Harry can't see Saints going down (From Daily Echo)

Harry can't see Saints going down

7:00am Saturday 2nd March 2013 in Sport By Gordon Simpson, Senior Sports Reporter

QPR manager Harry Redknapp remains confident his club will stay up this season, but admits he does not expect them to be involved in a relegation battle with Saints.

The west London side are rooted to the bottom of the table ahead of this afternoon’s clash at St Mary’s, seven points off safety and ten behind today’s opponents.

Despite the bleak outlook, though, Redknapp’s belief that QPR will survive has not diminished.

He said: “I’ve got to be upbeat, I can’t be nothing else, can I?

“If I start walking around saying ‘We’re doomed, we’re going to get relegated’ we might as well pack up and go on our summer holidays.

“I’ve got to keep believing, haven’t I, until there’s the last breath in us.

“We’ve got to keep fighting, you can’t give up, and there’s still plenty of breath left in us, because there’s still enough games to go to have a run, and other teams can get sucked in, and we can pick up.

“If you can win two games you can suddenly move and make massive strides, and that’s what we need to aim to do somehow. We need to try and get a couple of wins.”

A victory today would certainly be a significant boost to QPR’s survival hopes, while it would also pull Saints back into the thick of the fight.

But, whatever happens this afternoon, Redknapp does not think Saints will be relegated.

“No, I don’t see them (going down) really, to be honest with you,” he said. “They look a decent team to me.

“You never know, but I would be very surprised.”

Full story in today's Daily Echo