QPR players urged Ramsey to change methods – Onuoha

Skipper Nedum Onuoha has admitted that QPR players urged Chris Ramsey to change his methods during his final weeks as head coach. 

Ramsey was recently sacked with Rangers 13th in the Championship table and enduring a troubled season, partly because of their defensive shortcomings.

There had been signs of improvement just before his departure – they conceded a total of two goals in his final four matches at the helm.

And Onuoha believes that was largely down to Ramsey listening to players who expressed misgivings about his methods.

The defender said: “As time progressed with Chris, he had some good ideas and philosophies and so on, but then certain things didn’t really fit with the way we were.

“As time passed, we’d speak to him and he’d speak to us, and things were getting better because we were raising concerns that we might not be able to do some things in 100% the way he would like it.

“We were thinking ‘We need to say something’ and he was more receptive to that. So we started to change the way we defended crosses, set-pieces and things like that.

“Maybe the way we were set up initially wasn’t to our benefit, but by the end I think we were dealing with things a lot better.

“At the same time, a lot of the problems came from individual errors. It can literally take one mistake to concede a goal.”

Taking no chances

Ramsey’s determination to play a passing style was also met with scepticism from some players.

“In the last few games there’s been more of an emphasis on not taking as many chances and risks in key areas,” Onuoha explained.

“I think we’ve perhaps gone too far in that direction and we need to get our key players into the game, but we aren’t conceding as much. It’s about finding the right balance.

“In the Sheffield Wednesday game for example, there were occasions when we tried to play out from the back and it led to chances for them.

“It [being more direct] was kind of something we needed to do but probably not to the extreme that we did it.”

Rangers are in the process of drawing up a shortlist of candidates to replace Ramsey and expect Neil Warnock to stay as interim boss until at least the end of the month.

Former Rangers manager Warnock secured a return to the club in an advisory role shortly before Ramsey was shown the door.

‘Completely different’

He was heavily involved in the preparations for the recent defeat at Derby – Ramsey’s last game in charge – before taking control for the 0-0 draw at home to Preston. 

Onuoha said: “It’s been completely different, but Neil was there for two weeks before Chris lost his job anyway, so we knew how Neil likes to work.

“Although we had been following Chris’ guidelines, it wasn’t like there was a new person coming in after Chris lost his job.

“Neil was involved and he was in the dressing room, but only as much as Chris wanted him to be. Chris gave him the floor to speak a few times.

“I’d say Neil was involved in maybe half of the preparation for the [Derby] game, but that’s what Chris wanted – he wanted him involved as much as possible.

“It’s always sad when you see someone lose their job. Unfortunately for Chris it just didn’t go his way.

“I appreciate the fact that he played me through his whole tenure and made me captain. I can’t thank him enough for that.”