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-For QPR and Football Updates throughout the day, visit the ever-growing (and hopefully always-improving!) QPR Report Messageboard/quasi-blog. Either offer your own perspectives on any of the topics (QPR and football only). Or of course, feel free to simply read the various QPR and football-only discussions. Also: QPR REPORT ON TWITTER
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- West Ham interest in Mackie? (Or just a hyped up online story?)
- Doncaster Previews and Flashbacks
- Vote for Taarabt or Mackie (or another team's player!) for PFA's Championship Player of The Month"
- Taarabt Set for Tanzania Game
- Two Year Flashback: Iain Dowie's QPR Wins at Aston Villa (Dowie sacked before the next round!)
- Three QPR Birthdays
- Bring The World Cup to the USA Video (Narrated by Morgan Freeman)
- QPR' Mackie Ranked Number #1 in Championship!
- In the latest Actim Index Rankings, QPR have the #1 ranked player overall (Mackie); the #1 (Mackie) and #3 (Helguson) Forwards. The #1 Goalie (Kenny); The #1 (Taarabt) and #2 (Ephraim) Midfielders and the #2 Defender (Gorkss)
RANKINGS: TOP 100 Players
#1 Mackie #4 Helguson #5 Taarabt #6 Ephraim #8 Gorkss #13 Kenny #26 Derry #46 Hill #51 Connolly #87 Orr - Actim Rankings
- FIFA & UEFA Claim They Can't Act Against Russian Racist Banner
- Supposedly Naming a Stadium After Drogba (If it was QPR: Rodney Marsh Stadium? Tony Ingham Stadium? Mike Keen Stadium? Jim Gregory or Alec Stock Stadium?)
- "Found" - Nigel Quashie: Training at Orient!
- "New" Video - From QPR's 1968/69 Division One Relegation Season: QPR at WBA
IMS Scouting - QPR – Are Rangers back?
Those who follow the Championship will not have been able to ignore the stunning start to the season by the table toppers from West London.
The Championship is perhaps the most competitive division in English football and is almost unquestionably the most unpredictable. Blackpool’s promotion last season is testament to that. This season, even few QPR fans would have predicted that the R’s would be the division’s overwhelming pace-setters. With it comes the hope that a return to the glory days might just be round the corner for Rangers.
Many forget that QPR were a permanent fixture in the top division from 1983-96 and were among the founding members of the Premier League. Looking further back, the club has a proud tradition of producing attractive footballing teams. Alec Stock’s side, containing Rodney Marsh won the League Cup in 1967, before Dave Sexton developed perhaps the best side never to win the title, including the incomparable Stan Bowles, which was pipped to the championship by Liverpool in 1975-6. Then Terry Venables led the club to its only FA Cup final to date in 1982 before Gerry Francis built a side which would finish higher than every other London club in 1992-3.
Since then, there has been precious little for Rangers’ loyal fans to cheer about. Ray Wilkins oversaw the club’s relegation from the Premier League in 1996 and a series of financial crises and poor sides saw QPR plummet down to League One staring football obscurity in the face. Ian Holloway dragged the club back up to the Championship in 2004, where they have never really since troubled the top six.
However, this season things appear to be coming together for the Superhoops. A glance at the Championship table shows that QPR lead the way with 19 points from 7 games, 5 points ahead of second place Ipswich. Rangers’ form is underscored by an amazing goal difference of 19 goals scored and only 2 conceded. No visiting side has yet scored at Loftus Road.
Something has clearly changed down in Shepherds Bush, but is this just a false dawn which will soon fade away or is this a real breakthrough that will take QPR back to the Premier League? A lucky run of form or a solid foundation for success? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, let’s analyze the changes that have seen QPR start the season so impressively.
Rock solid at the back:
Key to their success has been the right formula for a stable defence. Last season QPR conceded 65 goals, about 1.5 goals per game and this season after 7 matches they have conceded only 2, both in the draw at Derby County.6 clean sheets out of 7 games really says it all.
