QPR manager Iain Dowie defended his choice of formation following his side's 1-1 draw at home to Blackpool on Tuesday.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher put the Seasiders ahead before Dexter Blackstock's 78th-minute equaliser - his sixth goal of the season - rescued a point for below-par Rangers.

Dowie started with his favoured 4-2-3-1 system before switching to 4-4-2 at half-time.

But he insisted: "There's an obsession in this country with systems, but it's about the players out there.

"We just didn't get going enough. We could have been 2-0 up at half-time and then there would have been no talk about systems.

"We've scored four at home twice this season using the system we started with tonight, and Emmanuel Ledesma got a hat-trick playing in it a couple of weeks ago.

"We've made a decent start to the season with that formation, reached the last 16 of the Carling Cup and are eighth in the table - one win away from fourth place.

"It's a system Spain used in Euro 2008. There's an obsession in this country with 4-4-2, which has hardly brought England great success down the years.

"I changed it at half-time because Blackpool had scored and were able to sit back and mark man for man, so I wanted to give them another problem up front."

Blackpool went ahead after 17 minutes, when Taylor-Fletcher collected defender Damion Stewart's weak clearing header and fired into the top corner of the net from 25 yards.

Dowie made a double substitution at the interval, sending on Mikele Leigertwood and striker Patrick Agyemang.

But it was Dowie's third substitute, Akos Buzsaky, who helped to haul Rangers level.

The fit-again Hungarian, brought on with 18 minutes to go, curled a 30-yard free-kick against the bar and Blackstock was able to head home the rebound.

"I thought it was a very good display," Dowie added.

"We caused them a massive amount of problems from set-pieces, especially in the second half.

"It was an unsatisfactory result but I can't be unhappy with the way we played. Should we have gone on and scored a winner? Probably. But I can't fault the desire."

Blackpool manager Simon Grayson was full of praise for his team after a gritty performance.

Grayson said: "We were under pressure from set-pieces in the second half but the players dug in and defended for their lives at times.

"We'd have taken a point at the start of the game but when you get to where we were and concede a goal, it's always tough and the players are disappointed.

"That shows how far those players have come. Everyone wrote us off at the start of the season but all we can do is keep working hard, and we've got some quality too.

"We've surprised quite a few people and hopefully that will continue. There's a determination to prove people wrong, because no-one likes to have the tag of relegation favourites before a ball's even been kicked.

"I can't fault the players because they've played well again. We have to be delighted with this point."