'A big, big, big respect' - QPR boss gives verdict on Sheffield Wednesday and Henrik Pedersen
Julien Stéphan gave Sheffield Wednesday plenty of credit after QPR’s 3-0 win at Loftus Road on Sunday.
QPR head coach Julien Stéphan has said Sheffield Wednesday’s players and manager, Henrik Pedersen, deserve ‘a big, big, big respect’ for continuing to roll up their sleeves amid their worsening situation.
Wednesday moved to within one game of equalling a club-record 20 league games without a victory after being beaten 3-0 by the Londoners at Loftus Road on Sunday afternoon.
After falling behind with just 14 minutes on the clock after Rumarn Burrell fired in his tenth goal of the season, Wednesday, to their credit, offered signs of improvement after the break, albeit without really testing Ben Hamer in the QPR goal.
However, a late double from Rayan Kolli, who came off the bench in the first half to replace the injured Burrell, sealed what turned out to be a convincing win for the Londoners, condemning Wednesday to a 16th Championship defeat of the campaign.
Although the scoreline, in the end, looked handsome, Stéphan credited Wednesday for giving his players some thinking to do, praising their refusal to give up amid their worsening situation.
Stéphan praises Owls’ spirit
Stéphan said: "Probably after 15 or 20 minutes, normally it's 2-0. It's a big, big, big situation with Rumarn before he scored. So it was perfect in the first half.
"In the second half, in possession, it was less good, of course, but defensively we didn't concede. I think we finished with 0.1 xG (expected goals) conceded.
"It's [less than] anything in a game and the best result since the start of the season, and the players found the solution in the last ten minutes to score the second and the third one.
"This team, this club, we have a lot of respect for the manager and for this team because since three months [ago] they know that they will not play in the Championship next season.
"The same team, the same players, the same manager, last week they did a draw against Hull City, a draw against Blackburn, meaning it's not easy to play against them.
"They deserve a big, big, big respect. But our players deserve respect as well because it's not easy in the Championship to win a game."