As QPR and Everton prepare for a crunch Premiership game at Loftus Road LFW looks back at a memorable meeting from 1987 and one of the club’s greatest ever players.

Recent Meetings

Everton 0 QPR 1, Saturday August 20, 2011, Premiership

After a 4-0 opening day defeat at home to Bolton nobody gave QPR much of a prayer in their first away game at Goodison Park back in August. Because of the previous week’s riots that saw Everton’s opener against Spurs postponed this was actually the Toffees’ first match of the season but they were stunned by Neil Warnock’s QPR side that launched a trademark smash and grab raid on a ground that they have always enjoyed visiting in the Premiership era. Tommy Smith got the only goal of the game in the first half, finishing nicely after Akos Buzsaky found him in the area intelligently, and although Tim Cahill missed an absolute sitter and Leighton Baines hit the bar with a free kick the Londoners held on for their first win of the Premiership season.

Everton: Howard 6, Neville 6, Jagielka 6, Distin 6, Baines 7, Barkley 7, Heitinga 6 (Saha 74, 6), Rodwell 5 (Arteta 54, 5), Osman 6, Cahill 6, Beckford 4 (Fellaini 63, 5)

Subs Not Used: Mucha, Hibbert, Vellios, Anichebe

Booked: Osman (foul)

QPR: Kenny 8, Orr 7, Hall 7, Gabbidon 7, Connolly 7, Derry 8, Faurlin 7, Smith 7 (Ephraim 66, 7), Buzsaky 7, Taarabt 6, Agyemang 5 (Bothroyd 55, 8)

Subs Not Used: Murphy, Gorkss, Perone, Moen, Andrade

Booked: Hall (foul)

Goals: Smith 31 (assisted Buzsaky)

QPR 3 Everton 1, Monday April 8, 1996, Premiership

When these sides last met at Loftus Road it was an Easter Monday fixture in the 1995/96 season. QPR would finish that campaign in the bottom three having started a rally of results, particularly at home, just too late. Everton were one off three sides suddenly beaten with some ease by QPR in W12, Southampton and West Ham would follow, but it wasn’t enough to keep the R’s up. In this game Kevin Gallen, Mark Hateley and Andy Impey scored the goals for Rangers who won 3-1 despite not forcing a corner in the entire game. John Ebbrell scored for Everton, then managed by Joe Royle.

QPR: Sommer, Bardsley, McDonald, Yates, Brevett, Impey, Holloway, Wilkins, Sinclair, Gallen, Hateley

Subs not used: Ready, Brazier, Dichio

Goals: Gallen, Hateley, Impey

Everton: Southall, Unsworth (Short 63), Watson, Horne (Grant 73), Parkinson, Holcrft, Ebbrell, Kanchelskis, Ferguson, Limpar (Branch 46), Hottinger

Goals: Ebbrell

Previous Results

Head to Head >>> QPR wins 15 >>> Draws 10 >>> Everton wins 20

2011/12 Everton 0 QPR 1 (Smith)

1995/96 QPR 3 Everton 1 (Gallen, Hateley, Impey)

1995/96 Everton 2 QPR 0

1994/95 QPR 2 Everton 3 (Gallen, Ferdinand)

1994/95 Everton 2 QPR 2 (Ferdinand 2)

1993/94 QPR 2 Everton 1 (White, Ferdinand)

1993/94 Everton 0 QPR 3 (Allen 3)

1992/93 Everton 3 QPR 5 (Ferdinand 3, Impey, Bardsley)

1992/93 QPR 4 Everton 2 (Sinton 3, Penrice)

1991/92 Everton 0 QPR 0

1991/92 QPR 3 Everton 1 (Barker 2, Bailey)

1990/91 QPR 1 Everton 1 (Wegerle)

1990/91 Everton 3 QPR 0

1989/90 Everton 1 QPR 0

1989/90 QPR 1 Everton 0 (Sinton)

1988/89 Everton 4 QPR 1 (Falco)

1988/89 QPR 0 Everton 0

1987/88 Everton 2 QPR 0

1987/88 QPR 1 Everton 0 (M Allen)

1986/87 QPR 0 Everton 1

1986/87 Everton 0 QPR 0

1985/86 Everton 4 QPR 3 (Bannister 2, Byrne)

1985/86 QPR 3 Everton 0 (Bannister 2, Byrne)

