It's the players' fault we're in trouble! Redknapp defends sacked Hughes after taking charge at QPR
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UPDATED:
15:28 GMT, 24 November 2012
Harry Redknapp has told the QPR players they are to blame for their current predicament.
Redknapp, as revealed by Sportsmail, was brought in to replace Mark Hughes after the Welshman was sacked on Friday.
Hughes walked out in disgust when he was
asked to take charge of Saturday’s game at former side Manchester
United but told he would then be dismissed whatever the result.
First look: Harry Redknapp takes his seat at Old Trafford to watch QPR against Manchester United
Centre of attention: Harry Redknapp is in Manchester to watch his new side face United
Redknapp has now has put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year deal worth 3million a year.
He inherits a squad without a Barclays Premier League win all season and one which is subsequently rooted to the bottom of the table and firmly entrenched in a relegation battle.
But Redknapp is not blaming Hughes for the problems and has told his new charges they need to look at themselves.
Ready for a fresh challenge: Harry Redknapp arriving home on Friday
Watching brief: Club shareholder Kamarudin Meranun (left) and QPR chief executive Phil Beard (second left) watch QPR's Stephane Mbia train after boss Mark Hughes was sacked
'The players have not performed to their potential,' he told Sky Sports News.
'They had a good manager in Mark
Hughes but for whatever reason it did not work out. We now have to
produce in the last two thirds of the season to try and get out of
trouble.'
Redknapp will watch today's meeting at Old Trafford but will not take the team until Tuesday's game at Sunderland.
Fury: Fans turned on Hughes following the defeat to Southampton at home, his final game before being sacked
WITH HARRY THERE'S HOPE
QPR
are the only team out of 92 league clubs yet to win a match this
season. But Harry has performed miracles before. When he took over from
Juande Ramos at Tottenham the team had only two points and his only
brief was to stop them slipping them into the Championship. He managed
to finish in eighth place that very season, and took Tottenham to the
Champions League two years later.
'We need a better performance today,'
he added. 'The players have to be at it. The buck stops with them. I
know Mark lost his job, but it's down to the players. He could only do
what he could do. The players have not performed to their potential.
'There are some good players here and
they really need to step up and start performing. They are man enough
to know they're to blame for the position we are in.
‘I’m looking
forward to it. It’s a big challenge and a tough job to take on but I’m
up for the challenge.
'I'm delighted to be back in the managerial hot-seat at QPR.
'When I spoke to the shareholders and they told me about their plans I knew this was too good an opportunity to turn down.
'There's
no doubt there's a lot of ability in the squad, but for one reason or
another things haven't gone as well as everyone expected since the start
of the season.
'I can't wait to get to work and get the results necessary to kick-start our season.'
On the ground: Beard watches training as shareholder Kamarudin Meranun (right) shares a joke with a QPR staff member
A positive result appears unlikely
today but regardless of whether QPR win or not, Redknapp is taking over a
side in firm danger of returning to the Championship.
'We can't get any lower,' he said. 'We
are rock bottom. We have to try and get up that table. I remember when I
was at Portsmouth and we stayed up with a game to go at Wigan – it was
the most fantastic feeling.'
QPR chairman Tony Fernandes said: 'Harry
was our number one target, the unanimous choice of the board and we're
delighted we've been able to attract him to the club.
The boss men: Redknapp (left) will take charge on Sunday, while Bowen
(right) will be in charge of the QPR team for the trip to Manchester
United
On the brink: Hughes took QPR training this week before being axed on Friday morning
FERNANDES TWEETS OF SUPPORT
OCTOBER 21 (QPR 1-1 Everton)
'Stop wasting your time and energy
on negative tweets. QPR needs time and stability. We have great squad
great manager great ceo. Takes time and a bit of luck.'
OCTOBER 29 (two days after Arsenal 1-0 QPR)
'I
honestly believe we have one of the best managers in the premier
league. And we are in for the long term. Whatever happens. We love QPR.
Ill be there at reading so rangers fans ill be available to meet and
chat. Trust me on this one. Keep the faith. Stability is the key.'
'Completely
right. Mark has my backing and the shareholders. We need a little luck
and no injuries. What’s written in the press is all rubbish. RT
@wayneoeyers: @tonyfernandes we must stick with Hughes. We haven’t been
playing poorly. The club needs stability, manager change would be
suicide!'
