Showing posts with label Gavin Mahon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gavin Mahon. Show all posts
Mahon Misery, Heaton Heads North and International Capitulation
Posted On 16/11/2009 at at 19:54 by Alistair Kleebauer
QPR suffered a significant injury blow at the end of last week when it was revealed that Gavin Mahon will be out for the next four months. Mahon, who worked wonders in recent weeks to replace QPR's captain Martin Rowlands who is out for the season, now joins his teammate on the treatment table with a knee injury. Mahon goes under the knife tomorrow and will then face a lengthy lay-off. QPR's squad size will be tested now, with the partnership of Alejandro Faurlin and Ben Watson likely to be crucial in making up for the absence of both Mahon and Rowlands.
The club are also in the hunt for goalkeeping cover as Manchester United loanee Tom Heaton left Loftus Road and has already found a new club at Rochdale. Heaton talked up his desire to remain at Rangers on a permanent basis prior to his return to Manchester and his move to Rochdale doesn't preclude that possibility yet. He will remain with the League One side until the end of December when Rangers could potentially attempt to sign him again. In the meantime, they could turn to experienced Aston Villa keeper Andy Marshall as cover for Radek Cerny.
Finally, two QPR players are probably wishing they'd stayed in west London over the last week rather than travel to turn out for their countries. Adel Taarabt couldn’t help Morocco as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Cameroon. They finished bottom of their group with only three points so Adel won’t be lighting up the World Cup next summer. He won't be visiting Angola for the African Nations Cup in January either, which, if as is likely he is still with the club, will be welcomed by Rangers fans. Akos Buzsaky had a relatively shorter trip to Belgium but in 45 minutes of football he couldn't help Hungary who eventually lost 3-0. Jim Magilton will just be relieved that both players are fit and well for the less taxing journey to Doncaster this Saturday. More on that fixture and all other QPR news throughout the week.
QPR vs Leicester City - Match Preview
Posted On 30/10/2009 at at 17:30 by Alistair KleebauerQPR Team News
QPR still have a surprising number of absentees considering how well they are currently doing, which suggests that their squad is stronger than suspected - the form of Gavin Mahon since his return to the side has been a glowing indication of this and has settled a lot of nerves about the loss of their captain Martin Rowlands. He is, and will remain for the rest of this season a long-term absentee. The Daily Star have gone so far as to say he will soon announce his retirement but I think that's very premature and they sneak it in at the bottom of a report about Magilton supposedly eyeing up a move for Nathan Ellington so on all counts I don't think it's particularly credible: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/105929/Magilton-eyeing-ell-of-a-signing-/.
The other absentees are Lee Cook who recently underwent surgery on his knee, Hogan Ephraim who also underwent a minor keyhole operation on his ankle at the start of October and who could be out for at least another two weeks, Matt Connolly has glandular fever and there's been no indication when he will come back and strikers Angelo Balanta (groin) and Alessandro Pellicori (knee).
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Magilton's only real decision will be whether to bring Mikele Leigertwood back into the team for what could be his 100th game for the club. After suffering from a 'virus' which has since been revealed as swine flu, he is now fit and ready and came on in the 4-2 win over Derby. Magilton may prefer him at right-back to Peter Ramage (pictured right) as he occupied that position before his illness.Leicester Team News
No new team news for Leicester since my report on them yesterday. Leicester fans will not be rubbing their eyes in glee at the sight of Edgar Davids pulling on their shirt though (although at 36 years, they would have been getting a slightly inferior version anyway). It was confirmed today that any potential deal has fallen through: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/oct/30/edgar-davids-leicester.
Form
The general rhapsodising about QPR's current form continues unabated and they currently lie second in the Championship's form table with an impressive 13 points out of 18 and three wins on the trot (more than any other team in the division) with four goals in each of them. Still only two defeats this season, both away and none at Loftus Road in twelve, stretching back to last March. So unarguably they are in their best form in a long time.
