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Hughes adamant he's still right man for QPR job

Southampton consigned QPR to another defeat on Saturday © Getty Images

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Mark Hughes has encouraged QPR to promote 'stability' and keep him in charge for the rest of the season after Saturday's loss to Southampton heaped more pressure on the club to look for a new manager.

The QPR boss has come under intense scrutiny this season with the London club failing to register a win from their opening 12 Premier League matches.

QPR chairman Tony Fernandes is yet to publicly condemn Hughes' string of results, but the fans have been far more ruthless, calling for an immediate replacement.

However, Hughes has urged the club that it is important to look towards the future at Loftus Road.

"Stability is absolutely what this club needs in the long term," he said. "Until you get to that point where you can establish yourself in the Premier League, then you have to go through periods where there is doubt or apprehension about what the future holds.

"We are at that point in time now, but I think wholesale changes once again for this club would be the wrong decision in my view. You would expect me to say that but I honestly believe it.

"The owners understand that we're at that place in time. We just need to get through this, come out the other side and look back at this and think, 'we needed to go through that period to grow stronger'. It is difficult for everybody at the moment but we're not going to run away from it."

QPR sit bottom of the Premier League ladder on just four points and are favourites to be relegated this season.

The objective of building on last season - where QPR escaped relegation on the final day - now looks unrealistic, forcing Hughes to look for quick changes.

"We're at a point in time where we need to understand where we are," he said. "We're not talking about a successful mid-table finish now because, given the manner of the performance against Southampton, we are in danger of gonig down.

"We have to recognise that, we have to get the right mentality to move us forward and maybe the right players. I take responsibility for that and, given the performance, I picked the wrong players [against Southampton]."

QPR slumped to a 3-1 loss against fellow strugglers Southampton, prompting fans to criticise the motives of its players.

"I can understand totally the frustration of the fans and they are well within their rights to say that," Hughes said. "I can assure them that is not the case. Everyone is working exceptionally hard to turn this around.

"We just didn't perform as a team. When you have a poor performance, the fans, given where we are, they are absolutely right to criticise."

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