Queens Park Rangers caretaker manager Chris Ramsey has warned his players a new manager will make no difference unless they are prepared to fight harder for Barclays Premier League survival.
Ramsey remains in temporary charge for Rangers' trip to Sunderland on Tuesday night, with the club yet to appoint a permanent successor to Harry Redknapp.
Tim Sherwood is the frontrunner for the vacancy at Loftus Road but Ramsey believes a new attitude, rather than a new coach, will decide QPR's fate at the end of the season.
"It needs the players to galvanise themselves," Ramsey said.
"No matter how much fist shaking or putting your arm round them, it still comes down to them having the pride to not let the great club of QPR slip down into the next division.
"If a manager came in now and the players were to react, it would still be them that has dragged us out of it.
"We need to draw on the experience of some of the players that are in there and the professionalism to make sure the fans know we are not just going to die out and let the situation get worse."
Ramsey added: "If you look at the goal we conceded [against Southampton] on Saturday it was little margins of somebody not tracking their runner for a split second with 50 seconds to go.
"You are thinking, 'Put your five yards in' and then we don't lose the game."
The defeat was QPR's fourth consecutive league loss and leaves Rangers second bottom of the table, two points adrift of safety.
"It's important that they understand what they have to do. It's important that they realise it's not acceptable not to run the required amount of kilometres and stick to the gameplan," Ramsey continued.
"When I came in here they didn't really know me. I started work before some of their parents were born.
"I don't have anything really to lose with regards to relationships with the players.
"I can instruct them what to do and I can put my voice forward but it still comes from the players' own motivation to do what is required for the club.
"When they sign a contract, they promise to do something, don't they? The worst thing they can do is not try. "Can you coach hard work? You can. They sit on the bench. That is the only way," Ramsey said. "You ask someone to do something and they don't do it from an effort point of view, which is the easiest thing to change. "You can work on bending free kicks and dribbling and crossing, but in the heat of the battle, running and being in the right shape and helping your team-mates, that is something that you need to be able to bring to the table yourself." Ramsey remains in regular contact with Sherwood but insists he has no idea if his former boss would be in the stands at the Stadium of Light. "I don't know if he'll be there," Ramsey added. "I think it's a bit cold for Tim up there on a Tuesday night."