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Monday, December 31, 2007

Ainsworth on His Feelings about QPR...QPR's Bright Future Under New Owners and Praise For Chairman Paladini

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Ealing Gazette/Robert Brennan - -Ainsworth and Rangers Dream of Revolution
GARETH Ainsworth says he wants to be around to enjoy what he expects to be a new phase of glory years at QPR.
New owners Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone saved the club and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal's investment has seen them dubbed the 'richest club in the world.'
Ainsworth believes it is only a matter of time before the club returns to its former glories and he hopes he can play his part.
"I am excited really and relieved that QPR are out of the dark years now," Ainsworth told the Gazette.
"I have been through it when we got promoted a Sheffield and then we went through administration, we have had guns down here and lost team mates.
"It has been a real soap opera over the last few years but there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
"It feels good to be part of this club, it will be nice to have come through the bad years and hopefully be here for the good years, this club is going higher and higher.
"As players, we can only do our best and let's see what happens. I think this club can go all the way.
"The people who took over are all winners, but we must not get carried away, money is not necessarily going to get you up straight away.You need to build foundations, but I think they know that."
To Ainsworth's caveat should be added the proviso that Mittal is willing to convert his hobby into a serious passion for the club. He is worth anything between £25-50 billion, according to whichever report you believe.
He is said to be the fifth richest man in the world.
But at the moment, it is sonin-law Amit Bhatia who has a role on the board as a director and the stake is 20 per cent.
It is not quite Roman Abramovich mark two just yet, but it can clearly become that if Mittal wants it to.
It is a triumph for chairman Gianni Paladini and his connections.
"He does get some stick now and again, but if it was not for him, I am not sure QPR would still be here," the winger said of Paladini's role in getting some big names on board.
"He managed to get some great investors, he has done everything in his power to keep this club afloat, I know he has his knockers, but I think he has been fantastic for QPR."

Having found himself out of the side at the start of Luigi De Canio's reign, Ainsworth has regained his place. But he knows competition for places in the upcoming months should get tougher with Rangers likely to splash the cash in January.
"You have to be ready for that," he said. "You have to be ready for competition and I think it is going to be good for the club.
"Being one of the more senior players at the club, you ask yourself what is going to happen in January? What is going to happen in the summer?
"All I can do is go out and give my all. I know that Gareth Answorth gives his best and the day that isn't good enough for the manager, then I will find out
.
"At the moment I am loving the football, I am loving playing. I am still going, still strong as ever.
"This is a great club - a club very close to my heart. It's the longest stint I have ever had at any club "The fans are fantastic and to have seen this club die would have been a tragedy. I would have been gutted and I really mean that.
"If a new player is going to come in and do better than me and take my place, then fair play to him."
The Hoops celebrated their new-found wealth by climbing off the bottom of the Championship thanks to Akos Buzsaky's classy double against Colchester at the weekend.
Buzsaky played just off Dexter Blackstock with Rowan Vine switched to the left side of midfield. Buzsaky in that legendary number 10 jersey pulled off two sublime individual strikes adding to his double at Scunthorpe.
Buzsaky gave Rangers the lead when he curled home on 27 minutes with his left foot from the edge of the box.
He made it 2-0 after the break from a one-two with Dexter Blackstock.
Ainsworth was full of praise for his Hungarian team-mate.
"It was a very hard fought win, we had to win the physical battle before the football could take over.
"The class won through in the end and Akos Buzsaky was brilliant.
"I don't know if he is ever going to score a rubbish goal. He only ever seems to score world class goals every time." Ealing Gazette