please log in to view this image QPR will host bottom of the table Rotherham on Saturday for the last match before the league calendar takes a two week break for international fixtures. Rangers will be seeking revenge on Rotherham after the Millers secured a rare but deserved victory back when the sides met last December. Since that game things have dramatically improved for Rangers but the same cannot be said of our visitors who find themselves rooted at the bottom of the league 22 points adrift of Blackburn in 21st. In the unlikely situation that Rotherham were to win all their remaining nine league games such is their position in the table that it would not guarantee them staying up. It looks like being a disappointing end to what has been a really positive three years for Rotherham. Since their promotion from League One back in 2014, they have defied the odds and beaten the drop but it looks a step too far for them this year. It’s also been a difficult season in terms of the way the club has been managed. Alan Stubbs began the campaign as manager but lasted just five months before former R’s assistant manager Kenny Jackett took the job however he was there for less than 40 days before handing in his resignation. Paul Warne, who played over 250 games for Rotherham has been appointed on an interim basis. Since his appointment Rotherham have won just three games and have picked up only four points in 2017, scoring seven goals. The Millers playing staff is not the biggest but there are some talented individuals amongst it including striker Danny Ward who was heavily linked with Rangers during the January transfer window. Despite Rotherham’s struggles he’s managed to find the net ten times this season and has scored nine of their 32 league goals. Last weekend Warne’s side battled hard, showing that none of the players amongst the South Yorkshire outfit have surrendered the sword just yet, but ultimately succumbed to a 1-0 home defeat to Wolves. QPR go into this one in great form having gathered more points than anyone in the Championship in the last six fixtures. It shows just how far the club has come in the last few months that a draw against Leeds left some disappointed given the quality of the performance on the day and you’d imagine a similar display against Rotherham will see another three points in the bag. The Hoops know that a victory could see them climb into the top half of the table for the first time since September and set up the perfect platform to end the season on a high. please log in to view this image TEAM NEWS QPR: Jack Robinson is getting closer to a return to full fitness whilst Kazenga LuaLua is also making progress but both are out for this weekend’s fixture. Jordan Cousins remains side-lined. Rotherham: Goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell is back in light training but Saturday’s game will come too soon for him and defender Darnell Fisher has also been ruled out. Both Jonson Clarke-Harris and Carlton Morris are in contention to return to the squad as is former Rangers player Dexter Blackstock but Joe Mattock misses out through suspension. Possible Starting Xl's please log in to view this image Price, Vaulks, Ajayi, Belaid, Purrington, Forde, Smallwood, Frecklington, Taylor, Adeyemi, Ward. Key Player: Danny Ward - Rotherham’s main source of goals and their biggest threat going forward. PRE MATCH TALK Ian Holloway: “We're not good favourites! QPR never have been, have they? Anyone who thinks it's going to be easy is naive. They're not going to come here and roll over. No QPR fan should turn up at Loftus Road and be cocky this weekend. If they do, they don't understand this league. Our preparation this week has been all about how we win this game. No-one in our training ground is taking this fixture lightly and believe you me, everyone knows exactly what we need to do to get a positive result. I remember how it felt losing to them up at their place earlier in the season.” please log in to view this image Matt Hamshaw (interim assistant): “We've watched them and we're very impressed. We think there are areas we can penetrate but we know their strengths too. You don't have to prove anything if you’re Ian Holloway with his achievements in the game. We want to put our away record to bed.” MATCH ODDS QPR win: 4/9 Draw: 7/2 Rotherham win: 6/1 QPR first goal scorer: Matt Smith 4/1 Rotherham first goal scorer: Danny Ward 7/1 LAST TIME OUT Rotherham 1-0 QPR - Championship, Saturday 10th December 2016 Rotherham goal-scorer: Isaiah Brown HEAD TO HEAD (In all competitions) QPR wins: 6 Draws: 4 Rotherham wins: 5 MATCH OFFICIALS Referee: Oliver Langford Assistant Referees: Dan Cook and Darren Blunden Fourth official: Nicholas Kinseley WEATHER FORECAST Changeable over the weekend with some outbreaks of rain but it will often be dry. 10% chance of rain. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
Wasn't he injured against Barnsley? Do like that side.......assume Hall will step out into the holding role allowing the others to play further forward?
Injured vs Barnsley... I think that was during my ill 3 days.....no memory of those days at all.......
That form table sort of worries me - hopefully Rotherham depart HQ with more than a -50 GD. It would be embarrassing if despite their imminent relegation, Rotherham were able to achieve the double over us.
Nines, A great write up as usual and I like the team that you have selected. I would love to see the match live but will be content to listen to the radio commentary. So much for modern technology. I am quietly "hoping" for a comfortable win. COYR's!!!!
It's Rangers we talking about sheff, so unpredictable but hope it's not another burton performance related, should be nailed on but!
I know Paul Warne from his days at Wroxham FC, he was some player at that level. Feel a bit sorry for him trying to keep that side up, a lost cause by the looks of it.
Miss Rotherham contestants back in 2008:- please log in to view this image http://www.missengland.info/regionals/Rotherham
girls from rotherham start like this please log in to view this image finish like this please log in to view this image
girls of QPR start like this please log in to view this image finish like this please log in to view this image
Even given that sort of catastrophe, that we are definitely prone to, we have 47 points (Rotherham 17) on the board and should soon be out of the woods, hopefully hitting the 50 mark on Saturday. If Rotherham were to win, they would have gained almost one third of their points total playing against us.
Glass half full......way too much pessimism for the Norwegian crowd...eh Oslo? Sorry had a rather pleasant bottle of vino with dinner......
I think that you may well have got the team nailed on, Ninsey, but I have a premonition that Ravel might just be ready for a start .
Unlikely if you take into consideration what Holloway said about him last night Totally. Late for training, lack of effort, unfit etc etc. Unless it was a ruse to try and outflank Rotherham tomorrow.