Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

After mentioning his eagerness to start bringing his own players into the QPR squad last weekend, Neil Warnock has wasted no time in keeping to his word. Yesterday came the news that the Hoops had beaten a number of Championship clubs to sign Serbian international left-back Dusko Tosic (pictured above) on loan from Portsmouth until the end of the season.

Then, to shore up the other side of his defence, he offered former Arsenal and Fulham player, Moritz Volz, who has been training with the R's, a similar contract for the remaining games of the season, though judging by comments on Volz's own website, he is still holding out for a deal from abroad.

Tosic Straight Into QPR Squad

Tosic became available after signing for Portsmouth, a deal which the Premier League refused to ratify unless the player was immediately loaned out to a Championship club, because of the current restrictions placed on the South coast side after going into administration. QPR were not the only ones to be tracking the breakdown in the player's move to Pompey as Swansea boss Paulo Sousa had discussed a potential move for the player in his press conference following last Saturday's draw at Loftus Road. So, in one way, the R's finally got the upper hand over their former manager this week.

The 25-year-old started his career in Serbia with OFK Beograd before moving to French club Sochaux in 2006. A two-and-a-half season long spell at Werder Bremen followed which yielded just 22 appearances before the move to Portsmouth on February 12. Forced to move onto the Championship, at least for now, the player revealed how QPR came first in his thinking.

He said: "I didn't want to play for any Championship team, it had to be right. I have watched a couple of QPR matches and there are some very good players here.

"The Club has a great tradition also, which is important."

Hoops boss Neil Warnock said: "This is a good opportunity to have a look at a young international footballer from now until the end of the season."

The player, who has made nine appearances for his country, will now be available for QPR's match-day squad as they travel to Deepdale to face Preston North End tomorrow. 

Volz Not So Sure

German full-back Volz (pictured above playing for Fulham) was offered a similar short-term deal to Tosic, but he is dragging his heels because of potential interest from abroad. Volz is tongue-tied over the identity of his foreign suitors, but it looks like QPR have a battle on their hands.

Writing today in his online diary, the player said: "A few options have come up in the last 48 hours for me to play out the rest of the season with a club.

"One was QPR which was really pleasing. After the time I've spent there training its nice to feel I did well enough to warrant being offered something .

"However another very attractive option has also come up abroad which I am hoping will materialise. A few things need to be sorted out first..."

"But overrall I'm just delighted that I'm getting opportunities to play some proper games between now and the end of the season as that is the one thing I need now."

Two 1-1 draws in a row for QPR, but they will take more satisfaction from the first in that series than last night's result against Derby County. Against Swansea on Saturday, it was Rangers marshalling their resources and their will to get back into a game which was slipping away from them. The momentum they gained in finding a late equaliser against the Swans was carried in to last night's game in which they battered Derby in the opening minutes but it was a momentum the team was unable to sustain.

Once again, they came very close at the end of the game to taking all three points after Shaun Barker cancelled out the opener from Lee Cook (pictured above), but from a potential six points from two home games, QPR managed just two. It's still unlikely that they will be sucked into the relegation area with a seven-point cushion following last night's game, but they still need to make up the necessary points to ensure survival with three away games out of four to come.

Why do Rangers so often throw away winning positions? If you'd cut out the second half display against Swansea and the first 20 minutes against Derby, you would have a contender for the team's best performance of the season. Sadly, they are rarely able to maintain a performance across one single game. At my reckoning, they've dropped points from a winning position in over a quarter of their games.

As far back as the second game of the season, the R's were unable to see out a 1-0 lead at Plymouth Argyle and conceded an equaliser in the 93rd minute. Since then, they've drawn away at Newcastle and West Brom despite leading (the latter in which they threw away a two-goal cushion), but more damagingly they've failed to see out a win against Notts Forest, Palace, Coventry, Sheffield United and now Derby at home.

That's not counting the games when they took the lead and went on to lose, such as Leicester at home when Adel Taarabt's opener failed to prevent a 2-1 defeat or one of the low points of the season when Patrick Agyemang's goal against the run of play at Watford only precipitated a three-goal collapse. I'd be surprised if any other Championship side has been quite as incapable of holding out for victory.

QPR's game doesn't really suit sitting back and trying to kill a game off but if that is the case, they need to show a more natural inclination to keep up a pressing game and a search for further goals when they take the lead. The Championship is a very tight league, particularly at this stage of the season, so teams will rarely sail into unassailable leads regardless of who is playing who (unless it's Blackpool playing Swansea as surprisingly occurred last night). But Neil Warnock will still look to toughen this side up and increase their smarts the next time they find themselves in the ascendancy.

Rangers lead came through Lee Cook, his first goal of the season and first strike since Boxing Day 2008. There are few more popular scorers than Cook, particularly considering the long road back to first-team football which he has endured. Previously plagued by injury during a spell at Fulham, Cook underwent keyhole surgery on his knee at the end of last season which kept him from a football pitch until the end of January.

Even then, coming into a QPR team shorn of any confidence, it took time to stake a claim to start every game with a recent bout of flu doing little to help. But he is making that claim now and as a supporter of QPR since childhood, few in the current squad can rival Cook's commitment to the club. His return to the side could also be a marker for two players, Gavin Mahon and Martin Rowlands, who are also suffering from long-term injuries.

Assuming QPR pick up a couple more wins, as I am sure they will, thoughts will turn to next season pretty soon. Neil Warnock has already hinted at his desire to bring in his own players and also to reduce the number of loan players at Rangers.

I was ready to say that the QPR squad has a much more healthy size and competitiveness to it at the moment but much will depend on who the manager deems surplus to requirements. With players like Cook and Hogan Ephraim back in contention, talented players like Akos Buzsaky left on the bench and having to prove themselves when they do come on and Mahon and Rowlands still to return, competition to get into the R's midfield could be tough next season.

Even up front, where few would argue against further investment, the emergence of Antonio German also gives the manager an extra option if searching for a win, not forgetting Angelo Balanta who seems to have slipped under the radar since Warnock's arrival.

But there will be investments across the squad, from the goalkeeper on, and it will be interesting to see which of the loan players Warnock tries to hang on to.

I doubt if Adel Taarabt has the stomach for another season of Championship football and Carl Ikeme will soon be heading back to Wolves. Marcus Bent is missing in action and Tamas Priskin has done little to impress. That leaves Matt Hill and Jay Simpson. The latter has been a godsend for QPR this season, but as with Taarabt, it could well be a case of the player receiving better offers than QPR can muster. Hill, on the other hand, is growing in confidence but again, Warnock could well favour his own candidate. Which is basically a very long-winded way of saying expect a lot of new faces for the first day back next season.

QPR - Ikeme, Ramage, Stewart, Gorkss, Connolly (Hill 33), Leigertwood, Cook (German 59), Faurlin, Taarabt, Vine, Simpson (Ephraim 78)

Subs not used - Cerny, Buzsaky, Balanta, Priskin

Goal - Cook (45+2)

 Bookings - Faurlin

Derby County - Bywater, McEveley, Barker, Hunt (Davies 61), Anderson, Green, Savage, Pearson, Tonge, Porter (Hulse 82), Sunu (Leacock 46)

 Subs not used - Martin, Moxey, Teale, Martin

 Goal - Barker (67)

 Bookings - Leacock

 Referee - Mr K Wright

 Attendance - 12,569

After going toe to toe with Swansea City on Saturday, QPR face a test of a different magnitude tonight for their second home game in four days against Derby County. Despite just one point separating the two sides, Rangers will have the rare honour of being favourites ahead of this match. But from thirteenth position down in the league, every side is fighting to get to at least to 50 points to ensure no last-minute nerves about staying up. If Rangers are to make that target, with two tough away games ahead at Preston and Leicester, they will be hoping for a maximum return against the Rams tonight. 

QPR Team News

QPR can welcome Damion Stewart back into the fray after serving a one-match suspension on Saturday following his sending-off against Reading. Jay Simpson, who didn't feature against Swansea as well, is also a likely starter - Neil Warnock revealed after the game that Simpson was left out as a precautionary measure with a tight hamstring.

