Harry Redknapp has claimed that Queens Park Rangers did not assemble a squad good enough to stay in the Premier League.
The West Londoners, who won promotion last season under Redknapp, were relegated back to the Championship on Sunday with their 6-0 defeat at Manchester City.
Redknapp, who resigned from the Loftus Road hot seat in February, has suggested that the club failed to invest heavily enough last summer.
"Nine of the team that started yesterday played in the Championship last year when we got up in the playoffs," he told talkSPORT.
"We finished twenty points behind [champions] Leicester and almost the same behind [runners-up] Burnley and nine of those lads are still playing. It has been difficult. We spent good money on three players. Two of them played yesterday, only Sandro didn't.
"But you have to be realistic. Nine of the 11 were playing in the Championship last year and, at the end of the day, we fell short. We weren't good enough."
Chris Ramsey took charge of the Hoops following Redknapp's exit.