A DECADE since Chris Wright's Take Over...Steve Slade's Arrival and Ray Wilkins' QPR Looking Set for a Promotion Season and Return to the Premiership

-
Marking a Decade since QPR "Return" From the Premiership...Chris Wright's Arrival...

It's a decade ago, since newly-relegated QPR were looking forward to the new season with a fair amount of optimism. Chris Wright had just taken over as Chairman and new investment for the club beckoned; there was hope that Manager Ray Wilkins had learned and would take the team back up. And Rangers pre-season, signed the England U-21 International, Steve Slade from Spurs.

And the QPR team looked more than good enough to bounce back up, with maybe one or two new signings: We had youngsters such as Plummer, Quashie, Murray, Gallen, Dichio, Sinclair and Impey....And experienced players such as Hately, Wilkins, Bardsley and Barker (but sadly not Holloway who left to become player Manager of Bristol Rovers)

Within a few short weeks of the start of the season: Gallen was out for the season (and arguably was never the same again); Wilkins had gone (fired?); and QPR's new management team was getting a lot of attention - Houston and Rioch (rather than Graham or Curbishley)...And within a few months: Spencer and Peacock came for a lot of money.

Probably no QPR fan, even the most pessimistic, would have predicted back in 1996 that a decade later, QPR would not have returned (at least for a period) to the Premiership. And certainly none would have imagined how far QPR would have fallen and what a financial morrass they would be in.

QPR had gone down along with Manchester City and Bolton (and were replaced by Sunderland, Derby and Leicester)
Final Premiership Table 1995-96: http://www.the-english-football-archive.com/league_tables/1995-1996-tables.htm
Relegated:- Manchester City, Queen's Park Rangers & Bolton Wanderers.
Promoted:- Sunderland, Derby County & Leicester City.
QPR's Relegation Squad
http://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/1995-1996/faprem/qpr.htm