QPR player absolved of blame for brutal Championship record - 'Things need to seriously change' | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers defender Jimmy Dunne may not be to blame for the Championship club's defensive struggles

Queens Park Rangers have conceded 58 goals in the Championship this season, but centre-back Jimmy Dunne may not be to blame for their defensive woes.

The Hoops have suffered three consecutive defeats in the second tier, and were hammered 4-0 by Middlesbrough on Sunday, courtesy of goals from David Strelec, Alan Browne, Hayden Hackney, and Tommy Conway.

Boro moved to within five points of Championship league leaders Coventry City with their triumph in West London, whereas the R's are now just 16th.

Julien Stephan's men have conceded 11 goals in their last three games, and will desperately want to turn that tide when they travel to Birmingham City this Wednesday.

Jimmy Dunne hasn't underwhelmed despite QPR defensive woes

The R's were thrashed 5-0 by Southampton on 24 February before suffering a similarly woeful result against Boro on Sunday, highlighting how poor their backline has been in recent weeks.

With the West London club's struggles in mind, Football League World asked our QPR fan pundit, Louis Moir, what he has made of Dunne this season, and whether he has been underwhelmed by the 28-year-old after he signed a new contract last summer, despite the club rejecting bids from Sheffield United earlier on in 2025.

Moir told FLW: "I wouldn't put any blame down to Jimmy Dunne due to our shocking defensive record this season. I really wouldn't. I think it sounds silly because he is part of a defence that has contributed to that.

"But I do think, bar maybe a couple of games, he has been genuinely so solid and impressive. I've not been underwhelmed at all by his performances, and I think he's been ever-present in that backline that's obviously changed here and there.

"The goalkeeper situation has been a massive influence on why we've conceded so many goals as well - three poor goalkeepers at the club who have all played.

"Now, for the last couple of months or so, Joe Walsh has been the one who's not been dropped, and he's not good enough. I think that's had a massive effect.

"Steve Cook was playing a lot, did alright, and hasn't been seen in a while. (Ronnie) Edwards has now come back, he was at right-back, and he's now at centre-back. (Jake) Clarke-Salter's had a few games there, and you've had youngsters like Esquerdinha at left-back. (Amadou) Mbengue getting suspended, and him not playing every game.

"Then we've had a transition with him and Dunne swapping positions. I just think all of these things have contributed. You're not going to be stable when so much change is happening at the back. It's a fact.

"The teams who have good defensive records, you try and have the same back four or five as much as you can for the whole season, barring injuries and suspensions, because that's the base of your team, and you want to create some consistency.

"I just think, if there's any blame put on Jimmy Dunne, then I think that's just wrong. I think he has been good despite the defensive record. Things need to seriously change at the back because we can't be going into next season with similar problems.

"Otherwise, you're just going to create zero consistency, and where are you building from? You need a backline that is going to be solid, and you need a backline of players that are going to fit into the system together and, hopefully, play a lot together and not so much swapping around."

Jimmy Dunne has been a positive outlier in a poor QPR defence

QPR's latest heavy defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough highlighted their defensive problems, and supporters will be nervous about what could be in store for their side when they face Birmingham in their next game.

However, as summarised by Moir, Dunne isn't to blame for his side's issues.

According to FotMob, the former Burnley man has won 233 duels in the Championship this term, as well as 46 tackles, ranking him among the best defenders in the second tier in both of those statistics.

The 28-year-old has also notched three goals and three assists this term, showing that he is positively contributing towards QPR in all aspects of the game.

With QPR faltering though and a play-off push dying out, perhaps there may be a tinge of regret in the eyes of Dunne that he did not choose to test himself elsewhere instead of staying at Loftus Road for another few years at least.