A third six goal concession in as many years sent QPR tumbling back into the Championship after a shambolic defeat at Man City on Sunday.

In some ways, this was a better way for the knife to finally be twisted.

Going down wondering what if — what if we hadn’t conceded so many late goals, what if we’d got those penalties against Tottenham, what if we hadn’t missed spot kicks against West Ham and Hull, what if Leroy Fer hadn’t got injured, what if Harry Redknapp had left earlier, what if we hadn’t written off the early away games — could create the illusion that Queens Park Rangers have been unlucky and that not that much needs to change.

In fact, QPR are bottom because they’re the worst team, and club, in the Premier League. A proper defeat, by six clear goals, against a team in first gear, relegating the R’s with two games still to play is what the club deserves.

As if the league table, and 35 fixtures, weren’t enough to affirm this, it was confirmed before Sunday's match at Manchester City even kicked off. Sandro, an injury-prone central midfielder who QPR spent the thick end of £10m to buy from Spurs, and committed goodness only knows what in wages over the course of a lucrative contract, was ruled out because the club had forgotten to check his residency visa was valid. They’ve essentially been fielding an illegal immigrant — on the rare occasions he’s been fit enough for them to field him at all.

QPR once had the best club secretary in the country, Sheila Marson, who turned down opportunities to work for other, bigger clubs because she was a QPR person. Flavio Briatore, one of several rich foreigners who have ridden roughshod over Rangers' traditions, and the basics of running a football club, sacked her. Rangers have since been caught out time and time and time and time and time again with paperwork problems. The purge of QPR people from QPR by Gianni Paladini and Briatore continues to weigh heavy on the shoulders of the club.

In the meantime, much talk and no action. QPR were never likely to win at Manchester City, because Manchester City are far better, and they were further hampered by injuries and suspensions which meant any woman and child capable of carrying a sword was sent into battle. Chris Ramsey picked the back three that Harry Redknapp spent the summer preparing to use all season, with predictably dire results. Stephen Caulker, with a plaster cast on his broken hand, Richard Dunne and Clint Hill against Sergio Aguero and David Silva was unfair.

Leroy Fer, playing behind a front two of Zamora and Austin, gave the ball away in the second minute and Aguero cut into the area before having a shot blocked away by Dunne. If that was an early wake up call, QPR hit snooze. No more than 60 seconds later Aguero was able to run through the middle of the QPR team from the halfway line, unchallenged until Matt Phillips came across from the right and hung a lazy boot in. Aguero rode that, and chipped Rob Green as he sprang from his line. It was a training ground goal. It was pathetic.

Chris Ramsey shook his head on the touchline, and it wasn’t about to get a lot better. Dunne let a ball bounce as the time moved into double figures and Aguero nipped in behind him. Green raced out of his area to toe the danger away but it was merely a delay.

After a quarter of an hour Silva, unmarked, laid it through to Aguero, unmarked, and he chipped the ball to the back post where Milner, unmarked, made rather a mess of a golden chance for a second goal. It was like QPR had taken money to throw the fight. “We’re going down in the fourth.” “Round?” “No, minute.”

There was a brief rally, as City dropped from reclined to fully horizontal. Phillips was fouled wide on the right by Kolarov and Barton crossed for Dunne to head over, via a deflection, when well placed. A weird routine, where Zamora ran into an offside position and did the Team America secret signal, totally removing the centre forward from the situation, almost paid off. When the corner was delivered a scramble ended with Austin whacking the ball against the bar but he’d already been penalised for a foul on Kolarov.

Austin specialises in disallowed goals against Man City, having found the net twice before registering a legitimate one in the first meeting this season, and he notched another after 19 minutes heading home powerfully from a fine cross by Yun — two yards offside this time.

But, again, merely a delay rather than a change of the tide. Silva and Milner combining in fine style to cross low for Mangala, a defender incompetent enough to play for QPR, took a fresh air shot as the ball came to him in front of goal. On the half hour Dunne, leaden footed and out of his depth all afternoon, shoved over Aguero on one of the rare occasions he was neither in a dangerous position nor moving into one. Zamora and Fer stood on the end of the wall and neither jumped nor got in the way of the ball, parting like the Red Sea to allow Kolarov’s standard shot to fly straight into the net.

Two moments ten minutes before half time summed it up. First Aguero ran through on goal and forced a save from Green, but it didn’t need any skill or ability to get there — just one ball and City were in. Without trying. Then Martin Dimichelis, losing his footing and recognising a rare moment of danger, deliberately put his hand on the ball and stood up with his arms in the air surrendering to the offence and acknowledging that it was a free kick. Mike Dean, never a referee noted for his competence, shrugged his shoulders and waved play on. It typified the mood, attitude and atmosphere around the game. City were involved in a light training session, QPR had run a white flag up the pole before the game even kicked off.

