Rangers chairman speaks out on stadium plans
Tony Fernandes has indicated that QPR will not pursue plans to ground-share with another club.
Rangers chairman Fernandes and chief executive Phil Beard are planning to move the club from their current home at Loftus Road which, with a capacity of just over 18,000, is the smallest stadium in the Premier League.
Beard last week insisted that a new ground would need to bring in revenue from as many sources as possible, hinting at the possibility of a multi-purpose venue in west London and not ruling out the prospect of teaming up with another club.
A ground-share with neighbours Fulham has been mooted, but Fernandes believes that is unlikely to happen, suggesting that any such plans would be met with opposition from fans.
“The idea of a ground-share has not been mentioned to me,” Fernandes told London24.com. “Fundamentally in a business sense I think it’s a good idea.
“But what makes sense in business doesn’t always make sense emotionally, and I don’t think we would look to do that.”
With the 2012-13 fixtures to be announced on Monday, Rangers boss Mark Hughes is already turning his thoughts to the new season.
Hughes is understood to be lining up a move for England goalkeeper Robert Green, who departed West Ham United this week after failing to agree a new deal.
And ahead of the new campaign, Fernandes admits that QPR’s unlikely Premier League survival on the final day of last season will be remembered as a pivotal moment in the club’s history.
“I always said that it did matter if we were relegated, the journey was set. Obviously it’s a lot easier to do things in the Premier League than the Championship,” he added.
“It wasn’t critical to stay in it, but I think it was very, very important.
“We announced the training ground, we brought in [new technical director] Mike Rigg, brought in Mark Hughes and his team.
“We have done a lot in five months. We have the nucleus of the squad now, and the last piece of the puzzle is the new stadium.”
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