QPR have officially announced that Mark Warburton's contract would not be renewed upon the completion of the 2021-22 season and, after three seasons in charge, will leave W12. After a disappointing final third of the season, the club faces a summer of rebuilding and soul-searching, as it begins its first league campaign in three years under a new manager.
he must really hate bread jokes
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Ah, the bread man. Word on the street is that he has finally, indeed, gone stale. 2.5 years of progression, positive football and exciting youngsters slowly somehow became 4 months of sadistic torture, concluding with a golf day nobody even knew was taking place. Quite how this happened is still up for debate, but what's obvious is that something did, indeed, go horribly wrong.
(January).
Look, like him or not, he’s done a hell of a job at QPR. Both the manager and the club's respective stocks couldn’t have been lower in 2019 and now we sit here, picking at the scabs of our play off failing wound. FourFourTwo just named Dickie and Willock in their top 10 players in the EFL. This is just two of many Warbs player development success in W12 - and I doubt they will be his last in football. His ability to improve players was vital in the sustainability of the football club
Eze, Manning and Osayi-Samuel, have brought money into the club, whilst Chair, Willock, Dickie and Dieng have become valuable assets - all whilst spending little. 'We never win away' turned into 'we're gonna win away' as QPR became a team that was actually worth watching away from home. And, if you can forgive the soppiness, I think it’s fair to say that Warburton genuinely bought into the idea of Queens Park Rangers football club. Maybe I'm romanticising the barest of minimums, but when you've seen Harry Redknapp admit to planning holidays during play-off finals, you learn to appreciate these things just a bit more. I think he'll be remembered fondly.
The sad and unfortunate fact of the matter is that 3 from 18 is enough to get any manager sacked, no matter where they are in the table. Did he deserve another season considering all he’d done in the past? Probably. Does football work like that? Not really.
The form since February has been horrific. It’s beyond relegation form. As sad as I am to see the man go, I can understand the reasoning. These type of collapses are tough to recover from. Not only is it soul-crushing, the optics from the outside can be just as damaging. We saw how an excellent run had other teams wary of QPR at the end of the last season - now apply that same logic to this one.
The club is undoubtedly in a better position than he found it, however. Even without the playoffs, the development of Field, Amos and Willock especially has been a clear sign of an improving team. Even staying in the top 6 for the vast majority of the season has been significantly better than whatever qualifies for second best - Holloway? I don't know. Either way
On a personal note, he’s my favourite QPR manager since Warnock. The 19/20 team, although mid-table fodder, will always hold a special place in my heart purely because the football was sexy, chaotic, unpredictable but mostly, just really fun to watch. I have no doubt the bread man will be back in a job soon - .
Mark Warburton, I wish you all the best.
(He’s absolutely taking 6 points off us next season, isn’t he?)
the long and short of it is
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QPR are hiring from a position of relative strength. This is probably the first time in my QPR supporting lifetime I can say this. Mark Warburton has not been sacked - his contract will be allowed to expire because the club feel like they can do better than they are currently. That’s the short of it.
The long part is - why? 4 managers and league high finishing position of 12th between 2014 and 2019 enabled us the club to establish a genuine style of play on the field and in it's recruitment. Relegation outsiders to promotion outsiders, playing attack-minded, possession football. There is a glass ceiling to be broken, clearly and the roadmap is there.
The footballing philosophy has to remain and has to be upgraded tactically. As shambolic and embarrassing as the Warburton announcement was, at least there is an actual criteria for the replacement (Another first in my lifetime). I've felt that, for all his ability as a coach, tactically he has been out-thought on a few occasions this season and over his tenure. A more tactical mind with an appropriate philosophy should be the target.
The only problem is: everyone wants to play nice football don’t they? Managers with forward thinking and exciting philosophies are more popular than crack in the 80’s. On top of that, the cautious optimism around the likes of Mikel Arteta and Xavi means that clubs are more willing to give inexperience a go. This makes Championship clubs ponds slightly smaller and couple that with what little QPR have spent in recent seasons, there's a dwindling number of fish.
But, strange things happen everyday. But when you also factor in the potential 10 that could leave this summer, the job doesn't seem that appealing. Yes, there is a strong core to build around in Dunne, Field, Johansen, Amos, Willock and Chair - but there are gaps to be filled and serious issues in depth that carry over from this season. Come 1st July, we could have literally no left backs in our squad.
