Warburton praises QPR players and backs Dykes
QPR manager Mark Warburton felt his players deserved credit for their response to a sustained spell of Stoke pressure early in the second half.
Rangers are without a win in six matches after the 0-0 draw with the Potters.
But the point and clean sheet were some consolation following two successive home defeats.
Warburton said: “We started the game well but to be fair to Stoke they started the second half in the same fashion. We were chasing shadows in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
“I thought the boys showed a lot of character on the hour mark, because we were under the cosh.
“Stoke were throwing men forward and have good players, good presence and a lot of experience in their squad.
“But our players stood up as a team and defended the goal. Then we started to come into the game more.
“I was pleased with the character they showed in that last half an hour to finish the game strongly.
“It was a game of few chances for both teams. It was very hard to break down defences.
“After the disappointing run it’s a big point. We’re pleased with the clean sheet, but you always want to win your home games.”
Rangers did create an early chance when Lyndon Dykes was unable to score from close range after being found by Ilias Chair’s low cross.
Dykes has only scored once from open play since his summer move from Livingston, but Warburton again backed the striker.
“We could have scored – Ilias across and Lyndon, good movement,” he said.
“We should take those chances, but we score as a team – you can’t just turn around and say ‘It’s him’.
“We’ve all got a responsibility at set pieces, for example, to attack the ball. We attack as a team and defend as a team and it’s really important to highlight that.”
16/12/2020 @ 9:25 am
If we cant score at HOME against Stoke who have their main strikers out injured, we deserve to get relegated. BOC, Chair and Dieng need a decent team (and manager) built around them, the current squad simply is not good enough to survive in this league.
16/12/2020 @ 8:30 am
dykes need to be sold in jan got no pace the club he come from must have been laughing and the owners of qpr went there come in for him and must have laughing all the way to the bank with the cheque warburton need to be sack iam sick of is excuse week in week out dykes and bonne need to be sold in the jan sale and the owners of need to put the club up for sale and that get new owners in you know how to running a football club
16/12/2020 @ 8:17 am
I admire Warburton’s loyalty to his players but Dykes is a 3rd tier player. He does not possess the pace nor the talent to be a Championship lone striker, Same can be said of Macauley Bonne. The board and owners of the club are to blame for letting too many players go to competing Championship clubs. Wells, Hugill, Hall, Manning, Robinson, Furlong have all moved on simply because the club refuse to pay the going rate of the Championship. A sure backward step to relegation which will cost them an awful lot more. I would hazard a guess that all this asset strippng is in order to sell the club. ,
15/12/2020 @ 9:37 pm
If it’s a “big point” why Mr Warburton weren’t you punching the air at the end or a clenched fist of satisfaction ! Warburton has however nailed himself firmly to the mast of the leaky tub that is HMS Dykes. His support of a player hopelessly out of his depth, in terms of technical ability, pace and determination, is admirable in loyalty but will ultimately see him dismissed. The question is not if, but when.