MY own club Queens Park Rangers have made some great managerial appointments over the years.
Here are the all-time top R’s managers in my opinion listed alphabetically. Many of these guys upset football betting odds by masterminding excellent QPR teams…
GERRY FRANCIS (1991-1994 & 1998-2001)
GERRY FRANCIS had two stints as manager of Queens Park Rangers, as well as two playing spells with our club.
Born in Chiswick, West London on 6th December 1951, Gerald ‘Gerry’ Charles James Francis originally joined us as a schoolboy. He made his R’s first team debut in midfield at the age of 17 against Liverpool at Loftus Road on 29th March 1969.
Francis went on to appear 352 times for us – mostly as skipper - and scored 65 goals. He also won 12 full England caps whilst a QPR man and was named as the national team’s captain.
His 19 year playing career also encompassed Crystal Palace, Coventry City , Exeter City, Cardiff City, Swansea City, Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers.
Francis cut his managerial teeth at Exeter City and Bristol Rovers prior to being appointed at Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 1991. After finishing 11th in his first season in charge, Rangers then achieved 5th place in the newly formed Premier League in 1992/93 followed by 9th the next year.
Then a dispute with chairman Richard Thompson led to Francis departing from Loftus Road in November 1994.
Following a period in charge at Tottenham Hotspur, Francis returned to the QPR hot seat in October 1998. Rangers were then in the second tier of English football with severe financial restrictions. We finished 20th and 10th before Francis became our director of football, allowing Ian Holloway to take over manager duties in February 2001.
Francis went back to Bristol Rovers as boss that summer. He later coached at Stoke City, Crystal Palace and West Brom.
Now aged 72, Francis lives in Surrey.
IAN HOLLOWAY (2001-2006 and 2016-2018)
IAN HOLLOWAY had two spells as manager of Queens Park Rangers after playing for our club.
Ian Scott Holloway was born on 12th March 1963 in Kingswood, Bristol. He had a 19 year playing career as an industrious midfielder for Bristol Rovers (three different spells), Wimbledon, Brentford, Torquay United (loan) and QPR.
Here at Rangers, ‘Ollie’ made 170 appearances and scored five goals between 1991 and 1996. Holloway progressed into management at Bristol Rovers and was then appointed boss at Queens Park Rangers towards the end of February 2001. He took over from Gerry Francis, who moved upstairs to become director of football at Loftus Road.
Rangers finished that season by being relegated to the third tier of English football. The club was plunged into financial administration and Holloway had to rebuild by recruiting free transfers, trialists and Non-League players.
The R’s achieved 8th spot in Division Two in 2001/02 followed by fourth place the following year and a 1-0 defeat against Cardiff City in the Play-Off Final at the Millennium Stadium.
We gained promotion as runners-up to Plymouth Argyle in 2003/04 and subsequently claimed 11th position in our first campaign back in the Championship.
Holloway parted company with Queens Park Rangers in February 2006. He later managed Plymouth Argyle, Leicester City, Blackpool, Crystal Palace and Millwall.
On 11th November 2016, Holloway was appointed at QPR for a second spell replacing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The R’s finished 18th and 16th during the next two seasons. Ollie parted company with Rangers on 10th May 2018.
He subsequently managed Grimsby Town for 12 months. Holloway is now 61 years old and works in football media.
GORDON JAGO (1971-1974)
GORDON JAGO succeeded Les Allen as Queens Park Rangers manager and he laid the foundations for our most successful team of all-time.
Born on 22nd October 1932 in Poplar, East London, Gordon Harold Jago had a playing career at centre-half for Charlton Athletic – making 137 appearances between 1954 and 1962. He went on to manage Eastbourne United and Baltimore Bays (USA) before being appointed as QPR’s coach in May 1970.
Jago took over the Loftus Road managerial post in January 1971. He reshaped our Second Division squad by selling Rodney Marsh and then buying Dave Thomas, Don Givens and Stan Bowles.
Looking back, Jago said: “It was the happiest period of my career. I took great pleasure from working with the R’s players and I always really enjoyed the quality of their play.”
Rangers won promotion in 1973 and finished eighth in the top flight 12 months later. After that, Jago resigned in October 1974 following a disagreement behind the scenes.
He said: “Years afterwards as QPR sustained their status at the highest level, I was able to quietly say to myself ‘I had a little bit to do with that.’ It was nice to see Rangers become firmly established as a strong club.”
Jago later managed Millwall before spells in charge at American teams Tampa Bay Rowdies and Dallas Sidekicks.
He is now 91 years old and has lived in the USA for more than 40 years.
DAVE SEXTON (1974-1977)
DAVE SEXTON was the man who put “Super” in the Superhoops by managing our best ever team.
