It was a disappointing day at the office for QPR as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Brentford.

While the Hoops had little to play for other than pride, it was certainly a tough day at the office as the play-off candidates dominated proceeding with their high-energy, passing game.

There was plenty of conversation topics to come from the afternoon at Griffin Park, so here are five of the major talking points to arise.

The tinker-man?

QPR had just three games remaining going into the clash with the Bees, meaning attention will naturally start to turn to next season with the club mathematically safe from the drop.

It does, however, remain to be seen what the benefits actually are in making sweeping changes to the team week-in week-out.

Ian Holloway made five changes for the clash with Preston last weekend, and a further six for the west London derby, leaving fans frustrated at the lack of consistency in the starting XI.

Ian Holloway
Ian Holloway

While there's surely some value in giving different players a chance to impress, the lack of consistency in the team is not going to do results any good.

These changes have led to two defeats on the spin, and with just two games remaining in the Championship, the focus must be on ensuring the club take some decent form into the summer.

The three months summer break can be an extremely long time for a football fan, and if QPR were to go into that period without a win in four, it's certain to put a dampener on the expectations of the supporters going into the new season.

Osman Kakay

One of Ollie's changes was enforced due to the absence of Jack Robinson through illness.

With a firm focus on integrating youth into the first team, Holloway made the decision to hand young full-back Osman kakay his first senior league start for QPR, a decision which looked like a big gamble when the team-sheet dropped at 2 oclock.

Despite a shaky opening period, the 20-year-old certainly grew into the game, learning how to keep tabs on winger Sergi Canos for large spells, ensuring that his performance was a credible one.

Kakay's contract at Loftus Road is due to expire in the summer, but if he can impress in the remaining matches this term, then there's no reason why he can't be part of Ollie's young alliance next term.

Matt Ingram sending off?

It was certainly a turning point in the match, but not in a way that many would have predicted.

Despite what was a blatant foul in the area, Ingram escaped with just a yellow card for his offence, with the decision to award a penalty-kick meaning that he escaped being sent off.

It looked like a stroke of luck at the time, with Ingram shakily standing up to save Ollie Watkins' penalty; an achievement that deserved the rapturous ovation he received from the fans stood in the terraces behind him.

However after appearing to shake off his knock, Ian Holloway made the decision to take him off, with the number two stopper suffering with concussion.

It was a frantic few minutes for the goalkeeper who will be delighted to have saved the penalty; the only question now is whether he can even remember doing it!

The absence of Ebere Eze

Ollie's decision to integrate the more youthful members of the squad into the first team is certainly sensible, but not when the decision itself ends up hindering one of their own.

Ebere Eze

Arguably the most exciting prospect of all is Ebere Eze, who has been outstanding since bursting onto the scene at Loftus Road in January.

Sadly, Ollie's tinkering may just be jeopardising his progress.

Of course, the focus is on easing these youngsters into the team, but surely a more effective method is to give them a run of games?

Ebere seems like a confident lad, but even the most secure individuals can be left feeling shaken if they feel they're not trusted; something which is a very real risk with the highly-rated midfielder.

As one of the most exciting players to emerge at QPR in recent years, It'd be fantastic to see Ollie keep the faith with Eze, giving him a secure platform to perform, grow and even make mistakes; it is, afterall, these learnings which will determine how far he goes in the game.

He simply won't learn if he's sitting on the bench every two weeks.

Darnell Furlong

It certainly wasn't an easy task, but I felt the full-back did an excellent job at slotting into the centre of defence.

Furlong has had a bit of a mixed season, but has been one of QPR's most consistent performers over recent weeks; a run of form which has seen him confirmed as a real fans' favourite.

The 22-year-old admitted in January that he may have to consider a loan move if he's not getting first team football, but the way he's going at the moment, he's almost a dead-cert to be QPR's first choice right-back at the start of next season, and hopefully for many seasons to come.

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