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








Thursday, September 30, 2010

R's on the Road To.......... Crystal Palace.

On Saturday the unbeaten run looks to be further extended as we travel to South London to Neil Warnocks former employers Crystal Palace. Will the run be extended or will the dream start come to an abupt end?
Here are a few hints and tips for your trip to Selhurst Park.


Club History.


Photobucket

Crystal Palace were formed in 1905 by workers at The Crystal Palace. In their first season in the Southern League Second Division in 1905-06 they were crowned Champions. In 1920 the club joined the Football League Third Division and won the Championship at the very first attempt.
In 1924 the club moved to the purpose built Selhurst Park stadium and their first game in the stadium a crowd of 25,000 watched Palace lose 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday.
It wasn’t until 1969 that the club reached the top flight and managed to survive three seasons there until they were relegated in two successive seasons in 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons. However the club were promoted back up to the top flight after successful promotion campaigns in 1976-77 and then 1978-79.
The 80’s proved to be telling in the clubs history when Ron Noades became chairman of the club but in his first season the club were relegated once again and didn’t return until the won promotion via the play offs in the 1988-89 season.
Despite a uneventful season in the league in their return to the top flight it was the cup where the club really flourished and they reached their first ever FA Cup final. In an exciting and very eventful game against Manchester United the game finished 3-3 and went to a replay where it was a contrast to the first game and Lee Martin’s goal won the cup for United and left Palace wondering what would of been.
In the season that followed Palace got off to a flier and were 3rd in the league with two games in hand on their rivals. However, following a program called “Great Britain United” chairman Ron Noades made disparaging comments about the work ethic of the clubs black players, something Noades insists that his comment were taken out of context. Following this row Palace striker Ian Wright left the club for Arsenal and Palace saw their season fizzle out and ended up finishing in 10th place, ensuring the club took their place in the first season of the Premier League.
The Eagles got relegated during the first season of the newly formed top flight but made an immediate return the following season. Palace yo-yoed between the divisions top flight twice more before entering administration in 1998 under owner Mark Goldberg’s spending spree in trying to achieve promotion back to the Premier League was unsuccessful.
Simon Jordan then took the ownership of the club and was able to see the club promoted to the Premier League once more but were relegated once again before appointing Neil Warnock as the manager with the task of getting the club back into the Premier League. Warnock’s charges were flying high at the start of this season back due to financial constraints the club entered administration for the second time in it’s history in January this year and after over a month of battling against the administrator Warnock decided to join QPR and his replacement was QPR’s manager in January, Paul Hart.
Over the summer George Burley was appointed as manager as Crystal Palace emerged from administration after being so close to closure once more. Palace have enjoyed a steady start to the season, but there's a long way to go yet.

The Stadium.

Current capacity – 26,309.

Photobucket

Crystal Palace have lived at Selhurst park since 1924 and has had two new stands constructed in recent years. The most recently built is the two tired Holmesdale Road Stand which is situated to the left of the away section. This stand looks pretty impressive with its curved roof and houses many of the Palace faithful that will provide at lot of banter for the afternoon. Opposite this stand is the Whitehorse Lane Stand which is unusual in its appearance. Behind its single tier is two rows of executive boxes and then a video screen hangs on the top of the roof, which looks like it originally wasn’t meant to go there but was just placed there on the off chance.
The two stands that run down either of the flanks are very dated. The Main Stand is where many of the Clubs executives will be sat but where most of the action will be is in the Arthur Wait Stand. Away fans will be housed in the left side of the stand and to the right will be many more of the Palace faithful and much more banter will be thrown both ways during the course of the afternoon I’m sure.
If you are sat at the back of this stand you will have wooden seats to sit on or may not to sit on as a lot of them have gone missing in recent times. Also if you are sat at the back you will also have pillars to contend with and could obstruct your view during the game.
The concourse is very tight and has only one place to get refreshments from so make sure you stock up before you enter the ground otherwise you could find yourself in a queue for quite a while.

The History between the teams.

At Crystal Palace (45)

Crystal Palace 15
QPR 11
Draw 19

Rangers’ go to Selhurst Park looking to build on their their first away win at Palace in over 20 years! The last victory before last seasons 2-0 win came on 2nd December 1989 in a 3-0 win that completed the double over Palace that season having won 2-0 back in August.
Rangers’ have drawn on their previous two visits prior to the win at Selhurst Park with Scott Sinclair scoring in a 1-1 draw two seasons ago and then last year a 0-0 bore draw was played out between the sides.

Photobucket

How to get there.

By Car: - The postcode for Selhurst Park is SE25 6PU.
There are probably three or four different ways that you could reach Selhurst Park and would take an eternity to write them all down so I will give you two routes that you can use.
If you are in the London area is would be easier to use the following route, my starting point is Loftus Road. This link will give you all the roads and directions you need to get to Selhurst and this is also printable.

http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp#fromNode=308260052019702|W12,%20Shepherd%27s%20Bush|
STREET|521928|181195|toNode=308260063489878|Crystal%20Palace%20FC
,%20London|STREET|533323|168417

If travelling from the North or West then this is the easiest route that I can suggest.

