By Ben Kosky SHELL-SHOCKED Kaspars Gorkss admitted that the entire team would have to shoulder responsibility for QPR s worst home league defeat in more than 30 years. Gorkss had been left on the bench for Rangers previous game, but was recalled for Satu

By Ben Kosky

SHELL-SHOCKED Kaspars Gorkss admitted that the entire team would have to shoulder responsibility for QPR's worst home league defeat in more than 30 years.

Gorkss had been left on the bench for Rangers' previous game, but was recalled for Saturday's disastrous 5-1 drubbing by Middlesbrough at Loftus Road.

That was the Rs' heaviest league reverse at home since Everton triumphed by the same scoreline in October 1977 - and it is almost exactly 60 years since they suffered a worse beating on home soil.

"We didn't show what we're capable of," acknowledged the Latvian centre-back. "We've conceded loads of goals from set-pieces lately and we've been doing a lot of set-pieces in training, so I don't know why this keeps happening.

"Maybe our confidence on set-pieces is not the best at the moment. I think our shape was all over the place.

"It's easy to blame midfield or defence, but it was a bad team effort and the result came from there. We have a bunch of decent players and we should be able to play well no matter who's picked."

Rangers also seemed to struggle more than their visitors in coping with a pitch that became greasy in persistent drizzle and, alarmingly, appears to be cutting up less than six months after it was relaid.

But Gorkss declined to blame the performance on the Loftus Road playing surface, saying: "The standard of the surface has been pretty good, to be honest - it's certainly not the pitch's fault that we lost."

Rs boss Jim Magilton was in no mood for excuses, either, admitting: "We were guilty of giving the ball away very cheaply in vital areas. If you give it away to good players, they have a tendency to punish you.

"We've dished out a few hidings this year and we have to take this one on the chin. It's about learning lessons - sometimes it's more valuable when you lose a game like that and see the character you've got in your squad.

"I don't expect anything but the highest standards from these players and I hope it was part of a learning curve.