QPR are on the lookout for a new manager after Gareth Ainsworth’s sacking, and a fresh report claims they are eyeing an individual who Pep Guardiola thinks is “incredible”.
QPR sack Ainsworth
The Hoops were hoping for a positive season in the Championship during the summer, having finished 20th in the table last time around and only narrowly missed relegation, but things have gone badly to date in 2023/24. On Saturday, Ainsworth was relieved of his duties as QPR boss, following the 2-1 win defeat at home to league leaders Leicester City, as the 10-man hosts failed to get anything from the game.
While the result in itself was far from a disastrous one, it was the final straw for Ainsworth, who has lost 10 out of the last 14 Championship matches, leaving his side languishing in 23rd place in the division and only above Sheffield Wednesday. With the Englishman no longer in charge at west London, the key now is to find the perfect replacement to come in and guide QPR away from the relegation zone in the coming months, avoiding a return to League One in the process.
A host of names could well emerge in the coming days, but a new rumour suggests that there could be an early front-runner to take the job at Loftus Road.
QPR want Warnock
According to a significant update from Sky Sports, QPR are keen on making Neil Warnock their new manager, seeing the veteran as the right man to come in and change the team’s fortunes for the better, having enjoyed a stint there in the past:
“Sky Sports News understands QPR are expected to approach Neil Warnock to take over from Gareth Ainsworth, who was sacked as head coach early on Saturday evening. Ainsworth departed the club after they were beaten 2-1 at home by leaders Leicester.
“Warnock managed QPR for nearly two years between 2010 and 2012 and led them to promotion to the Premier League in his first full season. He has been out of work since leaving Huddersfield Town a little over a month ago.”
This is certainly an eye-catching update, and while some QPR supporters may want to see a younger manager with fresh ideas come in, it is hard to ignore Warnock’s record throughout a long career – one in which he has become an expert at steering teams away from relegation.
Not only that, but legendary Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has even spoken of his admiration for the 74-year-old in the past, saying of him:
“I want to be honest. Look what happened with Neil Warnock in Huddersfield. There’s a tendency for these incredible managers, they have [put] this Premier League or this competition in a better position. They are really good and help us to be what we are. Roy Hodgson for Crystal Palace, look what they have done, they are really good, they have incredible experience and they know the game perfectly.”
Warnock is a big character and he will surely be chomping at the bit to take charge again at Loftus Road, and it could be exactly what is needed at a critical time for the club, making this one to watch.