Get yourself onto the M25 Southbound and come off at junction 7, heading up the A23 towards Croydon. After 7 miles you will reach a set of traffic lights (Fiveways Corner) turn right here and join the A232. Three miles up the road you will come up to a roundabout, take the first exit which will join you onto the A212. Follow signs for Selhurst/Thornton Heath for the next three miles and you will then reach a mini roundabout, turn right here and then take your next right and you will arrive at your destination.

Parking is an absolute nightmare in the area with most of the streets around the ground being residential and you will occasionally be lucky to have a pay and display area which will allow you to park there for up to four hours. Allow time in your journey to be able to park up if you are driving.

By Train: - The closest stations to the ground are Selhurst and Thornton Heath, either way you will have a 10-15 minute walk to the stadium.
Please note that Crystal Palace station is no-where near the ground.
To get to the ground from Selhurst station, depending on the exit you use, walk over the railway bridge and take a right down Edith Road keep walking down here until you reach Eileen Road which will be on your right. At the end of Eileen Road take a left onto Saxon Road and walk until you reach the end of here and join onto White Horse Road. Once to join this road take a right and continue walking up this road until you reach the High Street and take the left onto there and you should see the stadium in front of you.
From Thornton Heath Station you take a left when u come out of the station and head up Brigstock Road and take a right onto the High Street and follow this road all the way until you see the stadium on your left hand side.


Pubs 'n' Grub.

The most favourite choice of pub for away fans on their trip to Selhurst Park is The Railway Telegraph. It’s located around 100yards down the road from Thornton Heath Station. Another favourite is a Wetherspoons which is directly opposite Thornton Heath Station, either pub will do the trick on a match day.
As for food I highly recommend the Tasty Jerk which is on White Horse Lane. If coming from Thornton Heath, you'll walk past it with it on your right just before you reach the stadium (you'll also smell it before you see it.)
It doesn't look like much but its downright amazing... make sure you have a tissue though cos it gets the old nose juice flowing. As you walk to Selhurst you will encounter many chip shops and kebab shops to feed you, Doneagles is the best chippy to go to in this area.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Free Scoring R's Tamed by the Lions...


QPR 0-0 Millwall

QPR's 100% home record came to an end as London rivals Millwall denied the Championship leaders a fifth straight victory, in what was an entertaining night's football at Loftus Road.



Due to it being a midweek game and reports of some serious disturbances around one of our normal haunts, the British Queen before the match, which was widely publicised due to their being a bit of 'history' between the two sets of supporters after previous meetings at the New Den - the gang arrived in dribs and drabs, but were a full strength nevertheless, with Corporate living up to his nickname, going, er, Corporate for this one. PK's nephew, Craig joined the gang in his place in the stand.



Onto the game and it was obvious from the off, that Millwall came with a plan, plenty of men behind the ball and try to catch the R's on the break. But it was Rangers who were dominant throughout and Millwall will be indebted to their keeper, David Forde, who saved good efforts from Buzsaky and Mackie in the first half.

Forde could perhaps count himself lucky to have stayed on the field in the second half, when a fine low drive from Taarabt was pushed away, Forde and Helguson tussled for the rebound, and the Lions Keeper shoved the R's frontman to the floor.

Clint Hill missed the best chance of the game, blazing a free header over the bar from another superb Taarabt delivery. But with so much possession and domination, there was always that chance that Millwall may break away - Rangers goalkeeper Paddy Kenny had not had much to do but was called into action in the 72nd minute, keeping out Steve Morison's far-post header from Tony Craig's cross. With Millwall sensing they could steal a surprise win, Kenny also pulled off a sharp save to deny Chris Hackett from 20 yards and ensure honours ended even.


QPR: Kenny, Hill, Derry, Taarabt, Helguson, Buzsaky (Leigertwood 85), Mackie, Gorkss, Walker, Connolly, Ephraim (Agyemang 90). Subs: Cerny, Rowlands, T.Smith, Borrowdale, Parker.

Lofty's Man of the Match - Kyle Walker

In summary, a frustrating night in front of goal for the R's, but a decent enough game of football all the same, with everything you would hope and expect from a London Derby and sadly, an incompetant referee also added to the frustration. Unfortunately, with the reputation of some of Millwall's so called supporters, we also got everything we expected from them also. But as always on these pages, I will not condone violence or glorify these absolute animals...

But what I will bring to everyone's attention, was the disgraceful behaviour of one of the Gold Range Stewards at the Loft Upper Exit - STEWARD NO G262 - YOU ARE A DISGRACE!! Shutting the gate on a petrified young lad running for his safety and to be with his older brother, when Millwall thugs jumped the wall in South Africa Road. Yes, I will be writing to the Club about you and be prepared for another mouthful of deserved abuse if I ever see you at the gate again - you utter scumbag!!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Rovers Don and Dusted...


