QPR boss Mark Hughes has pleaded with his defence to give the club a fighting chance of beating the drop.
Sparky admitted it hasn’t been easy for an ever-changing Rangers back four since he arrived in January.
But the manager insists there is enough quality in the team to remain a Premier League outfit – provided they can keep a clean sheet starting with the visit of Liverpool on Wednesday night.
He said: “It’s been difficult on occasions.
“We lost Luke Young (pic) to injury. Danny Gabbidon went out of the side and Taye Taiwo and Armand Traore went away on international duty.
“A settled back four is a pre-requisite, and the last couple of games we’ve tried to get a bit of continuity.
“Defenders like to know who’s alongside them and who’s in front of them, but we haven’t been able to do that.”
Hughes reckons the Rs strike force of Bobby Zamora and Djibril Cissé have goals in them – it’s about making sure what they do at one end of the pitch doesn’t get undone at the other.
He added: “We know that to score we’ve got to release Djibril and Bobby in good areas, and on paper we look as if we’ve got a cutting edge.
“If we can keep a number of clean sheets, then I think we’ve got the quality at the other end. It’s all about striking a balance.”
