As QPR head to Turf Moor on Saturday, LFW looks back eight years to a midweek match with an extraordinary conclusion right at the start of the Flavio Briatore-era.

Recent Meetings

QPR secured an important three points against relegation rivals Burnley in the first meeting between the sides at Loftus Road back at the start of December. Charlie Austin was the headline maker against his former club, first teeing up Leroy Fer for a bundled first goal straight after half time with a neat assist, then thumping in the second himself after excellent approach work by Mauricio Isla and Eduardo Vargas. But he was almost immediately dismissed for two yellow cards for a lunging tackle and elbowing offence leaving QPR, and a defence led magnificently by Man of the Match Richard Dunne, to see the job through. The Clarets left to rue missed chances in the first half, and a string of fine saves by Robert Green.

QPR: Green 8; Isla 7, Dunne 8, Caulker 7, Suk-Young 6; Vargas 7 (Much 78, 6), Barton 6, Henry 6, Fer 7 (Phillips 90+1, -); Austin 7, Zamora 6 (Kranjcar 66, 7)

Subs not used: Ferdinand, McCarthy, Onuoha, Hoilett

Goals: Fer 51 (assisted Austin), Austin 74 (assisted Isla)

Red Cards: Austin 76 (two bookings)

Bookings: Fer 45+1 (foul) Austin 71 (foul), Austin 76 (elbow)

Burnley: Heaton 6; Trippier 6, Keane 6, Shackell 6, Mee 6; Boyd 7, Marney 6, Jones 6 (Jutkiewicz 86, -), Arfield 7 (Wallace 75, 6); Barnes 5 (Sordell 89, -), Ings 6

Subs not used: Reid, Kightly, Long, Gilks

Bookings: Barnes 46 (foul)

QPR 3 Burnley 3, Saturday February 1, 2014, Championship

With form on the wane and former Burnley striker Charlie Austin ruled out for a prolonged period of time with a shoulder injury, QPR’s promotion campaign faced a bleak future when fellow title challengers Burnley arrived at Loftus Road in February. Typically, the R’s had been very active on transfer deadline day earlier in the week and gave debuts to two strikers here — Kevin Doyle and Mobido Maiga would both end up on the scoresheet in a ding-dong encounter. Doyle went first, heading home Kranjcar’s well flighted corner after six minutes, but Danny Ings quickly struck back for the visitors. A powerful volley from another corner by Richard Dunne restored QPR’s lead but Sam Vokes headed the Clarets level for a second time after half time and when Ings retrieved a lost cause from the byline and laid another chance on a plate for his strike partner Vokes was on hand to slide Burnley into the lead for the first time. QPR fought back to equalise when Hoilett crossed low for Maiga to score from close range, suggesting the much-maligned loan signing from West Ham might not be that bad after all. As it turned out, this was the high-point of his QPR career. One of the club’s worst ever players, but every dog has its day.

QPR: Green 6; Onuoha 5, Dunne 7, Hill 6, Assou-Ekotto 4; Phillips — (Hoilett 6, 6), Barton 8, Kranjcar 7, Traore 6 (Henry 83,-); Johnson 6 (Maiga 68, 6), Doyle 8

Subs not used: Carroll, Hughes, Zamora, Murphy

Goals: Doyle 7 (assisted Kranjcar), Dunne 34 (assisted Kranjcar), Maiga 79 (assisted Hoilett)

Bookings: Doyle 40 (foul), Dunne 46 (foul)

Burnley: Heaton 6; Tripper 7, Duff 6, Shackell 6, Mee 7; Kightly 7 (Stanislas 85, -), Arfield 7, Jones 6, Marney 7; Ings 8, Vokes 8

Subs not used: Lafferty, Wallace, Cisak, Edgar, Long, Barnes

Goals: Ings 25 (assisted Trippier), Vokes 54 (assisted Kightly), 62 (assisted Ings)

Bookings: Kightly 14 (foul)