It could also be keeper Carl Ikeme's last game for the R's. The loanee from Wolves is contracted to stay in west London until April 6 but Warnock said he is considering one or even two further loan deals before the end of the season. As the Hoops already have an abundant supply of loan players to pick from, it would be necessary to cut Ikeme's stay short to make way for any new arrivals, particularly as only five loan players can be named in the match-day squad. The manager also bravely insisted that he is not the type to worry over having only one goalkeeper in his match-day 18, so there will be much impetus on Radek Cerny to remain fit until the end of the season.

Derby Team News

Sheffield Wednesday supporters were denied one of the chief joys of watching the Championship on Saturday i.e giving Robbie Savage a hard time, as the Welshman was rested for the first time this season. Savage has an uncanny ability to wind up home crowds and has even been berated at a darts tournament in the past, but QPR's supporters should have the opportunity to vent any frustration in his direction tonight when he returns to Derby's match squad.

They might be less pleased to see him back for his playing contribution though as his constant presence in the Derby side until Saturday demonstrates his importance. Any failings physically which he may now have are compensated by his work-rate and reading of the game, so the R's' midfield pairing of Alejandro Faurlin and Mikele Leigertwood are unlikely to be afforded much time on the ball.

Nigel Clough could also call on Gary Teale and Lee Croft in his midfield, after both return to match fitness, but another player who is now injury-free, Lee Hendrie, is likely to complete a loan move to Brighton and Hove Albion today.

Form

A glance at the table shows just one point separating these two sides though it would be fair to say they've enjoyed dissimilar seasons. When the two sides met at the end of October, with Rangers recording a 4-2 win at Pride Park, Derby were on the edge of the relegation area while QPR were in sixth and challenging for the play-offs. Not long after that game, everything started to go wrong for QPR whereas Derby's form took a slight turn for the better after the turn of the year, including an ill-tempered 1-0 win over rivals Nottingham Forest in front of 32,000 supporters at their own ground.

In short though, whereas QPR's season has been one of a peak and then a stomach-churning lurch to the bottom, Derby have been nestling in the bottom quarter of the table for most of this campaign. Does that give them an extra advantage in games like tonight's? Are they better primed to scrap their way clear of the bottom three?

Form over the last five games would suggest not and that if either of these two sides were to get caught up in the relegation battle again, the visitors would be the better bet. After beating Watford at the start of the month, they've lost at Reading and Doncaster and followed it up with draws against Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday. They've not won on the road since beating bottom-side Peterborough on January 16, one of only two away league wins all season.

QPR on the other hand still have just one defeat under Neil Warnock and even that, a 1-0 loss at Reading, was a close-run affair. After banging three past West Brom though, the goals have slightly dried up with just two in their last three games. In that context, the return of Simpson tonight could be vital particularly considering Tamas Priskin's lack of popularity around Loftus Road which looks to be severely affecting his confidence or his ability or both.

Prediction

One of Nigel Clough's pre-match comments struck me as providing a good marker for tonight's game. Speaking about QPR, he said: "They are playing a different formation or have been doing. Whether they change or not, we don't know, so we might change to accommodate them a little bit." Despite the closeness of their league positions, it would seem that Derby are heading to west London with a plan to contain QPR in the back of their minds. That could be reading too much into Clough's intentions, but I would suggest that a point would satisfy the away side tonight.

The home team on the other hand will be keen to gain further benefit from the increased goodwill around their stadium following Warnock's impressive start. Even in the tough climate of their game against Swansea, they managed to produce some dangerous, spirited football which by the end, could easily have brought a victory. In terms of outlook, I see something of a gulf between QPR and Derby in this fixture and it's one I think the home side will exploit.

HOME WIN.

Everyone knows that Swansea have become very hard to beat under Paulo Sousa. What QPR showed today however, is that they are an equally tough prospect under Neil Warnock. Trailing to a slightly fortuitous Nathan Dyer goal, they called on substitute Antonio German to level what was a surprisingly entertaining game.

The Hoops were forced into a further change than was predicted prior to this game as Jay Simpson was absent (still not clear why but I suspect he must be injured as he wasn't even on the bench). Therefore, Adel Taarabt was placed up front with Tamas Priskin with Akos Buzsaky coming in on the right wing. As predicted, Matt Connolly shifted to centre-back to make up for Damion Stewart's absence and Peter Ramage came in at right-back.

Most of the opening half was fairly static with both teams loathe to commit themselves too early. There was nothing gung-ho about Rangers' attacking play, they were content to take their time in picking out a pass (particularly Adel Taarabt who will hold onto the ball for as long as humanly possible before deciding what to do with it) and unsurprisingly, Swansea's main attacking outlet was on the break, with Nathan Dyer using his pace to cause Rangers a few nervous moments in the opening 45 minutes.

On eleven minutes he hit the post, getting the merest of touches to direct the ball past Carl Ikeme only to see the ball agonizingly trail along the line. Within minutes he almost forced a bizaare own goal as well, deftly controlling the ball in the area only to see QPR's Matt Hill, who was desperately tracking back, nearly divert the ball into his own net.

Apart from that, goal-scoring chances were few and far between which began to frustrate the home crowd who were particularly unsympathetic towards two Hoops players - Peter Ramage and Tamas Priskin. It is certainly true that certain players attract more criticism than their performances merit whilst others seem immune from the crowd's ire regardless of how they play and Ramage certainly fits this category. Despite his at times woeful distribution of the ball, he rarely makes the clangers which other QPR defenders have made this season.

Priskin does himself little favours with his ostentatious yellow boots and relaxed attitude to tracking back. He also seems to suffer when it comes to the physical aspects of the game as well and he was all too often brushed off with ease by the domineering pairing of Alan Tate and Ashley Williams. At the same time, it was surprising to see how quickly sections of the crowd got on his back. Though he has played enough games to be able to deal with it, he looked slightly dazed for the first 45 minutes.

The Hoops rallied well though as the end of the half approached and Hogan Ephraim had the ball in the net but was judged offside, which looked the right decision. Then Akos Buzsaky picked the ball up on the right wing in the kind of area he's previously worked wonders, but his curled effort to the far post was comfortable for Dorus De Vries. Whilst all this was going on, Neil Warnock appeared completely unconcerned with Paulo Sousa's comments in midweek and spent much of the half berating the ref.

Swansea looked the far fresher team after the break though with Guillem Bauza enjoying the run of the midfield and Dyer continuing to give Hill a torrid afternoon. All three combined to open the scoring for Swansea. Bauza stabbed the ball forward in search of Dyer and had well over-hit it, but it took a knock off Hill and landed luckily at the winger's feet on the edge of the area. From there, he could calmly pass the ball into the net.

Warnock gambled straight away as it was clear the game was slipping from QPR's grasp and it more than paid off. Buzsaky and Priskin were both brought immediately off on 57 minutes, the latter substituion meeting with such an exaggerated level of applause from some quarters that it bordered on the sadistic. That said, the manager was right to make the changes and Rowan Vine joined them soon after, replacing Ephraim.

Cook and German were bundles of energy compared to the unnoticeable performance from Buzsaky and the limpness of Priskin, but it was Vine's quick-thinking in the box following a corner which guided the ball into the six-yard box and the feet of German. For one so young, he appears to live to score goals and if any player was going to get on the end of the speculative pass, it was German. He poked it across the line and then teared away towards the home fans to celebrate.

WIth fifteen minutes left, Rangers were in the ascendancy with Cook in particular staking a claim for a starting place against Derby on Tuesday. For his dead-ball delivery alone he adds another element to the Hoops' attacking play and seems more naturally suited to running the line than Buzsaky. It was a Taarabt free-kick which came close to winning the game for Rangers though with five minutes remaining. From the edge of the area, the ball clipped off the Swansea wall and looped down to Matt Connolly, who headed in only to be adjudged offside.

It was the closest either side game to ending the stalemate, but this was far from the dull draw which it could have been.

Two teams with very different priorities meet tomorrow at Loftus Road, but for both, the game could have a large bearing on how their seasons pan out. QPR welcome Swansea City with the former team looking to consolidate its position away from the relegation area and the latter trying to stay in touch with the automatic promotion spots or at least stake their significant claim to be in this season's play-offs.

