South of the border
Pride of Shepherd‘s Bush in London, Queen‘s Park Rangers have been my favourite team from South of the Border longer than I have followed the mighty Motherwell.
I only began to take a real interest in football in the early Eighties, but when I was just into Primary School everyone picked a name off of the television for a project on something, and the name of QPR appealed to me so much that I have followed their progress ever since.
Unfortunately I have only been able to see the R‘s on one occasion in the flesh, and that was in 1984 when they came to Fir Park for a Friendly. The score was 1-1, that legend Jim Gillespie scoring for Motherwell and Gregory equalised for QPR, amidst a sparse 2,500 crowd on a sunny August day. The similarities between QPR and Motherwell at present are very marked, both are managed by young managers in their first appointments, had inherited very good teams and had excellent first seasons, and both found the Second season in charge to be a real test of their character and skill as they struggled to blend their choice of players with ones already established at the respective clubs.
QPR are a club run along the lines of Motherwell albiet on a slightly bigger scale, and a real Community feeling is prevalant at Loftus Road, and whilst they haven‘t been successful as some of their near neighbours in London have been, QPR have always been there or thereabouts, having a hand in saying who wins what on occasion, and have recorded some marvellous results over the years - none more so than the great 1967 League Cup Final when, as a Third Division side, they defeated the then mighty West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in a thrilling Wembley classic (footage of which I have been priveledged to see). Only one FA Cup Final appearance to show so far, this came in 1982 when the Hoops lost out rather unluckily to Spurs in a replay to a goal five minutes from the end of Extra-time by Glenn Hoddle, from the penalty spot. And in the League, QPR almost shocked English Football by chasing Liverpool, Hughes and all, to within touching distance of the title in the mid-seventies.
This was almost QPR‘s year, but you do get the impression it isn‘t far off given some decent luck. Some brilliant players have graced the blue-and-white hoops, Rodney Marsh being an all-time legend, Ray Wilkins now Manager, Big Les Ferdinand of course the most recent. Connections are scarce on the ground, Big Sieb Dykstra the only one I can recall, though just now Sieb is with Wycombe until May. There are one or two other Motherwell fans I know follow QPR‘s progress, and they will agree with me that whilst they don‘t win much, they certainly play a brand of attacking, stylish football which is a joy to watch at times. As with Motherwell, when you play the ”bigger• clubs and you get a result, the feeling is all the more pleasurable.
Ricky Mullen
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