QPR travel to Watford on Saturday to face the sturggling Hornets in Paulo Sousa's first game in charge. The R's won 4-2 here last season with Luigi De Canio in charge.

Watford (22nd) v Queens Park Rangers (10th)
Coca Cola Championship
Saturday November 22, Kick Off 3pm
Vicarage Road, Watford

So the dawning of yet another new era at QPR begins on Saturday when Paulo Sousa, yes that Paulo Sousa, takes charge of the R’s for the first time. Despite the high profile appointment it is hard to get too excited about new managers any more, this is Rangers’ sixth permanent one in less than three years, and the increasingly cynical QPR fans are getting used to the idea that you don’t get too comfortable with the man in charge because chances are he won’t be around for long.

The early signs with Sousa are good – he speaks English, insists he will have full control of the team without interference from Flavio Briatore and he has played for a coached with some of Europe’s most outstanding managerial talent in his day including Scolari, Hitzfeld and Lippi. He says he has been working towards this moment for a long time and he has a number of ideas he’s looking to implement – with due respect to his predecessor I can’t imagine those ideas involve many aimless balls pumped long into the channels and goalless draws away from home celebrated like wins.

Still Sousa should beware – during his firm and aggressive introduction to the players on Thursday, which was bizarrely shown to the world on the club’s official website, he insisted that a lack of effort and loyalty would result in a player being kicked out of the club, even if it takes some work to get them out. With the QPR transfer policy in recent months revolving around small transfer fees but long contracts on big money it may be harder to shift players that don’t take to Sousa out than he thinks. Players get managers the sack, and Paulo will soon learn that whatever Flavio says about four year plans and no pressure his boss is not a patient man.

On Saturday we face Watford in a role reversal from our last meeting where it was Watford pushing for the play offs and Rangers struggling at the foot of the table. QPR won 4-2 that day and would certainly take any sort of win again on Saturday after just one success in their last four games. Watford themselves are in the sort of turmoil that forces clubs’ official websites to wheel out phrases like “period of transition” and come into this game without a permanent manager and with rejection letters piling up on the chairman’s desk. Watford score and concede goals at an alarming rate and while QPR would not have been best placed to take advantage of that had the game been played on Tuesday the R’s have since added former Vicarage Road favourite Heider Helguson to their attack ahead of the match.

Helguson, signed on loan from Bolton until January, will bring a much needed presence and goal threat to the previously toothless QPR attack. With Lee Cook and Gavin Mahon also hoping to be in the QPR squad against their former club the arrival of Helguson simply serves as added spice to an already firey local derby dish.

Five minutes on Watford
Watford seem to be working themselves into a spot of bother. A fire sale of their best players, one side of the ground closed because of safety fears, the chairman forced to deny reports of financial strife at the club and they are now in the bottom three in the Championship and without a manager following the sacking of Aidy Boothroyd earlier this month.

It’s all a far cry away from 2005/06 Boothroyd’s first full season in charge when he led them to the Premiership via the play offs. Boothroyd was plucked from obscurity towards the back end of the previous season – a coach at Leeds United who few people had ever heard of, certainly not the appointment Watford fans had in mind when Ray Lewington left the club and Watford ended the campaign with just two wins from their final 13 matches.

Many had them down as relegation favourites the year they won promotion. They lost Danny Webber, Lee Cook, Heider Helguson and others in the 12 months prior to the start of the season but Boothroyd spent the money raised wisely – adding Darius Henderson, Clarke Carlisle, Matthew Spring and Malky Mackay to his line up before the season and Marlon King midway through. Watford weren’t particularly good to watch, a fast, direct and uncompromising outfit, but they made the nation very happy when they stunned odds on favourites Leeds 3-0 in the Play Off Final at Cardiff.

The Hornets didn’t spend a great deal trying to stay in the Premiership and seemed, despite spending the best part of £4m on Damien Francis, Danny Shittu and Tommy Smith, to be using the tactic employed by West Brom i.e. bank the Premiership riches, take the relegation hit then bounce back in the future with a stronger infrastructure. The loss of star striker Marlon King to a season ending knee injury in the first fortnight of the Premiership season did not help and sure enough Watford were relegated long before the end of the campaign – five wins and 28 points good enough only for last place, some ten adrift of the safety mark.

