Wednesday Diary — QPR players close Twitter accounts
Wednesday, 12th Jan 2011 23:42 by Clive Whittingham

Several QPR players have today closed their Twitter accounts, apparently on the say so of manager Neil Warnock, as the fall out from Saturday’s FA Cup game at Blackburn continues.

News

As reported in Tuesday’s Diary Bradley Orr, Clint Hill, Paddy Kenny and Jamie Mackie himself were all outspoken on the social networking site earlier this week – using it as a medium through which to transmit abuse to Blackburn striker El-Hadji Diouf who allegedly stood over Mackie barracking him while he was receiving treatment for a double leg fracture in Saturday’s game.

Clint Hill and Shaun Derry have today ceased their activity on Twitter and it has been reported that manager Neil Warnock is clamping down on the site’s use by the players. Warnock told the Fulham Chronicle that following the decision to charge Ryan Babel for Tweeting about referee Howard Webb in the wake of the weekend FA Cup defeat for Liverpool at Old Trafford he has asked his players not to mention QPR if they are to continue using the site.

Warnock said: “We don’t want charges of our own. And I’ve had a word with the lads about this, and they can use Twitter all they want – as long as it has nothing to do with the club."

The club has confirmed today that despite avoiding surgery on his broken leg, Mackie will miss the rest of the season through injury.

As reported in The Diary on Tuesday Emmanuel Ledesma is back in W12 and played 45 minutes for the reserves against Charlton on Monday as he attempts to impress Neil Warnock and earn a deal at Loftus Road. Ledesma scored four goals, including a hat trick in the League Cup against Carlisle, in 23 appearances for the R’s in the 2008/09 season but was released early from a loan deal with Genoa once Paulo Sousa had taken over as manager. He has since played for Serie B sides Salernitana, Novara and Crotone but is now back in London attempting to make another go of it with QPR.

Rangers are giving a similar trial period to Slovenian Under 21 international Darko Zec. Slovenian side Domzale confirmed on their official website that Zec, 21, would be training with QPR after spending a similar period with Dinamo Bucharest without earning a deal.

Lee Cook came through 70 minutes of reserve action on Monday as the R’s drew 2-2 with Charlton and told The Kilburn Times today that he is open to the idea of a temporary loan move away from QPR in a bid to build up his match fitness – League One Southampton has been mentioned as a potential destination.

Cook said: ““If the gaffer comes to me and says ‘I want you to go somewhere for a month and play four or five games’, then I will do. It’s up to me to try and break into the team. I’ve got to take my chance in the 20 minutes or so I’m going to get in games and show the gaffer that I warrant a start. But if he wants me to go for a month I haven’t got a problem with that. As long as I stay injury-free this year and the club go up, happy days. It’s been a while since I’ve had the whole matchday experience and just getting 10 or 15 minutes was great for me. Hopefully I can be involved on the bench again at Burnley on Saturday.

“It’s been hard mentally and, when I first got told I was looking at five or six months, my head was on the floor. But I’ve worked hard and I thank the physios, Nigel and Sangi and especially Carl Serrant for getting me fit. Carl’s helped me in the gym non-stop. We got on great – he’s been unbelievable and he’s good to have around the club. He knows all the right exercises and techniques to build the thighs and glute muscles. His running sessions are horrible – the lads hate going with him! If you miss a month, you go with him for a week and I was with him for five weeks. I’m hoping I can get a second chance to play in the Premier League and, if I don’t, it won’t be through injury this time because my legs are strong and I feel a lot sharper.”

Loan Watch

Speculation about Mikele Leigertwood’s future has been put to bed for now with the news that the player has extended his loan spell with Reading through to the end of the season. Leigertwood is yet to lose in seven outings for the Royals and was expected to make the move permanent this January but the clubs have settled on a long term loan deal.

