Ex-QPR Birthdays: Mike Keen and Gary Micklewhite

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Today's "QPR Birthday:" - Gary Micklewhite, turning 46. And a slightly belated birthday to 1967 Hero and Captain, Mike Keen, whose birthday was a couple of days ago (sharing that date with Roy Wegerle and Andy Sinton). Keen turned 67 .
Keen made more than 400 QPR appearances from 1959 to 1968/1969, midfielder/winghalf and Captain, Mike Keen. Captained QPR from 3rd to 1st Division and in the League Cup Final.
Keen was probably not very well treated by QPR at the end. He was sold to Alec Stock's Luton when we were in our Relegation Fight...and Keen then proceeded to lead Luton to promotion out of Division 3 (and returned to Loftus Road with Luton in 1970/71, scoring the winning goal!). Keen then joined Watford. Managed Watford and Northampton and then-non-League Wycombe,. Was briefly a coach at QPR when Frank Sibley was manager. His son played for West Ham and Wolves. Keen was recently back at Loftus Road with several members of the 1967 squad.

From Sunday Times, April 6 2003 "Where are they now"
"Mike Keen - One of the old school of half-backs Keen was a skilful player who enjoyed delivering long passes, and he was a strong, clinical tackler. He was a QPR stalwart who joined the club in 1958, and played in 393 League matches. After a change of managers, he moved to Luton before finishing his playing career at Watford. He was appointed manager at Vicarage Road and enjoyed four years at the club, where he set about engendering the spirit he had experienced as a player at Loftus Road. He managed Northampton for a year before taking charge of Wycombe part-time and then Marlow while he concentrated on running Sport and Ski, a shop in Wycombe. He lives in Flackwell Heath in Buckinghamshire, and is manager of a shop in Oxfordshire that sells outdoor gear and ski equipment." Paper

See Also:
Photo (Front row, sitting next to Chairman, Jim Gregory) - Photo

Also: Wycombe Profile

GARY MICKLEWHITE
Micklewhite was signed from Manchester United on a free transfer by Tommy Docherty but was given his chance by Terry Venables. Micklewhite was a substitute for Clive Allen in the FA Cup Final and played in the replay. He got the last-minute 5th goal in QPR's magical 5-5 draw against Newcastle in 1984-1985.

FROM WYCOMBE Fan Site -Gary Micklewhite in Profile
Born: Southwark 21 March 1961
Playing Career:Manchester United March 1978-May 1979 (apprentice)QPR July 1979-Feb 1985 127 apps-17 goalsDerby County Feb 1985-May 1993 288 apps-43 goalsGillingham July 1993-May 1996 113 apps-4 goals
Gary Micklewhite came to Wycombe at the start of the 1998/99 season as Assistant to Neil Smillie. He had spent the previous two seasons as Youth Team Manager at QPR and was a team-mate of Neil Smillie during his final playing years at Gillingham.
Micklewhite began his professional football at Old Trafford under the reigns of Tommy Docherty but he never made the first team. Then in the summer of 1979, with Docherty now at QPR, he arrived on a free and began a succesful spell at Loftus Road. In 1982 he appeared in both games against Spurs in the FA Cup Final at Wembley - playing in midfield alongside former Wycombe Manager John Gregory. A year later he gained a Division Two Championship with Rangers. A £90,000 move to Derby County in 1985 began an eight year spell at The Baseball Ground before his move to Gillingham. Wycombe