Saturday 14 February 2015 15:41, UK
QPR have handed Chris Ramsey the reins until the end of the season. We take a look at the varied career of the man tasked with keeping them in the Premier League…
Chris Ramsey took charge of QPR after Harry Redknapp’s resignation and immediately halted the club's run of 11 Premier League away games without a win as he oversaw a 2-0 victory at Sunderland.
The 52-year-old has made no secret of his desire to take the job but it's a big endorsement of Ramsey's qualities that he has been entrusted with the role, especially with QPR's precarious position in the Premier League table.
Managing a top-flight English side is a big step up for Ramsey, whose playing highlight was an appearance in the FA Cup final in 1983, but he has forged a strong portfolio of coaching at both club and international level over the years.
After learning his trade as a player-coach in Malta and the USA, he became the first black manager of an England team when he took the U20 squad – which included Ashley Cole and Peter Crouch – to the 1999 World Youth Championship.
A stint as assistant at Luton was followed by three years in charge of US second-tier club Charleston Battery, where he won the USL A-League in 2003. The former Brighton and Swindon defender then joined Tottenham, where he spent almost a decade in a variety of roles with the academy and senior squad, including as first-team coach under Tim Sherwood last season.
While at White Hart Lane he also formed part of the England U20 setup again in 2013, acting as Peter Taylor’s assistant at the World Cup in Turkey, where current man-of-the-moment Harry Kane led the line for the Young Lions.
Ramsey was a popular figure at Spurs, having worked with the academy and the first team, with Ledley King one of the many senior players who enjoyed his approach to both the game and youth development – something the QPR squad seem to have bought into already.
"He is one of the best coaches around." King told the London Evening Standard in 2012. "The youngsters love the way he works and they have really bought into his methods.
"If you look at what he's done, he's brought fresh ideas and they have filtered through. Chris has changed a lot at Tottenham, in terms of the academy and the improvement of players."
Ramsey started his senior playing career at Brighton and reached the 1983 FA Cup final with the Seagulls, playing out a 2-2 draw with Manchester United before missing the 4-0 defeat in the replay through injury.
After spending three years at Swindon – where he won the old Fourth Division in 1986 – he had a short spell at Southend before finishing his playing career abroad as he moved into coaching, first with Maltese outfit Naxxar Lions and then Cocoa Expos in the US.
Last year Ramsey and QPR club legend Les Ferdinand both moved to Loftus Road after taking an FA course together which qualified them to become boardroom directors. The latter was handed the director of football role at QPR at the beginning of February, while Ramsey has now been entrusted with immediate matters on the field.
The caretaker boss handed youngster Michael Doughty his debut in Wednesday’s win at Sunderland – a move that appears to match the sentiments of club chairman Tony Fernandes.
Ramsey’s experience with the youth set-up at Loftus Road could stand him in could stead to take the job permanently in the summer, with Fernandes keen to develop players from within rather than follow a pattern of bringing in expensive talent.
"We've made a number of mistakes in the transfer market over the last few years and it's something we want to change,” Fernandes told Talksport last week.
"We don't want to be a buying club - we want to nurture young talent and build a young, ambitious team."
He’s been matter-of-fact about things, really clear and direct in his instructions - it’s something the lads have really appreciated and obviously responded to
It's clear Ramsey is a popular figure among players, and that could be a key factor in ensuring the Rs keep their top-flight status for another season.
During his time as a coach he has garnered a reputation for being an approachable character, and goalkeeper Rob Green was singing his praises after the win at the Stadium of Light.
“It’s been a great few days – difficult circumstances for him to come into,” said the goalkeeper. “He’s been matter-of-fact about things, really clear and direct in his instructions. It’s something the lads have really appreciated and obviously tonight have responded to."
Whether Ramsey can convince Fernandes to give him a long-term deal remains to be seen, but a champion of youth development such as he is likely prove to be popular, especially if he can unearth the next Harry Kane or Charlie Austin at Loftus Road.
