Queens Park Rangers

Queens Park Rangers head coach Julien Stephan spoke to BBC Radio London after his side's home loss to Middlesbrough, which ended their unbeaten start to the season.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here.

Rumarn Burrell has said QPR are looking to be "more ruthless" in future games despite scoring twice in the 2-1 win against Cardiff on Wednesday.

QPR are second in the table but R's boss Julien Stephan said he wanted his team to be more clinical after they converted just two of their 20 shots at goal.

"We need to be more ruthless in the future," Burrell said.

"In other games, those chances will be crucial. That's the mentality we are trying to have in the changing room."

Burrell, who missed several months last season with a hamstring injury, netted his first two goals of the season against Cardiff to go with one assist.

"Right now, I feel like I'm back to the best shape I've been in," the 25-year-old Jamaica international added.

"I can run about, I can press, I can run onto balls in behind. I feel really good and I just need to keep going."

Listen to the full interview above or on BBC Sounds.

Queens Park Rangers will look to continue their excellent start to the season as they host Middlesbrough on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The R's haven't lost a single Championship game across their opening four, with only Swansea City having a better start to the season by just two goals.

While Boro currently sit seventh on the table but failed to win away to a struggling Burnley side last time out.

• QPR have lost each of their last five league meetings with Middlesbrough, shipping at least two goals in each defeat.

• Middlesbrough have won each of their last three league visits to QPR, as many as their first 26 beforehand (D11 L12).

• QPR have won more points from losing positions than any other side in the Championship this season (6), coming from behind for two of their three wins so far.

• Middlesbrough are winless in their last six away league games, though five of these have been draws and their last victory came at QPR in March (4-0).

• No side has had more shots in the Championship this season than either QPR or Middlesbrough (70), while the Hoops have had more shots on target than anyone else (26).

QPR have made a strong start to the Championship season with only goal difference keeping them off the top of the early table.

But can Julien Stephan keep the Rs challenging for a top-eight finish?

We asked supporters for their views on the start to the campaign and here is a selection of what they have had to say:

Finlay: I feel that because of the transfers we have made it means we have a squad depth we haven't had in years. Also with the current momentum and, touch wood, no injuries we could definitely challenge for the top eight if not higher.

Dredd: This is our best start since we were relegated from the Premier League, which is a great feeling. However, we have played four of the weaker teams in the league. If we are still second in the New Year then I will start dreaming.

Peter: With the play-offs extended to eighth this season a promotion challenge isn't out of the question. I agree with Stephan that we need to be more ruthless and kill teams off when we are on top though. We haven't faced particularly strong teams yet so the next three games will be a good barometer as to how good the team actually is.

Ron: The Hoops have signed Premier League quality players in Tariq Lamptey, Glen Kamara, and Dennis Cirkin. We've strengthened in goal with a player Manchester City paid £10m for and we've kept all our decent players from last year. That shows you we mean business.

Stuart: I don't think we have the depth of squad to compete long term, unless we invest. But it's a fantastic start, and we aren't so worried about relegation at the start of this season.

Colin: It's written in the stars that the Rs will get promoted this year. It is 60 years since a Third Division title and League Cup double and 50 since our best finish of second place in the old First Division. We have put together a great squad for this season and with an experienced manager in Julien.

Nick: Great start. Need to put away more of our chances. Should have been four or five before Cardiff scored on Wednesday. Keep going.

QPR boss Julien Stephan says his team must be more clinical in front of goal to ensure they are not hanging on to leads in the closing stages of games.

The R's beat Cardiff 2-1 on Wednesday to move second in the Championship table, but only after a nervy final 15 minutes following a Bluebirds goal that cut their lead in half.

Stephan's side had twice the number of shots on goal despite having considerably less of the ball.

He told BBC Radio London: "I think it was a funny game because two teams wanted to create some danger in different ways - them with more possession, us with more verticality.

"We created a lot of chances, especially in the second half. After the second goal, we had strong, strong momentum and this is probably the moment that we should kill the game. We didn't succeed in doing that.

"I enjoyed the last 15 minutes because we needed to show more resilience. That's a part of football as well.

"When you don't kill the game, sometimes you have to protect your goal, you have to show different values - I think the players showed that in the last 15 minutes.

"Even if we have a big margin [in terms of a lead], we have to be more clinical because a game like this could be four or five goals, if we are demanding. And we have to be demanding with these players, because I think they are able to do [it]."

Image source, Getty Images

It has been quite a start to the new Championship campaign for QPR.

Julien Stephan's side are unbeaten in their opening four games with only goal difference keeping them off top spot in the early table.

But, can the west London club maintain their promising form and be one of the surprise packages this season?

Was the squad strengthened enough in the summer transfer window to stay among the leaders before the chance to sign more players comes again in January?

QPR fans can send us their views here and check back later to see how supporters are feeling about their prospects.

And remember, this is your QPR page so bookmark it, or if you're on the BBC Sport app or signed in on a browser, hit 'Follow' to add it to your MySport and get more news, analysis, stats and fan views - and also select the bell icon in the app to sign up for club notifications.

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Queens Park Rangers fan and journalist Ian McCullough believes the team have demonstrated growth in their strong start to the season - but thinks fans should not get too ahead of themselves just yet.

