When Wolverhampton Wanderers came calling for Mick Beale less than a month ago, Queens Park Rangers were sitting pretty at the top of the Championship table following a 3-0 thrashing of Cardiff City.
That QPR now find themselves down in seventh three weeks later – 10 points adrift of league leaders Burnley – is testament to just how quickly the picture can change in this most unpredictable and topsy-turvy of divisions.
Since turning down the Wolves job in late-October, Beale has lost four out of five Championship games, drawing the other. In his first senior managerial role, the former Aston Villa and Rangers assistant is facing his biggest challenge yet.
If Beale’s QPR career had been something of a fairytale so far, this is the part of the story where a conflict emerges. A conflict that must be resolved if a ‘happy ever after’ is to be had by all.
QPR are now closer to the relegation zone than they are to the top of the table. And all eyes will be on Beale, following the World Cup break, as he looks to prove he can halt Rangers’ slide down the table, while keeping pace with the chasing pack.
Mick Beale’s QPR slide down table after Wolves links
“We are in a blip where we haven’t won for five games. But I’m not sure all of our performances have deserved no points if I’m honest,” Beale argues to West London Sport.
“But we are seventh in the Championship. If we had been seventh in the Championship in a different way, we would be more positive. But the last few weeks haven’t tasted so good.”
After Beale proved his loyalty to QPR, rejecting the chance to take charge of a Premier League outfit while committing his future to the club he only joined a few months ago, Rangers may have to return the favour should a ‘blip’ transform into something more worrying.
“Wolves is a fantastic football club. It was a real privilege to be asked to speak to them but I didn’t think it was the right moment because I entered into an agreement here,” Beale told Sky Sports a couple of weeks ago.
“Integrity and loyalty are big things for me. And if they are the values you live by, you have to be strong. 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.”
For the first time in his QPR era, there are leaks in the hull. It’s up to Beale, now, to prove he can steer them clear of the icebergs and into calmer waters once again.
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