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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed 14:58 - May 21 with 10088 viewsNorthernr

Chance to talk about the Chelsea quarter final and Liverpool semi final probably, but to complete our QPR at Wembley set, we unfortunately are going to have to broach the thorny subject of 1986.
Who went? Stories to tell? Memories of the day?
Help an overworked fansite editor out....
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 20:43 - May 21 with 1905 viewsW12SG2

The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 15:39 - May 21 by rbsranger

I only lasted half the home game against Chelsea - Ellesrie Road full of foul mouthed and dangerous looking Chelsea scum and I was a very small 12 year old scared out of my wits. I remember the Replay from the TV highlights - Alan McDonald being all over that small little scumbag Speedie and then the incredible Michael Robinson goal from the half-way line with the last kick of the game to make it 2-0 and the whingeing scum asking for offside against Gary Bannister who was lying half-dead in their penalty area. First leg of the semi against Liverpool was good hard fought game and could not get to the away leg on a school night but the joy of the two own goals on the radio was great.
I remember physically being at Wembley for the Final and I remember the feeling that we would need to just show up to win. Us fans showed up, players didn't bother. I cannot remember a more anemic performance... don't think we strung two passes together all day. Still at least in '86 we had the comfort of beating Chelsea 6-0 in the league on Easter Monday....


Was in the west paddock for the Chelsea home game. All Chelsea as I remember apart from me and 1 other bloke jumping around together when we scored.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 21:25 - May 21 with 1861 viewsderbyhoop

In the run to the final we beat Watford, Forest, Chelsea and Liverpool, all of whom were in the top flight at the time. At Wembley, we played as if we only had to turn up to win. All I can remember is the feeling of being completely shell shocked afterwards.

Beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with Michael Robinson's 60 yarder and the 2nd leg at Anfield where they scored all four.

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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 21:28 - May 21 with 1849 viewsLblock

My bullet point memories - don't want to dwell on it.

Robbos goal from halfway line was hilarious - I was full of it at school the next day
Didn't make Anfield away as oldies wouldn't let me. I was told the trouble in and around Stanley Park after was a sight for sore eyes and a time for strong stomach's

We did the walk. Classic classic day. Us a bunch of 15 to 18 year olds with a wheelbarrow of lagers that we thought was a great idea but ended up being a bind. We were right at the back of thousands of R's and the looks from the coppers seeing us with literally a Barrow load of booze was a picture.
We got absolutely plastered and ran out of drink. Every off licence we went in was picked clean. I remember going into one and the Asian lad behind the jump was totally shells hocked in the middle of a relatively (now) empty shop. He just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders saying in a right old Mind Your Language way, "all gone, just all gone". I did manage to procure some bottles of Pink Lady though!!!!
We went past a pub and there was glass everywhere with that sense in the air - you knew it had just gone off earlier and it had.
Fcuk the game, all I recall is that mass brawl and the banners used as weapons.
Came out afterwards and I came within a whisker of being killed. Mate stopped me drunkenly stepping out in front of a bus as I was looking wrong way, the wing mirror clipped top of my head.
Woke up next day and it was all a bad, bad, bad dream.

Best part of that day was the walk. Absolutely brilliant atmosphere
Can't manage it this time but I'm proper looking forward to the day and our pre match plans

C'MON U R's!!!!!

Cherish and enjoy life.... this ain't no dress rehearsal

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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 22:10 - May 21 with 1822 viewschris1969

1986 I was 17 so it was the year alcohol was nearly legal but who cares I had been a pub regular for 2 years. Liverpool away was the highlight where we drew 2-2 and didn't score a goal. The train got bricked a few times on the way home and we crept into Euston around 2.30am. I quickly fast forwarded (remote on a wire) the VHS recording, grabbed 3 hours sleep and was up for school at 8am. The next day was a day for giving it large to all the 'Armchair Scousers' and thinking about a final where we were finally going to be the favourites and not the underdogs.

