Monday 25 May 2015 00:55, UK
QPR head coach Chris Ramsey says the club now need to formulate a long term plan after they bowed out of the Premier League with a 5-1 hammering at Leicester.
The mood was buoyant at the King Power Stadium after Leicester secured their Premier League safety last week and QPR proved the perfect party guests, looking shaky at the back and posing little threat in attack.
The R’s, who were already relegated, finished the season bottom of the table, and Ramsey knows there is a lot of hard work ahead.
Despite having failed to keep the club in the top flight, he was named head coach on a permanent basis earlier in the week, and he said: “It has been hard work already.
“It has been quite a grounding but I think for the club as a whole, the hard work starts now, because obviously there are going to be some changes.
“The club needs to look at a long term plan rather than a knee jerk reaction. I think patience is going to be important for everybody concerned.”
As for whether big name players such as Charlie Austin and Leroy Fer would be sold, Ramsey added: “It’s out of my hands, I can’t control what goes on.
“Finances dictate it and players’ ambitions dictate it as well.”
Regarding the limp display at Leicester, he said: “I think it was a typical end of season game, as regards the fact it was going to be low key.
“Leicester were in party mode because they have done a fantastic job in staying up and I think that, with our boys, the effort was there, the quality wasn’t.
“We let in some really soft goals, schoolboy errors, and we didn’t take our chances at critical times.
“When it was 2-0, we had a chance to make it 2-1, but within a few minutes they have made it 3-0 and then confidence is low, and we have managed to play into the hands of Leicester’s party mood.”
Asked why Leicester had survived despite being bottom for much of the campaign but QPR were heading straight back down, Ramsey said: “Leicester have got some good players and were probably in a false position for most of the season.
“We have relied on Charlie (Austin) too much for goals. We have not got many goals from around the field and, when you defend for a long time, it is inevitable you will make mistakes and that has been our problem.
“I think our possession play today was very bitty and not very good. We turned the ball over so many times and allowed them to have attempts on goal and that was, eventually, our downfall.”
