Norwich’s John Ruddy promises hard work but time is running out for Alex Neil

Defeat at QPR made it four in the league in a row for Norwich with manager Alex Neil under increasing pressure as the club falls off Championship pace

As Alex Neil acknowledged, it was the kind of thing that only happens when your luck is out. A little more than 30 seconds after kick‑off at Loftus Road on Saturday, Jack Robinson’s long throw flicked off the head of the Norwich City defender Sébastian Bassong and struck Martin Olsson in the midriff, before almost being smothered by John Ruddy – only for the unfortunate Olsson inadvertently to dislodge the ball as he fell over.

“Next thing I know, Olss is cradling it on the line and gets a kick up the backside,” Ruddy said. “We could have had a foul ourselves, but the referee made the decision.”

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While the Sweden international’s efforts would have drawn cheers had he executed something similar a few miles up the road at Twickenham, his red card for handball was met with groans from the 3,000‑strong Norwich contingent behind Ruddy’s goal.

After three successive defeats before the international break, including a 5-0 thrashing against their promotion rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, Neil went into this match under pressure to turn things around but the Norwich manager was immediately forced on to the back foot, having made six changes to his starting lineup. Tjaronn Chery missed the resulting penalty before making up for it by playing a part in both Queens Park Rangers goals, with his pass for Sebastian Polter to make it 2-0 the highlight of the afternoon on Ian Holloway’s return to the home dugout.

Neil was heartened by Norwich’s response in the second half, in which Steven Naismith pulled a goal back, but admitted results are what count as they chase an immediate return to the top flight. “The fans are frustrated, annoyed and angry and everything that goes with not winning. All I can say is I am working extremely hard to try and turn it around,” he said.

However, with rumours of internal divisions within the squad growing, the man who started his managerial career with Hamilton Academical aged 31 before moving to Carrow Road in January last year after two seasons with the Scottish club, will know time is against him.

The appointment of Jez Moxey in the summer to replace the long-serving David McNally means he has a new employer to impress, with the former Wolverhampton Wanderers chief executive taking his opportunity last week to remind Neil of exactly what is expected at a club who have played Premier League football for four of the past six seasons.

“He is in the results-driven business and he has got to win football matches for this football club. That is his job,” Moxey said beforehand. “He more than anyone else realises it has to happen very quickly because it is uncomfortable for him, it is uncomfortable for the players, for the board, the staff and the supporters. We are disappointed at the current situation. The staff feel it, we feel it, the manager feels it. That is not what Norwich City should be about. We should be about success.”

Having gone toe-to-toe with the Championship pace-setters earlier in the season, Neil’s side are now 13 points off Rafa Benítez’s Newcastle United and eight points behind Brighton in the second automatic spot and travel to resurgent Derby on Saturday. Having left several first-team regulars, including the Switzerland defender Timm Klose and Wes Hoolahan, on the bench against QPR, Neil must now decide whether to revert to the tried and tested or persevere with their replacements. Some supporters have already made their feelings clear about his future on social media but despite taking Norwich down last year, the majority appear still to back the man who led them to promotion via the playoffs in 2015.

“They were vocal throughout the game in a supportive manner, which we appreciate,” Ruddy said. “This run is disheartening because I’ve got a lot of affection for this club. Norwich have given me a lot; it’s my home. The results don’t lie though, we’ve lost four in a row and that’s not good enough. It’s down to us as players, not as individuals, to rectify that. We need to make sure we are working hard for each other, now more than ever.”

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• Paul Lambert’s return to management ended in a 0-0 draw at Preston North End on Saturday. Wolves are the Scot’s seventh club since starting his career at Livingston and he handed 18-year-old striker Bright Enobakhare a first start since April. “The future for this club is good,” he said despite the stalemate at Deepdale. “Not just Bright. We’ve got young players as good as I’ve seen in many a year.” Whether they will get regular chances to play with Jorge Mendes breathing down his neck is another matter. The super-agent has close ties with the club’s Chinese owners Fosun International and was instrumental in the arrival of a stream of talent from Europe over the summer. Lambert must therefore balance the expectations of his pay-masters with his experience as a manager. It won’t be a simple job – as Walter Zenga will no doubt testify.

• AFC Wimbledon were expected to struggle after winning promotion to League One via the playoffs last season but after putting five past Bury for the second time in a week, the Dons are on the march. Four goals before half time on Saturday sent them on their way to securing sixth spot in the table, with George Francomb, Dominic Poleon, Chris Whelpdale and Tom Elliot all on the scoresheet to condemn caretaker duo Chris Brass and Ryan Kidd to defeat in their first match in charge. A 5-0 victory in the FA Cup first-round replay had cost David Flitcroft his job so Millwall’s Neil Harris had better watch out when Wimbledon travel across south London on Tuesday night.

• When Reuben Reid scored after just 40 seconds, those brave souls who made the 700-mile round trip from Exeter to Carlisle must have thought it was all worth it. But football can be a cruel mistress and even after Lee Holmes had restored Exeter’s lead following Charlie Wyke’s equaliser, two late goals ensured they made the trip back to pointless. After a week in which the Supporters’ Trust ordered the club to serve notice on the contract of manager Paul Tisdale, it was hardly an uplifting result and pressure is mounting on the longest-serving manager in the Football League. Tisdale had a two-year rolling contract and is now serving that notice period, although the trust has insisted he is not under any immediate threat of the sack. Whether that is still the case if his side continue to prop up the table remains to be seen.