Mark Warburton has confirmed that he expects to leave Queens Park Rangers at the end of the season.
The manager, who is coming to the end of his third campaign with the West London club, does not expect to be kept on when his contract expires this summer. This follows a dramatic decline in QPR’s form in the second half of the season, after being sat comfortably in the play-off places at the end of January.
Since then, Warburton’s team have picked up just three wins in 17 games. It marks a sad decline for Warburton, who became a quick fan-favourite at the start of his tenure in the 2019/20 season, with a team built around Ebere Eze which got the best out of Nahki Wells, Jordan Hugill and Bright Osayi-Samuel.
After the sale of Eze, the start of the 2020/21 season was a challenge but the loan signings of Charlie Austin, Stefan Johansen, Jordy de Wijs and Sam Field started a run of form that created high hopes for this campaign. While promotion was never a demand for QPR this campaign, play-offs had started to look like a certainty – whereas Friday's game against Sheffield United is now effectively a dead rubber for the Rs.
Warburton addressed his future on Thursday morning and admitted, per West London Sport, “contract talks would already have been held" if he was going to be staying on. He added: “But my job, rest assured, is that while you are in post you do the job to the best of your ability and that will always be the case.
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“We’ve all got flaws and faults, but I can honestly say that will never change and whatever job I am in I will be very fastidious and you do the job to the best of your ability. You never talk ill of the club, individuals at the club and put your head down with you staff and get the job done.
“But the owners write the cheques, it’s their money that goes into a football club and whether you agree or disagree, it doesn’t matter, it’s their choice, and it’s their prerogative.
“They live and die by decisions and when you are fortunate enough to be in situ you just try and do your best you can. I don’t expect to be here (next season) but I will do the job to the best I can from here and see what happens after that.”
Warburton has been QPR’s longest-serving manager since Ian Holloway’s first stint in charge from 2001 to 2006. Fans will be divided over the decision to let him go, having fallen in love early on with Warburton’s teams’ free-flowing football – but having seen the quality of performances decrease throughout this season.
The same side that eased past Reading 4-0 in late January and held Premier League club Everton to a 2-2 draw in the EFL Cup in September have turned out some uninspiring displays in recently.
But it’s easy to point to times when Warburton has turned this sort of form around before, including last season when he was on the verge of being sacked after a 0-2 loss to Swansea.
Many will worry about the club’s poor recent record of appointing managers – with the sacking of Neil Warnock and appointment of Mark Hughes after a poor first half of the 2011/12 Premier League campaign still leaving a sour taste.
And Warburton’s predecessor Steve McClaren was never a firm favourite either, often frustrating fans with his team selection and tactical setup.
A host of popular managers are available, including the likes of Daniel Farke and Sean Dyche, but for a club that in 2019/20 had the sixth-lowest wage bill in the Championship, according to Swiss Ramble, these names might not be realistic.
