Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has sent a message of warning to the rest of the Championship as clubs prepare for the run-in.
Pompey sit 17th in the table, seven points above Derby County and the drop zone. The south coast side have lost two of their last three, beating Leeds United between defeats to strugglers Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town. That has left Mousinho warning rivals that anything can happen between now and the end of the campaign.
Indeed, it’s a particularly worrying time for QPR, who host top of the table Leeds United today. Marti Cifuentes’ side have lost their last four after starting the calendar year in a rich vein of form.
Portsmouth boss gives Championship relegation battle verdict
At one point, the west London outfit looked as if they could challenge for the play-offs but, if current form continues, it is a relegation dogfight that beckons. Meanwhile, across the capital, Alex Neil has brought stability to Millwall following Neil Harris’ departure.
The R’s and the Lions are separated by just one place and four points with Millwall in 13th on 48 points and QPR in 14th on 44 points.
Mousinho told The News: “We certainly feel that we’re still in it [relegation fight], we certainly feel that we’re still in it on 42 points.
“There’s quite a few teams above us on 44 points. Above that, in my eyes, Sheffield Wednesday [in 11th] are absolutely fine. That’s how I see it, there’s probably a huge number of clubs who don’t feel secure yet – and rightly so. That includes ourselves, so we have to pick up enough points to make sure we don’t feel that.
“That’s why Plymouth was so disappointing. We’ve seen the bottom three sides pick up points, Hull and Stoke pick up points as well.
“It’s going to happen, I guarantee it. Sides go on runs at this stage of the season. We went on a mini run before Plymouth and sides wouldn’t have anticipated us winning four out of five games.
“It changes very quickly, so we have to make sure we guard against that complacency. You can’t think we’ve got a nice ten-point gap – because it can go in a week. Anyone who thinks otherwise is probably naive and a bit delusional.”
QPR need response against Leeds United
Speaking after the 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, Cifuentes admitted that a bounceback was needed from his QPR side. The upcoming international break comes at an ideal time with matches against Stoke City and Cardiff City following afterwards.
The Catalan coach said: “We’re frustrated because of the final result. We are angry. We played against a good team, they’re brilliant at breaking lines and accelerating, but I think it was a game with good spells for both teams, good moments for both teams.
“I’m disappointed about the way we conceded, especially the second goal. It’s usually a game of taking your chances – we didn’t and they did.
“This is a very honest group. We kept pushing and the reality is that this group never gives up. We are all angry with the result but I cannot be angry with this team, they are trying everything. With the amount of adversity they are facing, it is very difficult.
“We have been in this situation before, we know how to change the dynamic. Obviously, when you look at the last games, in my opinion it’s a bit harsh that we have lost four in a row, but that’s the reality of the league.
“We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We need to make sure that we improve those competitive situations to make sure that we get points.”
In other news, QPR will be without a key winger this weekend as they host Leeds United in a fresh injury blow.
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