Luckily the big man was only joking (git!) but it gave us the much needed wake up call to get ready to meet the boys. On the journey abroad we once again put money on the line in the prediction test and predicted all the results in the Premiership, Championship, League 1 and League 2. Shortly into the predictions we came to the all important fixture Cardiff vs. Rangers. Four of us predicted a home win whereas only Sam chose to be positive and go with a 2-0 away win. What looked to be a bit of a gamble proved to be pretty accurate.
After 2 hours on the road we finally arrived at our destination, a stone’s throw away from Cardiff’s former home of 99 years, Ninian Park.

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Like so many of the new grounds we had a retail park to entertain us for half an hour or so whilst we grabbed a Subway and Greggs before taking a few photos of the outside and moving around to our area of the ground.

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Having arrived at the away entrance we found out that we could’ve in fact parked the car in the secure area and for free, rather than parking at the athletics stadium for a rip off price, a fiver!
Once inside the ground we all indulged in a nice ice cold pint and it’s quite easy to say that the Foster’s, Strongbow and Brains on offer for a cheap £3 were probably one of the cleanest beers we have enjoyed inside a football ground for a long time. The food wasn’t too bad either. Justin tucked into a Chicken Balti and despite struggling to get into the top of the pie once he turned it over and tucked into it you heard no complaints.
Five minutes before kick off the crew along with two members of the welsh rangers took to the stands in hope that we would give a performance to be proud of.

Jim Magilton made four changes from last Saturday’s draw with Peterborough, two of which were forced as Matt Connolly was suffering from a virus and Adel Taarabt has mumps, Hogan Ephraim and Alessandro Faurlin also dropped out as Kaspers Gorkss, Martin Rowlands, Akos Buzsaky and Rowan Vine all made the starting line up as Rangers lined up in a 4-4-2 formation.


The game started pretty evenly and there was nothing to really separate the teams as we approached the ten minute mark. Rangers maybe looked the more composed of the two sides and settled down a lot quicker into their stride. Cardiff looked nervous and this reflected in the stands as there was none of the old Ninian Park atmosphere, in fact you could only hear the Rangers faithful singing their hearts out and generating the noise to spur on the boys.
Just after the 10 minute mark Rangers were in the ascendancy and when Simpson and Buzsaky exchanged passes it left the Hungarian in loads of space just outside the Cardiff 18 yard box, unfortunately his effort was ballooned over the bar but it was the warning sign that Rangers were ready to pounce and pounce they did.
Borrowdale picked the ball up mid way into the Cardiff half and played a high ball towards the Cardiff penalty area which found Vine on the edge of the box. Vine held off his defender before playing a beautiful ball into the path of Jay Simpson. The Arsenal loanee made no mistake from 10 yards out and put the R’s 1-0 in front!
I have to be honest from where we sat it did look as if Simpson was a mile offside and even when he scored a lot of Rangers fans looked at the linesman awaiting the flag to be risen but it didn’t and we finally celebrated after a 10 second delay.
The R’s defence was rarely troubled throughout the first half and the entire back four were solid. The Stewart/Gorkss, Player of the Year/Runner up Player of the Year, partnership resumed where it left off last season and really kept the threat of Chopra and Boothroyd to an absolute minimum. The other real threat for Cardiff was the in-form Chris Burke but his threat was extinguished by Borrowdale as he continued to push Burke backwards and didn’t let him attack the by line. Cardiff’s shooting was also woeful! Any shot they had either flew a mile wide or headed straight in the centre of Cerny’s goal and didn’t force a save out of him throughout the first half.
Ranger’s continued to win the game in midfield. Rowlands presence gave the team a proper leader for the first time in five games. With this leadership the R’s where stamping their authority on the game with their quick passing and just before half time Rangers got what they thoroughly deserved.
Routledge, who had started on the left wing, switched wings with Buzsaky and picked the ball up on the right wing near the halfway line in acres of space. His attacking run in field took him to the centre of the field around 30 yards from goal from there he played a delightful through ball into the advancing Simpson who took his shot on the run and finished with a fantastic strike. 2-0 and in total control!

