 Monday, 5th Mar 2012 22:56 by Clive Whittingham Mark Hughes was pleased with the improvement in his team as QPR held Everton to a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road on Saturday, but will investigate a dissenting Tweet from out of favour striker Federico Macheda. NewsHughes told the club’s official website: “I thought we were excellent. Obviously we went behind - against the run of play I would suggest - but I thought we responded brilliantly. Everton didn't really create any problems for us. For long periods we were in the ascendancy and we probably deserved to get more than a point out of the game - that's the only disappointment today. In terms of application and affecting the game, I was delighted with what we did today. We'll take a lot of confidence from today's performance. "Adel held his hands up for the goal - he just overplayed in a silly area of the pitch," said Hughes. It was a great strike from Drenthe to blast it past Paddy Kenny. Adel will learn from that - I thought his response was excellent and he played his part in our equaliser, which is great credit to him." "When we apply ourselves like we did today, we are a good team to watch. I thought Clint Hill was outstanding. He's come back into the team in the last two matches and been excellent.” Midfielder Shaun Derry was also full of praise for the team after he returned to replace the suspended Samba Diakite. Derry told the club’s official website: “I'm just loving football at the minute - it's a fantastic game. It's up to the gaffer next week - but hopefully I proved a point. It's very important for the club that it stays in this league this season. Hopefully it can then progress in the close season, but for now we're in a relegation battle - and nothing else. It's up to everybody - myself included - to stand up and be counted. "It's a game that we could have won, most definitely. We've hit the post and Taarabt's free-kick just touched the wall and went over the bar. On another day, they could have perhaps gone in. It's something to build on. That's very important because we've got some games coming up against some big teams. I thought the blend was good. The distance between the midfielders was fantastic. It gives us half a chance to get the ball back, as well. I thought we used it when we had the ball. It was pleasing to play in - it really was. We've got a point on the board - and that's better than the last few games." And defender Nedum Onuoha told London24: “We have to see it as a point gained. When you’re down there and you don’t have that many points you have to accept it, and hopefully this can be the springboard for the final games of the season. There are positives going into the next game, everybody knows Everton do well in the second half of the season so it was a good point for us.” Hughes was more coy about loaned Man Utd forward Federico Macheda who was left out of the matchday squad once again on Saturday after a series of poor performances immediately after joining the club and took to Twitter to apparently air his frustrations after the game. Macheda Tweeted: “Totally pissed off … this is not what i deserve! Fuck all!" Hughes told the Guardian: “What is he talking about? Perhaps he has broken a watch or dropped his phone. Who knows what he has done. You're assuming it is about the game and not being involved. Until I speak to him I can't really comment. Well, when I know it is I will come back and talk about it but I can't talk about it because that is the first I've heard about it. Why we are talking about a player who was not in the squad? I would rather talk about the guys who worked their bollocks off, to be honest, rather than somebody that wasn't even in the squad, don't you think?" Macheda was today fined £15,000 by the FA for an earlier homophobic remark posted on his Twitter account – a record high amount for such an offence. Owner Tony Fernandes sat in the Lower Loft for the first half of Saturday’s match and met with supporters in the pubs of Shepherds Bush before the game. Manager Mark Hughes told West London Sport: “Tony likes doing it.In his business he’s very people-orientated. That’s how he gets an understanding of the businesses he’s involved in. He wants to engage with people. He’s very good in that respect. I think it’s a refreshing change. Everybody knows that Tony’s got the best interests of the club at heart. He’s put a lot of finance in and is trying to make sure the club is healthy in the future and is able to grow. It’s important that fans have access to you. Sometimes when my thoughts are given it can be taken out of context, so it can be better to hear things from the horse’s mouth.” Prior to the game Fernandes had sought to reassure fans that relegation would not bring about a Portsmouth-style collapse in the club despite its big outlay on players this season. He told Talksport: “We’ll have some setbacks and if we go down, we go down. We’ve got to be real, it’s tough in the Premier League. I came in at the start of the