QPR manager Michael Beale has warned his players that they cannot afford to let three goal leads slip like they did against Crawley Town on Saturday, or they face the axe from the side.

Rangers were three goals to the good with just 20 minutes to go against the Sussex club but ended up drawing the game which, even in pre-season, isn't really good enough.

Indeed, speaking after the game via West London Sport, Beale had this to say:

“I am glad for the last 20 minutes to be honest, because after 70, you sitting there thinking ‘well this is good.’

“We had a young team out there in the second half that looked good and we scored two good goals and it was all positive.

“But the last 20 minutes will give me something to work on because there is reality to the whole game.

“I have said to them that they did some really good things and then let themselves down.

"There are a few things with individuals that are positive and there are a few things for some others that are going to be problems for them unless they learn quickly.

“We got beat on a 60-yard ball for the first and whether or not the boy goes down easy for the penalty for the second I don’t know.

“But in the first half George Thomas has to finish a one-on-one and Ilias (Chair) sometimes didn’t get his final pass right and Macca (Bonne) can feel disappointed not to get a hat-trick.

“For 70 minutes they never got near our goal but in the first half we looked a level above the way we looked in the second half.

“But it was the first game and as long as we learn from it and become better and stronger. We know we are nowhere near the finished product.”

The Verdict

Beale is clearly unhappy with what he saw in the closing stages of the game and you cannot blame him at all.

Friendly or not, you should be keeping a three goal lead and converting it into a match win, so to then draw is pretty inexcusable.

It's given Beale plenty to think about, then, and it sounds as though some of the players and their deficiencies have caught the eye, so who knows what that could lead to in terms of the transfer market.

Evidently, QPR are still working on a few things but they'll need to stamp out this trait quickly if they are to have success this season.