Burnley 2 QPR 0, Saturday October 26, 2013, Championship

When these sides met at Turf Moor in October 2013 it was a battle between the division’s top two sides — Burnley on a run of seven consecutive wins, QPR unbeaten in the first 11 games of the season. Perhaps a surprise, therefore, just how one sided the match was. Sean Dyche’s side were purposeful and positive, outplaying QPR in all departments and deservedly winning 2-0. The only surprise was it took them 65 minutes to open the scoring, Danny Ings on the end of an incisive move after Karl Henry had lost possession in the heart of the midfield. Ings scored the second from the penalty spot with two minutes left — a spot kick he won himself — and the Clarets were looking good. Oddly, they didn’t win again for six matches after this one and a dip in form from both clubs has since allowed Leicester to open a big gap at the top of the Championship.

Burnley: Heaton 6; Trippier 7, Mee 6, Duff 6, Shackell 6; Treacy 6 (Stock 90, -), Marney 6 (Edgar 83, -), Jones 7, Kightly 6; Ings 8, Vokes 7

Subs not used: Lafferty, Stanislas, Cisak, Long, Noble

Goals: Ings 65 (assisted), 88 (penalty, won Ings)

Bookings: Jones 35 (repetitive fouling), Treacy 42 (foul)

QPR: Green 5; Simpson 6, Dunne 6, Hill 7, Assou-Ekotto 5; Henry 5 (Jenas 68, 5), Barton 6, O’Neil 6 (Chevanton 73, 5), Kranjcar 6 (Phillips 73, 5), Hoilett 5; Austin 5

Subs not used: Traore, Onyewu, Murphy, Faurlin

Bookings: Barton 25 (foul), Hoilett 36 (foul), Dunne 38 (foul), Simpson 76 (foul)

Burnley 0 QPR 0, Saturday January 15, 2011, Championship

QPR had been irresistible at times in the first half of the 2010/11 Championship season, with the likes of Adel Taarabt and Kyle Walker thrilling the Loftus Road crowds, but a hectic, taxing Christmas period of fixtures saw Neil Warnock take a more pragmatic approach to games that resulted in a number of grinding performances during December and January. Perhaps the dullest came at Turf Moor where Rangers were more than happy to take a point and Burnley, with new manager Eddie Howe watching on from the stands before taking charge, likewise. Rangers were the better side, but perennial scourge of the R’s Lee Grant was in decent form in the Burnley goal, while Paddy Kenny got away with a late fumble that could easily have cost his team an injury time defeat.

Burnley: Grant 7, Mears 6, Carlisle 6, Duff 6, Fox 6, Elliott 6, Alexander 7 (Edgar 86, -), Cork 7, Rodriguez 6, Iwelumo 6 (Thompson 68, 5), Eagles 7

Subs Not Used: Jensen, McDonald, Bikey, Wallace, Easton

Booked: Duff (foul), Alexander (foul), Fox (foul), Thompson (foul), Cork (foul)

QPR: Kenny 6, Orr 6, Connolly 7, Gorkss 7, Hill 6, Faurlin 7 (Clarke 81, -), Derry 8, Smith 6, Vaagan Moen 7, Taarabt 8 (Hall 90, -), Hulse 6 (Helguson 81, -)

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Cook, Borrowdale, German

Booked: Faurlin (foul), Orr (foul)

QPR 1 Burnley 1, Saturday October 30, 2010, Championship

Although QPR went on to win the Championship in 2010/11, they were fortunate to escape from an October home match against Burnley with a draw. Rangers, still unbeaten at this point, took the lead just after the half hour with a vintage individual strike from distance by Adel Taarabt but were pegged back on half time when a harsh penalty awarded against Matt Connolly for a meagre touch on Dean Marney gave Graham Alexander the chance to bury an equaliser from 12 yards. But thereafter the home team relied heavily on goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, who was in fine form with a number of saves. The frustration of being unable to breakthough was too much for Chris Eagles who was substituted early after being booked for diving and then losing his temper to the delight of The Loft.

