QPR won't be a functioning football club in 18 months time
Meh, we've been pretty dysfunctional for the last god-knows how many years!
Seriously though, I can't remember who made the point earlier, but these guys haven't become multimillionaires or billionaires by throwing money away. They've got a plan, and it has to be one of the following:
1) They're in it for the long haul, and plan to make the money back after the stadium has paid for itself. They're aware that currently they're throwing money into a hole, but will ensure that there is enough investment in the side to keep the club competitive in the Premier league, in order to build the fan base and start earning money from the club in teh next 20-30 years.
2) They're in it to make a quick profit by selling us on, as a much more desirable package. How much is an established Premier League club worth these days? And again, how much would an established Premiership club with a very new ground be worth in 5 years time (give or take) if the economy is back on it's feet
3) They've caught the blue and white insanity, and don't care how much they throw at the club. It's become a passion rather than a business idea. Don't rule this one out - after all, Ahmit Bhatia was seen crying at the Stoke game (I think), and Fernandes owns Caterham racing team. Which is a hell of a good way to lose money.
Of the three, I think that the first scenario is most likely, although I wouldn't rule out a mixture of scenarios one and 3....! We've seen what owners that fir into category two look like, and they're a very different breed to the guys we have now.
That said, after the blind optimism that started probably on thursday when news of Park signing first escaped into the world, started to wear off, I did begin to worry, and I do consider that 45k is too large for our needs at the moment. All I can do is put my faith in the board, and especially Phil Beard (who was the man responsible for turning the Millennium Dome into the O2 Arena, and did a very good job at that) to know what they are doing and the plans that are in place, especially if we do go down, won't turn us into the next Portsmouth or Leeds, as has been said several times above.
Having said that, if the difference in quality of our signings this time next year is as far ahead again as the difference between last year and this (compare and contrast, last year we signed Barton, this year we signed Park ffs!!), then in 2-3 seasons time we might be challenging for a European spot, either through the cup or scraping 7th in the league.
