Post by QPR Report on Feb 2, 2009 9:19:22 GMT
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Edit: 23 Years Ago Today...Chris Wright Announced he was quitting. And the dark days started to look even darker
QPR Official Site - February 2, 2001 - WRIGHT QUITS
LOFTUS ROAD plc announces that Chris Wright has informed the company that he intends to resign as Chairman, both of Loftus Road plc and its subsidiary Queens Park Rangers as soon as a replacement can be found.
Commenting on his decision, Chris Wright said: "When I took over as Chairman of QPR in August 1996 immediately following the club's relegation from the Premier League, I made it quite clear that I would only remain as Chairman as long as I felt I had the support and confidence of the fans.
Indeed on many occasions since then I have reiterated both publicly and privately that as soon as I felt I had lost that confidence I would immediately resign and withdraw from the activities of the club.
"Following the unsavoury incidents around the Directors' Box during the match against Fulham on Wednesday evening, it is abundantly clear that time has now arrived.
"I intend therefore to resign as Chairman of both Loftus Road plc and QPR as soon as a replacement can be found. I anticipate that the Boards of both Loftus Road and QPR will move quickly to appoint an interim Chairman for both entities until such time as a permanent replacement can be identified.
"I am fully aware that QPR is financially dependent upon the loans that I have put in place to the club and will continue to be dependent on further injections of money to survive for the immediate future.
"In order not to jeopardise the club's difficult current situation in terms of its position in the Division One League table, I will continue to provide whatever financial support is necessary until the company identifies my ultimate long-term successor with the ability to take over that responsibility even if such individual does not come on board before the end of the current season.
"To date, I have committed close to £20 million to Loftus Road/QPR, at a point in time when changes in my personal circumstances have had a seriously adverse effect on my ability to secure liquid cash.
"I am aware that this may be significantly less than the funds available to one or two of the other clubs in Division One, but it is quite frankly as much as I have been able to secure. I am extremely disappointed that it has not guaranteed the level of success on the field that I would have hoped for.
"I have been a committed QPR supporter myself for over 30 years and expect to remain one for the rest of my life. I would like to wish Gerry Francis and the entire playing squad all the luck possible for the future, a commodity which I believe has been in short supply around Loftus Road lately.
"Despite our lowly league position I have every confidence that QPR will be playing First Division football next season and when a successor to myself is found with the benefit of a fresh approach and fresh ideas, the club will once again achieve the levels of success it has achieved in the past."
And a few days later on the official Site:
Feb 6, 2001 -WRIGHT - WHY I AM QUITTING
DEPARTING chairman Chris Wright has spoken at length on his reason to relinquish control at Loftus Road. He has also revealed that a new chairman will be in place shortly.
Mr Wright said:" I'm really disappointed. I'm gutted that it has come to this because I have been going to QPR for 30 years.
"Now it has come to the point where I can't go to a home game without hiring security men. So that is ridiculous. It is much easier if I don't go to matches. There's only one way out of this and that is for me to quit.
"I thought the bulk of our fans were brilliant at the Fulham match. I was watching the game and trying to work out the best route forward for the club. And what do I get? I get fans screaming abuse at me, trying to get chants going of 'Wright Out' and trying to get into the directors' box to physically abuse me.
"Maybe other chairmen at other clubs are prepared to tolerate it. But I'm not. Thank you very much, I am not prepared to tolerate that kind of behaviour. I know the fans are entitled to speak their minds. They can do that if they want to. But they just picked the wrong chairman to speak their minds to.
"With loans, buying shares and money I have put into the club, it has cost me close to £20 million at this point. That is nowhere near what the chairmen of Blackburn and Fulham have put into their clubs, but I don't have their resources - despite what you may read in the papers.
"I doubt that there is any previous chairman of QPR who has made a net transfer loss rather than a net transfer profit. Since I've been with the club, we've spent over £6 million more on buying players than we recovered from sales.
"I've tried very hard. I've given it my best shot. I admit I've made mistakes. But it hasn't worked out and the fans have probably had enough and that's it.
"The board are now looking to bring in a new chairman of the football club as soon as possible. Hopefully in the next few days. We want to bring in someone from outside the existing board, so that the fans realise it is someone completely new.
"The new chairman will be in place until we can find someone to come in and take over my position totally."
[And 23 years ago, plus a day, Gerry Francis was also talking about the future)
QPR Official Site - February 1, 2001
GERRY - WE NEED A BACKER
BOSS Gerry Francis spoke at length about his future with Rangers and the possibility of making some loan signings after the defeat against Fulham.
