Queens Park Rangers have announced the appointment of Neil Critchley as their new head coach.
Last month, the Championship outfit saw Michael Beale depart Loftus Road in order to return to Rangers, where he had previously been on the backroom staff of Steven Gerrard.
However, Beale's departure would not have necessarily come as a total surprise to the club's hierarchy having previously fended off interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Despite Beale's exit coming on November 28, QPR have taken their time in finding a replacement, allowing Paul Hall to take charge of Sunday's fixture with Burnley.
On the back of that 3-0 defeat to the leaders, the London outfit have now confirmed that they have handed the reins to Critchley.
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Coincidentally, Critchley was last at Aston Villa as assistant head coach, where he replaced Beale who opted to accept an offer with QPR.
Speaking to the club's official website, Critchley said: "I am very excited and can't wait to get started. It is a huge honour for me and I would like to thank the owners, Les Ferdinand and Lee Hoos for entrusting me to lead the club.
"I would also like to thank Paul Hall and his staff for the hard work they have put in during the interim period. Now I am looking forward to getting to work with the players and staff. I already know some of the players from working with them previously and I am aware of a number of them, having followed their careers from afar.
"There have been some good foundations laid here and now it is my job to work as hard as I can to build on that. We want to move the club forward and ensure we are competing at the top end of the Championship table."
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While Critchley had made an impact behind the scenes at Villa and, before that, Liverpool, it is the 44-year-old's spell in charge of Blackpool which has resulted in him becoming one of the most highly-regarded coaches outside of the Premier League.
In two full seasons at Bloomfield Road, Critchley guided Blackpool to promotion from League One before establishing the Seasiders in the second tier of English football.
Blackpool were able to finish in 16th position in the standings, never encountering the relegation battle that was anticipated by many before the start of 2021-22.
Critchley will begin his QPR reign with a fixture at Preston North End on November 17.
Darren Plant