QPR 3-0 Doncaster

QPR extended there lead at the top of the Championship(boy, it feels good writing that!) to six points with what was a somewhat less than comfortable win against a good, well organised, Doncaster side.




Of course, I will begin with an apology for the lateness of the report, but with the Birthday's of Sam, PK and Matt, there was a bit of serious celebrating to be done. With that, the gang assembled nice and early at the Springbok and were in almost full strength, with myself, PK, Lee, Jenson, Corp, Sam, Jo, Phil, Jack and Luke all in attendance. You may notice California Hoop's name missing, more on that later...

As I am still a bit bleary eyed, I will move swiftly onto the game and it would be fair to say that despite Rangers having a lot of the ball, Doncaster were the better of the two sides in the first half and certainly frustrated the home side - and could well have gone ahead when Martin Woods fired a 25-yard free-kick that keeper Paddy Kenny could only divert onto the inside of the post and James O'Connor saw his rebound effort superbly cleared off the line by Clint Hill, which brought the Loftus Road crowd to it's feet.

It was all change after the break and the gang were on their feet once more when on 52 minutes, California Hoop finally arrived to rupturous applause. He barely had time to take his seat when the R's took the lead - Gorkss met Akos Buzsaky's corner with a firm header which was blocked, but he reacted quickest to slam the loose ball past Sullivan. You could just feel the tension lift in the Stadium and it was party time again.

With chances for both sides a few, we had to wait until the 81st minute to breath easier - Heidar Helguson burst into the area chasing a through ball from Adel Taarabt, toed the ball past Neil Sullivan and then hit the deck under heavy contact from the keeper. It was a clear penalty but Helguson bounced back up and stuck the ball into the empty net anyway. Sadly for the Iceman, the Howard Webb look-a-like referee had already pointed to the spot. Strangely, Adel Taarabt stepped up and calmly sent the keeper the wrong way.

Kaspars Gorkss got his second of the game with two minutes to go, powering home Taarabt's corner to give the scoreline a slightly flattering look to it.

It wasn't until the early hours of this morning, when we found out that Lee has put the disappointment of losing his prediction contest monopoly, firmly behind him, banking a whopping £217 for correctly predicting a 3-0 win with Kaspars Gorkss to score first. Not bad for a £1 stake, well done mate!!


QPR: Kenny, Hill, Derry (Leigertwood, 76), Taarabt, Helguson (Agyemang, 88), Buzsaky, Mackie (Smith, 89), Gorkss, Walker, Connolly, Ephraim. Subs: Cerny, Borrowdale, Parker, Rowlands.

Lofty's Man of the Match -
a very slight difference of opinion with two of the gang opting for Kyle Walker, but the majority went for the lovable Latvian with his two goals - Kaspars Gorkss!!

In summary, well, with a 6 point lead at the top, with 22 points and a plus 20 goal difference, I just completely refuse to be negative! But huge credit must go to a decent Doncaster side who certainly made life difficult for the R's and perhaps with a bit more luck, may have been leaving Loftus Road with a more favourable result.

Anyway, from the game we adjourned to the British Queen to continue the Birthday celebrations - unfortunately, previous arrangements had been made by Sam, Jack,Matt and Corp who continued there evening's elsewhere. However, myself, Lee, PK and bro Steve and friend, California Hoop and Jenson, were joined by DJ and Tony C at The BrookHouse in Hayes to see a superb Ska Band called, The Refinements. A great night was had by all and we drank and danced our way into the early hours of this
morning...

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Mack's the Fox in the box.


Today we took to the road for what looks to be a very tricky encounter against a Leicester side that were fresh off the back of a fantastic comeback against Cardiff, we however were bang up for it having easily disposed of Ipswich during midweek.

The journey started at 9.20 as me and Sam got ourselves on the road toward Jenson but at late notice he had a friend that wanted to come along and ended up making his own way to the Walkers, so we then went on to pick up PK before arriving at Lofty's and then let him take control at the wheel so that I could resume duty in arranging the in car prediction competition, I was prepared to get some stick if I made it a 3rd straight victory and taking the money once more. Everyone was in confident mood apart from PK, who was predicting a 2-1 defeat.

We got to the Counting House pub just after 1 and met up with Iceman and also welcomed the return of Jack from his travelling around America. We also bumped into Jo G and Charlotte D as we enjoyed a pre match beer or two. We were greeted by the sight of a Leicester fan that many away fans can probably say they have seen before, he's a nutter! The photo that Sam took will prove it all to you........ I think Jo G took a bit of a liking to him though, could it be love?

Photobucket

As we made our way to the ground we stopped by the "Gourmet" burger van and bumped into the lovely Charlotte P and Hannah for a quick chat and catch up before making our way into the ground to take our places along with the 2159 travelling fans.

