Stephan ‘realistic’ about QPR’s play-off credentials after humbling defeat

Julien Stephan said QPR need to be “realistic” about their play-off credentials following another chastening home defeat.

Rangers’ up-and-down season took another turn for the worse when their woeful defending helped out Championship strugglers Blackburn, who won 3-1 at Loftus Road.

Stephan’s side are still just four points away from the top six.

But the R’s head coach said: “I don’t want to speak about the play-offs today. We have to be realistic.

“The main thing now for us is to continue to improve with this young team and show more consistency, because if we want to compete to finish in the top six then we need to have consistency.

“You need many things to finish in the top six and I don’t really think it’s realistic to speak about the top six now (straight after the game).

“We have a very difficult schedule and it’s a question of how we can bounce back now from this game and how we can improve and how we are able to react.

“Of course I like competition, but when you have the second-lowest budget in the league – even if you want to compete against all the clubs – we have to be realistic.

“If we want in the future to compete to finish in the top six then we need to improve.”

Mathias Jørgensen put Rovers ahead on 21 minutes and restored the lead after Koki Saito’s equaliser, and Ryoya Morishita’s goal early in the second half sealed their victory.

All three Blackburn goals came as a result of gaps between centre-backs Jimmy Dunne and Steve Cook.

The partnership had been working well – the duo have been in great form and Rangers have kept three consecutive away clean sheets. But the hosts’ defending this time was awful.

“We conceded easy goals and normally we are stronger defensively. It was too easy for them to score these three goals,” Stephan said.

The Frenchman added: “I thought we were good in the first half. We started the game with a lot of hunger and we wanted to win.

“But then you don’t use the possibilities you have to score the first and perhaps the second one – and they had two shots in the first half and scored two times.

“They then shot one time at the beginning of the second half and scored. So it was a question of efficiency.

“Then in the second half we dropped mentally. We didn’t use the midfield enough. We forgot our plan in the second half and I think we dropped mentally after their third goal.”

Rangers have been plagued by injury problems this season and key midfielder Nicolas Madsen limped off during the second half.

But Stephan suggested that the injury does not appear to be overly serious.