BLUES striker Jordan Rhodes has told QPR players that new boss Jim Magilton is not as scary as he is made out.

Derek Davis

BLUES striker Jordan Rhodes has told QPR players that new boss Jim Magilton is not as scary as he is made out.

The Ipswich Town forward who is recovering from a broken foot picked up while playing on loan at QPR's neighbours Brentford

QPR will be in good hands with Magilton and John Gorman at the helm, according to a player familiar with the way they worked together at Portman Road.

He also says that contrary to what outsiders might think, no-nonsense Ulsterman Magilton is far from being a scary, two-dimensional boss.

Rhodes might have been excused for painting a less flattering picture, having never started a game for the ex-Ipswich boss and being farmed out to the Bees, but there is no suggestion that it has coloured his views.

"I think Rangers have made a great appointment and Jim Magilton proved when he was given money to spend that he can identify very good players," Rhodes said.

"He knows how to play football in the right way and I think he'll get QPR playing attractive football and will get the fans going again.

"There should be goals and some 3-2s or 4-3s because he's the type of manager who likes attacking football and likes players to express themselves. He's not one for hanging on for a 1-0 victory with 20 minutes to go."

If Magilton is thought of as a bullying sort - with Gorman the moderating voice on the training ground - Rhodes is eager to shatter the stereotype.

He said: "It may be that he comes across as a bit frightening at first but that soon goes. He is a bright, bubbly man and always comes into training with a smile on his face. He also comes up with different things in training and it was never a chore working for him. He loves a laugh and a joke.

"But there was also a work ethic and a never-say-die attitude at the club, which will work for QPR. They kept their belief in reaching the play-offs until the very end last season."

Rhodes, who describes Gorman as 'a terrific guy', says of the new Rangers assistant's relationship to Magilton: "They seem to work very well together and although Jim is more fiery, John gets his points quietly across and they bounce ideas off each other.

"But the thing that impresses me most is that Jim takes you to one side with little observations about your game.

"It might be about your first touch or your passing - things you might not have noticed yourself - but it's small details like that which add up to a good team."