1984/85 Everton 2 QPR 0

1984/85 QPR 0 Everton 0

1983/84 Everton 3 QPR 1 (Mickelwhite)

1983/84 QPR 2 Everton 0 (Charles 2)

1978/79 Everton 2 QPR 1 (Goddard)

1978/79 QPR 1 Everton 1 (Gillard)

1977/78 Everton 3 QPR 3 (Shanks, Hollins, Howe)

1977/78 QPR 1 Everton 5 (Eastoe)

1976/77 Everton 1 QPR 3 (Leach, Masson, Bowles)

1976/77 QPR 0 Everton 4

1975/76 Everton 0 QPR 2 (Bowles, Leach)

1975/76 QPR 5 Everton 0 (Francis 2, Givens, Masson, Thomas)

1974/75 Everton 2 QPR 1 (Givens)

1974/75 QPR 2 Everton 2 (Givens, Busby)

1973/74 QPR 1 Everton 0 (Givens)

1973/74 Everton 1 QPR 0

1968/69 QPR 0 Everton 1

1968/69 Everton 4 QPR 0

1951/52 Everton 3 QPR 0

1951/52 QPR 4 Everton 4 (Shepherd 2, Waugh, Gilberg)

1949/50 QPR 0 Everton 2*

1914/15 QPR 1 Everton 2* (Birch)

* - FA Cup

Connections

Dave Thomas was an unprecedented piece of business for Second Division QPR when he arrived for a fee of £165k in 1972 – a record fee for the division at that time. The young winger, famed for tearing up and down the sideline and riding some horror tackles with his socks rolled down to his ankles and no shin pads, was the league’s hottest property and Burnley were QPR’s big rivals for promotion that year. He’d become Burnley’s youngest ever player when he made his debut and manager Gordon Jago knew exactly what he was getting and the side was promoted that year with something to spare.

In the First Division, under first Jago and later Dave Sexton, Thomas absolutely excelled and won eight England caps. He played in the great QPR side of 1976 that was so heartbreakingly pipped to the title by a single point by Liverpool. In total he managed 220 appearances and 33 goals for the R’s.

After missing out on the title the side began to break up, and QPR were actually relegated three seasons later. After 220 senior appearances for Rangers and 33 goals he moved back to Lancashire with Everton for £200k in the summer of 1977.

In 1977/78 he helped Latchford reach 30 goals with many assists, including two for his four goals at Loftus Road in a 5-1 wn. He had brief spells with Vancouver Whitecaps, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth as his career wound down in the 1980s and then worked as a PE teacher in Chichester before retiring. He was one of the QPR players featured on Sky’s Time of Our Lives documentary on the club that aired last year.

Others >>> Kevin McLeod, Everton 2000-2003, QPR 2003-2005 >>> John Spencer, QPR 1996-1998, Everton 1998-1999 >>> Matt Jackson, Everton 1991-1996, QPR (loan) 1996 >>> Kenny Sansom, QPR 1989-1991, Everton 1993 >>> Peter Reid, Everton 1982-1989, QPR 1989-1990 >>> Andy King, Everton 1976-1980, QPR 1980-1981 >>> Peter Eastoe, QPR 1976-1979, Everton 1979-1982 >>> Mickey Walsh, Everton 1978, QPR 1978-1981

Memorable Match

QPR 1 Everton 0, Tuesday September 2, 1987/88, First Division

When QPR were sweeping all before them in the Championship last season club records tumbled by the week. A 19 match unbeaten start to the season by Neil Warnock’s team was the best since 1987/88 when they won six and drew one of their first seven matches. The fifth match in that run was a midweek home game against Everton, a team with two recent league titles under its belt.

Everton had recently promoted former player Colin Harvey into their managerial hot seat. He’d been assistant to Howard Kendall through the early part of the decade during which the Toffees had won two league championships, the FA Cup and the Cup Winners Cup. Kendall, frustrated by the ban on English clubs in Europe at the time, had left to manage Athletic Bilbao. Harvey would lead Everton to fourth, eighth and sixth during his three seasons in charge but he came a cropper on a sweltering night at Loftus Road early in his reign.

In front of England manager Bobby Robson and a packed Loftus Road crowd Rangers kicked towards the Loft End in the first half and scored the decisive goal midway through the period. Central midfielder Martin Allen clearly brought a loose ball down on the edge of the area with his arm but after being allowed to play on he then produced a stunning finish from long range into the back of Bobby Mimms’ net.

