Tag Archives: redknapp

Mar 3 2013

Southampton 1-2 QPR: Late Bothroyd Strike Seals Crucial Away Win

Southampton vs QPRJay Bothroyd’s 76th minute goal earned Queens Park Rangers their third win of the season on Harry Redknapp’s birthday. Queens Park Rangers still remain at the bottom of the Premier League table but have found new hope that they can survive the battle against relegation. While for a disappointed Southampton this was a poor result, it is also one which keeps them in the battle to avoid the drop just three points from safety.

Southampton’s main changes to their team was the addition of Fonte and Fox to boost their defense after their 4-2 defeat against Newcastle United just last week. Meanwhile QPR’s changes of players included Remy, Hoilett, and Bothroyd for the injured Bobby Zamora.

Redknapp was greeted with the sound of boo’s from the home team supporters as Harry was the Southampton manager when they were relegated in 2005, before leaving to join their hated rivals Portsmouth just a few months later. Meanwhile, on the other end of the pitch, QPR fans got behind the new changes of the squad as well as Harry, and wished him a very happy 66th birthday.

Redknapp had suggested last week in a interview that he needed to give Junior Hoilett more of a chance as he has been out with an injury for a while, and the Canadian winger rewarded his managers faith in him by withdrawing a lovely diagonal ball from the left wing into the path of Loic Rémy. Artur Boruc’s positioning gave him a sizable portion of the goal to aim at and Rémy’s clipped shot beat the goalkeeper as well as  defender Fox on the line who was covering him. It was the Frenchman’s second goal for Queens Park Rangers since the £8m move from Marseille in the January transfer window.

Rémy could have added an another to his goal tally shortly afterwards, testing Boruc from the edge of the his area, and Southampton appeared to lack the fight and urgency which helped them beat Manchester City at St Mary’s  three weeks ago. Even though QPR seemed to be on top of their game, yet again they shot themselves in the foot in first-half stoppage time.

Southampton vs QPRJay Rodriguez had only just replaced the injured Adam Lallana when he fired away for Southampton’s first shot on target, shooting straight at Brazilian goalkeeper Julio César from 25 yards out. It should have been a comfortable save for the QPR goalkeeper, but the ball bounced off his chest and hands, which led to Gaston Ramirez, who pounced on to the split ball to dunk the rebound into the net.

The second half started well for both teams as they reacted quickly to when Rodriguez cut inside from the left and curled a beautiful shot just over the bar. Also, Jose Fonte’s long range drive from 25 yards out just about brushed the side-netting. At the other end of the stadium, Nathaniel Clyne’s block denied Hoilett a shot on goal.

Both goalkeepers where quiet for a while until half way through the second half, when Julio César was knocked out of his stride after a collision with Rodriguez after the Brazilian had spilled yet another simple shot to save. This collision caused Redknapp to make a change bringing on English international Robert Green a rare cap for Queens Park Rangers.

Both teams where trying very hard to win all three points but QPR came out on top as Southampton’s attacks were far too sluggish. With 13 minutes left, their lack of creativity surely punished them. Yoshida was too weak after a challenge with Park Ji-Sung on the right wing, and the QPR midfielder wriggled to the wireline before firing a killer cross into the six-yard box, where Bothroyd could hardly miss, even on a bad day.

Queens Park Rangers  fans helped boost the players confidence, getting behind the newly named squad, manager and owner, which put Southampton under a lot of pressure ever time they they got the ball. This helped QPR keep the most needed win even, though Southampton had thought they had equalized again when Fonte powered a header from a corner, only for Robert Green to somehow claw the ball away to make sure they keep the lead.

This win was definitely a huge boost for QPR.

Writen by Cam Millington

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Feb 24 2013

QPR 0-2 Manchester United: Red Devils Cruise Past QPR with Comfortable Away Win

QPR vs. Manchester UnitedThe full-back slammed a stunning half-volley into the top corner from 25 yards to put United ahead in the 23rd minute on a cagey afternoon in west London. Ryan Giggs sealed the points for the league leaders 10 minutes from time as he beat QPR’s offside trap to sweep the ball home.

The only concern for United will be the apparent back injury that forced top scorer Robin van Persie off five minutes before half-time after a collision on the touchline.

QPR manager Harry Redknapp recalled much-criticised defender Jose Bosingwa for the first time since December 9, with Fabio ineligible against his parent club, while Bobby Zamora led the attack for the hosts.

