QPR fans demand for Gareth Ainsworth to resign after suffering a 5-0 pre-season thrashing by Oxford United on Saturday afternoon.
Goals from Cameron Brannagan, Mark Harris, Marcus Browne, debutant Stanley Mills and Jordan Thorniley saw the U’s win comfortably leaving the home support cautiously excited ahead of the 2023/24 season, starting with Cambridge away next weekend.
The same can’t be said for Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers however after a huge defeat by a club the league below leaves fans extremely concerned.
You can see all the goals in the highlights video below, be sure to make it full screen!
The goals from yesterday šš #oufc pic.twitter.com/D9O8kCBoMf
ā Nick (@oftheleftside) July 30, 2023
It started badly for QPR on 23 minutes with Jimmy Dunne stretchered off with a shoulder injury.
Oxford opened the scoring 34 minutes in when Mark Harris flicked the ball excellently into Cameron Brannagan inside the box, who tucked the ball calmly into the bottom corner.
On the hour mark, Oxford doubled their lead. Mark Harris scored his first goal for the club after a delightful switch from Brannagan found Rodrigues. His ball inside was met by Harris who took a clever touch round the defender and buried his strike in to the roof of the net.
Oxford made it three less than 10 minutes later, Rodrigues lifting the ball beautifully over to Browne who chipped Begovic. The keeper got a touch on it but Marcus was round him and nods the ball home.
Shortly after, it was 4-0 Oxford, Stan Mills getting in on the action and scored within five minutes of coming on with a tidy finish into the bottom corner.
On the 82nd minute, Jordan Thorniley was determined to win the header from Brannagan’s corner, rose highest and planted the ball into the bottom corner to make it five.
Gatlin O’Donkor then hit the woodwork with his attempt to make it 6-0 on the verge of full time.
Oxford United (4-2-3-1): Beadle; Long (Stevens 46), Moore, Thorniley, Brown; McEachran (McGuane 66), Brannagan; Goodrham, Rodrigues (Bodin 77), Browne (Mills 66); Harris (OāDonkor 77).
Unused subs: Eastwood, Negru, Stevens, Henry.
Booked: McEachran.
Queens Park Rangers (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Kakay, Dunne (Rendall 23), Gubbins, Paal; Field, Dozzell (Adomah 77); Chair, Richards, Willock (Gape 77); Dykes.
Unused subs: Walsh, Kelman.
Booked: Chair.
Referee: John Busby
Attendance: 4,587 (1,777 visitors)
Gareth Ainsworth said QPRās performance at Oxford United as āunacceptableā.
āIt wasnāt good enough,ā the Rās boss told www.qpr.co.uk. āIt wasnāt good enough for me, it wasnāt good enough for the fans.
āWe were outfought and outrun by Oxford. We totally lost our way.
āIām pleased with where we are in some aspects but that wasnāt good enough.
āWeāve been convincingly beaten by a League One side and I apologise to the fans for that.ā
āEveryone knows weāre up against it,ā he said. āIām glad weāve had a kick up the backside on the final day of pre-season. Weāve got to make sure this is totally reversed next week.
āThatās not acceptable for a pre-season game; it definitely wonāt be acceptable in the league.
āIt wasnāt good enough going forward or in defence and Iām going to make sure the boys will be firing next week.ā
āLosing Jimmy today just compounds things,ā Ainsworth added. āWeāre struggling for centre-halves with Jake injured.
āWe donāt know the extent of it yet but weāre hoping heāll recover soon.ā
š¬ Liam Manningās thoughts on todayās 5-0 pre-season victory
šŗ See the full interview over on iFollow
š”šµ #OUFC | #COYY pic.twitter.com/tRGHeWjYVW
ā Oxford United FC (@OUFCOfficial) July 29, 2023
U’s boss Liam Manning said: āI have to give credit to the staff and the players, weāve done a huge amount of work. Thereās so much work that goes on at the training ground, whether it be on the pitch, video work, individual meetings or unit meetings.
āWhat happens today is not just off the cuff, itās a lot of hard graft.
