Mark Warburton is in line for a new QPR deal according to reports from The Sun and, if they do hold any truth, then yes – Warburton 100% deserves a new and improved QPR deal.
Amid all the wins, all the positive performances and all the optimism going into next season, one can’t help but remember a time when things weren’t so rosy for Warburton at QPR.
It was around Christmas time when Warburton experienced what were probably his darkest days in charge of the club. His side started the New Year with an FA Cup defeat at home to Fulham which capped a 10-game winless streak in all competitions.
But that defeat after extra-time marked a huge turning point in this season, and potentially in QPR’s future. They won six of their next seven in the Championship to give themselves an unlikely sniff of the top-six and despite falling (just about) out of play-off contention, positivity is rife within the club.
Fans are gearing up for what looks set to be a penultimate season in Warburton’s tenure. He’s heading into his third year at the helm and The Sun have controversially backed him for a new deal, after false claims of him leaving were aggressively shut down by the club yesterday.
Those false links to an FA role, coming after distant links to the England U21 job beforehand are a credit to him and how well his side have performed in 2021, and the loyalty he immediately showed in the face of those false FA links portray just how determined Warburton is to achieving a top-six finish next time round.
QPR have three games left to give themselves as much momentum as possible going into next season. Their win away at Swansea City last time out encapsulated everything that they’ve been working on in the second-half of the season – defensively astute, clinical when it most matters, and spirited, shown in their celebrations after Lyndon Dykes’ winning goal.
A lot needs to happen over the summer for promotion to become possible. Loans need to be made into permanent stays, players need to be kept from the clutches of Premier League vultures, and we fans need to remember how Warburton has dragged QPR through those woeful patches, and give him and the team the support necessary to end a six-year hiatus from the Premier League.
