Samba at Stoke for glory, not money

Queens Park Rangers defender Chris Samba has rubbished claims he joined the club for the money, and insisted they can survive.

The 29-year-old believes club owner Tony Fernandes did what he could in the January transfer window, spending what he felt was necessary to give manager Harry Redknapp a chance of keeping the club in the Premier League.

And Samba is adamant these players were needed and are capable of keeping QPR up.

“I have to defend against this,” Samba told The Mirror.

“Nobody put a knife at the throat of anybody at QPR to come and discuss contracts.

“They wanted to extend my contract for another year at Anzhi. I could have earned more there. But I wanted to come back to England.

“The club believes in the players that have been brought here. They believe they are the right players for the club.

“What would people have said if the owner didn’t try anything? If he didn’t spend any money? They would have said that he didn’t care. But he did what he believed was right.

“The owner really is a passionate man. He is shown a fighting spirit for the club by doing all the business he could have done to improve the team.

“Us players have come in to try and prove him right. (Loic) Remy, (Jermaine) Jenas and (Andros) Townsend have been fantastic. We all know what staying in the Premier League means to the fans.

“But people still think that our attitude is, ‘Whether we win or lose, we get paid’. They are wrong.

“If I lose a game, I might get paid but I go home and it affects me.

“I am not doing anything. I am not going to restaurants. I am not going out at all. I’m not a nicest person when we lose.

“That’s how it affects your life. Ask any player at any club, and they will tell you the same.”