QPR have been a very different team since Neil Warnock arrived and immediately gave them a massive lift by inspiring them to a victory over West Bromwich Albion. What is perhaps surprising is that Warnock hasn't once tinkered with his side so far, even though you suspect he would be keen to give the once-over to as many of his players in a competitive scenario as possible. He clearly feels now is not the time of the season to overly rotate his squad and may prefer the comfort of the close season to truly get an appreciation of all his players.

He will need to change things tomorrow though, at least in the back four. Defending has been QPR's biggest weakness this season, one which came very close to completely derailing their season. Though they've righted a lot of those failings, they're still not free of relegation worries. The scalp of Swansea tomorrow however would put a lot of minds at ease.

QPR Team News

The need for a switch at the back is the result of Damion Stewart's sending-off against Reading in midweek, a red card which did little to impress the manager in its foolishness. As a result, Matt Connolly will most likely switch into the middle two alongside Kaspars Gorkss and Peter Ramage will come in at right-back.

Apart from that change, it should be business as usual and I wouldn't expect too much unnecessary tinkering before playing a team as capable as Swansea. Expect Mikele Leigertwood and Alejandro Faurlin to form a solid pairing in midfield, with the latter player in particular growing in confidence and importance to the team by the week. If Warnock sticks with his preferences of previous games, he'll place Hogan Ephraim and Adel Taarabt on the wings, with Tamas Priskin and Jay Simpson up front, so Marcus Bent may have to sit out another game because of loan player restrictions.

Swansea Team News

The Swans could call on midfielder Andrea Orlandi, who previously played at Barcelona on loan, after he missed the last four weeks with a hamstring injury. Current Wigan boss Roberto Martinez brought Orlandi to Swansea in 2007/8 from Alaves, prior to which he spent two seasons on loan at Barca, making 66 appearances for their B team and four for the first team. In a stop-start career so far in Wales, he made 23 league appearances this season prior to his injury, though as he only started training again yesterday, Swans boss Paulo Sousa may judge it too soon to hand him a starting place.

Form

As mentioned yesterday, these two clubs have an idential records in terms of points over the last six games, with Rangers just topping their visitors in the form table because of a goal difference of plus two (compared to Swansea's of zero).

In fact, over the season up until now, the Swans' goal difference is only six to the good which could be taken as a factor in their failure to catch up with the league's top two. They've let in an incredibly miserly twenty-five goals in the league so don't expect Rangers to score at will tomorrow, but amazingly they've also scored the fewest goals as well, with just thirty-one. Even bottom-side Peterborough, who have looked doomed for much of this season, have found the net more often.

Rangers will have few complaints about their points haul since Warnock arrived, except perhaps that some more sympathetic refereeing and less head-strong defending on Tuesday would have earned a draw. The two home games under the new manager have been particularly promising with West Brom beaten 3-1 and Plymouth beaten 2-0.

Prediction

Not many goals. Rangers look a much better prospect defensively over the last four games and so, despite the need to make some changes, they will be hopeful of shutting out the away team. At the same time and as mentioned above, Swansea are the masters of the no-score draw, with eight so far, and though they will push for a win, they are unlikely to sacrifice their controlled play to get it. No-one wants to predict a goalless stalemate and Rangers haven't featured in one yet this season, which suggests that, for all their flaws, they can't be accused of being boring. But if one is to arise, tomorrow is a good bet and so my prediction. Which probably means they will be 1-0 up inside ten minutes.

NO-SCORE DRAW

When you get through managers at the rate QPR have done in the last few seasons, you know the club will come up against the odd ex-manager from time to time. Should Hull be relegated and he stays in his job, the Hoops could open their doors to welcome the return of an Iain Dowie team next season. Before that happens, they will certainly have to face up to Paul Hart again, now at Crystal Palace, on April 10, with Palace fighting for their lives to remain in this division. And should Jim Magilton find his way back into management, who is betting against him leading a team out against Rangers in the foreseeable future?

A reunion which could really smart will occur this Saturday though, when Paulo Sousa returns to his former home ground with Swansea City. Sousa managed 26 games at QPR, not a bad achievement considering the all-too brief tenures other managers suffered whilst Flavio Briatore was calling the shots. Sousa was eventually sacked for the rather vague indiscretion of imparting confidential information to supporters.

Going by word of mouth at the time and a number of the players' comments before he left, Sousa was highly respected in the QPR dressing room. Players often spoke about his different vision of the game and of his desire for the players to be able to line-up in a number of different systems or formations - and to be able to switch between them during a match. That didn't sit too kindly with a board which required a simple 4-4-2 approach to the game and which favoured high-scoring matches over defensive solidity. The resoluteness of QPR's back-line last season could be largely attributed to Sousa's organisational skills and compares favourably with the absolute shambles in terms of defending for much of this season. The number of goals conceded by Rangers in this campaign would have been unlikely under Sousa's watch and Neil Warnock is only now starting to address the problem.

A quick look at Swansea's record this season confirms that the Portuguese certainly knows a thing or two about preventing the opposition from scoring. No side has conceded fewer than the Swans, not even Newcastle with their considerably larger resources and numerous players with Premiership experience.

Admittedly, the goals haven't flown in at the other end, which was also a problem during his time at QPR and was probably a more truthful reason behind his sacking, but despite a few recent blips, Swansea still look nailed on to be in the play-offs this season and their league form could stand them in good stead for the crucial knock-out games. That's because they are very hard to beat with only the Toon Army suffering fewer defeats. Come the play-off semis or the final, it would be unsurprising to see them nick promotion by the odd goal.

All that has little to do with QPR of course, except for a vague wondering over what might have been. But it certainly adds an extra spice to this weekend's clash, even if one of the chief architects of Sousa's departure, Flavio Briatore, has now firmly taken a back-seat when it comes to the team's affairs. Had Sousa brought his promotion-chasing side to west London a month ago, it could have been very embarrassing for the Hoops. As it stands now, they have every chance of putting history behind them and showing that under their new manager, their future is as bright as Sousa's own.

Over the last six league games, both teams have identical records with three wins, a draw and two losses, which is more satisfactory for Rangers' current requirements than Swansea's. The Evening Standard, in a brief article today, borders on characterising Saturday's game as a clash of two footballing philosophies - Sousa's possession-heavy, quick-passing side against Warnock's in-yer-face, direct Rangers. It's a little early to know what style of football Warnock is intending to play, though he is clearly appreciative of the talents within his squad and has some understanding of the Loftus Road crowd's fondness for attractive, attacking football.

It is fair to say though that QPR will have to be at the top of their game to break down the Swans' defence, though anyone at Warnock's opening two games will know that he has already inspired them to some adventurous football of their own at Loftus Road. Though Rangers would love to be facing up to their old boss as fellow promotion candidates, it will still be a fascinating encounter for their fans. They will just hope that, as another Portuguese manager did on his return to west London this week, Sousa doesn't get the last laugh.

It seemed inevitable that Neil Warnock would eventually come up against what is often described as a 'controversial refereeing decision' and so it proved last night, when a debatable sending-off and a late penalty resulted in a 1-0 defeat for QPR at Reading.

What was surprising though was the manager's remarkably calm, almost philosophical reaction to the red card for defender Damion Stewart (pictured above) and Gylfi Sigurdsson's 85th minute spot-kick which separated the sides. Maybe it is a reflection of Warnock's increasingly relaxed approach to the game as he reaches the twilight years of his career - remember that his final instruction to his players prior to his first game against West Bromwich Albion was for them to smile and enjoy themselves. Also, even Warnock must be aware of his reputation for referee-baiting and so most likely doesn't want to run off in fits of anger every time he comes up against a vaguely questionable decision.

It was also probably a reflection of QPR's performance because there remained much to be hopeful about, particularly that Rangers were able to control large chunks of the game even with ten men and especially before going a man down, had numerous clear-cut chances to take the lead.

