QPR chairman Fernandes defends January spending

Feb 3, 2013 12:50:00 PM

The Malaysian businessman spent big in the transfer window to try and rescue the side's disastrous season, arguing that a "small club" must incur losses to get to the next level

QPR chairman Tony Fernandes has defended his side's January transfer deals as the struggling side look to lift themselves from the bottom of the table and secure their Premier League survival.

The London club are six points adrift of safety with 17 points from 23 games but signed Jermaine Jenas, Andros Townsend, Yun Suk-Young and Chris Samba on deadline day to bolster their ranks.

However, the Malaysian owner does not feel that he has been reckless in the market and insists that he is building a side for the long term as well as seeking to secure their immediate top-flight status.

"If you analyse it, we haven't spent that much money on transfers and as for our wage bill, when I look at other clubs when they put their results out, then ours is not too bad and there is now value in the squad," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"I don't think there is any recklessness there. No one can guarantee anything in football but you try to minimise the risk as much as possible and that's where the expertise of the management comes in and they say: 'this is what we need to survive' and you look at it and, if it makes sense, then the board and myself support it.

"Anyone who says we are gambling then, of course, we are. There are no debts like at other clubs. We've put in a lot of money and it's no different from setting up a car business or an airline.

"But it takes time. QPR were an under-invested club. Simple as that. I'm not in it for one year, I'm investing for the future. I'm investing to build a stadium, to build a training academy, to build a proper business."

"Of course when you buy a small club you are going to incur some losses at the beginning.

"We, QPR, have to move out of the 'small-club syndrome' and for constant security have to build a bigger stadium, a better infrastructure.

"We inherited a squad where every single player who has left is no longer playing in the Premier League, doesn't that say something? We have replaced and replenished the squad at a very low cost because most of them were free transfers. This is the first window that we have spent big money.

"It's not always about money. QPR are the bottom club and you don't come to the bottom club for the dollar sign. And I'm not going to get players for the dollar signs."

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached!
Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!

play

open

Live!

Champions League final - LIVE!

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

5:42 PM BST

Right, just over two hours to go until kick-off, so let's check in with our man Jay Jaffa, who says the atmosphere is already building at Wembley.

"Jurgen Klopp said in his pre-match press conference that were he to never make another Champions League final, he could die happy knowing that he took a team to the home of football - Wembley.

"And I can tell you as I look at the sea of yellow, black and red that fans of both sides feel similar - there are hordes of Dortmund and Bayern supporters already congregating around the national stadium, eagerly lapping up some late afternoon sun."

5:38 PM BST

It is this increasingly bitter rivalry between Bayern and Dortmund that almost guarantees fireworks at Wembley tonight, according to Bayern defender Dante, who spoke exclusively with Goal earlier this week.

5:34 PM BST

The aforementioned Gotze deal, and the way in which it was leaked to the press on the eve of Dortmund’s Champions League semi-final, first-leg clash with Madrid, has only intensified the antipathy between the two clubs, while, as you can see from the photo below, the man at the centre of the transfer has inevitably been caught in the crossfire. This is all nothing new, of course. Bayern may have loaned a cash-strapped Dortmund money a decade ago but the pair have been locked in a vicious – but entertaining – war of words in the wake of die Schwarzgelben’s subsequent re-emergence as a major force, and Daniel Buse and Enis Koylu have catalogued the best quotes here.

5:23 PM BST

Right, still plenty of time to go until kick-off, so why not get involved in our Champions League quiz on Twitter? Here's one to start you off:

After tonight, how many Champions League/European Cup finals will Bayern Munich have played in?

5:18 PM BST

Bayern, as already alluded to, are desperate to atone for defeat against Chelsea 12 months ago and one man who knows all about the agony and ecstasy of Champions League finals is former die Roten defender Samuel Kuffour. The Ghanaian beating the ground in fury after seeing his side concede twice in injury time at the end of the 1999 tournament decider against Manchester United remains one of the most memorable images in the competition’s history, so check out our exclusive interview with Kuffour, who would achieve redemption just two years later when Bayern edged out Valencia on penalties.

Inside Goal.Com

Champions League Final Preview: Dortmund - Bayern
Jurgen Klopp's side will be eager for vengeance after watching their Bundesliga title slip into the hands of the Bavarian giants this term
The Dossier: Stop Martinez, stop Bayern
With the Mario Gotze missing through injury, Marco Reus will be charged with the task of stopping Javi Martinez from dictating proceedings in the middle of the park
'Mario, you will never redeem yourself'
Mario Gotze's injury means the playmaker has now played his final game for Borussia Dortmund. In an open letter, a fan tells of his emotion at his controversial switch to Bayern
BVB's rise from the abyss to European contenders
BVB have recovered from teetering on the edge of bankruptcy to take their place on Europe's grandest stage, humbling their opponents on Saturday, Bayern Munich, along the way
Top 10 all-time Champions League scorers
As the competition moves within days of its much-anticipated conclusion at Wembley, Goal profiles the most prolific players in its history