Next QPR Manager Odds: Gareth Ainsworth dominates the market to replace Neil Critchley

Queens Park Rangers have announced the departure of Neil Critchley after just 12 games in charge of the club (11 in the Championship). He started his tenure brightly with an away win against Preston North End but Michael Beale’s replacement has only managed to pick up eight points in his tenure, missing out on a total of 25 points since he joined. 

QPR are currently on a run of 10 games without a win in the Championship and they are sitting in 17th place in the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone and 10 points away from the playoffs in a very tight division. The club have made the hard choice to attempt to salvage something from this season with a new manager. Below we will take a look at the early candidates for Critchley’s replacement in the betting markets.

Gareth Ainsworth

It won’t come as much of a surprise for QPR fans to see Gareth Ainsworth as the early favourite in the next QPR manager odds market. The 49-year-old has been at Wycombe since 2012 and has seen them go all the way from avoiding relegation to the Conference via goal difference to promotion to the Championship.

Gareth Ainsworth spent seven years at Loftus Road as a player and has been linked with the position on a number of occasions. He comes in as the heavy 1/3 favourite (William Hill) for this job and whilst it’d be a big shame for Wycombe fans to see him go, it’s a big step up for the manager and returning to one of his old clubs is something that has always been on his radar.

Nathan Jones

Nathan Jones is a manager who is available straight away as he was recently sacked by Southampton just and he enters the next QPR manager market as the 2/1 second favourite. Reports suggest that the club are considering him after his Premier League departure and it could be a great move for QPR.

Whilst his time at Southampton was less than ideal, his time at Luton was remarkable. He guided Luton all the way from League Two in 2018 to a top-six finish in the Championship last season. It made sense for Southampton to give him a go but it, unfortunately, seemed like too big a step up for him. With the position QPR finds themselves in at the moment, he could be a great manager to help keep them up in the Championship.

Others

The market gets a bit dicey after the two big players at the top. Shaun Derry, Chris Wilder, and Frank Lampard are all available at prices north of 10/1 and following them you have a plethora of candidates at the 33/1 mark.

Shaun Derry did have a stint as a QPR player from 2010-2013 which explains the slightly lower price of 10/1 but his managerial experience isn’t ideal for the position and hasn't been in a managerial job since 2018 when he left Cambridge United via mutual consent. 

It does seem like a battle between Gareth Ainsworth and Nathan Jones. Jones seems like the easier option as he is not currently at a club but Gareth Ainsworth has been a big target for them in the past. Whatever happens, they’ll need someone to come in soon and rescue their season.