Stewart was booked for a 50-50 clash with Reading's Shane Long but walked on 44 minutes for a challenge on the Royals' keeper, Adam Federici, as he attempted to make a clearance. After re-organising the team to a 4-5-1 formation, with Tamas Priskin playing as a lone striker, Warnock's Rangers were able to hold on until the 85th minute when full-back Matt Hill felled Sigurdsson in the box and the in-form midfielder went on to score from the spot.

Warnock, however, though unhappy with Stewart's first yellow, wasn't too displeased with either of the key decisions.

He said: "You can say that the red card cost us. We defended really well. Damion's first booking is never a booking in a million years. He never took his eye off the ball.

"But the second one was his own fault. What was the goalkeeper going to do other than kick the ball? He must have launched a 100 kicks tonight so it was silly and he let his mates down."

Of the penalty, he said: "At Liverpool, it's a penalty. At Reading, it's a penalty.

"If you leave your foot out as a defender, you are inviting the foul. I thought it was the wrong decision but 90% of referees would give it. But we had four or five opportunities when we could have gone down and you wonder whether I have to coach my players to go down."

After describing this Rangers squad as the most talented collection of players he has worked with coming into the game and with another fierce challenge ahead this weekend as ex-Hoops manager Paulo Sousa brings his Swansea side to Loftus Road, Warnock remained confident about his team's progress. Compared to what came before, seven points from 12 is not a bad return and it leaves the Hoops six points off the relegation area.

"You don't often come to Reading and out-play them but we did and I have learned a lot about the players tonight," said Warnock.

The learning curve continues on Saturday. More on that game and Rangers' preparations to come.

Reading - Federici, Mills, Ingimarsson, Bertrand, Griffin, Tabb, McAnuff, Kebe, Sigurdsson, Howard (Rasiak 61), Long (Church 67)

Subs not used - Hamer, Khizanishvilli, Gunnarsson, Matejovsky, Robson-Kanu 

Goals - Sigurdsson (85) 

Bookings - Rasiak 

QPR - Ikeme, Stewart, Gorkss, Connolly, Hill, Leigertwood, Faurlin, Ephraim, Taarabt (Ramage 80), Simpson, Priskin (German 87)

Subs not used - Cerny, Borrowdale, Buzsaky, Cook, Vine 

Bookings - Stewart, Connolly, Hill, Leigertwood, Faurlin 

Red cards - Stewart (two bookings) 

Referee - Mr G Ward 

Attendance - 16,886

Had these two clubs met just two or three weeks ago, this game would have taken on the complexion of a relegation six-pointer. Though neither side is certain of playing in the Championship next season, upturns in form for both have allowed their supporters to relax somewhat. Both sit on 44 points and will know that two or three more wins should guarantee them safety. After that, they can start to look up the table and see how high a finish they could possibly achieve. But first things first.... 

Reading Team News

On-loan defender Andy Griffin, an arrival from Stoke City in January, could return to the Royals' starting line-up after recovering from a hamstring strain. He will be given a late fitness test ahead of tonight's game. Two of the club's midfielders though, Jem Karacan and Kalifa Cisse, are unlikely to start - both rated as a couple of weeks away from first-team football.

The player to currently watch in the Reading side is Gylfi Sigurdsson. The midfielder is Reading's top scorer with twelve goals in all competitions, including both goals in the weekend's 2-0 win over Bristol City. Alongside his goalscoring, he also offers frighteningly accurate crosses and dead-ball delivery which will require maximum concentration of the Hoops' defenders.

QPR Team News

No fresh injury concerns for QPR, but Marcus Bent could miss out again as Neil Warnock tries to balance the number of loan players at the club - only five can be named in the match-day squad. Lee Cook was a late substitute on Saturday to replace Hogan Ephraim - perhaps Warnock will bring in a measure of squad rotation to get a proper look at Cook tonight. Akos Buzsaky will not want to spend too many more games on the bench either, but whilst the team is playing well and with more tailor-made wingers at the club, he could be left on the sidelines once more. I wouldn't expect too many changes from Saturday's side anyhow, with Tamas Priskin and Jay Simpson likely to lead the line once again.

Form

Since the turn of the year Reading's form has been steadily improving and so where they were once seriously flirting with the drop, they are now putting together a run which should soon see them safe. They've also been putting the ball into the net with greater frequency. In their last five games, they've put four past Derby County, five past Sheffield Wednesday and three past West Bromwich Albion and came close to causing an FA Cup upset against Aston Villa.

For Rangers, it's much the same as prior to the Sheffield United game. Warnock has achieved a number of things already in his short time at the club, including recording back-to-back wins and inspiring Rangers to their first clean sheet in donkeys' years. Now he has to try to deal with another albatross around QPR's neck - their inability to win on the road. It's November since their last away victory and just as Sheffield United was a tough ask to break that run, considering Reading's form, it may not be any easier tonight.

I believe, with the new manager in place, Rangers should have enough at home until the end of the season to be comfortably above the relegation area. But it would do wonders for their resurgent confidence to increase their points haul away from Loftus Road. If they win tonight it would also be their first league double of the season after beating the Royals 4-1 at home in back in October.

Prediction

Both teams have greatly changed since that game though. QPR were at the height of their powers then but a storm was brewing behind the scenes which they are only now starting to get over. Reading on the other hand were absolutely wretched then and for some weeks after.

That defeat at Loftus Road formed part of four defeats in a row and it could be argued that for once, a cup run actually helped a team's league form as their results greatly improved after their shock win at Anfield at the start of January.

That result alone shows what Reading are capable of and in Sigurdsson they have one of the best players outside the Premiership. QPR could make a case for placing Taarabt in the same bracket and tonight's contest could be a question of which of those two players can most greatly influence affairs. It's hard to bet against either side tonight, so I'm sitting on the fence - I'm expecting a highly entertaining score draw, possibly 2-2.

Prediction - 2-2

Taarabt Back To His Best

Every team, however hard-working and organised, wants to have a player capable of the special moments which supporters pay their hard-earned money to see. The importance of a well-trained, competitive defence hardly needs to be stated, especially for a team like QPR who have been shipping goals all season. But few would walk through the turnstiles to watch Kaspars Gorkss and Damion Stewart all afternoon, however vital they can be.

Adel Taarabt, on the other hand, is a player that neutrals may even front up 20 quid to take their place at Loftus Road in order to see what he can do and I say that as someone who has spent a great deal of the season questioning his contribution to the team.

Without doubt he can be the most infuriating player in the Rangers' line-up. At the same time, if QPR are struggling for inspiration and someone to actually win them a game, Taarabt is never a bad option.

So it proved on Saturday, though he couldn't extend Neil Warnock's winning run to three in a row, but did manage to maintain his new boss' unbeaten record with a wonderfully opportunist goal to earn the Hoops a 1-1 draw at Sheffield United.

When Taarabt scores a cracker, it is often a long-range gem as the swerving, dipping shots he can produce from distance are one of his strongest weapons. Saturday's vital goal which brought a deserved draw going by the run of play and chances created, was more emblematic of a goal-hungry striker though. In fact it reminded me, in the way he stretched to reach Jay Simpson's knock-on and then powered past his marker, Marcel Seip, before coolly slotting the ball home, of Alan Shearer. Or considering Taarabt's gait, the real Ronaldo (you know, the fat one who was rarely found on the sides of buses in his underwear). Both goals from the game can be seen below for as long as they remain on YouTube.



Am I getting carried away? Undeniably. But this goal was more about sheer strength and desire over inspiration or technical ability. It showed another side to the Moroccan's game and again demonstrated that in the right mindset, he can be a truly terrific player and one who should only get better. Of course, if and when his talent truly blossoms, it is far from clear what club he will be playing for.

Warnock Shows His Northern Roots

Neil Warnock has reminded QPR's supporters of his background on a few occasions since his arrival. As a Yorkshire man born and bred, he often brings up his provenance to explain why he is so outspoken and honest in his views, as if everyone from that part of the world spent their days waving their glasses at referees and swearing. But the biggest reminder came on Sunday night when he appeared on Match of the Day 2 and likened Wayne Rooney's performance against Fulham to the film Kes.

