After just over two years at the Loftus Road helm, Harry Redknapp has decided to step down as the manager of Queens Park Rangers.
The 67-year-old, who has cited upcoming knee surgery as the main reason behind his decision to resign, has left the R's 19th in the Premier League.
With the West Londoners facing an uphill battle to preserve their Premier League status, it has been reported that chairman Tony Fernandes is keen to make a swift appointment.
Here, Sports Mole has picked out five bosses that are regarded to be early contenders for the vacancy.
Currently the clear favourite with the bookmakers, Sherwood has long been linked with the managerial job at QPR. That only intensified when his former teammate and friend Les Ferdinand took up a head of football operations role with the R's last year. The 45-year-old has been out of work since leaving Tottenham Hotspur last summer, although he is known to have rejected a number of offers, including one from West Bromwich Albion. He would bring some passion to the position and he is bound to be brutally honest with QPR's underperforming players. Such an attitude may appeal to the man that bankrolls the club - Fernandes.
After so long out of the game, Redknapp offered the former England boss the position as first-team coach last year. The thinking was that QPR would start to deploy a 3-5-2 formation with Hoddle's influence, but that tactic was soon abandoned. It was perhaps surprising that Hoddle has not been placed in interim charge, given his experience. He may have been out of the management game since 2006, yet his appointment, perhaps on a short-term basis until the end of the current campaign, could be invaluable.
Despite being among the favourites to be relegated during the 2012-13 campaign, Clarke kept West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League with 49 points - a Premier League record for the Black Country outfit. Some felt that he was harshly treated when he was sacked in December 2013, particularly when considering the job that he carried out during the previous campaign. He recently returned to the game with Reading, so the Scot may feel some loyalty towards the Royals for the faith that they have shown in him. However, a return to the Premier League may prove too big a temptation.
It may be fair to surmise that the role is currently Ferdinand's to lose. He has been placed in interim charge of the team while the search for a new manager begins. Were he to collect a positive result against Southampton at the weekend, Fernandes may simply decide to make an in-house appointment. Such a decision would be a risk, given that Ferdinand is a managerial rookie. Having said that, he has had the experience of coaching at a big club like Spurs. He is also highly admired by the QPR faithful following his playing spell at the club, so he could be a popular choice among the fans.
Just down the road from QPR, Warburton has been doing fantastic work in charge of Championship side Brentford. He took over from Wigan Athletic-bound Uwe Rosler in December 2013 and guided the Bees to promotion from League One. So far, they have been highly impressive in the second tier, playing some entertaining football along the way. So, while he may appeal to Fernandes, would Warburton be prepared to swap a promotion push for a relegation battle? Although undoubtedly ambitious, it wouldn't be a surprise if the 52-year-old were to decide it was too big a risk.
