Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

In the natural world, the QPR manager would be a mayfly. Hatched into golden sunshine, head full of promise and wonder, within 30 minutes or a day if he is lucky, a trout or other carnivorous beast will come along and extinguish his all-too-brief flame. They might just have time to reproduce (this is the equivalent of Paul Hart handing the reins over to Mick Harford, the analogy does stretch) but more often than not, if you blink you will miss them.

Mick Harford then has done remarkably well to still be buzzing around Loftus Road (okay, I'll stop now) particularly considering the dismal run of form the club embarked upon in his first six games, losing five and drawing one. On the seventh time of asking, Mick finally led the club to a long-awaited three points and with Flavio Briatore now taking a back-seat, the axe might not be wielded so liberally in future at QPR.

That said, Harford himself has intimated that the club need a permanent manager and quickly and he is humble enough to admit that certain candidates are more suitable. On top of that, with a new guy, Ishan Saksena, in the board-room, the impetus to make a completely fresh start will be strong and in football, there is always a queue of former players or unemployed managers ready to step in at any time. Who, then, are the favourites to succeed Harford should the club decide to dispense with his services?

Neil Warnock - Warnock's succession to the post of QPR manager has been presented recently as the worst-kept secret in football. Following his Crystal Palace side's impressive 2-2 FA Cup draw with Aston Villa on February 14, Warnock said he was unsure if he could stay at the club, mainly because of the uncertainty following their fall into administration. Even more so than at QPR, should new owners be found at Palace, they could well bring in their own candidate and might also feel that Warnock's personality is too strong to allow them room to manoeuvre.

On the other hand, he has poured cold water on the idea of a switch in recent days. Following the weekend's defeat to Coventry City, Warnock refused to answer questions about the QPR job, but following a press conference today, all signs were that he will be at Palace for at least their next two games, the important FA Cup replay with Villa tomorrow and the even more vital Championship game with Doncaster this weekend.

Another deterrent could be his age - at 61, it was widely felt that the Palace job would be his last. After all that is said, he still has to be the favourite amongst the names being banded about at the moment.

Iain Dowie - When you get through as many managers as QPR, you can never rule out the possibility of turning to an ex-manager for help. One report in the weekend's newspapers suggested that Iain Dowie, who lasted five months in the job back in 2008, could answer Rangers' calls once more. Whilst Neil Warnock still looks like the favourite, Dowie could be a relatively risk-free option if that doesn't materialise and also with better experience of Championship football than Mick Harford.

Maintaining QPR's image as a credible, progressive club if they have to re-hire managers they have previously sacked could be harder though, although with Briatore out of the picture, Dowie could enjoy a more pleasant working experience should he return. A back-up option.

Mick Harford - Perhaps the stability the club craves and which Harford himself says is so important to their future will best be served by sticking with the current incumbent, despite his poor match record since taking sole responsibility for the team. He himself said his chances of the job would be vastly improved had results been better but in terms of performances, QPR have been on a gradually upward curve in the last few games. On top of that, he seems to have won the respect and trust of a previously inharmonious dressing room. Could it be a case of better the devil you know?

Alan Curbishley - Curbishley has been long-linked with a summer move to Loftus Road and the suspicion around the new year was that Harford was merely holding the fort until Curbishley could step in. The main stumbling block was his compensation claim against West Ham, whom he left 17 months ago and against whom he successfully lodged a complaint of unfair dismissal. With that matter now settled and with the manager keen to get back into the game, he could be an easier and less costly alternative to Warnock, with no need to compensate a previous club as he is a free agent.

Lothar Matthaus - We are now into the realms of the long-shot. Matthaus' recent attendance at Loftus Road was enough to get tongues wagging that QPR were dipping back into the European market to find their new manager, following previous experiments with Paulo Sousa and Luigi De Canio. As reported in the Evening Standard, Matthaus is another candidate who is eager to get back into the game and his previous record, including spells in Israel, Brazil, Austria and Hungary indicates that he is pretty flexible when it comes to employment.

Of all the options listed above, this seems like the weakest option though as he has no experience of English football. In the time it would take him to adjust to life in London and his new team, QPR could have slipped into the relegation area. Highly unlikely.

If it is one of these options or none, I'd suggest that the key factor is that a decision is made quickly.

If they are happy with Harford, the new chairman should make a statement to that effect and let the supporters know that he will stay at least until the end of the season.

If they feel he is not the right man, they need to plump for a preferably experienced candidate soon, ideally someone with knowledge of the squad and the Championship. QPR have some very tough fixtures ahead and further uncertainty could push them nearer to the relegation spots once again.