Christian Nourry facing huge QPR, Marti Cifuentes call as alarm bells ring | OneFootball

QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes is under increasing pressure after his side dropped to the bottom of the Championship table.

It has been an incredibly disappointing start to the season for Queens Park Rangers in the Championship.

QPR secured survival last season following a remarkable turnaround after Marti Cifuentes replaced Gareth Ainsworth in October, and they were one of the form teams in the division in the second half of the campaign.

The R's lost just four of their final 19 league games, and after a strong summer transfer window that saw the arrivals of the likes of Paul Nardi, Hevertton Santos, Jonathan Varane, Nicolas Madsen, Koki Saito, Karamoko Dembele and Zan Celar, many wondered whether they could be a surprise play-off contender this season.

It was a decent start to the campaign for the Hoops as they lost just one of their first six league games, picking up a point at Sheffield United and a win over Luton Town during that time, but their form has declined significantly in recent weeks.

After they were beaten 2-0 by Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday, the R's are now without a win in their last 11 league games, and they head into the November international break sitting bottom of the table.

Even more alarmingly for the Hoops, they are already five points from safety, and with the situation becoming increasingly desperate, pressure is starting to build on head coach Marti Cifuentes.

Marti Cifuentes makes confident claim on his QPR future

Speaking after the defeat at Leeds on Saturday, Cifuentes said that he still has the full support of the QPR board, and he insisted that his side can turn their fortunes around.

"I receive a lot of confidence from the club and I work as always. We managed a similar situation last season and I spoke about expectations in the summer," Cifuentes told the BBC.

"No-one wanted or expected to be in the situation we are now but that’s the reality of football.

"We have a very important game against Stoke after the international break, so we have to keep believing. There are a lot of games and it’s in our hands to turn the situation around. That’s the target.

"The most important target now is to recover some players (after injury) and keep on working."

However, the November international break is usually a dangerous time for managers, and with a two-week break now ahead, R's chief executive Christian Nourry is facing a big decision on whether to stick with Cifuentes.

Leeds United defeat could spell the end for Marti Cifuentes

It is not long ago that the prospect of Cifuentes losing his job at Loftus Road would have been unthinkable.

After the incredible job he did last season in keeping QPR in the division, Cifuentes was seen as one of the most exciting managers in the Championship, and he was believed to be on the radar of Burnley and Sunderland in the summer before the appointments of Scott Parker and Regis Le Bris respectively.

Cifuentes has formed an incredibly strong relationship with R's supporters over the past year, and despite a slightly underwhelming start to the season, there was much delight when he signed a new long-term contract at the club in September.

However, some questioned the decision to hand Cifuentes a new deal at a time when his side were struggling, and the Hoops have drawn three and lost five of eight matches since his extension was announced.

It was always going to be difficult for the R's to pick up all three points against Leeds, who are the Championship title favourites, and they had just 31% possession at Elland Road and failed to register a shot on target.

That may not be overly concerning in itself, but the Hoops emphatically beat the Whites 4-0 towards the end of last season in the game that secured their survival, underlining the clear regression that has taken place over the subsequent months.

The R's are the lowest scorers in the division this season having netted just 12 goals, while only Plymouth Argyle, Luton Town and Portsmouth have conceded more goals than Cifuentes' men, so it is clear to see why they find themselves in their current predicament.

Star man Ilias Chair has been sidelined for much of the campaign, which could partly explain the Hoops' underperformance, but in truth, it is a big surprise to see them in this position, with Cifuentes himself admitting that he did not expect this run of form.

Given the credit Cifuentes has in the bank from last season, it seems unlikely that he will be sacked during the international break, but with the R's starting to become cut adrift at the bottom of the table, Nourry may soon need to take action if results do not improve.