CEO insists players will stay if QPR go down

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Philip Beard has told the Soccerex conference in Manchester he believes most of the playing squad will stay and help QPR get promoted next year if they are relegated this season.

The Rangers chief executive was speaking about club ownership and finances in football.

Amid reports of a possible financial crisis at Loftus Road if the R’s drop back down to the Championship following their massive spending in the transfer market, Beard again insisted that the size of the wage bill would not deter the Tony Fernandes-led regime.

Rangers have spent big on the likes of Djibril Cisse.

“If we do not stay up, I anticipate the vast majority will stay at QPR to try and help us get back. We’ve gone into this with our eyes wide open,” said Beard.

“We were very active after the takeover in August and fairly active in January and I’ll stand behind every one of those contracts irrespective of what happens.”

Beard also said he still believed the appointment of Mark Hughes as manager was the correct decision.

And he spoke about the club’s plans for a new stadium, which will remain the owners’ ambition even in the event of relegation.

Groundsharing, he suggested, was highly unlikely because of opposition among fans.

“I do think there’s a platform where discussions would take place on the success and viability of groundsharing, but at the moment that’s very emotional for football fans,” he said.

See also:
Trouble ahead for QPR? (21 March)
QPR chiefs prepared to ‘fight tooth and nail’ (13 March)

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