Rowan Vine was again left out by Brentford for their Football League Trophy match on Tuesday evening as Bees manager Andy Scott criticised the player's fitness.

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Manager Neil Warnock has old Hogan Ephraim he must work hard and be patient if he is to win his place back in the QPR team. Ephraim was first choice at the start of the season, and played very well initially, but lost form recently and has since fallen behind Tommy Smith and Leon Clarke in the pecking order at Rangers.

Warnock told the Fulham Chronicle: “It is going to be hard for him to get in at the moment, but it is for everybody that finds themselves out of the team. There's no other way to get back but to keep playing well in training and wait for your chance. Bradley Orr is a good pro and he's been in the same situation – so has Heidar Helguson. Heidar started like a house on fire, but Rob Hulse had taken his chance before he fell ill last week. I just thought Hogan looked tired a couple of weeks ago. I had a chat with him and he actually agreed with me. Other people have come in and done well and he's behind a couple of players now – because Clarkey has also done well."

QPR’s Under 18s suffered a second penalty shoot out heartbreak in ten days at the weekend, going out of the Football Alliance League Cup at the semi finals to Millwall. Michael Doughty, son of the Nottingham Forest chairman, scored QPR’s goal in a 1-1 draw but the Lions triumphed 7-6 on penalties. Last week Rangers crashed out of the FA Youth Cup on spot kicks after drawing 2-2 at Loftus Road against Nottingham Forest’s academy side.

Loan Watch

Rowan Vine’s nightmare shows no sign of coming to an end soon. The player, who has never recovered fully from a year out of the game with a broken leg two seasons ago, was again left out of Brentford’s match day squad for their Johnston’s Paint Trophy game with Charlton on Tuesday evening. Vine, who spent five games on loan at Hull City earlier this season, moved to Brentford with whom he spent a season on loan as a teenager to try and regain fitness and play first team football. But the Bees are yet to name him even as a substitute with manager Andy Scott slamming the striker’s sub standard fitness levels..

Scott told the Hounslow Chronicle: “Rowan is some way off our fitness levels at the moment. He is going to have to work even harder than the lads already here to get to their fitness levels. And if he doesn't, he won't get in the side, or even on the bench.”

Former R’s

Dexter Blackstock’s long road to recovery from ruptured cruciate knee ligaments has begun after a gruelling weekend under the surgeon’s knife. Blackstock suffered the injury in a recent victory at Cardiff and has been ruled out for the next year.

Manager Billy Davies told the Nottingham Evening Post: “He has come through the operation and the medical people are pleased. Dexter is in an awful lot of pain at the moment, and has been over the last three of four days and remained in hospital. But the main thing is, the doctors are pleased with how things went and now the most important thing is to get him out of hospital, get him comfortable and start the long process of the rehab. It is too complicated for me to talk about with them taking a hamstring muscle out and putting it inside the knee and a bit of bone out - it's a very complicated operation. It went on longer than what they had hoped but they are pleased with the outcome.

"The time-scale of Dexter being out is a minimum of 12 months. We know as sportsmen that these things happen to top sports people and when it does, you just have to bite the bullet and go through the process of rehab and recovery and do all you can to remain upbeat as much as possible. It will be a sustained time out but when the incident happened I said to him he had to focus his mind on it being one of those things. You have to accept these things can go against you. Dexter knows himself he has been very fortunate with what has happened in his career, he has had a great career in terms of where he is at. But this has happened, he has to get over the injury and get back to being to his best."

Blackstock’s replacement at Loftus Road last season Jay Simpson continues to struggle with his form at Hull City, and was the victim of mistaken identity at Crystal Palace on Saturday. Simpson bagged 13 goals for the R’s on loan from Arsenal last season and moved to the KC Stadium permanently this summer but has yet to find the net in eight starts and seven substitute appearances. He fired another blank on Saturday after being introduced from the bench to replace the injured Richard Garcia in the first half at Selhurst Park. His substitution was met with a cacophony of boos, jeers and abuse as the Palace fans mistook him for John Bostock, another Hull substitute who left Palace for Spurs in controversial circumstances 18 months ago.

