Harry Redknapp was encouraged by elements of the performance against Aston Villa on Saturday, and has calmed injury fears over Samba Diakite and Stephane Mbia.

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The loss of his two African midfield enforcers to injury stopped a promising QPR performance dead in its tracks at Loftus Road, but fears both could be missing for a prolonged period of time have been allayed. Mbia’s neck injury is not as bad as first feared while Diakite only suffered a minor kick to his calf.

On the game itself Redknapp said: “"It always creates anxiety when you're bottom of the league and can't get a win. Football is like life - it is about confidence. When things are going well, you win games and you don't know how you won. You come off thinking 'we were rubbish today but we won again'. Sometimes, like we are at the moment, you play well but you can't get the win and that's how it goes.

“They have shown a good attitude. They've trained hard, worked hard. They've all been good, they're good lads. We just need a win, don't we? We could have got that win on Saturday with a bit of luck. Clint Hill's header I thought was dropping in and if that goes in it's a different game. We would be back in there, chasing the pack, but we couldn't quite get those three points."

On the recall of Shaun Wright-Phillips to the starting line up Redknapp added: "I think confidence is the key for him. He has to play with confidence. He made some good runs and great ones in the first half, where he should have scored and then hit the post. But he bent his runs in off the line and looked lively. He has done well in training and I gave him a chance."

And the new manager praised his veteran centre backs to West London Sport, saying: “We’re playing Clint Hill and Ryan Nelsen, who came here thinking he would be fourth-choice centre-back and is now the captain playing every week. Then you’ve got Shaun Derry, who came on and did a great job. They tried for their life again and are great professionals.”

The club confirmed the appointment of Redknapp’s long term coaching partners Joe Jordan and Kevin Bond at the weekend, and the Daily Mail reports today that Les Ferdinand and Clive Allen could soon follow them back to the club they served with such distinction as players.

Whether they’ll be joined though the entrance door at Loftus Road by yet another raft of transfer window signings rather depends on the results during December. The appointment of Redknapp has sparked a depressing succession of names being linked to Loftus Road including David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Tal Ben Haim and Joe Cole, but Redknapp said last week there will be little point n making further big money additions if the current crop cannot put points on the board before then.

He told the Fulham Chronicle: “If we don’t pick up points, what’s the point of adding five new players or whatever and ending up with a big wage bill?”

In the meantime the former Spurs boss says he will end the Mark Hughes practice of ostracising unwanted squad members by making them do double training sessions at odd times of the day away from the rest of the group. Tommy Smith left the club for Cardiff after being subjected to this treatment while Rob Hulse and DJJ Campbell escaped on loan but the likes of Luke Young have remained.

Redknapp told West London Sport: “There’s no-one coming in in the afternoons or anything like that. We’ll all be together. Until someone takes a diabolical liberty with me they’re part of it – and it’d have to be diabolical because I don’t isolate people very often. I’ve always said the players you pick love you and will think you’re great, and the ones you don’t pick can’t stand the sight of you. That’s football and it never changes. I’ve not had to upset anyone yet. When I have to leave a few out and upset them, then I suppose we’ll see a change in some of their characters perhaps. I don’t care about that. I’ve got to pick a team to win games. I’m not here to worry about upsetting people.”

But actions speak louder than words and Redknapp has already taken Kieron Dyer and Ale Faurlin out of the first team picture entirely – not even naming the pair as substitutes for his first two games. Faurlin was joined by Fabio Da Slva and Anton Ferdinand in the development squad’s 2-1 victory against Cardiff at Harlington today – Frankie Sutherland scored the first after his own penalty had been saved, and Tom Hitchcock added a second.

QPR: Murphy, Harriman, Sendles-White, Champion, Ferdinand, Ehmer, Sutherland, Fabio, Doughty, Hitchcock, Faurlin

Faurlin’s plight is in stark contrast to the situation currently being enjoyed by Jamie Mackie, who has scored two in the last three games and seems to embody everything Redknapp wants to see from his QPR team. The manager said having eleven Jamie Mackies on the field would solve many of QPR’s current woes – a pointed barb at certain other players currently being found wanting for effort – and the striker told tonight’s Evening Standard that his team mates have to realise their names and past achievements count for nothing in a relegation scrap.

Mackie said: “It’s all well and good having names on team sheets and big players but everyone needs to come to the fore now. It’s not about who or where you’ve been, it’s the here and now and how hard you want to dig in and work. When you’re in a relegation battle like this, it isn’t pretty. It’s not about playing unbelievable football, it’s about getting the job done in terms of three points and that’s where we’ve come up short. The new manager is big on that and emphasised the point that hard work is going to get us through. We believe we can do it.”

Adel Taarabt has also started both matches under Redknapp so far, despite fears the man who sold him when the pair were together at Tottenham would try to move him on again. Taarabt’s effort and performance levels have been consistently high over the past two months sparking renewed rumours last week that he may become a transfer target for Manchester United.