Credit must be given to 32-year-old goalkeeper Paddy Kenny , who joined the club this summer on a free transfer and appears to have instilled real confidence in his back four. He is a favorite of QPR boss Neil Warnock, having played under him with great success at Sheffield United. Kenny has a reputation as one of the most reliable stoppers at this level. He is renowned as a goalkeeper with excellent reflexes, good distribution and is a good communicator. However, he is also a colourful character too and has grabbed the headlines in the past for the wrong reasons by being involved in a pub fight and suffering a nine month ban from football for testing positive for a banned substance, which he insists was contained in nothing more suspicious than cough medicine. Republic of Ireland international Kenny returned to action towards the back end of last season and will be pleased to get a good season under his belt with QPR.
In front of him QPR have developed a cohesive back four. At the very heart of the defence is the excellent pairing of Matthew Connolly and Latvian international Kaspars Gorkss . Both are imposing figures and Connolly is a characteristically classy player, having developed under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.
The full-back positions proved to be problematic for Rangers last season, but those worries appear to have been dissipated with the arrival of Clint Hill from Crystal Palace and Bradley Orr from Bristol City. Orr scored his first goal for the club against Sc**thorpe United and has since been injured. Replacing him though has been energetic Tottenham youngster Kyle Walker on loan.
Rangers’ solid defensive performances at home, where they have yet to concede a goal, may also have been helped by the compact surroundings of Loftus Road. The stands are almost on top of the pitch, lending encouragement to the home side and allowing the Rangers support to create a tough environment for opponents. Crowds have been somewhat disappointing so far this season, but especially when full, Loftus Road will play its’ role as the season progresses.
Hands-off owners:
QPR have been able to boast the richest owners in English football for a while now. Formula One gurus Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone took control of the club in August 2007, bringing one of the UK’s richest men, steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal on board four months later, when he bought 20% of Briatore’s stake.
Many assumed that the incredible wealth of the club’s owners would see Rangers spend fortunes on new signings. However, it brought about a period of great instability, marred by what was seen as Briatore’s meddling in team affairs and a negative change in the profile of QPR from a community club, to a rich man’s play-thing. The instability was reflected by the almost comical turnover in managers, which saw Iain Dowie last just 15 games, Jim Magilton a slightly better 24 and Paul Hart a ludicrous 5.
Briatore stood down as club chairman in February of this year with the Mittal family taking a far more prominent role in the running of the club. Mittal’s son-in-law and board member Amit Bhatia recruited Ishan Saksena to take over from Briatore and together they have taken much more of a hands-off approach to the playing side of the club and have ensured that QPR is less about celebrity and more to do with football. The stability instilled by Bhatia and Saksena has helped create an environment where the team can flourish.
The manager:
Perhaps Bhatia and Saksena’s best decision so far has been the appointment of Neil Warnock as manager in March 2010. The position of QPR manager had become something of a poisoned chalice, but there is every sign that Warnock will enjoy an extended period at Loftus Road.
Wily 61-year-old Warnock has over twenty years of experience as a football manager. He made his name having taken Scarborough into the Football League and then overseeing an incredible rise which saw Notts County promoted to the first division in 1991. More recently, he led Sheffield United to two cup semi-finals and then promotion to the Premier League in 2006. At Crystal Palace, he also turned the team from relegation battlers to promotion contenders, securing a place in the play-offs in 2008.
In a short space of time, Warnock appears to have turned around a QPR side full of loan signings and little direction into promotion contenders.
Warnock has a reputation for being an old-school, outspoken Yorkshireman and his fiery temperament has seen him involved in several run-ins with other managers in the game. He was memorably accused by Gary Megson of deliberately trying to get a game abandoned by reducing his side to six players. Warnock was later said to have commented on Megson that he wouldn’t “piss on him if he caught fire.” In 2006 he publicly criticized Rafa Benitez for fielding a weakened side against Fulham, who were fellow relegation candidates alongside Sheffield United.
Warnock’s passionate style also helps him forge fierce loyalty from his players. His sides tend to play with a great sense of team spirit and many of his former players have spoken of their drive to play for him. It is therefore perhaps unsurprising that Warnock has looked to several of his old charges at QPR.
