Frustrated Mark Robins admits Stoke ‘didn’t deserve anything’ after QPR loss

Stoke boss Mark Robins questioned his players’ attitude after their 1-0 defeat at QPR.

Robins’ side have made an excellent start to the season but were second best at Loftus Road, where Harvey Vale’s 75th-minute goal secured Rangers’ third win in a row.

“We didn’t deserve anything from the game because we didn’t do the non-negotiables you’ve seen us do in previous games,” said Robins.

“We just didn’t do enough. There was a lot not to like in the game and it was frustrating.

“If you start to believe your hype, press – whatever – then you’re in trouble.

“Unless you do the fundamentals and the basics properly then the chances are you’re not going to get anything from the game and we didn’t deserve anything from it.

“It was almost like we were not thinking through it but only taking part in the game.

“Unless we do the fundamentals, unless we do the things that are non-negotiable properly, then you’re not going to get anything.

“I’ve been waxing lyrical about them and they’ve been really good. You say ‘This is really good, I’m really pleased’ and then you get a performance that’s below par.”

Both teams had opportunities before Vale’s first Rangers goal broke the deadlock.

But the hosts were the better side, with Vale and Rumarn Burrell missing chances for them before the deadlock was eventually broken.

Robins admitted: “A 1-0 defeat and it might be perceived as narrow but I didn’t think we were anywhere near our best.

“I’ve got to make demands of people and I’ve got to see reactions and responses from individuals because that wasn’t reflective of anything we’ve been doing.

“They’ve got to respond. It can’t be just doing it when you want to – you’ve got to do it when you don’t want to, when you feel really tired or below par, you have to give a performance.

“I might be being too harsh but I want them to drive themselves. I’m not going to accept that.”

QPR boss Julien Stephan revealed he considered taking Vale off before the former Chelsea man scored.

Stephan thought about sending Kader Dembele on to attack left-back Aaron Cresswell but Vale was having an excellent game on the flank and was kept on.

Stephan explained: “In the last 20 minutes I had a lot of hesitation and, to be honest, I imagined that Kaddie would enter the pitch for Harvey, yes. It was the plan.

“I wanted to create something different with Kaddie one-v-one against the left-back.

“But we didn’t change and in the last 15 minutes I felt the players were continuing to do well physically and to enter the pitch in these kind of games is not easy. So we chose to stay like this.

“Sometimes you feel you have to change and sometimes you feel you don’t have to change.”

Rangers have responded emphatically to last month’s 7-1 drubbing at Coventry.

“In the season you have some good moments and bad moments and that was a bad moment,” said Stephan.

“It’s finished now and we learned a lot. Now we have won three in a row, that is (also) finished and we have to be focused on the next games.

“All credit to the players. We will enjoy tonight and tomorrow but from Monday we need to prepare.”