David ‘Dave’ Sexton was born on 6th April 1930 in Islington, North London. His playing career was as an inside forward for Luton Town, West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace between 1951 and 1959.
Sexton went on to manage Leyton Orient and Chelsea before being appointed at Queens Park Rangers in October 1974.
Rangers ended up 11th in the top flight that season. We then finished runners-up by a point to Liverpool in 1975/76 with Sexton favouring an attractive brand of “total” passing football. QPR subsequently reached the Quarter-Finals of the UEFA Cup and the League Cup Semi-Final the following year.
Sexton left Loftus Road to become manager of Manchester United in the summer of 1977. He later managed Coventry City and the England Under-21 team.
On 25th November 2012, Sexton died at the age of 82.
ALEC STOCK (1959-1968)
ALEC STOCK was manager of Queens Park Rangers for nine years. During that period, we won national silverware for the only time in the club’s history.
Alec William Alfred Stock was born in Somerset on 30th March 1917. He an inside-forward with Tottenham Hotspur, Charlton Athletic and QPR before the Second World War.
Stock joined Non-League club Yeovil Town as player-manager in 1946 and oversaw their famous FA Cup run three years later when First Division Sunderland were famously beaten at the sloping Huish ground.
He then managed Leyton Orient and AS Roma before taking charge at Loftus Road in August 1959. The R’s enjoyed mixed fortunes during Stock’s early years - finishing 8th, 3rd, 4th, 13th, 15th, 14th and 3rd in Division Three between 1959 and 1966.
Then in 1966/67 after signing prolific goalscorer Rodney Marsh, Stock led Rangers to the Third Division title. We also lifted the League Cup that season by beating favourites West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in the first Final to be staged at Wembley Stadium.
QPR subsequently finished runners-up in Division Two in 1967/68 to reach the top flight for the first time in our history. However, Stock left the club after a period of illness in August 1968.
He later managed Luton Town, Fulham and Bournemouth as well as returning to Loftus Road as a director (1977–1979).
Stock was 84 years old when he died on 16th April 2001.
TERRY VENABLES (1980-1984)
TERRY VENABLES was the only manager of Queens Park Rangers to reach an FA Cup Final.
Born on 6th January 1943 in Dagenham, Essex, Terence Frederick ‘Terry’ Venables had a good career as a crafty midfielder with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, QPR and Crystal Palace, winning two England caps.
His playing time at Loftus Road was from August 1969 until September 1974. Venables made 206 appearances for the R’s – many as captain – and scored 22 goals. He specialised in taking unusual free-kick routines honed on the training ground.
After retiring as a player in 1976, he managed Crystal Palace for four years. Venables then took over the hot seat at QPR in October 1980.
Rangers went on to reach the FA Cup Final in 1981/82, win promotion in 1982/83 as Second Division champions and qualified for Europe by finishing fifth in Division One in 1983/84.
Venables left in May 1984 to become manager of Barcelona. He has subsequently managed Tottenham Hotspur, England, Australia, Crystal Palace and Leeds United.
Looking back on his service with QPR, Venables said: “I was there nearly 10 years as a player and manager and they were marvellous times. So I remember my two spells at Loftus Road with real affection as we were very successful.”
Venables died on 26th November 2023 (aged 80 years).
NEIL WARNOCK (2010-2012)
NEIL WARNOCK’S stint as manager of Queens Park Rangers included gloriously winning promotion to the Premier League.
Born on 1st December 1948 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Warnock spent 12 years playing as a winger in the lower divisions. He had spells with Chesterfield, Rotherham United, Hartlepool United, Scunthorpe United, Aldershot, Barnsley, York City and Crewe Alexandra.
Warnock subsequently moved into management at Gainsborough Trinity, Burton Albion, Scarborough, Notts County, Torquay United, Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle, Oldham Athletic, Bury, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace.
On 1st March 2010, QPR appointed Warnock as their fifth manager of the Championship season after agreeing compensation with Crystal Palace. His first task was to stop 20th placed Rangers from being relegated to League One. We eventually finished that season in 13th spot.
Warnock then set about rebuilding his squad during the summer and Queens Park Rangers went on to win the Championship in fine style during 2010/11. This defied all betting logic!
“It was a wonderful feeling,” Warnock said. “I think it’s the best job I've ever done. I’ve had other promotions but not in such a short space of time - just 13 months from battling relegation with QPR to clinching the Championship title.”
However, Warnock parted company with the R’s on 8th January 2012 following a disappointing FA Cup performance away to MK Dons.
He has since managed Leeds United, Crystal Palace, QPR (caretaker in 2015), Rotherham United, Cardiff City, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield Town and Aberdeen.
Warnock is now 75 years.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