season with wide open eyes thinking we could go down. The first game I watched was a 4-0 loss to Bolton, so I’m a realist. If we go down we’ll have to deal with it. It’s a long-term project though, we are building a great team with the backroom staff and the squad we’ve got. We’re developing the academy and we’re making plans for a new stadium. We’ll have some setbacks and if we go down, we go down. But I’m resolute, I love what we’re doing and once you put a good structure in the results will come.” And CEO Philip Beard has also been making positive noises about the plans for a new training ground. QPR face competition for their first choice Warren Farm site from the rich owners of non-league Southall who want to build a £20m sport and community facility on the site. But Beard said: "We are in the final stages of a bid for a plot of land fairly close to where the current training ground is and we hope to find out in the next few weeks if we've been successful. "If we are successful, then we will start building as fast as possible. If not, then we have option B and option C that we will pursue. I am quietly confident that the land we are looking at we will get and start to move forward with a Premier League training ground in the way most proper Premier League clubs have got. We are looking at best practices so we have looked at a lot of training grounds of current Premier League clubs. "We've got good architects, good project managers and I think we have got a team of people that understand what it will take to have a Premier League training ground, not just for the first team but for the reserves and most importantly the academy. Our aim is to have a category-one status academy so we can nurture young talent and bring them through to the first team." Finally top scorer Heidar Helguson is to be referred to a specialist as concerns grow about his persistent groin injury. The Icelandic striker, who has scored nine times this season, has already been ruled out of this weekend’s trip to his former club Bolton. Loan WatchPeter Ramage made his debut for Birmingham City on Saturday but couldn’t prevent the Blues surrendering a two goal lead to draw 2-2 at home with out of form Derby County. Brum signed Ramage on loan last week shortly before coming under a transfer embargo for failing to file their accounts on time. Ramage told Sky Sports he expects the move to be the beginning of the end of his time at QPR following a similar spell at Palace earlier this season. He said: “If you go into training with the right mentality and focused to do your best every day then you might be able to impress enough to force your way into his plans for next season. I don't expect to hear anything more from them in terms of after this season, but it can only benefit me in the summer when looking for a new club if that is the case. I'm sure managers like to get references from other managers when signing a player, so if I am professional and do my best whilst I'm here then hopefully he'll say good things about me." Michael Doughty has joined League Two side Aldershot on loan until April. Doughty made two starts and 16 sub appearances for Crawley in that division earlier this season, scoring twice including a winning goal against Aldershot. Premiership Shorts- Chelsea have sacked Andre Villas Boas after eight months, 40 matches and 20 wins in charge. Roberto Di Matteo will take charge until the end of the season. - Sunderland will be without Lee Cattermole for four matches after he was sent off for abusing referee Mike Dean after the final whistle of a bad tempered north east derby with Newcastle on Sunday. The game finished 1-1 with nine yellow cards and two reds. Stephane Sessegnon will be out for three games after elbowing Cheik Tiote. - Man City will impose a fine on striker Mario Balotelli if newspaper reports about his late night antics prior to a weekend win against Bolton are proved. Balotelli played and scored in the game but afterwards manager Roberto Mancini said: "Tomorrow I will speak with him. If everything is true I will do the maximum fine that I can do. I'm really disappointed. Maybe if he goes to bed earlier, maybe he scores three goals. Maybe he missed four goals for this reason." - Wigan chairman Dave Whelen has said manager Roberto Martinez is still safe at the club, despite criticising his team selection for the weekend loss at home to Swansea. Whelen was unhappy to see Victor Moses, Hugo Rodallega and Mohamed Diame left on the bench for the game but said afterwards: “Roberto Martinez's future is secure. He has done a great job for the club. That was our worst performance in four or five years. I will have a meeting with him on Monday morning and ask him some questions about the performance and his selection. We had three quality players on the bench and I want to know why." Tweet @loftforwords Pictures – Action Images Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Blogs 31 bloggersIpswich Town Polls |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
