"Rotten Rangers Mark Hughes was in the QPR job so quickly one of the Sky Sports News presenters blundered: âThe paint is hardly dry on Neil Warnockâs sacking.â There were a lot of people prepared to slap their own brand of whitewash on events. It surprised me that so many people concluded halfway through the season that Warnock was incapable of managing a club in the top flight. There were three clubs in a worse position and, if QPR remain fourth from bottom at the end of the campaign, that survival will represent a major achievement for such a club, whoeverâs in charge. So I think Warnock was treated shabbily. Itâs certainly lame to find the clubâs owner had his ear bent by a couple of habitual moaners in the squad whining about âtraining methodsâ. Going overboard: Tony Fernandes However this decision is dressed up, there is no avoiding the conclusion that on his very first encounter with footballâs stormy waters, Tony Fernandes threw his man overboard. The sacking did inspire my favourite quote of the week as Warnock responded to his exit: âI take full responsibility for where we are,â he said. âWe are in the Premier League.â Quite. He deserved some gratitude, patience and loyalty for that. He didnât get it. Hughes, Warnockâs successor, is a bright man. I admired him as a player and respect him as a manager. But when he said: âI will stay at QPR â even if we go downâ, I think he missed the point somewhat. That wasnât why he was brought in. He might also find the club owner has other ideas." I can't find much to disagree with. Warnock: "I take full responsibility for where we are. We are in the Premier League" Priceless!
"if QPR remain fourth from bottom at the end of the campaign, that survival will represent a major achievement for such a club, whoever’s in charge." And that's a big IF. Tony had to make a call now and decided warnock would not keep us up. Can you really blame him? We've been dire for two months. His club, his call.
Not disagreeing with you, Twelfth. But I'm not alone in feeling Warnock was a little unlucky. Jeff Stelling's comment about a manager possibly being more secure if he takes a club to the Championship play-offs rather than the Premier League is quite pertinent too. I agree with the decision to change the manager, considering all the present factors and variables. However, had Warnock not surpassed expectations and delivered the Championship title last time out, he would probably still be at the helm now with us in the top six, a tier down.
The problem is we don't really know the cards that TF and Amit had to play with. It sounds as if senior members of the squad were dissatisfied with aspects of NW's game including training and match strategy and tactics. It was clear on the pitch that NW wasn't getting the best from the players. You can blame individual players but when most of them are underperforming, you have to look at management. I was for giving NW until mid Feb to take in fresh players, given that he was shafted by the Goons at the start of the season. The owners who are putting in considerable monies decided that they could not take that risk. In bringing in Hughes in a short space of time so that the club doesn't suffer, they've played a blinder in my view. All this crap from Des Kelly about the paint not yet dry on NW's dismissal. We don't have time for that. We have a string of fixtures coming up that we must get points from. That may appear disrespectful to NW but it's in the best interests of the club.
100% with you Goldie. While it is great to get these articles posted, I for one would never draw conclusions from anything published as opinion in the Daily Mail. I'd only rarely take what they report as fact seriously. Good example of how crap journalists are today is whoever ghosts Warnocks column in the Independent - a couple of days ago, Warnock had TF at his house last Sunday administering the boot. Today, same paper, same 1st person perspective, Warnock was disappointed that Phil Beard, not TF, was the one to sack him. Many years ago I really wanted to be a journalist, even worked for Reuters for a bit. This was in the warm afterglow of Woodward and Bernstein. I am now so happy that my career took me elsewhere - journos, lawyers and politicos are barely above bankers in the 'most despised, least trusted' list, for very good reasons.
I think one major reason why NW was sacked and MH came in, wasn't just down to the 17th position we currently occupy, or the bad results, but the fact that Hughes is likely to be able to attract "better player" or "more high profile players" than NW. "Warnock: "I take full responsibility for where we are. We are in the Premier League" Priceless! love it!!!!!!!
Main reason for sacking for me is the ability to attract players to QPR. The board found out that with Warnock all we could attract were players on par with what we already have at our disposal, see all signings made before the 1st of September for evidence. Sparky's draw power (not draw specialist ) is guaranteed to be of a higher calibre. The proof will be in the pudding I suppose come february the 1st.
I love Neil as a manager, like no other since Alec Stock and Terry "wide boy" Venables. simply because "I take full responsibility for where we are. We are in the Premier League" But it was a brave (and risky) jump for TF to do.....and the time he did it was actually the only time point in the whole season in which the strategy had a chance of working. Any earlier and he would have had such a backlash about sacking Neil, anylater and Neil would have spent money in the transfer market. So from our point of view it just had to be done. Also If any of the other clubs (Blackburn, Wigan, Bolton) had sacked their manager would we have missed out on Sparky . So thank you Neil, love you. comeon Sparky, comeon you RRRRRs
Of course it is. Because there are good championship managers out there (eg. Warnock) who cannot make the step up to the premier league. I'd be surprised if any promoted club didn't think twice about keeping their manager. The goons doubted warnock's ability at this level and wanted to replace him in the summer. I hate the pr*cks but you know what, they were on to something.
Time to move on. Neil's gone,we've got a new man in charge. Neil Did a good job getting us into the premier league, and I'm sure another Championship club will snap him up soon. I wish him all the best, and hope that Sparky can motivate the team and move us out iof the danger zone.
I suppose you base this statement on the vast amount of experience and knowledge TF has in running a football club, give me a break pal.
If MH keeps us up it will be with the same players NW was targeting I bet we get no Spurs players with MH including Defoe!!
Very, very good summary. Only thing I'd add is that it seems the shareholders behind TF had some influence in the decision to sack NW. Some talk about discussions between them 'overnight' resulting in the text sent by either PB or TF at 8am Sunday morning. That would make it 4pm in Kuala Lumpar... This would also explain frontman TF's apparent hypocrisy in one minute backing and next minute sacking NW.
Sorry, Col. It was an article in today's paper, so I thought I would share it around to those interested.
