Photo From a Messageboard Poster: Standing: Left to Right: Lew Clayton John Poppitt Harry Brown George Powell Des Farrow Reg Chapman. Seated: Left to Right: Billy Waugh Conway Smith Bert Addinall Harry Gilberg Ernie Shepherd. -
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- The mini-surge in Season Ticket Sales continues: Now up to 7,104 sold
- VIDEO From 1972 (Just a couple of weeks after having sold Rodney Marsh as QPR were setting out on a 21-game undefeated run!
- QPR Factoids from the Football League - QUEENS PARK RANGERS IN NUMBERS
Football League
- Twenty-Six Years Ago Today: THE Newcastle Game
- QPR Reserves Defeated Charlton Reserves in a closed-door game yesterday.
- A Coventry Fan Unhappy at the Marlon King Signing
- Speedy and Tough Justice Handed Out By Millwall to Pitch Invader
- Video: 1969/70 Spurs vs Manchester City: Roger Morgan for Spurs...Stan Bowles on the Man City Bench!
- QPR Mentioned in M*A*S*H*
- 2002 World Cup Ref arrested in New York With Heroin
YORKSHIRE POST/Richard Sutcliffe - Distant Warnock happy to leave Yorkshire rivals to it
NEIL WARNOCK is glad to be out of Yorkshire.
Not, it has to be said, that the 61-year-old has turned against his native county. Far from it, in fact. He remains as proud of his roots as ever, not least the 15 years he spent playing and managing in the county with a host of clubs. Not for nothing is Warnock's autobiography titled Made in Sheffield.
No, the reason for the Queens Park Rangers manager being more than happy to be based outside the Broad Acres right now is the number of Yorkshire sides in this season's Championship.
Six White Rose clubs are competing in the second tier this term ADVERTISEMENTfor the first time in two decades and already there have been some memorable tussles with Barnsley's demolition of Leeds United likely to be talked about at Oakwell for years to come.
Mark Robins's Tykes have also claimed the notable scalp of Middlesbrough, while this Saturday should see Elland Road host the Football League's highest crowd of the season so far with more than 34,000 expected for the visit of Sheffield United.
With another three derbies scheduled for next month, it is clear there is unlikely to be any let-up in the tribal passion that has characterised clashes between Yorkshire rivals during the opening seven weeks of the season.
It is for that very reason Warnock, whose table-topping QPR side host Doncaster Rovers this weekend, is glad to be working away from his native county.
He said: "In Yorkshire, it is effectively a league within a league. It is crazy how many teams are competing in this season's Championship.
"I know from my time in Yorkshire just how hard-fought these games can be. They are the sort of games that are great to be involved in.
"But as a manager, it can make life that bit more difficult as local pride is at stake so everyone is desperate not to lose.
"To be honest, I am glad to be out of it as there are so many derbies in Yorkshire that it could make it harder for a team to put a great run together.
"Having said that, doing well in so many derbies could make the difference in the end. It is why I do believe whoever wins the league within a league – a Yorkshire League effectively – will be in with a great chance of automatic promotion."
Warnock's Rangers side have already faced a trio of sides from Yorkshire, emerging with an impressive nine points as Barnsley, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough were all comprehensively beaten – as a goals for and against ratio of 10 to none vividly illustrates.
The victory over the Blades on the second Saturday of the season led to Kevin Blackwell, Warnock's former assistant, being sacked by the Blades shortly after the final whistle.
What the 3-0 win also did was confirm the Londoners' standing as one of the sides capable of mounting a serious promotion challenge from what is, if anything, a Championship that is even more open than last season.
Further wins over Boro, Ipswich and Leicester means only a 2-2 draw at Derby County – the only time Paddy Kenny has conceded in the league since his controversial move south this summer from Bramall Lane – prevents QPR from hosting Doncaster this Saturday with a 100 per cent record. Despite that, Warnock insists Sean O'Driscoll's side will be confident of stopping Rangers in their tracks come Saturday.
He said: "I have always liked Donny and John Ryan. I think they have got a great chance of doing well this season. I told John that after he had signed Billy Sharp (from Sheffield United) in the summer.
"Donny pushed the boat out a bit to get Billy and I think they will be very, very close. When you look at what Blackpool did last season, it is not beyond a good footballing team like Donny to do the same.
"They have made steady progress every season under Sean. When I was manager of Palace last season, they absolutely battered us.
"How we got a (1-1) draw out of that, I don't know. We should have been 4-0 down at half-time."
That draw at the Keepmoat Stadium in February last year proved to be Warnock's last game in charge of Palace, who a month earlier had been dragged into the relegation battle by a
10-point deduction imposed for going into administration.
The lure of moving across the capital to Loftus Road proved too much for Warnock, who signed a three-and-a-half year deal.
Less than seven months later, Rangers sit proudly on top of the Championship – though their manager admits to being wary of Doncaster's threat.
He said: "It is going to be a cracking game. We have been playing some decent football and Donny always play lovely football, so we are hoping for a good crowd.
"I see it as our toughest test yet. I said to the players after Saturday's win at Leicester how glad I was that we had a full week to prepare as it will be tough.
"Our start has been amazing, especially the part played by unsung heroes such as Shaun Derry. I will be honest and say that when I signed him for Palace from Leeds (in 2007) I thought I would get a maximum 18 months more out of him but he has been outstanding.
"I actually set the target of getting to the next international break (after October 2 when the Championship will be 10 games old) no more than four or five points off the top.
"I thought if we could manage that then we would be in a good position. So, our start has been beyond our wildest dreams."
As for the other clubs from his native Yorkshire, Warnock added: "I really do believe Donny will be there or thereabouts. Barnsley are also capable of upsetting anyone on their day. They have a lot of good players, as they showed last week against Leeds.
"I also believe Middlesbrough will come strong now they have the two wins (over Burnley and Reading).
"A big factor, though, will be how well they do in all those derby games."
richard.sutcliffe@ypn.co.uk - Yorkshire Post
- Video (1973): Brilliant QPR with Bowles, Thomas and Francis Win at Wolves
- Video: 1978 - Two Billy Hamilton Goals for QPR vs Manchester City
- Video: Venables' QPR vs Blackburn (1981)
- Video Flashback: Flavio Briatore Talking About His QPR Plans (and some other QPR videos)
THREE YEAR FLASHBACK
Saturday, September 22, 2007 John Curtis on Briatore's QPR Talk...John Curtis Icons Diary
The takeover of QPR football club has to be good news for everyone and we can now start to plan for the future knowing that we've got one.
Flavio Briatore came and spoke to us all the other day and I have to say that we were all very impressed by him. He's a tough character and made it clear how ambitious he was for the club.
He came in and said "I'm a winner and either you're winners too or you're not with me." He told us we were fortunate to have him because with him QPR was going places and that we could either join that journey or leave.
Basically he has succeeded in everything he has turned his hand to and he's not prepared to fail at anything – certainly not at running a football club. And we are committed to helping that success now.
The lads are really excited and want to be involved with what's happening here. This is a great club, with fantastic fans and it should be going places. We all believe we should be in the Premiership and now with what the new owners can bring that is possible.
I'm sure the fans are happy and relieved because they have suffered with all the uncertainties and now something concrete is happening and they don't have to worry about.
Of course it all has to start here and now on the pitch.....
But there is a new era beginning at the club and I'm sure we will all rise to the challenge and things will start picking up pretty soon. We know there is going to be money for new players, which we need. But we also know that means more competition and every player will be doing his best to prove he is worthy of a place.
Icons
