‘Really disappointing’ - Shrewsbury assistant reflects on ill-fated spell at QPR

The pair had a wonderfully successful spell in Buckinghamshire, which included multiple promotions and saw them win more than 200 games of football. 

But after more than 10 years - overseeing 550 games - they swapped the top half of League One for a relegation battle in the Championship after opting to join QPR. 

They replaced Neil Critchley, who was sacked after the west London club went 10 matches without a win. 

But the Hoops’ decline had long set in, and despite guiding them to Championship safety in their first few months in position, Ainsworth and Dobson were unable to turn things around. 

 “That was quite a disappointing time,” Dobson reflected. “I grew up watching QPR as a young lad that was my team living in west London.

“I was quite excited to go back and get an opportunity to work there, but we went there at a really bad time. They got themselves in a really bad place with Financial Fair Play. 

“We knew they're in a relegation battle, and we've just got to keep the club up in the first season, and then we'll be able to build, but actually we couldn't. 

“We knew that there was a dressing room there that was not in a good way. Half of them wanted to rip the heads off the other half. 

“So you go into that environment totally different to Wycombe Wanderers. But you know we thought that's alright we'll move the ones out that we don't want, and we'll build with the ones that we do.”

Ainsworth was a popular figure at Loftus Road - he made more than 150 appearances during his seven-year stay as a player. He had also taken interim charge of the club on two separate occasions. 

But as their full-time boss, it did not work out for the 51-year-old. After five wins in 28 games in charge, he and Dobson were relieved of their duties in west London, with Rangers 22nd in the Championship with eight points from 14 games. 

And Dobson said they had faced some real challenges during that period - ones they were not necessarily aware of when they accepted the position. 

“Due to the FFP situation,” he continued. “We couldn't move anybody out. It was like doing a job with your hands tied, your legs tied, and a blindfold on. 

“At the end of the season, we had a meeting there, and the finance officer came in and everybody was out of contract. We were just told he's got to go, he's got to go, he's got to go and we went we need to get rid of these players. 

“They said no you can't do that, it's going to cost money and we needed to find, I won't tell you the sum of money, a big chunk of money.

“They thought Ilias Chair was worth £5 million, and that would have made a dent in it - but nobody wanted him, so that comes off the budget. 

“Gaz kept saying we've just got to get through to January. I'm saying Gaz we're not getting through to January with this team we're not doing it. 

“So it was really disappointing because they didn't tell us that before they recruited us they told us that two weeks after.”

In their current position at Shrewsbury Town, they are not in action this weekend due to the international break.