Stoke City manager Nathan Jones has criticised midfielder Sam Clucas for his "lack of discipline" in the Potters' 0-0 draw with Queens Park Rangers on Saturday afternoon, reports the Stoke Sentinel.

The 28-year old gave his teammates a real mountain to climb after he was embroiled in the middle of huge controversy in the clash at Loftus Road, after being sent off just eight minutes into the encounter.

The midfielder, after accidentally handling the ball on the edge of the area, stamped on the ankle of R's midfielder Josh Scowen who was lying on the floor, and was subsequently given his marching orders by the referee.

But the Potters defended magnificently well throughout the 90 plus minutes, and after praising the character shown by his side after the game, Stoke boss Jones slammed the "lack of discipline" shown by Clucas.

He said: "It’s a lack of discipline and that cost us, but we showed real character. It did scupper our well-laid plans, but we showed we were adaptable and every one of them to a man was terrific."

The result in West London leaves the Staffordshire club sitting 16th in the Sky Bet Championship table, with Jones' men showing signs of improvement having gone five games unbeaten.

The Verdict

It was a very disappointing day for Sam Clucas, and he gave his teammates a real uphill battle after such a silly red card.

Red mist obviously took over in what was a fiery moment for the former Swansea man, and hopefully he will now learn after a spell on the sidelines through suspension.

Credit to Stoke, they defended fantastically well against an impressive Queens Park Rangers side, and Nathan Jones is starting to get out of his players after a turbulent start.