QPR fans with no connections to London

[Martinel]

My Dad introduced me to Rodney at a Charity Cricket match at Hunstanton around 68/69 time. Lived in Kings Lynn at the time but coming from Cambridge the next week went into Hobbs Sports saw a QPR sports bag and that was it . (For those of a certain age all the bags were the same with a player in action pose with just the colours and the club name denoting the team).
A family of Arsenal or Spurs fan had its first QPR fan. First match at Carrow Road. Bridges and Marsh upfront- we lost and that was the start of a lifelong antipathy towards Norwich which grew worse (and has never left me) after Boyers offside goal. By that time parents had cruelly moved us ... to Norwich !! (Decent place to live in fairness just blighted by the football club ...)
Flirted with the idea of Man City when Rodney left in 72 but you now realise that to live through and support QPR through the mid 70's and to experience that one season when we were the best side in the old Div 1 and 14 minutes from being Champions was a privelege. Will never forget that season and the subsequent European games.
There has been other great highlights and definitely a lot of miserable lowlights but nothing has come close since. Probably never will.

[CroydonCaptainJack]

My Dad introduced me to Rodney at a Charity Cricket match at Hunstanton around 68/69 time. Lived in Kings Lynn at the time but coming from Cambridge the next week went into Hobbs Sports saw a QPR sports bag and that was it . (For those of a certain age all the bags were the same with a player in action pose with just the colours and the club name denoting the team).
A family of Arsenal or Spurs fan had its first QPR fan. First match at Carrow Road. Bridges and Marsh upfront- we lost and that was the start of a lifelong antipathy towards Norwich which grew worse (and has never left me) after Boyers offside goal. By that time parents had cruelly moved us ... to Norwich !! (Decent place to live in fairness just blighted by the football club ...)
Flirted with the idea of Man City when Rodney left in 72 but you now realise that to live through and support QPR through the mid 70's and to experience that one season when we were the best side in the old Div 1 and 14 minutes from being Champions was a privelege. Will never forget that season and the subsequent European games.
There has been other great highlights and definitely a lot of miserable lowlights but nothing has come close since. Probably never will.

Great thread and here is a bit of a coincidence. I was born in Kings Lynn as well (bit of a Norfolk theme going on here!) My Dad took me to a few Kings Lynn games but when I was six he got a job up here in Croydon and we moved to Purley. As I had an older brother he decided to support a London team so we could go and watch and he chose QPR. It was the early 70s then. We started going in 1975 and what a season that was to start going.

[Tarbie]

I'm one of them.

I'm Scottish, was born in Glasgow but moved to the Middle East when I was a baby. My dad is a big Glasgow Rangers fan, which by default basically makes him a Chelsea fan too. Whilst I still keep and eye out for Rangers, me and my old man have never seen eye to eye with regards to Chelsea. My parents split up when I was 4, my mum remarried an Englishman and we all moved down to Surrey.

Having lived in a combination of Scotland, Oman and Kuwait for my first 4 or 5 years, I didn't really have an knowledge of English football when I arrived down South. As such, my step dad took me round a load of local clubs. Everyone from Charlton to Wimbledon, West Ham, Palace, even Woking and Leatherhead. QPR and West Ham were always my favourite match days. We are talking late 80's, when we had the likes of Paul Parker, Dave Seaman, Mark Falco, Alan MacDonald etc. QPR was always a great place to come on a Saturday.

From there, there were a handful of lads at my school who followed QPR, mainly cos their dad's did. A group of started getting the train up as teenagers to matches most Saturday's. Loftus Rd was one of those places we knew we'd all get a beer without needing ID back then, so we always had a decent day out, and had just about sobered up by the time we got home to our parents! Ha ha

I had a season ticket in my early 20's, before moving overseas again at 26. We had a few good years following the club from Dubai and managed to get together a supporters club of 30 odd lads. A lot of which also weren't from London funnily enough. We got QPR fans from all over the UK in the Dubai R's. Good bunch of lads, and we used to travel back for a fair few games.

Different story these days in Johannesburg. Haven't met another QPR fan at all in my 18 months in this city.

[dogsrrs]

Tarby back in the seventies and eighties we had a hell of a lot Jocks who looked QPR as a second club

[Leweshoop]

No connection what so ever to west London lived in Brighton all my life and now lewes

[loneranger]

Tampa, yes. Am sure you're looking at my 'tanpa1' handle on this site. Done so the trolls at other clubs can't find me

I'm 20 minutes away from you up until early September.

