Daily Mirror

Peter Ramage is desperate to play against his beloved Newcastle next season - in the Premier League.

Ramage, who left St James' Park to join QPR last summer, still reckons the London side can sneak into the play-offs.

And the Geordie defender is backing his former club to escape the drop.

He said: "It was always my dream to play for Newcastle. If I play against them I want it to be in the Premier League, not the Championship."

Ramage dashed home after QPR's victory on Saturday to watch Newcastle's defeat against Arsenal on television.

Luckily for the 25-year-old, his current club had a better day, with on-loan Tottenham forward Adel Taarabt's late winner keeping their faint playoff hopes alive.

Rangers are 11th in the table and need a miracle to finish in the top six.

But Ramage declared: "We can definitely still make the play-offs. If we keep winning games we'll be right up there.

"I know we're seven points off them now but if we keep plugging away then we can do it. A play-off place was our target at the start of the season and it's still our target now.

"Just because we're a little bit behind at the moment doesn't mean we shouldn't still feel we can achieve it.

"It would be nice to get a bit of help with the teams around us losing, but we've just got to concentrate on winning games and see where it takes us.

"And if we don't do it this season then the way things are going here I'm very confident we can put a charge on next season."

Spanish midfielder Jordi Lopez put Rangers ahead with a brilliant free-kick beyond goalkeeper Adriano Basso in the 65th minute, before Ivan Sproule crossed for Michael McIndoe to volley home a 77th minute equaliser.

That looked like rescuing a point for City, but teenager Taarabt tucked away Damien Delaney's left-wing cross nine minutes from time to ease the pressure on QPR boss Paulo Sousa.

A run of nine games without a win recently led to the coach's position coming under scrutiny after just four months in the job.

But two wins in four days over fellow play-off chasers Swansea and now City have put a better gloss on the statistics.

Rangers' Flavio Briatore-led board will discuss Sousa's future in May and the former Portugal star may need a barnstorming finish to the season to keep his job.

Sousa insisted: "I don't have a doubt I will succeed. The players believe in me and we are building something here.

"There have been a lot of critics, but now we have had two good results.

"During a season, every team has a moment where results are not good. We had that but the important thing is to show spirit and unity, which we did."

The City players were quick to quit the ground for their club coach and boss Gary Johnson moaned: "We didn't do ourselves justice and didn't deserve anything from the game. For some reason we kept lumping the ball forward. I didn't recognise what we were doing.

"The pitch wasn't great and it wasn't easy to play good football on it, but it's the same for both teams.

"The work rate was there but it was a bit misdirected at times. Qpr were solid at the back and deserved this win in my opinion.

"This result has dented our hopes, but we've got to look to the next game, try to win it and then see how the other teams around us do. Every week it changes in this division."

People

QPR sent another promotion hopeful back down the M4 with their play-off hopes severely damaged.

And delighted manager Paulo Sousa can claim that players he has brought to the club have made a difference as both Jordi Lopez and Adel Taarabt scored their first goals in English football.

Spaniard Lopez, a free agent signing, hit a spectacular free-kick to give Rangers the lead.

Though Michael McIndoe gave City some hope with a wonderful equaliser, it was Moroccan Taarabt, on loan from Spurs, who stole the show and got the winner.

On Tuesday night Rangers rocked Swansea and their dream of a topsix finish. And this time it was a dreadfully disappointing City who ended up with nothing.

No wonder manager Gary Johnson said: "With six games left, we've dented our hopes. That wasn't my game we were playing out there.

"We lumped it too much and hoped to get on the end of bits and pieces.

"It was a poor day for us. I didn't recognise anything we were doing. Our work-rate was okay but we just didn't do ourselves justice and we got what we deserved."

Rangers boss Sousa must have been thrilled when a section of fans started to chant his name near the end.

Sousa said: "I was especially pleased for Jordi because he was one of my choices, but I'm also pleased for the team."

On Taarabt, who was booked early on for diving but then looked the best player on the park, he added: "He did very well. But it's not like it was 20 years ago - one player doesn't win the game on his own. It is more about the team."

The Portuguese former star of Juventus is certainly building from the back and is making steady progress. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has often sung the praises of midfielder Taarabt, but then has let him out on loan - and it could be the best thing that happens to him.

Though he was booked on 14 minutes for a silly dive in the area, his swaggering runs and dangerous passes had City on the back foot when they should have been going for broke as they have ground to make up on the top six.

City paid for their mediocrity on 65 minutes when Jamie McCombe was penalised for a reckless challenge outside the area.

Lopez had already tried a longrange free-kick only for keeper Adriano Basso to save easily.

But this time, from 28 yards, he injected more power into the free-kick and it flew into the top left corner.

City looked like scrambling a point on 77 minutes when Ivan Sproule skipped down the right. His centre was perfect for McIndoe to flash a left-footed volley that tore into the net from close range.

However, City were undone four minutes later as they pushed, too late, for the victory.

Left-back Damien Delaney got away down the left and his perfect centre was buried by Taarabt's side-foot tap.

Sunday Mirror

Queens Park Rangers developed the winning habit that Bristol City were looking to claim themselves.

Victorious in midweek for the first time in 10 games, QPR fully deserved to get the better of a City side aiming for the playoffs again.

Rangers won with a late goal by Adel Taarabt, who is on loan from Tottenham and starred on the left of midfield.

He replied to a goal against the run of play by Michael McIndoe that cancelled out Jordi Lopez's opener for QPR.

Rangers manager Paulo Sousa said: "We showed a lot of spirit. We acted the right way when Bristol City equalised.

"Adel Taarabt is a different kind of player, he helps us a lot with his quality. But today is not like 20 years ago - one player doesn't win the game alone."

City manager Gary Johnson admitted to being very disappointed by his team's performance.

"We didn't do ourselves justice," he said. "That wasn't my game we were playing out there.

"We lumped it a little bit and today was a poor day for us. I didn't recognise anything we were doing and we didn't deserve anything anyway.

"They won, they move on and we move out of here frustrated."

Johnson had admitted in advance his team needed to win as many as possible of the seven fixtures left if they were to force their way into the top six. So, true to his word, City attacked Rangers with a bold 4-3-3 formation.

They didn't make a lot of headway, though, against opponents who lined up 4-5-1.

Most of the first-half chances were created by the home side, Adriano Basso making a flying save to keep out Samuel Di Carmine's fierce shot from Taarabt's clever reverse pass.

It was only a matter of time before Rangers scored. They did so in the 65th minute from a freekick 25 yards out awarded when Jamie McCombe was very lucky not to be booked for fouling Di Carmine and abusing him verbally.

Lopez took revenge by driving the dead ball over City's wall and into the top corner before wheeling away in triumph.

But a lapse of concentration 12 minutes later let City back into the game.

Ivan Sproule was allowed space on the right to deliver a deep cross that McIndoe volleyed home sweetly at the far post.

Qpr responded again, Taarabt driving home a winner he merited from a cross by Damien Delaney.