View from dugout: QPR manager Mark Warburton on the challenges facing his team

Mark Warburton
QPR manager

Managing in the Championship is a tough challenge but I was happy to take it on.

The club has a clear vision and a plan of how they want to progress.

It was always going to be a busy summer because we had five players out of contract and others who wanted to leave so we knew there was going to be quite a lot of change.

Bringing in too many is risky but we decided a radical strategy would be best in the long run.

• Championship team rankings

We want hungry players, fully committed to what we are trying to do, but we have to balance that against the demands of the squad.

We have looked short up front even though Aramide Oteh has done well in pre-season. More is needed but it is vital not to panic and wait for the right players to become available.

The matches comes thick and fast and the fans will have a huge part to play. It should help that I have experienced the division. There was success at Brentford, but I also had time.

From my involvement as director of football, working with Uwe Rosler, to leaving the head coach position I was there for four years and we did some good work, bringing in players like Adam Forshaw, Andre Gray, James Tarkowski and Jota.

Getting the recruitment right is crucial and that is what we must do at QPR.

• Championship relegation candidates

People ask if you would just be happy to stay up, but that would never be my approach. How can you get the best out of the players by setting horizons so low?

It is a tough, unpredictable league where three wins can take you close to the playoffs and three defeats can leave you struggling, so the only way you can sensibly approach it is by taking it game by game.

The division looks wide open. The relegated clubs should be strong and I particularly like Fulham, who have some good players.

Derby could go well again and it would not surprise me if one of the promoted clubs finished inside the top ten.

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