"At Blackburn at the weekend, they won the game through the strength of the bench," McCullough said.

"They've got a real quality on the bench that they didn't have last season. In that kind of side the club has progressed.

"But as I keep saying with QPR, they've played three teams really that they should be beating - Blackburn, Portsmouth, Bolton. Had they lost any of those games, questions would be asked."

Listen to the full analysis below or on BBC Sounds here.

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Transfer deadline day is upon us and today is the final chance for your EFL club to finalise any business until January.

The transfer window closes at 23:00 BST, so we might have some late night scrambles to get deals over the line.

There has already been plenty of movement this summer and whether it's a busy or quiet day for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our EFL deadline day live text coverage throughout the day here

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Bradford City have signed midfielder Kieran Morgan on loan from Championship side Queens Park Rangers for the remainder of the season.

The 20-year-old was part of Tottenham Hotspur's academy before joining QPR in 2024.

He has made 61 appearances for the Loftus Road club, 59 of them in the league over the past two seasons, scoring three times and making three assists.

Morgan told the Bantams website: "The stature of the club is what really drew me towards it. It is obviously a nice feeling for a club as big as this to want me.

"It is one of the biggest clubs in the EFL, and it will be a brilliant experience to play in front of the supporters."

Bantams manager Graham Alexander added: "Kieran already has a good amount of games under his belt in the Championship, and will fit into our system smoothly.

"He has an excellent passing range and energy to cover the pitch. He will no doubt show his skill set while with us."

Julien Stephan wants QPR to be more ruthless despite their encouraging start to the season.

Rangers came from behind to win 2-1 at Blackburn and secure their second away victory of the campaign. They remain unbeaten in the Championship after their first three matches.

Head coach Stephan told BBC Radio London: "We conceded an unbelievable goal at the start of the second half, but I really enjoyed the players' reaction after that - not just because we scored quickly, but because the technical level increased a lot compared to the second part of the first half, and the intensity too.

"I think we were really dominant in the second half. The players did very well, and the ones who came on brought a lot of quality.

"But if we want to be a top team, we have to finish games like this with three or four goals.

"When we're dominant like that and we continue to push, we have to kill the game off - that's probably the next step we need to reach.

"I enjoyed the win, but I know we've got some work to do and some improvements to make, because I think these players are capable of making them."

Julien Stephan believes the large pitch at Ewood Park will provide a challenge for his QPR side against Blackburn on Saturday.

Rangers have won at Portsmouth's Fratton Park and drawn at Loftus Road at home to Bolton in the Championship this season.

Both those pitches are significantly smaller than Blackburn's, and R's head coach Stephan told BBC Radio London: "We will play away on a big pitch, so it will be probably different compared to the last two games that we played.

"The pitch is huge, the pitch is bigger, so bigger space - bigger space to defend, but bigger space as well to attack.

"It (Blackburn) is a good team with some good players, and they are in a good position after the two first games.

"We will really enjoy, as a team and as a competitor, to play against them."

Stephan is also planning for a packed fixture schedule, with Rangers due to play six matches in the space of three weeks.

He said: "We are still in the same challenge for us, to manage some players, and some of them are not able to play three games in a row. It's very clear.

"So we will have to manage a lot. We will have to face a lot of challenges, not only the opponent, but the challenge of the playing time in the next two weeks."

These two sides have matched each other so far with a win and a draw from their opening two Championship matches.

It is five years since QPR went three games unbeaten at the start of a league season.

• None of the past 17 league meetings between Queens Park Rangers (6 wins) and Blackburn Rovers (11 wins) have ended level, since a 1-1 draw in September 2016.

• Queens Park Rangers have won away to Blackburn Rovers in two of the past three Championship campaigns (L1), having won on just two of their prior 18 trips to Ewood Park in the league (D3 L13).

• After beating Middlesbrough 2-1 last time out, Blackburn are looking to record back-to-back Championship victories for just the second time since the start of December last year (beating QPR and Preston in February).

• QPR beat Portsmouth on the opening day of the season before drawing with Bolton in their second match, now they are hoping to remain unbeaten across their opening three matchdays of a league campaign for just the second time in the past decade after 2021-22.

• Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray has faced QPR 17 times in the league previously – his first meeting with them in October 2006 ended in a draw (3-3 with West Brom) but none of the 16 since have ended level (W11 L5).

Image source, Getty Images

Queens Park Rangers fans were disappointed to see their opening win over Portsmouth backed up with a goalless draw on home soil against Bolton Wanderers at the weekend, but they still have something to be optimistic about.

Striker Richard Kone scored 10 goals across his 43 Championship appearances last season and fan Alex Bullamore of the R Generation podcast, external feels the Ivory Coast international is still just settling in.

"The rise that he has had is very quick, absolutely incredible, so there is still a bit of adjustment," Bullamore told BBC Radio London.

"There were rumours circling about him at the beginning of the window, he's been attracting attention. Him and Rumarn Burrell, I really liked what I saw last season.

"For the first time in a couple of years, QPR have finally got two good strikers for this level rather than strikers that are subpar."

Listen to the full fan analysis below or on BBC Sounds here.

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