Rangers will be without Barton for their trip to the MK Dons in the FA Cup on Saturday and two further matches after the midfielder was sent off for headbutting Norwich's Bradley Johnson on Monday.

However, replays suggested Barton made little, if any contact with Johnson, and Warnock was fuming his dismissal was not overturned after Fulham's Clint Dempsey escaped from a similar incident against Liverpool with just a yellow card.

"Well I'm not surprised by it. It is difficult to accept when you see what (Clint) Dempsey did (at Liverpool). In comparison with Joey Barton, it's farcical isn't it," Warnock said.

"I feel let down as a manager and as a club that three invisible people can look at that incident and not look at the linesman and take him into consideration. If he did see what he saw, then why didn't he flag immediately?"

Warnock was dismissive of the Carling Cup earlier in the season, but said QPR would be doing their best to progress from the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

"The FA Cup is different though and I think now I'd like to progress in the FA Cup so for me it won't be through lack of trying," Warnock said.

"It won't be a weakened team. There might be one or two changes but that might be because if injuries or one or two other things."

Warnock missed out on bringing in the players he wanted at the start of the season because of a change in the club's ownership, but said new chairman Tony Fernandes had backed him to spend on reinforcements in January.

"There is money, yes, but we're not going to throw it around stupidly," Warnock said. 

"Tony (Fernandes) is really working hard behind the scenes to help me bring the players in that I want."

"We have a number of people but I won't be commenting on anybody because it's not fair."

"We're looking at a number of players though. We need experience in a certain number of positions and we also need goals. We're looking to improve as many areas as we can in the squad."