Neil Warnock said he was disappointed not to seal promotion with a victory against Hull, and has brushed off suggestions he will be replaced by a big name when the R’s do go up.
Warnock told the club’s official website after the Hull game: “I'm disappointed not to have tied the Championship up. I thought that we had more than enough opportunities to kill the game off. To concede a goal like we did from Paddy Kenny's kick is not acceptable at any level. That's what makes the Championship so difficult. There's never an easy match. But I can't complain. My players have been brilliant.
"We're six points clear of third with two games to go and 13 goals better off - you couldn't ask for more than that at the start of the season. We've done all this in 13 months - it's fantastic. I think the fans know the goal difference is crucial - unless we do something that we haven't done in a while. It's a healthy position to be in. It makes the Watford game all the more appetising."
Midfielder Tommy Smith told the Fulham Chronicle: “Hull lost their game early on Saturday – and maybe they were already looking forward to Monday long before the end, whereas we had a tough game at Cardiff – and maybe we were a bit leggy in the last 20 to 25 minutes. It was mixed emotions when we got back to the changing room, because the gaffer wasn’t pleased about the goal we conceded. As for chucking a boot at a screen or whatever there were a few who wanted to do that, but it’s a point closer and we’ll have to make sure we do it at Watford on Saturday."
With QPR within touching distance of the Premiership stories about Warnock being replaced by a big name such as Marcello Lippi have started to surface in the gutter press again. Warnock told TalkSport: “I absolutely love it. Flavio rang me today and said ‘I have not spoken to anybody, I promise you’. But you’re going to get things like that. It’s like the hearing for Alejandro Faurlin. You’re going to get tabloids that never let facts get in the way of a good story.”
Briatore was at the game on Monday, and it has been revealed by Bernie Ecclestone today that the Italian retains the first option on any shares sold in the club despite selling his stake earlier this season. Ecclestone told the Daily Mail he may be interested in selling his 62 per cent in Rangers, but would look for £100m for it.
He said: “I don’t have any choice staying in or going out. Flavio would probably be the one to sell if anybody. It is dependent on Flavio. If somebody bought that team today it would be a very good punt. It is probably worth £100m. You see a lot of these clubs today that are nowhere as high in the league as we are, playing people that have fallen from the top and beating them so there is no need to spend these fortunes.”
Elsewhere Newcastle officials have told the press in the north east there is no truth to stories in the London media that they have paid up the contract of Monday’s goal scorer Wayne Routledge to allow him to leave on a free. Once more LFW is forced to ask the question of just where on earth are the press in London being fed these lines from as Newcastle insist they will be looking for a fee for the winger who they signed from QPR for more than £1m just over a year ago on a three and a half year deal.
- Rowan Vine has returned to Loftus Road at the conclusion of his three month loan with the MK Dons. He scored one goal in 12 starts and five sub appearances in League One.
- Lee Brown and Hayes and Yeading have climbed clear of the Conference drop zone with a game to spare. A run of five wins in six games came to an end at Cambridge on Saturday, when Brown played, but it had already seen them safe. Despite owning both the Hayes and Yeading grounds they are staring down the barrel of a ground share at Farnborough or Woking for next season with Church Road (where they play now) about to be bulldozed for housing and the old Yeading ground yet to be redeveloped for football.
- Crystal Palace are also safe after a win against Leeds on Monday, but Gavin Mahon is yet to make it off the bench for the Eagles since joining from QPR.
- His old midfield partner in crime Mikele Leigertwood continues to go from strength to strength with Reading, although his proud unbeaten run with the Royals is over. Legs hadn;’t lost in 19 league appearances for Reading this season since joining on loan but they blew a two goal lead at home to Sheffield United at the weekend wrecking their automatic promotion hopes. They will now compete in the play offs instead.
- Max Ehmer played two full games for Yeovil at the weekend as they drew 2-2 with promotion hopefuls Bournemouth and Peterborough. Ehmer has been a key figure in Yeovil’s climb away from the League One drop zone having arrived midway through the campaign with them stuck in the bottom two. They are now safe with two games to play.
- Joe Oastler played for an hour as Torquay drew 3-3 with Burton Albion in League Two. Despite being docked a point for fielding an ineligible player in a game with Hereford the Gulls are just one away from the play off places with two games left to play.
Former QPR chief scout Mel Johnson, the man responsible for signings such as Lee Cook, Danny Shittu, Lee Camp and Martin Rowlands at Loftus Road, has joined Liverpool as their southern England scout. Johnson was taken to Spurs from QPR by current Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli during his time at White Hart Lane but lost his job as Spurs’ European scout earlier this season. Spurs credit Johnson, a well liked and much missed figure in W12, with spotting Gareth Bale’s potential at Southampton.
- Cardiff have slammed the fixture schedule which saw Norwich enjoy an extra two days rest before their Bank Holiday Monday fixture with Derby. Norwich scored another injury time winner, their twelfth of the season, against the Rams having beaten Ipswich 5-1 the previous Thursday while Cardiff had to go to Preston just 48 hours after drawing with QPR. Midfielder Stephen McPhail said: “We only have a day to recover which is a bit of scandal really because I think Norwich had four days.” Ever cheerful manager Dave Jones said: “I don't know why everyone didn't play on Thursday. It baffles me. Why would you give an advantage to the other clubs that played on Thursday? It is not right as we should have had the same amount of rest as everyone else at this stage of the season.”
- Phil Brown says he is responsible for Preston’s relegation at the weekend and has immediately set about putting plans in place to bring them back up from League One next season. Brown said: “I hold myself responsible for the relegation, end of story. You can say we are coming in too late and the previous charge was there too long. These are things that people have said to me. But I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t think I could keep us in the Championship. So I hold myself responsible for the relegation. We didn’t get our first win until too late and then it was catch-up time. This is on my CV.”
- Leicester will play a home pre-season friendly against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid side on Saturday, July 30, the BBC understands.