Duncan Barkes

Colley doubled the advantage with a peach of a 30-yard strike that squeezed past keeper Nicholas Schmid before Smyth ran through the middle onto another Vail assist, to calmly slot in a third.

Swift lifted Pompey Spirits briefly by pulling one back with a fine finish from outside the area that crashed in off the post, but the visitors lacked the clinical edge of QPR despite having 20 shots to QPR's 9 and 33 touches inside their box.

Unfortunately for the travelling Portsmouth fans, their nightmare afternoon continued as Collie's second came in the 55th minute, when he burst past his marker and drilled in from a tight angle to restore the three-goal cushion.

Kone then converted from the spot after Colby Bishop's challenge on Escudena was penalised in the 86th minute, and he then sealed the emphatic victory moments later from another Vail assist following up a fast break.

John Massino is asked how and why we got thumped 6-1.

It's mentioned because he normally spends a few minutes in the dressing room after each game talking to the players, probably en masse, maybe one or two quick words with individuals.

And then he goes out and has to do endless interviews such as that one that he conducted there in a very reasonable frame of mind, it seems to me, very well balanced.

his usual thoughtful articulate self with a great deal of precision and courage in reflecting that mistakes were made and many of them were his.

in the way he set the team up with Adams as a number 10 and Swift playing behind him, marrying up with Marlon Pack.

And Swift doesn't offer the same kind of resolution that Adams does.

And Adams doesn't have the same kind of potential guile that we brought Swift in to reproduce, to give us.

he was 45 minutes talking to the players after the game it came out and what was said is going to stay in the dressing room that suggests that one or two home truths might have emerged might have rendered the air blue

if not black and blue.

We'll only find out when they come back from their many breaks, which we gather the players and staff are all considering just having a few days off.

And after the hectic and demoralising run that we've been on, it's the right thing to do.

It's the professional thing to do.

Clear your head and blow out your pipes.

and maybe have a couple of late-night bevvies on evening number one, but then getting back to your carefully constructed diet and nutritional needs within two or three days of having to report and have a quick medical.

I guess they will have to declare or show how fit they are when they return from

a wee break such as the one that they're getting now.