Beale: We were naive
Mick Beale had some scathing words for his team after they bowed out of the Carabao Cup on penalties at League One Charlton, writes Yann Tear.
The QPR boss said: “The best team won on the night.
“I’m a little bit old fashioned. It’s a London derby and we brought 3,000 fans. They wanted to see more from the team.
“I’m not going to point fingers at players because collectively we weren’t good enough and I’m really disappointed.
“You talk about giving players an opportunity to play and shine and I think one or two missed that opportunity.
“I thought collectively we weren’t at it. We looked like a team that lacked a bit of clarity. We were sloppy all night and looked naïve. We’ve got to decide what kind of team we are going to be. We lacked quality tonight.
“For large parts of the first half, they looked a level above us, and that’s on me.”
The tie very nearly had a different narrative, as Tyler Roberts – on loan from Leeds – came on to score what looked like the winner, while Sinclair Armstrong again caught the eye.
“Tyler came on and scored a very good goal that looked like it was going to be the one big moment of quality, but they scored a fantastic goal themselves,” the Rangers boss said.
“Tyler’s shown glimpses in training that he’s got real quality. He came on and showed some really, really good touches. Sinclair came on and showed his running power. I thought he showed his promise. The fans really like him and get behind him. What a boost that is for a young player.
“We saw some good things and some moments of naivety in his play, but he’s got this lovely, natural enthusiasm which I wish everybody had – that ability to run and show that he wants play for the team. That’s infectious and I think the fans take a great deal from that.”
Next up is Sunderland away: “A half-empty Valley is not going to be the same as a packed Stadium of Light on Saturday and we have none of the players who are injured coming back into the squad, so we need to play at a much better level at the weekend if we want to get a result,” Beale said.
Picture: QPR FC