Mikele Leigertwood believes the signing of ex team-mate is precisely what the club needs to bolster their attempts to make the play-offs, and expects him to quicken pulses of Rs fans.

There has been some speculation that Leigertwood himself might be on the move during the transfer window (see inside for more), but the midfielder is only looking at a future with QPR for now - and the impact his ex team-mate night make.

Routledge has been in devastating form for fellow promotion-hopefuls Cardiff City - where he was on loan from Aston Villa - with two goals and five assists in nine league games.

But the livewire winger - who had a fairly undistinguished loan spell just down the road at Fulham two seasons ago when he was at Spurs - snubbed a permanent deal with the Bluebirds for the opportunity to return to west London.

"He's exactly the type of player needed to help us with our play-off hopes," Leigertwood told the Gazette.

"He's played in the Premiership for a few clubs, and he's widely recognised in the UK, so to bring in somebody with his quality can only benefit the squad."

Leigertwood, a former team-mate of Routledge at Crystal Palace, added: "Wayne's signing shows just how ambitious the club are. Whoever he spoke to has sold him the club, and it obviously matches Wayne's ambitions too. He wants to play in the Premiership.

"I remember the play-off final we played together [in 2004 for Palace] and he was more excited than anybody to have the opportunity to be playing in the Premier League - and that's where we all want to be.

"He knows me, Fitz Hall and Gary Borrowdale, so he can settle in well. And he's back in London, which is probably a factor to why he came - it will make him more comfortable around the place."

Leigertwood continued: "Wayne's a good lad. He's quiet off the field, but there's no doubt that he's got terrific ability. He can create and score goals - and he's a great addition to our squad.

"Where he plays, or whether we change our system to accommodate him is not up to me, but to have that sort of player in our squad is definitely a bonus."

Routledge could add an exciting cutting-edge to coach Paulo Sousa's midfield options, if he can rediscover the form that made him an England U21.

He scored against Italy in the first competitive match staged at Wembley but he made only 13 starts for Fulham in the Premier League and failed to score in 24 appearances overall.

He managed just one FA Cup goal in that time.

The 23-year-old Londoner will need to hit the ground running when he pulls on the hooped jersey, and inject some passion and inspiration into his new team-mates.

Last Saturday, the muchcelebrated magic of the FA Cup was - like many Rangers supporters - absent from a bitterly-cold Loftus Road. And following the bore-draw, the 8,896 fans who braved the New Year cold-snap probably wished they'd also stayed indoors.

An impotent Rangers attack struggled against a depleted Clarets side with one eye on their Carling Cup semi-final against Tottenham - surprising, as the Rs finally appeared to be clicking under Sousa's guidance with five goals in two games against Charlton Athletic and Preston, respectively.

But with two goalless draws in a row at home, and Sousa unsure of his first 11, many are wondering when true, free-scoring, promotion form will arrive in West London. QPR are the only side in the top-10 with a negative goal difference.

Leigertwood, however, is confident that the goals and form will arrive and believes the play-offs are still attainable.

"We didn't create many chances [against Burnley], but neither did they. We looked solid, you can't argue with that," he said.

"We're still only three points from the play-offs, so to say the last two results have put a dampener on our promotion hopes is a bit extreme.

"We haven't lost in five games, we're still in the cup, and we're very strong defensively. We just need the goals. It's taking time, but I'm confident it will come with the squad we have.

"My message to the fans is: stick with us. I know we're not scoring, but we're playing some decent stuff and we're probably the ones who are the most frustrated. But we need to keep believing and we need the fans to continue with their support." Match Summary QPR (0) 0 BURNLEY (0) 0 Line-up: Cerny; Ramage, Gorkss, Stewart, Delaney; Mahon (Ephraim 61), Rowlands, Leigertwood, Cook (Ledesma h/t); Di Carmine (Agyemang 72), Blackstock. Subs not used: Cole, Connolly, Alberti, Oastler. Attendance: 8,896 MoM: Clarke Carlisle