QPR - On This Day

13 December

An interesting one today...

30 years ago today we lost 4-0 away at the City Ground to Nottingham Forest. Nothing new there...

I only mention this defeat as it mirrors our defeat there a month ago and 3 decades ago we were also on a shocking run like we are currently.

This 4-0 defeat in 1987 was in the midst of a 9 game run without a win from October to finally winning after Christmas. In those 9 games we failed to score more than 1 goal in any game.

However, we ended up 5th that season 87/88! I'm not saying that is going to happen this year but I'm sure that this time in 1987 there were a lot of fans calling for change or questioning the manager (Jim Smith) but it just goes to show that in football you just never know what will happen. The grass is not always greener on the other side, you need to sometimes ride the storm. Football was a funny old game 30 years ago and remains a funny old game today!

But for the 9 game run without a win that 87/88 season we could easily have finished 3rd in the top tier as we were only 6 points away.

14 December

26 years ago today on 14 December 1991 QPR drew 2-2 away at Manchester City in a cracking game, it is well worth watching the highlights below.

We were 2-0 down inside 25 minutes but early in the second half Roy Wegerle's quality turn and strike gave us hope.

Dennis Bailey then poked home an unorthodox equaliser in the final minutes!

Also look out for a crazy penalty decision around the 1 minute mark - we miss the penalty anyway - but our player clearly just falls over trying to chest the ball down!

I remember it well. I was there with a Brighton fan so really enjoyed the comeback.

I had forgotten (until you reminded me northwesthoop) how bad Rob Green could be.... Two goals he could have done a whole lot better to prevent! I did remember Ale Faurlin reacting so angrily to the two-footed sliding tackle though. It was just after his second return from those major injuries and you could see he was furious at the prospect of further damage caused by a horrible tackle. Yet again this game highlighted the abilities of Austin. When he was sold Brighton beat us easily!

Oh Rob Green made errors all the time didn't he. He had 1 good season then was woeful. Major errors game after game. I know the second Brighton goal took a slight (very slight) deflection but he dives out of the way/over the ball!! Awful.

I can't recall if Dunk got a straight red for the challenge on Faurlin. I know he was on a yellow and should have got a straight red for the second tackle but don't know if the ref took the easy route with a second yellow!

19 December

On this day 19 years ago on 19 December 1998 QPR drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace at Selhurt Park, who were that day managed by Terry Venables.

Rob Steiner scored his first QPR goal whilst on loan from Bradford coming off the bench to grab a deserved share of the spoils for the R's.

A footballing fact I had forgotten is that Terry Venables managed Palace again late in the 90's!

You can read the full match report below!



December 19, 1998 Crystal Palace 1 QPR 1
By Matt Barlow, PA Sport
Substitute Rob Steiner salvaged a point for QPR in a fiercely fought London derby.
Steiner had been on the pitch just 11 minutes when he fired home a 76th minute equaliser which condemned Terry Venables' team to a seventh league match without a win.
And the super-sub almost sealed three points for the visitors with a diving header, brilliantly saved by Kevin Miller in the dying minutes.
Palace had looked poised to end their dismal run of form, and bring Venables some cheer in a week when his father died, when Simon Rodger opened the scoring in the 62nd minute.
Rodger nipped in to poke a low cross from Sagi Burton past Ludek Miklosko on his near post and give the Eagles some reward for a spirited second half opening.
But Rangers bounced back and Steiner drilled home from a Gavin Peacock corner.
A Miklosko blunder had almost gifted Palace the lead early in the second half.
He fumbled a Matt Jansen shot badly and the ball spun onto the post and then rebounded into the goalmouth past the hapless keeper.
Only a splendid saving tackle from Danny Maddix stopped Lee Bradbury tapping the loose ball home.
The first half had rebounded frantically from end to end and both sides failed to impose their authority.
The visitors started brightest and could have been ahead in the opening minutes when striker Kevin Gallen caught the home defence napping to latch onto a header from Antti Heinola.
He raced towards goal but his thumping shot was turned behind by keeper Miller.
It was livewire Matt Jansen who sparked the Eagles into action.
The highly-rated young striker had missed Palace's midweek defeat at Sunderland with 'flu but was on song at Selhurst Park as he tormented the Rangers back-line.
He found space around the edge of the penalty area three times in the first half to fire shots just wide and called Miklosko into action midway through the half with a low drive through a crowded goalmouth.
Rangers had the ball in the net twice in the first half. Gallen's lob was ruled out for a foul and Matthew Rose's crisp finish was disallowed for offside.
Palace came out firing on all cylinders after the break. Andy Linighan powered a header over from Rodger's corner and Bradbury shot wide.
Miller produced another fine save from Gallen after a wonderful sweeping move involving Mike Sheron and Ian Baraclough.
Rodger opened the scoring but Rangers never gave up and Steiner drilled home for the point their display merited.
Teams:
Crystal Palace: Miller, Crowe, Rizzo (Curcic 76), Burton, Linighan, Foster, Rodger, Mullins, Bradbury (Morrison 86), Jansen, Smith.
Subs Not Used: Petric.
Booked: Burton, Mullins.
Goals: Rodger 61.
QPR: Miklosko, Heinola, Baraclough, Morrow, Ready, Maddix (Rowland 76), Rose, Peacock, Sheron, Gallen, Murray (Steiner 64).
Subs Not Used: Kulcsar.
Booked: Ready, Maddix.
Goals: Steiner 76.
Att: 17,684
Ref: M Pierce (Portsmouth).

21 December

On this day 15 years ago (how!) Marc Bircham scored his first QPR goal as the R's drew 1-1 against Brentford in a Division 2 clash on 21 December 2002.

Interesting fact for you all, this match contained the first goal QPR had scored against Brentford since 1966, as both of the meetings in the previous season ended 0-0 and we hadn't played for the previous 30+ years before that! Brentford's goal was their first against QPR since 1965 when they beat us 6-1 in Division 3.

You can see Bircham's first QPR goal below: