Chris Ramsey believes there are some QPR players shirking a shift that would save the club from relegation.
The caretaker boss had to suffer heartbreak of a 1-0 home defeat to Southampton on Saturday in the dying seconds on Saturday - and is demanding more ahead of the trip to Sunderland.
Ramsey might be warming the seat for his pal Tim Sherwood, but while in charge, the former Spurs coach insists the squad will do it his way or they can take the highway.
“The goal we conceded on Saturday; that little margin of players not tracking the runner at that split second. If we put five yards in, we don’t lose the game,” he said.
“It’s not acceptable to not run the required five yards. The worst thing is if they don’t try.
“How do you coach that extra five yards into players? They do it or they sit on the bench. You’re asking them from an effort point of view and if they don’t do it. Running and being in the right shape is something you must bring to the table.”
Ramsey noted skipper Joey Barton ran himself to water in a bid to bring points to the Premier League table - but an awful lot of it was fruitless, according to the temporary manager.
“Sometimes when you’re in the team that’s struggling, some people try to do too much work,” said the coach. “You leave holes all over the place. Look at Joey Barton probably running more than anyone else in the team trying to firefight everybody’s bad situation.
“We’ve got to be in a situation where we’re not wasting energy on a negative situation. It’s a lot to do with the anxiety of the situation where they’re trying to do more than they should do.”
The man in temporary charge revealed he had been in touch with Sherwood - and had discussed the manager's job.
But there is no prospect of immediate white smoke from Rs executive, and if it isn’t to be Sherwood, his mate insists there will be plenty of takers lining up to have a go despite Hoops’ precarious position.
“I’m not gong to lie and say I haven’t chatted to Tim about the job. I’ve chatted to others about it as well. I haven’t got just one friend,” he joked.
“There’s only so many jobs in the Premier League and you don’t get too many opportunities to manage at this level. Everyone of us has got an ego.
“But no matter how much fist shaking there might be, it still comes down to the players. Now we need players to show fans we’re not going to just die out.”
