QPR lost for the first time in the pre-season campaign with a reserve side beaten 2-0 at Blue Square National side Crawley. Elsewhere Akos Buzsaky has been called up by Hungary.

News:

Rangers suffered their first defeat of the summer on Wednesday night, going down 2-0 at Crawley Town. A goal either side of half time from matt Tubbs gave the hosts a comfortable victory against what was very much a second string QPR side. Peter Ramage, suspended for the first two games, was given a run out but it was otherwise a mixture of youth teamers and those senior players Warnock clearly doesn’t see as part of his plans – Gary Borrowdale, Patrick Agyemang etc. The R’s gave a runout in the second half to former Wimbledon and Cardiff man Nick McCoy, who is on trial with rangers after spending last season at Sutton.

Crawley Town: Kuipers, Rusk, Quinn, Hall, Torres, Tubbs, Masterton, McAllister, Cogan, Mills, Howell.

Subs: Jordan, Hutchinson, Smith, Enver-Marum, Ryan, Malcolm, Flood, Napper, Brewer, Kamara

Goals: Tubbs (15, 66)

QPR: Cerny, Ehmer, Borrowdale, Oastler, Ramage, Brown, Hibbert, Rose, German, Parker, Agyemang

Subs: Bulmer, Waters, Harriman, Fitzsimmonds, Andrade, Trialist, Trialist

Referee: Mr W Atkin

Attendance: 1, 110

With just ten days to go until the start of the season, and strength in depth clearly lacking if tonight is anything to go by, Rangers are still hoping to persuade Adel Taarabt to move to W12 from Spurs. Taarabt went from the sublime to the ridiculous in a season long loan spell with Rangers last season that included unbelievable highs such as the goals against Preston and Derby, and dire lows with tantrums thrown on the pitch. Despite the inconsistency, and Taarabt’s clearly stated aim to move to Spain rather than Rangers, Neil Warnock’s assistant Mick Jones has told Dave McIntyre at the Kilburn Times he hopes the Moroccan will return this season.

Jones said: “We'd like him to sign for us, and it could still happen. The thing is, he's keen to go to Spain. I think he could get a move there. But he wants to join one of the really big clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona, and I'm not sure that's going to happen. My advice would be that if he wants to get to the top, then he should sign for QPR. Neil Warnock will help him get to the top. The way Neil would manage him, he'd be perfect for him. All I can say is that Neil's still trying to sign him, and that I think he should sign. It'd be a good move for him - good for his career."

Rangers are currently short of quality in attack, and lost out in a long running quest to sign Darren Ambrose from Crystal Palace earlier this week. The player today told the Croydon Advertiser that once he knew the Eagles were out of the financial mire following a takeover, there was only one place he wanted to be. Ambrose said: “I was close to signing for QPR. They accepted a bid and I went to speak to them but I was doing everything above board and everything the administrator was asking me to do but then we got the sniff of the takeover happening and it all fell through.

"I had agreed terms and everything and it was about to be done but then me and my agent got a sniff the consortium was coming in so we held it back a little bit and it was the right thing to do. Now I am standing here with a three-year contract still at Crystal Palace. I am just delighted to still be here, from a personal point of view it was one of my best season's of my career last year and I am just hoping I can continue that this year. I have spoken to Neil Warnock and he understands the situation. He understands I enjoy myself here and he knows he can't compete with any offer Palace offered me because I was happy last year. I am settled with my wife and my kids are settled in school so there was no other option but to sign for this club."

A further headache for Warnock is the absence of Kaspars Gorkss, Heidar Helguson and Akos Buzsaky from his squad to face Port Vale in the League Cup a week on Tuesday. All three have been called up by their countries for a raft of crucially important international friendlies that week, leaving Warnock with something of a selection headache in a competition he has excelled in at previous clubs. Rangers will also be without Peter Ramage through suspension.

