QPR conceded a crucial injury time goal for the fourth time at Loftus Road already this season on Saturday, losing 1-0 to Southampton in Chris Ramsey’s first match in charge as a result.

How do you like your kicks in the teeth? Delivered by a steel toe cap boot?

There are few traits of struggling teams as damaging as their propensity to concede late goals, and QPR have now shipped four in injury time at home this season at a cost of four points.

Southampton were the latest team to benefit, snatching a victory during four minutes of added time at the end of the game through Saido Mane who was allowed to walk in behind a beleaguered QPR back four by Nedum Onuoha and finish powerfully over Robert Green and into the roof of the net. Steven Caulker had conceded possession downfield and then failed to commit a cynical foul to stop the play and allow him to file back. It was an all-round shocking goal to concede.

But Rangers, under the caretaker charge of Chris Ramsey and Kevin Bond for the first time following Harry Redknapp’s resignation on Tuesday, couldn’t say they hadn’t been warned. The Saints record prior to this game showed six away wins, including their last three road trips in the league, scoring 13 times which is fewer than any other side in the top eight and conceding just nine which is the league’s best away defensive record. A 1-0 away win always looked statistically likely.

And Ramsey’s back four, which featured centre halves Onuoha and Clint Hill selected at right and left full back, had allowed Southampton players, and Mane in particular, to wander in behind them unchecked all afternoon and had been lucky not to be punished for it long before the goal went in.

Hill and Onuoha were particularly guilty, given a torrid afternoon by Mane and Eljero Elia. Mane, a Senegalese international, fed Elia, a Dutchman signed on loan from Werder Bremen last month, in behind the defence after six minutes and with Green inexplicably out on the edge of his area he attempted a lob into the open goal but missed the target. On the half hour Mane turned Hill and drew a full stretch save from Green — centre back Jose Fonte smacked the resulting corner flush onto the face of the crossbar with a flying scissor kick. Two minutes later he did Hill for pace and toed the ball wide with Green this time choosing to stay at home.

The pattern continued in the second half. Hill was booked for snidely pulling back Ellia during a counter attack and Green had to dive at the Southampton man’s feet with recalled Caulker the culpable party this time. Hill was perhaps lucky to survive a penalty appeal when he executed a desperate tackle on Mane in the area with the Saints winger the wrong side of him yet again. It wasn’t exactly a shock to learn the identity of the goalscorer as the realisation set in that the game had been lost at the death.

To make things even more galling, QPR actually found time after conceding to force the ball over the line for an apparent equaliser at the other end. A cross from substitute Mauricio Isla caused panic when it deflected high into the night sky and goalkeeper Fraser Forster dropped the ball in a crowded penalty box under pressure from Onuoha. Charlie Austin and Mauro Zarate swarmed around the loose ball and bundled it home but somewhere in amongst the carnage Onuoha had technically strayed offside and the goal was chalked off. Southampton surrounded referee Roger East anyway, and Forster was booked for dissent, but his fumble was the result of bad handling rather than a foul and the Saints were lucky to escape.

Such desperate determination to score would serve QPR well if they could produce it across 90 minutes, rather than in the very final seconds of games after conceding as we’ve seen against Liverpool, Swansea and now Ronald Koeman’s side.

There simply hadn’t been enough threat from the home team prior to that. Ramsey spoke about playing positively, on the front foot, with flair before the match and selected Adel Taarabt up front alongside Austin accordingly. The Moroccan was QPR’s best hope of a goal, and removed prematurely after an hour although there are obvious match fitness issues there. He came as close as anybody in the first half, pulling a left wing cross out of the sky with an immaculate first touch and then seeing a volley blocked.

His replacement, Zarate, who Harry Redknapp had bizarrely attempted to return to the vendor with a receipt on Monday night and swap him for a part-used Matt Jarvis, looked half decent in his 30 minute cameo. The Argentinean won a corner midway through the second half that was part cleared out to Joey Barton on the edge of the area and when his low volley was diverted towards goal by Charlie Austin at point blank range only Forster will know how he was able to instinctively thrust an arm up and divert the ball over the bar. Later Zarate tried his own luck from 25 yards and sent the one screaming a foot wide of the top corner.

