Make no mistake, Saturday's game with Southampton is massive for both sides and a potential launch pad for us in the Premier League.
Our chairman, Tony Fernandes, has called it a must-win game and I cant argue with that. As I said after the game at Stoke last week, we cant keep simply playing well without being ruthless.
Only that ruthlessness will get us away from the foot of the table and only a consistent run of results is going to keep us out of trouble.
It would be easy to make excuses and point out the injuries to the likes of Andy Johnson, Fabio, Park Ji-sung, Jose Bosingwa, Armand Traore and Samba Diakite over the course of the season so far.
Theyre not excuses but they have been a factor in where we find ourselves. The squad has been improved over the summer but we still cant replace those guys like-for-like at the moment.
Through all that, weve shown we can play good football and thats come out in games against Chelsea, Everton, Spurs and even at Stoke last weekend. Again, I come back to the need to be more ruthless when weve been on top.
Despite everything, if anybody thinks theres a sense of panic among the players and the staff, theyd be wrong. There is a great potential at this club and we have to start realising that potential as soon as possible.
The players are angry. Angry theyve not got the results they think their football deserves. Angry theyve let down the fans, whove been superb. Angry the club is in this position.
If there wasnt that anger there, Id be worried. As a manager, you want the players to have that fire, not to be moping around feeling sorry for themselves. If that was the mood around the training ground, then I would be worried and wed be in trouble.
As I said, Im not panicking. Of course Im upset, only a fool wouldnt be upset when you get to November and you are in the relegation zone and theres nothing in the victory column, no three points to our name.
But Ive been here before when I first took charge at Blackburn. We pulled out of that poor situation and emerged a stronger group and a stronger club. That taught me time, talent and hard work always pay off. I know we have all of those qualities at Rangers. Last season when I arrived at Loftus Road it was tough. We were charged by Tony and the board with saving QPR from relegation and thats what we did.
Yes, it was tight but the home wins against the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Stoke towards the end of the season were the key to our escape. Thats the kind of form at Loftus Road we have to re-discover. Gritty, tough, hard- working and disciplined, those are the qualities which will see us right.
I read Martin Samuels column in these pages on Wednesday. I respect Martins views but if I had taken to heart half the things that have been said or written about me by him and others over the years, I would have walked away from football before Id even started.
He talked about my track record and reputation being tarnished beyond repair by QPRs current position. Firstly, its not about me at this stage, its about the players, my staff, the fans and the board. Its about QPR. If I worried about my own reputation or about my ego being damaged, I wouldnt have survived in football as a player or a manager for as long as I have.
Secondly, I truly believe every club Ive ever managed Ive left in a stronger position than when I arrived.
At Blackburn, we saw the club clear of relegation, finished sixth in my second season, 10th the next year and seventh in my final season. We also reached an FA Cup semi-final and regularly beat the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.
When I arrived at Manchester City, the club wasnt in anything like a sound financial state and in my first month we were tasked with selling to raise cash.
But we oversaw a huge change in structure and culture once Sheik Mansour arrived and leaving them with the likes of Vincent Kompany and so many others remains something I take real pride in.
I was only at Fulham a year but we identified talent such as Mousa Dembele who they sold for a club record in the summer at a huge profit as well as finishing eighth and being profitable.
None of this buys QPR three points, I know that. But what it does do is underline the work I and my staff put in at different clubs and why there is still so much self-belief at QPR.
With the help of Tony and the shareholders whove been nothing short of magnificent in their support I feel QPR are a stronger, better club than it was when we arrived.
Theres been a huge overhaul of the scouting structure and were identifying top-class talent from across Europe, bringing in players of real pedigree and character.
The academy has made huge strides in the nine months weve been here and I honestly believe QPR will never be in a position where they nurture somebody like Raheem Sterling but lose him to Liverpool for just £500,000.
As one of the board said to me the other day, were not building something at QPR for six weeks or six months, the work were doing here will see the club survive and thrive for the next six years and beyond.
Obviously what counts more than anything, though, is getting that elusive first win against Southampton today. Thats what matters, thats what will lift the whole club and the supporters.
The belief is there. The character is there. The determination is there. We know were better than the league table tells us.
We just have to start proving it.