That’s the long of it. Where we go from here is dependent on our actions now. That's very dramatic, isn't it? However you view it, the club is is clearly ready to challenge at the top end of the Championship again.
another one of those summers
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There is nothing more QPR than a graphic listing the numerous players that are out of contract and/or returning to their parent club come July. Prior to the abysmal Sheffield United game last Friday, Sky Sports rolled out the 2022 edition. I think this was the moment where the reality of the situation sunk in for the masses.
I’m on record of having been very positive about this particular QPR 'administration' - for lack of a better term. I think Lee Hoos financial prudence was probably necessary at the time of his arrival, whilst I felt as though Chris Ramsey and the youth staff's execution of Les Ferdinand's vision for the club has been impressive - especially considering the resources.
Profit has been turned on numerous players, there’s a pathway to the first team, new training ground on the way and a genuine connection in the community again. All things, might I add, fans had claimed they wanted to see at QPR again.
There’s been a lot of talk about our youth teams being bottom of both leagues. I imagine it’s because 1, many of our young players have gone out on loan this year and 2, it means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. The most successful teams stay together for a long time. The reason they stay together a long time in youth football? Because they’re not good enough to get a loan or play in the first team. Go and check what happened to our title-winning U-18 team from 2013.
The fact of the matter is, though, what fans care most about is in the pitch. After we lost to Peterborough, nobody in the stands turned and said to their mate, ‘well, at least the books are balanced and there’s a pathway into the first team’. People don’t chant about securing funding for a training ground.
People want three points on a Saturday afternoon.
There’s a whole generation of QPR fans that, until the 2000’s, only thought of QPR as a first division side, or a second division side that belonged in England’s top tier. There’s people old enough to have seen Marsh, Bowles and Ferdinand play - so imagine how difficult it must have been watching Conor Washington struggle with basic motor neuronal actions.
Then there’s QPR fans like myself, who’ve only known Rangers through turmoil. ‘Adel Taarabt!’ say people, when I mention who I support, followed by some mention of the Aguero goal on the final day of the 11/12 season. There's Bobby Z at Wembley and Charlie Austin being pretty good in that season we went back up. Other than that, mediocrity has been sweet relief from the dross that most of us younger fans have had to grin and bear.
That’s how we’re known to a generation. The club that sold Eze to Palace after showing its overpriced backside in the Premier League - twice. For some of us that lived through the ‘ABC loan’ era, we’re just genuinely happy that the club actually still exists. For those of us that lived through the Ecclestone and Briatore era, we’re just genuinely happy that the club still exists. For those of us that remember the FFP court case - you get where I’m going.
That’s often where the disconnect in the fanbase comes - wherever you find yourself on the scale between who we were versus who we’ve become. The standards have fallen dramatically - often I see older fans say something to that effect, especially the ones that are more ‘impatient’, shall we say. Perspective is key - it’s drives expectation. QPR fans often like to absolve of any blame when it comes to the collection of sackings over the past 10 years, but pretending the board’s hand wasn’t forced at least once or twice (Chris Ramsey) would be inaccurate. Twitter has allowed for the more critical of the fanbase to have their thoughts reverberate until it begins to, somehow, make sense to enough people.
But, I digress, Somewhere, sandwiched in the middle of the overly optimistic and crippling pessimism, is who we need to be. No, we’re not Chelsea, but we’re also not Brentford. We’re Queens Park Rangers from White City. Our stadium is being held together by pritt stick but it’s louder than anywhere you’ve been in your life. We’ve had more top class 10’s than the Miss World competition. We’re the blue and the flipping white.
What connects all of us is tiredness. We’re tired of predictable QPR collapses, tired of getting our hopes up for nothing. Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford will be playing Premier League football and even Luton have a chance at it. The price has been paid for the mistakes made nearly 10 years ago now. The excuses have run dry - how much longer can we be the butt of jokes for clubs we used to laugh at? The fans of this football club have been more than patient enough, now.
The ground work laid by Les, Lee and Amit, to a lesser extent, could all be undone with this next appointment. It could, just as likely, be the moment we look back on and say, 'wow, that was a gamble worth taking'. The decision needs to be taken with the utmost care and consideration, but I’m choosing to trust the club on this one. But boy, is patience starting to run thin.
