Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

I've been more than a bit slack this week and so am only now getting round to discussing the Coventry game from last Saturday.

There doesn't seem to be too much point in going through a minute-by-minute analysis of the game this far after it. QPR were clearly the better side for long stretches of the game and played some of the best football they've played at Loftus Road this season. Some of the linking moves in Coventry's half were excellent and I haven't seen the possession stats, but it looked like Rangers absolutely bossed this one.

And still somehow only got a point. Slack defending was blamed for the defeat at Doncaster and if anything, the collective effort at the back was even worse here and resulted in two points dropped and a thoroughly pissed-off manager after the game. In what was far from his most ebullient press conference, Jim Magilton couldn't fault his attacking players but was clearly more than a bit angry with the soft two goals QPR conceded. He said that for all their creativity, any team in the Championship still needs to 'defend for their lives' and his clearly hadn't. It wouldn't surprise me if defending set pieces hadn't featured in some way on the training pitch this week.

Results across the Championship weren't too damaging for the Hoops though who remain in fifth. This weekend brings Middlesbrough to west London. After a blistering start to life in this league, they've gone off the boil in recent weeks with Gordon Strachan (pictured left) yet to achieve a win since becoming their manager. In other words, both teams will desparately be craving three points on Saturday. More on the game and QPR's team news tomorrow.