The final could have been the best day ever, beers for breakfast, pub in Kings Cross, tube to Wembley with 20 friends, totally confident and then................utter despair and the thought of all the gloating Scousers in their comfy armchairs.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 22:21 - May 21 with 1809 viewsquickpassrotter

I was at Wembley in 1967 but was very young. Also there for both games in 1982.
In 1986 I was living and working in New York having just moved there through a company transfer. I was at Loftus Road for the Liverpool home game - but in Manhattan by the time of the second leg. I remember coming back to the office from a meeting in the afternoon and our company receptionist said that she had a telephone message from my brother in London. It was very confused - but finally I managed to decipher her message that ''the Queens Park had beaten Liderpole to reach the final at Welbly !''. Sheer joy bouncing around the office. I managed to book a cheap (cheapest I could find) flight New York - London return on AirIndia for the Final. My brother got the tickets for the match. I remember that it was a nice sunny day, and that we were terrible - and that I was jet lagged across the two days that I was back. Then immediately back on a very long and sad 7 hour flight. Everybody in the New York office was very excited, in a very American way, on my return and asked how great the match was ? I think that they were all shocked with my downcast and disgusted response. Only good thing was that QPR picked up a lot of now lifelong American supporters from my office in New York. Many stay in touch now that I am back in the UK - always asking after the R's. PS. What were our players on (or not on) that day ?
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 22:23 - May 21 with 1806 viewsCiderwithRsie

As I recall there was some sort of change of calendar and that day simply doesn't exist.

Seriously though, Stevie Wicks played pretty well as I recall, or at least he stood out by a mile from everyone else, and was practically in tears by the end, poor sod. And I remember that half the stadium was blue-and-white - better than the F A cup really, fewer tickets going to FA hangers-on and such-like.

*shudder*
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 23:03 - May 21 with 1770 viewsPommyhoop

2 dead certs for that day
1: we would be lifting the cup : it didnt happen
2: the stash of booze me and my mate hid in the bushes for after the match
( we were a bit greedy in the offy on the way to the ground) would be gone when we came out :
that DID happen.

Miserable day .

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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 23:03 - May 21 with 1770 viewsOxfordR

I was 10 in 1986, went to the Liverpool home leg and then managed to get tickets for the final at Wembley. I was that excited, telling all my school friends we were going to win.

All I remember from a Wembley was that my Dad bought me a QPR flag and I was waving it like mad as the players walked round the pitch in their suits. Michael Robinson saw me and waved and I was that made up.

Then they never came out for the game.

I lived near Oxford at the time and the next few weeks at school were hell.

28 years later I still live near Oxford and it's only marginally better. 'king Jim Smith.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 23:05 - May 21 with 1768 viewsdistortR

Remembered being gutted when floodlights went out v forest, the atmosphere before was electric (No pun intended)
Chelsea everywhere in loftus road, Stamford bridge and Robinsons goal and getting a smack outside.
Liverpool, our second equaliser, it all went quiet and I didn't know we had scored til I saw one of our players wheeling away with his arm in the air.
Did the walk to Wembley, the awful performance, rangers fighting and the bloke being stabbed with the flag pole,and then hearing that smith celebrated in oxford that night. And I got nicked in the 2-5 the next week
However, it was in the cup run that I met the much missed Joe Young and that led to many strong friendships that still hold, so really, it's all good!
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 23:33 - May 21 with 1756 viewsMaggsinho

I was 13 and we had moved to Suffolk from East Acton a few years previously and didn't make it down to many games, my memories of the cup run are trying to listen to commentary of the game at Chelsea through the wails and static you used to get on medium wave. I remember my Dad and I crouched over the radio trying to decipher what was being said and my Dad saying "I think we've got a second..."

Watched the Liverpool game live - a rare novelty to see QPR on TV then - and went crazy, I can recall the terrified cat shooting out of the living room as we celebrated Fenwick's goal in the first leg.

Was convinced that we'd brush Oxford aside ,there was an article in the Express predicting that Terry Fenwick wouldn't make the squad for the World Cup but would lift the Milk Cup by way of compensation, how wrong could that be?

Don't remember much about the day itself, just the horror as the goals rained in and the derision pouring from fans around me. With my pre-match confidence it was much to my horror my Dad had always planned to beat the traffic by leaving before the presentation of the cup, as we left at the final whistle he muttered 'Still want to see the cup being presented?". I was too distraught to reply.

