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Friday, October 27, 2006

Looking at QPR vs Leicester

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QPR vs Leicester at Loftus Road: Been some momentous games over the years between the two clubs: QPR's 1966/67 League Cup Quarter Final Win against Leicester...QPR's first-ever game in the (old) First Division: Leicester at Loftus Road, with an unfinished new stand and Alan Clarke making his Leicester debut. A Rodney Marsh QPR vs a Peter Shilton Leicester in the (old) Second Division...A shock home defeat in the FA Cup in 1973/74 with two goals by Leicester's debutant, Joe Walters..Several QPR home defeats. Over the years two comparable teams: Frequent promotion and relegation, playing attractive football, making good lower division buys, etc.

Leicester Official Site - Boss Looking For Repeat
City boss Rob Kelly will be hoping for a similar performance to that which he saw at Loftus Road nine months ago when his Foxes take on Queen's Park Rangers on Saturday.
Kelly began his league management career in west London back in January earlier this year following the departure of Craig Levein from the club.
And his new side gave him just the start he required - ending a baron run of six straight Championship defeats to post a 3-2 away victory against all the odds.
He said: "It was a very exciting game which seems a long, long time ago now. It's amazing to think that it was only last January.
"We went a goal down very early in the game, but the players showed the resilience and character that they have certainly shown in all my time here to compete and give it a go.
"It was a difficult time for everyone. The good thing was that we all came back to what was important - and that was trying to win football matches. It was great credit to the players and their professionalism that despite everything else that was going on they were able to shut it all out and get on with it.
"We went into the match on the back of a cup defeat to Southampton and we hadn't won for a number of league games. But the players shut all that away, remained focussed and ended up putting in a good performance and getting a good result. That game kick started us."
And Rangers themselves now have a new man at the helm.
Kelly added: "They have got a good manager there in John Gregory who I think will eventually, given the right tools, lead them out of trouble. But we have got to make sure that doesn't start on Saturday.
"We are in the middle of a decent little run and over 90 minutes we are unbeaten in eight games.
"But Loftus Road is a difficult place to go. They are the home side and it will be a difficult game for us. But if we apply ourselves then I believe we can get a result against anyone in this division."
Kelly again looks to be down to the bare bones through injury for the game, but he did admit to having an embarrassment of riches in at least one area of the pitch at the moment.
He said: "We have got three very good goalkeepers here and that is very much the type of problem that you don't mind having. Conrad Logan and Paul Henderson have both been playing well and Rab Douglas has also looked good in training.
"But we know here that we are going to need everyone. There is no sulking and there are no primadonnas. There is nobody who struts around the place. We are in it togethe
Leicester

Leicester Official Site - Head To Head: QPR
We take a look back at previous fixtures between the two clubs and reveal all the facts and figures ahead of Saturday's Championship fixture.
HEAD TO HEAD
The two clubs have met 47 times previously in all competitions, 44 of which have come in the league. Leicester have won just 18 of the clashes, and have only managed 5 wins and 4 draws in 25 visits to London.
EARLY MEETINGS
The first meeting came in Division Two as recently as 1948-49. Rangers completed the double over City that year. City had to wait until 1970-71 before recording a win at Loftus Road, when they triumphed 3-1 in what was their eighth attempt to wrest the spoils in Shepherd's Bush.
RECENT HISTORY
Last season, City produced a dramatic win at Loftus Road - the first under the management of Rob Kelly - to get the march to safety underway. At the end of January, goals from Matty Fryatt, Richard Stearman and Stephen Hughes eased the Foxes to a vital 3-2 victory under the floodlights.
BIGGEST WINS
Only once has either team hit six goals in this fixture, a feat achieved by City in a 6-2 home win in 1950-51. QPR's best was a 5-2 win at Loftus Road in an F A Cup tie in 1986-87, when Terry Fenwick scored twice for the Londoners.

MARKSMEN
Rangers' Bert Addinall and City's Arthur Rowley are the only players to have registered hat-tricks in clashes between the two clubs, and neither more recently than 1951. Addinall is the leading overall scorer in the series, with 9 counters against the Foxes, whereas City's top marksman is none other than Gary Lineker, who has pierced the Rangers' defence 6 times.

