View from the opposition – QPR Friday 30th October 2009
A bit about you:
Name: Justin Pieris Current home town: London
Birthplace: West London (support your local team!)
How long have you supported your team? 38 years
Overview of your club:
Totally schizo. The richest owners in football, who don't like spending their own money. A club with a top quality heritage, yet spent most of its existence in the second and third tiers. A club that can boast players of the calibre of Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles and Les Ferdinand, but have also fielded Gus Caesar, Dominic Iorfa and countless others I have erased from my memory. A supporter base that can take 3,000 to Newcastle for a midweek game, with no way of getting home by public transport, yet has been decimated by ludicrous pricing policies so half of us are sitting at home when we should be at Loftus Road.
Favourite thing about your home ground: Enclosed feeling with stands close to the pitch can generate a decent atmosphere from the smallest of attendances. Witness Accrington Stanley in the league cup this year, when 20 Red loons created an almighty din all game…..
Favourite match played by your team & why: 6-0 thrashing of Chel$$$$ for obvious reasons.
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: Rodney Marsh, swiftly followed by Stanley Bowles. Once had a very awkward moment explaining to Stan why it was in that order…. the first time you witness a player of genius, you never forget. I expect you lot probably feel the same about Frank Worthington.
About our forthcoming match against you:
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? Martin Rowlands. He's a box to box midfielder who can boss the game. Sadly did his ligaments again recently playing for Republic of Ireland and is out for the rest of the season. In Martin's absence, the sheer skill of Akos Buszacky is a delight to behold.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? On current form it would be a big mistake to pick out a single player. Our whole midfield unit is playing sublime fluid football. Any one of those players can hurt a team.
Player in our squad you most fear and why? Well, I guess the obvious ones statistically are Fryatt and Gallagher. But this is not an opinion made from an informed position, as I suspect you're a very different team from the rather poor one that went down and I haven't seen you play since then.
Up and coming prospect in your squad? Adel Taraabt is on loan from Spurs and is in good form at the moment. He's capable of doing anything (both good and bad) – a real magical talent.
Where do you think you’ll finish this season? At the beginning of the season I thought 8th or 9th. Now, I seriously think we could be champions. The last 4 or 5 games have seen us play some of the best football since we were in the top flight in the 90s. Magilton has worked wonders and all he needs is for Flavio Briatore to keep out of the dressing room and let him manage the team. If Flavio ever met Brian Clough, I'm sure it would be the shortest meeting of all time.
How do you think you’ll do against us? The last 3 games have seen us score 4 goals in each game, playing swaggering, delightful, passing football. I'd seriously expect us to do the same to practically every team in the Championship on current form. However, I've been a QPR fan for too long to get over-carried away, so no doubt my expected 4-1 thrashing will end-up being a heated, scrappy 1-0 to either team.
At the moment there is no doubt that you will be entertained. I'm looking forward to it and indeed every game, which is something I haven't honestly been able to say for a long, long time.
Sincere thanks to Justin for this one …..