Struggling QPR dream of continued Everton dominance as Baggies seek to end the pointlessness of their games against Chelsea

By Brian Sears

1 March 2012

Certain football club pairings throw up a dominance by one over another across very different eras that logic alone cannot explain.

Everton by most neutrals’ estimation are a ‘bigger’ club in all senses than Queens Park Rangers.

Everton have won nine English league titles and five FA Cups and this season are playing to average crowds of more than 33,000.

QPR have won a single League Cup, ever, 55 years ago, and play to crowds of around half the size. Everton have always been “bigger”.

Yet in the first four seasons of the Premier League back in the 1990s QPR played Everton eight times, winning five, drawing once and only losing twice. And after a 15-season hiatus, their first away game back in the Premier League was at Everton, and Tommy Smith secured the only goal of the game and another victory over Everton.

Hence, as out graphic at the bottom shows, QPR have won more Premier League points against Everton (19 in nine games) than against any other side they’ve met in the Premier League, past or present.

Since that win against Everton earlier this season, QPR have managed just four more victories in 24 games since. On Saturday the pair meet at Loftus Road and we’ll see if historical dominance prevails or if form wins out.

And another thing ….

Staying on the subject of dominant clubs in head-to-head situations, West Brom surely have no better chance than this weekend to bring to an end their woeful Premier League record against Chelsea?

As we noted in August, before this season, Chelsea had won all 10 of their Premier League meetings. They then duly won the 11th.

Is this weekend the time for the Baggies to end their run of 11 straight defeats to Chelsea?

That run is the second longest current run of consecutive Premier League defeats by one side against another. Only Manchester United’s 13-game stranglehold over Wigan is longer.

Chelsea visit the Hawthorns this Saturday with just one victory in their last five Premier League games while West Brom have lost just one in their last five.

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