The half time whistle blew five minutes later and it was time to reflect on what was a fantastic display.
Lofty decided to take the plunge and tucked into a Cornish pasty. Lofty’s thoughts on his half time treat were “this is easily the best pie that I have tasted on an away trip for a long time. Highly recommended and gets a 10/10 rating”

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Rangers continued their good work in the second half and were again the better of the two sides and bossed the mid field from the off.
Simpson came close to completing his hat trick after a Ben Watson corner was floated in, only a sea full of legs denied the youngster of his third goal.
The second half had few clear cut chances but the best chance of the 45 minutes fell to Rowan Vine mid way through the half.
A lucky deflection left Vine clear and through on goal with only the keeper to beat. He curled his shot around Marshall and it looked as if the game was going to be sewn up with his effort but the ball hit the post and went wide. So unlucky for the striker who really needs a goal to help him gain confidence in front of goal.
Cardiff did have one or two chances in the second half but just like the first period every shot was either straight at Cerny or they flew wildly wide.
Two changes were made in the final 15 minutes. Pellicori came on for the hard working and goal scorer Simpson, Agyemang came on for Vine.
With five minutes to go the Cardiff City Stadium stood half empty as the home fans headed for the exits after seeing what must’ve been the most disappointing performance of the season for them.

Full time soon beckoned on us and no-one can deny that the 3 points that the R’s earned were fully deserved and were never really in danger.
As they did at Scunthorpe all the players came over to the travelling fans to show their appreciation for the fantastic support.

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There’s a host of contenders for Man of the Match today. Wayne Routledge played well whilst being booed by the home fans and turned out yet another great performance. Kaspers Gorkss was solid as ever and looked assured next to Damion Stewart. Gary Borrowdale kept Burke quiet all game and hardly put a foot wrong. However today’s award goes to Martin Rowlands. He lead the team from start to finish, put in a number of crunching tackles and really stood out having only just returning from his latest injury.

We all got back to the car with Sam telling us she told us so as she had predicted a 2-0 victory but we all wanted to know who picked up the £25 from the predictions. Lofty was feeling pretty confident as we found out the scores and started to tick them off but he was beaten to the pot by Justin, who last time out lost in a tie breaker to me last time out.
Having arrived in Reading at 7.30 we were all in buoyant moods and ready for the next big game at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, let’s hope for more of the same!

U R’SSSSSSS

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Saving it for a rainy day and R's on the Road Double post.


Due to maintance work being needed on my laptop we have a double post of our opinion on last nights washout and the R's on the Road for saturday's fixture at Cardiff. I will return in time to provide a match report on Saturday evening/Sunday morning.

Last nights fixture verus Crystal Palace was postponed last night after heavy rain throughout the afternoon and evening caused one part of the Loftus Road pitch to become waterlogged and unplayable for last nights fixture.


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It was well publicised this summer that the club had spent over £350,000 on relaying the pitch which included £60,000 improving the drainage system under the pitch.
Having been tested for the first time last night it seems as if this work hasn't worked out as planned, especially as the enemy down the road at Stamford Bridge were able to play their Champions League fixture despite the rain.

So we can officially say that money has been poured down the drain for the first time in two and a half years.

R's on The Road.......... To Cardiff City.


On the 19th September QPR fans travel to Cardiff’s brand new Cardiff City Stadium for the very first time in hope to be the second team to beat them at their new home.

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The Stadium.

Current Capacity – 26,828


This season is the start of a new era for Cardiff City FC. Having had Ninian Park as home for the last 99 years the club embarked on their move across the road to their new home on the opening day of the season. Normal service was soon resumed as they left off, with a 4-0 thrashing of Scunthorpe United.
Since then only two goals have been conceded, both in the League Cup. Also they have never scored less than three in all competitive games at their new home, that was until their 1-0 defeat at home to Newcastle last Sunday.

The new stadium cost £48 million pounds to build and also has foundations set ready for expansion, if needed to, to become a 60,000 all seater stadium.
This design is very much a new style bowl, lacking with any distinctive features but the finish to the stadium is very clean and tidy.

R’s fans will be housed in the corner between the Ninian Stand and Grange Stand, so I would expect an exciting yet intimidating reception, that is of course if the atmosphere from Ninian Park has been carried across the road.

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The History between the teams.

At Cardiff City (32)


Cardiff 16
QPR 8
Draw 8

Friday 17th November will always hold a place in Rangers hearts. The game was at Ninian Park and with the Sky cameras there one of our bright prospects enjoyed what was his finest moment, and all his last goal in the famous blue and white hoops. Yes you've guessed it, the day that Ray Jones scored a dramatic 88th minute winner for the Superhoops and secured what would prove to be a vital 3points in a relegation threatened season.
Rangers have enjoyed mixed fortunes at this ground in recent years having won 3, lost 2 and drawn 3 in the previous 8 meetings (not including the play off final) in South Wales, could this be another win on the board for the Superhoops?

