Chris Ramsey has been given the job of Queens Park Rangers’ manager until the end of the season. The 52-year-old stepped up from his role at the club’s academy last week to assume caretaker charge after the departure of Harry Redknapp and he has impressed greatly in a short space of time.
The long-term picture remains unclear, with the chairman, Tony Fernandes, having claimed on Tuesday that he had his “dream manager” in his sights. He added that it could “take a while,” which suggested that he might be prepared to wait until the end of the season.
A move to install the former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood had previously broken down, while Michael Laudrup also distanced himself from the job after being heavily linked with a return to the Premier League from Qatar.
Fernandes has spoken to several candidates or their representatives and, in the course of those discussions, has been led to believe that one of them could be attainable in the summer. The Guardian understands that Paul Clement, the Real Madrid assistant manager, is Fernandes’s No1 target.
Clement is on record as saying that he has been flattered by QPR’s interest but he is focused only on finishing the season at Real. It remains to be seen whether he could be convinced to leave Spain in the summer by QPR – the club that his father, Dave, played at full-back for with such distinction.
Fernandes wants a head coach, rather than a traditional manager, to work alongside the director of football Les Ferdinand and promote more young talent. Ramsey is the short-term fit and, if he continues to impress, could even earn the job on a permanent basis. He led the club to the 2-0 win at Sunderland on Tuesday night – their first away victory of the season – and that was clearly a feather in his cap. However, it has been as much the manner in which he has organised the team and put on excellent training sessions that has pushed him to the fore.
“Good news on Chris Ramsey,” tweeted the captain, Joey Barton. “V good since he has come in. Got group back on track. Lots for us all to do now to keep club in the league.”
Good news also on Chris Ramsey. V good since he has come in. Got group back on track. Lots for us all to do now to keep club in the league.
— Joseph Barton (@Joey7Barton) February 12, 2015
Before Tuesday night’s victory Ramsey admitted he would “jump at the chance” to take over but insisted Rangers’ survival would come down to the players. “It depends how much magic one person can do in a short space of time,” he said.
“It’s really down to the quality of the players and their efforts for the fans and the owners that will make the difference. Someone coming in now can help galvanise things but we have to rely on the players’ ability to come through.”