QPR: Kenny 8, Walker 6, Connolly 6, Gorkss 6, Hill 5, Derry 6, Faurlin 5, Ephraim 5 (Agyemang 62, 7), Taarabt 7 (Smith 82, 8), Mackie 6, Hulse 5 (Clarke 74, 5)

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Orr, Leigertwood, Rowlands

Booked: Taarabt (handball), Gorkss (foul), Mackie (foul)

Goals: Taarabt 32 (unassisted)

Burnley: Grant 6, Mears 6, Carlisle 9, Duff 8, Fox 7, Eagles 5 (Wallace 46, 6), Alexander 6, Marney 6, Elliott 6, Rodriguez 6, Iwelumo 8 (Thompson 83, -)

Subs Not Used: Jensen, Cork, Paterson, Cort, Bikey

Booked: Eagles (diving), Duff (foul), Alexander (foul)

Goals: Alexander 45 (penalty)

Burnley 1 QPR 0, Saturday April 11, 2009, Championship

When these sides met here was in April 2009 Burnley were about to be promoted to the Premier League and QPR had just sacked Paulo Sousa in farcical circumstances. The result was somewhat inevitable, with Gareth Ainsworth unusually quiet and hidden from view beginning his second spell as caretaker manager. The game was settled by a controversial goal just after half time — Chris Eagles deflecting Clarke Carlisle’s effort past Radek Cerny with his arm.

Burnley: Jensen 7, Williams 6, Carlisle 8, Caldwell 7, Kalvenes 6, Elliott 7, Alexander 7, McCann 7, Blake 7 (Gudjonsson 79, -), Eagles 7 (McDonald 89, -), Rodriguez 7 (Paterson 86, -)

Subs Not Used: Penny, Duff

Booked: Kalvenes (foul)

Goals: Eagles 49 (assisted Carlisle)

QPR: Cerny 7, Ramage 6, Gorkss 7, Connolly 7, Delaney 6, Routledge 6, Leigertwood 4, Ephraim 6 (Lopez 71, 6), Taarabt 6, Di Carmine 6 (Cook 54, 6), Vine 6 (Alberti 84, -)

Subs Not Used: Mahon, Stewart

Burnley 2 QPR 1, Tuesday January 13, 2009, FA Cup Third Round replay

Rangers, with Sousa in charge, had been to Turf Moor just six weeks previously for an FA Cup Third Round replay that formed part of QPR’s record breaking run of 11 years without a win in that competition. In an atmosphere more akin to a reserve match QPR were the better team for long periods of normal time and all of extra time before contriving to lose with the last kick. Sam Di Carmine gave Rangers the lead after Mikele Leigertwood had won possession in midfield just after half time and counter attacked. Martin Rowlands then hit the bar and Heidar Helguson had a goal disallowed with the most delayed offside decision ever seen before. Steve Thompson got a scruffy equaliser after a poor piece of goalkeeping by Radek Cerny to set up extra time and when QPR failed to make their possession tell penalties looked a certainty. That was until Damion Stewart made a hash of a routine long ball down the field to give Jay Rodriguez a sight of goal and, with Cerny inexplicably in no man’s land, the youngster calmly lobbed the ball towards goal and in off the post to but Burnley into the next round at West Brom.

Burnley: Jensen 8, Alexander 7, Carlisle 7, Caldwell 6, Jordan 7, Elliott 6, McCann 6 (Mahon 20, 5), Gudjonsson 6 (MacDonald 84, 6), Eagles 8, Blake 6 (Rodriguez 69, 6), Thompson 7

Subs Not Used: Penny, Kalvenes, Akinbiyi, Kay

Booked: Caldwell (foul), Mahon (foul)

Goals: Thompson 60 (assisted Gudjohnson), Rodriguez 120 (assisted Carlisle)

QPR: Cerny 4, Hall 5, Stewart 6, Gorkss 7, Delaney 5, Alberti 5, Leigertwood 8, Mahon 6 (Rose 79, 7), Rowlands 5, Ledesma 5 (Ephraim 55, 7), Di Carmine 7 (Helguson 85, 6)

Subs Not Used: Borrowdale, Crowther, Connolly, Ramage

Booked: Delaney (foul), Alberti (foul)

Goals: Di Carmine 54 (assisted Leigertwood)

Previous Results

2014/15 QPR 2 Burnley 0 (Fer, Austin)

2013/14 QPR 3 Burnley 3 (Doyle, Dunne, Maiga!!!)