āI thought Sparky [Mark Harris] was terrific today in terms of setting the tone out of possession, but you can also play into his feet, he runs the depth and he competes with long ones.
āI could go through the whole team to be fair, there was a lot of positive individual performances, as well as collectively.ā
Manning added: āIf you break the game down, in the first 20 or 25 minutes, we found it quite difficult in the build-up and you could feel it around the place.
āIt was a little bit nervy and thereās some new stuff for the fans to see in terms of how we want the team to play.
āThe players are working really hard to solve the problems and when you get it right, you then get what we saw from 35 or 40 minutes onwards.
āItās a work in progress and itās not going to be perfect straight away but there was a huge number of positives to take, and the lads should take confidence from it into next week.ā
š¬ Cameron Brannagan on ending pre-season on a high
šŗ See the full interview over on iFollow
š”šµ #OUFC | #COYY pic.twitter.com/ONZDsKR2GQ
ā Oxford United FC (@OUFCOfficial) July 29, 2023
As mentioned, QPR fans demand for Gareth Ainsworth to resign after the pre-season thrashing by Oxford…
@randomranger: āI donāt want us thinking āoh weāre a good teamā going into next weekā – trust me, thereās ZERO danger of that, Gaz.
@ftblcharlie: Love the bloke but got to be the worst manager of all time
@Edwin_aj_mills: Get out my club
@KipsKipparooney: This bloke turning QPR into a mid table L1 team for 24/25 season.
@Higzwan: Legend or not, heās got to go. 5-0 a few weeks before the season starts. Take the hit now and rebuild with a new manager. Not half way into the season. I pray this comment doesnāt age well.
@gabhrain: Sorry Gareth, but this on you. When you walked into the club you said you wanted people to lower their expectations, well the players have. #QPR #relegation
@BrianDqpr: Going down aren’t we.
@Matt_Wilsher: Baffled why a manager wants his team to play any sport believing there not good enough to be successful. No wonder the morale plummeted last season.
@Qpr722: Looks pressured GA. – Nothing but survival this year he says. We are in for a tough season.
@richburge54: Talks like a Sunday league manager, goes in about defence but created nothing with our strongest attacking players on the pitch. Hope all those who wanted him are happy, so out of his depth itās laughable. No wonder players arenāt playing for him!
@Sam_Spring: Jesus! Even he doesnāt hold out hope!
@stewiemac67: I knew it was going to be a tough season, but I fear itās going to be even harder than I thought. This is the most competitive Championship Iāve seen in years, and this is the weakest QPR squad Iāve seen since we were relegated to the third tier two decades ago. I fear the worst.
@Jools_Orca: We were outclassed by a mediocre League One side. āGlad we got that kick up the backside?ā – tell that to the 2,000 who traveled to see that crap.
@RossLee_: Heās basically saying weāre fucked before the season starts.. that on top of him saying āheās scaredā on talksport the other week. We are 100% getting relegated this season.
@CQpr1968: Sorry Gareth but mate you’re out of your depth. Loved you as a player but no
@andymartin1882: The club is an absolute shambles
@chrisdavisqpr85: Get him gone
@diffmj: Iād lose the plot if the ceiling of my managers tactical understanding was fighting and running
@caid_sulli: No care for any of the fans first of all, stating heās glad we got battered. The whole club is turning into a comedy act. Thereās no change or desire, something that can actually be changed if a few vital players got their head out their asses. #QPR
@GavinCrowe2: As an Oxford Fan I was dismayed when QPR hired this guy . He plays absolutely awful football . Wycombe loved him because they were punching well above their weight, and credit Ainsworth for that, but if you want to be entertained then this bloke isnāt the man
@DKevinas: I give ainsworth 12 games then he will be sacked. I said we should of stuck with warburton injuries cost him the wheels have started to come off our great club
@WEG0NEGHOST: Leave
@Alex_G_79: Absolutely shot to bits. If heās saying these things now, its nailed on relegation.
@Benbarcessat191: wow what an absolute joke of a club
@dunners1980: Woeful. If we’re not down by March I’ll be shocked
@Jensen70283516: He looks broken. just resign
ā Freddie Channing (@ChanningFreddie) July 29, 2023
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