QPR V Fulham at Loftus Road Stadium : Match Preview

Hughes defends Cottagers stint Mark Hughes insists his record at Fulham was "outstanding" as he prepared to face his old club with QPR. Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed labelled Hughes a "flop" after the Welshman quit Craven Cottage last summer, claiming the club's ambitions differed from his. But Hughes, who took over as QPR manager last month, has hit back. He said: "There's always a different viewpoint when you leave a club and it seems to be quite difficult to leave Fulham and remain on good terms. "That's a shame because I enjoyed my time there, it's a great club with some fantastic people. "I'd back my record at Fulham against anybody else's. Eighth in the Premier League for Fulham was an outstanding job, I don't consider that to be a lack of success. "But my focus is now QPR and the game at the weekend. Fulham have come into my thinking because that's the team we are up against but once the game's out of the way I'll focus on the next one." Hughes insisted he would shake Al Fayed's hand if the pair's paths were to cross at Loftus Road. He added: "I have no problems whatsover. I had a lot of support when I was at Fulham and it was just my take at that time, there was a break in my contract on both sides. They could have invoked it but as it was I invoked it. "That's in the past, we've all moved on, Fulham have and I certainly have. "I'm manager of QPR, I'm pleased to be here we are trying to take the club forward and we obviously need to stay in the Premier League. "Then we can really build something. That's what excited me and that's why I'm here, to improve this club. At almost every other club I've been at I've gone in and made it better, and that's what I want to do here." Rangers will kick off hovering above the relegation zone on goal difference alone. Midfielder Samba Diakite, who has joined Rangers on loan until the end of the season from Nancy, will be in the squad for the first time having reached the semi-finals of the African Nations Cup with Mali. Bobby Zamora also faces his old club but fellow striker Djibril Cisse is suspended, while Heidar Helguson (groin), DJ Campbell and Luke Young (both hamstring) are still injured. Fulham manager Martin Jol does not think there is a better chairman in the business than Al Fayed. "At Fulham we are quite sound, we're healthy and we have got the chairman," the Dutchman said. "Every time we want something, like Bryan Ruiz although maybe not the reported #10million fee, he has been very willing to help us because he is almost a legend here. "He wants to help us and I don't think you can find a better chairman than him. "When I was at Hamburg, for example, we did not have a lot of money. "After I left they spent 30million. I don't know where that money came from but that is another issue. And at Ajax we had a big debt so I had to find other solutions. "Here I have to go to his office every two or three weeks and the only thing he always asks is 'can I help you?' and 'are there any problems?' "If there are any problems he will help us, which is what he did with signing Pavel [Pogrebnyak on transfer deadline day last month]." Hughes and recently-departed striker Zamora are expected to be the focus of attention from Fulham's large visiting support tomorrow. Both have highlighted QPR's exciting plans as motivations for their respective moves to Loftus Road, but Jol believes there can be no question about which club has a greater stature. "I think that is something you don't need to think about," he said. "We have been in this league for years now and QPR came up [in the summer]. "The first year is difficult and the second year is probably even more difficult if you look at the facts. "We are established and they have to try and get established in the next couple of years. Andrew Johnson will return to the Fulham squad. The 31-year-old striker has been out for several weeks with a left adductor injury. Fellow strikers Pogrebnyak and Orlando Sa are also available, while Philippe Senderos returns after a grade two strain in his left adductor. Zdenek Grygera (knee) and Steve Sidwell (hernia) are Jol's only unavailable first-team players.

QPR V Fulham - view commentary, squad, and statictics of the game live.

Source: PA

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