2013/14 Burnley 2 QPR 0

2010/11 Burnley 0 QPR 0

2010/11 QPR 1 Burnley 1 (Taraabt)

2008/09 Burnley 1 QPR 0

2008/09 Burnley 2 QPR 1* (Di Carmine)

2008/09 QPR 0 Burnley 0*

2008/09 QPR 1 Burnley 2 (Blackstock)

2007/08 QPR 2 Burnley 4 (Mahon, Agyemang)

2007/08 Burnley 0 QPR 2 (Stewart, Vine)

2006/07 QPR 3 Burnley 1 (Cook, Blackstock, Lomas)

2006/07 Burnley 2 QPR 0

2005/06 Burnley 1 QPR 0

2005/06 QPR 1 Burnley 1 (Ainsworth)

2004/05 Burnley 2 QPR 0

2004/05 QPR 3 Burnley 0 (Gallen, Santos, Furlong)

2000/01 Burnley 2 QPR 1 (Bignot)

2000/01 QPR 0 Burnley 1

1982/83 Burnley 2 QPR 1 (Sealy)

1982/83 QPR 3 Burnley 2 (Neill, Allen, Micklewhite)

1979/80 Burnley 0 QPR 3 (Gillard, Allen, Shanks)

1979/80 QPR 7 Burnley 0 (Goddard 2, Allen 2, Roeder, Shanks, McCreery)

1975/76 Burnley 1 QPR 0

1975/76 QPR 1 Burnley 0 (Bowles)

1974/75 QPR 0 Burnley 1

1974/75 Burnley 3 QPR 0

1973/74 Burnley 2 QPR 1 (Thomas)

1973/74 QPR 2 Burnley 1 (Thomas, Bowles)

1972/73 QPR 2 Burnley 0 (Leach, Givens)

1972/73 Burnley 1 QPR 1 (Busby)

1971/72 QPR 3 Burnley 1 (Leach 2, Marsh)

1971/72 Burnley 1 QPR 0

1968/69 Burnley 2 QPR 2 (Marsh, Leach)

1968/69 QPR 0 Burnley 2

1967/68 QPR 1 Burnley 2** (Sibley)

1961/62 Burnley 6 QPR 1* (Evans)

1920/21 Burnley 4 QPR 2* (Smith, Birch)

* - FA Cup

** - League Cup

Memorable Match

Charlie Austin’s success during the last 18 months at QPR continues a tradition of fine players transferring between Burnley and Rangers which is led by awesome 1970s winger Dave Thomas and has since been continued by, errr, Arthur 'Fingers' Gnohere. Well, Clarke Carlisle was pretty decent.

Anyway, the success of Thomas for both clubs, and reasonably classy way the whole Austin transfer was handled - Burnley have clapped their former charge on the two occasions he’s played against them since leaving which is rare in the modern game - means there feels like a better relationship between Burnley and QPR than you would normally find.

A large part of that, however, is nothing to do with sharing players at all. Back in August 2007, QPR were scheduled to head to Turf Moor for their second away game of the campaign. The team, and the Rangers supporters, set off north, but never made it as far as the kick off. The evening before, while out in East London with his friends, promising youth team product Ray Jones smashed his car into the side of a bus killing himself and three others. The game was postponed as a mark of respect, and because the QPR squad was in no fit state to take the field.

It’s a difficult case. Jones’ reckless driving caused the crash, and the death of his friends. QPR fans will also tell you he was destined to be some sort of new Les Ferdinand at Loftus Road, but the fact was he wasn’t even in John Gregory’s squad - hence he was out the night before - and was about to be sold to Colchester for £250,000 in another one of the Gianni Paladini-reign’s fine ideas to keep the wolf from the door and him in a job for another month.

Regardless, it was a tragic waste of a young life, and a very promising footballer the likes of which the club has failed to produce ever since.

Burnley were wonderful on the day - inviting the QPR fans who’d already made it as far as the town to come to the ground anyway where free food and hot drinks were laid on and an open training session held by the home team. The game could wait - re-arranged for early December.

The QPR team and club that eventually fulfilled that fixture, on a typically bracing night in the Pennines, was unrecognisable from the one the Clarets almost certainly would have beaten with plenty to spare had the original game taken place.

Gregory’s men had staged a dramatic escape from relegation the previous year. The former R’s midfielder, back at the club as manager in place of Gary Waddock, added Danny Cullip and Lee Camp to his defence, Adam Bolder to his midfield, and got Jimmy Smith and Michael Mancienne on loan from Chelsea. With Lee Cook supplying Dexter Blackstock and Ray Jones up front the team that had been the club’s worst ever on paper at the start of the season beat Coventry and Leicester away, Luton and Preston at home in a dramatic rally that lifted them clear of the bottom three just in time.

But that summer had been tough. The club was at death’s door, Paladini struggling to keep plates spinning and bills paid. Simon Walton, the big transfer window acquisition from Charlton, broke his leg in a pre-season friendly against Fulham. Lee Cook, who’d carried the team for 18 months, left for Craven Cottage before that match. The other incomers included John Curtis and Daniel Nardiello. Rangers started an opening day draw at Bristol City with a Zesh Rehman-Stefan Moore combination down their right side. They subsequently lost at home to Cardiff and Orient in the cup. The Burnley game was the safest home victory on the coupon.

But while the Loftus Road faithful mourned the passing of Jones, negotiations were in full swing behind the scenes to secure a takeover which changed the club as we know it forever. Formula One magnates Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone, along with steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, bought QPR and set about turning it into a “boutique” football club in West London. They made promises of Premier League and eventually Champions League football, they gutted the South Africa Road stand and installed Ciprianis-style restaurants and a bar that looked more like a nightclub. Gregory was swiftly shifted after a 5-1 loss at West Brom and Italian Luigi De Canio was appointed.

It was an exciting time, one filled with optimism. Briatore won a London Evening Standard poll for football’s most popular owner. Of course, he would turn out to be a megalomaniac who wanted to pick the team himself. He was a serial sacker of managers and showed utter disdain for the supporters - doubling the price of tickets, then attempting to increase them again mid-season until the opponents for the first game, Derby County, objected to the league. He repeatedly said that “people who turn up once a week and pay £20 should not get a say.”

And we all might have realised just what a lunatic we’d been lumbered with a good deal sooner, had QPR lost that return fixture at Turf Moor. De Canio had started with a win against Hull at home in his first match, but a recovery of sorts had already been kick-started by caretaker manager Mick Harford who secured victories against Norwich at home live on Sky, and Charlton away. De Canio didn’t win again in the next seven matches. Briatore’s wealth had already been used to make a clutch of loan signings outside the transfer window - Rowan Vine from Birmingham, Martin Cranie from Portsmouth and Akos Buzsaky from Plymouth were the headline acquisitions along with Mikele Leigertwood who’d cost £600,000 right on the deadline, and Hogan Ephraim who John Gregory had loaned from West Ham. By the time the R’s got to Lancashire Scott Sinclair had been added from Chelsea but this was still a team fielding Rehman, Damion Stewart, Chris Barker and the infamous Bob Malcolm as its back four. The Saturday before the rearranged game the Super Hoops had been lucky to escape lowly Scunthorpe with a 2-2 draw, secured almost entirely by Akos Buzsaky by himself - a game notable mainly for Flavio Briatore landing his helicopter in the tiny North Lincolnshire steel town only to be told he couldn’t sit in the director’s box for the game because he’d come in jeans. His own Billionaire clothing label branded jeans, worth more than the average weekly wage of the players at Glanford Park, but rules are rules.