Captain Ryan Nelsen told the Fulham Chronicle: “Adel's ability is there for all to see, said the defender. When he gets in the right spots, he can create stuff. All Adel has to do is just be consistent and keep throwing out really good 7-8/10 performances every week and not worry about any of the speculation. You can't get a 7-8/10 once every five games, if you want to be a great player you have to be consistent, doing it week after week, season after season.”

Sadly the form of Spanish midfielder Esteban Granero seems to be heading in the opposite direction, with his worst performance for the club culminating in a half time withdrawal on Saturday. The deal to bring Granero in from Real Madrid remains shrouded in mystery and the latest story to emerge regarding it, printed in today’s Metro says Rangers would be forced to sell the player upon relegation if any team offers £5.5m for him. This follows previous reports that Real Madrid have a buy back option on the player that they can activate in 18 months time for twice the original transfer fee whether Rangers like it or not.

Deals like that, which everybody thought and hoped would propel QPR up the table, continue to hang round the club’s neck like a millstone. The current mood of supporters wasn’t helped by Saturday’s revelation that the R’s have committed a staggering – and completely needless - £6.8m to agents’ fees over the past 12 months. That is the third most in the Premier League behind Liverpool (£8.6m) and Man City (£10.5m) but ahead of the likes of Chelsea (£6.4m) and Spurs (£6.5m). Man Utd spent less than £4m on the parasites.

Any hopes the FA Cup Third Round draw may throw up something to spark the imagination in W12 were dashed on Sunday when the R’s were handed an uninspiring – and difficult – home draw against Premier League high flyers West Brom. That will be played on the first Saturday in January.

Finally the Under 18s secured a 1-0 win against Cardiff on Saturday ahead of a midweek trip to Norwich in the FA Youth Cup. Connor Hubble got the winning goal from the penalty spot – it’s the boys’ sixth straight league victory.

Coach Steve Gallen told the club’s official website “It certainly wasn’t one of our best performances but we were solid and defended well. We didn’t create as many chances as we’d have liked but we always looked comfortable at the back. In the last ten minutes Cardiff had a right go but we held on well. That’s one thing that’s been very good from the last few weeks; the lads have a great mentality right now when it comes to seeing games through. We are on a good run, spirit is high and we’ll see how far we can go.”

Loan Watch

Suspension now served, Joey Barton has finally been able to get involved in Ligue One action for Marseille who moved up to second in the table at the weekend with a 2-1 victory at Brest in which Barton set up both goals.

Afterwards he told RMC: “This is a great victory. It was a tough match. The playing conditions were very English, which was fine. It's good to have won after our defeat against Lyon. We answered this and it is never easy to come play at Brest. I think many teams will experience difficult times here."

Barton has recently been in the media spotlight again for his bizarre Allo Allo style English with a French accent that he has taken to using in interviews. He Tweeted: "In my defence, it is very difficult to do a press conference in Scouse for a room full of French journalists. The alternative is to speak like an 'Allo Allo!' character. It’s simply a case of you had to be there."

Barton has openly stated he does not want to return to QPR, but there may yet be a second chance in January for DJ Campbell who scored a seventieth minute penalty for Ipswich on Saturday as they continued to climb the Championship table with a 2-1 win at Bolton. Afterwards Campbell said: "I haven't got a clue about QPR yet. I haven't spoken to Harry Redknapp yet but I'm sure when the time's right we'll sit down and talk. Now I'm just trying to focus on Ipswich and push us up the league."

With six goals in 11 starts in a struggling team scored while Rangers are without Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson with long term injuries, Campbell must surely be an option under consideration by Redknapp this January.

Less so Rob Hulse, although to be fair he has three in his last seven for Charlton and went closer than anybody to breaking the deadlock in a 0-0 draw at high flying Millwall at the weekend.

Elsewhere Angelo Balanta played 66 minutes for MK Dons in their 2-1 FA Cup win against Wimbledon, and Troy Hewitt couldn’t manage a goal in a third consecutive game for Bury as they settled for a replay with a 1-1 draw at home to Southend. Hewitt scored in a 2-1 win at Scunthorpe and 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in the previous week.

Finally Bruno Andrade played a full 90 minutes for Wycombe in league Two as they beat Bristol Rovers 2-0 - player manager Gareth Ainsworth got the second goal.

Former R’s

Raheem Sterling may be wowing all comers with his performances on the pitch in his debut season for Liverpool’s first team, but off the field friends are proving harder to come by. Having allegedly already fathered three children in the city a week shy of his seventeenth birthday, Sterling is now said to be considering rejecting his first ever senior contract worth £20,000 a week with his advisers holding out for closer to £50,000 and Man City and Chelsea circling.

Sterling can sign senior terms when he turns 18 on December 18 and manager Brendan Rodgers said: “This club is going to give young players an opportunity. He has played more games than he could have dreamed of this season, both in the Premier League and the Europa League. Liverpool have given him the chance to become a full international player. This contract won’t be the biggest contract of his life. It is when he actually achieves something. If you are 17 and are playing regularly, you would be very foolish not to commit yourself very quickly. I am confident it will be sorted out soon.”

