Former Naxxar Lions player Chris Ramsey pays tribute to his Maltese friends for their vital backing in the initial years of his coaching career after being named head coach of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers last week.

The man who openly admits that the time he spent in Malta “was the catalyst that changed my life” is now at the helm of an English Premier League club.

Chris Ramsey, who spent the final years of his playing career with Naxxar Lions between 1991 and 1994, was on Thursday named head coach of Queens Park Rangers until the end of the season.

His appointment is the culmination of a long, arduous journey that began with the single-minded Ramsey taking private lessons in Malta to improve his level of education before going on to become one of the most qualified coaches in English football as well as a teacher.

Ramsey has now been given the chance to prove himself among the big boys in the world’s most glamorous league but he hasn’t forgotten where he has come from.

As he reflected on the remarkable events that saw him turn from caretaker manager to a strong candidate for the QPR job in the space of a few days, the affable Englishman hailed former Naxxar Lions team-mates Ray Farrugia, who currently occupies the post of assistant to Malta coach Pietro Ghedin, and Paul Sixsmith as key figures in the early years of his coaching career.

“Straightaway, straightaway,” Ramsey replied when asked if he thought of his Maltese friends when he landed the job at Queens Park Rangers.

“For Żażu (Ray Farrugia) and Paul Sixsmith, they are like brothers to me.

“I consider them to be a major part of my development along with Mr Mike (Zammit Tabona), Alan Zammit, who were there and supported me when I was in Malta, and a lot of other people that I met during my time with Naxxar Lions.

“I always say that I consider myself to be Maltese in some respects.”

QPR have also made some new fans in Malta as Ramsey’s friends have been keeping a close eye on the team’s progress since their former team-mate joined the club as head of player development and academy manager in October

“I hope so,” Ramsey said.

Żażu (Ray Farrugia) and Paul Sixsmith, they are like brothers to me. I consider them to be a major part of my development

“I was in Malta last summer. I intend to come back again this summer. I actually love the place and the people.”

Taking over the team on an interim basis following the resignation of Harry Redknapp, Ramsey oversaw a 1-0 defeat to Southampton in his first match in charge before steering QPR to a 2-0 win at Sunderland last week, their first away victory this season after 11 consecutive defeats.

The team’s spirited performance at the Stadium of Light proved the trump card for Ramsey amid growing reports that the QPR players had responded well to his training methods and approach.

Ramsey faces a daunting task to keep the team in the elite division as QPR are one place above the drop zone, level on 22 points with Aston Villa but with a better goal difference.

“Of course, that’s how it has to be... the hard work starts now,” Ramsey said.

“We need the fighting spirit that we saw on Tuesday and discipline.

“It has to be the experienced players who will help to galvanise the other players around.”

In an interview with The Sunday Times of Malta in 2012, Ramsey, then assistant technical co-ordinator at Tottenham, had made no secret of his desire to have a tilt at first-team coaching, saying: “What I don’t want to do is to be sat in my rocking chair, thinking to myself I should have given it another go. You don’t want to get by your sell-by date and not having had a go”.

Ramsey, who last season worked with the senior squad of Tottenham Hotspur alongside Tim Sherwood, the new manager of Aston Villa, is grateful to QPR owner Tony Fernandes and Les Ferdinand, the club’s director of football, for placing their faith in him.

“Yes. It is obviously a big opportunity which you can really thank Queens Park Rangers for giving it to me,” Ramsey said.

“Les Ferdinand, who is the director of football, has shown a lot of confidence in me. Tony Fernandes, the owner, has also got a lot of trust in me to help the club to stay up and also start a project where we want to begin introducing young players into the first team.”

Before handing the job to Ramsey, Fernandes had set his sights on luring a “dream manager” to QPR but had a change of heart after realising that the club “had a dream candidate” right in front of them.

“There are no guarantees in football. But Chris Ramsey has every chance to build a long term and huge managerial future at QPR. We are lucky,” Fernandes tweeted on Saturday.

“We found a great guy to manage us from next season, a dream manager, but actually we had a dream candidate right in front of us Chris Ramsey.

“He almost works 24hrs. After first team he takes eds and even under 14. He’s modest, gets on with the job is organised, passionate and loyal.”

Pioneering role

Long acclaimed as a trailblazer for black coaches in England, Ramsey, 52, is now the only non-white manager in the Premier League this term, following in the footsteps of Chris Hughton who was in charge of Norwich last season.

Around 30 per cent of league footballers are non-white, yet Ramsey is only the sixth non-white manager among the 92 league clubs.

“Chris Hughton was in there (with Norwich),” Ramsey, who in 2008 was named among the 30 most influential black people in football, said.

“Obviously, my career has been kind of a pioneering one because when I started back in 1978, in many of the clubs I was at, I was the only black player.

“And also with England I was the first English black coach for one of the national teams with the U-20s.”

Kick It Out, football’s inclusion campaign, welcomed Ramsey’s appointment.

“I think it’s fabulous it’s a great step forward, Chris is an incredibly positive role model and first and foremost he is a fantastic coach with experience of management,” Paul Mortimer, Kick It Out Professional Players Engagement Manager, told Sky Sports.