Stephan pinpoints the turning point for QPR after recent losing run
Julien Stephan believes a dressing-room discussion after a recent defeat at Birmingham was a turning point for QPR.
The loss was Rangers’ fourth in a row but they have since enjoyed back-to-back wins, away to Leicester and at home to Portsmouth.
And head coach Stephan believes the players’ reaction to the Birmingham game was the key factor in those victories.
The Frenchman explained: “I think it was very important after the four defeats in a row to show strong personality and strong character.
“We won the two last games probably in the dressing room after the Birmingham game – how the players reacted collectively after the game in the dressing room, the message that they sent all together, and how we dealt with the situation in the days after.
“I think for all the staff members, it was perfect, and that gave the players the confidence for these two games.
“It (the two wins) are just a consequence of that. Stay brave always, play with courage and continue to push and want to score more and more goals.”
R’s target strong finish
Having slid alarmingly close to the relegation zone, Rangers are 12th in the Championship following their 6-1 thrashing of Portsmouth.
They have seven matches remaining this season, starting with the visit of Watford to Loftus Road on Good Friday.
The Hornets are three places above QPR in the table, in ninth, and still in with a chance of securing a play-off place.
“Watford are a good team and want to stay close to the top six, so it will be a big challenge for us,” said Stephan.
“Be focused, everybody, and keep going. The fans want to see more. That is the objective for the rest of the season and building for the future.”
BiroBiro 
28/03/2026 @ 11:48 am
You can dress it up however you want, but 6 touches in Portsmouth’s box equating to 6 goals is a record & it shows that even against a lower placed team, we struggled to create chances & got lucky with those 6 touches.
If anyone had said that Portsmouth would be more than a match for us in everything but the scoreline, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
I don’t believe Stephan is the man to take us forward & expect him gone within the next season at worst, but these players aren’t united yet either. We NEED a good keeper & not just 1 that is a previous target of ours. We NEED a better back line not including Dunne or pensioner Cook.We NEED wing backs who stay back & defend instead of wanting to be up the field. At the moment, we have midfielders & strikers doing that. Once the defence is better we can then look to make up a midfield of players good enough to be there, like Field. Him being on loan at Norwich is such a poor decision because he should be in the stating lineup for us. As for the strikers, I like Kone & Burrell, but they need proper service!
Finally, a manager who knows the Championship in & out & we might just have a team ready to compete for a play off position 🙂