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McCarthy: We Can Get Something at QPR
Friday, 16th Aug 2013 13:05

Boss Mick McCarthy believes Town can get a result at QPR on Saturday, just as he does whenever the Blues are in action, despite the home side being most people’s favourites to win the Championship this season and bounce back into the Premier League at the first attempt.

McCarthy says he always goes into a match thinking positively: “I do every time. I’ve never been anywhere and thought anything other than that.

“It’s a different place. The pitch always appears much smaller, whether it is or not, or it's just because the crowd are right on top of you. I think it’s a fantastic atmosphere there.

"I think we can get something, despite their quality, their experience, the Premier League footballers they’ve still got. We’ll be fine, we don’t worry about going anywhere.

“I think it’s important that you [relish those sort of games]. If you’re any other way, if you’re thinking you don’t fancy going there because they’ve got a good team, wow, there’d be nobody going with me, that’s for sure. It’s a feather in your cap if you beat them or get something from them.”

The Town boss says he enjoyed his trips to Loftus Road as a player, most of them anyway: “I always liked going there until they put that plastic pitch down, then it was a bit rough! That was the worst of all, that pitch.

“It’s a good ground to go and play at. It’s one of the smaller ones, but it’s just a great atmosphere, it’s really tightly enclosed, the fans are right on top of the pitch. It’s a good place to play football.”

Whatever the result, he promises that QPR, like everyone else the Blues face this season, will know they’ve been in a game: “I said at the start of the season that I can’t imagine anyone would be thinking ‘Happy days, Ipswich are coming, that’ll be a nice easy one!’.

“It’s just not going to be that way because of myself, because of TC and the demands that we put on them.

“But it’s also because of the players because they’re decent players, they’re a great group of lads, they’re good people and they do things right. You can get beaten in games but it’ll never, ever be for the want of trying with our lads.”


McCarthy seems likely to name the same team which beat Millwall 3-0 last week with Scott Loach in goal, Elliott Hewitt at right-back, Aaron Cresswell at left-back and Tommy Smith and Luke Chambers in the centre of the defence.

In midfield, Cole Skuse — who is expected to be fine despite a minor hip problem - and Luke Hyam will be in the middle with skipper Carlos Edwards on the right and Jay Tabb on the left. Up front, David McGoldrick will partner Daryl Murphy.

Anthony Wordsworth will travel with the squad having recovered from his thigh injury and is likely to be on the bench.

Second-choice keeper Dean Gerken is a doubt due to a dead leg suffered when he collided with Frank Nouble in training. If the former Bristol City and Colchester man doesn’t make it, academy second-year scholar Michael Crowe will be on the first team bench for the first time in a competitive fixture.

Tyrone Mings is still sidelined with his knee injury, while young winger Jack Doherty suffered another ankle injury in Tuesday’s U21 friendly against an Irish development side.

QPR will be without striker Andrew Johnson, who suffered a groin strain in training earlier in the week, while midfielder Alejandro Faurlin (thigh) and full-back Armand Traore (calf) remain out of action.

Midfielder Esteban Granero has joined Real Sociedad on loan, while Tottenham have accepted a bid for Scott Parker and manager Harry Redknapp says that with Fulham also interested, the move's progress is down to the player: “The chairman has agreed a deal with Tottenham. It's up to Scotty now.

"Hopefully Scotty will feel the same and come here. We feel this is a club progressing and we'd love him to be part of it here."

Redknapp says he sees the Blues as potential wild cards this season: “Ipswich are a big club, you just have to look at their history to know that.

“Mick is a top manager. He’s done a good job wherever he’s managed and they ended the season well and have started this campaign impressively.

“Maybe they could be the dark horses this season, like Hull were last season. We know it will be a tough game, but they all are in this league.”

Town have won 28 of the previous encounters between the sides (26 in the league), Rangers 23 (21) and 18 (17) have ended in draws.

The teams last met during QPR’s Championship-winning 2010/11 campaign. In February 2011, second half goals from Clint Hill and Heidar Helguson consigned Town to the second league defeat of Paul Jewell’s reign.

The Blues had been the better side in the first half but after the break Neil Warnock’s team upped a gear and struck twice in the last quarter of an hour.

In the previous September, QPR brought Town’s unbeaten start to the season to an abrupt end as Warnock’s team ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at Portman Road.

Jamie Mackie struck twice in the first half and Heidar Helguson added a third from the spot after the break.