That said, the final chance of the half went to QPR. City tried a high line from a free kick and Fer sprung the trap and collected the delivery. Instead of putting his boot through the ball, he tried to chip Hart and hit the bar. The ball fell to Zamora, also onside, and he headed meekly towards the open goal and the keeper was able to rush back and claim before it crossed the line.

It was a farce that typified QPR’s performance and season and there was more to come immediately after half time. QPR committed men forward for a corner hoping to pull a goal back but ended up conceding possession. That needn’t have been a disaster, as City kicked the ball straight towards the man Rangers had left back to deal with such a situation, but Yun Suk-Young let the ball drift under his foot leaving Sergio Aguero with half the field to run into and slide it past Green with ease.

Ramsey sent on Junior Hoilett for Bobby Zamora. The Canadian should have been in for a goal almost immediately as a deep free kick set him up with a free header at the back post. Richard Dunne was having none of that, and powerfully shouldered his team mate out of the way.

That was the last moment of vague resistance. It was pure City from that point on, even more so than before. Silva rode an appalling tackle from Dunne and forced a fantastic save from Green. A minute later Kolarov curled another free kick round another poor wall, but Green was wise this time and made the save.

Three more goals were still to come. Matt Phillips nudged David Silva under a cross he was never likely to reach and Aguero converted the penalty. Then a City corner was nodded on by substitute Wilfried Bony and Aguero squared for Milner to knock it into the open goal, suspiciously offside but it scarcely mattered by this point. Later Bony back healed Silva into space in the area and he rounded the keeper to score a sixth. Bony also hit the near post with Green flailing. A seventh would have been a fair reflection.

If Chris Ramsey was looking for support and justification for him being the manager next season he could have done more for his cause than his final two substitutions. Firstly, sending Niko Krancjar on for Leroy Fer. An overweight, carefree, unfit midfielder who follows Harry Redknapp around for no football reasons at all, who will not be here next season, and who has contributed the square root of fuck all to this QPR season given a run out ahead of younger players on the bench who would have done no worse, and gained much more from being involved.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. With five minutes to go Shaun Wright-Phillips was introduced. He got a standing ovation from the Man City fans who remember his happier, more successful times when he actually gave a shit about what he was doing and wasn’t simply picking up gross amounts of money for zero return.

As if playing like that, and giving them six goals, wasn’t humiliating enough, QPR then made a substitution for City as well, giving Wright-Phillips a chance to soak up adulation from former fans, giving City a chance to pay tribute to a former charge. Utterly, utterly pathetic, shambolic, unforgivable. Chris Ramsey wants to be our manager next season? Show more respect for our club, and the travelling supporters, than that please. Wright-Phillips should have been cleaning the toilets for months, and yet he’s given this lovely moment as a reward for his non-existent contribution to QPR’s cause on the day we’re relegated with a 6-0 defeat? Lord give me strength.

A blessed relief that it's all over. Both this match, and this dispiriting season. Six goals conceded for the third time in as many Premier League seasons reaffirming that, contrary to what chairman Tony Fernandes constantly claims, QPR have learnt nothing.

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Man City: Hart 6; Zabaleta 6, Mangala 5, Demichelis 6, Kolarov 7; Fernando 7, Fernandinho 7 (Toure 75, 7); Milner 8 (Navas 82, -), Lampard 7 (Bony 63, 7) Silva 7; Aguero 9

Subs not used: Sagna, Kompany, Dzeko, Caballero

Goals: Aguero 4 (unassisted), 50 (unassisted), 65 (penalty, won Aguero), Kolarov 32 (Free kick, won Aguero), Milner 70 (assisted Aguero), Silva 87 (assisted Bony)

QPR: Green 4; Caulker 3, Dunne 2, Hill 3; Phillips 4, Henry 4, Barton 4, Yun 3 (Wright-Phillips 86, -); Fer 4 (Kranjcar 78, 4), Zamora 4 (Hoilett 53, 5), Austin 4

Subs not used: McCarthy, Furlong, Comley, Grego-Cox

Bookings: Barton 61 (foul)

QPR Star Man — N/A

Referee — Mike Dean (Wirral) 5 A very generous penalty award (albeit thanks to a daft challenge from Phillips), and that handball nonsense when even Dimichelis got up apologising for what he'd done rather sum up an official who's all about exaggerated gestures and ego and not so crash hot on actually getting decisions right.

Attendance 44, 564 (500 QPR approx) A subdued atmosphere in keeping with the pace and competitiveness of the game. Far too easy for City fans to get too excited about it, QPR fans getting some salt for their wounds with the Shaun Wright-Phillips introduction near the end which I thought was totally disrespectful to those who travelled.

