Fernandes vows to give manager Hughes the chance to build a new era at Loftus Road QPR chairman Tony Fernandes wants to emulate Manchester United and Arsenal by giving manager Mark Hughes the chance to take the club into a ‘new era’. Hughes guided Rangers to Premier League survival on the final day of the season, four months after he was hand-picked by Fernandes as a replacement for Neil Warnock. Fernandes is determined to bring stability to Loftus Road after years of managerial upheaval, and believes that former Manchester City, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers and Wales boss Hughes is the perfect man to oversee their long-term progress. And the chairman cited Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, who have been at their clubs for a combined total of more than 40 years, as the example QPR must follow. “I feel confident that Mark is potentially the man who could take QPR into another era, a stable era, where we become an established Premier League club,” Fernandes told London24.com. “Mark is immensely impressive. He’s got a great personality, he’s very ambitious, he’s down to earth, has his ego in check and he knows his stuff. He was a player in the Premier League for a long time so he has competed at the highest levels. Every club he has been to he has excelled at. “I want to be a club like Arsenal or Manchester United, who have had the same manager for a long time, and West Ham as well, when John Lyall and Ron Greenwood were there. “Stability is important. You can’t build anything without that. You can’t do things if you don’t have time. I’m not saying we want to be champions tomorrow, Europe or whatever, but I think the next stage is for us to be a club which will remain in the Premier League for a long time.” Fernandes admitted that sacking Warnock in January after QPR’s run of eight games without a win was a difficult decision, but one which was vindicated by Hughes’s subsequent success. “I had hoped that Neil was that person,” he added. “It was very painful for me to move Neil out, but I had to do what I did. I had tremendous stick for that but I stood up, and here we are now.” QPR retained their Premier League status despite a 3-2 defeat at Manchester City on the final day, and Fernandes admitted he cast an envious eye around the home of the new champions. City’s Etihad Stadium holds just under 48,000, a facility which Fernandes, who has made the construction of a new ground a priority, believes QPR could match in the coming years. “I don’t think we have quite the resources that they have there, but the size of the stadium, the facilities, there’s no reason why we can’t do something like that,” said Fernandes. “People might ask how we would fill a 40,000-seater stadium, but I built an airline from a few hundred thousand passengers and now we have £32 million. Build it right, market it right, and people will come. We’re in the best city in the world, in the best part of London.” http://www.london24.com:80/sport/qp..._like_manchester_united_and_arsenal_1_1383786
I agree with his sentiments - you could probably align us more with Everton in terms of where we need to be short term - they've given Moyes that stability for about 10 years now and the idea of relegation is never in their minds (despite a usually poor start to the season but the fans back the manager on the whole). We have a smaller fanbase but better finances and have the right people in to sell the club to other parts of the world.
Once in a while I'd like to walk into a shop and see some QPR merchandise. I was getting a set of keys cut in the depths of Epsom the other day and you could by keyrings for Man Utd, The Scum, Gooners, Liverpool and even West Ham and Citeh but I never see anything to do with Rangers anywhere. Not even in the Westfield centre over the road!! A new stadium is vital, we simply can't exist and compete in the Premier league at the lovely little Loftus Road. Big crowds = increased revenue = attract bigger sponsors = more revenue = attract better players = more success = more revenue = full stadium = increase QPR as a brand = more revenue = keyrings being sold in Epsom with a QPR badge on it!!
I Want Us To Be Like Arsenal And Man Utd ... Clever if he had said Chelsea then I would have had to hate him
The "Exclusive Club" is a hard club to join. It's pretty much had the same few members for the last 50 plus years (though it did kick Leeds out). Having a decent sized stadium and a large and active fanbase doesn't entitle you to join the club per se. But you can't join without it. Work in progress...
From a fanbase POV, we are VERY fortunate....a lot of clubs may have ambitions to become a "big club" per say, but location will always hold them back. We sit in one of the most afluent areas of the country (West London) and with a decent stadium and correct marketing, we can be up there with the big boys in the next 10 years.
“People might ask how we would fill a 40,000-seater stadium, but I built an airline from a few hundred thousand passengers and now we have £32 million. Build it right, market it right, and people will come. We’re in the best city in the world, in the best part of London.” Money Location Flair ... shuts Norwich City up every time
People said that TF was only worth £300M? It won't be long before he is worth a lot more. Tony Fernandes‏@tonyfernandes Airasia japan sales starting next week. This is going to be a huge airline. Unbelievable. June july big big months for airasia.
I posted long ago - this chap builds businesses, adds value, has never asset stripped or bailed out. There is a business plan.
I think that one's out Sooper. Been brought up by a bunch of property developers who want to build 1,500 new flats. Shame coz it would have been ideal.... http://www.shepherdsbushw12.com/default.asp?section=community&spage=common/hffire012.htm
I'm just a bit of a nervous nelly where debt is concerned SB. I appreciate how dynamic and meticulous he is in his business dealings, I just can't see how the incomings are paying for the outgoings at the moment, never mind ratcheting up the spend even further! We have to trust he knows what he's doing, that's why he's so successful I suppose. Risky though, don't you think?
Absolutely, but that's what we need to progress - the way things are now the only alternative is to settle for the championship in perpetuity. As long as the risk is loaded on him and his partners rather than the club we'll be ok. But we'll only know this if details of how we finance a new stadium are made public - unlikely. Saw the Russian on the news, blanking journos offering him congratulations. I know he doesn't like speaking English, but I just felt how lucky we are to have a communicator at the top - it still feels like our club, not his toy. Bet the Norwich and West Ham boards are delighted they slammed the door in his face.