Still the bounce back idea looked to be on at the start of last season when the club spent more than £3m on striker Nathan Ellington and won ten and drew two of their first 13 league games to top the table. For whatever reason though things started to go awry about 12 months ago. Boothryod took Shittu and Gavin Mahon out of his starting eleven in an effort to turn around a slow down in form sparked by a 3-0 home defeat against promotion rivals West Brom. It didn’t work, Watford failed to win eight consecutive home games in the league including a spectacular 4-2 defeat against QPR. Despite spending a decent wedge in January on players like Leigh Bromby, John Eustace and Matt Sadler they were lucky to hang on to a play off spot in the end and their reward for that was a sound thrashing by Hull City at the semi final stage.

Players have been jumping ship for the past 18 months with Danny Shittu, Hameur Bouazza, Clarke Carlisle, Marlon King, Jordan Stewart, Gavin Mahon, Darius Henderson, Steve Kabba and Nathan Ellington all leaving the club for other Championship sides or Premiership ones. Chairman Graham Simpson strongly denied claims by the Watford Observer that the club is under pressure to repay a £6m loan and is £2m overdrawn – debts that require player sales to be settled and avoid administration – but many Watford fans seem to be adapting a ‘no smoke without fire’ attitude as one player after another leaves the club.

Boothroyd seemed pretty clueless in the second half of last season, coming out with numerous witty quips but few actual answers to growing problems. Strangely enough though I’m told by my man at Vicarage Road that they were actually starting to try and play some football this season as opposed to the hoof and hope style that has worked for them over the past few seasons. Only two teams have scored more than Watford in the Championship – sadly for them no team has conceded as many.

Managers are queuing up to rule themselves out of the running to replace Boothroyd and that means that former centre half Malky Mackay will be in charge again this weekend. Current Dundee United manager Craig Levein rejected approaches from the Hornets at the weekend and Kenny Jackett, a former Watford favourite, did likewise when permission was sought from his current club Millwall to speak with him.

Mackay was a steady defender in his day, spending the majority of his career with Celtic and Watford but latterly developing the handy knack of captaining teams out of the Championship - he was promoted to the Premiership with Norwich, Watford and West Ham in the twilight of his career. He's already picked up an impressive win at Swansea in the League Cup as caretaker manager but has lost both his league games so far and pressure is mounting on the Hornets as gaps start to open up at the bottom of the table.

Men to watch
Watford may be struggling down at the bottom of the table but they have scored 25 times in the league this year – only Wolves and Reading have bagged more. Sadly for them they have shipped 32 at the other end which is the worst in the league. That should give us a clue into the strengths and weaknesses of the Hornets’ squad.

Top of the goal scoring pops is Tommy Smith who bagged against QPR for Derby a couple of seasons ago and has always looked a classy performer at this level but struggles to cut the mustard in the higher division. Smith, who also played for Sunderland, can play wide in midfield or up front to equally good effect and is the key man in the Watford outfit. His fellow attacking midfielder John O’Toole has six goals this season, one behind Smith who has seven, after breaking into the first team following a graduation from the Watford academy during the last campaign. The late runs into the box from these two will form the primary threat to QPR on Saturday.

The more conventional forwards available to caretaker boss Malky Mackay are Grzegorz Rasiak, Will Hoskins and Tamas Priskin. QPR fans may remember Priskin scoring at Loftus Road last season for Preston while on loan there – he got two goals in four appearances for Alan Irvine’s men. The Hungarian striker was signed by Aidy Boothroyd in the January transfer window 2006 as the Hornets battled relegation from the Premiership but he has had few opportunities to impress at Vicarage Road and has only made 33 starts in almost two years with the club.

Will Hoskins burst onto the scene with Rotherham initially, scoring twice on his debut at high flying Wigan for the lowly Millers as a precocious 17 year old. He scored 25 goals in 39 starts and 42 sub appearances for Rotherham, form that persuaded Watford to splash out an undisclosed but substantial sum to take him south. He, like Priskin, has struggled for opportunities since joining Watford and has spent time on loan at Millwall and more recently Nottingham Forest. He has four goals to his name this season but is more than likely to be used from the bench.

