"Being totally honest, yes" - Gareth Ainsworth makes frank admission on the QPR job | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers boss Gareth Ainsworth has admitted that he has found his job at Loftus Road harder than he thought it would be, speaking to talkSPORT at the EFL awards night.

The 49-year-old took over in February after Neil Critchley won just one of his 12 games in charge - and the ex-Wycombe Wanderers boss hasn't been able to do much better since his arrival in the English capital.

Thankfully for him, the West London side have all but sealed their safety following their shock 2-1 away win at Championship league leaders Burnley, with Ainsworth's men now sitting four points above the relegation zone with just two league games left to go.

Although they could still be caught by Reading, they may not need to pick up another point this season, although they will be keen to considering their goal difference and the fact they will want to be safe before the final day.

QPR's record under Gareth Ainsworth

The second-tier strugglers have won just two of their 11 league games under Ainsworth and that has kept them at the bottom end of the division.

Losing seven games and drawing two under the 49-year-old, their record has been worthy of relegation but they look set to be saved by Reading's six-point deduction, with the Royals handed this punishment after breaching the terms of their business plan.

Because of his record, it's currently unclear whether he will lead the club into next season, with Michael Reiziger being linked as a potential successor.

Gareth Ainsworth's comments

Asked whether he has found the QPR job harder than he thought it would be, the ex-Wycombe manager said: "Being totally honest, yes because you're going into Championship and you think everything will be ticking along nicely but it wasn't.

"I'm the fourth manager who's taken charge of a game this season if you include Paul Hall and the morale and the trust of the boys was just at an absolute minimum, it really was.

"And it's taken a while to get that, to pick them off the floor, to get a few injuries back and still, there's work to do but I can safely say that we've got a good squad at QPR.

"If I can get a window under my belt and a pre-season, I'm sure we can be a competitor but this season is all about surviving."

Should Gareth Ainsworth have been more prepared?

Perhaps so, because Neil Critchley is a very good coach and the fact he couldn't get a tune out of him did ring alarm bells.

The players may have performed well under Michael Beale during the early stages of his tenure - but they struggled towards the end and haven't really managed to recover since then.

With this in mind, Ainsworth should have been prepared for a very hard assignment despite having plenty of talented players at his disposal.

You can understand why he may have been slightly surprised at the amount of change that was needed at Loftus Road considering their excellent start to the 2022/23 campaign, but their form during 2023 was worrying even before he came in.

In fairness to the 49-year-old, it's difficult for any manager to come in mid-season, let alone someone who has spent so long at their previous club and hadn't been exposed to a new environment in a long time.