Harry Redknapp hopes QPR can stay in the Premier League

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Win over Chelsea buoys Redknapp

QPR boss Harry Redknapp says his side's win over Chelsea showed they have what it takes to stay in the Premier League.

Rangers ended a three-game losing run with Wednesday's shock victory at Stamford Bridge, but remain bottom of the table, five points from safety.

"After Sunday's defeat by Liverpool it was difficult to convince anyone we could survive," said Redknapp.

"But the players have set the standard with this win and to get out of this mess they have to do it every week."

QPR had put up little resistance as they were well beaten by the Reds at Loftus Road, conceding three goals in the first 30 minutes.

But they responded by producing a battling defensive performance to frustrate in-form Chelsea before snatching the points through a late Shaun Wright-Phillips winner.

"That was our first away win in the league since October 2011 and let's hope we can build on it. There's still a long way to go but that was encouraging," added Redknapp.

"The players worked their socks off and they got their rewards. We deserved it and it was a fantastic performance.

"We had a good meeting after the Liverpool match and I convinced the players we can stay up.

"Everybody else thought I was mad but I do genuinely believe it. We're not doomed, we can turn it around."

Things do not get any easier for QPR, who face Tottenham (home), West Ham (away) and Manchester City (home) in their next three League games.

But Redknapp hopes victory over their west London rivals, only his second win in eight games in charge of Rangers, will act as a springboard for their survival bid.

"If we keep working hard for the rest of the season we'll win games away and at home," he explained. "We have to make the most of that.

"The atmosphere in the changing room after the Chelsea win was fantastic, it's the first time I've really experienced that here.

"I said to [coach] Joe Jordan after the game, 'I cant remember having many better games than this one'. Chelsea were absolutely flying and we did it on the back of that Liverpool defeat."

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141 comments

  • Comment posted by U15234165, at 09:43 3 Jan 2013

    Love the Chelsea fans calling this defensive masterclass a fluke. Barcelona anyone?

  • Comment posted by conradk, at 09:23 3 Jan 2013

    And if course if they do go down he'll stay with them in the championship, old 'arry would never desert a club he'd led into disaster, nope never.........

  • Comment posted by They would turn in their graves, at 09:38 3 Jan 2013

    No fan of Redknap but if they stay up it will be down to him. Calling the players rubbish will be seen as a shrewd move, the bloke has fight.

  • Comment posted by martoon196, at 11:48 3 Jan 2013

    @64 I am from Portsmouth and follow them, HR was fantastic for Portsmouth. Got promotion and won the FA cup with a club barely large enough to stay in the championship. Pompey will never have it so good again. The board spends money they see fit, it's not like HR is the wife who maxed out all her credit cards is it? He manages the team and asks for players. The board broke Pompey not HR

  • Comment posted by U4300706, at 14:04 3 Jan 2013

    "can" is very different to "will".
    The win over Chelsea makes it humanly possible as opposed to mathamatically impossible, but it's still a tall order, they need a lot of wins, they expecially cannot afford to lose any "six-pointers" against other bottom clubs, and need a constant stream of points, three loses in a row would probably be terminal at any point between now and end of season

  • Comment posted by yossarian, at 12:25 3 Jan 2013

    Even Chelsea can't afford to rotate that much then. Really a quite unbelievable result. Luck deserted Chelsea but great finish from SWP. Does resting key players, like Mata, send out a message of complacency and encourage the opposition?

  • Comment posted by ovalball, at 12:32 3 Jan 2013

    85.bigsimon7280

    Thank you for your considered view of my comments, I have been how can I put it bunged up over Xmas so needed to let some out

    It is also clear from your comments that you missed out on the great pleasure that is bed time stories

  • Comment posted by U14446297, at 11:54 3 Jan 2013

    What about Piazon, Moses, your mum, my mum. I was there last night and I've seen more movement and commitment in a dead Donkey. Makes Shevchenko look like the buy of the century.

    #58.MrBlueBurns

    Who should have played up front instead of Torres then?

  • Comment posted by Herbi J, at 11:22 3 Jan 2013

    @66 What a big (arrogant) assumption! Play the "big guns" and you will be 3-0 up? Well there are two teams on the pitch and the other one just executed its gameplan better than yours last night.

  • Comment posted by Herbi J, at 10:31 3 Jan 2013

    @35 "cool to be an idiot" and be unable to spell "hence" for example?

  • Comment posted by U11824256, at 09:19 3 Jan 2013

    Wow

    He has changed his tune, suppose this was down to him and not the players?

    Flash in the pan, could and should have been 5 or 6 behind before they scored.

    Not gonna stay up with Clint Hill and Ryan Nelson at the back, and Jamie Mackie upfront

  • Comment posted by parkthebuskickandrush, at 15:13 3 Jan 2013

    Comment number 133.
    parkthebuskickandrush

    tut tut.
    I before e except after c

  • Comment posted by parkthebuskickandrush, at 15:02 3 Jan 2013

    130.PaulMersonsBluePen
    ----------------
    Precisely. If he acheives the impossible he can blow trumpets at the FA and Daniel Levy, and if he fails, he can say he had an impossible situation but gave it his very best. Shrewd operator.

  • Comment posted by sussexsailor, at 14:46 3 Jan 2013

    The Chelsea result may be a flash in the pan, but you can bet the teams also struggling are now nervously looking over there shoulders - with a tough few games ahead for QPR it will be hard to keep the momentum, if they can get three points from the next three games then it will be game on!!!!

  • Comment posted by wirral18, at 14:19 3 Jan 2013

    Amazing what one win/defeat can do.

    You looked at the table yesterday with them away at Chelsea and thught zero points there and staring well and truly at relegation.

    Fast forward to today and you start looking at the teams above them and think actually the gap is not insurmountable at all.

    It will certainly be down to Rednapp if they stay up, time will tell whether he can do it though.

  • Comment posted by panamaroadotahuhu2, at 14:18 3 Jan 2013

    I hope the Rs stay up - mostly because of Ryan Nelsen ( maybe if Leicester are promoted we'll have three Kiwis in the Premiership ), but also because I like the club.

    Harry Redknapp reminds me of Ron Atkinson, soundbite friendly ( well, for the most part, eh Ron ), savvy but not necessarily club builders looking to the long term ( ie second team and academy ). Good for some instant "success".

  • Comment posted by U15546770, at 14:10 3 Jan 2013

    i think harry should sign balotteli on the cheap, its a risk but i reckon he aint gonna cost much after this seasons antics and to think 12 months ago he was comparing himself to lionel messi

  • Comment posted by StatAttack, at 13:45 3 Jan 2013

    U gotta say, that is another impressive addition to Redknapp's CV. Still they will go down unless Aston Villa really continue to slide...they are the only team apart from Southampton and Reading that QPR have a realistic chance of finishing ahead of come May.

  • Comment posted by Phrasmotic 4 August 2012, at 13:44 3 Jan 2013

    Herbi J

    As a fellow Hoop, I have to point out that you forgot our opening game of the season was a 5-0 thumping by Swansea. You can't say that was because of one gaffe by Rob Green.

    Relegation still beckons, but last night was sweet.

    Why so much talk about the Estonian Premier League?

  • Comment posted by U14966550, at 13:18 3 Jan 2013

    For all the flack Redknapp was getting yesterday, usually along the same predictable lines of "he hasn't achieved anything" and "he's a wheeler dealer who ruins clubs" - neither of which are true - he IS the best chance QPR have of surviving and he proved that yesterday with an exceptional counter-attacking formation against a club that didn't appear to take the side seriously. Good for them.

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