Neil Critchley honoured to take top job at QPR

Neil Critchley has described it as a “huge honour” to be appointed QPR head coach.

The former Blackpool manager has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the R’s. He succeeds Mick Beale, who quit last month to take charge of Rangers.

Critchley, 44, led the Tangerines to promotion from League One but quit in June 2022 to become Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Aston Villa.

Critchley left in October, a day after Gerrard had been dismissed from his post.

“I am very excited and can’t wait to get started,” Critchley told QPR’s official website. “It is a huge honour for me and I would like to thank the owners, Les Ferdinand and Lee Hoos for entrusting me to lead the club.

“I would also like to thank Paul Hall and his staff for the hard work they have put in during the interim period.

“Now I am looking forward to getting to work with the players and staff. I already know some of the players from working with them previously and I am aware of a number of them, having followed their careers from afar.

“There have been some good foundations laid here and now it is my job to work as hard as I can to build on that.

“We want to move the club forward and ensure we are competing at the top end of the Championship table.”

QPR chairman Amit Bhatia said: “We are absolutely delighted to bring Neil to the club.

“Following the abrupt departure of Mick Beale it was important that we made a swift appointment, but also that we took the necessary steps to ensure it was the correct appointment. In announcing Neil today, we have achieved that.

“We have made a good start to the season and, in the same way Mick built on the strong work of his predecessor Mark Warburton, we wanted somebody who we felt certain could continue that progress for the club.

“We also wanted to ensure we appointed someone who shares the footballing philosophy of our club, and in Neil and his team we also feel confident we have achieved that.

“I’m excited for Neil to get started immediately and wish him the best of luck.”