Queens Park Rangers owner Tony Fernandes expects his players to repay the faith shown in them and keep the club in the Premier League.
QPR owner demands fight in battle to retain top-flight status
Queens Park Rangers owner Tony Fernandes expects his players to repay the faith shown in them and keep the club in the Premier League.
Only one victory in the Hoops' last 13 outings has left them in the midst of a relegation battle with just goal difference keeping them above the dreaded drop zone.
Fernandes invested around £15million in January to bring in Nedum Onuoha, Bobby Zamora and Djibril Cisse as well as loan signings Federico Macheda, Taye Taiwo and Samba Diakite.
However, QPR still have Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City to play, making survival a tough fight, but one Fernandes admits he expected.
"I always said from day one we would be in a relegation battle and our aim was to avoid relegation," he said.
Pressure
"Am I coping with the pressure? I'm not loving the pressure, but I'm loving the whole experience.
"I'm doing the best I can, and it's now up to the boys on the pitch and the manager to do what they can.
"We certainly have the players and ability to avoid relegation, but the Premier League is very tough, and only time will tell."
And with the fixture list adding even more pressure on QPR, Fernandes insists the manner in which the players respond to the challenge will be the deciding factor.
"Talent is one thing," he added. "Being able to cope with the pressures of talent is key.
Difficult
"Everyone needs a spine to take the pressures of life. We need a spine in QPR. We need fighters not just talent."
Fernandes, who also owns Caterham F1 and AirAsia, fired manager Neil Warnock in January despite promising him full support when he was instated at Loftus Road 22 months earlier, and concedes it was a tough decision.
"That was the most difficult time I've encountered as a boss of any of my businesses," he said.
"I liked Neil, and I thought like with any of my employees it would be a long, long, long relationship.
"Sadly I ended up doing the one thing I said I wouldn't do, which is why it was tough. I'd rather not go into the reasons why I got rid of him. It was a decision that was made, and we've moved on from it."
"Like anything, though, I am in the public eye and I love transparency and openness, but there's a limit to what I can say and shouldn't say."
