QPR: Christmas should be the cut-off for Hughes

Mark Hughes is hanging on by a thread at Loftus Road

As QPR appear to be sticking with Mark Hughes, Christian Crowther asks whether this is the right decision...

Rock bottom of the Premier League without a win all season, things couldn't look any bleaker from a QPR perspective. These are the figures that cost managers their jobs in this day and age (well any for that matter), though for now at least, Rangers' chairman Tony Fernandes is breaking the mould and sticking with his man.

However, is this really the right decision or should we all be backing Hughes' QPR side for relegation right now at 1.75/7?

ARGUMENTS FOR KEEPING HUGHES:

Stability
This is often the buzz word pundits like to use in defence of managers but for QPR above most other clubs, this really does hold significance. The R's have had seven permanent managers since Luigi De Canio took over in October 2007. If QPR get rid of Hughes, they risk falling into a perpetual cycle, which is exactly what Fernandes is trying to arrest.

QPR haven't played that bad
While they have undoubtedly struggled, QPR have not been getting hammered by other sides. Since their opening weekend 5-0 shockers against Swansea, Rangers have drawn four games and have lost only two of the seven others by more than a one-goal margin, even holding high-flyers Chelsea and Everton at Loftus Road. 

His signings should support him
Hughes made 11 new signings in the summer, many of which are being blamed for not showing enough heart or desire for the shirt. However, they all owe the Welshman a debt of gratitude for bringing them to the club and, if he is allowed time, surely he's the man they should respond to and raise their game for. 

His record at Blackburn 
Hughes forged a really good side at Blackburn, twice finishing inside the top seven in the Premier League in a four year spell, securing European football in his first full season at Ewood Park. 

ARGUMENTS AGAINST:

The results have not been good enough
Results rule the roost in management land and that is why the doors are constantly revolving at football clubs up and down the land. The maths does not make good reading for Sparky and not many bosses could expect to keep their job in the same position.

He's made duff signings
Many of the club's supporters and commentators alike have accused Hughes of making the wrong types of signings. There is certainly some truth in it. The majority of the players are in the latter part of their careers and some could even be seen as mercenaries looking for that one last lucrative contract. A portion of players are on inflated wages, leading to fears of a Portsmouth-type situation further down the road. More young players with greater hunger would have suited the club better perhaps. 

The rot has set in
Fans chanting from the stands do not necessarily spell the end for managers, though it doesn't help their cause at all. When it became apparent QPR were going to lose to Southampton on Saturday, some sections of the support started singing "you're only here for the money" towards some of the players. Hughes alluded to some of the players' "mental strength" being a problem after the Saints game and changes could be afoot when they face Manchester United on Saturday.

It's a difficult one to call. The results are bad but QPR are a club which desperately need stability and yet another managerial change is clearly not what the chairman wants. After their trip to Old Trafford this weekend, QPR have three fixtures against teams currently 15th or lower in the table and then games against Fulham and Newcastle taking them up until Christmas. If Hughes hasn't trebled their point tally by then, the case for letting him lead them into 2013 will be practically non-existent.