Football: Ex-Cherries boss Redknapp confirmed as QPR boss (From Bournemouth Echo)

Football: Ex-Cherries boss Redknapp confirmed as QPR boss

7:00am Saturday 24th November 2012 in Sport

FORMER Cherries boss Harry Redknapp has this morning been confirmed as the new manager of QPR.

A spokesman for Redknapp had confirmed last night that talks were set to open between the west London club and Redknapp, who was sacked as manager of Tottenham over the summer.

The 65-year-old had been working in an advisory capacity at Cherries since leaving White Hart Lane, but took a step back from the role after Eddie Howe’s return last month.

And QPR have made their move after Hughes was sacked yesterday.

Hughes was given his marching orders with QPR having not registered a Premier League win all season.

The club’s 3-1 home defeat to relegation rivals Southampton last weekend appeared to have done for Hughes, while the QPR board was also understood to be concerned about missing out on Redknapp, whose representatives had been in Ukraine this week speaking about the possibility of managing the national team.

Redknapp, who lives in Sandbanks, had long been linked with the managerial position at Loftus Road as Hughes continued to fail to get the best out of his big-name players at the club.

But it is understood no contact was made until after Hughes was sacked.

As well as being unable to guide QPR to a league win this season, Hughes had struggled to pick up results since replacing Neil Warnock as manager back in January.

Rangers won only eight games in all competitions under the Welshman and it was reported Hughes rejected the chance to resign from his position in a meeting at the club’s training ground on Monday.

QPR owner Tony Fernandes consistently came out on Twitter to back Hughes but the defeat to Southampton appears to have been the final straw for the board, which released a statement yesterday confirming the end of Hughes’s tenure.

The statement read: ''Queens Park Rangers Football Club has today (Friday) terminated the contract of manager Mark Hughes with immediate effect.

“This decision has been taken after careful consideration by the Board of Directors, following numerous meetings over the last few days.”

The sacking came just 24 hours before QPR travel to face Manchester United at Old Trafford and the board have acted quickly in appointing Redknapp to replace Hughes.