Jim Magilton has praised his players for their efforts in the Wednesday night defeat to Chelsea. Off the pitch Bernie Ecclestone says Flavio Briatore is not speaking to him following his lifetime ban from F1.

Magilton was full of praise for fans and players alike on Wednesday after everybody did themselves proud in defeat at Chelsea in the League Cup. He told the club’s official website: “I'm immensely proud. We pushed them really close tonight and the lads can leave here with their heads held high. It's another step in the right direction for us. I feel we had opportunities to really ask them more questions that we did at times. We lacked a little bit of belief in the final third, but we're making great strides and long may that continue." That was first class support tonight - great fanaticism. They were first class from start to finish and I can' wait to get back to Loftus Road on Saturday to hear them cheer us on again.

"We knew we'd be starved of possession, but overall that's two good away performances in a row now. I certainly felt we could get after Chelsea - we were very positive after Saturday at Cardiff. I felt that they'd all earned the right to play, so they did. I want to try and stamp my authority on the dressing room - and I think I can. They're an honest bunch of players who have a lot of quality. If we can maintain consistency, we can be as good as anyone else in the division - we proved we're a very, very good side tonight.”

Off the pitch there was no sign of Flavio Briatore at Stamford Bridge although Amit Bhatia was in attendance. QPR board member and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has revealed to the Daily Mail this week that Flavio Briatore is no longer speaking to him following the ‘Crashgate’ hearing on Monday during which Briatore received a life ban from the sport that now puts his ownership of QPR into doubt under the league’s fit and proper person test that forbids people banned from other sports from owning football clubs.

Ecclestone said: “'He's not talking to me, I don't know. He thinks I should have defended him, which I couldn't. If you look at it sensibly, the people at the top had not the slightest idea. The people in the Renault F1 team had not the slightest idea. There were three people who knew what was going on and that is it. No-one else was involved. Those people have been dealt with, in my view quite harshly in Flavio. I don't think it was necessary, but I was on the commission so I am probably just as guilty as anyone else. On reflection it wasn't necessary. It was too much. Definitely too much.

“Honestly, I am a friend of Flavio's. He has just handled the whole thing badly. He could have handled it in a completely different way, and they would have said 'You were a naughty boy' and that would have been the end of it. He should ask to be heard by the court of appeal. He should appeal to the FIA. If he goes to a civil court I don't think he would win because the FIA would have to defend and somebody will say he sent a young guy out to what could have been his death. So it wouldn't go down too well.”

ING today pulled out of their sponsorship deal with Renault and the QPR money men will be hoping the numerous big name sponsors attracted to Loftus Road since the takeover, such as Gulf Air and Santander, do not decide to do likewise with Briatore’s football club.

Looking ahead to Saturday and Barnsley arrive at Loftus Road buoyed by an upturn in fortunes since the appointment of Mark Robins as manager but nursing a terrible record of no wins in 20 visits to W12 dating back to 1950. Robins told the Barnsley Official Website: “I think we will get better when we have everybody available and back in with us. We have only just started here. QPR are a good side and I am sure that Jim Magilton will be trying to get them to play in the same manner as the Ipswich sides he was involved with. They will have pace down the flanks and be solid in the middle of the park. We are away from home and our history suggests that we normally do not do well at Loftus Road. We rid ourselves of a monkey on our backs on Tuesday night so we will be looking to do the same at QPR on Saturday. We have to go out, push on and put on a performance again. It is all about us and how we perform on the pitch. We want to get all three points to make it a better journey home.”

Barnsley have prepared for the game by tightening their defence with three new signings. Suad Filekovic, capped 16 times by Slovenia, has arrived on a short term deal while Stoke academy prospects Carl Dickinson and Ryan Shotton have arrived on emergency loan deals.

Elsewhere in the Championship today Newcastle look set to complete the loan signing of Marlon Harewood from Aston Villa ahead of our game on Tyneside on Wednesday evening. Doncaster’s star midfield turn Brian Stock is out for three months after minor knee surgery.

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