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Massive missed opportunity. He was a perfect fit. Overachieved, victim of his own success because the people making the decisions were too stupid to realise what they had.
Massive missed opportunity. He was a perfect fit. Overachieved, victim of his own success because the people making the decisions were too stupid to realise what they had.
Very interesting last six minutes……
Would take him back as DoF in a flash. Not that Ainsworth/Dobbo would work under him mind.
Very revealing interview. Clearly, Warbs is still angry that his contract was not renewed, and last season's shenanigans only add weight to his arguement. I had a feeling that we would regret letting him go - was last season a karmic response to poor treatment of a good man and a good coach, genuinely committed to the club?
I must say listening to that I do miss him. Even when he was yelling at me he did always strike me as the sort of clear thinking, grown up we desperately need.
Taking on board the injuries that hit us hard at the time and the fact that we dropped out of the top six, you can understand his anger that he gets a phone call telling him his job is now under threat. Bloody marvellous just when you need everyone and I mean everyone pulling together because things have gone 'tits up' some stupid lazy GONK who sits on his arse for a living rings you up and tells you you're job Is under threat. We truly are the architects of our own downfall and It's getting worse.
My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic.
I must say listening to that I do miss him. Even when he was yelling at me he did always strike me as the sort of clear thinking, grown up we desperately need.
So do I. At least he speaks and acts like a proper grown up. Love the one you’re with eh?
His period with us was the only stable period in a very long time and those injuries absolutely did kill our chances, especially the Willock one.
Though I liked Warbs, I don't think we were that stable under his stewardship. One season we near bottom at Christmas only to climb to 9th, the next we started off like a train only to fall away in the second half of the season. The rabid inconsistency pretty much begun under his reign and continued into last season.
Warbs had lost the plot towards the end although anybody would having to deal with the clown mafia.
The black mark for me was taking the best attacking line up we’ve had in the last eight years to the dizzy heights of 13th place. That side was far better than that.
Though I liked Warbs, I don't think we were that stable under his stewardship. One season we near bottom at Christmas only to climb to 9th, the next we started off like a train only to fall away in the second half of the season. The rabid inconsistency pretty much begun under his reign and continued into last season.
[Post edited 6 Jun 2023 13:42]
Are you honestly suggesting that we were consistent under McClaren and Holloway? Not to mention JFH and Ramsey.
I’ll give you a hint, we weren’t! McClaren had us top six at one point before it all fell apart and Holloway had a run of six losses on the spin before just about steadying the ship.
Consistency is difficult to achieve in the Championship, unless we’re talking consistently sh1t which isn’t so difficult as we found out last season!
It’s particularly challenging to be consistent on a tight budget which we've had for years. And ultimately, Warburton had us closer to some kind of upward trajectory than any other manager since we were relegated from the Premiership.
Warbs had lost the plot towards the end although anybody would having to deal with the clown mafia.
The black mark for me was taking the best attacking line up we’ve had in the last eight years to the dizzy heights of 13th place. That side was far better than that.
Defence and keeper were awful though . Still think we would of gotten in the play offs if Covid hadn't of happened .
If it hadn't been for that awful run he might still have been here. I was a big supporter but even I lost my patience at the end of that run. When we meekly lost to Preston (I think?) without seeming to care and missed out on what was still, even then, an outside chance of playoffs that annoyed me.
Really interesting this — if Warburton was putting out ‘feelers’ to test the waters on replacing Les as our DoF he couldn’t have done a better, more persuasive job, pushing all the right buttons IMHO.
Excellent interview and my first recation would be to say ‘go for it — you know it makes sense’ to our owners. But would/how/could it work with Gareth Ainsworth and what Gaz is trying to do? Two different football philosphies at first sight, but perhaps it could work if Warbs was to focus solely on the business and structural side of the operation (he mentioned his financial city exerience again) and recognised that Gaz, no matter what, must have full control over style-of-play/selection/transfers.
I don’t know — maybe this ship has sadly sailed — but what is now obvious (if not at the time) is that Warbs’ departure in May 2022 was a QPR mistake of the highest order.
The reason he was getting calls panicking that we'd fallen out of the top six was because he'd insisted on signing Austin, Johansen, De Wijs, Gray for a promotion push that was falling apart. We couldn't afford those players then, we still can't.
He was a good manager, a huge improvement on what had been in place before, but he gambled with the club's finances, he broke the model and we are seriously paying for it now (having foolishly doubled down on it last season with Beale). He cannot now act with wide-eyed surprise at how it played out when injury-prone players then got injured and his big-time signings dropped off. It was a shame, but he knew the cost of those gambles and was merely being reminded of them.
The reason he was getting calls panicking that we'd fallen out of the top six was because he'd insisted on signing Austin, Johansen, De Wijs, Gray for a promotion push that was falling apart. We couldn't afford those players then, we still can't.
He was a good manager, a huge improvement on what had been in place before, but he gambled with the club's finances, he broke the model and we are seriously paying for it now (having foolishly doubled down on it last season with Beale). He cannot now act with wide-eyed surprise at how it played out when injury-prone players then got injured and his big-time signings dropped off. It was a shame, but he knew the cost of those gambles and was merely being reminded of them.
