QPR dominated the game against Bolton Wanderers but lost
We came back and fought against Hull for the 2-2, we’ve had a good two weeks. I said to the boys in there, even before the game, the way they’ve prepared, we’ve had recovery and then this week they’ve been excellent.
We’ve had players back – Cameron, Angel, and everybody fit – Smith, Hemed looking a little bit fitter, and I said before the game I thought we were ready.
We started the game well, and overall, the stats – 60% possession, 33 crosses and 21 shots. We did enough to win two games of football, but we didn’t.
QPR player ratings: Angel Rangel the only strong performer in shock loss to crisis-ridden Bolton
Two bad goals and that’s our problem, we can’t keep conceding goals. That was our strength in the middle of the season when we went on a good run and got to eighth, we were hard to beat.
Bolton didn’t have that many opportunities but every one seemed to coincide with a big chance. Two goals and it’s difficult to come back. I thought we would do and did do, and we kept going.
It’s frustrating for everybody, I can understand that. We worked so hard in preparation and in terms of possession and crosses that’s what we wanted.
That’s why we played Bright and Pav, took Angel off and put Pav at right back to put crosses into the box, we did, the goalkeeper made saves, we hit the post, bar, you can keep saying it wasn’t our day but it certainly wasn’t.
On QPR's run of form
The run’s not great at all and I’m so frustrated about that. Alright, losing Angel and losing Geoff Cameron, we had this at the beginning of the season but then we got four senior players in and they helped boost us. We thought we’d got them back and then Cameron dropped out.
I can see, the crowd can see, the effort is there and the endeavour is there, when you’re still attacking at the end. And we’re just slipping, making mistakes, getting punished and we keep saying it will turn round and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves.
With a run like this you get frustrated and you get low on confidence, but I thought we came out very confident and we fought to the end. Not our day, very disappointed with the Rotherham and Bolton results.
On individual errors
We had a great spell where we played with a back four and Toni and Lynchy were great in terms of that. Joe Lumley still producing saves for us, even last week.
It is a frustration and it is a confidence kind of thing, it is a momentum kind of thing and we’re on the wrong side of momentum at this present moment in terms of we need to score two or three goals to get a result and that puts pressure on the forwards and puts pressure on the defenders.
We have to solve it and the only way you do that is on the training field. We worked hard this week, what we will do on Monday [is] work hard again.
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On the confusion over the Angel Rangel substitution
It was always our plan that Angel could play 60 minutes, and then if we were 1-0 down we’d put Pav right-back and if we were 1-0 up we’d put Darnell right-back.
Somehow the fourth official got the wrong number and held that up and caused confusion. But once we got it right, and that was always the plan, Angel came off and Pav dropped back and… fourth official’s fault.
To be fair if it had been Pav coming off I’d have booed myself, I thought he was one of our better players. But we solved it in the end.
On the relegation battle
We said all along, a few games ago, that we need to get two wins. We’ll get two wins from seven games but we need to get them quickly and we’ve missed opportunities against Rotherham and against Bolton.
We’ve got a tough game against Norwich but we’ve got to believe in ourselves, believe in the work we’re doing and believe in each other. I thought we still had that today, but didn’t get the result.
As I said before the Leeds game, usually wins come unexpected, and we’ll prepare to hope that happens next week.
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On Grant Hall’s injury
I think a groin problem, so we’ll have to assess that one
On Geoff Cameron’s illness
He just came down with it a couple of days ago. He’d been training really well, got 90 minutes against Southampton and we expected him to play today.
I think we’ve lost that kind of protection in front of the back four that was good for us in that run, and maybe we’re getting exposed a bit too much and not dealing with it.
We planned with playing Geoff and we had to change at the last moments, but the intention was we felt Bolton could be exploited down the wide areas, I thought Bright did that, thought he was very good, and Pav on the right hand side.
We got 33 crosses into the box, we’ve got to be scoring more goals, but my main concern is we’ve been conceding two every game and you don’t win football matches like that.
QPR's loss of form
I said to the players in there that I’ve never experienced it. Generally through experience you know what to do and you’ve got tricks up your sleeve, but I’m running out of tricks so we better find another one for next week.
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