Gerry said:" I don't think my future with QPR is relevant. I've spoken to chairman Chris Wright and he's asked me if I want to extend my contract. But that's irrelevant.
"Firstly and most importantly is First Division survival for QPR. This is not something that has just come about. Rangers have been trying to stay in this division for the last four years, of which last season was the best season they have had in finishing tenth.
"From the chairman downwards, everyone here knows the club needs a major boost of financial investment. Moves to do that are going on and have been going on for some time. So until the situation changes, the manager here - whether it is me or anyone else - will have their backs against the wall.
"I am appealing to see if anyone will come in and help the chairman or even take over the club. If that happens, then the new people may well want to bring in their own manager and backroom staff. So that could happen next week, next month or whenever.
"But that is irrelevant for me. The most important thing is that Queens Park Rangers get their investment to safeguard their future. Because unless they do, it will be very, very difficult times ahead for the club. I saw the situation when I took the job and obviously it hasn't got any better.
" The future of Rangers is so up in the air that we don't even know who will be owning QPR next week or next month or next season. What we do know is that, somewhere along the line, the chairman needs some help financially.
"I am here on my contract until the end of the season. Unless somebody comes in and buys the club and tells me otherwise. But the most important thing for me - which is why I came back in the first place - is the future of QPR. It means a lot to me. So whatever happens, I will be pleased with it - even if it means me and my backroom staff having to lose our jobs.
"New investment would give the club a chance to start dealing on the transfer market, paying decent wages and getting out of the situation it finds itself in. So if that happens, I will be as happy as anyone else to be perfectly honest. I am not someone who needs to work and I wouldn't have come back into management for any other club.
"Chris Wright has told people that he is covering all the losses each year and he needs some help. He's prepared to stand aside if someone comes in with the finances to take the club on. As I am. I know Chris has been speaking to one or two people about investing here. Hopefully that will progress at some stage. It would give the club a chance.
"Chris spent money to buy the club and he laid out a lot of money in his first few years as chairman. He bought players like Mike Sheron and John Spencer and paid big wages. But it didn't work out and Rangers didn't get promoted. Unfortunately, the parachute money finished, the income doesn't cover the expenditure and you end up where Rangers are now.
"I had a meeting with the chairman the other night to see if there is anything we can do. We have an opportunity to bring two loan players in and that is what we are going to go for. We can't really do anything permanent, but we will try to get a couple of quality players in if we can for the period of two or three months that we've got left."
Edit: 23 Years Ago Today...Chris Wright Announced he was quitting. And the dark days started to look even darker
QPR Official Site - February 2, 2001 - WRIGHT QUITS
LOFTUS ROAD plc announces that Chris Wright has informed the company that he intends to resign as Chairman, both of Loftus Road plc and its subsidiary Queens Park Rangers as soon as a replacement can be found.
Commenting on his decision, Chris Wright said: "When I took over as Chairman of QPR in August 1996 immediately following the club's relegation from the Premier League, I made it quite clear that I would only remain as Chairman as long as I felt I had the support and confidence of the fans.
Indeed on many occasions since then I have reiterated both publicly and privately that as soon as I felt I had lost that confidence I would immediately resign and withdraw from the activities of the club.
"Following the unsavoury incidents around the Directors' Box during the match against Fulham on Wednesday evening, it is abundantly clear that time has now arrived.
"I intend therefore to resign as Chairman of both Loftus Road plc and QPR as soon as a replacement can be found. I anticipate that the Boards of both Loftus Road and QPR will move quickly to appoint an interim Chairman for both entities until such time as a permanent replacement can be identified.
"I am fully aware that QPR is financially dependent upon the loans that I have put in place to the club and will continue to be dependent on further injections of money to survive for the immediate future.
"In order not to jeopardise the club's difficult current situation in terms of its position in the Division One League table, I will continue to provide whatever financial support is necessary until the company identifies my ultimate long-term successor with the ability to take over that responsibility even if such individual does not come on board before the end of the current season.
"To date, I have committed close to £20 million to Loftus Road/QPR, at a point in time when changes in my personal circumstances have had a seriously adverse effect on my ability to secure liquid cash.
"I am aware that this may be significantly less than the funds available to one or two of the other clubs in Division One, but it is quite frankly as much as I have been able to secure. I am extremely disappointed that it has not guaranteed the level of success on the field that I would have hoped for.
"I have been a committed QPR supporter myself for over 30 years and expect to remain one for the rest of my life. I would like to wish Gerry Francis and the entire playing squad all the luck possible for the future, a commodity which I believe has been in short supply around Loftus Road lately.
"Despite our lowly league position I have every confidence that QPR will be playing First Division football next season and when a successor to myself is found with the benefit of a fresh approach and fresh ideas, the club will once again achieve the levels of success it has achieved in the past."
