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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.

QPR vs Fulham

Last modified 17:47 25/02/12

Pogrebnyak gives Cottagers bragging rights Pavel Pogrebnyak's early goal earned Fulham the west London bragging rights as indiscipline once again cost struggling QPR as it ended 1-0.

The clubs' once-amicable relationship is far more tense nowadays due in no small part to Bobby Zamora's defection to join former Whites manager Mark Hughes at Loftus Road.

The now-QPR manager suggested Fulham lacked ambition following his departure last summer and was reminded of his comments by the raucous visiting support when Pogrebnyak rounded goalkeeper Paddy Kenny to break the deadlock in the seventh minute.

QPR's hopes of exacting revenge for their 6-0 defeat in the reverse fixture were made remote in the 33rd minute when debutant Samba Diakite received his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

It was the third home league match out of four a Rangers player was dismissed in the first period and they were made to pay as their poor form continued.

QPR have now only won once in 14 league games as their almost 29-year winless streak against Fulham continued to the delight of 3,115 visiting supporters.

After a bright start from the Rs, Fulham found the back of the net in the third minute.

Mousa Dembele, playing again in an unusual central midfield role, put through John Arne Riise on the left, and his cross was nodded home off the underside of the bar by Johnson.

The effort was ruled out for offside but the visiting support did not have long to wait to celebrate a goal as Dembele once again proved the catalyst.

The Belgium international's exquisite back heel played through Pogrebnyak, who showed superb composure to round Kenny and slot home.

The goal was the recent addition's second in as many games, although it was tempered somewhat by his booking for celebrating with the Fulham fans.

QPR looked shell-shocked as they saw Clint Dempsey fire wide, before Kenny stopped the American prodding home by grabbing hold of a Pogrebnyak cross.

The Rs were struggling to get a foothold in the game and their frustrations saw Diakite pick up a booking for a late challenge on Bryan Ruiz in the 20th minute.

QPR were only fleetingly impressing and somehow failed to capitalise on defensive confusion in the 26th minute.

Mark Schwarzer parried a 20-yard Shaun Wright-Phillips effort into the path of Zamora, whose goalbound attempt was clawed away by the Fulham goalkeeper before Adel Taarabt inexplicably fired wide.

Perhaps fortunately for the Morocco international, the linesman had already raised his flag for offside.

Taarabt, though, was looking QPR's most dangerous player and fired inches wide from 20 yards, before the Cottagers returned to the attack.

Nedum Onuoha was forced to put the ball out for a corner as Dempsey threatened, before Kenny palmed away a fierce Danny Murphy effort.

The home side's afternoon was made all the more difficult in the 33rd minute when Diakite became the latest Rangers player to earn a first-half red card.

QPR had been reduced to 10 men in two of their previous three home fixtures and the Malian followed suit, receiving his second booking of the afternoon for another foul on Ruiz.

Barton fired over as half-time approached but Fulham returned to the attack after the break, with only pressure from Onuoha preventing Ruiz getting a shot away inside the opening minute.

Taarabt rained in shots from all angles as he attempted to force an equaliser, before Rangers captain Barton saw an effort deflected behind and Dembele picked up a booking.

The second period was a much calmer affair as Martin Jol's side welcomed the hosts on, which almost backfired when Mackie latched on to a Taarabt ball to fire just wide.

Left-back Riise was booked for a foul in the build-up and then saw opposing number Taiwo limp off and replaced by Armand Traore.

Fulham made sweeping changes in a bid to sure things up heading into the final 10 minutes, but were fortunate not to concede in the 83rd minute when Wright-Phillips somehow curled wide when one-on-one with Schwarzer.

Substitute Chris Baird was booked for clipping Zamora's ankles as the clock wound down before fellow replacement Dickson Etuhu ran through the middle to shoot just wide in the 90th minute.

Fulham continued to press in stoppage-time and Dembele saw the last shot of the afternoon blocked by Onuoha after he had neatly turned the defender.