Les needs to understand the people chuck in the hiring black mates reference comes from his unbelievably stupid hiring of Chris Ramsey. Personally I’m not really bothered about who he hires at the academy or the new goalkeeping coach. But he got his way and the messageboards didn’t kick up against it we probably would have hired Sherwood so far. Because he’s his mate. Same as the defence he used of Perry Suckling is his mate.
Ramsey was a bloke who had no managerial experience. Took over a side that was above Leicester in the league and then over the next 4 months did nothing to suggest he deserves to stay on in this role or was ready for the role as manager. Anyone who was at Leicester last game of the season with any doubts about that had those doubts erased (With the exception of Les). Then when you look at Ramsey’s CV against say Warburton who was unattached and he makes a decision to hire Ramsey you have to question his motivation because those 2 cvs were so unbalanced it was seen by many as a joke that Ramsey got the job and so it proved!
So when you look at how outspoken he Les been about the Rooney rule and then look at the choice of Ramsey over Warburton (or whoever else really) then Les needs to accept that people will rightly bring race into it because it was Les that brought the question of race into managerial appointments in the first place.
Then interviewing likes of Chris Powell was just ridiculous and by even considering him was just adding fuel to this theory because he is a failure.No one has an issue with the hiring of JFH. Actually it is looked at positively because he has earned that right. Ramsey had not. Powell had not.
No one has an issue with a black manager getting the job but they do have issues with a manager getting the job because he is black and QPR become a vehicle for Les’ own personal crusade.
So when he Les says stuff like:
“"The worst thing in the world - and I had this conversation with an ex-chairman of mine - is what I call covert racism, being racist without realising," Ferdinand said.
"That's sometimes why black managers don't get the opportunity to be interviewed”
Les has done many good things but he needs to take out his personal grievances with the low % of black managers in the game out of his thinking. Because with the appointment of Chris Ramsey rather than a more successful, proven and appropriate white candidate he should know that it may come across that he himself might be going down the same route without realising it of the ex-chairman of his.
If we just miss out on the playoffs this year that is down to Ramsey and also therefore down to Les. There have been a lot of positives of Les’ time so far but he needs to recognise his mistakes to move forward.