While Gorkss will play for Latvia against the Czech Republic and Helguson will face Liechenstein with Iceland it’s the Buzsaky call up that has caught the eye. Hungary play England at Wembley on August 11, and Buzsaky cannot wait for his chance to line up against Capello’s wastes of space at the national stadium. He told the club’s official website: “It will be a dream come true if I am selected to play. It is every boy's dream to play at the biggest stadiums in the world and they don't come much bigger than playing at Wembley Stadium against England."

Rumours:

The Daily Mail is the latest paper to jump on the Jobi McAnuff rumour, again quoting a price of around £1.4m for the player. Reading manager Brian McDermott has already denied that his right winger is set for Loftus Road but somebody is continuing to peddle this story through the press.

Former R’s

Gareth Ainsworth has been made the captain at Wycombe Wanderers for the coming season by manager Gary Waddock. Ainsworth joined the Chairboys last season after QPR agreed to release him from his Loftus Road contract. He won the club’s player of the season award but could not prevent them from being relegated back to the bottom division at the first time of asking. Waddock said: “Gaz's experience, enthusiasm and knowledge made him the ideal choice. He's been great for the club since day one and he's a really good character to have around the place.”

Ainsworth has meanwhile been giving his thoughts on the appointment of Paulo Sousa at Leicester City to the Leicester Mercury newspaper. Ainsworth said: “Being fit and strong in the Championship is now a given, but players need more. They need to retain the ball and be comfortable on it and I'm sure the Leicester lads will be happy that they are not constantly doing laps of the pitch. This is what Paulo will be instilling in them, but it will take time. It is also the way forward for the country.

"Paulo is not what they would have been used to, this guy oozes charisma. He is intelligent and will have a lot of respect from the players who looked at his CV, but he would also be the first to say this is not what will make him a good manager. With respect to Swansea, Leicester are a bigger club and he has a chairman who wants to be successful. The players will learn so much from him as he is different from the majority of managers. He is so tactically aware.

"I can't tell you too much about his style because Paulo always likes to keep things close to his chest. It would be unfair of me to reveal his secrets, but what I can say is that his techniques added to people's games. When you work with a legend like that, you can't help but be inspired.”

Raheem Stirling caught the eye as Liverpool’s Under 18s went down 1-0 in a friendly against Celtic in Glasgow. The England youth international was picked up from Rangers by the Scouse giants last winter after a protracted chase by a host of Premiership clubs.

Championship Shorts:

- Millwall have signed Reading winger James Henry on a three year deal after a successful loan spell, and also moved to bring in Ipswich striker Kevin Lisbie on a season long loan deal.

- Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers is ready to test Doncaster’s resolve over midfielder Brian Stock after an attempt to bring in Jack Cork from Chelsea failed. Stock, a Welsh international, is a key member of the Rovers midfield but only has a year left on his current contract.

- Norwich have announced that no more season tickets will be made available for sale after selling out their full quota of 20,000. The Canaries were promoted into the Championship after one year away in League One at the end of last season.

- Forest manager Billy Davies says there are no issues between him and the club’s board, despite claiming earlier this summer that James Perch had been sold to Newcastle on the say so of the club’s infamous ‘player acquisition panel’ without his knowledge. Davies said: “I have not complained, had a grievance or a discussion with any of the board or transfer acquisition committee. There are many things written about the manager - he's been disciplined, he's resigning or he's fallen out with the board. It doesn't exist."

- Coventry have done little to dispel the idea that they may be the latest former Premiership side to drop into League One by completing the signing of veteran donkey target man Clive Platt from Colchester for an undisclosed fee. City drew 0-0 at Shrewsbury in their latest friendly earlier this week.

- Middlesbrough have signed Estonian winger Tarmo Kink from Hungarian Soproni Liga side Gyori ETO for an undisclosed fee. Kink, 24, signed a three-year deal with Gordon Strachan's side to become the sixth signing of the summer.

Photo: Action Images

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