Steve McClaren pinpoints one reason for QPR's club-record losing run ahead of Leeds United clash

Queens Park Rangers boss Steve McClaren believes his inability to work with his players on the training pitch has aided their poor run of form in the Championship this year.
Queens Park Rangers manager Steve McClaren.Queens Park Rangers manager Steve McClaren.
Queens Park Rangers manager Steve McClaren.

The Rs fell to a club-record seventh consecutive league defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough on Saturday at the Riverside.

McClaren's men have picked up just a single point in the Championship in 2019 as they prepare to welcome Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United to Loftus Road on Tuesday evening.

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United make the trip to the capital in the knowledge that inflicting an eighth loss in a row on QPR will see them leapfrog Norwich City and Sheffield United at the top of the table.

McClaren, though, believes his side must keep fighting on despite their difficult run and revealed one major reason which may explain the west London club's loss of form since the turn of the year.

“We’ve had seven games in 21 days and another two coming up and that’s not allowing us the time on the training field to iron out the mistakes,” McClaren told the club's official website.

“We’ve Leeds on Tuesday and then we have Brentford. Then there’s a week before the next one and personally, I can’t wait for that to get back on the training field because that’s where we can correct these mistakes. In the meantime, we have to have a right go on Tuesday.

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“Every team in the Championship can have this sort of run but it’s not nice, it’s horrible going through it.

“It will be the making of character for us though and generally the players have shown resilience in the face of adversity. But we have got to do it again now and not doubt ourselves.”

On the United clash, he said: "This is a tough week, Leeds on Tuesday, a great atmosphere, another top team and we have to keep fighting and show perseverance like we have been doing and get the first win of the year."