Ramsey also seemed keen to partake in the witchcraft of playing players in their correct positions. Rangers have been fielding central midfielder Leroy Fer at left wing this year with mixed results, but returned the Dutchman to the middle here and were rewarded with arguably his best performance for the club. Alongside him, Joey Barton grew into the game and had his best game of the season, working incredibly hard to deal with a Southampton midfield greater in number and ability than the four QPR had across the middle. Rightly booked after 13 minutes for a foul on Mane when Caulker played him into problems with a poor pass, he did well to get through the amount of work and tackling he did without being sent off.

He also started Matt Phillips on the right wing and the former Blackpool man responded with a curate’s egg of a performance that at one point threatened to disintegrate altogether through laziness, lack of fitness and poor choices only for him to then produce an excellent 20 minute spell where he finally, finally, finally, finally realised that all he needs to do is push the ball down the line and deliver a decent cross into the box. Three times in quick succession he provided better quality service than he has during his entire 18 months at Loftus Road. Typically, when given a fourth opportunity, he abandoned what was working well, cut inside and gave the ball away, ruining a promising three on three counter attack. Charlie Austin, who left the ground in a protective boot and will miss Tuesday’s crucial trip to Sunderland with a bruised foot, cut an understandably frustrated figure.

You could only hope and pray that the Hoops would miraculously find a late winner, and Ramsey sent on Eduardo Vargas to hunt for exactly that, not happy with a point against the fourth-placed team in the league. But while Koeman could bring sought-after Morgan Schneiderlin and talented Dusan Tadic off his bench, QPR were weakened by a succession of injuries to key players. Nedum Onuoha pulled up with a hamstring injury, Richard Dunne collapsed with a knee problem and Steven Caulker could barely walk by the end. With only one substitution left, and no more defenders on the bench, Caulker and Onuoha had to soldier on, perhaps explaining the poor defending for the goal. Dunne, with his contract up at the end of the season, may have played his last game for the club — he’s out for at least three months.

Southampton had lost young left back Matt Targett to a horrid looking head injury in the first half — a prolonged stoppage while the academy graduate was placed on a spinal board and given oxygen, saw seven minutes added to the end of the first half. The heartbreaking goal came during the second reading of the classified football results but they all count the same and the situation it leaves QPR in at the bottom of the table is increasingly dire. Still in touch with the fourth bottom team, they are going to have to find a first away win of the season at Sunderland on Tuesday or Hull a week on Saturday if they want to keep it that way.

Now short of confidence, defensive numbers and winnable games, with the transfer window closed and no manager, it’s surely only the most partisan Loftus Road regular who wouldn’t tip them to be making that immediate return to the Championship. A tough job awaits Tim Sherwood, or whoever else is brave enough to take this seemingly cursed club on.

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QPR: Green 6; Onuoha 5, Caulker 5, Dunne 6 (Vargas 83, -), Hill 5; Phillips 6, Barton 7, Fer 7, Traore 5 (Isla 73, 6); Austin 6, Taarabt 6 (Zarate 63, 6)

Subs not used: McCarthy, Kranjcar, Henry, Zamora

Bookings: Barton 13 (foul), Hill 57 (foul)

Southampton: Forster 7; Clyne 6, Fonte 7, Yoshida 6, Targett 6 (Gardos 26, 6); Wanyama 6 (Schneiderlin 61, 6), Davis 6; Ellia 8 (Tadic 80, 6), Ward Prowse 6, Mane 8; Pelle 6

Subs not used: Davis, Reed, Flanagan, Seager

Goals: Mane 90+3 (assisted Yoshida)

Bookings: Schneiderlin 74 (foul), Forster 90+5 (dissent)

QPR Star Man — Joey Barton 7 When he keeps it simple and sticks to working hard, breaking up play and moving the ball on, rather than trying to be some sort of creative force spraying Hollywood passes around he’s actually quite effective. Excellent last half hour here, unlucky to lose.

Referee — Roger East (Wiltshire) 7 There was an obvious foul on Leroy Fer that he waved away during a second half counter attack, and Southampton were unhappy he didn’t award a free kick for a potential foul on Forster in that incident at the death, but overall I thought he refereed the game reasonably well. Yellow cards all fair enough.

Attendance — 18,018 (1,800 Southampton approximately) Not the up-beat, positive atmosphere one might have expected following Redknapp’s departure, and an air of resignation around the place by the end.

