Fernandes and Hughes aiming high
Mark Hughes will use his new job at QPR to prove he's "one of the best in the world", according to chairman Tony Fernandes.
Hughes was appointed as Neil Warnock's successor yesterday and, though his first task will be to save the Rs from relegation, Fernandes says his ambitions are far greater than that.
He told talkSPORT: "When you have someone who wants to show he's one of the best in the world, that [is something] money can't buy.
"And I think his record in the Premier League speaks for itself.
"I think it's a great honour for QPR that we were able to persuade [him] to come to the club.
"What he saw is that QPR is a rough diamond.
"I think the fans should be proud that we could attract a top-class guy in Mark."
Fernandes played down any suggestion player unrest had contributed to the departure of Warnock, who was sacked on Sunday.
He said: "The players were very appreciative of what [Warnock] had done.
"That's a chapter and we move on. The players are very excited about working with Mark."
Fernandes confirmed his hope ultimately to build a new stadium for the club.
"All in good time," he said. "My first goal is to build a decent training ground and we're weeks away from that.
"I'm optimistic going forward we will have a new stadium. It will have to be in the Loftus Road vicinity."
Fernandes, a big user of Twitter, said he would not move to restrict players' freedom on social media.
Midfielder Joey Barton in particular has attracted attention for his output.
Fernandes said: "I am the ultimate liberal and I believe in openness and transparency. That's not something I want to get involved in and I think Mark will have to make his call.
"He's the boss of the players and he'll have to judge whether it works for some players, or whether he doesn't want it."
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