Are any words of caution required? Well they've lived with elevated expectations all season; if we go back to the first three home games against Blackpool, Forest and Peterborough, they were expected to win all three which they failed to do, which met with a less than rosy response from the home crowd. The expectations now have gone through the roof and teams will start to come to Loftus Road to defend, which may require more thought from QPR than required in the last three games. The football will not flow as nicely as in recent matches forever. Can this Rangers team also grind out results against the division's battlers?
Prediction
It pays to go against the grain when making predictions sometimes (I have no evidence statistical or otherwise to back this up) and Leicester are a clearly a tough, combative team; the type of team QPR struggled with in those opening games. Therefore, I'm going to predict a draw in the full knowledge that the Hoops will most likely continue their excellent run with a resounding win.
SCORE DRAW
Free-Scoring Rangers Raid the Rams - Derby County 2 QPR 4
Posted On 28/10/2009 at at 23:43 by Alistair KleebauerQPR took their goalscoring run on the road on Saturday, scoring four goals for the third consecutive match, not to mention recovering from a two-goal deficit. If the wins over Barnsley, Preston and Reading were relatively comfortable, this victory showed a new spirit and resilience which could be vital over the next few months. All the action can be seen below courtesy of the BBC iPlayer, click to 24.12 for the highlights (though only until this Saturday; after then, try the BBC website if you want to see a flurry of QPR goals: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/8316395.stm):
Manager Jim Magilton was rightly thrilled, though he did confess to a few nerves as Derby took a 2-0 lead against the run of play. Rangers dominated the early exchanges, only to then concede a sloppy goal. A quick free-kick from Robbie Savage played in Paul Dickov to slot past Radek Cerny. The Welshman then made his mark from a deadball again, lifting a free-kick over the QPR wall and into the net. Up to that point, Adel Taarabt had been guilty of a few wasteful moments but the case for leniency with him has now been firmly made and he handed the away side their lifeline, audaciously beating the Derby keeper at his near post with a free-kick just before the break.
The second half was then a textbook lesson in how to seize a game by the scruff of the neck. Gavin Mahon grabbed a highly deserved goal, finishing off a sweeping counter-attack and by the 60 minute mark, QPR were ahead, Jay Simpson with a cooly-taken goal which was the mark of a player high on confidence. If he can inch towards the twenty goal mark this season, promotion could be his reward.
Buzsaky's penalty added a gloss to the fight-back, though it arose from a blatant dive by Wayne Routledge which was unnecessary in the circumstances and is the only black mark on his form-book at the moment.
Magilton felt his side 'have skipped under the radar' and though more and more people are now taking note of QPR's form, that's pretty spot-on. They are now in an unusual position; for the first time since Flavio Briatore's arrival (and for some time before that as well) it is not ridiculous to speak about promotion, though it may be premature. That will bring added pressure from the fans, the chairman and everyone around the club though and so the player's response to that could define their season.
I'd say I've underestimated the challenge Leicester City could pose on Friday night as they've also ghosted up the league, but I'll be looking at them in a bit more detail before the game. The Championship is definitely not a league suited to great reflection as the games come so thick and fast, but the way QPR are playing at the moment, that could be a godsend.
HIGHS: Team-spirit in clear supply; Jay Simpson continuing his scoring form; Gavin Mahon's goal and performances since Martin Rowland's crushing injury.
LOWS: Not too many for once - sloppy defending early on and Routledge's blatant dive were the only low points (and QPR fans probably aren't too upset about the latter.
Derby County - Bywater; Connolly, Barker, Moxey, Stoor (Livermore 62), Croft, Savage, Teale, Hughes (Pearson 68), Hulse, Dickov (Davies 68).
Subs not used - Deeney, Buxton, Hendrie, Mills.
Goals - Dickov (10), Savage (36)
Bookings - Connolly
QPR - Cerny, Ramage (Leigertwood 60), Stewart, Gorkss, Borrowdale, Mahon, Routledge, Buzsaky, Faurlin, Taarabt (Agyemang 75), Simpson (Vine 75).
Subs not used - Heaton, Hall, Alberti, Ainsworth.
Goals - Taarabt (40), Mahon (47), Simpson (59), Buzsaky (90+1)
Referee - Mr M Haywood
Attendance - 30,135 (QPR - 733)
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