Neil Warnock made one change from the side that won at Ipswich, Alejandro Faurlin being left out through injury and his replacement was Akos Buzsaky.

Photobucket

Rangers' started the half well and had a strong 15 minute spell where they created chances and on 12 minutes the best chance was made. Taarabt crossed in from the left hand side and there the in form Jamie Mackie who put his head on the cross and looped his header over former R's loanee Carl Ikeme into the top corner and sent the Rangers' fans mental.
Leicester started to take control of possession in midfield from the 25 minute mark and began to look dangerous when knocking the ball around quite nicely but they couldn't get things going in the final third due to Rangers' being so well organised and with five minutes of the half left we were left hoping the whistle for the interval would come as soon as possible just so we could re-group and try and break Leicester down before searching for an elusive second goal.

At half time we made our way to the concourse but had no chance of getting any refreshments so we just settled for each others company as well as enjoying catching up with Jenson, Michael, Nik and Luke.

We got to our seats just after the second half resumed and we hadn't missed any action, or so it seemed.
Leicester carried on where they left off in the second half and were troubling the R's midfield and keping the ball well and making it hard for us to even get the ball, let alone attack them.
Midway through the half it seemed as if Rangers' went a grabbed a second when Mackie held off a Leicester defender and let a high ball drop to a perfect height so that he could volley the ball into the back of the net with a sweet strike and aftera short celebration before realising that the ref had blown up for a foul....... what the foul was I would like to know, but anyways it didn't count and there was a battle on our hands.
Leicester once again took control of the game and looked really threatening as the minutes ticked on and we were wondering if today as the day that we would collapse under the immense pressure we were under.
Leicester fans were screaming for a penalty at one point, from where we sat we couldn't see a thing but according to some Leicester fans in the pub at full time apparently there was an elbow involved, it must've been obvious because pretty much the whole of the stand were appealing for the penalty.
In the 86th minute it was time to breathe a sigh of relief.
Rangers' broke away and a ball was played, seemingly to no-one and gots a "f@&ks sake" shout from me but out of no where Jamie Mackie sprinted through and collected the ball on the left hand side of the penalty area and had no where to go..... He turned inside one defender and was left with just Ikeme to beat from an acute angle and he did just that! Great finish from the man in form, made the chance to shoot all by himself! Game over.

Photobucket

After todays game you can say that there are two sides to Rangers', the side that can play beautiful flowing football and the side that we saw today was the one that has the ability to grind out a result and soak up a lot of pressure.
Credit to Leicester they played extremely well and just needed something extra in the final third on this occasion. There wont be many teams that visit the Walkers and take something away from there.

Today's Man of the Match has a few contenders but there were two people that stood out for us today, Jamie Mackie wh took his two goals fantastically well but taking the majority vote today is midfield enforcer Shaun Derry. He was solid as a rock today and really epitomised the performance that the R's had to put in.

Leicester City: Ikeme, Neilson, Morrison, Oakley (Howard 63), King, Dyer (Gallagher 58), Fryatt, Waghorn, Berner, Wellens, Hobbs.

Subs: Logan, Vitor, Moreno, Abe, Moussa.

Bookings: Berner (49), Waghorn (59)

QPR: Kenny, Hill, Derry, Taarabt (Leigertwood 78), Helguson (Agyemang 73), Buzsaky, Mackie (Smith 89), Gorkss, Walker, Connolly, Ephraim.

Subs: Cerny, Rowlands, German, Parker.

Goals: Mackie (12 & 86)

Bookings: Walker (68)

Referee: Mr G Scott

Attendance: 22, 968 (2159 QPR Fans)

The result of the prediction competition saw Lofty and Sam tied on 21 points each after Sunderland's late equaliser cost Sam the overall win, so we had to pick out a tie break game to decide our winner, the game picked out at random was Elgin vs Montrose. Sam picked a 1-1 scoreline and Lofty opted for a 1-0 Elgin win........... The final score was Elgin 3 Montrose 2 and meant that Lofty won the money for the first time. Well done sir, spend your winnings wisely!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

R's on the Road To.......... Leicester City.

On Saturday Neil Warnock takes his league leaders to the Walkers Stadium, a ground where the R's had a very respectable record at until the 4-0 defeat last season, in what looks to be another stern test.
Both teams got brilliant results midweek with the R's obviously beating Ipswich 3-0 and Leicester doing us a favour and beating Cardiff 2-1, picking up their first win of the season in the process.
Rangers' are flying and having scored 17 goals and only conceded 2 in the 6 games played, will the run continue? Or will Paulo Sousa dish out the R's first defeat of the season? It promises to be an intriguing encounter.

Here are a few hints and tips if you are making the journey to Leicester on Saturday.


Photobucket

Club History.