Warburton didn’t gamble anything. If the club couldn’t afford those players it’s down to the director of football, CEO and owners to say otherwise. You can’t pin that on the manager or what’s the point of having Ferdinand or Hoos at the club?
Warburton didn’t gamble anything. If the club couldn’t afford those players it’s down to the director of football, CEO and owners to say otherwise. You can’t pin that on the manager or what’s the point of having Ferdinand or Hoos at the club?
This is true, of course, no way should they have signed those players (but imagine the fan push back that summer had they refused them), but fact is he got the players he wanted on the proviso that there'd be a play-off push and instead they shit the bed and totally collapsed. That's why they fired him. It was the end of his cycle.
Warbs has good pedigree in that role as he was excellent as Brentford’s sporting director before taking over in a crisis. Great man very much missed. Love Gareth but it’s going to be a struggle next season at the moment I foresee 19th
The reason he was getting calls panicking that we'd fallen out of the top six was because he'd insisted on signing Austin, Johansen, De Wijs, Gray for a promotion push that was falling apart. We couldn't afford those players then, we still can't.
He was a good manager, a huge improvement on what had been in place before, but he gambled with the club's finances, he broke the model and we are seriously paying for it now (having foolishly doubled down on it last season with Beale). He cannot now act with wide-eyed surprise at how it played out when injury-prone players then got injured and his big-time signings dropped off. It was a shame, but he knew the cost of those gambles and was merely being reminded of them.
It wasn't injury prone players getting injured though was it? Willock had been fit for two years; Dieng fit for years; Dickie reliably fit before and since etc.
I thought we had become turgid as that season went on, but I still felt the players were playing for him (like at Huddersfield). I wasn't surprised they let him go, but I go back to my subsequent thinking about how quick teams are to ditch managers these days. The question owners should ask is perhaps: 'do we have a good coach?' rather than 'what do recent results look like?' The answer with Warbs (to the former) is obviously 'yes' - as Warbs says, he oversaw a huge change at the club in a short time, and made a lot of players better: something we haven't seen a manager do at QPR in arguably decades (even Warnock, a fantastic manager and organiser, I'm not sure actually *improved* players - got the best out of them, is a better description (maybe that amounts to roughly the same thing?)). So do you take a bad spell on board, recognise mitigating circumstances (slightly exaggerated by Warbs here, although even he recognises 'every manager has their own story') and just push on? This was the option used by Cov with Robins, and the opposite of what Watford do. It's what Wycombe did with Gaz during relegation and previous difficult periods there.
Unlike many others, I still don't blame the club for going with Beale; but I also think had we stuck with Warbs we might have had a season of difficult transition, but we'd have been much better off than we are now.
Comes across as an intelligent and articulate man, very rare in football. However, a few rose tinted specs are being worn on here. His first season was, looking back, a missed opportunity. The attack was excellent, but he never solved the defensive issues in 3 years. The football in the last season, especially the last 4 months was awful, and he has to except partial blame for the mess now - lack of pace, lack of players in key positions, over spend etc.
I'd have him back in a second as DoF though, which always seemed his more natural role. LES OUT!
It wasn't injury prone players getting injured though was it? Willock had been fit for two years; Dieng fit for years; Dickie reliably fit before and since etc.
I thought we had become turgid as that season went on, but I still felt the players were playing for him (like at Huddersfield). I wasn't surprised they let him go, but I go back to my subsequent thinking about how quick teams are to ditch managers these days. The question owners should ask is perhaps: 'do we have a good coach?' rather than 'what do recent results look like?' The answer with Warbs (to the former) is obviously 'yes' - as Warbs says, he oversaw a huge change at the club in a short time, and made a lot of players better: something we haven't seen a manager do at QPR in arguably decades (even Warnock, a fantastic manager and organiser, I'm not sure actually *improved* players - got the best out of them, is a better description (maybe that amounts to roughly the same thing?)). So do you take a bad spell on board, recognise mitigating circumstances (slightly exaggerated by Warbs here, although even he recognises 'every manager has their own story') and just push on? This was the option used by Cov with Robins, and the opposite of what Watford do. It's what Wycombe did with Gaz during relegation and previous difficult periods there.
Unlike many others, I still don't blame the club for going with Beale; but I also think had we stuck with Warbs we might have had a season of difficult transition, but we'd have been much better off than we are now.
Yeah, agree with all that though every team has two or three injuries to key players to negotiate and we had signed a few expensive old lags with not much in the tank (SJ, Austin, Wallace, Moses), coupled with the disastrous second window signings of Hendrick and Sanderson....I dunno. There was more at play than just a few injuries, I feel. I was a little disappointed MW went, but I didn't mind the idea of Beale at the time and nobody really knows how it would've gone had MW stayed.
Comes across as an intelligent and articulate man, very rare in football. However, a few rose tinted specs are being worn on here. His first season was, looking back, a missed opportunity. The attack was excellent, but he never solved the defensive issues in 3 years. The football in the last season, especially the last 4 months was awful, and he has to except partial blame for the mess now - lack of pace, lack of players in key positions, over spend etc.
I'd have him back in a second as DoF though, which always seemed his more natural role. LES OUT!
First season a bit, but the fact we are even thinking that shows what a incredible job he did that year. To revolutionise that squad in one summer and then make the play-offs wouldhave been close to miraculous, regardless of the strike force.
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