In other news Lee Cook, Martin Rowlands and Jimmy Smith were lucky to survive an FA Cup scare on Sunday afternoon as Leyton Orient recovered from one down and held off a second half onslaught at 3-2 to eventually win 4-2 at Conference side Alfreton.

Premier League shorts

- Newcastle ended a run of four straight league defeats with a 3-0 home win against Wigan this evening thanks to a brace from Demba Ba and a fine strike from Gael Bigirimana. The game was effectively ended as a contest by the thirteenth minute red card handed to Wigan’s Maynor Figuaroa and penalty awarded to the hosts. Wigan boss Roberto Martinez said: "I think a penalty and a red card is too much punishment. I thought it was harsh. It's a big decision and you need to be certain about a decision like that."

- That leaves Arsenal as this week’s crisis club after they were comprehensively outplayed and beaten 2-0 at home by Swansea at the weekend. The Swans are now up to seventh, and Arsenal down to tenth. Manager Arsene Wenger today railed against newspaper reports that his assistant Steve Bould had torn into the players at full time and accused them of letting the club down. Wenger said: "That is not true at all. There's nothing more irritating than superficial information nowadays. It would be better that people are a bit responsible for what they write."

- Across town Chelsea were busy refuting newspaper stories as well, with a spokesman denying reports that Avram Grant would be returning to the club. The Blues are in free fall and open revolt following the removal of Roberto Di Matteo and appointment of unpopular Spaniard Rafael Benitez. A 3-1 defeat at West Ham at the weekend leaves them ten points behind leaders Man Utd.

- At the other end struggling Sunderland are now one point away from the relegation spots after a 2-1 defeat at Norwich that leaves the Mackems without a win in ten and pressure mounting on manager Martin O’Neill. He said: "It is a battle for us and we have to pull through - it was a battle last year and so I'm hoping the experience they have will stand them in good stead this season."

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Photo: Action Images

isawqpratwcity added 01:26 - Dec 4 “If we don’t pick up points, what’s the point of adding five new players or whatever and ending up with a big wage bill?” I wonder how many points HR wants before he'd go shopping. I mean, he's wrong: we won't end up with a big wage bill, because we've already got a HUGE wage bill, one that will cripple, if not kill, a Championship club. I'd hate to give up on Premier status for the sake of lumping another (well chosen), say, 10% (on top, while we still have a chance. And no, I'm not saying this is how the club should be run, but right now it's how the club IS being run. We've grabbed this tiger by the tail, and now is not a good time to let go. Appreciated his getting the squad back together for training. Hughes must've been a nasty little man, coming up with that idea. I still want to know what HR is doing with Ale F, though. Mackie's comments were good, too. I hope they have some resonance with the underperforming drones on 3 or 4 times his wages.

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ozexile added 03:18 - Dec 4 Totally agree with redknapp any player that would even want to come in January would only be here for cash. If they had ambition they'd look elsewhere.
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Kaos_Agent added 05:41 - Dec 4 Nice to hear some plain speaking from Harry, on a positive note, in contrast to MH's post-match bewilderment about his meticulous prep not yielding results. "Until someone takes a diabolical liberty with me they’re part of it – and it’d have to be diabolical because I don’t isolate people very often." That's encouraging. I wonder what's up with Faurlin and Dyer.

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Pablo_Hoopsta added 11:45 - Dec 4 I'm hoping it's a case of all players having a fresh slate, and if people aren't being played now then it's not a sign of being left out and unwanted, more that they'll get their chance to show what they can do just like everyone else. Difficult to be doing that now though when every point is essential.
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TacticalR added 13:09 - Dec 4 Obviously it's frustrating that we can't beat anybody. However, under Hughes we would probably have lost the Villa game, given the way things have been going.
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bishom added 17:49 - Dec 4 As hard as it would be to swallow for all QPR fans, I can see Harry selling the likes of Taarabt, Faurlin and Granero in the Jan transfer window to raise funds to get players in to balance the squad in the areas we are short in (defence/strikers). Can't see anyone wanting to take SWP and Bosingwa off our hands!
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probbo added 22:42 - Dec 4 Best case scenario is that we get a couple of players on loan in Jan until the end of the season. Why would anyone want to sign up to a club that's anchored to the bottom of the league and more to the point why would the club want to saddle itself with more under-achievers coming purely for the money? I continue to shudder to think what our wage to turnover ratio must be these days (somewhere around 200% is my conservative estimate but probably a lot more!!). Hopefully Harry will pluck some unknown Eastern European striker on loan who can 'do a Michu' and score the goals we desperately need to stay up. Ideally though it will be the players who got us in to this mess that will get the Club out of it. They deserve it to the fans and to themselves to raise their games.

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