How to get there.

By Car:- For those of you with the benefit of having sat nav the all important post code is CF11 8AZ

To avoid driving through the centre of Cardiff, leave the M4 at junction 33 and take the A4232 towards Cardiff/Barry. Keep on the A4232 towards Cardiff and then leave the dual carriageway at the B4267 exit, signposted 'Cardiff (Leckwith) Athletics Stadium'. Follow the signs for the stadium and after about half a mile you will see the Cardiff City Stadium over on your right.
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By Train:- The closest train station to the ground is just around the corner and is called Ninian Park Halt station. This is a local line service only. You can catch trains for this from Cardiff Central. The ground is only five minutes’ walk away from the stadium.


Pubs 'n' Grub.

Most of the pubs near to the ground can be quite intimidating for away supporters and are not recommended. However there is the Lansdowne Hotel on Beda Road which is a ten minute walk away from the stadium.
There are no nearby restaurants or take aways nearby (from what I remember) so you may have to settle for a burger van or food inside the ground.
I haven’t got a list of food prices for inside the ground but I can inform you that it is £3 a pint inside the ground, a rare treat for a Cardiff visit.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Helguson departs......

Today was the day we finally got confirmation that Heidar Helguson has departed the club. His destination.... former club Watford.

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Helguson leaves the club on a loan deal which expires on the 28th Decemeber.
Helguson's previous spell at Watford lasted five years, between January 2000 and June 2005, making 174 appearances and scoring 55 goals.
He then made a move to West London at Fulham. He was largely used from the bench during his time there before he moved for an undisclosed fee to Bolton.
After 18 frustrating months at the Reebok Helguson moved to Rangers on loan in November 2008 before signing permanently in January 2009 after a good run of form that saw him bag 5 goals in 10 games. Since then Helguson has only got himself on the score sheet once, in the recent 1-1 draw at Plymouth.

Good Luck Heidar!


Finally just a quick mention on tonights Kids go for free offer.
It's a fantastic offer that the club have put in place but I'm of the opinion that if the club gave fans more than 2 days notice then more loyal fans would've taken advantage of the offer and taken their kids and the future R's fans down to Loftus Road to watch the game.
In future some better promotional work is required, in my opinion, good try though.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Time'll fix it Jim.......


I have been lucky enough to secure some of the thoughts of another loyal Rangers fan and he gives you his take on Saturday's game as well as an oversight into Rangers disappointing start to the season. Thanks very much Nik Brumsack for this and hopefully we will be able to get more opinions from him in the future.

As the 10,000-odd QPR fans left Loftus Road disappointed again, the question on many fans lips was simply “where do we go from here?”

When the fixtures were released in mid-June, R’s fans will have had every right to be very confident of a good start to the season. Instead, the side have picked up just 7 points from the first 6 games, winning only once in that time.

The dissatisfaction amongst fans is growing and it’s not hard to see why. £600 is an obscene amount of money to be charged to watch Championship football. The players (with the exception of a select few) would do well to remember to show the fans a bit of appreciation at the end of games. It is us after all us who pay their wages, travelling the length and breadth of the country to support them in the process.

There can be no doubting that Jim Magilton has inherited the most talented squad that Loftus Road has seen in years. There is, however, no point in having these players if they continue to play as a collection of individuals rather than a team. The game against Peterborough was a prime example of that. On paper, Rangers’ have a considerably better squad. Nevertheless, on the pitch it was the visitors who were the better side, playing as a team and controlling the play for long periods. This desperately needs to be addressed as the potential for success is there and that’s why it’s so frustrating to see Rangers’ disappoint week in, week out. “Madge” needs to make the players aware of how much of a privilege it is to play for Queens Park Rangers FC. The squad of players need to look at Gareth Ainsworth and learn something from him.

Magilton has made schoolboy errors when it comes to the squad gelling. Eight games into the campaign and he still seems to have no idea as to who his best side actually is. Key players like Akos Buzsaky and Kaspars Gorkšs have been in and out of the side all season. How are the players meant to build partnerships when the team is changed every week?

In some respects, it must be noted that Magilton has been unlucky. The two-week break that followed Rangers' first win of the season at Scunthorpe will have extinguished any chance of carrying momentum into the next game.

QPR face Crystal Palace this Tuesday, and 3 points is a necessity. With difficult games away to high-flyers Cardiff and Newcastle coming up, the pressure will really be on Magilton and the team to produce the goods. For all the pretty passing that Rangers’ are producing at the moment, the gaffer and his side have to be wary of the fact that football is a results game, and so far this season, they have not been good enough.

