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Football

01st Apr 2019

Steve McClaren sacked as QPR manager after shocking run of form

Marc Mayo

QPR have only won one league game since Boxing Day

Steve McClaren became the latest Championship manager to bite the dust on Monday as Queens Park Ranger sacked the former England boss after less than a year in charge.

With just one win in their last 11 games, QPR have stagnated in mid-table having looked like an outside bet for the play-offs at the back end of 2018. Taking cup games out of the equation, they have registered just a single victory since Boxing Day – against second placed Leeds.

Since beating the promotion chasers, McClaren has watched his side lose at home to Rotherham and Bolton, both of which are lodged in the Championship relegation zone.

On Monday, the club announced his departure with John Eustace taking over as caretaker.

McClaren’s career began under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson at the turn of the century and he soon joined the backroom setup of the England national team as well. From there, he smashed expectations at Middlesbrough and got the England gig full-time.

The second choice to Luiz Felipe Scolari, McClaren endured a nightmare spell that saw him fail to qualify for Euro 2008, earning the infamous ‘Wally with a Brolly’ tag after watching the Three Lions lose to Croatia in the rain while a vibrant – and soaking wet – Slaven Bilic romped around the touchline.

A brief respite of genuine success with FC Twente in the Netherlands didn’t lead to much joy at Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Derby or Newcastle and now the 57-year-old is looking for work once more.