Kes, for the uninitiated, was Ken Loach's Barnsley-based 1969 film about a troubled boy and his growing love for a kestrel that he trains. Warnock was, I believe, referring to the football scene in the film and suggested that he could imagine Rooney putting out jumpers for goalposts such is his desire to play the game. Not a bad film to turn to for inspiration.

It made me wonder if Warnock incorporates his film tastes into his pre-match talks. Maybe he draws on Saving Private Ryan and the refrain of "Earn it" before sending his players into battle. He could always turn to Glengarry Glen Ross for tips on how to wind up his team - "You see pal, that's who I am. And you're nothing. Nice guy? I don't give a shit. Good father? Fuck you - go home and play with your kids."



Or maybe some Scarface advice for the younger players - "In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women."

Anything as long as he doesn't return to his Sheffield roots and play them The Full Monty before their next game.

Captain Sensible


In all the excitement surrounding QPR's resurgence in form, it is good to see that the players aren't getting too carried away. The team's captain no less, Mikele Leigertwood, has played down any foolhardy talk of a late dash to the play-offs and insisted at the weekend that their main focus is still on avoiding relegation.

Getting above the 50-point mark is the first stop on the route to Championship football next season, which means Rangers need two more wins before they can start to breathe a little more easily. In their current form that shouldn't take too long, though this weekend's visitors, Swansea City, led by former Rangers boss Paulo Sousa, won't be too keen to help them in their aim.

Anyway, Leigertwood for now is looking down the table rather than up and considering how bad QPR were earlier in the season, it's hard to blame him for still being in a slightly conservative mindset.

"We have got to take each game as it comes, survival is first and foremost for us and anything other than that is a bonus," he said.

Hard to argue with that.

It has been very hard not to focus on Neil Warnock since his arrival. As QPR have turned round their form, won two games on the trot and kept their first clean sheet in donkeys' years, the players have enjoyed a small degree of acclaim, but most of the attention has rightly been heaped on the new manager.

That is very unlikely to change today as he travels to the club he is most famously associated with, and whom he supported as a boy, Sheffield United. The win over WBA was pretty unexpected, the victory on Tuesday night probably less so. But if Warnock can make it three on the bounce, QPR's supporters will be in dream-land.

QPR Team News

Lee Cook returns to the squad after getting over a virus and will give Warnock a new attacking option on the wing. He was one of the few QPR players to regularly perform under Mick Harford, so surrounded by players in an altogether more positive frame of mind, he could really get going as the season nears its conclusion.

Captain Mikele Leigertwood, a former Blade, is also fit after suffering a gashed shin against Plymouth in midweek.

Sheffield United Team News

The Blades will never give up on the idea of the play-offs until it is mathematically impossible and they are far from those type of considerations just yet, sitting just four points behind sixth-placed Cardiff City who have a game in hand.

They will be without striker Ched Evans though who is out with a broken collarbone but can call on Darius Henderson who is now available after serving a suspension. Jamie Ward and Lee Williamson are both unavailable though with hamstring injuries.
Form

Improving all the time for QPR. With three games won out of their last four it isn't even too late for typical play-off talk to resurface around Rangers once again, though none of the players have got caught up in such speculation, and defender Kaspars Gorkss claimed such talk has been damaging to the club after the WBA game.

If they prefer to just concentrate on the day job and forget about silly talk of pushing for promotion, the next task on the horizon is improving the side's away form. Warnock has shown the players how to win games again and also how to keep a clean-sheet. Now he needs to remind them how to pick up points on the road which has been a relatively rare experience for Rangers. Their last away success came last November when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 and they've lost their last four away games at Middlesbrough, Coventry City, Peterborough and Nottingham Forest.

They don't have a particularly great record against Sheffield United either and have failed to beat them in their last seven attempts. This season the clubs have already met three times and Rangers have been less than inspiring in each game. Two dire draws in the league and cup, the latter which led to a capitulation at home in the replay, would suggest that Rangers could struggle today and that the game could be low on entertainment.

That said, whilst QPR's form looks to be on an upward curve, United's has been going in the opposite direction. They've lost three of their last four games and desperately need a result today to get their promotion challenge back on track.
Prediction

When QPR were losing (and you don't have to look back to far to remember that), it seemed like whatever they did, they were doomed to end up pointless. Different combinations in defence, new strikers up front, new personnel in the dug-out - all failed to have the required effect on the team's results.

Could the opposite effect now occur? Could the positive spirit which was abundantly clear in their last two games spur them on to an equally lenghty winning run? Is a late dash for the play-offs completely unfeasible?

Probably yes. But sometimes footballers can be simple beasts. Caught in a losing streak, they, just like the supporters, can start to believe they are doomed to failure. Likewise, win two games in a row and they can think they are world-beaters. If Warnock can harness that feel-good factor once again, I expect them to make three in a row this afternoon.

AWAY WIN

After recording his second win in just two games at QPR, a feat which Paul Hart and Mick Harford were unable to achieve during their tenures at the club, it is clear that Neil Warnock has made a strong impact on a squad which had the confidence of a pub team before his arrival. Rangers beat relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle last night, 2-0, thereby moving up to 15th in the table and leaving a six-point cushion between themselves and the drop spots.

More importantly, they also recorded their first clean sheet in an incredible 25 attempts. Adel Taarabt sent the Hoops on their way with a first-half penalty before turning provider early in the second period to plant a free-kick on the head of defender Damion Stewart.

With little difference in personnel between Warnock and Harford's playing squads, the only possible conclusion is that the breath of fresh air provided by the change in management has worked wonders in the Rangers dressing room. That said, Hart and Harford must look at QPR's last two performances and wonder how they couldn't get the players to gel quite so convincingly. If you wanted to be hyper-critical of the squad, you could rightly ask how they could be so abject just a few weeks ago and now be setting the world to rights.

Taarabt is probably one player who won't have to check his conscience too strongly because under Harford he was an infrequent starter. Returned to the starting line-up for Warnock's first two games, he has been the most clear beneficiary of the 'new manager effect' and is now recreating the form which took him to Spurs, whom he is on loan from, in the first place.

The Moroccan's talent is rarely in doubt but his application to the game and decision-making is frequently criticised. Warnock believes he can get the best out of the 20-year-old though, as reported in the Evening Standard yesterday, after consulting Spurs manager Harry Redknapp.

"I know he's got a lot of skill but I've spoken to Harry and he's the sort of player who will make you pull your hair out at times," said Warnock.

The QPR crowd could back that statement up and it's a surprise they are not all bald after watching Taarabt on the Loftus Road pitch this season. Capable of moments of sublime skill, such as a contender for the Hoops' goal of the season at home to Preston earlier in the season, he has been equally capable of running into a corner-flag cul-de-sac rather than pass the ball and when he does, he often finds touch rather than a team-mate. When supporters gathered outside the stadium in January to protest Flavio Briatore's chairmanship, it was notable that Taarabt came in for some stick on leaving the ground, including chants of 'why don't you pass the ball?'

He is contracted to stay with QPR until the end of this season at which time he will return to White Hart Lane, with an extension to his loan stay unlikely unless Warnock can put together a remarkable last-minute charge into the play-off places. But even if that is a far-fetched idea, QPR's supporters will be hoping to see the good side of Taarabt in the remaining weeks of the season.

"He's a gifted lad who's working harder than he's ever done and he's going to do that to get into Harry's Premier League squad," said Warnock.

"But I think I'm the right manager for him. He knows he doesn't mess about on the half-way line - if he does he knows what he'll get from me."

Another Hoops loanee, Jay Simpson, who has 12 league goals this season, could be playing in hoops of a different colour next season if some reports today are to be believed. Simpson is on loan from Arsenal and though Arsene Wenger is reportedly a fan, he will have stiff competition to hold down a starting place at the Emirates, with Robin Van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner, Eduardo da Silva, Carlos Vela and even Andrey Arshavin all above him in the pecking order to start as a striker.

As a result, Celtic could launch a bid to take the youngster north of the border this summer. Celtic boss Tony Mowbray is on the lookout to add to his attacking options at the Parkhead club. Though Mowbray is far from certain to stay in his job next season, if he does, Simpson could be top of his transfer list. Even if he doesn't opt for Glasgow, after an impressive season in the Championship he is a good bet to move on this summer.