Even the French teacher at school took the piss the next day.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 00:02 - May 22 with 1749 viewshamptonhillhoop

I was at the quarter final at Loftus Road where the loft had as many Chelsea fans as Rangers in it, unlike the Easter Monday six nil which was half empty. Also went to the semi first leg and remember coming out and thinking it wasn't enough, watched the second leg live on telly as only 15 at the time. Absolutely brilliant, two own goals and a Paul Barron penalty save. As for the final,
Possibly , in fact definitely, the worst week of my life up until then. Got a good hiding on the Thursday night outside queensmead school in ruislip by about five blokes. Turned up at Wembley on the Sunday with a broken nose covered by bad sunglasses and a few cracked ribs. Walked all the way there, got a bollocking off my dad for not meeting him at the ground and don't remember anything about the game apart from crushing disappointment. Also remember being 5 - 0 down against spurs the next week before losing 5 - 2
[Post edited 22 May 2014 0:04]
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 00:26 - May 22 with 1740 viewsozexile

I remember walking out of Wembley totally devastated. I just wanted the ground to swallow me up. I hadnt even thought for one moment that we might lose. I took the next day off school,I just couldn't face the other kids.
My one abiding memory of the game is being 3-0 down with 3 minutes to go and telling myself that we could still do it if we scored a goal every minute.
I live in Oz now and cannot make Saturday. Enjoy the experience guys they don't come around too often.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 01:13 - May 22 with 1731 viewsJuzzie

I went to every game in that Milk Cup campaign except Hull away. Things I remember were the floodlights failing before the Forest game and it having to be re-arranged, there being bloody chelsea everywhere at LR in the 1/4 final. The replay at Stamford Bridge was memorable for McDonalds header and Robinsons long range goal over their stricken goalie and all the Chelsea players moaning that Bannister was offside even though he was lying flat-out on the ground next to theor goalie when it was clear to everyone even with the rules then that he could not in anyway have been interfering with Robinson's shot from just inside the half. It was brilliant seeing them all bitching.

Semi final against Liverpool was a tight affair with us winning the first leg 1-0 at Loftus Road.
Liverpool were still favourites being the kings of two-legged cup games and not lost a Milk Cup round in over three seasons.
Still, that didn't deter my brother and I both taking the afternoon off work to get on the supporters club train. I remember the train getting stoned on the way into Lime Street and a similar welcome as we went to the ground on the loads of buses.
Everyone knows the outcome of the game and the return journey was worse, those scousers are not good losers. We had to pull the blinds down over the windows as the train was duly stoned on the way out of the station, the windown next to where my brother was sitting got broken.
Home by 3am but well worth it. Wemberleeeee here we come.

I think I managed to get about 7 tickets and I remember my dad saying "where are these cts on a Saturday afternoon?!"
As the game slipped away from us it kicked off not far from us and I think it was Notting Hill and Shepherds Bush R's fighting each other. That's how bad the game was.

Never mind, I thought, we'll be back soon.........


[Post edited 22 May 2014 10:27]
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 02:23 - May 22 with 1714 viewsdaveinmelbourne

Jeez, what to tell...
Forest game, lights went out, got a punch in the head and was chased by a load of Forest thru White City estate.
Johnny Byrnes spectacular curler against Chelsea
Michael Robinson of course in the replay, what a goal! But the thing that really stands out is Macca and Wicks just headering and booting away everything after we took the lead.
Liverpool...getting chased by a load knife wielding herberts out of Lime Street Station, finding a building site and chucking bricks and wood at them....getting chased a la Keystone Cops in taxis by the same gang, cabbie took us to his local round the corner from the ground, lovely people who looked after us...
The two own goals, really?! Couldn't believe it.
Getting back to Lime Street...almighty dust up with the locals again, those big brushes that BR use on the engines came in handy! Police turning up threatening to do us with damaging BR property, police escort to Crewe I think? Get on a smashed up train Man U supporters had just wrecked to London, must have got home to Chelmsford about 8am, massive shiner ripped shirt. Mum having a pop at me for the state I was in.

Could write a book on that one day, so much happened! Massively summarised of course.

