Paul Heckingbottom said he would like to “throw a bomb under the lot and start again” this summer after his Preston side were beaten 2-1 by QPR in the Sky Bet Championship.
Liam Lindsay had headed the hosts in front with his first goal of the campaign in the final moments of an energetic first half before Michael Frey’s leveller in the 80th minute.
But the Rs stole it at the death as Lucas Andersen fired home a 30-yard rocket.
North End boss Heckingbottom said: “You can’t park (the disappointment). You can’t forget it. That’s got to be what drives you and makes sure you make the changes.
“I’ve just been having a conversation with Peter (Ridsdale). I don’t need to wait until tomorrow to calm down. Why would I want to do that?
“It’s obvious what needs to happen. Change or be changed. That’s it. How much is possible won’t be determined by me. Right now, how I feel, I’d throw a bomb under the lot and start again.
“That’s what I’d do but I don’t think I’ll be able to do that, so it’s going to be hard work.”
The Lilywhites are winless in five league matches, losing three of those, and Heckingbottom bemoaned a second-half slump.
Asked to elaborate on his frustrations, he said: “Players playing out of position and going off track costs you. Giving the ball away puts you under pressure, but you have to find better players.
“I’m not going to criticise people for getting on the ball and making mistakes but you’ve got to put a value on the ball. It’s got to matter, keeping the ball.
“You’ve just got to look at the goals really. The desire to stop crosses and block shots is a given if you want to win.”
Heckingbottom also took a parting shot at Mads Frokjaer, saying he “should have” replaced him late on with 17-year-old Lewis Carroll after the Dane lost possession easily for the winning goal.
QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes was delighted after seeing his team win late and mathematically seal their place in the Championship for another season.
He said: “I’m really happy for the team and for the guys because it’s not easy to win here. They’ve only lost two games in the whole season (in the league at Deepdale). It’s not an easy team to play against because we spoke during the last week about how uncomfortable the game might be.”
Frey and Andersen both came off the bench and got themselves on the scoresheet with impressive finishes.
“A fantastic two goals,” Cifuentes added. “We have been talking during the whole season about how everybody is important. I get a lot of things wrong but I didn’t get these (substitutions) wrong. It was the same last season.
“One of my main targets as a manager is to keep everyone (together) and I think with the way we are rotating with the subs in recent games is showing that everyone wants to help the team and is ready to contribute.”
Despite beating the drop, the Rangers boss added: “We need to keep pushing. It is my nature as a coach. I’m a competitive person. The boys are competitive. We will not relax. We want to finish the season in a good way.”
