24th November, 2012
Harry Redknapp hopes to be confirmed as the new Queens Park Rangers manager very shortly, he told Sky Sports television on Friday night.
“Hopefully we can get it done tonight, there shouldn’t be any problems,” he said in a telephone interview.
QPR are bottom of the English Premier League and Mark Hughes was sacked as the west London club’s head coach earlier Friday.
Hughes was dismissed as QPR head coach earlier on Friday, with the club bottom of the Premier League table after failing to win any of their first 12 matches of the season.
“Queens Park Rangers Football Club has today (Friday) terminated the contract of manager Mark Hughes with immediate effect,” the club announced on their official Twitter page.
QPR, who avoided relegation on the final day of last season, are the only club in the English league system yet to have won a game.
Hughes had received backing from the club’s Malaysian owner, Tony Fernandes, in recent weeks, but last weekend’s 3-1 loss at home to fellow strugglers Southampton left them five points adrift of safety.
“This decision has been taken after careful consideration by the Board of Directors, following numerous meetings over the last few days,” read a statement on the QPR website.
“Mark has shown integrity and professionalism throughout his time here, but ultimately the circumstances we find ourselves in have left the Board of Directors with very little choice but to make a change.
“The Board will now be working actively to put a new managerial structure in place as soon as possible.
“Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki will take charge of the R’s trip to Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
“The club will be making a further announcement in due course.”
The London side then cancelled a media conference that had been scheduled to take place on Friday afternoon.
Hughes is the second Premier League manager to lose his job this season, after Roberto Di Matteo was sacked by Chelsea on Wednesday.
The 49-year-old Welshman had only been in the role since January, but found himself the subject of sustained media scrutiny as he struggled to turn QPR’s season around.
Hughes signed several new players in the summer but the team have under-performed badly and the former Fulham manager was the target of anger from fans during the loss against Southampton.
Update:
Redknapp was officially named QPR coach on Saturday morning, after Mark Hughes was sacked on Friday, and he immediately told his squad to knuckle down as they bid to pull away from the foot of the table.
“The players have to be at it,” he told Sky Sports News.
“The buck stops with them. I know Mark lost his job, but it’s down to the players. He could only do what he could do. The players have not performed to their potential.”