Gary O’Neil blamed his defenders for failing to cope with the stress of a relegation battle before he was sacked on Sunday, but maybe he should have been looking closer to home.
As a player, O’Neil was sent off in the pressure-cooker of a Championship play-off final and needed his QPR team-mates to bail him out. As a manager, the searing intensity that once marked him out as an outstanding prospect is threatening to work against him.
Stripping Mario Lemina of the captaincy after skirmishes at West Ham now looks an over-reaction.