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probbo added 23:16 - May 11 Thanks Clive. It purely of academic interest (other than for Newcastle fans obviously) but I wonder how Ramsey will approach the next two games, given his apparent desire to remain manager/head coach. Will he continue with these aged underachieving losers, many/most of whom will be gone by June hopefully or will he give us a glimpse of our future and give what remaining youth we have in the squad a chance to do their stuff.

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stowmarketrange added 23:28 - May 11 I was resigned to our fate after the 1st goal went in,but I didn't expect such a poor showing from our team that were supposed to be fighting for their lives.And then to be insulted by swp coming on to a heroes welcome was far too much to take. An absolutely disgraceful display from a team that doesn't appear to any better than the mercenaries of 2 years ago. At least some of us in the back rows tried to have some fun supporting our team,but I can understand who didn't feel the same enthusiasm.

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ngbqpr added 23:54 - May 11 Er...4 for Green a bit harsh? Just sayin'...
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062259 added 03:57 - May 12 No fewer than 12 of the 14 players used played in the Championship last season. You couldn't make it up.... I've said it before and I'll say it again...the club is broken from top to bottom (or should that be broke?). I'm not convinced by Ramsey, nor by Ferdinand. What exactly are his director of football credentials? We're certainly going to find out, and it will be interesting if there's a transfer embargo to contend with. By the way, Fer was a disgrace the way he ambled around for the whole game. Just look at that picture of him jumping in the wall for the second goal. Get rid of him. Happy days.

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alm added 07:23 - May 12 Well said, Clive. You, more than anyone, will be happy to see the back of this wretched season. So, it's official. Rangers are the laughing stock of the football world. 'Doing a QPR' will henceforth be the phrase for everything from the panic bulk buying of players through financial mismanagement to forgetting to renew a bloke's visa. Among many, many depressing facts about this club is one highlighted recently by Sir Les in an interview with a national newspaper: Richard Langley is the last player from the junior ranks to play regularly in the first team. Richard Langley! I met him last year and told him he looked fit enough to get into the present side. Like the Labour Party, we now have a lot of soul-searching to do, hopefully with a new leader. It's going to be a long and anxious summer.

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shooters47 added 07:51 - May 12 Cheers Clive and thank god that is all over. Luckily left at 5 as would have ended up with a prison record if I had been there when the clown brought the most expensively paid pageboy on!! That decision alone is why he should not be given the job but he will get it and we will then have the "Dream Manager" promised. First time ever that I have written to the club enclosing all travel and match tickets for a refund which we should all get but will not. "Bad eggs" and visa problems...couldn't make it up. Laughing stock of the sporting world and first time I have ever been embarrassed to support this club. Nice of Harry to comment on us having championship players which I am assuming included the overpaid p***ks that he bought. Have a good summer mate as we have all deserved it after watching this shower.

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YorkRanger added 07:55 - May 12 Word perfect report Clive. Captures my feelings perfectly. Liked the wake up call but hit snooze line. Only point I would take issue with (slightly) is the rating for Green. Not sure he could have done much with the goal and from memory made at least four very good saves. A truly dismal season.
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QPunkR added 09:58 - May 12 stow - I was with you all the way! Had to have a bit of a bounce about and enjoy celebrating a corner. We had fúck all else to celebrate! The only thing that p!ssed me off - apart from none the players giving a single shit every. single. time. the ball hit the back of our net, was Ramsey bringing on Shite-Phillips at the end. Clive you're totally correct, it was nothing more than a wet smack in the face to we deranged few who made the trip. For that reason (and playing Henry left wing in the 2 games previous), Ramsey shouldn't be given the gig. Roll on Rotherham/Southport

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Discodroids added 10:11 - May 12 ive fkn well said everything possible on this cowardly abdication on sunday. send me an angel.send me kenny jacket. send me jackie mcnamara.send me an angel. right now.
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qprninja added 12:00 - May 12 I just want this depressing season to be over, major surgery needed in the summer. Time for Sir Les to start earning his corn and begin the restructure from the ground up. Albert Einstein is widely credited with saying “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”. Time for Fernandes to stop the vicious circle of spending for no real gain, the guy is likeable but I think the fans will turn on him if things don't improve next season.

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Addinall added 12:17 - May 12 Green did nothing to merit that ridiculously low score.
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Burnleyhoop added 13:20 - May 12 Apart from letting six in....... What's done is done, eight years of utter incompetency, yet as fans all we have lost is a little sanity. Tony has lost (wasted) £200 mill and some serious credibility. It's what comes next that really matters. We have an opportunity to start with an absolutely clean slate with both management and personnel. FFP and a transfer embargo might provide serious limitations on recruitment, but ultimately, just bring in a manager (or give Ramsey the nod - who has gone down in everyone's estimation following the SWP debacle) that will build the right team ethic and have players that play for QPR and not the pay cheque. Time to step up Sir Les.

