Former Leyton Orient caretaker manager Jobi McAnuff has offered his insights into the reasons behind the dismissal of former Queens Park Rangers (QPR) manager Gareth Ainsworth, who was let go last week. Journalist Darren Witcoop reported that Ainsworth was given three games to rescue his job: West Bromwich Albion away, Leicester City at home, and Rotherham United at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.
Following a 2-1 defeat to league-leaders Leicester, the QPR board decided to part ways with Ainsworth, as the team was in a perilous position inside the relegation zone with a six-game losing streak. Hammarby’s Marti Cifuentes was chosen as Ainsworth’s replacement after impressing in the Swedish Allsvenskan. His debut match in charge will be crucial for QPR as they face Rotherham, a team just one point ahead of them in the table.
Former Reading star and current pundit McAnuff shared his perspective on the appointment and also shed light on what went wrong for Ainsworth at QPR. He expressed:
“It wasn’t the right fit with Gareth Ainsworth and that squad. They’d been used to playing under a certain type of manager like Mark Warburton, Michael Beale. You go from one style to something completely different and it just didn’t work. My gripe with that group is I don’t think they worked hard enough to adapt to the way Gareth wants to try and play. But certainly for them now, this is a step in the right direction. Because of the position they’re in, it’s not like pre-season where you’ve got the summer to prepare, they are in a relegation scrap. The adaptation time now has to be quick. He (Cifuentes) seems to have a good understanding of what the league’s about.”
The article’s writer also offers their viewpoint, acknowledging the validity of McAnuff’s comments. However, they note that the contrast in playing styles between Ainsworth and Cifuentes is significant and might require time for the players to adjust, time that QPR may not have. They highlight that a victory against Rotherham could alleviate some pressure on the players, but a loss might leave QPR seven points adrift from safety if other results don’t go their way.