The story goes that defeat to Owen Coyle’s Clarets would have seen De Canio sacked after nine matches in charge. Far-fetched at the time, but given that Briatore subsequently appointed and dismissed Iain Dowie, Paulo Sousa, Jim Magilton, Paul Hart and Mick Harford over the next 18 months almost certainly true.

QPR didn’t lose that night though. Damion Stewart powered in a corner in front of a tiny clutch of away fans after an hour setting up a tense 30 minutes in which the visiting team sat deep on the edge of their own box and tried to run the clock down. Lee Camp saved brilliantly from James O’Connor and Kyle Lafferty and Rehman and Leigertwood both survived claims for a penalty for handball in the same bizarre incident.

As the game moved into stoppage time, Coyle ordered tracksuited Hungarian goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly up for a corner, and almost got his rewards when the stopper tried to force the ball home almost on the goal line only for Lee Camp to shuffle it behind for another set piece. Kiraly stayed forward, but Burnley botched the delivery, and suddenly there was Vine, with the ball at his feet, and the best part of 90 yards of clear pitch ahead of him with an empty goal at the other end.

Vine, a tremendous player at that level before his leg break, set off with the ball at his feet. Kiraly, tracksuit flapping in the gale, was in hot pursuit. Time seemed to stand still as Vine sprinted in a straight line right down the very centre of the field, home defenders and goalkeepers tearing after him Keystone Cops style. It was a ludicrous spectacle. The naturally pessimistic QPR fans behind the goal were doing the opposite of what you would expect, willing him to bring it closer still and risk getting caught, rather than shoot from long range and miss the target. Vine was much more composed, knew he had the legs to get him there, and eventually rolled it in from about eight yards with the home chasers out on their feet, blowing through their arses, and beaten.

It was one of those grab-a-random-stranger moment in the away end. An extraordinary piece of football. A goal you’ll never see repeated. It felt like we’d won a cup.

There was more of that to come. De Canio spoke little English and spent all his training sessions working on pattern of play and how the team would counter attack down the field in shape and formation. He didn’t seem much interested in polishing that turd of a defence and so the long-suffering R’s fans were treated to such lunacy as a 4-2 win at Watford, a 4-2 defeat in the return fixture with Burnley having led 2-0, a 3-3 at Wolves having led on three occasions, a 2-2 at home to Preston having trailed 2-0 in the first minute of injury time, a 3-2 at home to Blackpool with an outrageous Akos Buzsaky goal, a 3-2 at Southampton. Hell, Patrick Agyemang scored eight goals in his first six games. Patrick Agyemang! A man who couldn’t find his own arse with both hands. De Canio turned up to one home game sporting black eyes after a dispute in a casino.

God it was fun. And it started that night at Turf Moor.

Burnley Kiraly 6, Alexander 8, Carlisle 7 (Gudjonsson 48, 6) Unsworth 6, Harley 6, Elliott 7, Mahon 7 (O'Connor 63, 7) McCann 6, Lafferty 6, Blake 7 (Jones 63, 6) Gray 6

Subs Not Used: Jensen, Akinbiyi

QPR: Camp 8, Rehman 7, Stewart 8, Malcolm 7, Barker 7, Ainsworth 7 (Moore 90, -), Bolder 7, Leigertwood 7 (Walton 88, -), Sinclair 6 (Blackstock 75, 6), Nygaard 7, Vine 7

Subs Not Used: Cole, Balanta

Booked: Barker (time wasting)

Goals: Stewart 60 (assisted Sinclair), Vine 90 (unassisted)

Tweet @loftforwords

Pictures — Action Images

Photo: Action Images

SuffolkHoop added 10:48 - Jan 9 Great stuff Clive. Remember that replay at Turf Moor in 2009, I think when my mate and I left you were running down the steps shouting expletives. Frustrating game.
0

davman added 14:32 - Jan 9 My favourite unexpected goal away from home EVER. The Keystone Kops chase from our penalty area to their six yard box was the best. The only thing that was missing was the Benny Hill music as Vine led the charge! Expertly described as ever, Mr. Whittingham!
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Queens Park Rangers Polls