The final....angry, gutted, let down. Erased from the memory pretty much.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 03:49 - May 22 with 1705 viewsqprjeff1882

Remember going to th QF as a 16 yqer old stood in the shed as all my mates were Chelsea fans. Broke my hand a week earlier punching a kids head at school for taking the piss out of my Mum who had died. When Robinson scored from the half way line there was a surge forward in the shed a few of us lost our footing and went down and my hand got trampled on. And went to the final and remember standing at the back behind the goal and there was tons of room. And that was a record attendance. And then walking back to Wembley central station someone had the giant 'Milk bottle' and was dragging it home. Sh*t game though.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 07:05 - May 22 with 1634 viewsKingstan

I was photographing pitch side for this one. Rangers were heavy favourites going into the game after their previous exploits and you could tell from the players attitude during pre cup final training that they thought the hard work had already been done. Jim Smith was not a popular manager, he was an arrogant showman and few players from his previous clubs had much of a good word to say about him. He had talked himself up big to the media the week of the final and his ego had rubbed off onto the players but he had also managed to rub up Oxford. I had a bad feeling about this game and sure enough Rangers took Smith's ego out onto the pitch that afternoon and left their ability back in West London. Oxford had been fired up and walked the game with ease. I refused to cover Oxford attack and sat not doing very much wishing I was more professional. After a half- hearted run around with the victorious and ever so slightly smug Oxford team I stood and watched the R's do a miserable lap of disgrace to a chorus of boo's and jeer's as they were showered with plastic cups, beer, tea and dubious looking yellow liquid.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 08:24 - May 22 with 1596 viewsbasshoop

I was 18 at the time and I remembered traveling to the game in my mates car. As we were going down the A316, a car load of Oxford fans started giving us some banter from their car as we were going along.
When we parked just off the Uxbridge Road to start the walk from HQ, who should park behind us but the car load of Oxford fans convinced that they had followed us to Wembley.
Despite our advice, they were never going to believe that they were in Shepherds Bush so we gave up and invited them to walk with us.
The look on their faces as they turned into South Africa Road and saw a sea of blue and white.
They said they would carry on walking with us but I never did see them again.
Dreadful game and only afterwards did we realise that we were in Wembley and the car was 5 miles away.
Long walk back.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 09:15 - May 22 with 1581 viewsMarshy

I've just dug out the programme to see if that would jog any memories. Just out of interest the programme cost £1, and I paid £18 for a South Stand seat. It's reminded me about The Lord Taverners 6 a side charity game which took place before the actual Milk Cup Final got under way. From a Rangers fans perspective this was better entertainment of course than the actual match itself. The charity teams contained a who's who of celebrities prominent on tv at the time. I can only actually definitely recall two of them though, which for some reason are David Frost and Michael Le Vell. As for the real match the anticipation for me was enormous, but from the moment we went 1-0 down I was in a state of shock as if this wasn't really happening, but must be a bad dream. By the time we were 3-0 down I was completely numb. I don't really recall any passages of play, but the atmosphere in the build up was quite something. The Rangers fans on the day turned up in their their thousands to support their team. The Rangers players however did not turn up at all.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 09:32 - May 22 with 1573 viewsloftboy

The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 01:13 - May 22 by Juzzie

I went to every game in that Milk Cup campaign except Hull away. Things I remember were the floodlights failing before the Forest game and it having to be re-arranged, there being bloody chelsea everywhere at LR in the 1/4 final. The replay at Stamford Bridge was memorable for McDonalds header and Robinsons long range goal over their stricken goalie and all the Chelsea players moaning that Bannister was offside even though he was lying flat-out on the ground next to theor goalie when it was clear to everyone even with the rules then that he could not in anyway have been interfering with Robinson's shot from just inside the half. It was brilliant seeing them all bitching.

Semi final against Liverpool was a tight affair with us winning the first leg 1-0 at Loftus Road.
Liverpool were still favourites being the kings of two-legged cup games and not lost a Milk Cup round in over three seasons.
Still, that didn't deter my brother and I both taking the afternoon off work to get on the supporters club train. I remember the train getting stoned on the way into Lime Street and a similar welcome as we went to the ground on the loads of buses.
Everyone knows the outcome of the game and the return journey was worse, those scousers are not good losers. We had to pull the blinds down over the windows as the train was duly stoned on the way out of the station, the windown next to where my brother was sitting got broken.
Home by 3am but well worth it. Wemberleeeee here we come.