Kevin Brock tried his luck from similar range in the second half but found Mimms in better form and although Everton pressed for an equaliser late on a young David Seaman was in fine form at the other end to keep them at bay. Brock would later follow the Rangers’ manager at the time Jim Smith to Newcastle. The defeat was Harvey’s first as Everton boss and lifted QPR to the top of the First Division. The R’s won five of their next seven but then went on a run of nine games without a win and eventually finished fifth with Everton in fourth. Liverpool won the title, nine points ahead of Man Utd.

QPR: Seaman, Fereday, Fenwick, Parker, McDonald, Dawes, Allen, Brock, Byrne, Coney, Bannister

Highlights >>> Everton 0 QPR 3, 93/94 >>> Everton 3 QPR 5, 92/93 >>> QPR 4 Everton 2, 92/93 >>> QPR 1 Everton 0, 87/88 >>> Everton 2 QPR 0, 84/85 >>> QPR 0 Everton 0, 84/85 >>> QPR 1 Everton 5, 77/78 >>> QPR 5 Everton 0, 75/76 >>> Everton 0 QPR 2, 75/76 Tweet @loftforwords

Pictures – Action Images

Photo: Action Images

dixiedean added 09:18 - Mar 2 Christ,how did we avoid a 10-0 defeat at Everton with that team we put out ?! That's a scary line-up esp back 4. And they kept a clean sheet so the current mob need to liven up a bit. It CAN be done !
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parker64 added 11:19 - Mar 2 What a great player Dave Thomas was. If memory serves me right in 87/88 Rangers were playing the sweeper system. It was all the rage then. Can't remember who the sweeper was. In fact, whatever happened to sweepers?
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RBLOCKPAT added 12:15 - Mar 2 I've been watching QPR for 51 years and the best performance bar none was when we beat Everton at home 5 - 0 in 1976 we could have won 20 -0 we were so incredibly good Gerry Francis had his finest game for the Rs and to watch the pace and the skill of the players going flat out was breathtaking. The players were so in tune with each other they didn't have to look up for a pass it was sheer magic the likes of will never be seen again at least not in my lifetime, players played for the sheer enjoyment of playing football not like players of today who just think of what new toys their wages can buy them. Stan Bowles loved playing football, liked having a good time on the pitch and off it, he would always mix with fans around the Bush or Chiswick and Brentford you could always have a drink with him and a good chat, characters like Stanley are non existant now and that is very sad, they were halcion days long gone and now we watch overpayed players with a lack of the same talent and human touch and frankly I dont get the same excitement I used to as when watching the teams we had in the late sixties seventies and even the eighties, but then again I am a grumpy old nostalgist who just wished that the young Rangers fans could have experienced those times, never mind, the closest player we have to the good old days is Adel Taarabt but the funny thing is that in the seventies most teams had two or three ball players in their teams and fans used to travel to watch different teams play just to watch players like Best, Worthington, Charlie Cooke, Jimmy Greaves and the like, it was wonderful and we should treasure and encourage players like Taarabt who plays football like it should be played with adventure and skill, he can't help it if other players aren't good enough to be on his wavelength, I just think that Cisse will be and understands how he plays and that might just save us from the drop, here's hoping!

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Northernr added 12:38 - Mar 2 Pat - toss up between that and the 1987 one for the memorable match. Hopefully we'll stay up and I'll do that one next season.
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Monahoop added 13:52 - Mar 2 Along with Gerry Francis, Dave Thomas is my second favourite all time R's player. A stylish but good old fashioned winger. My first R's game was the 5-0 mauling we dished out to Everton. I was beside myself but my mates at school goaded me [ I was the only R's fan in the school I think], saying we were lucky and it was a flook. The start of the next season we faced the Toffee's again and I went along in the hope that we might repeat the same feat. How naive I was. Someone at R's forgot to tell the team that the new season had started that day. We never turned up so to say and Everton wreaked their revenge on us 4-0. To make matters worse the game was the main billing on MOTD [only 2 games featured in those days]. Memories of that terrible day came flooding back on the opening game of this current campaign when we got whipped 4-0 by Bolton. Going back to to DT, not only did he become a teacher in Chichester but he was also coach at Bognor Regis Town for a while.

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