"Sacked too early" - QPR, Neil Critchley claim emerges in manager debate | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit has picked which former manager he feels could've been given more time in the role

Highlights

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Martí Cifuentes has earned a lot of plaudits since becoming QPR manager last season.

The Spaniard took charge after the dismissal of Gareth Ainsworth, with the team struggling in the relegation zone in the Championship.

But the 41-year-old oversaw an impressive transformation of the squad’s form, guiding them to safety with an 18th place finish in the table.

Supporters will be keen to see Cifuentes remain at Loftus Road, amid speculation linking him with the vacancy at Sunderland.

The club has struggled to keep a manager long-term in recent years, with five different coaches having been in charge of the Hoops in the 2020s already.

QPR and Neil Critchley assessed

FLW’s QPR fan pundit Louis Moir believes that the recent manager of the club that deserved more time in charge was Neil Critchley.

While he suspects that the 45-year-old was doomed to failure anyway, he has claimed he would’ve liked to see the now Blackpool boss take on a few more games to see if he could turn things around.

“I think looking at past managers, there’s obviously not a lot of choice, but if you had to pick one out, I sound like a hypocrite because I was calling for him to be gone at the time because he didn’t last long at all, Neil Critchley,” Moir told Football League World.

“Obviously it didn’t go well in the slightest, but I do think he may have been sacked too early.

“By all means, it probably wasn’t going to work out because the signs were there straight away, I just don’t think he fit, like him and QPR just did not match up.

“We got a winning start under him.

“Obviously he only lasted that game really, but I do recall us playing really well in a night game against Sheffield United, and they were doing well, and we looked a great side.

“I do think if we hadn’t had that embarrassment in the FA Cup when we lost to Fleetwood, I think he called out the players and it’s always downhill from there.

“I’m just saying he maybe could’ve been given a few more games to just see how it would’ve panned out.

“Bar him, you look back at other managers and you can’t see anything good about them.

“The ones that didn’t do well because they were just diabolical really, but I would’ve been interested to see how Neil Critchley would’ve gone with just a few more games under him.”

Neil Critchley's QPR record

Critchley was appointed by the London club in December 2022 following the sudden departure of Michael Beale to Rangers.

He oversaw just 12 games during that time, departing again in February 2023 after just one win to his name.

Ainsworth replaced Critchley, which then led to the arrival of Cifuentes, so everything worked out for QPR in the end.

Critchley has since returned to management with Blackpool, guiding the Seasiders to an eighth place finish last season.

Cifuentes has worked out better than so many QPR managers

QPR have cycled through a lot of names in the dugout, especially in the last few years since Mark Warburton departed.

But Cifuentes has stood out as easily their best appointment, so there won’t be too many looking back and wanting a return to Critchley, Ainsworth or anyone else.

It would be a real blow if the Spaniard did leave for Sunderland, but a move to the Stadium of Light looks unlikely at this stage.

Critchley has returned to Blackpool, where he was previously successful, which is also probably a better environment for him to be working in, as things just didn’t click for him at QPR, even if he maybe deserved another few games to turn things around.