As already mentioned, Paddy Kenny was a loyal Warnock servant at Sheffield United and sited the prospect of working with the 61-year-old again as a major factor in his decision to move to Loftus Road. Few QPR fans were excited at the prospect of signing Warnock’s former Crystal Palace players, Shaun Derry and Clint Hill , but both have so far proven to be valuable additions to the first eleven.
Similarly, Warnock has surrounded himself at QPR with familiar faces in his backroom staff. Both Keith Curle and Mick Jones followed him from Crystal Palace, with Jones having worked previously with Warnock at several clubs.
The stars:
A solid back four has been a crucial foundation for Rangers’ start to the season. In attack, QPR have found the back of the net with ease. Going forward, there have been three key players who have so far stood out for Warnock’s side.
Jamie Mackie - The talisman of the side at the moment, with 8 goals in 7 games. This is an outstanding total, especially given that he scored 8 goals in total for Plymouth during the whole of last season. The 24-year-old has never previously been a prolific scorer at MK Dons Exeter City or Plymouth, but has always displayed pace, good movement and an excellent work-rate. Mackie has the ability to work the channels, wear defenders down and then beat them with a burst of pace.
A versatile front-man, Mackie can play as a target striker, but this season has been outstanding as either a second striker or a wide player in a front three. So far this term, he has shown an incredible knack of being in the right place at the right time and against Leicester showed excellent aerial ability, converting a header from 15 yards out from an Adel Taarabt cross.
Adel Taarabt – Looks to be one of the bargains of the summer, having been signed for £1million from Tottenham. The Moroccan youngster showed in his brief cameos with Spurs that he has incredible talent and dribbling ability. He enjoyed a very good spell on loan at QPR last season and was persuaded to sign permanently by Warnock over the summer.
Taarabt’s ability to beat players, produce pin-point passes, create chances for his team-mates and score goals has never been in doubt. He is unquestionably one of the most exciting players in the Championship. Warnock’s key input into Taarabt’s game has been the improvement in his temperament. The one weakness in the 21-year-old’s game has been his tendency to prioritise showboating above team-play. Warnock has made him captain in the absence of Fitz Hall and the vote of confidence from the manager may prove to be a master-stroke. Warnock has time and again expressed his confidence in Taarabt and has now given him the responsibility to captain the side. Taarabt is beginning to show that he is not only a remarkable entertainer but also a real asset to the team.
Hogan Ephraim- Small in stature but his influence on the side is growing. Ephraim began his career at West Ham and in many ways is a typical West Ham product – A tricky, skillful attacker. He has the versatility to play on either wing, which has made Ephraim invaluable to Warnock’s fluid system this season.
There was a time last season when the 22-year-old looked to be totally out of favour at QPR and was loaned to Leeds United. But, Warnock must again take credit for his revitalization this term. Ephraim’s direct running and pace has made him a real nuisance to defences, creating chances for his team-mates. As he develops, Ephraim may well be the type of player who is able to move infield as he gains experience, further intelligence and insight into the game.
The Bench:
In a tough, long and unpredictable Championship season, it is vital to have the strength in depth to both cope with injuries and to switch tactics. Warnock is able to call upon an impressive pool of players and a mark of QPR’s promotion credentials lies in their substitute’s bench.
Former Tottenham goalkeeper and Czech international Radek Cerny provides cover for Paddy Kenny in goal. Captain and centre-back Fitz Hall has been injured, but such has been the effectiveness of the Gorkss-Connolly partnership, that it is far from certain that he will return to the side. Mikele Leigertwood provides an experienced and uncompromising option in a number of positions.
In midfield, fans’ favourite and influential midfielder Martin Rowlands has recovered from serious injury but faces a battle to regain his spot in the side. Akos Buzsaky wears the coveted number ten shirt and would surely be in the starting line-up for almost every other side in the division. He is an excellent option to bring on in midfield, particularly if the opposition has targeted and successfully shackled Taarabt.
