Marti Cifuentes compared to Neil Warnock, Ian Holloway and other past QPR bosses after gardening leave decision

QPR have been rocked this week by the news that manager Marti Cifuentes has been put on gardening leave. The Hoops have effectively been left without a manager after an apparent bust-up between Cifuentes and Christian Nourry.

It has been suggested that Cifuentes wanted the West Brom job, and that led to a fallout that has seemingly cost him his job at Loftus Road. A club statement read: “Marti Cifuentes has been placed on gardening leave. Assistant coaches Kevin Betsy and Xavi Calm will take charge of first-team affairs on an interim basis and prepare the squad for our final fixture of the 2024/25 campaign against Sunderland.”

QPR chief CEO Christian Nourry said: “This is naturally a disappointing situation for everyone concerned. I fully understand and appreciate supporters’ frustrations at this time. As a club, we are working to ensure this matter is resolved as swiftly as possible so we can start preparations in earnest for the future.”

Cifuentes will leave - barring a surprise reversal - having secured QPR’s status in the Championship in back-to-back seasons. He said after his latest success in keeping the club in the second tier: “I value what this team has achieved this season so far more than what we achieved last season. Last season was big. It was a very big effort from everyone to escape from relegation and we did but I think what everybody from this group has been through this season is even more tough – 100 per cent.

“So I give a lot of value to have 50 points [this season] and big credit to the players. They are an honest group and we have been through a lot of difficult moments this season and together with the fans we have almost done it. Now is the last push. Let’s try to see if we can do better than last season in terms of position in the table and in terms of points but at the moment to have 50 points… great job from the players.”

Cifuentes’ record compared to previous QPR bosses

Cifuentes won’t get that chance, it seems, so how does his record at Loftus Road compare to other bosses who have been in the role?

Should he leave now as expected, Cifuentes will take with him a winning percentage of 34.14%. He has won 28 of his 82 games in charge, drawing 23 and losing 31. That’s a touch under Mark Warburton’s percentage of 37.3.

During his successful reign, Neil Warnock managed a percentage of 39.2%, although a chunk of that came in the Premier League. Ian Holloway, who achieved promotion from the third tier, managed a win percentage of 39.7%. More recently, Michael Beale managed a win percentage of 40.9%, although he only oversaw 22 games.

Of those who have managed more than 20 games, Welshman Ted Vizard remains top with a win percentage of 51.1% from 186 games, and Terry Venables is second with a win rate of 49.7% from 179 games. Of those who have managed more than 20 games, Ray Harford has the worst record, winning 12.2% of his 41 games in charge.

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