The remainder of QPR's season then could largely depend on two players unlikely to be there next season. But if they can reproduce their best form up until May, they will leave with better memories than they would have just a month ago.

How quickly things can change in football. A month ago, QPR lost to bottom-side Peterborough, just a week after supporters demonstrated outside Loftus Road to voice their displeasure with the way the club was heading. In the four weeks since, Rangers have acquired a new chairman, a new manager and a new outlook on life. If you can beat the second-placed team in the league, surely you can beat most others.

The logic of Championship football is probably not so straight-forward and the Hoops face a very different challenge tonight when they welcome Plymouth Argyle, a side clinging on for dear life to stay in this league. The Pilgrims are seven points off safety and need to accrue some points quickly before they are consigned, as Peterborough surely are, to League One football next season.

Manager Neil Warnock is certainly convinced that his side face a tough challenge.

"They're fighting for their lives, as are a lot of teams for one reason or another, so we'll have to produce the goods again to get the result we want and need" he said.

"They'll come to keep it tight and hit us on the break unlike West Brom who came here and were very open."

He also hinted that QPR looked like a team who weren't used to winning on Saturday. The extent to which he has cured some of their psychological gremlins will be revealed this evening.

QPR Team News

Lee Cook is doubtful for Rangers as he struggles to get over a cold which kept him out of Saturday's memorable win and will be given a late fitness test. Apart from that, there aren't any fresh injury concerns.

The biggest selection headache for Warnock against WBA was getting the right number of loan players in the squad. The manager rather honestly revealed after the game that he originally had Marcus Bent down in the match-day squad and the player himself had to remind Warnock that he had too many loan players down - only five can feature in a squad of 18. In a case of shooting the messenger, Bent was promptly dropped.

Argyle Team News

Plymouth's main concern is over midfielder Craig Noone who is doubtful after picking up a knock in the club's weekend 1-1 draw with Preston.

Form

Despite the heady rush of optimism around anyone associated with QPR, one win isn't enough to banish memories of QPR's form for much of this season, though they now have two wins in their last six league games.

A sore subject as mentioned before on this blog is their defensive record this season which is staggering for its lack of clean sheets. Their last league shut-out was against Preston on October 17 so if Warnock can inspire the team to keep Argyle at bay tonight, he might be hailed as the messiah.

Argyle's form is little better than QPR's which is why of course they have occupied a position near the foot of the table for the majority of the season. They've won only one of their last eight games though they are becoming increasingly hard to beat with 1-1 draws with Swansea City, Leicester City and Preston in their last four games and they were close to a miraculous draw in their 4-3 defeat at Bramall Lane.

Prediction

Plymouth really are hanging on by a hair's breadth and some of the results mentioned above show that through sheer will they are desperately trying to stay in contention to stay up. At the same time, it also shows that they lack enough imagination and attacking potential in their team to actually start winning enough games.

Warnock is right to warn of the test ahead tonight. But he showed on Saturday the value of man management and personality in inspiring footballers to raise their games. The confidence should still be coursing through the team and so the league position could look slightly better tomorrow.

HOME WIN

In the warm glow around Loftus Road on Saturday after their 3-1 win over West Brom, the only tarnish on the happy proceedings was the team's inability, once again, to keep a clean sheet.

Last season, QPR's reasonable league finish, with talk of the play-offs until relatively late in the season, was built on the back of a defence which rarely gave the opposition the satisfaction of scoring and Rangers finished the season with the best defensive record in the league.

It is hard to understand, then, what has gone wrong for the Super Hoops this season as many of their current problems have their root in some woeful play at the back. It's now 24 games in all competitions since the club kept a clean-sheet, so working on the back four's collective play will be top of new manager Neil Warnock's to-do list.

Kaspars Gorkss, the Latvian international who joined the club in July 2008, has formed a part of that defence for much of this season and though he was happy to see Warnock's reign at QPR kick off with a win, he also admitted that he is far from pleased with his and his colleagues' inability to keep the ball out of their own net.

"We're not good enough defensively, maybe," he said after the game.

"At the beginning of the season we were scoring four goals every game so it wasn't too bad but once we stopped scoring we still conceded at least a goal every game so that's a big problem for us.

"Obviously for me as a defender it's very frustrating that you can say that West Brom didn't have any clear cut chances and they still get a goal against us and I think it was the same against Doncaster.

"It is a bit frustrating but hopefully we can change that as well."

The managerial switches may have harmed the defence's cohesiveness, though there were a few switches in the dug-out last season as well, but if QPR are to climb away from the bottom three, they will surely have to record a clean sheet sooner rather than later.

Warnock's influence on the training pitch could be crucial there and Gorkss confirmed that he had given the players his trademark tough first training session to show them who was boss.

"He made us wear shin pads on our first training," he said.

"I think as a professional player you need to take on every idea that a new manager has and just accept his philosophy of the game.

"I think that's what we need at the moment.

"We just need a leader who prepares us for the matches, for the fight.

After switching jobs at the age of 61 and signing a three-and-a-half year contract, Warnock has also lost none of his passion for football and described how he instructed the players to smile and enjoy the game before sending them out against West Brom. Once again, Gorkss confirmed that his personality was already having an impact on the players.

"I think everyone knows how enthusiastic he is about doing things and I think his enthusiasm is transferring to the players," he said.

"It shows on the pitch as well and it helped us to win."

A real mark of progress for QPR then will be when they do finally prevent the opposition from scoring. The next opportunity is tomorrow against Plymouth - a game which on paper should be simpler than West Brom, as Argyle are currently mired in the relegation area. So the most contented person at full-time would definitely be Kaspars Gorkss if the Hoops' goal remains untroubled. 

QPR started a new era at Loftus Road with a surprise win over promotion-chasers West Brom which did their hopes of staying in the Championship no harm.

They absolutely raced off the blocks here and it was clear that their new manager, Neil Warnock, had made an instant impact on his players.

West Brom admittedly looked pretty lethargic in the opening minutes but there was a definite swagger to Rangers play. Kaspar Gorkss and Matt Connolly had overcome whatever knocks had put their selections in doubt, with the latter player at right-back and Damion Stewart partnering the Latvian in the middle of the back four, with Matt Hill on the left.

Mikele Leigertwood and Alejandro Faurlin played the holding roles in midfield with Warnock going for Hogan Ephraim on the left wing and Adel Taarabt on the right. That left Tamas Priskin in a pair of bright yellow boots to partner Jay Simpson up front.

Anyone who had seen Priksin's brief previous appearances for Rangers would have questioned if he had the ability to pull off such a cocky choice of footwear but in the first half, Priskin was very lively, at one point nonchalantly flicking the ball onto Adel Taarabt who was brought down by Youssuf Mulumbu in the middle of the park.

Rangers were 1-0 up after just twelve minutes, though there was a touch of luck to the goal. Taarabt did well to find space down the right touch line and curled a low cross into the box with Jay Simpson ready to sniff out a goal. It was comfortably within Scott Carson's reach but he somehow managed to fumble it away. In the melee, it landed to Simpson for probably his easiest goal of the season.

The second goal was pure class though. After a brief flurry of passes in the middle of the park,  Faurlin smartly worked it across the field to Matt Connolly who somehow was completely unmarked and in acres of space on the edge of the box. Connolly's reaction was calmness personified though, especially for someone who plies their trade in defence. He quickly controlled the ball and then tucked it under Scott Carson who was quickly advancing in his direction.

West Brom were very poor up until that point but as the half neared its conclusion they began to hold a greater degree of the possession. With ten minutes remaining in the half, Jerome Thomas flashed a pinpoint cross into the R's box and Chris Brunt placed a header high over Carl Ikeme. It showed that however much he may have fired up the team, Warnock hadn't corrected team's defensive lapses in concentration just yet, this being their 22nd game without a clean sheet.

They failed to maintain their pressure on the QPR goal following the break though and once again it was the home side who looked more dangerous.