Rasiak is a more familiar figure after his time in this league with Derby and Southampton and a brief, unsuccessful, stint with Tottenham in the Premier League. A bean pole like target man who can bring others into play and pose a threat – he has two goals in five starts and three sub appearances since joining on loan from Southampton earlier this season.

So with the likes of Smith, Priskin, Hoskins, and Rasiak in the attack it’s no surprise that they are scoring goals, particularly with the supply coming from Jobi McAnuff among others. The pacy wide man always seems to play well against QPR and is about as good a winger as our full backs will face this season. Lee Williamson got the winning goal in the League Cup at Swansea last week, another threat from midfield.

The problems seem to be at the back. Danny Shittu was lost to the Premiership in the summer and the defence doesn’t look nearly as secure without him. Leigh Bromby has a long throw but has always looked cumbersome to me in his time with both Sheffield clubs – one of those players that seems to get in the team more on the strength of his long throw than any playing ability. The same can be said of full back Lloyd Doyley who was heavily linked with a move to QPR last January before we signed Matt Connolly and Damien Delaney instead. Doyley too has a long throw and little else.

American Jay De Merit is the other centre half in front of goalkeeper Richard Lee and former Chelsea and Fulham man John Harley will provide decent left footed delivery from either wide left or left back.

Previous Meetings
QPR last travelled to Vicarage Road last Christmas and with an important relegation six pointer with Leicester two days later Luigi De Canio made substantial changes to his starting eleven. Akos Buzsaky and Rowan Vine were left out, Angelo Balanta was given a full debut wide in midfield and with Watford lying second in the table at the start of player few gave QPR much of a chance. An outstanding display in midfield from Martin Rowlands laid the platform for a wonderful first half – Rowlands scored once from the spot and again when put through by Balanta either side of a bullet header from Damion Stewart. Watford rallied in the second half and pulled one back when Rehman’s wild clearance bounced into the net off Lee Camp but a goal from Buzsaky when he came off the bench sealed the win. Former R Danny Shittu bagged a consolation goal late on for the Hornets and threw his shirt to the QPR fans at the end.

Watford: Lee 5, Doyley 6 (O'Toole 79, -), DeMerit 4, Jackson 3 (Shittu 46, 7), Stewart 5, Smith 6, Williamson 6, Francis 6, McAnuff 6, Darius Henderson 6, Ellington 5 (King 68, 6)
Subs Not Used: Mariappa, Ainsworth
Booked: Doyley (throwing the ball away), Smith (foul)
Goals: Camp og 52, Shittu 84 (assisted Henderson)

QPR: Camp 7, Barker 7, Rehman 7, Stewart 8, Malcolm 7, Bolder 7, Rowlands 9, Ainsworth 6 (Vine 64, 6), Balanta 6 (Buzsaky 73, 7), Nygaard 6 (Walton 90, -), Blackstock 6
Subs Not Used: Cole, Moore
Booked: Nygaard (foul), Barker (foul)
Goals: Rowlands 13 pen, Stewart 29 (assisted Rowlands), Rowlands 40 (assisted Balanta), Buzsaky 80 (assisted Rowlands)

Match Report

At Loftus Road in September QPR were still searching for their first win of the season while Watford had made a storming start to the season and were top of the league. You would never have guessed that from the way the game panned out though – QPR actually looked like they wanted to make the effort and play and although they fell behind when a mistake from Chris Barker let Smith hook a ball back from the byline for Johnson to score a fine finish from the much maligned Stefan Moore won the R’s a deserved point despite Mikele Leigertwood’s late sending off.