Leigertwood told Reading’s official website: “It was an easy choice to stay, I've enjoyed my time here and it was only right. I'm doing OK, the management are happy and to be honest there was no decision to make. I came in, hadn't played much and it was a case of getting fit. I'm still adapting, I'm seven games in but I feel I'm getting better and hopefully I'll continue to improve. We've got ourselves in a good position, hopefully we can kick on and get a good run of results to push for the play-offs at least. We're six points off second, it's there for us. The manager has always said he wants to get in the top six and hopefully we can do that. The manager has been a year in the job and has done a good job, the squad he's got together is good, there's a good mix of youth and experience, I'm very pleased to be working with him."

Fellow midfielder Jem Karacen told the Reading site: “He's a rock, and seeing some of the challenges he does just makes me want to be a bit bigger. He's been brilliant, like the whole team in those performances. We've pulled together, he's been a brilliant loan signing. You've seen how many times he wins the ball back, it takes a bit off my hands, he's great to play with, he's a talker and helps you through the game. He's good on the ball, he's got a goal in him, it's coming soon, I'm loving play with him. You can say me and him are settled in there but there's also Howie, Tabb, Bryn is back, keeping us on our toes."

Former R’s

It was a memorable night in Suffolk for Ipswich’s former QPR trio of Damien Delaney, Tamas Priskin and Mark Kennedy as the Tractor Boys overcame odds of 9/1 against to beat Arsenal 1-0 in the first leg of the League Cup semi final. Coming into the game under the caretaker charge of Charlie McParland and on the back of a 7-0 drubbing by Chelsea in the FA Cup few had given Ipswich a hope against an Arsenal side suddenly taking this competition very seriously indeed.

But with Delaney in the form of his life at the back, and Priskin a constant menace to the Arsenal defence up front the Blues pulled off an unlikely success to take an advantage into the second leg when they will be under the charge of new manager Paul Jewell. Priskin got the crucial goal himself, and picked up the Sky man of the match award despite a hatful of missed chances besides, 12 minutes from time.

Elsewhere Dougie Freedman has been appointed as the new manager of Crystal Palace after Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe and former Palace boss Steve Coppell rejected the opportunity to take up the position. Freedman started out life as a trainee at QPR without ever making a first team appearance but starred for first Barnet and then Palace during a successful journeyman career that also took in spells with Wolves and Leeds. Freedman had originally been named as caretaker boss of the Eagles who currently find themselves in the Championship relegation zone.

Freedman told Palace’s official website: “This is a very proud moment for me to be named manager of the club that I have grown to love. First and foremost I would like to thank the fans for their support over my playing and coaching career and long may it continue. I would also like to thank the owners of the club for giving me this opportunity and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead. I will now look at both the playing squad and my own staff which we will hopefully add to sooner rather than later."

Championship Shorts

- Reading have called a halt to their pursuit of Plymouth’s leading scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips citing complications with the player’s medical. Director of football Nick Hammond said: “We are disappointed as Bradley is a fantastic young man, but there are currently some medical issues that prevent us from completing the deal at this time. I would like to thank Plymouth Argyle for their very professional approach in these discussions."

- Cardiff have suffered another blow to their promotion hopes today with star striker Craig Bellamy arrested and bailed after an alleged assault on two men in a city centre bar. City say Bellamy will be part of their squad which travels to his first professional club Norwich for a promotion clash at Carrow Road this weekend.

- Leicester’s attempts to loan their way into the Premiership have stepped up a gear with the six month signing of Everton striker Yakubu.

- Doncaster have completed the loan signing of former Leeds and Sheff Utd centre half Matt Kilgallon from Sunderland until the end of the season. But Rovers have released former Preston and Norwich winger Simon Whaley on a free transfer.

- Sheff Utd have signed 18-year-old Chelsea midfielder Danny Philliskirk on a one month loan deal.

- Scunthorpe have had a second bid for Bristol Rovers striker Will Hoskins turned down and are now expected to turn their attention to Brighton forward Glenn Murray.

- Derby CEO Tom Glick says manager Nigel Clough will not be sacked despite a run of seven games without victory that includes a 5-2 thrashing at local rivals Nottingham Forest and a humiliating FA Cup defeat at Crawley on Monday evening. Glick said: “Nigel is absolutely our guy. We have been clear about that continuously. We are still in stalking distance of the play-offs."