Queens Park Rangers: 4 Things QPR Still Have to Play for This Season

Just three months ago, Queens Park Rangers were rock bottom of the Premier League and favorites to go down.

Today, Queens Park Rangers are rock bottom of the Premier League, but the odds are dramatically shortening, and fans and critics alike are using the phrase "they couldn't, could they?"

With nine games remaining, the foot of the table is starting to become a squeeze, and the fight is well and truly on. But what are some of the most important things QPR still have to play for?

Here are four.

The Fans

Players, managers and chairmen all come and go in a football club, but there is one thing that remains constant; the fan base. And it is these people who pay to see their team week in week out that are the backbone of any club.

Men, women and children who experience the roller coaster ride of emotions as they see their team rise and fall but stick with them. And QPR fans have experienced some of the toughest times of all the 92 clubs in the English leagues in recent years. Both on and off the pitch.

The club suffered relegation from the first tier, and then relegation from the second tier after some abysmal management. Chairman Chris Wright left Rangers' finances in tatters in 2001. New chairman Gianni Paladini was told to leave the club at gun point, in 2007.

And even newer chairmen Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore quit in 2010 for various reasons, but amidst concerns they would fail the fit and proper person's test. Oh, and they nearly went into administration. Twice.

These fans have been through enough, and despite attracting some new found dislike from other teams thanks to their recent spending habits, if they knew what the Rangers supporters had been through in the past two decades, surely nobody would begrudge them this great escape?

And the players should take note of this heartache too, and put their all into the next 810 minutes on the football pitch. Plus stoppage time of course.

The Chairman

Self-declared dreamer Tony Fernandes came to QPR with big ideas and a big wallet.

When he took over in August 2011, there were hopes from both the fans, and the chairman himself to turn the little West London club into contenders. He told the BBC:

"

QPR is a raw diamond and hopefully I can contribute into turning it into a diamond... I have ambitions in the long term.

"

And he has tried to do that, although some may say he has gone about it in slightly the wrong way, including midfielder Shaun Derry who told Sky Sports:

"

I can only speak from a personal opinion—things should have been done a bit slower really.

"

But despite all his critics, Tony Fernandes has stood by his decisions, and has been open and honest at all times through his press releases and Twitter account.

He has put his all into the club, and although his foray into the Premier League has been less champagne and caviar and more cold chips and a stale pint so far, his loyalty and love for the club cannot be argued.

Yes, Fernandes has spent to try and get out of trouble, and yes, some of the signings have been less than inspired. But he most certainly isn't giving up his dream, and even if Rangers don't avoid relegation, he's assured fans he will go down with his ship.

And for that loyalty and determination, the players need to show the same mindset on the pitch, and play for the chairman whom has given them a job, and some very handsome wage slips to go with it.

Financial Security

Nobody wants to be "the next Portsmouth". But there are concerns that Queens Park Rangers are spiraling down towards their south coast friends.

The wage bills, the debt, and the astronomical amount of money spent in the last few years is of great concern to those involved in the club, and reports have shown debts of up to £90 million.

Of course, reports are reports and there have been conflicting figures being bandied about these past few days. But judging by the the supposed wages of players such as Jose Bosingwa, Loic Remy and Christopher Samba, it is fair to say the club will not be able to support all of those should they get relegated, thanks to the potential loss of TV and sponsorship money.

A football club is not just a passion, it is a business, and unfortunately money talks. Rangers have more than just the prestige of the Premier League to play for. They have their financial security of the Premier League to play for.

And as mentioned previously, they know all too well what can happen when relegation and debt collide.

Survival

However the most important thing Queens Park Rangers have to play for?

Premier League Survival.

Now only at the foot of the table thanks to goal difference, the 10-point deficit seen in January has been cut more than in half. And after two wins on the bounce, and games in the coming weeks being deemed as winnable, safety is becoming more and more possible as the days go on.

The hope is there, the belief is returning, and confidence is on the up. And the fact that Rangers are now within touching distance of 17th place means that they do have a chance to stay up.

And that chance is worth fighting for. For the fans, for the chairman, and for the club's future. And of course to keep certain players in nice cars and designers boots.