Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

QPR's new manager Neil Warnock is well-known for his frank talk and honest assessments of the game, though plenty of linesmen and referees probably wished he kept some of his opinions to himself over the years.

But Warnock, picutred above at previous club Crystal Palace, showed today that he can be as equally forthright when it comes to discussing himself. Speaking to Rangers' website, Warnock acknowledged that for many, he is football's answer to Marmite.

"I know fans either love me or hate me, but all I ask of the QPR fanbase is that you get behind me and the team and make Loftus Road a fortress again," he said.

"The support of the Super Hoops will play a massive role in my time here."

Many Rangers' supporters have grown increasingly disheartened with the club over the course of this season and there have been numerous voicings of their disapproval.

Previous QPR manager, Paul Hart, who took the vacant position left by Warnock at Palace this week, was booed by the Loftus Road crowd after just two games in charge due to a frustratingly negative performance against Bristol City.

Fan power could also have contributed to QPR's last chairman, Flavio Briatore, deciding to take a back-seat at the club and cede his position to Ishan Saksena.

Flavio's last two games as chairman were marred by boos and chants towards the director's box, with several hundred supporters congregating outside the stadium following a 1-0 defeat against Scunthorpe in January to call for his resignation.

So Warnock is smart in looking to win over the home crowd as soon as possible. Of course, the easiest way to win the adulation of QPR's fans will be to turn around the club's woeful form and ensure that they play Championship football next season.

Rangers are still just three points off the relegation places and the new manager doesn't have the luxury of any easy games as he settles into the job, with second-placed West Bromwich Albion visiting on Saturday and a trip to another of his previous clubs, Sheffield United, within the next two weeks.

One manager, Graham Taylor, has even questioned the thinking behind Warnock's switch from Palace to Rangers in his Daily Express column.

"Why join QPR at 61?" Taylor asked.

"Obviously his position at Palace had to be under threat due to the club being placed in administration.

"But he seems to have jumped out of one fire and straight into another."

Taylor certainly backs up Warnock's self-assessment by claiming that he was always top of his list of 'Opposing Managers To Avoid' on a match-day.

The Rangers' crowd will get their first taste of his own peculiar brand of charm this weekend.