Warnock has been in charge at Loftus Road for just two years, in the process taking Rangers into the Premier League in a suitably newsworthy fashion - potential points deduction and rumours of boardroom unrest nothing out of the ordinary for a man who seems to attract attention. QPR currently find themselves in 17th, just one place above the relegation zone. In spite of this position, it is widely regarded that Warnock's departure is something of a shock - especially considering managers Steve Kean , Roberto Martinez and Owen Coyle all remain in their jobs in spite of doing worse so far. Ex-Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue has summed up popular opinion by asserting that QPR's executives must have been 'smoking crack or something' when the decision was made.Is the decision wrong, though? Much of the support for Warnock seems to stem from personal sympathy, it's a shame this has happened to an honest bloke like him, rather than a frank assessment of his management credentials. Don't get me wrong, I am actually a big supporter of Neil Warnock. I respect the man's passion, his dedication and his honesty. I would now say though, as I did when QPR were promoted, that I don't think he is suited to the task at hand.
In the 21st century, football has essentially become a business. As we move forward, the room for sentiment in the modern game is closing dramatically. This sounds an odd assertion in a week where you'd be forgiven for thinking we'd stumbled into a romantic fantasy world - first Thierry Henry rejoined his beloved Arsenal on loan from New York Red Bulls, and then a veteran Paul Scholes returned from retirement to play once again for Manchester United. It remains true, however, as emphasised by the ruthless nature of Warnock's dismissal. QPR's chairman Tony Fernandes has stated that the decision to fire the former Sheffield United manager was 'in the club's best interest', and I think he may just be right.Frankly, I would argue that there is simply too much money in football now for chairman and chief executives to make decisions based on anything other than results. Owners must be aware of the capabilities of coaches when they hire them, and indeed when they fire them. Let's use Warnock as an example - the Yorkshireman is experienced at chasing promotion to the Premier League, but has very little prior when it comes to keeping them there. Simply, he is a very good, experienced Championship manager, but not a seasoned veteran when it comes to retaining that status. This is the concern I, and others, expressed when QPR first gained promotion - to expect Warnock to be able to hit the ground running was a tad naive.
Football clubs don't just hire managers with no awareness of their capabilities. Similarly, they don't keep managers on for no reason. QPR's season has shown the first signs of mirroring Warnock's traditional pattern, and Fernandes & co. clearly hope that by bringing in a new coach before the end of the January transfer window will give them time to turn things around. Club owners are more aware of managerial capability than the average fan thinks - Martin O'Neill's appointment at Sunderland a case in point. O'Neill is experienced in bringing stability and relative success to clubs with humble beginnings. The Aston Villa side he inherited in 2006 was a world away from the one he left at the start of last season. Similarly at Leicester, he achieved a monumental amount with minimal resources. There is a reason he was hired instead of others who may have been interested, just as there was a reason Harry Redknapp, Alan Pardew, Martin Jol or Roy Hodgson now find themselves at clubs which echo their previous experience.
This is also, in my belief, the reason why Andres Villas-Boas has not yet been removed from his job at Chelsea - his previous experience and capabilities imply that he will be able to turn things around under pressure. Paul Jewell at Ipswich, one of the most under-performing clubs in the football league, remains in a job despite a significantly worse record than Roy Keane because of his previous experience in gaining and retaining Premier League status at Bradford and Wigan. Similarly, Roberto Martinez showed at Swansea that he is a builder of teams, rather than someone from whom you should expect immediate results, a reputation I think has kept him in a job thus far. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. Frankly, how Steve Kean has survived the season this far is baffling, while Owen Coyle's previous experience at Burnley suggests that he is perhaps lucky not to have come under fire more seriously this season.While it is undoubtedly a shame to see the reign of a manager such as Warnock come to an end, I don't think that his dismissal warrants the outpouring of scorn towards the QPR board that has been the trend so far. As far as I can see, Warnock resembles a manager whose own success has been his undoing - promotion and increased transfer money has resulted in the man's own job outgrowing him, a harsh but arguably inescapable fact.
As a final little tribute to 'Colin', i'd like to draw your attention to a video which sums up why I like him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im85NY4NKt4
