Hughes bemoans costly reds

Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Hughes believes some of his side’s recent poor results are due to indiscipline.

Welshman Hughes, who succeeded Neil Warnock at the club in January, leads his 16th-place side to Ewood Park to face second-from-bottom Blackburn on Saturday.

QPR then host fellow west-London outfit Fulham on February 25.

Hughes saw club captain Joey Barton sent off in a 2-1 defeat at home to Norwich in January, while new signing Dijbril Cisse also received a red card during a home loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers last Saturday.

“We could have been sat here and been a lot better off,” Hughes told reporters.

“There have been mitigating circumstances.”

“There have been two games where we have been in control and unfortunately a guy has been sent off and that has affected the outcome.”

“Obviously Joey got sent off against Norwich and Djibril last week, so in both of those situations we were comfortable and lost six points.”

“We can look back on it and (cry over) spilt milk somewhat, but you can’t do anything about it.”

“You have to get on with (the) games you have got ahead of you and that’s what we are focusing on.”

“There is an understanding with the guys that if we lose players to indiscipline it is going to hurt us all. We are a good side and create things if we have got everybody on the pitch.”

Hughes is aware of the importance of matches against team struggling alongside QPR at the wrong end of the table, starting with Blackburn on Saturday.

“We need to take points of teams in and around us,” he said.

“We weren’t able to do that last week, a couple of weeks ago we were.”

“Blackburn are coming up at the weekend so they are big games, each and every one of them. We need to get back to hampering the teams in and around us and helping ourselves.”