Match Day Thread Middlesbrough vs QPR

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Middlesbrough vs QPR
The Championship
Saturday February 18th - 3pm
The Riverside

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How to get there from HQ
By car: 4 hours 26 minutes and 252 miles up the M1
By train: 5 hours 36 minutes around the Circle or Hammersmith and City line to Kings Cross and then mainline up to Edingburgh, get off at York and get the Transpennine Express to Middlesbrough, then the V1 train to Hudson Quay. What a faff.
By bike: National Cycle route 6, 274 miles in 24 hours. Simple.
By plane: London Heathrow to Newcastle International Airport...then I guess a train or a taxi?

Previous history vs Boro;
Games won: 22
Games drawn: 18
Games lost: 18

Ones to remember;
06 Sep 1966 Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough W 4-0 League Division Three
04 Oct 1969 Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough W 4-0 League Division Two
05 Mar 1983 Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough W 6-1 League Division Two
04 Mar 1998 Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough W 5-0 League Division 1

Ones to forget;
26 Sep 1970 Middlesbrough v Queens Park Rangers L 6-2 League Division Two
05 Dec 2009 Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough L 1-5 League Championship
20 Jan 2018 Queens Park Rangers v Middlesbrough L 0-3 League Championship

Players who have played for both;
John O'Rourke;
1966–1968 Middlesbrough 64 (38)
1971–1974 Q.P.R. 34 (12)

Mikkel Beck;
1996–1999 Middlesbrough 91 (24)
2000 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 11 (4)

Kieron Dyer;
2011–2013 Queens Park Rangers 5 (0)
2013 Middlesbrough 9 (2)

Fabio Da Silva;
2012–2013 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 21 (0)
2016–2018 Middlesbrough 48 (1)

Alex Baptiste;
2015–2017 Middlesbrough 0 (0)
2017–2019 Queens Park Rangers 30 (0)

Luke Young;
2007–2008 Middlesbrough 35 (1)
2011–2014 Queens Park Rangers 24 (2)

Ravel Morrison;
2014 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 15 (6)
2017 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 5 (0)
2020 → Middlesbrough (loan) 3 (0)

Gary O'Neil
2007–2011 Middlesbrough 109 (8)
2013–2014 Queens Park Rangers 29 (1)

Jordan Hugill
2018–2019 → Middlesbrough (loan) 37 (6)
2019–2020 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 39 (13)

Grant Hall;
2015–2020 Queens Park Rangers 119 (6)
2020– Middlesbrough 27 (2)

Massimi Luongo;
2015–2019 Queens Park Rangers 145 (10)
2022–2023 Middlesbrough 0 (0)

Joe Lumley;
2013–2021 Queens Park Rangers 77 (0)
2021— Middlesbrough 34 (0)

Managed both;
Neil Warnock;
2010–2012 Queens Park Rangers
2015 Queens Park Rangers (caretaker)
2020–2021 Middlesbrough

Steve McLaren;
2001–2006 Middlesbrough
2018 - 2019 QPR

Match Preview;
Basically, from our end...it is all a mess. Tuesday vs Sunderland was a mess from the moment we missed the penalty. Utter capitulation, zero character, no flair in the final third and then no good excuses given after the game. I, like many others, have been expecting an announcement regarding Critchley's future but nothing has arrived. As was mentioned elsewhere by someone on here, the response to a few upcoming matches being announced on the club's official twitter is telling. Many just commented with;

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I'm guessing in terms of team news, we'll still be pretty low on firepower up front, and anyone that comes back seems to get injured again pretty quickly. Add to that, on Tuesday evening, a number of the loan players seemed very disinterested, and so I'd happily see them dropped in favour of younger players getting some experience.

As for Boro, they beat 2nd place Sheffield United, 1-3 on Wednesday night, to move up to third, but still 7 points behind 2nd place. They've scored 53, and let in 37 so far this year, with Chuba Akpom their, and the division's, top scorer with 17 league goals. By now, we all know where this is heading. Since taking over in October 2022, Michael Carrick has won 12 of his 17 games, drawing 1 and losing 4. Obviously I hope they lose on Saturday, but I am pleased to see a young English manager doing well.

Team News
QPR: Chris Willock, Luke Amos and Taylor Richards will all miss out, with Ethan Laird and Tyler Roberts both doubtful.

Middlesbrough: Matt Crooks and Aaron Ramsey may return from their recent knocks.

Pre-match Talk
Neil Critchley (QPR head coach): “My focus is on our team and what we can do to improve.

“If you look at the start of the Sunderland game, I didn’t see a team devoid of confidence and energy, we must be better in certain moments, when teams have possession in certain areas. It’s about recognising those moments and understanding how we’re going to get through them.

“Middlesbrough got a fantastic result in midweek at Sheffield United and we couldn’t face a more difficult task away from home.”

Michael Carrick (Middlesbrough head coach): “It’s a dangerous game, it really is. There’s no hiding from the fact that they have had a tough run of results recently but that makes them very dangerous. They have some good individuals that can come alive and hurt you, it’s up to us to be ready for it and up for the challenge.”

As always...

...COME ON YOU SUPER HOOPSA!!!

 

This could be seriously ugly

 

Hey, we have a winning record against Boro!

Strongly suspect they’ll close the gap to 3 this weekend. I’ll be watching Bordeaux v Paris FC, the warm up to Toulouse v Marseille on Sunday. Vin rouge and cassoulet!

Cheers Dave.

 

No Dave.....

Just no!!

 

This is just the sort of crazy game that we go and win. You heard it here first!

 

In the words of Bob Mortimer, 'Tee Hee'.

 

It's a No from me Dave

Wake me up when it's all over

 

Love the optimism, but I'm not holding out much hope.

 

I genuinely couldn’t give a **** anymore……..much like the players it seems

 

Anyone predicting us to win this game, immediately has to be put forward as a contender for Britain's most dangerous person !

 

Was thinking Boro and Man City in a double seems a worthwhile bet.
I do hate betting against us though

 

With the injuries we've got, so many players with a total lack of confidence and others with a total lack of effort it's hard to see anything other than a Boro victory. Critchley will naturally get it in the neck but I can't honestly see what he can do, chuck in some young blood? There's only so many ways you can shuffle such a small pack of cards. For me Laird and Tim are done, I certainly wouldn't be starting them over our own players now.

 

As crazy as buying a day 5 England test match ticket?

 

That's madness , but predicting we'll win is utter lunacy !

 

I would suggest that playing Field on the right of a midfield diamond is definitely something he should avoid.

 

Amongst the doom and gloom a reminder how mad our club is and why it’s one of a kind

 

I can see where that cake went Staines

 

Looking at the comments……people really ain’t happy