QPR keeper Brian Murphy - who is likely to be on the bench on Saturday - was with Town between January 2010 and August 2011, making 20 appearances, before joining the R’s after turning down a new contract at Portman Road.

Right-back Danny Simpson made seven starts and one sub appearance for the Blues during a loan spell from Manchester United between March and May 2008, while striker Charlie Austin was close to joining Town from Swindon in January 2011 before signing for Burnley, who he left for Loftus Road this summer.

Blues U21 coach Mark Kennedy was on loan with the R's for just over a month in 1998, scoring twice in eight games.

Saturday’s referee is Michael Naylor from South Yorkshire, who last season showed 72 yellow cards and three red in 30 games. Naylor’s most recent Town match was the 2-1 victory at Bolton in December last year in which he booked DJ Campbell, Michael Chopra and one player from the home side.

You can read a fair bit more Town-Queens Park Rangers stuff on the excellent QPR website Loft for Words here.

Squad from: Loach, Gerken, Crowe, Hewitt, Veseli, Cresswell, Smith, Chambers, Berra, Skuse, Hyam, Tunnicliffe, Wordsworth, Edwards, Anderson, Tabb, McGoldrick, Murphy, Nouble, Taylor.


Photo: Action Images



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battyblue added 12:59 - Aug 16
don't agree with midfield selection but then i am not the manager i think that Tunnicliffe should play and Taylor on the right instead of Carlos
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Eggyblues added 13:15 - Aug 16
An excellent report on the QPR site, that guy really knows his stuff! A very fair and balanced review of our club over the past 12 years!

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BuckieBlue added 13:58 - Aug 16
Harry from Bath's headline today tells us it's a good time to play QPR. Agree with MM, we can get something there.
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Mick added 14:13 - Aug 16
Kick the football into the net.
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arc added 14:17 - Aug 16
That piece on the QPR site is an excellent, sobering read. It's been a grim decade, hasn't it?
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bluemikey100 added 15:43 - Aug 16
of course we can get sumthing at qpr a burger and chips we can also get 3 points lol
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fifeblue added 15:44 - Aug 16
QPR are not going to win this league this season. Ipswich Town are.
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BeingBlue added 15:57 - Aug 16
Good time to play QPR, Got away with a win against a weak Sheffield Wednesday team and only came away with a point at Huddersfield. On the counter we'll be effective, got a sneaky feeling we can snatch a win!
COYB!
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Michael11 added 17:12 - Aug 16
I'm quietly confident about tomorrow. They're a good team but don't think they're the best in this league, especially with such a divided squad too. No pressure on us tomorrow so i'd love us to just go for it and see what happens. COYB!!
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runningout added 18:24 - Aug 16
a few straight to the point posts.. and why not.. We have the squad to beat anyone in any league, home or away. Have a few that need convincing!
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afrodids added 18:50 - Aug 16
1-0 town tomorrow. COYB
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ericclacton added 20:54 - Aug 16
Yes, kick the ball footballers.
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Motd added 21:06 - Aug 16
can someone link me qpr site cant find it
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Morgan added 21:12 - Aug 16
Looking forward to tomorrow. Like visiting Loftus Rd the roof being at the same level
And the fans so close to the pitch make a real atmosphere especially with all our tickets sold. I would take a point if offered now but I am quietly hopeful we can get a result here.

With Carols playing so many games over the summer Taylor must be banging on the door for a place as his recovery continues but I think we need Carlos to steady the midfield, years of being played out of position means he knows how to defend and he may need to tomorrow more than usual. Hyam potentially will want to stake his place after a quiet game last week but his otherwise high standards.

Up the blues.
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Nthsuffolkblue added 21:18 - Aug 16
Well done, Phil. A good idea linking the QPR article http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/news/32554/what-price-st (for Motd).
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stevelincsexile added 07:19 - Aug 17
Defence holds firm Mcgoldrick strikes 1-0 job done COYB.
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bennyitfc added 09:55 - Aug 17
Someone has obviously scrolled down and negatively marked each comment. Funny guy. Looking forward to visiting what is apparently a nice little ground this afternoon, COYB
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Special_A added 10:36 - Aug 17
DOES ANYONE HAVE A SPARE QPR TICKET???????????????
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donnelly78 added 10:46 - Aug 17
What is the away pub at QPR
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jas0999 added 12:57 - Aug 17
Clearly a very difficult game, but if we want to press on this season, the sort of game we need to get something from. Don't really want to lose our first three away games this season. However, unlike reading - where I thought we should be getting something - this is probably the hardest game of the season?
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