Manager Jim Magilton has criticised the performance of his team in the wake of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Nottingham Forest.

Magilton is still searching for his first league win as QPR manager and told the club’s official website: “It was a classic strike from Mikele but the game was far too open for my liking. It was really frenetic stuff, a case of you have it, we have it, and we'll see who scores first. I felt we could take a stranglehold after we scored, but we didn't and that really disappoints me.At half-time there was a precautionary note, simply because we didn't defend properly in the first half and low and behold, we gifted them an equaliser, but at the end of the day, we haven't lost the game and that's important."

“We need to be far more inventive going forward, but it just isn't happening for us at the moment. Out of all our performances yet this season, that was definitely our poorest.It's still very much work in progress, but we've got to improve quickly. It was like a Friday morning five-a-side at times, unbelievably laid back and open, and that's not what I expect from my players.”

Despite the mediocre start to the season at Loftus Road three QPR players have been called up by their countries ahead of the forthcoming international break. Rangers have matches with Accrington and Scunthorpe before a fortnight off to take stock but Adel Taarabt (Morocco v Togo), Heidar Helguson (Iceland v Norway and then Georgia) and Akos Buzsaky (Hungary v Sweden and then Portugal) will all be abroad playing for their countries.

Elsewhere midfielder Frankie Sutherland, a 17 year old in the QPR junior ranks, has been added to the Republic of Ireland Under-17 squad by manager Sean McCaffrey. The team is part of an eight nation tournament being held in Poland between August 30 and September 5.

Birmingham’s Gregory Vignal has been talking about his move to the Premiership side rather than QPR this summer. The full back, injured in a midweek win against Portsmouth, told the Birmingham Mail: “I went to QPR on trial during pre-season but the financial situation wasn’t good enough. It was difficult to find an agreement with my French club.”

The rumour mill has linked QPR with a move for Leeds hitman Jermaine Beckford this week although according to the Ealing Gazette the Yorkshire club are now looking for silly money for a player they were happy to sell cheaply earlier this summer when he refused to sign a new contract. They could not find a taker on that occasion, and have now decided to keep him and risk losing him for free next summer. Free agents Michael Mifsud and Danny Webber have also been tipped as possible targets by the BBC.

Elsewhere in the Championship table toppers Cardiff City have added Man City attacker Kelvin Etuhu to their side on a season long loan arrangement. Cardiff returned to the top of the table with an impressive televised 3-0 win at home to Bristol City on Sunday. Preston North End midfielder Barry Nicholson broke his leg in Saturday’s 2-0 win against Peterborough.

Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies has reacted indignantly to the appointment of David Pleat as a Director of Football at the City Ground. He told the News of the World: “David Pleat has not been appointed by me and his role is none of my business. But there's not a chance in hell that I'll walk out of this club. Every manager should be allowed to manage his team. Modern football is full of middlemen, directors of football, chief executives, football consultants, general managers. Whatever name you give them, they are here to stay but managers must be able to manage and I will never change my mind on that."

Photo: Action Images

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