Latest: Portsmouth favourites enter running for QPR role with former Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Oxford United man favoured by Blues fans

And Nathan Jones is in contention for the Loftus Road post, following the sacking of Neil Critchley yesterday.

Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth is the early front runner with the bookies with Critchley departing after just 12 games in charge.

The former Blackpool head coach collected just a single win in his tenure after replacing Michael Beale in December.

Ainsworth has gone to the front of the field, after a report in the Daily Mail made the 49-year-old favourite for the post – and news this afternoon of talks being in the offing.

He is currently odds on at 2/5 with Sky Bet, with Jones next up with the oddsmaker after being sacked by Southampton last week.

The next three names in the running will interest Pompey fans, with former Blues midfielder Shaun Derry third favourite at 7/1.

Derry left Crystal Palace at the end of last month, with reports he left Selhurst Park after ‘overstepping his role’ as coach.

Manager Patrick Vieira confirmed he engineered Derry’s exit, with the suggestion Derry’s confrontational approach conflicted with the Frenchman’s calmer methods.

Chris Wilder, who was a popular choice among supporters to succeed Danny Cowley at Fratton Park, is fourth favourite at 16/1.

Next in line is former Blues winger Paul Hall - priced at 20/1.

Hall was interim manager at QPR after Beale’s exit and is currently the club’s under-23 head coach.

The former Coventry man was Jamaica’s head coach until last September, before he stood down citing inadequate support from the club’s football association as the reason for his departure.

Hall was keen on becoming Pompey’s new head coach before John Mousinho came into the position last month.

Other names such as Brian Barry-Murphy (33/1) and Anthony Barry (40/1) and Lee Bowyer (40/1) are all in contention, after on the bookies’ list to arrive at Pompey.

QPR made the decision to sack Critchley after finding themselves go from play-off contention to being drawn into a relegation battles.

A club statement said: 'After seeing the team slip from play-off contenders to one being drawn into a relegation battle, the Board felt it had to act.

'There is no doubt Neil inherited a difficult situation when he joined and we would like to acknowledge his superb work ethic and professionalism throughout our dealings.

'He is a fantastic man and we have no doubts he will go on to be a success elsewhere, just as he was at Blackpool.'