With close to an hour played, Warnock made his first substitution, replacing the quiet Ephraim with Akos Buzsaky and it paid dividends just five minutes later. Rangers won a free-kick in a very unpromising position, around 40 yards out and near the managers' dug-outs.

A bevy of players were ready in  the box for Buzsaky to pump the ball in which he did, whipping a high, curling ball straight into the area. Somehow it evaded everyone, including Carson, whose positioning looked questionable, bounced up and hit the top end of the right post. From there, it came down and trickled into the net. It was a truly bizarre and slightly fortuitous goal and it completely knocked the stuffing out of the visitors.

West Brom continued to keep the ball whilst rarely threatening the Rangers net and in fairness, the Hoops could have added to the score line before the end to truly embarrass their opponents. Both Simpson and late substitute Rowan Vine had excellent chances, particularly Simpson who was threw on goal, but they both panicked with poor finishes.

The confidence throughout the Rangers side today though was apparent and a massive change from some of the fearful performances at Loftus Road since the new year. It also lifts them away from the relegation trouble, though the new boss is unlikely to be resting on his laurels just yet.

Graham Taylor has not been the only person in football to suggest that Neil Warnock has jumped from "the frying pan into the fire" by joining QPR this week.

Warnock's previous club, Crystal Palace, were put into administration this season, leading to a ten-point deduction and they are now just one position off the relegation area. QPR obviously have a greater degree of financial security than Palace, but in terms of the league, it is right to say that there was little difference between the job Warnock would have had to perform there and now has to do at Rangers.

The Hoops are just three points ahead of Palace and as if Warnock's job of familiarising himself with a completely new squad wasn't hard enough, his first game in charge is against second-placed, promotion-chasing WBA, who need all the positive results they can get to hold Nottingham Forest and potentially even Swansea off for the second automatic promotion spot.

QPR Team News

The team news hasn't been kind to the new boss either.

QPR's season has lurched from one crisis to another but a common theme on the pitch has been defensive ineptitude. They haven't kept a clean sheet in 21 games and to make matters worse, central defenders Kaspars Gorkss and Matt Connolly could both miss out today. Connolly is recovering from an ankle injury whilst Gorkss hasn't trained all week after picking up a knock. With Fitz Hall on loan at Newcastle, that leaves Damion Stewart as the only recognised first-team central defender on the books.

Lee Cook, who only returned to the side at the end of January following a long-term injury, could also miss out after struggling with a cold this week.

Up front, Tamas Priskin and Marcus Bent should both be fit after recovering from groin and hamstring injuries respectively so Warnock will also have to decide whether to start with either of them or retain 18-year old Antonio German in the side alongside top scorer Jay Simpson.

West Brom Team News

West Brom striker Roman Bednar is not expected to play after missing their game last weekend with a groin strain. Fellow front man Ishmael Miller could start though after getting over an ankle injury and midfielder Giles Barnes is also in contention after an Achilles problem.

The Baggies have also dared to tread where QPR did earlier this season by bringing Blackburn's Steven Reid in on a one-month loan. Reid only played two games for the Hoops but his addition to the squad alongside defender Tommy Williams seemed to unsettle the side back in November. He played in the club's 2-0 defeat to Doncaster and 2-2 draw with Coventry City which were followed by the embarrasing 5-1 defeat to Middlesbrough and then the bust-up at Watford.

Form

QPR will be praying that their momentary upturn in form against Doncaster two weeks ago wasn't just that - a positive blip in an otherwise horrendous run of results. That was still the club's only win since Boxing Day last year and they shave the poorest form in the whole league, with those three points all they have to show for their last seven games. Going up against West Brom, they rarely prosper either, with no home wins against the Baggies in nine years.

West Brom remain firmly in contention for the second automatic promotion spot with just one league defeat in their last six games and won't have completely given up on winning the division, despite trailing leaders Newcastle by six points. They have the second-best away form in the league over the last six games, behind Swansea but their last two trips have ended unsuccessfully, with a 3-2 FA Cup defeat at Reading and a 2-1 league defeat against Bristol City.

Prediction

The 'new-manager' syndrome is a very seductive idea in football and does tend to work against QPR, but rarely for them. This season, four different managers have made Rangers debuts (including the pairing of Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham, who took charge for one game only against today's opponents) and by a strange twist, all have managed draws (Jim Magilton and Mick Harford in the home and away games against Blackpool and Paul Hart against Sheffield United).

Could Neil Warnock buck the trend either way? Reading some of his comments in his column in The Independent, it appears he likes to make a strong impression on his new players straight away, saying that he put his new charges through a "robust" first training session. With his infectious enthusiasm for the game and strong will to win, he was clearly an excellent candidate to get QPR out of their current predicament.

I still believe they will do that, but I don't think the fight-back will start today. As mentioned above, the defence has been the weakest point of a highly ineffectual season and it is down to the bare bones today unless Gorkss and Connolly can both come through late fitness tests. As a result, the new manager will have to piece together a make-shift defence which could struggle against the league's top scorers. I expect a gutsy committed performance from the Hoops and there's not been too many times you could say that this season, but at the end of the day, I expect West Brom's class to win out.

AWAY WIN

QPR's new manager Neil Warnock is well-known for his frank talk and honest assessments of the game, though plenty of linesmen and referees probably wished he kept some of his opinions to himself over the years.

But Warnock, picutred above at previous club Crystal Palace, showed today that he can be as equally forthright when it comes to discussing himself. Speaking to Rangers' website, Warnock acknowledged that for many, he is football's answer to Marmite.

"I know fans either love me or hate me, but all I ask of the QPR fanbase is that you get behind me and the team and make Loftus Road a fortress again," he said.

"The support of the Super Hoops will play a massive role in my time here."

Many Rangers' supporters have grown increasingly disheartened with the club over the course of this season and there have been numerous voicings of their disapproval.

Previous QPR manager, Paul Hart, who took the vacant position left by Warnock at Palace this week, was booed by the Loftus Road crowd after just two games in charge due to a frustratingly negative performance against Bristol City.

Fan power could also have contributed to QPR's last chairman, Flavio Briatore, deciding to take a back-seat at the club and cede his position to Ishan Saksena.

Flavio's last two games as chairman were marred by boos and chants towards the director's box, with several hundred supporters congregating outside the stadium following a 1-0 defeat against Scunthorpe in January to call for his resignation.

So Warnock is smart in looking to win over the home crowd as soon as possible. Of course, the easiest way to win the adulation of QPR's fans will be to turn around the club's woeful form and ensure that they play Championship football next season.

Rangers are still just three points off the relegation places and the new manager doesn't have the luxury of any easy games as he settles into the job, with second-placed West Bromwich Albion visiting on Saturday and a trip to another of his previous clubs, Sheffield United, within the next two weeks.

One manager, Graham Taylor, has even questioned the thinking behind Warnock's switch from Palace to Rangers in his Daily Express column.

"Why join QPR at 61?" Taylor asked.

"Obviously his position at Palace had to be under threat due to the club being placed in administration.

"But he seems to have jumped out of one fire and straight into another."

Taylor certainly backs up Warnock's self-assessment by claiming that he was always top of his list of 'Opposing Managers To Avoid' on a match-day.

The Rangers' crowd will get their first taste of his own peculiar brand of charm this weekend.

Things are never entirely simple when it comes to QPR.

Following an announcement on QPR's website last night, it was taken as certain that Neil Warnock was signing on as the Hoops' new manager.

However, Warnock's former club Crystal Palace threw a slight spanner in the works today by revealing that no compensation deal had been finalised and the deal was far from done.

Whether that was posturing on their part is unclear but Rangers' fans can finally breathe easily.

Neil Warnock is definitely in place, compensation has been arranged and the new boss has even lined up his back-room staff with Mick Jones, who worked with Warnock at Notts County, Huddersfield, Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield United and then Palace set to be assistant manager and another Palace boy, Keith Curle, signing on as first-team coach.

To add to the confusion, Palace have quickly moved into the managerial market themselves to appoint Paul Hart - who was the QPR boss just two months ago.

Hart famously lasted just five games at Loftus Road but is now charged with an even tougher job to keep Palace in the Championship after the club was docked ten points following their administration.

