TOMMY Miller today predicted a top-six Championship finish for Jim Magilton's Queens Park Rangers.

Elvin King

TOMMY Miller today predicted a top-six Championship finish for Jim Magilton's Queens Park Rangers.

He sees his former Ipswich Town manager finishing the campaign ahead of current Blues boss Roy Keane.

Midfielder Miller will miss Sheffield Wednesday's visit to Portman Road on Saturday as he is ruled out by a torn hamstring suffered in training last Friday.

He played in QPR's 2-1 win at Hillsborough just under a fortnight ago, and was impressed by the Londoners.

Miller expects Keane to lift Town up from their current precarious position, but having worked for both managers he sees Magilton as the winner this term.

“My old Ipswich team-mate is thriving at Loftus Road with money to spend, and he has a side with pace having made a couple of excellent loan signings,” said Miller.

“Without a doubt they will finish at worst in the play-off positions.

“I am surprised to see Ipswich where they are, but I can see them moving up the table.

“Roy is not sure of his best XI and has made a great deal of changes after spending a lot of money. It is taking time to gel.

“It must have been frustrating for fans after Roy won the last two matches of last season and with expectations so high during the summer.”

Miller, who left Town for the Owls in the summer, has never started a match under Keane.

He was at Sunderland for the 2006/07 season when Keane led the Black Cats to the Championship title.

“I was injured when he arrived after three games, and by the time I was fit he had brought in a number of new players including three midfielders,” recalled Miller.

“He named me on the bench a few times, but I never started a game, and I went on loan to Preston.”

In the summer of 2007, Miller returned to Ipswich having previously joined the club in 2001 from Hartlepool and staying for four years.

On Keane's arrival as Magilton's replacement last April, Miller was an unused substitute at Cardiff and was not involved in the season-ending 2-1 home win over Coventry.

“If you do as Roy demands he will look after you,” added Miller.

“Like all managers he can fall out with players, and if you don't work hard every session you will not be top of his Christmas card list.”

Miller says that his Wednesday team mates are expecting a tough match on Saturday having won just two of their last 11 matches.

“Ipswich have been unlucky in some of their games, and have had a bit of a run without pulling up any trees.

“We have not been playing that well.”

Miller is expecting to see a specialist in Munich in a bid to make as rapid as possible recovery from his hamstring injury, and will miss out on a return to Ipswich as he is likely to be in Germany at the weekend.