Reading Terry Venables' new autobiography, "Born to Manage" (a prize from Queen's Park Rangers FC), I was fascinated - and shocked - to read that Terry Venables, when manager of QPR back in the early 1980s, had suggested changing the name of QPR to London FC. But QPR Chairman Jim Gregory had demurred.
Venables writes "I even suggested changing the club's name, but I have to admit that Jim Gregory was uneasy about the idea. His love affair with QPR was genuine. When I put it to him that London FC would be a name for the future, he could see what I was trying to achieve but never sounded convinced."
"I find it astonishing that London is the capital city, yest there is not one club with London as part of its name.....Rangers is not even in Queens Park. That was why I wanted to see us adopt a new name . London FC would have been simple, straightforward and instantly recognisable but it didn't happen as it went against the grain for traditionalists such as Jim."
Ironically just a few years ago (September, 2008), Charles Sale in the Daily Mail reported that "The super-rich owners of London Championship team QPR have been discussing changing the name of the club to Queens Park City in order to emphasis its location in the capital. Renault boss Flavio Briatore...has been openly debating the idea with friends in football and motor racing." Daily Mail
In response to that Sale article, QPR Chairman Flavio Briatore issued an official Statement
"This is pure fabrication and I don't know where the story has come from. I haven't spoken to anybody about this subject. "I don't know the journalist, but I know the story is totally untrue and we will be contacting our lawyers to pursue this matter further. "I can categorically deny that there is any truth in this article...."