DEBUTANTS
Just 3 players have made their Leicester bow when QPR provided the opposition, but what a trio: British record signing Allan Clarke in 1968, young Joe Waters in that sensational F A Cup quarter-final in 1974, and teenager Emile Heskey, currently City record outgoing transfer holder, in 1995.

FOOT IN BOTH CAMPS
The smattering of players to have represented both clubs over the years includes Arthur Chandler, Peter Eastoe, Terry Fenwick, Les Ferdinand, Bob Hazell, Andrew Impey, Robbie James, Eddie Kelly, Frank Large, Frank McLintock, Stefan Moore, John O'Neill, Simon Royce, Dean Sturridge and David Webb.
Leicester

QPR OFFICIAL SITE - Looking at Leicester
Injuries apart, the Foxes have enjoyed a fine start to the new Championship campaign.
Rob Kelly - in his first full season at the Leicester City helm - has largely had his hands tied in terms of team selection, with no fewer than eight first team squad members currently sidelined through injury.

Master-poacher Matty Fryatt (ankle), skipper Paddy McCarthy (facial) and influential midfielder Gareth Williams (ankle) have all missed large chunks of the season so far, meaning Kelly has had to mix and match his starting XI.
Consequently, the Foxes made a slow start to the season, succumbing to back-to-back defeats against Luton Town and Burnley in the opening four days of the new campaign.
Undeterred, Leicester eventually broke their duck against Ipswich four days later, with goals from Patrick Kisnorbo, Stephen Hughes and Iain Hume clinching a morale-boosting 3-1 victory at the Walkers Stadium.
Buoyed by that win, the Foxes enjoyed a mini four match unbeaten run in August, which included a 2-0 League Cup victory against League Two strugglers Macclesfield.
But September was less than kind to the Foxes, with Kelly's men picking up just three points from a possible 15 - a run which saw them plummet towards the foot of the table.
Foxes gaffer Rob Kelly
However, instead of feeling sorry for themselves, Kelly's injury ravaged squad have rolled up their sleeves and got on with the job in hand.
And as a consequence, three fixtures which on paper looked as tough as any, have yielded three fantastic results.
An Iain Hume brace helped see off in-form Southampton in a five-goal thriller, before the Foxes heaped further woe on struggling Leeds United with a 2-1 victory at Elland Road.
A 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace last time out extended their unbeaten run and at the time of writing, the Foxes lie just five points adrift of the play-off's.
...Top scorer: Iain Hume 6
Last league game:
Leicester City 1, Crystal Palace 1.
Coca Cola Championship.
October 21st 2006.
Leicester City: Logan, Stearman, McAuley, Kisnorbo, Johansson, Low (Sylla 64), Hughes, Tiatto, Welsh, Hume, Hammond.
Subs Not Used: Henderson, Maybury, O'Grady, Wesolowski......
Superhoopsbet.co.uk match odds:
QPR 13/10
Leicester City 7/4
draw 9/4
Key player: DANNY TIATTO
A firm favourite with the Foxes fans, Danny Tiatto took over the captain's armband from Matt Elliott and was voted Player of the Season by City supporters at the club's 2005 awards ceremony.
The Australian international, capped 25 times by his country, joined Leicester on a free transfer in the summer of 2004.
Head to head:
QPR wins: 19
Foxes wins: 17
Draws: 8
Last meeting:
QPR 2 (Ainsworth, Shittu), Leicester City 3 (Fryatt, Stearman, Hughes).
Football League Championship.
January 31st 2006.
Latest News:
Leicester chief executive Tim Davies has revealed the club made a profit of £1.6m in the 2005-06 season.
That marks a significant turnaround for the club after they reported a £3.5m loss for the 2004-05 campaign.
Davies attributed most of the profit to the £3m sale of striker David Connolly to Wigan and the sponsorship deal with Alliance & Leicester.
However, a fall in attendances saw gate receipts slump by almost 25% to £4.82m while broadcasting receipts also fell.
(Source: BBC Sport)
Leicester Official

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