Mackie must be patient, says QPR boss
QPR manager Neil Warnock has told Jamie Mackie he must be patient in his bid to return to the starting line-up.
The forward did not feature in a midweek reserve match against Tottenham but will be in the squad for Saturday’s Premier League game at home to Blackburn – nine months after breaking his leg in an FA Cup tie against the Lancashire side.
Mackie, who made his long-awaited return as a substitute against Fulham last time out, has told Warnock he is now ready to start.
But Warnock insisted: “We do have to be careful and be patient because you do tend to want to throw him in because he works so hard. I’ve never seen anyone work like him to get fit.
“He didn’t play in the game against Spurs because we had a really tough training session which I wanted him to take part in. He’s absolutely fine though and he’ll tell you he’s ready now, but we won’t take any chances.”
DJ Campbell appears to have finally recovered from the illness which has plagued him for the last couple of months and is also hoping to start for a Rangers side that has managed only one goal at Loftus Road this season – and that was an own goal by Aston Villa’s Richard Dunne.
“There’s a few options we’re looking at and we have to score goals – especially at home, where we need to break teams down,” said Warnock.
“We also have to be careful though because we have played well in most of the games this season and we don’t want a knee-jerk reaction.”
On Saturday QPR will aim to set a record for the most money raised by football supporters during a Premier League match.
Fans can donate by texting ‘QPRW12 £3’ to 70070. The texts are free to send and every penny donated will go to the QPR in the Community Trust.
The initiative is being backed by former R’s defender Steve Wicks, who will appear on the pitch at half-time and encourage fans to donate.
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