United started with a strong line-up as Van Persie returned to partner Chicharito in attack while Wayne Rooney was well enough to take a place on the bench after suffering a virus. Redknapp called for a cup-tie atmosphere before kick-off as he targeted 20 points to guide QPR to safety, and the crowd responded as they backed their side and jeered the league leaders, particularly Ashley Young after the winger’s dive to win a penalty against them last term.

After a tepid start to the game, United took the lead in the 23rd minute with a goal that came from absolutely nowhere. Julio Cesar parried away Van Persie’s initial cross-cum-shot and the ball fell for Rafael to crack an outstanding half-volley into the top corner from 25 yards. The Brazilian will likely never score a better goal in his life.

At the other end, Rafael was on hand in the 35th minute to deny QPR an equalizer as he cleared Christopher Samba’s header off the line from Esteban Granero’s corner. United immediately counterattacked and a swift move, which ended with Cesar producing a fingertip save to keep out Van Persie’s cushioned volley after the Dutchman latched on to a cross from Rafael.

It was the Dutchman’s last real involvement of the afternoon as he was substituted five minutes before the break with a back injury he appeared to pick up in an innocuous collision with a photographer in the build-up to United’s opener.

QPR vs. Manchester UnitedThe action barely picked up in the early stages of the second half and Redknapp responded on the hour mark by bringing on January signing Loic Remy for the injured Zamora. The Frenchman almost made an immediate impact when he cut in from the left and saw his powerful near-post shot saved by David de Gea in the United goal.

Yet as QPR attacked, the game opened up for United on the counter-attack and Sir Alex Ferguson’s side took the advantage 10 minutes from time. Nani played in Giggs and the 39-year-old used all of his experience to beat the offside trap and slot his finish past Cesar.

Moments later, the Welshman nearly scored a second of the afternoon as his mis-hit shot skied into the air and inadvertently hit the crossbar. But by then the result was beyond doubt as United stroll towards the title.

With yet another win, Manchester United sit atop the Premier League table with 68 points from their 22-2-3 record. They are a comfortable 15 points ahead of Blue counterpart Manchester City, while, Chelsea sit far below in 3rd with 49 points. Meanwhile, QPR sit in a devastating 20th (last) place on the table from their 2 wins, 11 draws, and 14 losses this season. They are clearly in a relegation battle, and will likely be relegated to the Championship the following season.

Written by Pierre Sanz

Rickie Lambert
Feb 13 2013

2012-13 Barclays Premier League Season So Far: Part 3

Queens Park Rangers

Adel TaarabtThe London club have had some troubles in the Premier League so far, but Harry Redknapp has come in and taken on a hell of a job. QPR are unbeaten in 5 games now and have kept some vital clean sheets against Manchester City and Chelsea. Julio Cesar has put in some vital performances in goal and has been a key player in getting points. He has to be just as consistent in the next part of the season if QPR have a chance of staying up. Adel Taarabt is one of the best play-makers in the Premier League and is the joint top goal scorer for QPR with 4 goals. He will certainly be a vital player in the future to help assist goals for his squad. After spending so much money, QPR simply cannot afford to be relegated, so I believe it will be the players’ responsibility to keep them up.

Reading

After winning the Championship last season, Reading entered the Premier League with the hopes of staying up. However, they did not win their first game until the November 17. Since the 26th of December, Reading have won 3 out of 6 games and only lost 1, and are showing a lot of fight to keep themselves beyond the dreaded Relegation Zone. At the end of January, they finished 19th, but picked up great results against Chelsea, Newcastle, and West Brom, and have now earned themselves the new nickname of the “Come Back Kings.” Adam Le Fondre has been on great form the last couple of games, after scoring 5 in 3 games and scoring 12 goals in total this season. I think even though Brian McDermott has what it takes to keep Reading up, the team is simply not strong enough to weather the likes of QPR, and will likely be relegated back to the Championship the following season.

Southampton

Rickie LambertAt the start of the season, the Saints would have been one of the teams predicted to participate in the relegation battle. However, a good start to the season from Nigel Adkins has left them in a convincing position. In January, a surprise sacking of the manager left the Saints with a new manager, who, unfortunately for them, cannot speak English. Mauricio Pochettino has lead the team to two draws and one loss since then. A key player this season has been the experienced Rickie Lambert, who has scored 11 goals, but the Saints have relied on him to score goals too many times. The signing of Gaston Ramirez, who joined in the summer for around £12 million, has been disappointing so far. He has scored only 3 goals after being brought in by Adkins to help Lambert and take pressure off of him. I think Southampton, with their new manager, will have to start turning draws into wins, and Pochettino will have to bring the best out of his players if they want to end the season in a higher position.

