DEXTER Blackstock's future hangs in the balance as the Rs striker still has not been offered a new contract to stay with the club.
There has been much speculation since early this year of an imminent offer, but so far nothing has materialised.
The frontman has scored 10 goals in 27 starts for Rangers, but his sporadic first-XI inclusion has seen him warm the bench 10 times this season, leading some fans to question Sousa's decision making.
Not many clubs leave their fully-fit top scorer on the bench.
As a result, the question looms over whether Blackstock will remain at the club come next season.
"I haven't signed a new contract," a downbeat Blackstock told the Gazette. "I haven't been offered a contract to sign, so therefore I've got 16 months remaining. It's just not something that's been discussed.
"I want to play every game, it's a simple as that. Then again, if I'm not selected, I can't play. There's not much I can do.
"People look from the outside [of the club] and wonder, but it's up to other people to judge on what's happening," he added. "I just want to get my head down and train."
Saturday's 0-0 draw against Sheffield United - followed by Tuesday night's 2-0 defeat at Doncaster Rovers have all-but killed-off the club's promotion play-off challenge, but the ambition of Premiership football could be extinguished entirely this weekend when the Rs face Southampton - a club battling for survival at the foot of the division.
The Rs will travel to the game looking for a first win in nine games - their form having deserted them at just the wrong moment.
The Rs last won away at Blackpool in late January and showed little at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium in midweek to suggest that the poor run will end anytime soon.
Paulo Sousa chose to revert to a 4-4-2 formation and three changes were made from the side that drew with Sheffield United on Saturday, with Peter Ramage, Gavin Mahon and Matteo Alberti replacing Liam Miller, Jordi Lopez and Damien Delaney.
They matched their opponents until the 23rd minute when Damion Stewart inexplicably headed a long ball from Rovers Matt Mills over the head of the stranded Radek Cerny.
This slice of good fortune ignited the home crowd, who until then had been silent, and gave Rovers the momentum to grab their second, seven minutes later, following slack marking at the back which let in Paul Heffernan for a closerange header.
Rangers started to edge back into the game in the second half, after the introduction of Lopez and Romone Rose, but their best chance of the night was blazed wide from close range by Blackstock.
Sousa refused to hand out blame for the loss, despite individual errors costing them dear.
"When we lose, we lose together," he said."I do not pick out individuals.
"We did make mistakes and we were punished but until they scored their first goal, there was nothing between us."
He was also still positive about the promotion challenge, despite his side now being eight points adrift of the play-offs with only nine matches left.
"We are still aiming for the Premier League and this is a good time to look at the players' personality and character for the future," a defiant Sousa said. "Everyone is disappointed because we are a better team than the results over the last month or two have shown."
Next Up
SOUTHAMPTON
St Mary's Saturday 3pm Championship
Manager: Mark Wotte Position last season: 20th Form Guide: A few weeks ago, the Saints looked doomed to make a return to the third tier of football for the first time since 1960. But successive home wins over Preston (3-1) and Cardiff (1-0) followed by a 3-0 win at Ipswich has revived hopes of beating the drop and new boss Wotte seems to be having a positive impact. The Saints have lost eight and won only four at home this season and Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Derby County - following on from a 1-0 defeat at Birmingham on Saturday - saw them drop back into the bottom three Norwich (2-0) are the only other side to have perished at St Mary's since August in the Championship. Players to look out for: Like his more famous brother Shaun, Bradley Wright-Phillips has the pace up front to unsettle defences. Fellow striker Adam Lallana is another promising youngster in a youthful line-up.
Most recent meetings: QPR 4-1 Southampton (14 Sep 2008); Southampton 2-3 QPR (9 Feb 2008); QPR 0-3 Southampton (1 Sep 2007) - Championship. Head-to-head record: SFC Wins: 26 QPR Wins: 26 Draws: 20
Match Facts: Both clubs are locked on 26 wins apiece after 72 meetings. Rangers levelled their account with an emphatic win at Loftus Road in September when Dexter Blackstock (2), Damion Stewart and Patrick Agyemang found the net. Rangers have won on their last two visits to St Mary's and are unbeaten in their last three. Agyemang (2) and Martin Rowlands were on target in last February's 3-2 win on the south coast.
Forecast: It's hard to read both clubs at the moment, but there are signs of life from the Saints' twitching corpse and they should be highly motivated. The Rs badly need a win but may draw again.
In Midweek
SWANSEA
Loftus Road Tuesday 8pm Championship
Manager: Roberto Martinez Position last season: Champions League One Form Guide: The draw specialists of the league,The Swans' 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday was their 18th in 36 matches. They have only lost five times on the road and six times in all - a record which has taken them to the fringes of the play-offs. A 2-0 defeat at Watford last month is their only defeat in the last 19 Championship matches. They had a 1-0 home win over Plymouth on Tuesday night which lifted them into a playoff spot. The Welshmen took Fulham to a replay in the FA Cup after reaching the fifth round by knocking out holders Portsmouth in round four. Players to look out for: Jason Scotland terrorised Fulham in the recent FA Cup ties and the Trinidad & Tobago international has 20 goals to his name this term.
Most recent meetings: Swansea C 0-0 QPR (21 Oct 2008) - Championship; QPR 3-0 Swansea C (24 Aug 2004) - League Cup; Swansea C 4-0 QPR (18 Nov 2001) - FA Cup. Head-to-head record: QPR Wins: 15 SC Wins: 9 Draws: 9
Match Facts: The teams played out a drab 0-0 draw at the Liberty Stadium in October - but the result extended Rangers' unbeaten run of league games against the Swans to eight. They were last beaten in October 1965 in a Division Three fixture at the old Vetch Field ground (2-4). That same season, Rangers beat City 6-2 at Loftus Road. This will be the first league meeting in west London since August 1980 when the sides drew 0-0.
Forecast: Rangers have raised their game against the top sides but Swansea seem to have the ability to smother opponents and another draw looks on the cards. [25a0] Gazetteforecast success rate: 20 correct out of 41 (49%)