The Twitter @loftforwords

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bosh67 added 21:16 - Feb 8 Now we know that Ned had done his hamstring it's not difficult to see how the player got goal side of him to score. He couldn't actually move, which is fair enough.
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1970 added 21:31 - Feb 8 your future is bright you have no redknap
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probbo added 21:43 - Feb 8 Thanks Clive, your final paragraph was a brutal summation of the fine mess we are in. I wasn't at the game and had to put up with Chris Kamara's updates on Sky but I wonder if that nasty injury to Targett took the edge off the atmosphere. Reading about his nurturing of youth like Harry Kane at Spurs I was starting to warm to Tim Sherwood but was also reading some articles suggesting he was looking for £6m over 3 years which if true seems ludicrous. Surely a more modest basic plus performance related bonuses is the way to go? Either way, it's going to be a tough job whoever ultimately takes it on.

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ibnumber10 added 21:52 - Feb 8 Mane was a threat all afternoon, I felt sorry for Clint who did his best against him and Ellia. Even though Saints seemed to have good possession their front 3 gave them such a cutting edge, which we couldn't replicate. Pelle held things up and the other 2 were getting in behind constantly, and didn't just run in straight lines. Their angled runs and ability to switch flanks caused us problems. I hope that somehow we can find the right combination up front to score more goals because we need at least 1 or 2 goals each game to get any sort of result.

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schatfield added 22:24 - Feb 8 you are a seriously good footy reviewer, nice work on this match report. I am not a QPR fan, and at least u got rid of Rednapp (he would have taken you down for sure), but you did have players like Barton that seem up for the fight. too many players playing sloppy passes all afternoon though and despite fight, when u fail to string a pass together, it will never end well. good luck for rest of your season anyway.

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FloridaR added 01:14 - Feb 9 thanks for the write up, I thought Joey Bartons bicycle kick in the 1st half from the center circle out to phillips was a sight to behold.
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sexton added 08:30 - Feb 9 Adel's cushion header in the first half - wow.
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Marshy added 08:31 - Feb 9 Was absolutely gutted to loose in the manner we did. However, the slightest glimmer of hope could come down to 3 factors. Continue to play every one in their correct positions. Get Adel fully fit with more game time. He showed several flashes of genius which we have missed seeing so much. Yes, he will also infuriatingly needlessly give the ball away many times in a game as well, but he is a brilliant creative player that makes things happen. A very rare thing to see from a Rangers player on the pitch so far this season. Zarate did look decent in the short time he was on, and possibly capable of bagging a few goals so let's give him his chance to impress. Having said all the above, a lot will of course depend on who we get in as manager. Whilst I'm not the biggest fan of Tim Sherwood, everything seems to be set up for his appointment with Chris Ramsey and Sir Les working in tandem. With Steve McClaren and Paul Clement now out of the equation, some of the other names being banded around as Redknapp's replacement suggest to me that we need to take a leap of faith, and get Sherwood in pronto.

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smegma added 08:53 - Feb 9 Too many individual mistakes in every game is what is going to relegate us and that includes selection. Phillips had a poor first half and was too easily outmuscled. Second half he was the best player on the pitch . So he got moved to the left wing to accommodate a sub. I'm really looking forward to the day when we play with eleven players in their rightful positions and the day a team is unchanged more than once a season.

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pedrosqpr added 10:01 - Feb 9 Didn't have a clue what kind of performance to expect Saturday, one thing for sure Redknapp didn't pick the team. having said that a lack of confidence polished us off. Still looking forward to more optimistic matches because I believe our squad inspite of Redknapps pork pies are half decent. Zarate showed enthusiasm and also a proper number 10. While Charlie is nursing his bruised toe I would play up front with that boy Vargas up front. Adel was alright and my mom was Joey Barton too. 3 points tomorrow and really a pity we are not in the fa cup just to play a match saturday. harry you really got found out this time , I was speaking to southampton fans on the way to the ground and they said we were better off without but then they would say that.