For all the noises coming out of Selhurst Park today, Warnock was pretty certain of his intended destination in his column for The Independent, which read as a love letter to the Palace supporters.

"Leaving a club in administration for one with huge potential must look like an easy decision but it has been one of the most difficult of my career, and there's been a few" said Warnock.

"The reason I am sad, as well as excited, is that of all the clubs I have been at the fans at Crystal Palace have been the best.

"It's easy to say, but I'm not just saying it because I'm leaving.

"The support they have given me and the players during a very difficult few months, and beforehand, has been fantastic and is something I will never forget."

Volz Under The Microscope Once More

Whilst getting to grip with a whole new squad, the new boss will also have to give the once-over to a player who has been regularly linked with QPR in recent weeks.

Former Fulham and Arsenal full-back Moritz Volz has been training with QPR since the turn of the year as he attempts to recover from a series of injuries which have kept him out of competitive football since last season.

His latest outing on the QPR reserves roadshow comes tonight when Rangers' second string line up against Millwall Reserves at Dartford Football Club.

Angelo Balanta and Gary Borrowdale are also expected to feature.

The best kept-secret in football is now out.

Weeks of speculation about the future identity of QPR's manager are at an end as Crystal Palace's Neil Warnock finally signed on the dotted line yesterday after a compensation deal was hammered out between the two clubs.

The Hoops have been on the look-out for a new boss since Paul Hart left at the turn of the year, with caretaker manager Mick Harford freely admitting that he was there only to look after the club in the interim. Warnock's name was closely linked with the QPR position, especially after his former club Crystal Palace went into administration and were docked ten points. It left him in an unenviably insecure position at the club and more receptive to offers from elsewhere.

Those offers came quick and fast from west London and the two clubs agreed a deal yesterday, which is reportedly set to improve Palace's coffers by £500,000. There were rumours of a £1 million release clause in Warnock's Palace contract, so with that club in administration, it may have been a question of QPR haggling down their London rivals over the last few days.

Despite Rangers' precarious league position, just three points off the relegation spots, Warnock was adamant that he was making the right decision.

"I am delighted to be joining a club with the history that QPR has," he said.

"As a manager, Loftus Road is always a place I loved because of the fantastic atmosphere there. Looking from afar, I believe this is the perfect time to come in, with the new structure and chairman in place."

Signing a manager of Warnock's calibre is certainly a considerable achievement for QPR's new chairman Ishan Saksena and his financial backers Lakshmi Mittal and Amit Bhatia. For all his characterisations as a serial moaner and hot-head, Warnock has bags of experience in the Football League at clubs including Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle and most notably at Sheffield United who he took into the Premiership and to the FA Cup semi-finals.

The degree to which Warnock forges an easy working relationship with Saksena could have great bearing both on his future with the club and QPR's potential. Recent managerial appointments have been blighted by interference from previous chairman Flavio Briatore which meant that few lasted any great length of time. Though he will not be able to go into the transfer market before the end of this season, it will also be interesting to see if he recieves significant financial backing from the club, beyond investment in loan signings and free transfers.

Saksena said: "Neil was always our number one target so we are delighted to announce him as our manager.

"He has great experience in English football and a phenomenal track record. I believe he is the right man to help QPR achieve its ambitions."

He faces a formidable test in his first game in charge though as QPR welcome promotion-chasing WBA this weekend.

QPR managed to have only the miniest of mini-revivals and returned to losing ways this weekend with a 2-0 defeat against Gordon Strachan's Middlesbrough, which meant the North East club completed a double over Rangers for the first time in their history.

After finally winning a game, against Doncaster Rovers, the weekend previously, it was always a tall order for QPR to maintain that form against a Boro side, who for all their fluctuations in form, remain promotion candidates. That said, opting for a 4-5-1 formation, with Jay Simpson on the right wing and youngster Antonio German leading the line alone, quickly established that Rangers' ambitions were not far-reaching. When you add the usual calamitous defending into the mix, which led to two successfully taken penalties for Boro, it is unsurprising that the Hoops returned to west London pointless.

1 - "We made silly mistakes and got punished for them". No truer words have been spoken than manager Mick Harford's following the game. A compilation of QPR's defending this season would be X-rated stuff and not for the squeamish and it continues to amaze me that a side which had one of the meanest defences last season has become so flaky at the back.

Kaspars Gorkss, in my opinion, has been one of the better signings of the Briatore era, a player who already had experience at the Championship level and who, after a shaky start to his QPR career, grew in confidence and stature last season. His form hasn't been helped by the team's in general this time round but when a normally reliable player starts to commit defensive howlers, it's hard to see how Rangers will ever get another clean-sheet. His foolish lunge at Leroy Lita which led to Boro's second penalty effectively killed the game before half-time.

Similarly, I've never been in the Peter Ramage-bashing brigade and have found it hard to understand why players are often played out of position at right-back whilst Ramage sits on the bench.  I suppose he gave one indication on Saturday though. Natural pace is not his strong card but it was still far too easy for Jeremie Aliadiere to round him and he compounded his error by going to ground and drawing the penalty.

2 - The manager is right in another sense as well. Mick Harford has repeatedly said the club needs a manager to come in. Without being harsh, it makes you question what he is then - is he not a manager himself? - though I think in fairness he is pointing to the need for stability at the club, for someone who could be at Loftus Road for a number of years and could start to rebuild the team.

Co-owner Amit Bhatia said similar things last week and at the time, I took that as potentially a vote of confidence for Harford but I don't know how right that was and all the reports suggest Boro was his last game, with Palace's Neil Warnock still the most likely replacement.

The results under Harford certainly haven't been good enough for him to take the job long-term, something which again he bravely acknowledges. But as I've said for the last few weeks, a decision needs to be made really quickly.

3 - QPR have been poor. But some teams are poorer. The one saving grace of this season could be that there are just enough teams in this league worse off than Rangers, in terms of playing staff and their respective talents, for them to avoid the drop.

Their own efforts barely merit Championship football next season but when sides such as Sheffield Wednesday are being comprehensively routed by five goals against fellow relegation candidates Reading, you know that something is wrong. Plymouth as well, for all their best efforts, seem unable to pull themselves closer to safety and along with Peterborough still look like more than a good bet to go down. That leaves one place and though QPR shouldn't rely on other results, they are at least getting some help from the teams around them right now.

4 - Faith in youth can only extend so far as well. The enthusiastic and ambitious play of Jay Simpson and full debutant Antonio German against Doncaster was one of the main reasons that Rangers broke their winless run last weekend but it is hard to expect players of their inexperience, particularly German, to recreate that form week in, week out.

Playing German as a lone striker could be taken as a massive vote of confidence from Mick Harford and the player will never shirk the hard work needed to perform that role, but against David Wheater, the youngster failed to strongly influence the game.

Sadly, QPR's youthful options took another knock this weekend as highly-rated 15-year-old striker Raheem Sterling finally left the club for Liverpool, for a reported fee of £500,000. I've not seen Sterling play but if he is as good as some say, it was clear that he would eventually leave and it could have been detrimental to his ambitions to force him to stay at the club. That Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United were all after him suggests he could be a sensational talent and it seems that Liverpool's Academy set-up won out.

When QPR do bring in a new manager though, he needs to look into QPR's own youth set-up though, to ensure that the club can continue to develop talents such as Sterling, if only for the financial benefits they can provide.

Middlesbrough - Coyne, Pogatetz (Taylor, 78), Lita (Arca, 83), Aliadiere (Franks, 65), Killen, Flood, O'Neil, Robson, McManus, Wheater, Naughton

Subs not used - Jones, Hoyte, Miller, Grounds

Goals - Robson 38 (pen), 44 (pen)

Bookings - Killen

QPR - Ikeme, Ramage, Stewart, Leigertwood, Buzsaky, Gorkss, Cook, Faurlin (Taarabt, 69), Hill (Borrowdale, 54), Simpson, German (Bent, 54)

Subs not used - Cerny, Vine, Balanta, Ephraim

Bookings - Gorkss

Referee - K Woolmer

Attendance - 17,568 (523 QPR)