Leicester were formed in 1884 by a group of old boys at Wyggeston School under the name of Leicester Fosse and in 1890 the club joined the Football Association. A year later the club moved to Filbert Street which was to be the clubs home for over 111 years. Previously the club had five different homes which included Victoria Park and the Belgrave Cricket and Bicycle Ground.
The club joined the Midland League in 1891 and it was in 1894 that Leicester Fosse were elected to the Football League Division 2 having finished 4th in the league.
The clubs first game in the Football League ended in a 4-3 defeat at Grimsby but this was quickly followed up with a first win in their first home league game at Filbert Street against Rotherham. In the same season the club recorded their largest win to date, a 13-0 victory over Notts Olympic in an FA Cup qualifying match.
In the 1907-08 season Leicester Fosse finished second in Division 2 and gained promotion to the top tier for the first time in their history. The following season the club were relegated back to Division 2 in a season that included the clubs record defeat, a 12-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.
In 1919 when the League resumed after World War 1, Leicester Fosse ceased trading due to financial difficulties which have not been disclosed. The club were soon reformed as Leicester City, which was appropriate due to the borough of Leicester just gaining City status.
In 1949 the club reached their first FA Cup final but ended up losing to Wolves 1-0. Just a week later the club were celebrating however when a draw secured the clubs position in Division 2 having been threatened by relegation.
In 1959 one the clubs most successful managers, Matt Gillies, took the helm and in 1961 and 1963 lead The Foxes to the FA Cup final but on both occasions finished runners up to Spurs and Manchester United respectively. Despite the clubs knock back in 1963 it was the following season that saw the club pick up their first Cup success by winning the League Cup with a 4-3 aggregate victory over Stoke. The following season the club reached the League Cup final once more but this time lost 3-2 on aggregate to Chelsea. Gillies resigned in November 1968 after a poor start to the season and his successor Frank O’Farrell reached the FA Cup final, the final appearance to date for the club, and once again the club failed to secure success in the competition after losing 1-0 to Manchester City. That same season the club were relegated to Division 2.
The 1990’s saw the club rise into the Premiership having first lost in the Play Off Finals to Blackburn in 1991-92 and then losing in the final in 1992-93 to Swindon 4-3, having been 3-0 down. However in the 1993-94 Play Off Final the club beat Derby 2-1 to reach the Premiership under Brian Little’s guidance. Little then left his post the following November and was replaced by Mark McGhee, who saw the club relegated back to Division 1 after only one season in the top flight. In December 1995 McGhee left The Foxes to join Wolves and his replacement was highly regarded manager Martin O’Neill. Under O’Neill’s guidance the club secured a Play Off place and a last gasp Steve Claridge goal in the Final against Crystal Palace secured the clubs instant return to the Premiership. The following season Leicester won their first piece of silverware in 26 years when they won the League Cup against Middlesbrough in a replay at Hillsborough in 1997. In 1999 the club once again reached the Final and were defeated by Spurs 1-0. An instant return to the 2000 final was secured and O’Neill’s Foxes defeated Tranmere 2-1 as the club enjoyed its third success of the competition. After the 2000 final O’Neill was lured away to take charge of Celtic after enjoying four successive top ten finishes to go with his two League Cup triumph’s and one runners up medal in the same competition, cementing O’Neill’s place as the clubs most successful manager.
Two seasons later the club got relegated down to the newly formed Championship but bounced straight back up at the first attempt. After one more season in the top flight the club unfortunately were relegated once more and since then have not returned to the top flight.
Having been relegated to League One during Ian Holloway’s reign in the 2007-08 season it was Nigel Pearson that took the leading role in leading Leicester to an instant return to the Championship by winning the League at the first attempt.
Leicester made a fine return to the Championship by making the play offs but were unlucky losers in a penalty shot out in the semi final.
Nigel Pearson left the club for Hull City during the summer and the Foxes have appointed former Rangers' manager Paulo Sousa as their man in charge to mount another charge at getting back into the Premier League.

The Stadium.

Current Capacity – 32,500.

Photobucket

Leicester moved to the Walkers Stadium in 2002 having spent 111 years at nearby Filbert Street.
The stadium is a modern bowl shaped model that is fully enclosed and equal heights all the way around. The stadium cost £35 million to construct.
The away fans are housed in the North east corner of the ground where around 3,000 visiting fans can be accommodated.
The atmosphere in the ground on our previous visits has been pretty good. If we score and everyone in jumping around you can feel the stand rocking underneath your feet. The atmosphere is also added to by the Leicester drummer that will be on your right hand side right at the back of the stand. On our visit in 2006 I can vividly remember there being some good banter between the Rangers’ support and the drummer which ended in the drummer giving 10 big bangs and then being so knackered from his efforts that he went quiet for 10-15 minutes or so.
The concourse is of a fair size and has TV screens that will show the action whilst the game is in play, so if you need to nip downstairs for refreshments you shouldn’t miss any of the action.

The History between the teams.

