Sorry Hoops avoid the grim reality...
The Football League Paper|November 05, 2023
GARETH Ainsworth knew what was coming. We all did. It was coming to anyone barmy enough to risk their reputation at QPR.
Chris Dunlavy
Sorry Hoops avoid the grim reality...

‘Wild Thing’ didn’t have a cat in hell’s chance of success in west London. The club is a wreck, bereft of depth, quality, a director of football and - as of this week - a chairman.

Pep Guardiola could man the dugout at Loftus Road this season and he’d still wind up crying into his polo neck. So what chance has poor old Marti Cifuentes got?

A catastrophic overspend during the close-but-not-quite reign of Mark Warburton, compounded by historic debt and an ongoing failure to produce saleable assets, has left Rangers in a lopsided arm wrestle with Financial Fair Play.

Last season was win or bust for QPR; promotion or destitution, and we all know how that turned out.

Ainsworth kept them up - just - but the writing was on the wall and a tenth defeat from 14 Championship games this season brought the curtain down on the 50-year-old’s brief, pointless tenure.

The football was poor. The results even worse. Cifuentes, a devotee of Johan Cruyff, has promised to change all that, but unless he’s planning on signing the Dutch World Cup squad of 1974 then the idea of QPR playing their way out of trouble is pie in the sky.

This story is from the November 05, 2023 edition of The Football League Paper.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 05, 2023 edition of The Football League Paper.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE PAPERView All
Pride at the park is perfect for Paul
The Football League Paper

Pride at the park is perfect for Paul

EVERYONE deserved a pat on the back was Paul Warne’s verdict as his Derby County side hung on for all three points.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 15, 2024
ACE HARRIS NETS TOP AWARD WITH GOAL RUSH
The Football League Paper

ACE HARRIS NETS TOP AWARD WITH GOAL RUSH

STRIKER Mark Harris has led the Oxford United assault on the second tier – and now it’s landed him the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month award for August.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 15, 2024
SEASIDE LATE SHOW GIVES BRUCE BUZZ
The Football League Paper

SEASIDE LATE SHOW GIVES BRUCE BUZZ

IN HIS first match back in football, new Blackpool boss Steve Bruce admitted this was a tense encounter.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 15, 2024
CLEMENCE GETS BLUEBIRDS TO
The Football League Paper

CLEMENCE GETS BLUEBIRDS TO

BARROW boss Stephen Clemence was delighted with his side’s multi faceted performance as they beat Grimsby to continue their strong league start.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 15, 2024
KARL FUMES DESPITE LATE SUB HEROICS
The Football League Paper

KARL FUMES DESPITE LATE SUB HEROICS

KARL Robinson was delighted to see Salford City come back from behind to beat Cheltenham Town thanks to Hakeeb Adelakun’s second-half brace.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 15, 2024
PATIENCE REQUIRED OVER NEW BOY ALZATE
The Football League Paper

PATIENCE REQUIRED OVER NEW BOY ALZATE

HULL City boss Tim Walter says fans will have to wait to see “perfect” midfielder Steven Alzate unleashed on the Championship

time-read
2 mins  |
September 15, 2024
DOM AIMS TO HAVE A BALL AT THE O'S...
The Football League Paper

DOM AIMS TO HAVE A BALL AT THE O'S...

DOM Ball is eager to use all his experience to help Leyton Orient achieve ‘something special’ this season.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 15, 2024
DEL-BOY IS CUSHTY FOR CLEVERLEY
The Football League Paper

DEL-BOY IS CUSHTY FOR CLEVERLEY

ALTHOUGH it needed a second-half strike from Tom Dele-Bashiru to rescue a point for Watford against Coventry, Hornets’ relieved head coach Tom Cleverley was determined not to point the finger at his slow-starting players.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 15, 2024
MACKEMS' PERFECT RECORD IS ROO-INED
The Football League Paper

MACKEMS' PERFECT RECORD IS ROO-INED

WAYNE Rooney expressed his delight after his first Championship win as Plymouth Argyle boss came by beating previously unbeaten leaders Sunderland at the death.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 15, 2024
Spanish starlet is seizing his big chance
The Football League Paper

Spanish starlet is seizing his big chance

SUNDERLAND'S failure to sign an established striker this summer left fans apoplectic, but Eliezer Mayenda is doing his best to quell the dissent.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 15, 2024