Ramsey: Rangers must not get detached

Chris Ramsey admitted QPR could face the prospect of being cut adrift unless they respond strongly to their home defeat against Arsenal.

The Gunners’ 2-1 win at Loftus Road meant Rangers remained in the relegation zone, three points behind 17th-placed Aston Villa with two more crucial London derbies approaching.

Ramsey’s side are at home to Tottenham on Saturday and visit Crystal Palace the following weekend – and the Rangers head coach knows they desperately need to pick up points.

“The last thing we want is to start getting detached,” he said.

“Everything is in cup-final mode now and we wouldn’t want that because that creates anxiety and doesn’t allow you to play in a smooth way.

“But when I embarked on this situation I didn’t think it was going to be a walk in the park. And the players know they have an obligation to the owners and fans.”

Rangers competed well during a disjointed first half at Loftus Road
Rangers competed well during a disjointed first half at Loftus Road

Rangers caused Arsenal problems before goals in the space of five second-half minutes put the visitors in command.

Charlie Austin pulled one back with eight minutes remaining but they were unable to find an equaliser.

Ramsey insisted the attitude of his players could not be faulted.

But he said: “In the Premier League you are going to be punished if you don’t take your chances.

“Charlie came up with one at the end but the top teams take these chances and you end up in the situation we are now because we’ve probably been relying too much on Charlie’s goals and haven’t got any from other areas of the pitch.

“You [also] end up in these situations because of small details. We gave the ball away and they score and we’ve got to be better at defending when it really counts and keeping the ball when it really counts.

“For all that effort we’ve ended up with no points and that’s very disappointing for the players because I don’t think any have shirked the challenge.

“I don’t see any problem with the way the players are. They’ve trained well, played well and we’ve seen some of the stuff we’ve worked on, but goals are always the hardest thing.”

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