Queens Park Rangers v Manchester City
Date: 05th November
Kick off Time: 17:30
Venue: Loftus Road
Let’s start with a bit about our newly promoted opponents. It’s nice to see QPR back in the top flight, they are one of the old guard that were always around in my younger days and I do actually have a bit of affection for them. I know a couple of QPR fans and they are real football fans, you know the type who you can have a good conversation with and who don’t switch off as soon as they hear you’re a City fan (quite a rarity amongst opposition supporters these days)!
Amazingly, QPR are in a similar financial position to that of City, they have the wealthy West Ham Fan, Tony Fernandes as their owner. Fernandes has a personal wealth of around half a billion pounds, however, the QPR board boast wealth far beyond that. Fernandes recently bought out Formula 1 supremo’s Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, however they have retained their place on the board alongside 33% shareholder Lakshi Mittal who has a personal fortune of $31 Billion (6th richest person in the world). Any QPR fan looking at that board must have thought “Kerching” all of our Christmas’s have come at once! However, their first act after being promoted was to increase ticket prices by 40%, a move that was unpopular with everyone connected with football, not just the QPR fans. However, once Fernandes wrestled ultimate control of the club, he announced that season ticket holders would receive a refund and ticket prices would be reduced.
Well done that man
QPR are a very capable team and it must be frustrating for their fans. They have received hammerings by Bolton 4-0 and Fulham 6-0, but they have beaten Everton at Goodison, held Newcastle to a draw and stopped them from scoring (only arsenal have done that to Newcastle so far this season). More recently they beat their London rivals and title chasers Chelsea, a result that certainly put a smile on the face of the City fans.
This will be an intriguing game for us blues as we will have a love hate relationship with the QPR team sheet. I fully expect the travelling blues to give Shaunny Wright Wright Wright a rapturous cheer and at the same time I expect a very loud Jeer to every touch of the ball from the one time blues bad boy and saviour of Manchester City, Joey “Thanks” Barton. Neil Warnock has quite a few injury concerns with Shaun Derry out with a groin problem, Akos Buzsaky has an Achilles complaint, Rob Hulse is sidelined with a knee injury and DJ Campbell is missing with a foot injury. However, the perennial sick note Kieron Dyer could return from his foot injury while Adel Taarabt may play despite being subbed at half time last week because of persistent poor form, however, he has reported that he was suffering from a stomach complaint yesterday.
I expect to see some fireworks from him today!
City are currently riding on the crest of a wave that has seen Roberto Mancini pick up the manager of the month award for October. A month that saw all blues head back to work on a Monday morning with a massive smile on their faces, not least for the result at the swamp. However, Mancini is very quick to point out that there is a long way to go and everyone should focus on the task in hand, wise words Roberto, only 12 more points and we are safe from relegation for another year.
City are still unbeaten in the league this season and will be hoping their mercurial magician David “Merlin” Silva shakes of the back injury that saw him substituted in the midweek win over Villarreal. The blues are also without our rock solid captain fantastic, Vincent Kompany, after he was sent off trying to recover a Joe Hart mistake. Adam Johnsons form has picked up lately and will be in contention for a starting berth after he has decided that the best way to answer the manager’s criticisms is to prove him right! We all expect more of AJ as he is an exciting talent to watch and game changer when on form.
One to Watch
Aguero
One of those players who just seems to know how to be in the right place at the right time. Something of a fox in the box that I haven’t seen since Lineker hung up his boots. If Anton Ferdinand allows himself to be distracted, Sergio will most definitely capitalise. A few well chosen words about how John Terry is a stand up citizen should start the ball rolling.
Now that’s just plain cocky, Ricky Hatton recently told Lawro he thought it would be 8-0, but 10-0 is taking things a bit too far!
SWP
City Legend Shaun Wright-Phillips has been QPR’s outstanding outfield player this season, which comes as no surprise to any City fan. He will always have a place in my City Legends team. I just hope he has a stinker today.
Shaun is cooking on gas this season
Stat attack
Head-to-head
• The clubs are meeting for the first time since a League Cup tie in October 2003, when City beat QPR 3-0 at Loftus Road.
• City last beat QPR in a league match at Loftus Road in 1994 – a 2-1 win on 15 October.
• The last league match between them was in Division One, in March 2000, when QPR beat City 3-1 at Maine Road.
Queens Park Rangers
• Newly-promoted QPR have scored only eight goals in 11 league and cup games this season.
• They have gone four games without a defeat at home.
• In 10 league matches so far this year, QPR forward Adel Taarabt has had 29 shots – but scored no goals and has zero assists.
Manchester City
• They have only kept one clean sheet in their past six games.
• They have only failed to score in one of their 17 games in all competitions this season.
• In 10 league appearances this season, City’s David Silva has scored three goals, had 30 shots and clocked up six assists.
Archive
QPR 3-4 City, have a watch of this, that was a good City team, Phelan, Curle, Summerbee, Walsh, Beagrie, Quinn, Lomas, Brightwell and Flitcroft all playing, plus our very own Trevor Sinclair scoring against us!
See this preview and all things City at www.mancityfans.net