HERE COMES THE MONEY

from the Hammersmith Times 12th May 2004

by Dave Evans and Dave McIntyre

QPR’s elevation to Division One has brought the investors flocking to Loftus Road as they look to jump on to Ian Holloway’s promotion bandwagon. And it is American soccer franchise owner Tim Krause who is leading the way in the takeover stakes with a deal worth £2.5 million close to being agreed between Rangers and the Americans.

Following the recent £650,000 investment from Italian football agent Gianni Paladini, the American money on top of that would enable QPR to strengthen their squad for their Division One campaign, while the crippling £10 million loan at 10 per cent interest that the club took out to come out of administration is also likely to be addressed. 

If Krause is successful with his bid then it is also likely to be good news for out of contract manager Ian Holloway. He is a big fan of the eccentric Rangers boss having met him last year when the Wave and Rangers forged close sporting links.

Paladini is also a fan of Holloway, with the only dissenting voices allegedly coming from the consortium headed by former QPR Commercial Director Brian Rowe. 

Rowe, who was at the club in the 1980s, is reported to be interested in bringing Jim Smith back to the club he managed between 1985 and 1988. The prospect of Smith returning to Loftus Road though seems to be an unlikely one with Holloway set to sign a new deal within the next week. 

The club are also looking into the possibility of staging a celebration friendly match where QPR fans would be able to salute their heroes and see them presented with the Division Two runners-up trophy as well as their medals. 

Talks are currently going on about staging the game within the next couple of weeks, but no final decision has yet been made. 

After the ups and downs of the season, Rangers have finally achieved their goal of promotion but according to Rangers' Chief Executive David Davies it would not have been a complete disaster if they hadn’t made it up this season. 

“It would have been a disappointment but I wouldn't have been wringing my hands,” he said this week. “For some time we’d been planning for both scenarios and had a contingency plan in place, so for the last few weeks I’ve felt pretty good about the way things were shaping up.” 

He is feeling even better now and with investment on the way, Rangers are looking to return to the big time at last.

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