1 year ago...3 years ago...6 years ago...8 years ago...

On this day....

A year ago, Leon Best joined us on loan from Southampton as QPR had just lost to Nott F...and at home to Ipswich (debutant/goalscorer, Currie) and were set to lose to Reading...

Three Years ago, QPR had gone 11 games without a win...and were set to play Brentford (who had Rowlands...We drew 1-1)....
Holloway speaking a few days before the game:
Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Holloway hopes for derby tonicQPR manager Ian Holloway has demanded a derby revival against Brentford at Loftus Road on Saturday to end his side's alarming slump.
Rangers are without a win in 11 matches, but Holloway feels the clubs' rivalry will help spark his team back to life.
He said: 'We've got to go out and attack teams, press them, and what better game to do that in?
'Form goes out of the window in local derbies and let's hope that's true.
'The players are very upset and have to turn that into positivity. It feels like we're bottom and we've got to do much better, so bring them on http://www.soccernet.com/england/news/2002/1217/qpr_20021217_hollowayurgesplayerstostingbees.html

Teams vs Brentford
Dec. 21, 2002 QPR 1 - 1 Brentford
13 Nicky Culkin
5 Clarke Carlisle
2 Terrell Forbes
16 Danny Murphy
4 Steve Palmer
7 Matthew Rose
8 Marc Bircham
9 Richard Langley
15 Lee Cook
29 Paul Furlong
10 Kevin Gallen
Substitutes
1 Chris Day
3 Gino Padula
21 Wesley Daly
31 Brett Angell
27 Andy Thomson


December 21, 1997
QPR 1 Bradford 0
Gavin Peacock's 28th-minute penalty gave QPR boss Ray Harford his first win since succeeding Stewart Houston and raised hopes of a First Division play-off place.
Rangers are nine points adrift of sixth place at the half way stage of the season but expectations remain high at Loftus Road despite a season's lowest crowd of less than 9,000.
Harford will need luck to steer Rangers towards promotion - a good deal more than he enjoyed when his first signing for the club, £250,000 Hungarian-born Australian international midfielder George Kulcsar, limped off after only 25 minutes of his debut against opponents for whom he was a regular only eight days previously.
Kulcsar got the worst of a 50-50 challenge with Nigel Pepper and after hobbling around disconsolately had to give in to the inevitable substitution seven minutes later.
Three minutes after that Chris Wilder upended John Spencer with a rash challenge inside the penalty area and Peacock scored his ninth goal of the season from the spot.
Goalkeeper Gary Walsh got a hand to the ball but could only watch as it span over his body and rolled across the line.
The second half began with Bradford's Bryan Small, making his debut on loan from Bolton, clattering into Rangers £4million asset Trevor Sinclair.
While Sinclair was still limping back into the fray Sheron exacted retribution on Small and was promptly booked.
Sinclair then showed he was non the worse for Small's attentions, thundering a shot against Bradford's crossbar.
There was more action in the first 10 minutes of the second half than in the whole of the first, with Walsh spreading himself to foil Sinclair and Karl Ready scooping the resulting corner over from a few yards.
Bradford sent on Edinho for Rob Steiner and the Brazilian sent a flashing header only inches over as Harford endured an anxious last quarter.
Teams
QPR: Roberts, Yates, Brevett, Kulcsar (Murray 25), Ready, Maddix, Spencer, Peacock, Quashie, Sheron (Gallen 76), Sinclair.
Subs Not Used: Perry.
Booked: Sheron.
Goals: Peacock 27 pen.
Bradford: Walsh, Wilder, Small, Murray, Youds, O'Brien, Lawrence (Blake 67), Pepper, Steiner (Edhino 50), McGinlay (Ramage 67), Beagrie.
Booked: O'Brien.
Att: 8,853
Ref: S W Mathieson (Stockport).
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/cc_championship/qpr/reports/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/97/12/21/SOCCER_QPR.html&TEAMHD=qpr
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/cc_championship/qpr/news/