Jim Magilton need only ask Iain Dowie or Paulo Sousa about the ruthlessness of QPR’s owners to know that managers are not given a lot of time to prove themselves in W12.

The clock is ticking.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Does this sound familiar......?


Well it’s another game, another 1-1 draw, another game with countless wasted opportunities........ just another game where Rangers fans scream out “we need a striker!!!”

Before the game it was me, Lofty, PK, Corp, little Aaron and Mark (who looks to be becoming a new member of the gang) enjoying a swift half outside the Springbok having a good old chin wag and catching up on what has happened to us all over the last two weeks. We were all in quite a positive mood and expecting a good Rangers performance and more importantly a first home win of the season. A 2-0 and 2-1 score line were the popular choices between us all.

Jim Magilton made to changes from the side that beat Scunthorpe two weeks ago.
Ben Watson came in to make his debut after signing on loan from Wigan at the end of the transfer window. He replaced Peter Ramage, meaning Mikele Leigertwood moved to right back.

The other change saw Damion Stewart come in for Fitz Hall after Hall injured his groin during training.

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With two minutes on the clock Watson had his first chance to open his account.
A free kick was awarded 25yards out just to the left hand side of the area. Watson’s effort was tame and was aimed straight at goalkeeper Joe Lewis.
Rangers continued to enjoy possession of the ball and created many openings but were just lacking in the all important area...... finishing!
On 18 minutes disaster struck!
Ben Watson lost possession deep in the Rangers half and Peterborough managed to get the ball out to former Rangers left back Tommy Williams delivered an absolute peach of a cross from the left hand side and Aaron Mclean rose highest to flick the ball into the past Cerny and into the bottom corner. A fantastic header and Cerny had no hope of getting it! A counted that Rangers had at least five chances before that and it was Peterborough’s first chance of the game.
Buoyed by the goal Peterborough started to creep more and more into the game and really started to frustrate Rangers.
A long range effort from winger Whelpdale which seemed to be going harmlessly wide but was fumbled behind by Cerny to give away a needless corner. Luckily the corner was dealt with and Rangers continued just a goal behind.
Peterborough continued to frustrate Rangers and the hosts were limited to a long range effort from Taarabt after good work holding the ball up by the hard working Jay Simpson.

After another Rangers free kick the Boro defence dealt with it and broke quickly. Damion Stewart was all alone at the back whilst two attackers ran at him towards goal; he had no choice but to go to the attacker holding the ball and in turn left a huge gap behind him for the other to run in behind him once the ball was played. The Boro attacker was through on goal and only had Cerny to beat but from knowhere came Ben Watson and he stole the ball just as the trigger was going to be pulled and saved Rangers from certainly going 2-0 down.
From that saving tackle Rangers broke. Taarabt picked the ball up and ran at the Boro defence with his armoury of tricks. When it looked as if he really should’ve passed out wide to Hogan out on the left, Taarabt instead continued his run before giving Simpson the ball. Simpson held off his man well before laying the ball off to Routledge who in turn slotted the ball home from close range.
Just before the end of the half Rangers enjoyed one more chance. Hogan fed in Borrowdale of all people as he “raced” into the penalty area
Just before the end of the half Rangers enjoyed one more chance. Hogan fed in Borrowdale of all people as he “raced” into the penalty area, his effort went harmlessly wide when it really looked as if easier to hit the target.

Half time soon came around and it was time to once again rue the chances we have created and if we had an out and out goal scorer up front we made of had the game wrapped up ready for xmas already.
I finally got to taste the delight of the Yorkshire wrap. I opted for the beef option, as the chicken had sold out and it is certainly a winner. PK went for the chicken option before they sold out and has said that it is the better of the two, the stuffing with the chicken was a fine accompliment to it. Aaron went for the hot dog and certainly seemed to enjoy it as it didn’t last very long and Lofty went for a pie, I can’t remember which one, but he enjoyed that as well. It’s safe to say that the in ground catering has definitely improved and is well worth queuing up for.

The second half started and it was definitely more of the same.
Rangers looked creative whereas Peterborough looked the more dangerous in front of goal.
Rangers did have one effort on goal in the opening 15 minutes of the half, a Matt Connolly header fizzed over the bar from a Watson corner.
The substitutions soon came around. A double sub on 60 minutes started proceedings. Faurlin, who had a reasonable game and passed the ball pretty well, came off for the returning Martin Rowlands. Then the puzzling substitution came at the same time. Rowan Vine came on for the tricky Taarabt, who in my opinion was troubling Peterborough and this played into the visitor’s hands.
This is just an observation but Taarabt has not completed 90 minutes in the games he has started under Magilton and is always taken off on the 60 minute mark. Pure coincidence or does Magilton not like Taarabt? You decide.