Warnock also dipped into the transfer market just before the window closed to make valuable additions to his options up front. Rob Hulse was purchased from Derby County while Tommy Smith is on-loan from Portsmouth before his move is made permanent in January. Both are reliable scorers in the Championship and promise to give Warnock plenty of selection problems as the season progresses.
The variety of options on Warnock’s bench gives him the opportunity to change his game plan as necessary and to cope with the inevitable injuries and suspensions as they occur.
The Formation:
QPR usually play with a basic 4-2-3-1 formation where fluidity is the name of the game. The formation has the flexibility to change several times during the game if necessary, easily turning into a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 thanks to the versatility of the squad.
The basic formation includes solid defenders (Hill, Gorkss, Connolly and Walker\Orr) in front of Paddy Kenny . Just in front of them is defensive midfielder Shaun Derry , the engine of the team, a really hard worker who efficiently wins possession from his opponent and passes it off to his team-mates to move forward. With bags of experience Derry is one of the foundations of the side, despite being in only his first season at the club. Next to him is Alejandro Faurlin , an expensive signing just over a year ago from Argentinean side Institiutu de Cordoba. Faurlin is the link between the defense and the attack. He always seems to find a yard of space to use his speed and passing ability to push the ball forward, often using his short-passing game to get the ball to the attacking trio.
The attacking trio consists of Mackie and Ephraim in slightly wider positions, able to switch sides and Taarabt as a playmaker with a free role behind the target striker Heidar Helguson. One advantage of this formation is to maximize the creativity of Taarabt as well as the endeavor of Mackie, who is also able to cut inside and join Helguson up front.
As mentioned, the formation is very fluid, and the team can switch to playing a 4-4-2 with Taarabt on the right flank and Ephraim on the left, with Mackie playing as a second striker.
As other Championship managers begin to adapt to the threat that Rangers pose, the flexibility of Warnock’s tactics will be crucial as he plots a lasting promotion challenge - IMS Scouting
Paul Warburton/Fulham Chronicle - QPR promotion is fate, says Neil Warnock
- THE last and only previous time the Pope came to Britain – QPR were promoted to the top flight the following year.
- Boss Neil Warnock reckons it’s cost his club an arm and a leg to get his Holiness to come over this week and speed Rangers return to the Premiership they left in 1996.
- "Shifting that Popemobile around for a start is a hell of a price," said Warnock. The manager is joking of course.
- But when reminded he was a manager of the month in August 1982 at Burton – as he was last month with table-topping Rangers – Warnock believes fate has dealt Rangers a royal flush.
- Pope John Paul II was the previous Pontiff who visited UK shores in May 1982 with Rs topping the then Second Division next May to be followed by a 14-year stint with the elite.
- The Rs boss added: "I’m a bit of fatalist and these co-incidences are just too good to be true.
- "There are going to be defeats along the way, but the way this side has gelled together, I’m beginning to think something good is in the air." Fulham Chronicle
THE QPR OFFICIAL SITE AT THIRTEEN
- Thirteen years ago today, the QPR Official Site was launched. And we had an extra source of information besides Battletank's path-breaking QPR.org (and a couple of other QPR-related sites)
- Chris Wright Was Chairman...Stuart Houston. QPR had Quashie and Murray and Sinclair and Spencer and Sheron...- Some of those early posts ...
QPR Official Site - September 24, 1997
- Welcome to the new Official Queens Park Rangers Web Site.
- We're delighted to have an official presence on the Internet and this site will give you the chance to keep up to date with everything that is happening at Loftus Road.
- Now wherever you are in the world - and I receive correspondence from our supporters from as far afield as Australia and Japan - you can know what's happening at the press of a button. Here at Queens Park Rangers we try to keep you informed as much as is practically possible and this site is a great step forward for the club and our supporters.
- It means you'll be able to read match reports of games just seconds after the final whistle has sounded, and very soon you will even be able to listen to live commentaries!
- News stories about the players, events and all aspects of the club will be updated on a daily basis by staff working inside the club.
- You can also order Club Merchandise without leaving your own home and chat with fellow fans in the Official Chat Forum.
