Hughes meets with Beard as Marsh gives his views

Monday, November 19, 2012
9:29 PM

Mark Hughes tonight remains in charge of QPR despite speculation that he had been sacked.

Rumours started circulating on Twitter that Hughes’ 10-month reign at Loftus Road had come to an end after the club’s terrible start to the season.

But Kia Joorabchian, who represents Hughes, told the BBC that claims the 45-year-old had been removed from his position were “not true at all”.

QPR also said Hughes remains in charge. The former Manchester United and Bayern Munich striker is expected to take charge of training tomorrow.

Winless Rangers are rock bottom of the Barclays Premier League, five points behind 17th-placed Reading, who have a match in hand.

Hughes today met with QPR chief executive Philip Beard - the man chairman Tony Fernandes sent to fire previous manager Neil Warnock - at the club’s training ground in west London.

Hughes did not take training today, but the club insist that is common practice as they players were in for a light session.

Having signed 11 first-team players - some of them from Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Manchester United - Hughes was expected to guide Rangers to the top half of the table, but a 3-1 defeat to Southampton on Saturday stretched QPR’s winless run to 12 matches.

Rangers then have winnable games against Sunderland, Aston Villa and Wigan, and former QPR striker Rodney Marsh thinks Hughes should be given four matches to prove his worth.

“If I was the owner, I would sit down now and say ‘Mark, I am going to give you four games,” Marsh told BBC Sport.

“I would say ‘We are in desperate trouble. If we don’t improve our league position in four games, I am going to have to make a change.”’

Hughes himself pleaded to be given time and even said last Friday that he was convinced he could achieve a mid-table finish this season.