Gareth Ainsworth watches QPR’s defeat at Watford (Picture: Getty Images)
Just one game into the new Championship season, QPR manager Gareth Ainsworth is already under pressure.
Having been thrashed 5-0 by League One Oxford in their final pre-season friendly, Rangers began the campaign proper in the worst possible fashion – conceding a goal after just 33 seconds at Watford and being booed off at half-time by their own fans on the way to a 4-0 defeat at Vicarage Road.
But Ainsworth remains bullish, believing a siege mentality coupled with some new signings will help him repeat last year’s escape act.
He tells Metro why it would be wrong to write off QPR just yet.
Some pundits are tipping Rangers to go down this season. What do you think of that pessimism?
People have predictions to make – I won’t do their job for them! I will make sure we are competitive and an improvement on last season is a must for me. It needs rebuilding and I’m a realist.
I know exactly the fans’ pressures and am under no illusions about being bulletproof. It’s up to me to motivate the staff and the players.
Many regard this season’s Championship as the toughest for years, given the teams that have come down from the Premier League and also up from League One. What’s your view?
It’s the strongest Championship in the last ten years, without a shadow of a doubt. We’re still a huge team with huge support but from the outside you probably see us as one of the smaller clubs but, goodness me, we can fight.
We ended up in the Championship at the end of the year. The aim is to keep this club competitive in the Championship and I aim to do that.
You arrived in February and kept the Hoops up. But how big a test has the job been so far?
It’s been a great challenge but I have great support here. (Managing director) Lee Hoos has been working really closely with me and the board just want the best for QPR. There are financial restrictions and some clubs find themselves in trouble. The stories are there – rumours are rife about what’s going on at a lot of clubs.
Will you be able to add any new signings during the remainder of the transfer window?
I want four, five, six, seven players in who might make a difference. We have super talent here that just needs that experience and leadership alongside it.
Ilias Chair’s future at Queens Park Rangers is uncertain (Picture: COLORSPORT)
Can it be tricky to land the players you want?
Yeah, of course. But with where we are in the pecking order, getting people in is hard. There’s still a chance to get some quality players in. We knew this would be a tough season, last season was tough enough. But I think the board need to be congratulated for not putting the club in jeopardy, on a knife edge. We will just have to find different ways of getting results.
Playmaker Ilias Chair has been linked to clubs including Leicester. Is there any update on his future?
I’m not naive enough to think the team that played at the weekend is going to be the one that we have after September 1.
Every player is for sale at the right price but the board is in charge of all that. It’s the same for every club, whether you’re Manchester United or QPR.
Of course, you want to know if your players are going but we’re adaptable and have a contingency plan, we know what we’re doing. It’s a very stressful time but it’s safe to say, I will be happy at 11.01pm on September 1, after the window has closed.
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The QPR manager is keeping the faith.