December 19, 1998 Crystal Palace 1 QPR 1
By Matt Barlow, PA Sport
Substitute Rob Steiner salvaged a point for QPR in a fiercely fought London derby.
Steiner had been on the pitch just 11 minutes when he fired home a 76th minute equaliser which condemned Terry Venables' team to a seventh league match without a win.
And the super-sub almost sealed three points for the visitors with a diving header, brilliantly saved by Kevin Miller in the dying minutes.
Palace had looked poised to end their dismal run of form, and bring Venables some cheer in a week when his father died, when Simon Rodger opened the scoring in the 62nd minute.
Rodger nipped in to poke a low cross from Sagi Burton past Ludek Miklosko on his near post and give the Eagles some reward for a spirited second half opening.
But Rangers bounced back and Steiner drilled home from a Gavin Peacock corner.
A Miklosko blunder had almost gifted Palace the lead early in the second half.
He fumbled a Matt Jansen shot badly and the ball spun onto the post and then rebounded into the goalmouth past the hapless keeper.
Only a splendid saving tackle from Danny Maddix stopped Lee Bradbury tapping the loose ball home.
The first half had rebounded frantically from end to end and both sides failed to impose their authority.
The visitors started brightest and could have been ahead in the opening minutes when striker Kevin Gallen caught the home defence napping to latch onto a header from Antti Heinola.
He raced towards goal but his thumping shot was turned behind by keeper Miller.
It was livewire Matt Jansen who sparked the Eagles into action.
The highly-rated young striker had missed Palace's midweek defeat at Sunderland with 'flu but was on song at Selhurst Park as he tormented the Rangers back-line.
He found space around the edge of the penalty area three times in the first half to fire shots just wide and called Miklosko into action midway through the half with a low drive through a crowded goalmouth.
Rangers had the ball in the net twice in the first half. Gallen's lob was ruled out for a foul and Matthew Rose's crisp finish was disallowed for offside.
Palace came out firing on all cylinders after the break. Andy Linighan powered a header over from Rodger's corner and Bradbury shot wide.
Miller produced another fine save from Gallen after a wonderful sweeping move involving Mike Sheron and Ian Baraclough.
Rodger opened the scoring but Rangers never gave up and Steiner drilled home for the point their display merited.
Teams:
Crystal Palace: Miller, Crowe, Rizzo (Curcic 76), Burton, Linighan, Foster, Rodger, Mullins, Bradbury (Morrison 86), Jansen, Smith.
Subs Not Used: Petric.
Booked: Burton, Mullins.
Goals: Rodger 61.
QPR: Miklosko, Heinola, Baraclough, Morrow, Ready, Maddix (Rowland 76), Rose, Peacock, Sheron, Gallen, Murray (Steiner 64).
Subs Not Used: Kulcsar.
Booked: Ready, Maddix.
Goals: Steiner 76.
Att: 17,684
Ref: M Pierce (Portsmouth).
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/cc_championship/qpr/reports/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/98/12/19/SOCCER_Palace_Nightlead.html&TEAMHD=qpr


December 18, 1999 QPR 0 Charlton 0
QPR striker Chris Kiwomya was sent off as the derby clash with promotion-chasing Charlton boiled over at Loftus Road
The former Arsenal and Ipswich forward had already been booked following a scuffle in a defensive wall and in the 76th minute he clashed yet again with Charlton defender Richard Rufus in an off-the-ball incident.
The assistant referee spotted it and Kiwomya was sent packing via a second bookable offence.
Rangers' injury-hit side had coped well against a Charlton team who started much the brighter and though the visitors had the bulk of the possession QPR created the more clear-cut chances.
The first half saw the Addicks in charge and twice winger Shaun Newton caused problems for the home side.
On nine minutes he robbed Paul Bruce before setting up John Salako to hit a 30-yard shot inches wide.
Then 10 minutes later he expertly stole the ball from Paul Murray before running in on goal himself.
However, as he steadied himself to shoot from six yards Rangers defender Chris Plummer made a brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny him.
Rufus and Eddie Youds were in impeccable form at the heart of the Charlton defence and they restricted Rangers to just one shot in the first half.
That came two minutes before the break when the visitors failed to clear a corner and Stuart Wardley's header to Murray saw the midfielder volley over the bar.
Rangers stormed back into the game after the break and they created the best chance of the match on 53 minutes.
Murray chipped the ball up to Wardley who combined superbly with Kiwomya before letting fly with a shot which was expertly saved by the legs of Dean Kiely.
Once Kiwomya was sent off it was backs-to-the-wall stuff for Rangers though the Addicks managed to create only one chance in that last 15 minutes.
That fell to substitute John Robinson who cut in from the left before pulling his shot just wide .
It would have been a cruel ending for battling Rangers who deserved to hold on to their unbeaten home league record.
Teams:

QPR: Harper, Darlington, Breacker, Plummer, Ward, Bruce, Wardley, Langley (Kulcsar 85), Murray, Steiner, Kiwomya.
Subs Not Used: Miklosko, Scully, Dowie, Koejoe.
Sent Off: Kiwomya (76).
Booked: Murray, Kiwomya.

Charlton: Kiely, Shields, Rufus, Youds, Powell, Newton (Pringle 83), Parker, Jones, Salako (Robinson 65), Hunt,Mendonca.
Subs Not Used: Ilic, Barness, Barbe.
Booked: Newton, Hunt, Rufus.
Att: 14,709
Ref: P Taylor (Cheshunt
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/cc_championship/qpr/reports/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/99/12/18/SOCCER_QPR_Nightlead.html&TEAMHD=qpr