Hughes shrugs off sack talk as QPR stay winless
QPR 1 vs READING 1
QUEENS Park Rangers boss Mark Hughes insists he is still the man to turn around the Hoops’ fortunes, despite leading the club to their equal worst ever start to a top flight season.
Kaspars Gorkss put Reading 1-0 up after a quarter of an hour of yesterday’s clash, and although Djibril Cisse equalised with 25 minutes to go, the home side failed to find another goal and remain winless from their opening 10 Premier League games.
“We’ve got the potential for a good team here, we’ve just got to get that first win,” Hughes said.
Asked if he is still the right man for the job, Hughes responded with a determined “yes”. The Welshman is under increasing pressure as his team continues to disappoint despite signing an array of players in the summer.
“We’re working exceptionally hard on a daily basis to try and turn this one around, and we’ll get there – we know that,” the QPR manager added, brushing off jeers from the crowd that greeted the full-time whistle.
“I think that was isolated, the vast majority understood the team was trying really hard not to sit on a 1-1 draw but to actually go for the three points.”
The visitors, also without a league win this season, came out of the blocks quicker than QPR and opened the scoring after 16 minutes.
Nicky Shorey sent in an outswinging corner from the left which Sean Morrison contested at the far post. The ball bounced vertically upwards off Morrison’s head and – with Anton Ferdinand strangely backing off – Morrison had another go, looping his second header against the crossbar.
As the ball bounced off the woodwork, Gorkss pounced acrobatically to half-volley it through Julio Cesar’s hands and into the net.
But QPR raised the tempo after the break, and an equaliser came on 68 minutes. Djibril Cisse controlled and turned on a cross from the right by Jose Bosingwa before stabbing the loose ball past Alex McCarthy with his studs from five yards.
Hughes urged his side forward and with five minutes to go they could have snatched all three points. Adel Taarabt turned his defender but watched in disbelief as McCarthy stuck out a right boot to save his side-footed effort from the resulting one-on-one.
QPR move up to 19th, above Southampton who play tonight.