The A-Z of Queens Park Rangers

[bigray]

An interesting read this although it is on a Millwall forum!!
Go to Millwall Online it's worth it

[QPRDave]

No.......... you put it on here

[Fraggy]

Had a quick peak and could only find a thread of them slating our ground:

From next season it's The Nigerian Prince Scam Stadium.

[QPRDave]

Those cheeky sarf lundun scallywags.......

[Gtleighsr3]

Z is for the shape of your legs after sitting at ours for 90 mins

[LoftusRoadLad]

Here it is


A is for apostrophe. The club is known as Queens Park Rangers, with no apostrophe, but does take its name from the Queen’s Park district of northwest London - an area developed in 1875 and named to honour Queen Victoria.

B is for Bowles, as in Stan. Bowles spent just over seven years at QPR, playing a central role in arguably the club's greatest ever team, which finished as league runners-up in 1975–76. He was a great maverick and has been voted QPR’s greatest ever player. Off the pitch his drinking, womanising and gambling during his playing days were also legendary.

C is for Chelsea. QPR fans would consider Chelsea as their main rivals, but I doubt Chelsea fans have ever felt that strongly about Rangers. I feel they need to set their sights a bit lower and concentrate on besting Fulham and Brentford.

D is for Droop Street School. It was here that the idea for the football team that would eventually become Queens Park Rangers was had in 1882. Initially they called themselves St Jude’s FC, before merging with Christchurch Rangers in 1886 & becoming QPR.

E is for even. Historically Millwall have the upper-hand over QPR in terms of results, with 31 wins in Football League competitions to QPR’s 19. However, since the turn of the 21st century, 7 of the 10 fixtures between the two clubs have ended in a draw, with Millwall winning two of the remaining three.

F is for founding members. Like Millwall, QPR were founding members of Division Three in 1920. They then spent the next 21 seasons playing at that level, before promotion in 1948. However, they were back in the third tier by 1953 and spent another 15 seasons there, often finishing lower mid-table.

G is for golden era. For nearly 50 years in the Football League QPR did nothing of note, then all of a sudden things took off and it coincided with signing a certain Rodney Marsh in 1966 (more of that later). In 1966-67 they achieved a remarkable double, winning the Third Division and League Cup, they then finished runners-up in Division Two and made their top flight debut in 1969. They suffered relegation straight away, but were now a serious promotion chaser in Division Two, returning to the top flight for the 1973/74 season and spending the best part of the next two decades there, including finishing runners-up in 1975/76.

H is for home. QPR have had more than any other senior football club – 16 that we know of. However, they have only played at two different venues since joining the Football League: Loftus Road and White City Stadium; but, only finally decided on Loftus Road in 1963 as their permanent home, having swapped between the two since joining the FL.

I is for Ingham. Tony Ingham is QPR’s record appearance maker, with 548 games for the west Londoners between 1950 and 1963. After retiring as a player, he held various positions with QPR and went on to become a director of the club. A function room at Loftus Road is named in his honour.

J is for Jago. Gordon Jago was QPR manager between 1970 and 1974. He built the QPR team that won promotion to the First Division and which would finish runners-up to Liverpool in 1975/76. Millwall must have been delighted to appointment him in April 1974, an EastEnd lad from an old Millwall community in Poplar, with a record of building exciting, promotion winning Second Division teams. Sadly, he couldn’t prevent relegation at the end of the 1974/75 season, but led the Lions straight back up. And looked to be building something, until deciding to pack his bags and go back to the USA, where he had finished his playing career. I mean, what a fool – choosing Tampa Bay, Florida over 1970s New Cross!

K is for kit. The ‘Super-Hoops’ started out with different shades of blue halves. Then they adopted green and white as their colours (maybe a nod to the large Irish community in west London?) and joined the Football League wearing these. They only got rid of them in 1925, swapping them for their now famous blue and white hoops, as green was seen as ‘unlucky’.

L is for Loftus Road. As mentioned, QPR have moved a lot, but have permanently been at Loftus Road since 1963 now. It had been a former rubbish dump and some people may be unkind enough to suggest that it still is when QPR are stinking the place out with another bad performance.