And a few days later on the official Site:
Feb 6, 2001 -WRIGHT - WHY I AM QUITTING
DEPARTING chairman Chris Wright has spoken at length on his reason to relinquish control at Loftus Road. He has also revealed that a new chairman will be in place shortly.
Mr Wright said:" I'm really disappointed. I'm gutted that it has come to this because I have been going to QPR for 30 years.
"Now it has come to the point where I can't go to a home game without hiring security men. So that is ridiculous. It is much easier if I don't go to matches. There's only one way out of this and that is for me to quit.
"I thought the bulk of our fans were brilliant at the Fulham match. I was watching the game and trying to work out the best route forward for the club. And what do I get? I get fans screaming abuse at me, trying to get chants going of 'Wright Out' and trying to get into the directors' box to physically abuse me.
"Maybe other chairmen at other clubs are prepared to tolerate it. But I'm not. Thank you very much, I am not prepared to tolerate that kind of behaviour. I know the fans are entitled to speak their minds. They can do that if they want to. But they just picked the wrong chairman to speak their minds to.
"With loans, buying shares and money I have put into the club, it has cost me close to £20 million at this point. That is nowhere near what the chairmen of Blackburn and Fulham have put into their clubs, but I don't have their resources - despite what you may read in the papers.
"I doubt that there is any previous chairman of QPR who has made a net transfer loss rather than a net transfer profit. Since I've been with the club, we've spent over £6 million more on buying players than we recovered from sales.
"I've tried very hard. I've given it my best shot. I admit I've made mistakes. But it hasn't worked out and the fans have probably had enough and that's it.
"The board are now looking to bring in a new chairman of the football club as soon as possible. Hopefully in the next few days. We want to bring in someone from outside the existing board, so that the fans realise it is someone completely new.
"The new chairman will be in place until we can find someone to come in and take over my position totally."
[And 23 years ago, plus a day, Gerry Francis was also talking about the future)
QPR Official Site - February 1, 2001
GERRY - WE NEED A BACKER
BOSS Gerry Francis spoke at length about his future with Rangers and the possibility of making some loan signings after the defeat against Fulham.
Gerry said:" I don't think my future with QPR is relevant. I've spoken to chairman Chris Wright and he's asked me if I want to extend my contract. But that's irrelevant.
"Firstly and most importantly is First Division survival for QPR. This is not something that has just come about. Rangers have been trying to stay in this division for the last four years, of which last season was the best season they have had in finishing tenth.
"From the chairman downwards, everyone here knows the club needs a major boost of financial investment. Moves to do that are going on and have been going on for some time. So until the situation changes, the manager here - whether it is me or anyone else - will have their backs against the wall.
"I am appealing to see if anyone will come in and help the chairman or even take over the club. If that happens, then the new people may well want to bring in their own manager and backroom staff. So that could happen next week, next month or whenever.
"But that is irrelevant for me. The most important thing is that Queens Park Rangers get their investment to safeguard their future. Because unless they do, it will be very, very difficult times ahead for the club. I saw the situation when I took the job and obviously it hasn't got any better.
" The future of Rangers is so up in the air that we don't even know who will be owning QPR next week or next month or next season. What we do know is that, somewhere along the line, the chairman needs some help financially.
"I am here on my contract until the end of the season. Unless somebody comes in and buys the club and tells me otherwise. But the most important thing for me - which is why I came back in the first place - is the future of QPR. It means a lot to me. So whatever happens, I will be pleased with it - even if it means me and my backroom staff having to lose our jobs.
"New investment would give the club a chance to start dealing on the transfer market, paying decent wages and getting out of the situation it finds itself in. So if that happens, I will be as happy as anyone else to be perfectly honest. I am not someone who needs to work and I wouldn't have come back into management for any other club.
"Chris Wright has told people that he is covering all the losses each year and he needs some help. He's prepared to stand aside if someone comes in with the finances to take the club on. As I am. I know Chris has been speaking to one or two people about investing here. Hopefully that will progress at some stage. It would give the club a chance.
"Chris spent money to buy the club and he laid out a lot of money in his first few years as chairman. He bought players like Mike Sheron and John Spencer and paid big wages. But it didn't work out and Rangers didn't get promoted. Unfortunately, the parachute money finished, the income doesn't cover the expenditure and you end up where Rangers are now.
"I had a meeting with the chairman the other night to see if there is anything we can do. We have an opportunity to bring two loan players in and that is what we are going to go for. We can't really do anything permanent, but we will try to get a couple of quality players in if we can for the period of two or three months that we've got left."