At Leicester City (25)

Leicester City 14
QPR 6
Draw 5

The R’s were unbeaten at the Walkers Stadium from 2005 up until last years 4-0 hammering, a game that the R's could've won based on the chances that were created.
Having lost 1-0 to Leicester in the first meeting at the Walkers in Jan 2005, Rangers’ went there the following season in September 2005 seeking revenge. Marc Nygaard got the R’s off to the perfect start when he headed home from a Lee Cook free kick. With just 20 minutes on the clock Leicester were then given an even more uphill struggle after Alan Maybury was dismissed when he mistimed a tackle on Paul Furlong. Despite their numerical disadvantage it was Leicester that equalised with 20 minutes to go, Elvis Hammond fired home from inside the area and left R’s ‘keeper Simon Royce with no chance. However with 4 minutes left Rangers’ regained the lead when Furlong stabbed home the winner after Lomas had lumped a long ball up to Furlong, who in turn played the ball to Nygaard before receiving the ball back from the big Dane and grabbing his first goal of the season and sealing Rangers’ first away win of the season.
The following year Rangers’ enjoyed an even better win at the Walkers. A 3-1 win was dubbed by many who attended the game as ‘I was there when Nygaard scored’ after the big Dane scored a penalty and then followed it up with an audacious volley from 30 yards out when out on the right wing! On loan Indigo Idiakez scored the opener just after half time when Lee Cook’s cross was nodded back by Nygaard and Idiakez was on hand to power home a header.

Photobucket

The last encounter was a 1-1 draw. Ian Hume gave Leicester a second half lead from the penalty spot but 10 minutes from time Mikele Leigertwood thumped home an effort from 30 yards out that found the bottom corner.

How to get there.

By Car: - The postcode for the Walkers Stadium is LE2 7FL.
Leave the M1 at Junction 21 and follow the A5460 that will lead you to Leicester City centre. Go down this road until u pass under a railway bridge, 200 yards after this is a set of traffic lights, turn right here (Upperton Road). As you go down this road you will see the stadium appear on your right hand side just before you reach the roundabout, take a right at the roundabout and follow the road round until you get to the Walkers. You will pass the site of Leicester’s old Filbert Street ground.

By Train: - The train station is in the City Centre and will take you around 20-25 minutes to walk to the ground should you choose to walk the distance.
Come out of the station, cross the road in front of the station and proceed to the left. Follow this round to the right and now you are walking with the main Central Ring Road (Waterloo Way) on your left. Keep this to your left as the pavement becomes a separate path and the road sinks down into a dip down to your left. A quick left and right to stay on the pathway as it crosses New Walk and you go down the left hand side of New Walk Museum. The pathway rejoins the main road as pavement again and you see Nelson Mandela Park on your right. Turn right into Lancaster Rd and then cross the park to the crossings over the main road by the public lavatories. Head for the Victory pub opposite, turn left across the front of the Leicester Royal infirmary. First right into Walnut St and you can see the stadium behind the old Filbert Street ground.

Pubs 'n' Grub.

I would highly recommend the Counting House pub which is just to the side of the big Morrison’s supermarket. In my visits there I have always witnessed a friendly atmosphere within the pub which is shared by both sets of supporters. Food is also served in the pub so it ticks all the boxes in terms of pre match entertainment. The pub is a 5-10 minute walk from the stadium and it located just off of Aylestone Road.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Mack The Knife...


Ipswich 0-3 QPR

16 points, three points clear at the top of the league, 17 goals scored, two against and a plus 15 goal difference!! That will certainly do me, as Rangers dream start to the season continued with a well deserved 3-0 win at Portman Road...




Bit of a joint effort this one tonight, as work commitments kept me away from the game tonight, but Lee and Sam made the trip to represent LH ( I think that was all, I may be wrong) and Lee and I decided that this report will be compiled of various texts sent to me before, during and after the game.

The first message indicated that Lee wasn't having the best of journeys but arrived just in time and informed me of a good start being made from the R's. Instead of keep repeating - the next text and the next text etc, I will just publish the transcript as it happened...


19.56 - good first ten minutes, got here just in time! Walker looking good so far and the R's fans are in great voice

20.01 - 1st sub of the match - lino off, 4th official on

20.18 - 1-0 Mackie, goal similar to the one at Derby, u F**kin beauty!! Well deserved

20.25 - Faurlin off injured - Buz on

20.30 - 2-0 Mackie! Break away from an Ipswich corner and Mackie ran from the halfway line, all the way to he edge of the box unchallenged and put in the corner, beauty!

21.19 - 3-0! Helguson peno!! Buz scored a great goal as the peno was given! Living the dream

21.20 - I'm moist - note, this was a reply to a text of mine suggesting that we were, let's just say, a bit over excited!!


and the summary - 21.49 - the summary - Two fantastic Mackie goals in the 1st half, went in at half time with a deserved lead. 2nd half, Ipswich started well, but we battled through a sticky 1st 15 minutes and then got a third and could have killed the game off good and proper. Great performances from Derry and Walker, but the man of the match is JAMIE MACKIE once again!

