Tony Fernandes and Mark Hughes: QPRâs dream team 02August2012Posted by Guest Author The combination of an ambitious manager and a savvy chairman could reap rewards for west Londonâs third team When Mark Hughes rejected a two-year deal at Fulham at the beginning of June 2011 and took his leave from the club, it looked like a move to Aston Villa â who had parted company with Gérard Houllier the day before â was a done deal. Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed was incensed at the perceived betrayal, particularly as he had stuck by Hughes following the 3-1 home defeat to West Ham on Boxing Day that prompted boos from the faithful and saw the club fall into the relegation zone. In fact, as Hughes confirmed a few months later, the timing of his departure was merely a coincidence. His contract included a break clause which expired on 1 June, the date of Houllierâs exit. He want to leave Fulham, yes, but not to join Villa. For Hughes, it was a question of ambition. âI felt my ambition for where I wanted to take the club was not matched,â he explained. âHistorically, Fulham was a club that was happy to be in the Premier League and that was their ambition, but it was not my ambition for them. âIn conversations, they were saying, âWe know exactly what youâre about, Mark, but really we are just quite happy to stay in the Premier Leagueâ.â So when he turned up at newly-promoted-and-very-much-struggling QPR in January, there was more than a whiff of desperation about it. Even after throwing £10m at the squad, the club remained unmoved in 17th position. It seemed the ambitious Welshman had toed too closely the line of hubris. But, in the end, Rangers did enough to stay up â by a solitary point. And the summer spending that has followed suggests Hughes and QPR are actually a rather good match. The club and its manager understand that, in the Premier League, ambition means nothing without money. The 2007 takeover led by Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore and Lakshmi Mittal made QPR ostensibly âthe richest club in the worldâ, but very little of the billionairesâ money trickled down to the squad. Since airline tycoon Tony Fernandes bought a 66 per cent share prior to last season, that has changed. The first big investment, Joey Barton, hasnât exactly paid off so far, but his very recruitment indicated Fernandesâ commitment to his aim of turning QPR from âa raw diamond ⦠into a diamondâ. And the January investments, particularly the excellent Samba Diakité, undoubtedly contributed to QPRâs survival last season. The club has already announced plans for a state-of-the-art training facility and is currently in the process of sizing up a handful of sites for a new stadium to replace the 18,000-capacity Loftus Road. The spending has continued apace this summer, with Hughes employing a transfer strategy similar to the one he utilised so effectively at Blackburn, mixing seasoned pros with young talent. He has added Rob Green, Andy Johnson, Ryan Nelsen and, most impressively, midfield dynamo Park Ji-Sung, as well as Diakité, who has converted his loan into a four-year deal, Fabio, who is on a year-long loan from Man United, and Junior Hoilett, nabbed from under the noses of Arsenal and Spurs. That lot doesnât come cheap. Hoilett and Park, in particular, will be on wages in the Barton league, around £80,000 a week. But Fernandes is not throwing money about willy-nilly. In fact, he is investing very wisely. Park, Johnson and Green, who are entering the latter stages of their careers, have only signed for two years, while 34-year-old Nelsen has been handed a one-year deal. On the other hand, both Hoilett and Diakité have signed for four years, giving the club some protection in case bigger clubs start sniffing around in a year or 18 monthsâ time. Evidently, a lot can change in six months. At Christmas, QPR looked like one of the Premier Leagueâs flimsiest sides; now they look well prepared â and well backed â for another year of top-flight football. It didnât seem so when he joined, but Mark Hughes has indeed found a club with the wherewithal to match his ambition.
Not sure my heart can take another end to the season like the last one!! Please God let us be nice and safe by April!!
That would be very nice! Reckon we need to strengthen the back 4 a bit especially with 2 CB's, one at least quick, need 2 new good CDM, and a replacement for Heidar. Get these in and I'll be more hopeful. Would really like a better GK too!
