QPR coaches to follow Beale to Rangers

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Neil Banfield, Damien Matthew and set-piece coach Harry Watling will join Mick Beale at Rangers. 

Beale is in Glasgow and is expected to be confirmed as Rangers boss later today.

Former Blackpool manager Neil Critchley is among those being considered as a replacement for Beale, who is set to leave QPR after just 21 league games at the helm.


Banfield, 60, spent more than 20 years at Arsenal and joined QPR following the appointment of Mark Warburton as manager in 2019 – he was a senior scout at Rangers when Warburton was manager of the Scottish club.

Banfield remained on the coaching staff after Warburton was succeeded by Beale, who brought in Watling, 32, during the summer and installed former Chelsea midfielder Matthew, 52, as assistant boss.

Beale, who previously coached at Liverpool and Chelsea, was Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Rangers before they left Glasgow when Gerrard became manager of Aston Villa.

Beale left Villa to take over at Loftus Road during the summer and was replaced as Gerrard’s assistant by Critchley, who quit as Blackpool boss in order to take the job – like Beale, he previously worked with Gerrard as a coach at Liverpool.

QPR coach Neil Banfield
Banfield previously spent 21 years on the coaching staff at Arsenal

Critchley is now available, having left Villa following the sacking of Gerrard, and his record of developing players and working on a modest budget makes him an obvious contender to replace Beale.

QPR might need to move quickly, however, as Critchley has been discussing taking a coaching role at Bournemouth.

Beale recently rejected the chance to take over as Wolves manager but was never likely to say no to Rangers, where he is a popular figure.

Speaking after it was confirmed he would not be leaving for Wolves, he said: “I didn’t think it was the right moment, because I entered into an agreement here.

“Integrity is a real big thing for me, and loyalty. You don’t give it to receive it back but I think if they’re the values you live by then at times when you’re put in a position then you have to be strong by them.

“I have been all-in here and I have asked other people to be all-in so I can’t be the first person to run away from the ship.”