Ryan Taylor has admitted that he and his Newcastle United teammates never recovered from manager Alan Pardew's departure in January.
United lost 2-1 at already-relegated Queens Park Rangers on Saturday for what was their ninth defeat in 10 games as John Carver's side sit two points above the drop zone.
With one game remaining, and 18th-placed Hull City home to Manchester United on the final day, the Magpies are expected to limp over the finish line.
However, Taylor believes that their disastrous form in 2015 stems from Pardew's shock departure, after the 53-year-old swapped Newcastle for Crystal Palace.
"As a player we had a little bit of turmoil once Alan left. We were unsure: 'Have we got a manager, who is in charge?'" he told the Daily Star.
"It took a few weeks to resolve and then John got the job as head coach.
"But then we just lost a lot of players, we had a lot of key players out, and that effectively over the long run has cost us. It's been a tough three months, not just Saturday."
Newcastle have won just two of the 17 games since Carver took charge.
Shane Callaghan