I think I managed to get about 7 tickets and I remember my dad saying "where are these cts on a Saturday afternoon?!"
As the game slipped away from us it kicked off not far from us and I think it was Notting Hill and Shepherds Bush R's fighting each other. That's how bad the game was.

Never mind, I thought, we'll be back soon.........


[Post edited 22 May 2014 10:27]


Got to add that train journey home was the worst I have ever had. I was in the carriage that got bricked, the train stopped at Crewe and the guard said either we close the carriage or we have to wait for a replacement, we opted to move only to discover there were no spare seats as scousers had been allowed on the train, ended up sleeping stood up in the guards van, I also some nutter when the train stopped for signals at Watford junction, one of our fans said "my house is over there" he promptly jumped off the train and legged it across the tracks. Nutter.

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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 09:54 - May 22 with 1556 viewsTacticalR

I have blotted the whole event from my memory for nearly 30 years.

For the whole team to freeze in a major cup final was harrowing. Perhaps being favourites just didn't suit us.

Air hostess clique

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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 11:28 - May 22 with 1521 viewsDoughnut

Was at Wembley in 86. Travelled down from Sheffield that morning and the first walk along Wembley way and seeing the twin towers, knowing Rangers were in there......epic!!! Then the anti-climax....about 1000 fans being coralled through a door the same size as the one in my living room and having to walk around the running track to get into the stand, while the game had already started.......not so epic!
The result......bleedin disaster!!!!!
Still got that ticket somewhere.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 12:05 - May 22 with 1502 viewsSydneyRs

Hard to believe nowadays but we really did go to Wembley that day thinking it was in the bag and we just had to turn up. I remember looking at Oxford fans thinking they were wasting their time being there. How wrong I was.

We were awful, so so awful in front of 40,000 plus QPR fans. Oxford murdered us. I kept waiting for a comeback that never came. I took Spurs and Forest mates to the game and had to endure their pisstaking all the way home. Miserable.

It got pretty unpleasant in the QPR end as reality dawned. The place was littered with scarves, hats and flags thrown away by disgusted fans. The atmosphere was horrible and a contrast to the 82 final replay where I walked out full of pride despite losing.

Before the game Oxford looked certainties to be relegated but they rallied afterwards to survive not even allowing me to enjoy them going down.

I was also at the Forest, Chelsea and Liverpool home games during the run. Chelsea thought they were through after the game at LR.

Trevor bloody Hebberd.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 12:16 - May 22 with 1481 viewspaulparker

The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 17:32 - May 21 by paulparker

the thing is we had a great run to get to the final, only to royally f uck it up
went to my 1st ever away game when we played Watford in the early rounds
John Barnes i think missed a pen & Byrne slammed home the winner,
we then played Forest at home, which was f ucking cold , the floodlights went off
then there was a huge punch up in the now x block ER, me & dad jumped onto the pitch and walked up to the other end of the stand passed a bemused wayne fereday
i think the club called a sparky to try and get the floodlights working,
and then to the replay all was going well until forest got the equaliser , there must have been about 10 minutes left when barron had the ball in his hands , my dad was going ballistic telling him to kick the fecking thing as we never won at forrest, barron duely obliged on to a rushing bannister i think ,2-1 then we made it 3-1, relief
onto the scum in the QF, got to say that was the tightest i have ever known LR, chelsea were fecking everywhere, Byrne with a cracker only for Nevin from 2 yards out, we did well to get a replay,
never went to the replay but remember watching the highlights on Sportsnight
went to the 1st leg against liverpool and we should have won by more than the 1-0, robbie james best game for us,
2nd leg watched on the tv with my folks remember mick channon rooting for us
the dodgy pen they got (way out the box and ball to hand) the og, & the celebrations at the end (loved the we did it mum banner )
then to the final, got tickets as in them days you had a voucher at the back of the programme and you got a special one if you went midweek against southampton
(we lost btw 2-0 sh*t game) my dad sent the vouchers off in the post and hey presto we had 2 tickets right at the front of the gate (f ucking sh*t view)
the place was a sea of blue and white QPR flags, ski hats and flat caps
we sung we beat the chelsea 6-0 before ko and i saw a banner behide us say
QPR FANTASTIC ON PLASTIC, CLASS ON GRASS
recall being outside the away end and seeing Jimmy greaves who was at the height of st & greavsie fame, he was by some stall, i asked him for an autograph on my programme and he told me and several others to f uck off
another thing that sticks in my mind is just before oxford scored that 1st goal i looked up and saw a huge punch up in the upper terrace section with a bloke stabbing a QPR flag in someones head ,
we stayed for all 3 goals but do recall leroy rosenior missing a free header at the back stick which caused my dads mate to go into a basil style fawltey tirade
rememebr walking back towards the car with hundreds of others all saying how sh*t we played
fecking Jim Kunting Smith


