QPR winger Tommy Smith has labelled the arrival of Mark Hughes as manager a 'positive move' ahead of a crucial part of the season.
Appointment gives Hoops squad 'fresh start'
QPR winger Tommy Smith has labelled the arrival of Mark Hughes as manager a 'positive move' ahead of what he feels is a crucial part of the season.
Former Manchester City and Fulham boss Hughes signed a two-and-a-half contract at Loftus Road on Tuesday just 48 hours after previous manager Neil Warnock was sacked with the club in 17th place following a run of eight games without a win.
Smith admits it was a surprise to the players when the news of Warnock's departure broke but the swift arrival of Hughes gives them fresh impetus heading into a critical run of fixtures.
"We're all very pleased," Smith told
Sky Sports News. "His record as a manager has been very good, obviously his playing record speaks for itself so it seems like a very positive move.
"Everyone gets a fresh start, it's a clean slate for everyone which is good and we have quite a large squad so it's important for the manager to come in and have a good look at the players we have got and he has a lot of quality in the squad for him to select
"It doesn't surprise me how quickly we have brought somebody in, but certainly the decision to get rid of Neil Warnock was a surprise to everyone but sadly that's football, it is results based.
Mistakes
"We've been close on quite a few occasions to getting points but one or two individual mistakes have cost us.
"The next four or five games are vital and we have to make sure we are fully prepared. The manager has come in pretty quickly and I'm pretty sure that was because of the games coming up.
"A swift appointment was needed and has been done so now we can all move forward and try and get ourselves prepared and ready for the games coming up."
Before his sacking, Warnock had revealed he was eyeing a number of new signings in the January transfer window to help his side's battle against the drop.
Speculation has already begun as to who Hughes may now be targeting in the coming weeks to improve his squad.
Smith expects his new boss to be equally as busy as Warnock had planned, thanks to the generous backing of owner Tony Fernandes.
"Clearly he [Hughes] will have his own agenda, he will have done his homework, he is a very bright guy so I'm sure there will be some transfer movement," added the 31-year-old.
Impression
"I heard before that Neil Warnock was trying to bring in three or four so whether he [Hughes] will be under the same impression we will have to wait and see.
"Knowing the chairman, he is very ambitious and this is perhaps something he thought he needed to do to make sure the club is going in the right direction.
"He is very hands on and he's been around the club more than other chairmen I've had before. It's good to see him at the club, at games and up at the training ground.
"There are lots of improvements that are needed and he is making sure things are moving in the right direction."
