There are no easy games in the Championship – we found that out at Plymouth, and we found that out again on Saturday!

The fact that QPR managed to take a point and a clean sheet at Burnley last week indicated that they aren’t exactly pushovers, and I was really impressed with them on Saturday. Although they clearly lacked a high standard, they worked hard both in and out of possession, looked organized and had some clever players – Varane, the central midfielder, is someone I will keep an eye on. ‘eye ; he was exceptional.

There’s no shame in leaving Loftus Road with a point, even if deep down we all felt we should have gone there to win. Any away point is valuable and, as Luke O’Nien pointed out after the match, they could prove crucial at the end of the season.

If we had finished with eleven men, I might not be as happy with the result, but with a sending off and a little time left on the clock, the match could have easily gone badly for us. Thanks to Régis Le Bris and his players for holding on, organizing and respecting the draw.

The biggest concern for Saturday is that we now have to be without Jobe Bellingham for three games. In my opinion he has been our best player so far this season. He was also the best player on the pitch until he was sent off and we felt his absence until the end of the game. His ability to control the game and dictate the tempo will be a big lack, as will his physicality in duels. Someone else must step in now.

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It was good to hear Reg say that Chris Rigg was well and back in training this week, although it was unclear whether he would feature on Wednesday at Preston. Fingers crossed he does, and we get a straight trade bringing in Riggy for Jobe. Otherwise, this challenge presents the Sunderland head coach with some choices.

I doubt he’ll admit it publicly, but I think he rather enjoys dealing with difficult situations like this. There’s no doubt he spent his Sunday strategizing his next moves as we prepare to face the Lilywhites at Deepdale.

Could Milan Aleksic get his first start in the Sunderland jersey? He’s still unproven, but we spent a decent amount of money on him this summer for one reason: it’s clear this kid has talent. Whether he’s fully ready remains to be seen, but this could be his big moment.

There is also Harrison Jones, who has been exceptional for the U21s for two seasons now and almost omnipresent on the first team bench this season. He will surely succeed in the end, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Le Bris chose to give him a chance here.

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The U21s beat Manchester United 5-2 on Saturday, with Adil Aouchiche and Abdoullah Ba heavily involved. So while they’re on the periphery, this could be an opportunity for one or both to prove their worth. Martin made an important point in this weekend’s podcast, suggesting that we probably wanted them to get minutes against United rather than traveling to QPR, so that they would be ready for the game this week. With Bellingham’s suspension, their inclusion seems even more likely.

Other options could include overhauling the forward line – bringing in Aaron Connolly or Eliezer Mayenda and moving Wilson Isidor into an attacking midfielder role. We could split the defense to put Trai Hume or Luke O’Nien in midfield (although I’m not a fan of this approach), or even move to a back three.

It’s far from ideal, but there’s something that excites me about tackling these tricky situations. I look forward to seeing how we adapt to losing one, or even two, of our most critical players.

This could well be the birth of another new star in red and white!