A blog of two halves

If I were a betting man, I would put my house on QPR scoring from a set piece against Newcastle tonight.

My friends in Belgium tell me Idrissa Sylla has a touch of the Loic Remy about him with his lightning speed but is a little lightweight in the muscles department so the new QPR striker will have a tough time breaking into the starting line up.

Junior Hoilett may have worn the QPR shirt for the last time.

It has been a tough old road for Grant Hall and his search for first-team football but this season the defender has made his mark.

After 17 years at Huddersfield Town, Alex Smithies made the journey down south knowing that he had Rob Green standing in his way.

Sebastian Polter could have been lining up against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League had he not chosen QPR over Wolfsburg last summer.

After failing to win a game against any of their neighbours since November 2013, the Hoops secured a resounding 3-0 victory over Brentford.

Clint Hill dusted down his boots for a rare appearance against Derby midweek and will need them again on Saturday.

Tjaronn Chery enjoyed his first start since New Year's Day last weekend.