"That was the best I've seen from any First Division side this season."Even Alex Ferguson, watching his son Darren in the Wolves midfield, must have been impressed by the slick one-touch play. Using fine angles, sharp passing and devastating runs off the ball, Rangers would have been out of sight by half-time had Daniele Dichio had any of the luck going.Denied once by goalkeeper Mike Stowell's legs, the Sampdoria-bound forward also headed Paul Murray's cross against a post and was narrowly wide with another header.Doubtless Dichio must have envied the header John Spencer placed beyond Stowell from Gavin Peacock's cross for his 14th goal of the season. Peacock then lashed in the second after Simon Barker's cross had bounced off his chest.Wolves protested that he had used a helping hand, but the complaints were all from QPR when Don Goodman halved the arrears. Jurgen Sommer, according to the home side, was impeded by Iwan Roberts as he went for Steve Froggatt's corner.Minus the suspended Steve Bull, Wolves eventually forsook their unedifying muscular approach for a more subtle one, personified by Simon Osborn's thoughtful passing. It was in pursuing a ball threaded through by the midfielder that Goodman fell under Alan McDonald's clumsy challenge. The original referee, Steve Baines, had given way to a calf strain at half- time, but Roger Coxhead, who was promoted from assistant referee during the interval, had no hesitation.
Nor had Keith Curle as he swept the kick just beyond Sommer's reach.As McDonald went to redeem himself by attempting a late winner, he sparked off an 18-man brawl, which brought no action from Mr Coxhead save a booking for the protesting Stowell, who had gone down under a heap of warring players.Queen's Park Rangers (3-4-3): Sommer; Yates, Maddix, McDonald; Impey, Barker (Quashie, 77), Murray, Brevett; Peacock, Dichio, Spencer (Slade, 77). Substitute not used: Graham.Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-5-2): Stowell; Curle, Atkins, Venus (Law, 41); Smith, Osborn, Ferguson, Corica (Thomas, 33), Froggatt; Goodman, Roberts. Substitute not used: Thompson.Referee: S Baines (Chesterfield) replaced by R Coxhead (Huntingdon) at half-time.. The Everton chairman, Peter Johnson, is expected to appoint a caretaker manager for the rest of the season, following Joe Royle's departure last week.
Johnson made it clear, however, that the position would be filled today only as a stop-gap, before a major name takes charge at Goodison Park at the end of the season. The news follows speculation that the Wimbledon manager, Joe Kinnear, is the club's preferred candidate. Kinnear has already dismissed any move from Selhurst Park until the close season. Johnson said: "We are making a decision overnight about the caretaker manager, who will take us through the last seven games of the season."Bournemouth are expected to announce before tonight's game against Stockport that their long High Court fight for survival with debts of pounds 4.7m has been successful.The Second Division club's trust fund chairman, Trevor Watkins, said: "We hope to declare plans to become Europe's first community-owned club."The trust fund, headed by Watkins and other prominent supporters to stave off liquidation, has been in negotiations throughout the Easter weekend with the club's creditors, including the Inland Revenue which is owed pounds 250,000.Scotland's main injury worry for tomorrow's World Cup qualifier with Austria is Darren Jackson. The Hibernian striker damaged his left shoulder during Saturday's 2-0 World Cup victory over Estonia at Kilmarnock.Fabrizio Ravanelli will rejoin Middlesbrough on Thursday in preparation for Sunday's Coca-Cola Cup final against Leicester.
Ravanelli is confident he will be fit for Wembley, after extensive treatment on a hamstring injury in Italy.The Leeds midfielder Lee Bowyer will captain the England Under-21 side in today's friendly against Switzerland at Swindon's County Ground.Bowyer, who trained with the full England squad in the build-up to Saturday's 2-0 win over Mexico, becomes the fourth player to lead the side this season. He replaces Riccardo Scimeca following the Aston Villa defender's withdrawal with a thigh injury.ENGLAND U-21 v SWITZERLAND U-21 (Swindon FC): Day (Crystal Palace); Broome (Blackburn), Ferdinand (West Ham), Hall (Coventry), Carragher (Liverpool), Bowyer (Leeds, capt), Holland (Birmingham), Carbon (Derby), Hughes (Arsenal), Huckerby (Coventry), Humphreys (Sheffield Wednesday). Substitutes: Briscoe (Sheffield Wednesday), Roberts (Middlesbrough), Morris (Chelsea), Bridges (Sunderland), Moore (Nottingham Forest).. Considering that Sheffield United were regarded as promotion favourites before a ball was kicked this season, they are making a fine old mess of turning opinion into fact. Automatic elevation is a dwindling hope and, after this latest reverse, even a play-off place that seemed to be a certain straw to cling to is in jeopardy.
They have not won away from Bramall Lane since Boxing Day and if they continue to contribute to their own downfall like they did in this match it could be Christmas before they get three points on their travels again. With teams around them at the top of the First Division having games in hand, such generosity may bring its own lack of reward. In a game awash with mistakes, United had Nick Henry sent off, gave away two sloppy goals and played with such a lack of conviction it was hard to imagine them making it to the Premiership whatever route is open to them come May. Huddersfield, who also had Jon Dyson dismissed, were hardly better but rode their luck to secure only their second success in 11 matches.The error-strewn tenor of the match was set within 40 seconds when Simon Tracey made the sort of mistake that finds itself on video collections of footballing calamities.There seemed little danger when he leapt to his left to save Paul Dalton's header. It was the sort of effort goalkeepers love, too far away to justify a spectacular dive but without the power to add an ingredient of threat. Yet as Tracey hit the ground he turned like a half-tackled rugby forward and smuggled the ball into his own net.Huddersfield could barely credit their luck but the visitors did not have a monopoly when it came to cock-ups.