- We'd also like you to play your part in further developing our site. You can help us by signing into the online Visitors Book.
- Happy Browsing,
-Chris Wright
Chairman
Queens Park Rangers Football and Athletic Club Limited
On the day of this inaugural post, QPR beat Terry Fenwick's Portsmouth 1-0 at Loftus Road
September 25, 1997 - QPR Official Site - R'S BATTLERS PLEASE BOSS
- R's boss Stewart Houston was delighted to pick up all three points, after seeing Rangers battle out a 1-0 win against Pompey, at Loftus Road on Wednesday night.
- Stewart stressed the importance of being able to pick up wins when Rangers are perhaps not playing at their best.
- " I thought that was a really battling performance and although we can play better, I was pleased to pick up the three points. Although we were only one up, their keeper made three outstanding saves, and perhaps we could have had a penalty, the players thought so."
- The boss had to switch things round when an injury to Steve Morrow forced him into bringing on Matthew Rose.
- " Steve's overstretched and straight away he had a problem and we had to take him off. I felt I had to change things a little bit, so I did, and it seemed to tighten things up a little."
- Stewart afterwards cleared up any confusion over who got the Rangers goal and was quick to applaude Sheron's contribution.
- " Mike Sheron received the ball and squared it across the six yard box and Spenny's come in and got the touch. Mike comes alive in the last 25 yards - he was just a bit unlucky - but the goals will come."
- The win lifts Rangers to equal top, but the boss refuses to get too carried away.
- " It's early days yet, eight games into the season, but six wins out of seven gives us a lot of confidence."
Speaking the next Day...
QPR Official Site - ALL SMILES FOR SPENNY
- JOHN SPENCER fired the bullet that took the R's joint top of the league, and then paid tribute to his striking partner Mike Sheron.
- Spencer's 44th minute strike was enough to beat Portsmouth and to hoist Rangers level with Nottingham Forest at the top. The wee Scotsman was delighted with the outcome of the night.
- ""It was a really tough game. Portsmouth played well for long periods, pinning us back. But justifiably the three points went to us in the end."
- " I can't really remember too much of the build up on the goal. Mike Sheron floated into the box on the left hand side and he cut the ball across. I was actually going to leave it, as I thought the shot was going in, but a defender was coming in on my right hand side, and he might have cleared it off the line. So I slid in, managed to get my studs on it and put it in the net. You can't really take any chances!!"
- Spenny is enjoying the winning run with Rangers, and he feels his new frontline partnership with Mike Sheron, is starting to blossom.
- " I was struggling in the first few games with an ankle injury that I had last year, but I've played through that now and managed to get myself a bit fitter. The ankle seems to have cleared up. and I feel a lot sharper and a lot more confident."
- "Myself and Mike are doing all right together at the moment. We seem to be creating lots of chances and everything seems to be going well. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we'll be talking like this at the end of the season."
Also on the Site opening day...
QPR Official Site - September 24, 1997 - QUASHIE - THE NEW HODDLE ?
- R's Scottish international striker John Spencer is predicting a big future for QPR's outstanding 19 year old prospect Nigel Quashie.
- Nigel's recent return to the first team picture after 18 months on the sidelines with glandular fever, has been a big boost to manager Stewart Houston and Spencer is sure Nigel can go all the way to the top.
-" For a 19 year old, Nigel is awesome. If he stays fit he will be a full England cap within 12 months. He could go on to beat Alan Shearer's transfer price if he continue's to progress.
-The youngster has already been selected for England at U-19 and U-21 level, and Spencer believes he is the next best thing to hit English football, since current England manager Glenn Hoddle.
- " The lad is as good a player as England have had since Glenn Hoddle. I've seen Hoddle in training when I was with Chelsea. He was the other side of 30 and Nigel is under 20, but they can do the same things."
- " They can both hit long passes and can run games. In training Nigel can hit free-kicks any spot he likes. You have to stand there in amazement."
- Quashie was given his QPR debut at the age of 17, by then manager Ray Wilkins, but glandular fever severely hampered his progress last season and left him often too weak to train. Now back in the first team, Nigel is happy to put those dark days behind him.
