Friday 15 May 2015 13:47, UK
QPR boss Chris Ramsey has urged his squad to bounce back from their disappointment over the last two games of their Premier League season.
Ramsey was embarrassed last weekend as QPR's relegation was confirmed by a 6-0 defeat at Manchester City, and back page stories of "bad eggs" in the Loftus Park dressing room emerged earlier this week.
But he will resist the temptation to field a younger side against Newcastle, themselves in serious danger of relegation, on Saturday and will instead attempt to restore some credibility after last week's disappointment.
"Whatever happens, we have to first of all try to redress the performance of last week and make sure our home fans see that was just a blip," Ramsey said.
"Secondly, we have to ensure the integrity of Premier League, taking into consideration the teams fighting at the bottom of the league and do our bit to make sure everyone has a fair crack at staying up.
"We have to take pride in ourselves in front of our home fans, so there is an obligation to play with maximum energy. I'm preparing myself for a win. We'll be doing our best to win the game and will pick our strongest available team."
QPR face Leicester eight days after meeting Newcastle, ensuring they will have a meaningful say in who joins themselves and Burnley in the second tier next term.
"Other teams who might go down have all been pulling off surprise results here and there. I think it's going to be another tight one. I wish we were still in the battle," Ramsey added.
"The fact we are playing two teams who are struggling means we will have a lot to say in what happens. Everyone knows we'll be doing our best to keep everything fair."