Peterborough were nearly on the score sheet once again half way through the half.
A fantastic shot was hit towards the Rangers goal (I couldn’t tell you who it was by) and it seemed to take a deflection and was going inside the already diving Cerny until he managed to flick a leg out and seemingly scissor kick the ball away from goal. It was a fantastic save considering he had already dived and seemed helpless to the ball making it’s way into the net.
Buzsaky came on for Hogan with 20 minutes to go. Buzsaky was immediately sent to the right wing and Routledge came over and switched to the left wing.
Rangers continued to threaten and it wasn’t until the 84th minute that the golden opportunity that we had been waiting for.
Buzsaky done fantastically well down the right hand side and sent a ball into the near post, finding the advancing Simpson. After a lovely turn the ball sat up beautifully for him and he volleyed the ball............. high and wide! So frustrating that once again the final touch eluded the Rangers team.
The game wasn’t yet over.
Peterborough continued to push and attack and it looked as if they got themselves a winner.
Mackail-Smith found himself free on the left hand side of the Rangers defence after being played in. He slotted the ball home really well and went off to celebrate in front of the travelling fans. It took a good few minutes for the visitors to realise that in fact the linesman had his flag raised for offside. A huge sigh of relief for every Rangers fan in the stadium.

Full time 1-1.

After the game the gang along with Darren went down the Queen and reflected on what has to be regarded as a game we really should’ve won and is two points dropped, again!

Once again I’m sure every Rangers once again walked out of Loftus Road feeling extremely frustrated and once again we have highlighted the need for a goal scorer in our ranks. Jay Simpson is a hard working lad and looks to have bags of talent in him but if he had someone up there to help him out and be the fox in the box that we so desperately need then this squad of players will take some beating.
We look as if we are ready to explode soon with a frenzy of goals, it’s just a case of when not if it happens.

Today’s Match of the Match isn’t going to be the choice of Mr Paladini who said this to Nik at the end of the game “Our left back was the best player on the pitch”. Well luckily my glasses aren’t that rose tinted and instead the award goes to Wayne Routledge once again. He really has come on leaps and bounds this season. He looks to be playing with some passion and enjoys wearing the hoops. He’s always looking menacing when running at defenders and also tracks back and helps out the right back when needed.

QPR: Cerny, Stewart, Leigertwood, Routledge, Watson, Connolly, Faurlin (Rowlands 58), Simpson, Ephraim (Buzsaky 69), Borrowdale, Taarabt (Vine 58).

Subs not used: Heaton, Ramage, Mahon, Buzsaky, Pellicori.

Goal: Routledge (36)

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Putting the Boot In...


Following his excellent work on this site, Lee Brown has taken his writing talents to a new level and his started his own football blog.

As Lee himself introduces - 'Putting The Boot In';


This is a new page that is totally dedicated to football. It doesnt matter what it is we will have an opinion and will do our best to cover as many bases as possible.
We are going to review the results across the divisions and supply our own insights into how things are panning out in the respected leagues.

We will also offer club features and how the club is progressing towards the future.
Any ideas are gladly welcomed and we will do our best to serve the football fans around the country.


You can find the link to 'Putting The Boot In' on the links section on the right hand side...

It's early days but it is looking very promising indeed and is a site that will appeal to fans of the beautiful game, everywhere. GOOD LUCK LEE!!!

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

LH Finally Welcomes Ben Watson...


After an 18 month pursuit, QPR have finally completed the signing of midfielder Ben Watson from Wigan Athletic.



The 24 year-old has signed on loan until December 31st, although the Rangers have the option of extending the deal when the January transfer window opens.

R's boss Jim Magilton told the Official QPR website:


Ben will prove to be a fantastic addition to the squad. He's got a proven track record in this division, as well as the Premier League, and I'm just delighted we've been able to bring him to the Club.

He's a box-to-box midfielder, who scores goals and puts his boot in - he's got all the attributes that you need to play in that central midfield role.


Unfortunately, with a left back and a striker much needed and with rumours aplenty, that was the R's only signing as the transfer window closed.

GOOD LUCK BEN and WELCOME to QPR!!!! At long last...