HARRY Redknapp claims that had he been there at the start of the season – there was nothing he could have done to prevent QPR’s relegation.

Although chairman Tony Fernandes has castigated players for not trying hard enough, Harry begs to differ in the strongest terms. The squad he inherited in November wasn’t good enough.

The manager has played catch-up since he arrived and reckons one of the final nails in the coffin was the departure of Ryan Nelsen (pic) to Canada in February.

“People keep on about what a good squad we are - that's absolute rubbish,” he added. “It's not been a lack of desire. It's been a lack of quality. If you started with this team again, you’d still get relegated.

“We’re a badly balanced side and we’re short of class - no doubt about that.

“It’s where we are, and we’re not good enough. You need strikers to get you 18 goals. Our top scorer has got five.

“When we flooded the midfield, we got five draws in a row, when we started going for wins, we got beat, and Ryan Nelsen was the best player here when he went.”

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