NOVEMBER 4 (QPR 1-1 Reading)
'We are doing
our best. Keep the faith. Need to get behind the team now. Positive
energy is what we need. RT @martingreen_qpr: Message to the entire QPR
team, staff, manager and **** head @tonyfernandes. Please don’t **** up
another one of my weekends.'
'A game of 2 halves. Players getting
used to premier league and different type of teams. Keep calm we will
come good. Plenty of time. Many opps to win the game. I’m calm. Won’t
please everyone. But as I keep saying stability is key.'
NOVEMBER 10 (Stoke 1-0 QPR)
'We
got to cut out errors. One error cost us and we got to take our
chances. Team played as planned. Must win next win. No panic. Table is
compressed. Defense was awful now fairly solid. Midfield strong. Got to
score now.'
'Keep the faith. Panic is not what the doc ordered.'
NOVEMBER 16
'Won’t
be happening. For the one millionth time. Hahaha. Stability. RT
@timnmcollins: @Jeffro_QPR @tonyfernandes @lieyaM_M Maybe you can
practice the “You’re fired” line on Mark Hughes #QPR'
NOVEMBER 17 (QPR 1-3 Southampton)
'I
feel gutted. I have put my heart and soul into this with my other
shareholders. And done all we can to give support to players and all
management. I can only apologise to the QPR fans. we keep fighting.'
'Let
me tell you Fans come first. Everyone including me let the fans down.
Many of us need a hard look at themselves. QPR has amazing fans. They
deserve better.'
AFTER HUGHES' SACKING…
NOVEMBER 23
'Though we have a change the long term vision of the club remains and much good work has already been done and will continue.'
NOVEMBER 23
'This is a club where the chairman and shareholders look at all things in a long term view. But also take the views of the fans who are the most important constituents of the club. To us fans come first.'
'His man-management skills are second
to none and we are confident he is the right man to lead us away from
the bottom of the table.'
Hughes, 49, was ready to start Friday’s training session when chief executive Philip Beard arrived at the
club’s west London complex with shareholder Kamarudin Merarun.
Sportsmail revealed on Monday how the
majority of the club’s hierarchy wanted Hughes sacked and we predicted
he would be gone before the weekend.
The Welshman had become so infuriated with external speculation over his position that he challenged Beard on the issue.
That’s when Hughes was given the
chance to take charge of QPR for the match against United but told he
would be sacked afterwards.
The manager declined the offer before leaving the training ground.
Hughes’s advisers thrashed out a severance package on Friday night on the 19 months left on a 3m-a-year deal.
His assistants, Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki, took training and will be in charge of the team at Old Trafford.
The news did not come as a major shock to the squad — Hughes’s future had been openly discussed.
Certain players are believed to have been consulted over the manager’s sacking and the appointment of Redknapp.
In addition to his salary, Redknapp will land a survival bonus of around 1m if he keeps the club up.
Redknapp admitted on Football Focus he was interested in coaching Ukraine and it was the eastern Europeans' public courting of the man they wanted three days a week on a 3m deal that triggered QPR’s sacking of Hughes, fearing they could miss out on
their top target.
All eyes will now be on the January
transfer market to see who, if anyone, Redknapp opts to bring in to a
club which had a high turnover of players under Hughes in the summer.
Michael Dawson, Redknapp's former
captain at Tottenham, has been mentioned, but Redknapp would only say:
“I have not discussed the money (for players) situation.
'I didn't say I wanted money to
spend. There are some good players here and we need to get them
performing so come January we might not need too much.'
One player who will not be wearing a
hooped shirt this season, though, is midfielder Joey Barton who is on
loan to French club Marseille after a falling out with Hughes.
'Joey is out on loan for the season so he can`t come back anyway,' Redknapp said.
'He has a proven track record in the
Premier League and has all the characteristics we were looking for to
get us out of the current situation we find ourselves in.
DATE'S FOR HARRY'S DIARY
Harry Redknapp will face his old club Tottenham for the first time as QPR manager on Monday, January 14 at 8pm.
Happy New Year, Harry.
BEFORE THAT…
Man Utd (away) tomorrow, Sunderland (away) Tuesday, Aston Villa (home) Sat, Dec 1
Wigan (away) Sat, Dec 8, Fulham (home) Sat, Dec 15, Newcastle (away) Sat, Dec 22
