QPR boss grateful to England, Poland and all the rest

Oct 19 2012 By Paul Warburton

THE international break came at just the right time for QPR – according to Mark Hughes.

Admittedly, the Rangers gaffer would have liked an early chance to put right the wrongs of defeat last time out at West Brom – but the two-week hiatus has given the squad a chance to lick their wounds.

Hughes revealed that shorn of only Ryan Nelsen (New Zealand - pic) and Jamie Mackie (Scotland), the rest knuckled down to ‘meaningful work’ on the training pitch.

The boss added: “Normally, you might expect to have six or seven players away with your country – and they would normally be first choices in your team.

“But the consequence of missing only two has seen us be really positive in training.”

Armand Traore will only play a bit part should he appear against Everton on Sunday as he continues to recover from injury, and fellow full-back Fabio will get a second scan on his damaged back in a couple of weeks.

The pair apart, Hughes has a full squad from which to go in search of a first win of the season.

The manager brushed off speculation over his job while Rs are rooted to the foot of the table, and pointed to Sunday's opposition as the way forward.

Manager in the opposite dug-out, David Moyes, celebrated his 10^th year in charge at Goodison earlier in the year with Hughes admiring the support of the Everton board.

“Longevity is vital for a club,” he added. “You need continuity both with players and management because chopping and changing makes it difficult.”

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