Former QPR captain Terry Fenwick expects his old club to be fighting a relegation battle next season unless there is substantial investment in the team.

Fenwick was skipper of the last Rangers side to win promotion to the top flight, in 1983 – and they followed that up finishing fifth the following season to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

But the 51-year-old, who now coaches in Trinidad & Tobago, feels the current QPR side – in common with the majority of teams promoted to the Premier League – will have to concentrate solely on survival.

“For most promoted clubs, they have a flurry of results in those first 10 or dozen games and pick teams off, but then people start to find them out and they take a few defeats on the chin,” Fenwick told the Times.

“Look at the way Blackpool started last season, or Hull a couple of years ago, and how it ended up – unless the resources are there, that’s the way it’s going to be.

“I think Stoke City, under Tony Pulis, are an exception to the rule. They may not be pretty to watch, but they’ll always do enough to hang on to Premier League status.”

Rangers have made numerous inquiries about players since their promotion was confirmed, but have yet to add any new faces to the squad.

By contrast, the clubs who accompanied the Rs into the top division have already strengthened their forward lines, with Norwich forking out around �4m to sign James Vaughan from Everton and Millwall’s Steve Morison.

And Swansea, who beat Reading to reach the Premier League for the first time, paid �3.5m for Danny Graham after outbidding QPR for the Watford frontman’s services.