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It is all following a similar pattern to his time at Portsmouth.

After rescuing the side from relegation with quality reinforcements, Harry Redknapp led that team to FA Cup glory in five years ago.

Now, with Marseille striker Loic Remy and Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila on the way, could QPR be worth a sneaky, each-way saver to do the same?

Jay Bothroyd hit the 75th minute winner but was outdone by Robert Green's outstanding performance to claim the Man of the Match award.

And now the team that could not win an away game for love nor money for 14 months stretching back to November 2011 have done so twice in the space of a few weeks.

This game was no classic by any stretch of the imagination. For long periods it was turgid and terrible to watch.

But the QPR players - with six changes from the team that held Spurs in the League last weekend - are putting in far more of a shift since the last two regimes and were rewarded with a winnable home tie against MK Dons in the fourth round.

Redknapp said afterwards: "It is now three clean sheets on the spin now which is encouraging with the win at Chelsea and the draw at Tottenham and now the cup win.

"At least we are picking up some good results and some clean sheets.

(Image: Mark Thompson)

"We are getting the best out of them at the moment. There are certain parts of the team that can improve in terms of aspects of our play but it is not easy.

"We are getting the best out of what we have and they have been as good as gold. I can't fault the effort they are putting in."

All except striker Djibril Cisse, who played as though he already has an exit strategy fixed up and was rightly hooked at half-time.

Remy will have no worries about regular first-team football at Loftus Road, whether Cisse stays or not.

This match started out being more notable for the faces NOT at the Hawthorns rather than those that were.

Kieron Dyer, the man who had set up this tie by rescuing Rangers eight minutes from time in the original fixture, was watching it on telly after being released earlier this month.

And linesman John Brooks, who "advised" Manchester City's stars to applaud the fans that had paid the £62 to see them sink Arsenal, was also rewarded with the elbow by the refereeing hierarchy.

You didn't miss much in the first half, John.

In fact, we soon found out why this started out as the stiffs derby with the priority for both these sides Premier League survival.

(Image: Mark Thompson)

But when Shaun Wright-Phillips replaced Cisse after the break, there was instantly more pace an energy to the Rangers attack.

Even then, however, they were indebted to Green who withstood everything that Steve Clarke's men had to throw at him on a vintage evening for the former West Ham keeper.

Green pulled off a sensational, one-handed stop on the half hour from a Romelu Lukaku header that looked certain to put the Baggies ahead.

The former England star - responding superbly to competition from Julio Cesar - was also at his very best to deny striker Markus Rosenberg, shortly after Bothroyd had headed home from Alejandro's corner.

Rosenberg somehow managed to shoot straight at Green when either side of the Rangers keeper would have done.

Clarke - who had made four changes from last weekend's collapse at Reading - put his head in his hands in frustration.

The home fans were left in despair minutes later too, as Green pulled off stops from screamers from defender Goran Popov and midfielder Graham Dorrans.

West Brom are now winless in their last five since, ironically, beating QPR on Boxing Day.

This was sweet revenge for Rangers, for Redknapp and for the fans that must have believed that day their season was over.

And judging by the news post-match, it has only just begun.