QPR and Trabzonspor Fight to 1-1 Draw

In one of the last big pre-season friendlies of the summer, Queens Park Rangers battled back from a deficit to earn a 1-1 draw vs. Turkish club Trabzonspor. Shaun Wright-Phillips had the only QPR goal of the match, latching onto a low ball and blasting it into the bottom corner.  The night almost turned joyous as Diji Cisse` blasted a dangerous shot near the final whistle. But the ball rattled back off the bar, and the Rs were forced to settle for a draw.
The starting line-up was an interesting mix of the old and the new,

QPR Adds a Green-Man

Although Park Ji-Sung is grabbing all the headlines, Mark Hughes and the QPR board have been busy on a few other fronts as well.  One of the most interesting moves was the pick-up of English ‘keeper Robert Green.  The former West Ham man has had several good seasons over the course of his career, making a few famous saves and winning “Hammer of the Year” once (and finishing as runner-up another time).  Yeah, apparently “Hammer of the Year” is their … thing.  Whatever.
Of course, Green is probably best known for this blunder-ific moment:

Interestingly, looking at it with the perspective of time, this wasn’t quite as horrible a howler as it first seemed.  Don’t get me wrong, he definitely should have saved it, and if he routinely let that kind of shot it, he’d be out of a job.  But it was skipping along the ground pretty quickly, with a bit of off-side spin, and it was a wet day.  Frankly, the bigger problem for England was the fact that Dempsey was allowed to tee up the shot with no one getting in his face.  At any rate, if you judge him from his whole body of work, and not just that one moment, Green has had a pretty decent career and is certainly a respectable (if not great) Premier League caliber GK.
Of course, we already had a respectable Premier League caliber GK in Paddy Kenny.  Despite his injury problems, he still had several good games last year, and had a stretch where he was playing like a better-than-average Premier League ‘keeper.  But, he’s been shipped off to Leeds, and there ain’t no use in whining about it now.
As long as Green is our man, let’s look at some vital stats:

It's Official: Park Ji-Sung Joins QPR (with Video)

The move was anticipated after the sides reached an agreement last week, but today made it official: Queen Park Rangers signed Manchester United middie Park Ji-Sung to a new 2-year deal.  At the press conference, both sides were all smiles, with Park saying: “Their plan is great … I know QPR want to improve and have ambitions to reach the next level.”  Mark Hughes talked up the deal and said it was a significant move “for us as a club and for me as a manager” - presumably, he had a hand in talking Park into the agreement.

Premier League Relegation Battle Update

After Sunday's heavy slate of matches, the battle against relegation from the Premier League was starting to come into focus.  QPR's big win over Stoke helped the Rs out of the relegation zone temporarily, while Bolton's failure to hold onto their 2-0 hurt them immensely.  There was still one more important match to consider, though: today's battle between Wigan 'Latics and Blackburn.

Well, after today's Wigan victory on the road, the picture is much more clear.  Climb aboard as we sort out what's what:

Late Cisse` Strike Saves QPR (with Video)

Queens Park Rangers got a massive boost through a late goal by Djibril Cisse` to earn a win over Stoke City.  The veteran Frenchman's short-range strike earned QPR a win and a vital 3 points; combined with Bolton's draw vs. West Brom, the Rs now find ourselves outside the relegation zone and with pretty good chances for survival.
Despite the ecstatic finish, this was a mostly pedestrian performance from QPR.  Most of the game was bogged down in the middle of the field, and the Rs lacked much creativity (aside from Adel Taarabt, who played well for the fourth straight game and did manage to give Stoke some problems).  Sure, Stoke looked sluggish as well - but that's to be expected.  They're a mid-table team without a whole lot to play for, and they're also known for a defensive approach, especially on the road.  But QPR really needed a win here, and despite controlling a majority of possession and leading in shots on goal, there weren't many good chances being created and the play in the final third was poor.

QPR Travels to Stamford Bridge in Need of Points

In a vital fixture, Queens Park Rangers travel across town to take on Chelsea FC in a Sunday showdown.  Given today's results, the Rs would love to pick up a point (or three) in the battle to avoid relegation.  This will be a hotly-contested fixture for a few reasons, not the least of which are the Anton Ferdinand / John Terry situation and Chelsea's feeling that they deserved a point out of our last match (which QPR won, 1-0, after two red cards issued against CFC).  First, though, let's take a look at today's action:

QPR Falls to West Brom; Survival Chances Take a Hit

Queens Park Ranger's odds for Premier League survival got a lot longer today, as the Rs fell to West Brom 1-0.  QPR created a few chances, but missed a couple of good opportunities and were toppled by a first-half strike from Graham Dorrans.
Hodgson's reaction:

The Premier League Relegation Battle

With seven matches remaining in the season, Queens Park Rangers find themselves in the middle of the relegation dogfight.  Last week's thrilling win over Arsenal breathed new life into the club, but we still need to consistently pick up points to beat the drop.  Luckily for QPR, several of the other strugglers also face tough match-ups over the next few weeks, so this battle is still wide open.

Looking at the table, Wolverhampton is probably doomed already (carrying only 22 points from 31 matches, way behind even 19th-paced Wigan).  But the four clubs directly above Wolves are down in the trenches - QPR, Wigan 'Latics, Bolton, and Blackburn.  Let's dig into the details and see who's likely to fight their way to survival.

Thanks for reading

Way back in November 2010 I took over the reins here at Leeds the Offside.

I've learnt a lot during my time here from networking to how painful it can be to follow and constantly write about Leeds. However I've enjoyed it and thank all you readers for helping me out. At times we had some big page ...