GOING TO WAR ON ‘CLIQUES’ TO MAKE BORO CONTENDERS

Dickie 15, Wallace 18

NEIL WARNOCK reckons building a Middlesbrough squad good enough to win promotion will be the “biggest challenge” of his career.

The veteran Boro boss pulled no punches after defeat to 10-man QPR and said: “There are three or four lads who don’t really want to be here.

“I know what I would like to tell them, but I have to bite my tongue and get these games over. It’s not an easy job. It’s probably going to be my biggest challenge to get success from where I am. I think it’s doable. I just have to work really hard and have a bit of luck with recruitment.

“You get little cliques at clubs. I’m sure if you spoke to two or three, they would say I was the problem because they blame everyone else, don’t they?”

QPR boss Mark Warburton saw defender Rob Dickie (above) and skipper Lee Wallace strike in the first 18 minutes before Yannick Bolasie hit back 10 minutes later.

The sending-off of Rangers keeper Seny Dieng for hauling down Duncan

Watmore on 58 minutes complicated matters, but stand-in Joe Lumley twice denied George Saville.

Warburton said: “We have one of the smallest budgets in the league, so if we can finish in the top 10, I think it would be a really good season.”

MIDDLESBROUGH: Archer 6, Fisher 6 (Johnson 56, 5), Hall 6, Mcnair 6, Bola 6, Spence 5 (Coulson 63, 5), Howson 6, Saville 7, Watmore 8, Kebano 6, Bolasie 7 (Assombalonga 82)

QPR: Dieng 6, Kakay 5, Dickie 7, Barbet 6, Adomah 6 (Ball 74, 6), Thomas 5 (Lumley 60, 7), Johansen 6, Wallace 6, Chair 6 (Duke-mckenna 86), Willock 6 (Field 74, 6), Dykes 6

REFEREE: Matt Donohue

MOTM DUNCAN WATMORE (M’BORO)