QPR: Kenny, Hill, Derry, Taarabt (Leigertwood 60), Helguson, Faurlin (Buzsaky 37), Mackie (Smith 80), Gorkss, Walker, Connolly, Ephraim. Subs: Cerny, Agyemang, German, Parker.

I must admit that I am just a little bit jealous of Lee, Sam and the 976 R's fans at Ipswich tonight who sang their hearts out throughout and is a great midweek following for a wet and miserable Tuesday night. Huge credit to each and every one of you!!

Thanks to Lee for the updates and safe journey home Lee and Sam!!

Someone pinch me...

YOU R'SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Kyle Walk-s into Rangers'


This afternoon QPR have announced the signing of Kyle Walker on a one month loan deal.

Walker joins the club from Spurs as cover for the injured duo of Bradley Orr and Peter Ramage, both of which picked up knocks against Middlesbrough at the weekend.
It looks as if Orr's injury isn't too serious but will keep him out of action for upto two weeks, Ramage's injury however may be a bit more serious than initially thought but the club are awaiting results of a scan on the Geordie defender.
With those two being out it looks as if Walker will be thrown into the starting line up for tomorrows visit at fellow high flyers Ipswich Town.

Photobucket

Walker started his career at Sheffield United in the youth team set up and spent some time with Neil Warnock at the club before Warnock departed after The Blades were relegated from the Premier League.
In 2009 Walker was snapped up by Spurs for an undisclosed fee but was immediately loaned back to Sheffield United.
Walker made his first appearance for Spurs at the end of march last season, putting in a solid display in a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth.


Welcome to Rangers' Kyle, we hope you enjoy your time with us!!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Boro Gone in Ten Minutes...


QPR 3-0 Middlesbrough

Lofty would like to welcome you all back after an International Break and what a pleasure it is to be be reporting on yet another superb Rangers performance, as the league leaders simply swept one of the promotion favourites away with a devastating second half showing...


Photobucket

I am not sure just how Lee has managed to talk me out of retirement, but done so he has as I will be reporting on the home games, but with performances such as yesterday's to report on, it won't be any great hardship that's for sure. Well, after two weeks away, the gang was at almost full strength at the Springbok for the pre match rituals, with only Jenson missing, still sunning himself in sunny Cyprus. Although, I am sure he is having a great time away, it must be a bit of a wrench to miss an R's game at the moment.

After discussing a possible wedding between two of the gang members and also, having to listen to, what was first quite pleasant, but turned into a quite annoying Brazillian/Samba type precession outside the pub, we made our way to our seats and actually missed a few minutes of the game due to a larger than average queue outside the Loft Upper entrance - it seems Rangers recent successes is bringing in/back a few more faces than normal and long may it continue...

Moving onto matters on the pitch and it was quite an entertaining first half with both sides creating a few chances, but the talking point at half time was the two Rangers penalty shouts - the first was nothing more than that really, as Taraabt went over in the box. But the second, just before half time, looked nailed on to me, as Helguson has his legs simply taken from under him by a Boro defender.

After a few choice words from Neil Warnock, the R's came out for the second half like a train and killed the game within 10 breathtaking second half minutes. On 49, the referee, albeit linesman assisted, finally awarded Rangers a penalty when Helguson was felled by Barry Robson. The Iceman himself stepped up and cooly slotted home...


Four minutes later and the R's doubled their lead in some fashion - the impressive Adel Taraabt floated a cross into the Boro area and Hogan Ephraim superbly guided in a shot and Loftus Road was now rocking. It was 3-0 six minutes later when Jamie Mackie got reward for another tireless performance, pouncing from close range after a Kaspars Gorkss shot was blocked.

Middlesbrough were now dead and buried and it was maybe just a little disappointing that more goals didn't come, but Hogan Ephraim was unlucky to see a fine curling shout come back off the crossbar late on.

QPR: Kenny, Orr (Ramage 69), Hill, Derry, Taarabt (Buzsaky 70), Helguson, Faurlin, Mackie (Smith 81), Gorkss, Connolly, Ephraim. Subs: Cerny, Leigertwood, Agyemang, Parker.


Lofty's Man of the Match - plenty of contenders here once again, but during our after match discussions at the British Queen, we had wittled it down to just two, Hogan Ephraim was one, but mine and California Hoop's choice, who will be given the award today simply as it's me that's writing the report, is Shaun Derry, who simply bossed the game from start to finish!!


Photobucket

The R's now take the road for two tough looking away games at Ipswich and Leicester. The Lofty Heights team will be represented at both games and maybe, there will be a new prediction winner next time out? We shall see...

Come on You R'sssss!!!!!!!!

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Award Winning Double and Smith FINALLY Signs!


It's all been happening down at Harlington training ground today as a double award has been presented plus news of Tommy Smith finally becoming a QPR, albeit initially on loan, its been an eventful day so far.

The first award was given to Neil Warnock as he was named Manager Of The Month after guiding Rangers' to an unbeaten start to the campaign with some magnificent performances and one miraculous escape at Pride Park just over a week ago.
Can he continue to keep Rangers' at the top or will the dreaded Manager Of The Month curse come to haunt us??

Photobucket

The second award went to Adel Taarabt as he was named the Championship Player of The Month. Taarabt's performances have been nothing short of mesmerising and has played his part in Rangers' rise to the top. The tricky playmaker has even worn the captain's armband in Fitz Hall's absence, it just goes to show how far the Moroccan has come on, he's looking to be one of the bargains of the season currently.

Photobucket

Then came the news that Tommy Smith has finally become a QPR player. Having had his permanent move halted due to an 'administrative issue', the former Portsmouth player has now joined the R's on loan until January and then as of 1st January he will become a permanent squad member as agreed previously.

Photobucket

Good news all round at HQ today as we prepare for what will be an extremely difficult encounter against the pre season favourites Middlesbrough on Saturday at Loftus Road.


Well done To Neil and Adel, also welcome to Tommy Smith, we hope you enjoy what is hopefully an exciting season ahead for us here at Rangers'.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

R's on the Road To.......... Ipswich Town.


On Tuesday night Rangers’ hit the road once more to fellow early season high flyers Ipswich Town.
In recent years the R’s haven’t enjoyed the trip to East Anglia but now that nemesis Jon Stead has moved to Bristol City could this finally be the year that we chalk up an overdue win at Portman Road?


Photobucket

Club History.

The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn professional until 1936, and was subsequently elected to join the Football League in 1938. They play their home games at Portman Road in Ipswich. The only fully professional football club in Suffolk, they have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with Norwich City in Norfolk, with whom they have contested the East Anglian Derby 138 times since 1902.
Ipswich won the English league title once, in 1961–62, and have been runners-up twice in 1980–81 and 1981–82. They won the FA Cup in 1977–78, and the UEFA Cup in 1980–81.


The Stadium.

Current capacity – 30,300

Photobucket

Ipswich have been at home at Portman Road since 1884 and in recent years The North and South stands undergone a £22 million development and were open in 2001 and 2002 respectively.
There are two statues of the clubs most famous managers, Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson.
Away fans are housed in the upper tier of the Cobbold Stand on the of the pitch. If you are sat anywhere between the front and the middle of the stand then you should enjoy a pretty good view of proceedings but if you are at the back then you may have your view obstructed by a few supporting pillars.

The History between the teams.

At Ipswich (34)

Ipswich 17
QPR 7
Draw 10

Rangers’ haven’t won a competitive match against Ipswich since 2005 in the opening game of the 2005/06 season. The last success at Portman Road was the season before when the R’s run out 2-0 victors courtesy of goals from Paul Furlong and Dan Shittu.

Photobucket

How to get there.

By Car: - The postcode for Portman Road is IP1 2DA.
Leave the M25 at junction 28 and follow the A12 for 50 miles and after junction 27 you will reach a roundabout, take the second exit and join the A1214. After two miles take a right at the traffic lights and join the A137 which is signalled ‘Cliff Quay and Football Ground’. From here you are one mile away from the ground and just need to find somewhere to park your car.
There are parking facilities around the ground which cost anything between £3.50 and £5.

By Train: - The station is only a quarter of a mile away from the ground. You will see the ground as you arrive at the station and will be easily able to find your way to our destination.


Pubs 'n' Grub.

Drinking establishments for away fans very limited. The Station Hotel, which is near to the ground and train station, is where most visiting supporters will congregate. Otherwise the Punch & Judy pub on Cardinal Park, which is close to the ground has also been recommended to me as a pub which is family orientated and where both sets of fans can enjoy a drink. Pubs to avoid are the Victoria, Hare + Hounds and the Swan.

Food on offer inside the ground include; Rollover Hot Dogs (£3), Various Pies, including the Chicken Balti Pie (£2.60), Pasties (£3) and Jumbo Sausage Rolls (£2.60).

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Hogan pens one year extension.


In news that was somehow missed yesterday by the eagle eyes here at Lofty Heights, 'Hulk' Hogan Ephraim has signed a one extension to his contract that was due to expire at the end of the season.

Photobucket

Hogan spoke of his delight to signing the new deal to the Official QPR Website and is quoted saying "I'm very happy. I was in the last year of my contract, so I'm just delighted we've managed to get it sorted after a few months of negotiating. I'm really enjoying life under the gaffer and I'm playing some of the best football of my career at the moment, so things couldn't be much better."

Photobucket

Hogan joined the club on loan originally in a loan deal from West Ham in 2007 and after a successful spell he was snapped up on a permanent deal in January 2008.
Ephraim has now made 90 appearance for the R's and has scored six goals.