also have built up a huge hatred for Jim fecking Rosenthal and his stupid hat with the moving horns or whatever it was

And Bowles is onside, Swinburne has come rushing out of his goal , what can Bowles do here , onto the left foot no, on to the right foot That’s there that’s two, and that’s Bowles Brian Moore

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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 12:21 - May 22 with 1467 viewsSydneyRs

The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 12:16 - May 22 by paulparker

also have built up a huge hatred for Jim fecking Rosenthal and his stupid hat with the moving horns or whatever it was


That reminds me, I was in Poland in 1991 for an England game where Lineker's late goal secured qualification for the Euros.

Rosenthal was doing interviews on the pitch afterwards and we had been kept in due to it being a bit tasty during the game (Polish club fans fighting each other it has to be said). The England fans amused themselves with a huge and prolonged chant of "Rosenthal, w@nk, w@nk, w@nk" to the point where he abandoned the on pitch interviews and left.
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The dreaded third album - were you there in 1986? Your help needed on 13:44 - May 22 with 1432 viewsngbqpr

The Cup run started for me at Boothferry Park. I had finished uni at Hull that summer but hung around there for a few months as a load of mates were still there - signed on for a bit (an 80s dole queue in Hull - shudder...), made a bit of cash in hand dj'ing, one of the lads who used to frequent the club I played at worked at the dole office and one day when I was in the queue shouted over to compliment me on my set the previous Saturday - d'oh.

Anyway the Rs away support back then wasn't a patch on what it is now. Having won the home leg v Hull 3-0, it was understandable that not many hoops made the long trek up north on a wet autumnal midweek night for a meaningless second leg. I walked there. At half time I counted how many fans we had there - the figure has always stuck with me - 131. I thought all things considered that was pretty respectable (are you reading Fulham?). Plus we won that leg 5-1.

Was chuffed with a win at Watford (who at that point were unbeaten at home in the League); and I'd moved back to London by the time of the two Forest games (the first aborted after the lights went out; the second a late late show win) - Forest were still in their Cloughie pomp at the time so another good scalp.

Ken Bates spoke a lot of crap about our plastic pitch in the build up to the QF, so I was always chuffed that we won the tie in a replay on a mudbath at the Bridge. Chelsea everywhere at the home match, and a half full away end at the second game, but I didn't care - just made beating them all the sweeter.

The home leg v Liverpool I recall for (a) being dull; and (b) a gate of only 15k, as this was a then rare 'live on TV' game. My mum recorded it and when I watched it through I could clearly see myself in the Paddock (which was standing at the time), still the only time I've seen myself on TV at a Rangers game.. We did feel 1-0 gave us a chance.

The away leg is an alcohol-induced blur, but I remember the celebrations at the end being crazy - Steve Wicks seemed to spend about half an hour being mobbed down at the front. The scousers were totally shellshocked. One of our travelling party had a scouse mate who after the game shepherded us to an Evertonian pub that was having a lock-in, and the celebrations continued for hours (I can't recall who the unfortunate designated driver was).

Reading all that, those few months should have been a highlight of my 40 years following Rangers - but thanks to the mind-numbingly awful Final, they just can't be. All I remember of that match is a group of us standing for ages on the terraces at a rapidly emptying Wembley in disbelief - back to the Bush, and instead of the pub we spent a miserable half an hour in Spud-u-Like then all drifted off home. The lowest I've EVER felt at a game.

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