Last updated at 13:41, Tuesday, 26 August 2008

AS befits a club suddenly awash with money, most of the intrigue currently lies away from the pitch at Queens Park Rangers.

Few weeks have passed without some fresh off-field intrigue, and tonight’s cup clash with Carlisle is by no means the only episode on the minds of the Loftus Road faithful.

Fans of the west London club woke to startling headlines yesterday claiming that former QPR favourite Terry Venables is being lined up to return to the club he has previously served as both player and manager.

Co-owner Flavio Briatore has admitted he is a big fan of Venables and may try to tempt him back to Loftus Road.

“I like the guy. I rate him 100 per cent,” said Briatore, who bought Rangers along with fellow Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone last year.

“He has got a lot of experience. He knows about international football.

“He is the kind of guy we need when we are bigger. He is a bit big for us now. Maybe when we make the next step. I like the management team we have at the moment.”

They may hardly be soothing words to the ears of current head coach Iain Dowie, but the man who has faced Carlisle in the last two years of the Carling Cup at least managed to keep the doubters at bay with a fine 2-0 win over Doncaster at the weekend.

Dexter Blackstock and Emmanuel Ledesma put the Championship new boys to the sword at Loftus Road and Argentine ace Ledesma impressed along with Real Madrid loan midfielder Daniel Parejo.

Former top-flight players Radek Cerny, Peter Ramage and Lee Cook are among Rangers’ most influential performers, while former Blackpool defender Kaspars Gorkss and ex-Plymouth schemer Akos Buzsaky could return tonight after international duty with Latvia and Hungary respectively, with Dowie planning changes to Saturday’s side.

Striker Rowan Vine is a long-term absentee while defender Fitz Hall is unlikely to feature after being injured in the first half against Doncaster. But frontmen Patrick Agyemang and Hogan Ephraim are fit after recent injuries.

Blackstock dedicated his goal against Rovers to Ray Jones, who died in a car crash on August 25 last year, and commemorating the memory of the young Rangers striker is likely to be high on the agenda at an emotional Loftus Road again tonight.

Possible starting XI: Cerny, Delaney, Connolly, Ramage, Stewart, Balanta, Mahon, Leigertwood, Buzsaky, Ephraim, Agyemang.

Jon Colman

First published at 11:47, Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk