While it’s fair to say Bolton and Wigan previews were a little thin on the ground history wise we have no such issues this week as QPR face Newcastle at Loftus Road.
These sides last met in the final match of the 2009/10 season at Loftus Road. QPR were grateful to get to the end of that campaign still in the Championship after a season which had seen them work their way through another four managers. Neil Warnock was in charge by the time the Toon army arrived in town for a match that came a week after they had lifted the Championship title at St James’ Park. As we now know QPR would get their hands on that trophy 12 months later and the green shoots of recovery were in evidence here as the R’s matched the league leaders and would have taken a point from the game but for a glaring late miss in a one on one situation by Arsenal loanee Jay Simpson. The key moment of the game came in the first minute of the second half when boyhood Newcastle fan and former Magpies defender Peter Ramage was sent off for a professional foul on Shola Ameobi – although whether any chance can be classed as a ‘clear goal scoring opportunity’ when it’s falling to Ameobi is open to debate. Rangers eventually cracked under the resulting pressure and allowed Peter Lovenkrands to steal in at the far post to snatch a winner 20 minutes from time.
QPR: Cerny 7, Leigertwood 7, Ramage 6, Gorkss 6, Tosic 8, Ephraim 5 (Rose 77, 6), Faurlin 8, Buzsaky 6, Cook 6 (Parker 49, 7), Simpson 6, Priskin 6
Subs Not Used: Putnins, Balanta, Brown, Oastler, German
Sent Off: Ramage 46 (professional foul)
Newcastle: Krul 7, Simpson 7, Coloccini 7, Williamson 8, Taylor 7, Routledge 6, Barton 7, Smith 6, Guthrie 6 (Vuckic 79, 7),Best 5 (Lovenkrands 54, 8), Ameobi 5 (Carroll 79, 6)
Subs Not Used: Harper, Nolan, Pancrate, Donaldson
Booked: Williamson (foul), Taylor (foul)
Goal: Lovenkrands 71 (assisted Barton)
QPR were at the height of their Jim Magilton form earlier in the season when they travelled to St James’ Park for the first time since 1996. Newcastle were top but QPR were flying up the table amid a host of free scoring thrashings and took an early lead when Ben Watson’s speculative shot was deflected past Steve Harper to send a sizeable midweek travelling support wild. Rangers had good cause to be angry with referee Rob Shoebridge thereafter, the Derbyshire based official seemed hugely intimidated by the large home crowd and awarded a ridiculously harsh penalty against Damion Stewart midway through the first half which Danny Guthrie took and the superb Radek Cerny saved. The Magpies did get their equaliser in the second half when Marlon Harewood climbed off the bench to bundle home his annual goal against QPR and although Cerny was the QPR man of the match the visitors had more than their fair share of the game and were thoroughly good value for their point.
Newcastle: Harper 7, Enrique 7, Taylor 7, Khizanishvili 6, Simpson 6, Smith 7, Butt 4 (Gutierrez 46, 8), Nolan 6, Guthrie 4 (Lovenkrands 88, -), Carroll 8, Ranger 6 (Harewood 61, 7)
Subs: Geremi, Krul, Kadar, Donaldson
Goals: Harewood 70 (assisted Carroll)
Bookings: Smith (foul)
QPR: Cerny 9, Leigertwood 7, Stewart 8, Gorkss 7, Borrowdale 7, Routledge 7, Rowlands 8, Watson 9, Buzaky 7, Vine 6 (Faurlin 87, -), Simpson 8 (Taarabt 73, 7)
Subs not used: Ramage, Agyemang, Pellicori, Heaton, Ephraim
Goals: Watson 7 (unassisted)
Bookings: Stewart (foul), Leigertwood (foul), Buzsaky (failing to retreat)
Head to Head >>> QPR wins 16 >>> Draws 7 >>> Newcastle wins 19
2009/10 QPR 0 Newcastle 1
2009/10 Newcastle 1 QPR 1 (Watson)
1995/96 Newcastle 2 QPR 1 (Holloway)
1995/96 QPR 2 Newcastle 3 (Dichio 2)
1994/95 QPR 3 Newcastle 0 (Ferdinand 2, Barker)
1994/95 Newcastle 2 QPR 1 (Dichio)
1993/94 QPR 1 Newcastle 2 (Penrice)
1993/94 Newcastle 1 QPR 2 (Ferdinand, B Allen)
1988/89 Newcastle 1 QPR 2 (Stein, Clarke)
1988/89 QPR 3 Newcastle 0 (Maddix, M Allen, Falco)
1987/88 Newcastle 1 QPR 1 (Kerslake)
1987/88 QPR 1 Newcastle 1 (Wharton og)
1986/87 QPR 2 Newcastle 1 (Byrne, Fillery)
1986/87 Newcastle 0 QPR 2 (Byrne, Bannister)
1985/86 QPR 3 Newcastle 1 (Fenwick 2, Robinson)
1985/86 Newcastle 3 QPR 1 (Fenwick)
1984/85 Newcastle 1 QPR 0
1984/85 QPR 5 Newcastle 5 (Bannister, Stainrod, Gregory, Wicks, Mickelwhite)
1982/83 QPR 2 Newcastle 0 (Gregory 2)
1982/83 Newcastle 1 QPR 0
1981/82 Newcastle 0 QPR 4 (Gregory, C Allen, Flanagan, Stainrod)
1981/82 QPR 3 Newcastle 0 (King, Roeder, Stainrod)
1979/80 QPR 2 Newcastle 1 (Roeder, McCreery)
1979/80 Newcastle 4 QPR 2 (Goddard, Roeder)
1977/78 Newcastle 0 QPR 3 (Givens, McGee, Hollins)
1977/78 QPR 0 Newcastle 1
1976/77 QPR 1 Newcastle 2 (Givens)
1976/77 Newcastle 2 QPR 0
1975/76 Newcastle 1 QPR 2 (McLintock, Bowles)
1975/76 Newcastle 2 QPR 1* (Masson)
1975/76 QPR 0 Newcastle 0*
1975/76 QPR 1 Newcastle 3** (Leach)
1975/76 QPR 1 Newcastle 0 (Leach)
1974/75 Newcastle 2 QPR 2 (Francis, Gillard)
1974/75 QPR 0 Newcastle 4**
1974/75 QPR 1 Newcastle 2 (Keeley og)
1973/74 Newcastle 2 QPR 3 (Thomas, Francis, Leach)
1973/74 QPR 3 Newcastle 2 (Clement, Givens, Bowles)
1968/69 QPR 1 Newcastle 1 (Bridges)
1968/69 Newcastle 3 QPR 2 (Wilks, Moncur og)
* - FA Cup
** - League Cup
It’s the obvious choice, but to be fair a couple of the Loftus Road meetings in Kevin Keegan’s first reign at St James’ Park could easily have made it as well.
It says something for the lamentable attitude of modern commentators to any football that took place before 1992 that when Newcastle came roaring back from four goals down against Arsenal at St James’ Park last season that it was heralded as an “unprecedented achievement”. Nonsense, QPR are never more dangerous than when they’re 4-0 down at half time, and have recovered from such a deficit against Newcastle themselves.
This was a game that almost led to my parents’ divorce. It came just two days after my birth on the day I was due to come home from hospital – my mum and I made that journey in a taxi because my dad was at the match. She slung him out, but took him back a few weeks later and set me on the path to doing similarly stupid things for this team of ours.
At the time Newcastle were under the guidance of World Cup winner Jack Charlton with a fearsome forward pairing of Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle and had just been promoted back into Division One during a yo-yo period for the club. QPR had replaced the superb Terry Venables, who had promoted the R’s and taken them to Wembley for their one and only FA Cup final in 1982, with the hapless Alan Mullery. The former Tottenham man was a walking disaster zone at Rangers, alienating and dismantling Venables’ impressive team and overseeing a disastrous UEFA Cup exit where Rangers beat Partizan Belgrade 6-2 at home but lost 4-0 away and went out on away goals. Goalkeeper Peter Hucker has since told qprnet that Mullery came running down the tunnel that night in Belgrade asking why the players were leaving the field before extra time.
The previous week Rangers had been beaten at Spurs, who now had former R Clive Allen in attack, 5-0 and more of the same seemed to be in store as Newcastle cruised into a 4-0 half time lead. The Magpies had lost their previous three matches conceding ten goals in the process but made light work of the infamous plastic pitch in W1. It took the visitors three minutes to go in front when Waddle crossed for Neil Macdonald to head home. That lead was doubled after a quarter of an hour when Waddle himself waltzed around Hucker and slammed in a second and then he made it three five minutes later when a deflected shot from Wharton fell into his path close in. Waddle completed his first half hat trick with a wild swerving shot four minutes before half time and that, it seemed, was well and truly that. QPR fans still tell stories of hearing the news of an amazing comeback filtering in after they’d left to go back to the pub.
It never looked on to be fair. Ian Stewart was sent on for Fillery at half time, the Northern Irishman would endure a mediocre spell as a Newcastle player later in his career, and the change did at least make some difference. Within four minutes of the restart Gary Bannister had raced onto a giant Peter Hucker clearance and beaten Carr one on one at the second attempt. A simply ludicrous goal on the hour when Haddock’s wild clearance smashed Wharton in the face and nestled in the bottom corner via Simon Stainrod brought QPR back into it and the comeback seemed to be on when John Gregory made it 43 in the seventy third minute.
The game seemed to be up six minutes from time when Newcastle reasserted their dominance – Beardsley and Waddle combining to set up Wharton for a fifth but Steve Wicks (six foot two, eyes of blue) headed in a free kick immediately to set up a grand stand finish. Gary Micklewhite completed the comeback in injury time to raise the roof off the Loft End.
Mullery said: “These kind of games are great for the fans but they give managers heart attacks. We needed a miracle in the second half and we got it.”
Jack Charlton said: "Saturdays game was a total embarrassment, absolutely diabolical. I have never seen anything like it in my 32 years in the game. I went mad at the players because there were times when they were going to give me a heart attack. They just stopped playing. There are so many things wrong at Newcastle it is incredible. People are asking me where I intend to start with the problems, but I just don't know. It will take years to put right. Some of the players couldn't even breathe in the second half. I don't know where they got their education from before, but, believe me they'll get it from me in the months to come."
QPR: Hucker, Neil, Wicks, Fenwick, Dawes, Micklewhite, Fillery (Stewart), Gregory, Fereday, Stainrod, Bannister
Goals: Bannister, Stainrod, Gregory, Wicks, Micklewhite
Newcastle: Carr, Brown, Saunders, Roeder, Anderson, Haddock, Macdonald, McCreery, Wharton, Beardsley, Waddle
Goals: Waddle 3, Macdonald, Wharton
Match Video >>> Part 1 >>> Part 2 >>> Part 3 >>> Part 4 >>> Part 5
Les Ferdinand >>> QPR 1987 to 1995 >>> Newcastle 1995 to 1997
On two occasions in the 1990s Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan raided Loftus Road for the best QPR players in their respective positions. He took the QPR Player of the Year elect Darren Peacock from Gerry Francis’ promising team in 1994, a move which proved to be the final straw for the manager who would walk out to join Spurs within months, and then returned 18 months later for Les Ferdinand. Whether QPR’s deal to bring Joey Barton south from St James’ Park represents a shift of power back our way only time will tell but it’s just the latest link between two clubs that are separated by hundreds of miles but have shared a clutch of memorable matches and superbly talented players.
In a world where Andy Carroll costs £35m it’s absolutely frightening to think what Les Ferdinand would be worth in the present day game. Les was the complete centre forward. If you marked him tightly he’d beat you in the air or turn you with his strength, if you stood off him he’d go past you for pace, and if you were happy to let him try his luck from 30 yards out he’d punish you regularly from that distance as well. He scored poacher goals from a yard out, fiercely powerful headers from all over the penalty areas, blistering 30 yard pile drivers, free kicks and solo goals where his pace and power carried him past two or three players on the way to goal. For four straight seasons in the mid-1990s he was absolutely unstoppable and only a combination of injuries at key moments (like just before Euro 96) and the fact he played for QPR rather than one of the more fashionable sides restricted his England outings. Luther Blissett named him as the one English striker who could go and play in Serie A - the top European league at the time.
It hadn’t always been that way for Ferdinand who had spent his teenage years knocking goals in for Hayes while working part time as a glazier and getting into trouble on the White City Estate with Dennis Wise – twas they who allegedly trashed the Blue Peter Garden. He was initially very poor for QPR under first Jim Smith and then Don Howe. He spent time on loan at Brentford and then a season with Besiktas in Turkey where he came of age somewhat. Besiktas wanted to keep him permanently and QPR were more than happy to do the deal had secretary at the time Ron Phillips not agreed to draft an official letter for Ferdinand stating that the deal would not be made permanent against his wishes before he left. A master stroke as it turned out.
Ferdinand won the fans over with a fabulous performance and vintage headed goal in a 4-2 home win against Chelsea during Howe’s reign but really shot to fame when Gerry Francis built his QPR team around him after Howe’s controversial departure. Ferdinand scored 24, 18 and 26 goals for QPR in his three Premiership seasons at Loftus Road and then scored 29 for Newcastle, without taking penalties – add in Clive Wilson’s successful penalties over that period and he’d have been a 30 goal a season striker for three of four years.
Probably the best goal Ferdinand scored for Rangers was a 35 yard screamer at Loftus Road against Man Utd after he turned past Paul Ince but there are 67 others to choose from in 110 appearances for the Hoops and some of them had to be seen to be believed. A free kick on a mudbath pitch at Oldham springs to mind, and immense solo goals against Norwich and Sheff Utd at Loftus Road and Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. In Easter 1993 he scored a hat trick in a 4-3 home win against Nottingham Forest on the Saturday then two days later scored another three in a 5-3 success at Goodison Park against Everton. He was awesome.
He was frequently linked with other clubs and eventually, after Gerry Francis’ sad departure, he was tempted north by Kevin Keegan and Newcastle who paid £6m after tiring of him tormenting them in matches between the two sides. QPR knew how that felt soon enough, Ferdinand scored an emphatic goal at the Loft End on his first return to Shepherds Bush in a 3-2 Newcastle win. QPR, missing their talisman, were relegated and have only just returned 15 years later.
Ferdinand went on to play for the Tottenham team he supported (and also regularly terrorised in his QPR days) before becoming something of a journeyman with spells at West Ham, Bolton, Leicester and Reading. He now works as a pundit for the BBC.
Others >>> Joey Barton, Newcastle 2007-2011, QPR 2011-present >>> Peter Ramage, Newcastle 2004-2008, QPR 2008-present >>> Kieron Dyer, Newcastle 1999-2007, QPR 2011-present >>> Wayne Routledge, 2009-2010, 2011, Newcastle 2010-2011 >>> Fitz Hall, QPR 2008-present, Newcastle loan 2010 >>> Leon Best, QPR 2004-2005, Newcastle 2010-present >>> Warren Barton, Newcastle 1995-2001, QPR 2003-2004 >>> Darren Peacock, QPR 1990-1994, Newcastle 1994-1998 >>> Gavin Peacock, QPR 1984-1987, 1996-2002, Newcastle 1990-1993 >>> Kenny Sansom, Newcastle 1988-1989, QPR 1989-1991 >>> Kevin Brock, QPR 1987-1989, Newcastle 1989-1994 >>> Ossie Ardiles, QPR 1988-1989, Newcastle manager 1991-1992 >>> Jim Smith, QPR manager 1985-198, Newcastle manager 1988-1991 >>> Glenn Roeder, QPR 1978-1983, Newcastle 1983-1989, manager 2006-2007 >>> Wayne Fereday, QPR 1980-1989, Newcastle 1989-1990 >>>John Burridge, QPR 1980-1982, Newcastle 1989-1991 >>> Ian Stewart, QPR 1980-1985 >>> Newcastle 1985-1987 >>> Dave McCreery, QPR 1979-1981, Newcastle 1982-1989 >>> Paul Goddard, QPR 1977-1980, Newcastle 1986-1988 >>> Gavin Maguire, QPR 1984-1989, Newcastle loan 1992
Links >>> QPR 0 Newcastle 1 Match Report >>> Newcastle 1 QPR 1 Match Report >>> Ferdinand’s Easter Hat Tricks
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