Gareth Ainsworth pulled no punches as QPR were humiliated 5-0 on Saturday in a pre-season friendly at League One Oxford United.
The Hoops trailed at the break to Cameron Brannagan’s opener but then completely collapsed after the restart as Mark Harris, Marcus Browne, Stanley Mills and Jordan Thornley all found the target.
Hoops boss Ainsworth admitted there were alarming reminders of last year’s defensive calamities on display, something he knows must be put right ahead of this weekend’s Championship opener at Watford.
But it doesn’t sound like there will be many fresh additions to the squad before then with QPR operating under a tight budget.
Ainsworth told QPR’s YouTube channel: “We didn’t track runners, we let a set piece in at the end.
“Back and through there was a basic goal against us. We were poor today, very poor.
“I’m not hanging anyone out to dry, as I never do. I will protect the boys but believe me, we will be going through that with a fine tooth comb because if people don’t want to try, then they won’t be playing for the team.
“Because (there was) a little bit of last year (v Oxford), sort of going behind and not fighting to get back into the game, almost admitting defeat.
“You can’t have that, can’t have that at all.
“I’ve just said to them ‘we need to be hard to beat’. We’ve got to be hard to beat this year.”
The manager added: “We have got some of the new signings to come.
“I think we need another, maybe another couple, but it is tough. We can’t afford to get players from various clubs.
“We just can’t afford to do it and I’m going to have to work with what I’ve got to make sure we are solid, we are hard to beat first and foremost rather than easy to break down like Oxford broke us down today.”
The nature of the Oxford capitulation will be a huge worry for QPR fans going into the new season, with the Loftus Road side named among the favourites to be relegated.
And Ainsworth is promising lessons will be learned from Saturday’s drubbing.
He said: “You’ve got to fight and you’ve got to run harder than the opposition. That is what we are going to have to do this season.
“We are up against it. Everyone knows.
“I’m glad we’ve had a right kick up the backside like that on the last day of pre-season because we need to go into next week not thinking we are this great team who are going to do brilliant.”
He added: “I’m pleased with where we are in some aspects but that wasn’t good enough.
“I have to say we’ve got two boys at centre half who haven’t played a league game between them but where is the protection for those boys as well?
“That is tough for me to take and I want to make sure next week that is totally reversed.
“We’ve got to run harder, we’ve got to fight harder, we’ve got to be hard to beat.
“Like I say, that is not acceptable for a pre-season game. It definitely won’t be acceptable in the league.”