[SunburyRanger]

My family have no west London ties, but If the film you are talking about was the 'Rs' story made last year, my sister was filmed for that, but did not make the final cut. We are 3rd generation QPR supporters. It started when my grandad was in a north London children's home. and all the boys supported Arsenal, or Spurs. My grandad wanted to be different so decided he would cycle over to West London to watch QPR, that was 1910-1911, and the rest as they say is history. My elder sister joined the supporters club at birth, although for some reason I didn't get the same. Last season we had 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations up at games, (Me, my daughter, my sister, my mum, and my uncle who was over from Brisbane). at the game on saturday my sister bought my grand-niece(?) a QPR babygrow. but I think we may be up against it for a 5th generation with her as her dad is a gooner.

[SoCal]

No real connection to QPR, was born in Caterham Surrey, moved a lot, Hants, Berks and Leicestershire before spending the last dozen or so in the USA.
Family all football fans Forest, Man City (since 1970) and Man Utd. - so no connection there.
I remember the day I started supporting Rangers, there where in the old Div 2 and on MOTD - very rare in those days, QPR looked great in their kit and won 2-1 against Burnley I think but went up as runners up with Burnley going up as Champions - which I thought was very unfair, so thought "I know what will bring me years and years of sporting joy" - support QPR so I did
First game was Wolves at home lost 3-0 to a Kenny Hibbit hatrick
Best live game beating WBA 3-2 after being 2 down - Charlie hatrick
Worst game (yes even worse than Wolves) Newcastle home last year ........... nuff said.

Disclaimer - this has been my story for so long I now believe it, if anyone wants to fact check it I would not be surprised if I dreamt it all

[CroydonCaptainJack]

No real connection to QPR, was born in Caterham Surrey, moved a lot, Hants, Berks and Leicestershire before spending the last dozen or so in the USA.
Family all football fans Forest, Man City (since 1970) and Man Utd. - so no connection there.
I remember the day I started supporting Rangers, there where in the old Div 2 and on MOTD - very rare in those days, QPR looked great in their kit and won 2-1 against Burnley I think but went up as runners up with Burnley going up as Champions - which I thought was very unfair, so thought "I know what will bring me years and years of sporting joy" - support QPR so I did
First game was Wolves at home lost 3-0 to a Kenny Hibbit hatrick
Best live game beating WBA 3-2 after being 2 down - Charlie hatrick
Worst game (yes even worse than Wolves) Newcastle home last year ........... nuff said.

Disclaimer - this has been my story for so long I now believe it, if anyone wants to fact check it I would not be surprised if I dreamt it all

I lived there myself for a few years.

[SoCal]

I was actually born at home up on the hill Oak Road
left very young been back a few times .quite liked it

[gator]

I had no London connection at all in fact the only England connection I had were friends who moved to Canada from Eastbourne! The 1st I heard of QPR was when Rodney Marsh was tearing up the old NASL with Tampa Bay Rowdies, I was just getting in to watching football, they would always mention that Marsh had played at this team called Queens Park Rangers! I started to hear more about them and we actually got a weekly highlight package which would feature QPR running away with the Second Division in the early 80's, I was hooked and my life hasn't been the same since! There's a handful of QPR fans that I know here in Canada, I have been over to see them a few times, twice at Wembley

[CroydonCaptainJack]

I was actually born at home up on the hill Oak Road
left very young been back a few times .quite liked it

Oh yes, I know the road, it goes round in a loop.

[deadendjob]

I'm from NZ, started supporting the R's when I lived in Bristol. Family are Toon supporters and grandfather was a Leicester supporter.
Fell in love with the team - although in hindsight I wish it was one of the teams my family support as they've had better luck.

[ranger4life]

I'd be lying if I said I had no connection...

I'm from Ashford and born in Maidstone, Kent (Maidstone Hoop take note).My Dad was never into sport so didn't have any influence on who I support.

My cousins live in Southall and so kids being kids I got it from them. Their dad is Irish and grew up in Northolt.

The trouble is, there are no good teams in Kent even by QPR standards. Gillingham are probably the best, although Charlton have a presence. When I used to play Sunday league their scouts would turn up to a number of games.

[Pal]

No connection to London at all here. Born and bred in Farnborough, Hants.

Saw the R's on the telly back in the early 70's and decided they were going to be my team. I think it was the style of play and the blue and white hooped kit that caught my eye, I was 8 at the time.

Never went to a game as had no-one to go with, the home counties being full of Man utd (my brother included) and Liverpool fans, as well as a lot of Chelsea fans in the new GLC estate in Farnborough.

The group I used to hang around with were not into football and never discussed it, but I found out one of my mates was an Rs fan and we started going to games together in the late eighties.

Was a season ticket holder for a few years before the kids came along, now I get to go to a couple of games a year.