sport

Dyer agrees fresh QPR deal

Kieron Dyer has signed a new one-year contract with QPR - but eight players have been told they are free to find new clubs.

The 33-year-old former England international broke his foot during the first few minutes of Rangers' opening day defeat by Bolton at Loftus Road in August 2011, and did not play again.

However, new manager Mark Hughes has decided to give the ex-Ipswich, Newcastle and West Ham man another chance as he builds for another campaign in the Premier League.

QPR also confirmed defender Clint Hill, midfielder Akos Buzsaky and goalkeeper Radek Cerny have all been offered new contracts at Loftus Road following the side's successful battle to stay up.

However, the likes of Wales centre-back Danny Gabbidon, Danny Shittu, Fitz Hall, Gary Borrowdale, Peter Ramage, Lee Cook, Rowan Vine and Patrick Agyemang are all set to leave the club when their deals expire at the end of June as the Hoops look to slash a sizeable wage bill.

Rangers beat the drop despite losing in dramatic fashion at Etihad Stadium as Manchester City were crowned champions on the final day of what had been a rollercoaster first Premier League campaign since 1996.

Chairman Tony Fernandes, who replaced Neil Warnock with Hughes in January, has his sights firmly set on a prolonged stay back among England's elite clubs.

He said on www.London24.com: "I feel confident that Mark is potentially the man who could take QPR into another era, a stable era, where we become an established Premier League club.

"Mark is immensely impressive. He has got a great personality, is very ambitious, down to earth, has his ego in check and he knows his stuff.

"He was a player in the Premier League for a long time so he has competed at the highest levels. Every club he has been to he has excelled at.

"I want to be a club like Arsenal or Manchester United, who have had the same manager for a long time, and West Ham as well, when John Lyall and Ron Greenwood were there."

Air Asia and Caterham F1 Team boss Fernandes added: "Stability is important. You can't build anything without that. You can't do things if you don't have time.

"I am not saying we want to be champions tomorrow, Europe or whatever, but I think the next stage is for us to be a club which will remain in the Premier League for a long time."

Rangers have plans for a state-of-the-art training facility and are keen to explore stadium options, with Loftus Road a restrictive capacity of just over 18,000.

Fernandes said: "People might ask how we would fill a 40,000-seater stadium, but I built an airline from a few hundred thousand passengers and now we have 32 million.

"Build it right, market it right, and people will come. We are in the best city in the world, and in the best part of London."

what do you think?

5 comments

Brian Mckeown

4:34pm on 21/5/2012

Does anybody give a stuff

Score: 1

Austin Samara

5:20pm on 21/5/2012

QPR micky mouse club ???

Score: 1

Jefferson Cook

5:35pm on 21/5/2012

Couldn't even last one game. Haha that's Dyer!

Score: 1

Jim Coulson

7:30pm on 21/5/2012

I Feel that to build a successful team, with the aim of being an established premier league performer, the first thing they must do is to show Joey Barton the exit.

Score: 2

displayim

6:06am on 22/5/2012

Championship next season anyway!!!