It will be next year at the earliest before QPR find out if they ducked fine up to £57 million imposed by the Football League for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

New Rs chief executive Lee Hoos predicted last night that wrangling with the game’s authority will drag on beyond Christmas.

Hoops have brought in a clutch of experts and witnesses to fight their cause, and the smart thinking is penalty around £8m will be agreed, but the club are fighting tooth and nail against even that.

Tickets, please: Loftus Road

Rangers are charged with overspending £65.4m in 2012-13. They reduced their expenditure in 2013-14 by £22m - thanks to chairman Tony Fernandes and shareholders writing off £60m in loans.

The argument centres on whether the FL accept the write-off, and ignore pressure from elsewhere in the game to make an example of Hoops.

The Rangers CEO thinks the small army of legals hired by the club are earning their money.

Hoos added: “We are collating witness statements and expert testimonies. There are multiple arguments on that front, including how things came into being.

“I can’t see a decision this side of Christmas. I’m not a big fan of paying lawyers lots of money, but when you have a case to state you need a thorough argument about it.”

Going: Rangers players train at Harlington

However, the man at the helm is adamant there will be no turning back over a proposed move to a new training base at Warren Farm.

The site on the Osterley-Southall border is the subject of fierce debate and opposition from local residents, and at one stage Fernandes was ready to throw in the towel and stick with the club’s Harlington site.

Heartened by Ealing council planning permission, and no objection from the Mayor of London’s office this week, Hoos has taken a leaf out of former England manager Kevin Keegan’s rule book.

The CEO explained: “Keegan once said if you have to choose between the stadium and the training ground for an investment - do the training ground.

“The stadium is once a fortnight - but the training ground is every day for players where we can train and develop young players. We’ve got to have it.”