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dixiedean added 10:38 - Feb 9 Call me defeatist , but we were guilty of naivety in chasing a winner when Charlie was hobbling, Dunne was crocked and Ned struggling. Plus Philips was blowing out of his arse ( having put in a good shift to be fair ), so why Caulker went walk-about when he had also suffered cramp was ridiculous. Had we sneaked a 1-0 it would have been great, but realistically that wasn't going to happen under those circumstances, so we should have kept our shape and kept the point. Whilst it's hardly our biggest problem right now, I was appalled at the lack of action from the physios, esp with Dunne. Even with no medical qualifications it was obvious straightaway that he'd damaged his ligaments in that block tackle , yet to my recollection he struggled on for 5-10 mins with no sign of a physio. Ditto Charlie was left to hobble around with no exam from physios. Much as I love him Clint was badly exposed in this game, repeatedly playing them onside, inc for the goal. Have to agree Barton was our best player by a mile- he seems the only one with stamina to keep going for 95 + mins. Adel- in truth what did he really contribute apart from a few tricks ? Don't think he ever really got close to a serious shot or assist, but hopefully that will improve with fitness , as we need a goal threat with no Charlie. We need a show from him like at Chelscum when we won 1-0 when he was fantastic as a target man of sorts. Some depressing stats : no goal scored in our last 4 home games; Charlie hasn't scored in open play since WBA - our last win. We've now conceded last-minute goals in 5 of last 6 games from Swansea onwards - except Burnley. And I'm going to Sunderland. God help us. Sherwood is in a very strong bargaining position ! Still glad Redknapp left though , whatever the outcome.

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stneotsbloke added 11:54 - Feb 9 Not a great performance but certainly worthy of a draw. Why is Sherwood taking so long to make his mind up ?. I'm not convinced that he really wants to take on what is clearly going to be a relegation battle and if/when we get relegated will he really be up for a Championship campaign with what is sure to be a totally revised squad with a small transfer budget.
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qprninja added 12:40 - Feb 9 Gutting way to lose (just ask Derby fans!) but on the whole I didn't come away from Loftus Rd too disappointed as I saw glimpses of improvement in the team. As you say Clive, great to see players in their proper positions, fancy that. The last 20 mins really showed the differences between ourselves and the likes of Southampton though. All the Southampton players LOOK like modern day premier league footballers: the right age, height, weight and physique for their positions. All fast as hell and strong from the first to last minute. Compare that to our players, a lot the wrong side of 30, carrying a bit of extra timber, square pegs in round holes. You didn't see any of their players huffing and puffing in the last 20 mins or tweaking hamstrings which lead to the winning goal. Again, it's the difference in transfer policy, actually buying players with a role in mind. Imagine that? Rather than just waiting to see who turns up outside Loftus Rd at 10.50pm on transfer deadline day. Also, the way Southampton nurture and look after these players, I think it was Pochitino who brought in little details like taking their own mattresses on away games for the players to get a good nights sleep on. I believe Martinez at Everton has said that he treats minor muscle pulls as a disciplinary offence as they are avoidable if the player is doing the right things in terms of training and nutrition. Surely what we need to emulate.

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BasingstokeR added 12:46 - Feb 9 Not a great performance from either side I felt (though Saints played well within themselves aginst us again from what I've seen of them otherwise this year). 8 shots on target between the teams and felt like less. Poor game overall; I wouldn't give anyone on the pitch above a 7/10. Still if we'd had 1min less injury time added to the last 6 games, where would we be?

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Recoilboss added 13:45 - Feb 9 Verdict on Ramsey? 4 central, and very slow, defenders pitted against Soton’s obvious pace. Also, the absence of Isla & (to a lesser extent maybe) Vargas in the starting line-up yet the inexplicable inclusion of hapless Traore instead who was, quite predictably, appalling. I had high hopes that Ramsey & co would give us a better chance with his/their selection, despite correcting a couple of the Redknapp positional anomalies we’ve all been tearing our hair out over. Very disappointed with what the committee came up with - and torn over who should actually be in charge although I really don’t see any messiah coming in to turn this round at this late stage. Wait for absolutely the right candidate I guess and re-build again next year. Just hope that massive thug Pearson drops with us at least - what a tool he is.

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romfordranger added 21:22 - Feb 9 Heartbreaking, but not a surprise. The one game we really needed to lose was our last away victory, at Wembley. With Harry staying on, wasting a few more million, we have it all to do again. This time let's please think more long term, appoint the right manager, someone young, ambitious, hungry for success, but doesn't see QPR as a downward move. In this respect, I see Sherwood as the wrong guy and probably thinks he is too good for our little club. Same with players, let's look lower leagues for the up and coming stars. We are likely to be a selling club in the summer, but if we re-coup a large part of the money on the likes of Caulker and Fer, provided we spend wisely and give the home grown youngsters, let's bide our time in the championship and get the foundation of the club in place. The premier league is overrated anyway, much prefer the championship, and that nice feeling of away points and not being constantly at the wrong end of the table!

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