M is for Marsh. Rodney Marsh. Benny Fenton wanted the young Marsh from Fulham, Fulham wanted £5,000 for him. The Millwall board refused, having just spent £7,000 on Eamon Dunphy from York City; even though they had recouped £12,500 from Norwich City for Hugh Curran. Instead he went to Third Division QPR and the rest, as they say, is history - Marsh key in starting the QPR revolution from Third Division nobodies to First Division contenders.

N is for New Year’s Day. On 1st January 1994 QPR beat Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford, having finished 5th the previous season - the dawn of another golden era? No. By 1st January 1997 they were struggling in what is now the Championship, having just lost to West Bromwich Albion 4-1 on the 28th December.

O is for 'Ollie, Ollie, Ollll...liiiie, you ####, you ####'. Millwall hate figure Ian Holloway is a QPR legend. The insane one was a player for Rangers in the 1990s and has also managed them twice. In his first stint he got them relegated to the third level for the first time in 34 years.

P is for penalty. Having knocked out Arsenal and Chelsea away from home in the previous rounds, Millwall looked to be bringing the then Premier League QPR back to The Den for a 1995 FA Cup 5th Round replay. However, just as the 4,000+ SE Londoners were singing ‘Let em come’, Damien Webber decided to ask to go to the toilet in the penalty box in injury time & inevitably the ball hit his hand. Penalty given and converted and our cup run was over.

Q is for Queen’s Park. Having moved home so many times, it is odd to report that in none of those moves have Queens Park Rangers ever been based in Queen’s Park itself. They simply took the name because most of the players at the time (1886) lived in the area.

R is for Rangers. The only ‘Rangers’ in the Football League. Really though, they should be called Queens Park Rovers. They also like to say ‘You Rs’ and ‘Up the Rs’ at Loftus Road; read into that what you will, they are a bit different over in west London.

S is for Southern League. QPR joined the competition that Millwall pioneered in 1898. They won it in 1907-08 and rather arrogantly resigned to take up their ‘rightful’ place in the Football League Second Division. Instead, the FA passed them over for Tottenham Hotspur & QPR had to go cap in hand and beg for their place back in the Southern League. The league agreed, but QPR had to play all their matches midweek, as the fixture list had already been drawn up without them.

T is for top of the league. On 1st October 1988 Millwall beat Queens Park Rangers 3-2 at The Den to go top of the old First Division for the first time in the club’s history. Trevor Francis had been excellent for the west Londoners, but nothing could stop the Lions roaring at that time.

U is for unbeaten. Millwall’s unbeaten run against QPR goes back six games now. And in the last 20 league meetings, Millwall have only lost 4 times to the west London club.

V is for view. The upper tier of the away end at Loftus Road must be one of the worst in senior English football. Depending on where you sit, you can sometimes not even see the actual goal fully.

W is for wally. The wally in the brolly is now in charge at Loftus Road. They must have a sense of humour in west London, replacing a gurning moron with a grinning muppet. Those of you who were fortunate enough to get a ticket from our paltry allocation remember to give it ‘you let your country down…’ full volume.

X is for ex player. The great Dave Mangnall, who scored the goals to help Millwall become the first Third Division club to reach the FA Cup Semi-Finals and win the title just before WWII with an amazing 32 goals in just 58 games, finished his career at QPR. He then became player-manager in 1944 and was the man to win them their first ever promotion in 1947/48 as Third Division (South) Champions.

Y is for you’ve got bird-#### on your head. Former Lion and big QPR fan & current first team coach Marc Bircham was on the end of some friendly stick when the heaving away end ribbed him incessantly about his blue hair with a white streak when the clubs met in 2004 at Loftus Road.

Z is for zulus. No, not the Birmingham City hooligans, but how the then QPR manager described the Millwall fans and the noise they created when the Lions visited Loftus Road on 23rd September 1987 for a League Cup 1st Round first leg tie. You can relive it here:

[hoopsmanjake]

A to z of millwall.

A is for #### holes
b is for bell ends
C is for c u next Tuesdays
d is for dick heads
E is for evolution passed them by
F is for #### wits
G is for gimps
H is for half wits
I is for imberseals
any one else joining in