Ian Holloway has insisted he rates Bright Osayi-Samuel highly despite taking him off against Bristol City and not starting with him at Ipswich.
Osayi-Samuel, signed by QPR from Blackpool during the summer, came on as a substitute during Rangers’ goalless draw at Portman Road.
Rangers boss Holloway appears to have been stung by criticism of the youngster’s substitution during the Bristol City game.
“Bright, with the pace that he’s got coming off the bench, it’s quite exciting,” Holloway said.
“Just for all our fans, I took him off the other day because his calf’s cramped up because he hadn’t been playing.
“I really like the kid. I think he’s got a freshness about him. Do you think I’d have brought him off if he couldn’t hardly walk? It (criticism) is just amazing. But there you go.”
Holloway was pleased with his team’s performance at Ipswich, where they played the final few minutes with 10 men after Josh Scowen was sent off for a second bookable offence.
“They showed some unbelievable tenacity against a very good team. I thought we played very well,” Holloway told reporters after the game.
“I was delighted particularly with parts of the first half. We got into some very good positions and didn’t quite get the run of the green.”