- " It was awful. One morning I would feel fine, the next so weak all I wanted to do was go to bed for a week. The illness has made me much more professional. I get plenty of rest before matches and fill up with pasta at the right times.
-All R's fans will be delighted to see Nigel back in the limelight and like the player will be hoping he can help clinch a return to the Premiership.
-" I am taking it a game at a time. The main thing is promotion."
A couple days later:
QPR Official Site -September 26, 1997 IMPEY DEAL GOES THROUGH
- ANDY IMPEY has finally completed his £1.2M move to West Ham United.
The Hammers wanted to sign Impey in the summer, but then put the deal on ice, whilst the R's wideman recovered from a foot injury.
- West Ham boss Harry Redknapp watched Impey play a full 90 minutes for QPR reserves last night, before completing the deal this morning.
- The 26 year old revealed when he first found out about West Ham's interest.
- " I first found out West Ham wanted me in June. the transfer was sorted out when I was on holiday in Jamaica, but things started to drag on because of the problem with my foot."
- " The injury happened a long time ago. I broke my toe two or three years back and it started to give me pain last season. The toe had bent after healing, so I had an operation to get it straightened. It took four months to fully recover after the operation at the end of last season."
- " I've been training with Rangers this campaign, and playing practice matches and 5-a sides for nearly six weeks. West Ham couldn't take a chance on my fitness, but now I'm perfectly all right."
- " I was worried a little bit about the delay. I didn't know how long West Ham would wait, but the specialist told me my toe would recover, and there is no problem at all now."
- " I had seven years at Rangers, which I enjoyed. But I didn't play very well last season, so I thought it was time for a change and a new challenge."
- Andrew joined Rangers from Yeading FC in August 1990. He made his debut the following year and became a regular under the Gerry Francis regime.
- He won the Player of the Year in 1995 and forced his way into the England squad for a training week. But with his contract set to expire at the end of the current season, the transfer to West Ham ends Impey's days at Loftus Road.
- Andy had his final game in a QPR shirt for the reserves at home to Ipswich, but the side lost 2-1. Paul Bruce grabbed the R's only goal.
- QPR: Sommer, Woolsey, Brazier, Perry, Plummer, Yates,(Whittle 45) Graham, Impey, Charles, Norman, Bruce
QPR Official Site -September 30- BOSMAN SPARKED IMPEY MOVE
- THE BOSMAN RULING and Daniel Dichio's departure on a free transfer contibuted to Rangers selling Andy Impey to West Ham for £1.2M
- Chairman Chris Wright said: " To some extent, we're disappointed that Andrew has left. He is an extremely good player and had done well here at Rangers over the years."
- " But Andrew was in the last year of his contract and we couldn't get him to discuss new terms. His feeling was that he wanted to move on and didn't want to think about a new contract with Rangers."
- " After what happened with Danny Dichio leaving, the club didn't want that happening again and I don't want players who are not commited to the club. A player who is in the last year of his contract and who has no intention of signing a new one, is not going to be as commited to the club as you would like."
- West Ham came in with an offer for Andrew and it was the right move for everyone. It was the prudent thing for Rangers to do. No one is happy when a talented player leaves the club, but we cannot be in a situation where we have players who are not prepared to commit themselves to us." =- " We tried as hard as we could, but Andrew was not prepared to do that. We were all sad to see him go, but as players go out, others will come in. You cannot keep buying players and not selling."
QPR Official Site - HOUSTON WINS TOP AWARD
- RANGERS manager Stewart Houston has been awarded the Nationwide Division 1 Manager of the Month award for September
- Stewart guided the R's to a four match winning run, which saw them move into second place in the League. Rangers beat Reading, West Brom, Crewe and Portsmouth before coming unstuck at Port Vale on Saturday.
- Stewart said today: " I'm very pleased to accept this award. The players have made it happen for me. I was a bit surprised to get this accolade, but it's all credit to the players."
- The Division 2 award went to Ian Atkins of Northampton and the Division 3 Award to Sam Allardyce of Notts County.