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Northernr added 15:13 - May 12 I don't see how you can mark a goalkeeper particularly highly when he concedes six goals. Particularly when he's still seemingly super-glued to his line and can't kick the ball.
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062259 added 16:37 - May 12 I do agree. Green's tenure is up. It would appear that Mourinho does not see Green in such a harsh light, so for £2 million he can have him. Time for McCarthy to take over in goal. What a waste of a season for him, and a complete sideways move in career terms (at best). Just another symptom of the deep malaise.....
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romfordranger added 21:44 - May 12 The fans didn't deserve this, but the club got what they deserved. From the sheer incompetence at boardroom level, to a coach out of his depth, and a load of overrated players who were an absolute disgrace. The whole club is a huge joke, the level of miss-management from the boardroom to the training ground. I really don't think Ramsey has what it takes. A nice guy with all the coaching badges, but no fire in his belly, or a nasty side when required. Liked, but not respected, and unable to get any fight out of the players to at least make it look like they cared. If the players had any decency they would forfeit their wages for that game, refund the poor fans that wasted their money attending, and give a public apology for such a spineless performance. Picking SWP so he could milk some applause from the City fans was the final insult, shows just how out of touch Ramsey is and convinced me he is definitely not the man for the job, which means Fernandes will appoint him as manager because that guy can never make the right decision!

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TacticalR added 00:15 - May 13 Thanks for your report. Unfortunately this was really all about the other team. This felt like a throwback to our away games early in the season. We were like rabbits caught in the headlights. Apart from our lack of skill, with persistent poor passing and poor touches, there was a naivety about our play exemplified by the wall splitting to let through Kolarov's free kick. That 3-5-2 formation just does not work for us. Both Yun and Phillips had problems getting up and down the line. In particular there were acres of space behind Phillips on the right-hand side.

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thehat added 08:03 - May 13 Bang on the money again Clive - SWP coming on was everything that is wrong about our club. It's gonna have to get worse before it gets better but we've all been here before no matter how much hurt we all feel we will be back in August for more heartache. Thanks again Clive for all your fantastic articles and reports this year - You capture in writing how we all feel.
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phegarty added 20:41 - May 13 I couldn't agree more with those who said it was an insult to QPR fans to bring on SWP for a round of applause from the home fans. What an absolute joke! It does indeed show how utterly out of touch Ramsey is with his own team's supporters, as well as calling into question not only his fitness for the job but also his objective judgement of a player and what he can contribute -- in SWP's case, zero. Talking of zeroes, this should be a "Year Zero" moment where QPR wipes the slate clean (or at least tries to). I fail to see what proven achievements Ferdinand and Ramsey have to suggest they'll be successful in their current roles. Maybe they will be but maybe they won't. Quite apart from the inevitable (and necessary) player clearout, QPR should go for a manager with proven success at first-team level. And let's sign hungry, committed players for whom QPR is a step up, not a step down into lucrative semi-retirement.

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Jon_in_Oz added 10:01 - May 14 On the money as usual Clive. I have to say I'm not convinced about Ramsey going forwards, he seems prone to making some truly dumb decisions but I doubt anyone else will want the job. Transfer embargo and huge FFP fine here we come. Les Ferdinand - great player but I don't see any evidence whatsoever that he has the credentials to be effective in his current role. We need management that know the lower leagues inside out and can persuade up and coming young lads to move to us from smaller clubs for a pay rise. However, if we get a transfer embargo then we're really in the shi* - we'll be playing our current youth side in the Championship and we'll get flogged. Next year is very worrying.

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qprninja added 11:36 - May 14 I can't believe Ramsey's motivation for putting SWP on was so that he could get a clap from the City fans and to deliberately annoy the Rangers fans. Perhaps it was to try and improve the team? Note I said TRY, we are talking about SWP here.
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dixiedean added 17:11 - May 14 I've wavered about Ramsey but have always cut him some slack for being dealt a shit hand by HR, and all the recent stuff about Vargas , Zarate & co only emphasises what a shit hand it was and how much HR stitched us up. One of his great claims was how he'd cleared out the poisonous wasters from Hughes' reign, yet all he did was bring in another lot of prima donnas and then swan off when he realised we were doomed. However, Ramsey made a massive error with this SWP gesture and badly misread the mood. What could be the gain from bringing him on at 4 or 5-0 for 10/15 mins ? Ramsey's supposed to be the champion of the younger guys, so why would you ignore Greco-Cox and give that parasite a run-out ? That's a very poor judgement call in my books and undoes a lot of the bridge-building he has done. A complete irrelevance now, and although the penalty was moronic by Phillips, it did smack of the one Mike Dean gave the filth at the school end in the FA Cup. he obviously likes those pens.

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