Thursday, March 28, 2024

Hughes hails Barton return

Mark Hughes has spoken of the importance of Joey Barton’s return for Queens Park Rangers’s crucial match against Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

Rangers lie in the English Premier League relegation zone by virtue of goal difference, while Wigan are rock bottom and two points adrift of their opponents.

Both sides are desperate for points at Loftus Road – particularly at the expense of a fellow relegation-threatened club – and Hughes is delighted to welcome captain Barton back after suspension.

“Obviously Joey (Barton) will come and be a factor for us,” Hughes said.

“It’s important that we build on the performance against Newcastle and the win against MK Dons, and certainly bringing Joey back in will help in that respect.”

QPR will be missing defender Danny Gabbidon, while creative midfielder Adel Taraabt is away on international duty with Morocco at the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

“(Taraabt is) a talented player – one that can change games,” Hughes said.

“I think all teams in the Premier League need a player that has an ability to create the unexpected, and he’s certainly our player in that respect. So, if we can get him back, obviously to the detriment of his national team, (it would be) to the benefit of ourselves.”

Rangers’ destiny could well be all-but decided in the coming weeks, with matches against fellow bottom-half club Wolverhampton (February 4) and Blackburn Rovers (February 11) coming after a the hosting of Chelsea (January 28) and a trip to Aston Villa (February 1).

It is a prospect not lost on Hughes.

“We’ve got a difficult run-in, in fairness,” he said.

“And we’re mindful of that we need to get points on the board, and I think if we do that, that obviously will mean an improvement in performances, an improvement in confidence because obviously we’ll be winning games, and then I think that will help us going into a more difficult period, I would suggest, against some of the more accomplished teams in the Premier League. So if we can start winning now, that will help us going up against the so-called bigger boys.”

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