QPR sack Gareth Ainsworth after awful run leaves club fighting Championship drop

28 October 2023 , 19:14

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QPR sack Gareth Ainsworth after awful run leaves club fighting Championship drop

Gareth Ainsworth has been sacked by QPR following his side's home defeat to Leicester City.

Following the 2-1 loss, the club confirmed the 50-year-old had left his tole with immediate affect. In a released statement, QPR CEO Lee Hoos said: "Making a call such as this is never easy, and it is even more difficult when you have such respect on both a personal and professional level for the individuals concerned - which we all do for Gareth and Richard (Dobson).

"Many supporters have told me in recent months that they have never wanted someone to succeed more than Gareth, which is an indication of the fondness everyone associated with QPR has for him. Unfortunately, results this season haven't gone the way we all wanted and we feel a change is necessary."

Since beating Cardiff 2-1 on August 12, the Rs have gone 12 league and cup games without a win. And Ainsworth leaves them sitting 23rd in the Championship, six points adrift of safety.

Revered at the club as a player after spending seven seasons at Loftus Road between 2003 and 2010. Therefore, his return as a manager in February was much hailed, having been lauded for his work during 11 years in charge of Wycombe Wanderers.

QPR sack Neil Critchley as manager after just two months with club 17th in table

But a poor run of form followed his arrival, with the club finishing the season 20th and just two places above the drop zone. Ainsworth then publicly spoke of his desire to make "big changes" during the summer, but a 4-0 home loss to Watford on the opening day immediately left him under pressure.

Ainsworth was popular at QPR as a player (Jo Caird/Getty Images)

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The win in south Wales a week later proved a false dawn, butdespite the club's precarious position, Hoos praised the work ethic of the now ex-manager: "Gareth has been a pleasure to work with from the moment he arrived and I am truly sorry this has not worked out as we all had hoped," he added.

"On behalf of the board, I wholeheartedly thank Gareth for his commitment, desire, passion and professionalism. We all have the utmost respect for him, and he will always be welcome here. We understand the importance of appointing a new head coach quickly and an announcement on this will follow in the coming days."

The timing of the decision is intriguing. The first game for the new boss will be a pivotal one at Rotherham next Saturday, who lie just a point above QPR in 22nd place.

Fraser Watson