QPR: Camp 8, Timoska 8, Stewart 7, Cullip 9, Barker 6, Ainsworth 7 (Moore 46, 8), Leigertwood 7, Bolder 7, Rowlands 7, Blackstock 6, Nardiello 6 (Ephraim 41, 7)
Subs Not Used: Cole, Bignot, Curtis
Sent Off: Leigertwood (81) (two bookings)
Booked: Bolder (foul), Leigertwood (foul), Cullip (foul)
Goals: Moore 59 (assisted Blackstock)

Watford: Poom 7, Doyley 7, Shittu 7, DeMerit 7 (Mariappa 46, 7), Stewart 7, Smith 8 (McAnuff 73, 7), Williamson 8, Mahon 7, Johnson 7, King 8, Darius Henderson 4 (Ellington 73, 7)
Subs Not Used: Lee, Priskin
Booked: Mahon (foul), McAnuff (foul)
Goals: Johnson 49 (assisted Smith)

Match Report

Head to Head
Watford wins – 29
Draws – 28
QPR wins – 46

Past Watford v QPR results:
2007/08 Watford 2 QPR 4 (Rowlands 2, Stewart, Buzsaky)
2007/08 QPR 1 Watford 1 (Moore)
2005/06 QPR 1 Watford 2 (Nygaard)
2005/06 Watford 3 QPR 1 (Shittu)
2004/05 QPR 3 Watford 1 (Gallen 2, Furlong)
2004/05 Watford 3 QPR 0
2000/01 QPR 1 Watford 1 (Ngonge)
2000/01 Watford 3 QPR 1 (Connolly)
1998/99 QPR 1 Watford 2 (Peacock)
1998/99 Watford 2 QPR 1 (Slade)

Team News
QPR have Heider Helguson in their squad for the first time and he is set to make his debut against his former club. Mikele Leigertwood is also available after his Stuart Attwell inspired four match ban but it remains to be seen whether Sousa returns him to the right back role he was impressing in before that ridiculous situation. Akos Buzsaky and Rowan Vine are long term absentees, Matthew Connolly is struggling with the back injury that forced his early withdrawal against Burnley last week.

Watford are without midfielder John Eustace who is suspended. Goalkeepers Mart Poom (shoulder) and Scott Loach (stomach) are both out as well. Rasiak, Hoskins and O'Toole are pushing for starts.
Injury List

Referee
Andy Penn is the referee for this one – his first QPR game since the 2003/04 promotion season. He has only ever taken charge of QPR twice in his career, both games were at Cheltenham and Rangers had a man harshly sent off in both. There was a controversial sending off in his last Watford game as well, against Leicester at Vicarage Road last season, although Watford won the game despite a numerical disadvantage and the stats say he is normally quite lenient.
Details

Elsewhere
The Championship action starts on Friday night with Swansea hosting Birmingham at the Liberty Stadium. On Saturday few games stick out as a real stunners – Burnley v Doncaster and Charlton v Sheff Utd represent top v bottom clashes while Forest at home to Norwich is the live match at tea time. There’s another live game on Monday night between Burnley and Barnsley although technically that is taken from Tuesday night’s round of games.
Ton’y Championship Preview

Form
QPR have lost three of their last four games including a narrow cup set back at Old Trafford. The R;s have only scored three goals in their last seven matches and have only bagged two in eight away league games this season – the last goal scored by QPR on the road was at Norwich in September and since then the R’s have fired blanks at Coventry, Birmingham, Swansea, Reading and Ipswich. Rangers have only one away league win to their name this season, but have also won at Swindon and Aston Villa in the cup.

Watford have scored more than every team in the league apart from Wolves and Reading but also have the league’s worst defence. They have lost their last five consecutive league games but won recently at Swansea in the League Cup. The Hornets started the season very well at home with league wins against Charlton and Ipswich and cup victories against Bristol Rovers and Darlington in their first four games. West Ham and Preston have also lost on this ground this season but they have won only one of their last six league games on their on patch and the 4-3 defeat here by Blackpool last time out led to the sacking of Aidy Boothroyd. Watford have won only once away from home this season, losing six of the other seven games on the road, which accounts for their current league position in the bottom three. Under caretaker boss Mackay Watford have won a cup game at Swansea but lost to the Swans and Barnsley in the league.
Form Guide

Prediction
QPR have a terrific defence Watford have a poor one, Watford have a good attack but a terrible back line. It’s very hard to call but I just wonder if the appointment of a new manager and the long overdue signing of a striker may tip this in QPR’s favour, especially with Helguson playing against his former club. If a team was coming to Loftus Road twelve places higher in the league with three former players in their line up we’d be fearing the worst. I’ll predict a draw in a bid not to curse it, but I do fancy us.

Watford 1 QPR 1

Photo: Action Images

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