Pressure growing on Gordon Strachan
Boro have failed to live up to their pre-season tag as promotion favourites and languish in 16th place after four games and were knocked out of the Carling Cup at Millwall.
In contrast QPR have made a flying start under Neil Warnock with Strachan admitting that the larger than life Yorshireman is something of a guru when it comes to The Championship.
Looking at his opposite number for today’s game the Boro boss said: “He is a character. He is the king in this league. He has a terrific record of getting teams promoted from this league. He knows it like the back of his hand.
“Like us, QPR have had some financial backing during the summer. They’ve started the season better than ourselves, so it will be a test.
“But we have a lot of players who can handle different situations and hopefully we’ll go there with confidence.”
Strachan has injury doubts over Barry Robson and Kris Boyd after midweek international duty with the former Rangers striker struggling to make an impact away from Ibrox.
One goal in four games wasn’t the return anticipated when Boyd was signed to team up with Scott McDonald who returned to the Australian national side last Friday for the 0-0 draw with Switzerland.
After the trip to Loftus Road ‘Boro are at home to Burnley and Reading in the space of four days knowing that anything less than full points is likely to increase the pressure on Strachan and his SPL imports.
The Boro boss admitted: “We’ve not started great and we need people to stand up and be counted and we knew we can rely on people like big Mick and Robbo.
“We’ve now got three games in eight days and we’re looking forward to them. We can move quickly up the table, or make slower progress. It’s a test, and it’s an exciting time for the players.
Strachan wouldn’t be Strachan without a wacky quip with his contempt for the newspaper business as obvious as ever.
Discussing Scotland’s win over Lichtenstein he said: “Robbo delivered the ball and you’ve got to be brave enough to put a head on it and that’s what Mick did.
“That saved the nation and saved the headlines. If they hadn’t got the goal half the Amazon rainforest would have gone to make the Scottish newspapers.”
UPDATE: Middlesbrough lost 3-0 at QPR with all of the goals coming in a ten minute spell early in the second half.
Aiden McGeady at Spartak Moscow
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