Championship Shorts

- As reported in the LFW Weekend Diary Sheffield United are now searching for a second new manager of the season already after Gary Speed left to become the new Wales boss. Speed lost nine of 18 games in charge at Bramall Lane and United are just one point outside the relegation zone but he still beat Chris Coleman, John Hartson and Lars Lagerbeck to the top job in Wales. Speed said: “It's something that's very difficult to turn down when your country comes calling," said Speed. I'm just thankful I've got the opportunity to come and try to make Wales successful. It's an opportunity I'm really looking forward to."

- Former Hull boss Phil Brown and current Burton manager Paul Peschisolido are the early favourites to replace Speed at Bramall Lane.

- Leeds are hoping centre half Andy O’Brien will recover from a thigh strain in time to face QPR at Elland Road this weekend. The Whites have been greatly improved since O’Brien signed on loan from Bolton and hope to make the move permanent in January but were without him for a weekend win at Burnley.

- Norwich centre half Leon Barnett is facing a lengthy ban, just days after agreeing a permanent deal with the Canaries. Barnett agreed to sign at Carrow Road after a successful loan spell from West Brom prior to Saturday’s game against Portsmouth but was sent off late in the match and then compounded matters by throwing the ball at referee Simon Hooper. Barnett’s automatic one game ban for the red card is sure to be extended after he received an improper conduct charge today. Barnett said: “I went in straight after the game to the referee and the gaffer to say sorry for my actions. I knew immediately that what I did was wrong. What happened was out of character for me and I wanted to apologise for doing what I did."

- Watford will be without Stephen McGinn for more than a month after he suffered a fractured cheekbone and eye socket in an innocuous clash with Rob Hulse at QPR on Friday. Some newspapers incorrectly reported that the incident occurred when he was hit with a bottle thrown by supporters as Watford celebrated their third goal. Boss Malky Mackay said: “It's very disappointing for him but we've already spoken about how I want him to step on again during these next four or five weeks."

- Derby midfielder Kris Commons said Bristol City keeper David James got away without a red card in a match between the two on Saturday because of who he is. James felled Commons as he raced through on goal with the score level at 0-0 but was inexplicably spared a red and only shown a yellow card by referee Darren Sheldrake. Commons said: “The referee was an absolute disgrace. If it was any other keeper, at any other ground, it would be a red card. I think the decision not to send him off had a massive impact on the game and gave them a huge boost. I don't know what was going through the referee's mind and I don't know where a player needs to be on the pitch, with no defenders near him and an open goal, for it to be classed as a clear-cut chance. It's beyond me. It cost us the match.”

- Portsmouth boss Steve Cotterill says he can no longer select midfielders Richard Hughes or Michael Brown because any further appearances would trigger contract clauses entitling them to new deals. He said: “Unfortunately it's the situation I've inherited. It's poor but that's where I am. I don't do the contracts and I don't dish out how much money goes to who and where.”

- Leicester have welcomed Chris Kirkland back on loan from Wigan after his first spell was ended without an appearance being made by a reoccurrence of his regular back injury. The Foxes have denied Alan Pardew permission to speak to coach Chris Powell about joining his Newcastle back room staff.

Parish Noticeboard

Ticket prices have been announced for QPR’s forthcoming away games. The New Year’s Day clash at Norwich sees adult tickets priced at an extortionate £33. Rangers have 2,400 tickets for this clash with seniors priced £27, under 16s priced £23 and under 12s priced £16. A disgrace, but there we go. This match is all ticket, they are now on sale and will remain so until Wednesday, December 29.

The FA Cup tie at Blackburn on January 8 is much more reasonably priced. Adult tckets are £15, under 16s, young adult season ticket holders seniors are £5, accompanied under 16s get in for £1 and disabled tickets are £15 including a free one for a helper. The R’s have 2500 tickets and they will go on sale to season ticket holders (one each) from Thursday, members from Tuesday next week and on general sale from Thursday 23.

Photo: Action Images

Myke added 22:35 - Dec 14 It's hard to have any ongoing sympathy for Vine. I liked him very much as a player and I think he was desperately unlicky to be injured (maliciously?) by a goalkeeper who didn't even get a game for us. However, while a return to form is outside his control, a return to fitness is a different matter entirely. There is no excuse - other than poor attitude and 16k a week - for him not being fully fit and busting a gut to get his form back

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