Critchley still the man for QPR despite ‘harsh’ defeat

QPR boss Neil Critchley says the 3-0 scoreline was 'very harsh' on his players as their Championship slump continued.

Critchley's future is under growing scrutiny as a side that began the season in outstanding form continue to drift into midtable.

The club's poor form predates Critchley's arrival after Michael Beale's decision to leave for Rangers, but they have now won just once under the former Blackpool head coach.

Critchley said after the game that he still believed he was the right person to take the club forward, and insisted his players had shown they were still together in what was for large parts a battling performance.

"I believe I'm the right person,I believe in my ability to get the best out of these players," hesaidinhispost-matchpress conference. I didn't see a team that wasn' t together or that isn' t fighting. I saw the players having a go, but it's mistakes that are killing us, sloppy goals.

"For large periods of a lot of these games, we are very competitive and I think 3-0 was very harsh. But it is what it is - we're making too many individual errors and giving away poor goals.

"I know what I want to do and how I want to do it, but it's my responsibility to get the best out of these players."

The home side had started the game well but Sunderland were improving when Seny Dieng failed to gather a Dan Ballard header, allowing Luke O'Nien to score.

Critchley's side responded well after the break but missed a golden opportunity to level when Ilias Chair's penalty was superbly saved by Anthony Patterson. With Tony Mowbray turning to some of his key players on the bench, Sunderland then broke regularly in the closing stages and added two goals through Jack Clarke.

Critchley felt there were positives on show but admitted that he 'has to do better'.

"I thought we started well and we took the game to them ," Critchley said.

"We then concede a really poor goal - it's not acceptable and I have to look at that myself, whether the set up is right.

"We started the second half well again, I asked the players to show heart and character and I think we did that. We have to take responsibility for what we're doing, at the moment it is not good enough."