BLACKBURN Rovers resume preparations for this weekend’s encounter at QPR today with Jason Steele insisting they have started to take the first steps toward stopping the rot.

Rovers will head to Loftus Road for the clash with the high-flying Hoops having gone down 1-0 at home to their West London rivals Fulham before the international break.

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It was a fourth defeat in fives games for Owen Coyle’s bottom-placed side who remain the only team in the Championship yet to win this season.

But despite its devastating nature, with Tom Cairney firing in Fulham’s 94th-minute winner on his return to Ewood Park, Steele took heart from what was an improved defensive display.

Rovers had conceded 11 goals in their first four league matches most of which the goalkeeper admits were entirely self-inflicted.

But, with debutants Tommie Hoban and Derrick Williams impressing, Steele said: “It’s not been a nice start to the season.

“We were far too open and when you’re too open in this league good teams will punish you.

“We’ve conceded some really, really poor goals at this level and goals that we should never have conceded.

“But we looked solid against Fulham, we looked like a team, and I think we can build on that.”

Rovers boss Coyle’s 12th and final summer signing, striker Marvin Emnes, who has joined on loan from Swansea City until January 15, will train with his new team-mates for the first time today.

But Coyle’s squad will still be missing a number of players who are or have been away on international duty.

Steele said: “After putting in a good performance and a good shift against Fulham we would have wanted to build on that straight away.

“But the lads who have been away will come back raring to go. We’ll have put some more time in on the training ground and, when they’re back, hopefully we can push on.”

And Steele believes more organised and committed showings like the one Rovers produced against Fulham will result in a rise up the table.

He said: “Playing at home you want to go out, have a scrap, get in people’s faces and take the game to teams.

“But playing Fulham we knew they do dominate the ball no matter who they play. I remember watching them in the first game of the season against Newcastle and they dominated the game.

“You have to respect them and that’s what we did. But we didn’t given them too much respect.

“We defended well, we held our lines, we were narrow, we were compact, and we limited them to a few opportunities.

“But when it dropped to TC (Cairney) he was the last person on the pitch you wanted it to fall to.

“We were bitterly disappointed not to get something out of the game but if we keep playing like that we’ll be all right.”