Stoke City

Tony Pulis’ men had a great start to the season, and were probably the hardest team to beat due to their strong defense.  However, recently, they have not been in the best form and have been conceding way too many goals for their liking, a total of 17 in their last 7 games. A key player in Stoke’s season so far has been goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. The Bosnian international has attracted a lot of attention from clubs due to his superb form but is getting let down by his defensive partners at the moment. Stoke’s top scorer is Jonathon Walters with 8 goals, and they will need him to carry on goal-scoring if they want to finish the season well.

Sunderland

Martin O’Neils team have had a fairly average season so far, finishing 12th at the end of the season. Steven Fletcher has scored 10 goals for the team after joining for 12 million in the summer from the Wolves. A lot of people would have thought he was not worth the sum they paid for him, however, he has proved that he was worth it and has exceeded the expectations of Sunderland fans. After joining from Manchester City, Adam Johnson has been in great form for Sunderland, and has been providing Fletcher with the assistance he needs. I think Sunderland are in for the same kind of finish they are in at the moment, however, will have to keep picking up results as they are only 8 points from the Relegation Zone. This will certainly be on Martin O’Neils mind throughout the remainder of the season.

Written by PAFCBake

Jan 2 2013

Chelsea 0-1 QPR: Late Winner From Wright-Phillips Humiliates Chelsea at Home

Last-placed Queens Park Rangers shocked the European Giants today as they cruised to a win at Chelsea for the first time in 30 years.

Chelsea 0-1 QPRShaun Wright-Phillips, who had formerly played for Chelsea, stole a much-needed 3 points from the Blues as they fell short of Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League table. On the 78th minute, Wright-Phillips found the bottom-left corner of the net after Chelsea failed to fend off a corner kick, ending Chelsea’s 4-game winning streak.

The last time QPR recorded a victory in the West London Derby was in April of 1983, before the existence of the Premier League, which ended in a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

In addition to that, this was QPR’s first away win of the entire season. In fact, QPR’s last away win was in November of 2011, over 1 year ago, which certainly makes their triumph an achievement worthy of celebration. Delighted with the results, QPR manager Harry Redknapp said:

“I can’t remember many better wins than this one, with Chelsea flying at the moment.”

QPR’s win could be vital to their staying in the Premier League for next season. They are still tied for last place in terms of points (with Reading) and are in the Relegation Zone, but they are also fairly close to Wigan Athletic and Southampton. Providing QPR has a more successful 2nd half of the season, we could see them dodge relegation just as they did last season, arriving in a close 17th place before Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Talking about the situation, Redknapp noted:

“They’ve set the standard what they’ve got to do if we are going to get out of this mess.”

On the other hand, Chelsea’s loss could possibly be detrimental. This was yet another defeat recorded under Benitez’s leadership, proving Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s decision to sack Roberto Di Matteo a dire mistake. Now they are in 4th place in the league, far behind leaders Manchester United.

Chelsea 0-1 QPRChelsea had already met with QPR this season in September, back when Di Matteo was in charge, and ended scoreless. Benitez made numerous changes to their starting lineup, but failed to avert the threat. He benched Juan Mata, who had been extremely successful this season and started their last 9 games, in favor of inexperienced Marko Marin.

Meanwhile, Fernando Torres continued his season-long starting streak despite Benitez’s promise to rest the Spanish striker. Torres, who had been seemingly dormant for the beginning of the season, partially recovered his fire when Benitez arrived, scoring 7 goals in 6 consecutive games. But in the last 3 games, he has once again been unable to find the net for Chelsea.

In fact, Torres barely even tested QPR goalkeeper Julio Cesar, and with Demba Ba’s transfer from Newcastle to the Blues, he must up his game if he wants to keep his position as Chelsea’s star striker.

The first half saw few shots from either squad. That changed, though, after 45 minutes. Strikes from Ivanovic and Moses were continually shot at the QPR goal, but all had gone wide. Frank Lampard actually scored a goal, which was later ruled offside.

But the tide changed for QPR at the 60 minute mark, when they began setting up dangerous situations for Chelsea. They finally took the lead by virtue of Shaun Wright-Phillips, ending the historic game in a 1-0 win for QPR.

Chelsea have recorded their 4th loss this season against QPR and are now in 4th place with 38 points. They are a total of 14 points behind league leaders Manchester United (52 points), followed by Manchester City in 2nd (45 points) and now Tottenham Hotspur in 3rd (38 points). Meanwhile, despite their win, QPR are still in last with 13 points. They are tied with Reading in terms of points, and are 5 behind Wigan and Southampton. If results hold, QPR will be relegated from the Premier League to the English League Championship next season.

Written by FutbolPulse