QPR Official Site - October 2, 1997 - CHAIRMAN WOOS STAYAWAY FANS
RANGERS chairman Chris Wright is confident that the club can build on its fan base, as we look to return to the Premiership.
- Chris say: " From the standpoint of financial reality, we have quite a job to do to compete with bigger clubs. So we need to build up our support levels. We want to bring all those disenfranchised Rangers fans back into Loftus Road."
- " We had some 14,000 supporters cheering us on at Wimbledon in the FA Cup at Wimbledon last season, so we know the fans are out there. It's up to the booard, the club and the team on the pitch, to get those people out of the woodwork and back in the stands at Loftus Road."
QPR Official Site - October 8, 1997 - MOVE STILL ON CARDS
- RANGERS are continuing to peruse plans for a possible move away from Loftus Road
- The project is being masterminded by Stephen Oakley, 45, the new chief executive of Loftus Road plc. He feels the options are to expand the existing facilities or to build a new stadium further along the A40 corridor.
- Mr Oakley says: " If the things we want do come to fruition, with Rangers back in the Premiership, we will need a bigger capacity. Building a new stadium is sometimes cheaper than adding to the existing one."
- The Loftus Road group have looked at several possible sites and a decision will be taken at the end of the season. Mr Oakley did say that the group's skills in managing sporting events could lead into a move into basketball and ice-hockey.
- Loftus Road also plans to expand its merchandising operation and develop banqueting and conference facilities to reduce its dependence on success on the field.
And finally on a sad note...
QPR Official Site - September 30, 1997 - R'S MOURN CUP FINAL KEEPER
- FORMER RANGERS keeper Peter Springett has died at the age of 51, after a four year battle against a crippling illness
- Peter, who was one of Rangers heroes in the 1967 League Cup winning team, was born in Fulham on May 8th 1946 and came through the apprentice ranks.
- He signed as a pro in 1963, making his debut that month against Peterborough. He was capped at England Youth and U-23 level.
- By 1965/6, Peter had made the first team spot his own and the following season he was an ever present in the Rangers side that won the League Cup and Third Division double. He made a total of 160 appearances for QPR.
- In May 1967, Peter joined Sheffield Wednesday in a unique deal that saw his brother Ron move to Rangers. Peter played 180 League games for the Owls and another 191 for Barnsley, before retiring to become a policeman.
- The Rangers players will wear black armbands against Charlton as a mark of respect.
From the Guardian /Jacob Steinberg Football quiz: QPR
Today's questions are on the rise...
1. When were QPR founded?
1. 1901
2. 1890
3. 1882
4. 1893
2. Who was QPR's manager before Neil Warnock
1. Luigi De Canio
2. Paul Hart
3. Jim Magilton
4. Iain Dowie
3. What is QPR's highest finish in the top flight?
1. 3rd
2. 2nd
3. 4th
4. 5th
4. Who did QPR beat to win the League Cup in 1967?
1. Manchester City
2. West Ham
3. West Brom
4. Wolves
5. Who did they lose to in the 1986 final?
1. Oxford United
2. Sheffield Wednesday
3. Southampton
4. Blackburn Rovers
6. Who did they lose to in the FA Cup final in 1982?
1. Tottenham
2. Chelsea
3. Arsenal
4. Manchester United
7. When were QPR last in the top flight?
1. 1997
2. 1996
3. 1994
4. 1995
8. How many goals did Rodney Marsh score for QPR in the 1966-67 season?
1. 44
2. 43
3. 47
4. 42
9. When was Loftus Road built?
1. 1891
2. 1904
3. 1911
4. 1902
10. When did QPR move there?
1. 1910
2. 1923
3. 1917
4. 1916 Guardian
- Coventry's Supporters "Diamond Club" - For Supporters who have supported the Club for Fifty Years of More
- The mini-surge in Season Ticket Sales continues: Now up to 7,104 sold
- Another laudatory article re Raheem Sterlin
- Flashback Five Years: Chairman Paladini Takes Action vs Evening Standard Stories