QPR 1 - CELTIC 5
 Scorers: QPR - St Aime (65);
Celtic - Capone (23), Brown (38), Vennegoor of Hesselink (54, 56), McDonald (73)


Celtic's canter of a win is best described as an audience with Rod Stewart and the new faces. The Cockney crooner was at Loftus Road for a first glimpse of Gordon Strachan's new-look side and witnessed a 5-1 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers.

Stay With Me: a resounding message from Andrea Capone in his second trial appearance at the club. The Italian came to life after an unobtrusive performance against Peterborough United.

He was more comfortable on the right side, scored the first of Celtic's goals and displayed enough flashes of quality to warrant serious consideration for a seat on the plane bound for Colorado today.

"He played well but we need to see what the situation is with passports, visas and everything else before we head out," said Strachan. "I'll have to think about it and see if he will be a worthwhile addition or a player who is similar to what we already have."

The Celtic manager was coy on suggestions that the club have entered into negotiations to bring back Shaun Maloney from Aston Villa. The Scotland internationalist is unsettled in Birmingham but after an acrimonious £1m departure, it remains to be seen if enough water has passed under the bridge to make a move possible for an appropriate fee.

"I don't want to talk about players at other clubs, that would be unfair," said the manager.

Scott Brown was simply exceptional. The £4.5m signing from Hibernian possesses a boundless energy that was the catalyst for a simple shredding. He, too, found the target, claimed an assist and was given a standing ovation from thousands of travelling Celtic supporters, and a heartfelt chorus of boos from the Queens Park Rangers fans, when he was replaced by Jiri Jarosik.

Scott McDonald rounded off an emphatic and entertaining victory, with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who missed a first-half penalty, preceding the Australian's contribution with a swift and clinical double.

"I think that the new boys discovered today their first taste of what it is like to play for Celtic," Strachan added.

"The tempo and atmosphere were probably different to what they have been used to.

I enjoyed it, there was a 25-minute burst when we played some fantastic football."

It was to prove an eventful, undulating afternoon between the posts for Jake Cole, the QPR goalkeeper. He blocked Vennegoor of Hesselink's poor penalty attempt in the opening 10 minutes, after Dominic Shimmin handled a stinging shot from Kenny Miller.

The plaudits, though, were shortlived. After a period of sustained pressure, incorporating lively bursts from Brown and impressive footwork from Aiden McGeady, Capone suddenly came to life. Spotting Cole off his line, the Italian lofted a chip over the keeper only to watch it fall inches over the crossbar.

He would have his moment of celebration shortly afterwards. Darting inside, he cut across the ball ferociously with his left foot from 20 yards out and made a fool of the keeper with the vicious swerve. The change of trajectory panicked Cole and he made a hash of his save, shovelling the shot into his net.

Celtic were flying against the agile but uninspiring hosts. McGeady toyed and teased QPR's new signing, John Curtis, and created the second with one such moment of devilment. The winger darted infield, skipped past outstretched legs here and there and shunted possession to the onrushing Brown, who provided an assured finish with his left foot past a hapless Cole.

The heavens opened right as the referee restarted play for the second half and so too did the floodgates at Loftus Road.

Brown was in his element and virtually unstoppable. He tore through the spine of QPR and rarely paused for breath. His drive is already a major asset to the new-look Celtic midfield and was the undoing of the Londoners. His first surge of the half led to a Massimo Donati shot that squirted just wide, his second a goal.

Brown bore through the defence and fed Vennegoor of Hesselink via Capone. The Dutchman drilled his shot inside the keeper's right hand post and doubled his money in a matter of minutes. Capone's corner was rifled goalward by John Kennedy and poached home on the goalline by Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Keiran St Aime, the QPR substitute, gave the home fans - vastly outnumbered by a massive travelling support - something to cheer about before McDonald's tap-in confirmed Celtic fly out to the USA this morning in fine fettle.

Celtic (4-4-2) Boruc; Wilson (Irvine 64), Kennedy, McManus, Naylor; Capone (Hartley 64), Donati (Jarosik 69), S Brown (Riordan 79), McGeady (O'Brien 85); Miller, Vennegoor of Hesselink (McDonald 64).
Subs not used: M Brown, Balde, Gravesen, Pressley, Caddis, Bjarnason