FORMER Town boss Neil Warnock is seldom very far from the headlines – and that’s certainly been the case in QPR’s eventful start to the Premier League season.

Beaten 2-0 at home by Town’s League I rivals Rochdale in the Carling Cup in midweek, Warnock was quick to deflect attention from his players.

“I can’t really have a go at the players for not getting ‘up’ for the tie when I can’t get motivated for it myself,” he said. “I’m not an ‘early rounds of the Cup’ type of manager.”

Taking the blame himself is classic Warnock and he’s shown the same loyalty to his staff and former players down the years.

Ronnie Jepson, of course, scouted for Warnock at Crystal Palace in between his stints with Gillingham and Town.

And it was interesting to see the name of the QPR scout at the Galpharm for the Colchester match – one Simon Collins.

Collins, who is still only 37, played under Warnock during 52 appearances for Town in the early 1990s, when his brother Sam (now of Hartlepool) was also on the junior books.

Pontefract-born Collins also played for Warnock at Plymouth Argyle.

Neil Cardwell represented today’s visitors Wycombe at the Colchester game and the only surprise was that Johnstone’s Paint Trophy opponents Northampton didn’t send a scout.