We Won’t Quit If We Go Down – Paladini

QPR’s Italian owners will stay in charge even if the Club are relegated, according to Chairman Gianni Paladini. Sliding into League One would be a disaster for Rangers and destroy Paladini and major shareholder, Antonio Caliendo’s dream of owning a Premiership Club. But any disgruntled fans who believe the silver lining might be a regime change at Loftus Road will be disappointed. Paladini insists that he and Caliendo will not be prepared to cut and run if Rangers lose their Championship status. “That’s not going to happen,” he insisted. “Our commitment here means that the right thing would be to stay and keep working to make the Club better – whatever division we’re in. I believe we’re going to stay up. The players are certainly good enough. But if we were to go down then no, we would not look to sell.”

That raises the prospect, especially if Rangers are relegated, of Caliendo ploughing in more money in the form of loans. He has already done so to the tune of several million pounds. Paladini angrily denies this will eventually put the Club back in the position it was when former owner, Chris Wright, whose money was similarly keeping QPR afloat, decided he’d had enough and went from bankroller to chief creditor. That debt kept Rangers in limbo for over a year and they emerged without ownership of their Training Ground and saddled with a ¬£10m loan from ABC Corporation. The annual interest alone threatens the Club’s survival. Paladini said, “I understand people being worried because of what happened before, but this is completely different. There is no charge on the Ground. There have been loans and the only way they will ever be repaid is if QPR make a profit.”

Dave McIntyre Article in the Shepherd’s Bush Gazette