Following Jamie Mackie’s warm welcome back to W12, guest columnist Roller reflects on other names from the recent past, why QPR fans remember them fondly and the thing they all have in common.
There are many that would have us believe that there is no room for sentimentality in the modern game. The pressure to succeed has never been greater, the price for failure has never been more severe, players can be exulted as heroes one week, castigated as villains the next, so maybe they have a case. But then again, they should have been at Loftus Road last Saturday when the QPR supporters rose as one to salute former player Jamie Mackie.
Despite losing heavily and having his new team’s playoff chances ripped to shreds, Mackie was the last player to leave the pitch as he acknowledged the applause from all corners of the ground. He had already been treated to a chorus of "There’s only one Jamie Mackie” after he has performed his usual party trick of shinning the ball straight into touch in front of R block, but that paled into insignificance in comparison to the rendition he received when he finally left the field after the match.
The fantastic reception that Mackie received was not because he was one of Warnock’s promotion winning team - Rob Hulse would be met by total derision should he ever return - but because he always gave his heart and soul to the team. Mackie never left the pitch wondering if he could have tried harder, chased more lost causes or given more to the common good. His play did remind me of a puppy chasing light reflected by a mirror in the hands of a particularly cruel owner, but no one could have asked for more commitment from him, and that is all we can really ever ask for. Of course we cherish the memories of our more skilful players, but the players that give absolutely everything are equally admired.
The warm welcome afforded to Mackie is by no means an isolated incident. A couple of seasons ago more than 3,000 QPR supporters travelled on a midweek evening to Adams Park, Wycombe to watch an insignificant pre-season friendly. Although this fixture gave many their first chance to see the club’s new summer signings in the flesh, there was a far more compelling reason to make the journey to Buckinghamshire as Wycombe Wanderers now numbered among their ranks former R’s legend Gareth Ainsworth.
Wild Thing epitomised the perfect QPR player; he was breathtakingly exciting, grittily determined, wildly unpredictable, fiercely competitive, refreshingly honest, passionately loyal and exquisitely flawed. Who could ask for more? After giving his all in the hoops, including a couple of spells as caretaker manager during Flavio Briatore’s megalomaniacal reign, he was quietly slipped out the backdoor with only a brief half time appearance to exchange farewells with the supporters that adored him.
This match gave ample opportunity to reward Ainsworth with the send off he so richly deserved. When his name was announced as one of the Wycombe substitutes it was met with wild cheers from the travelling supporters, when he entered the fray during the second half he was greeted with a standing ovation and at full time the deafening roars that greeted him as he strode towards the Rangers’ supporters with Hogan Ephraim’s shirt stretched across his chest would have left him in no doubt that all his unstinting efforts in a hooped shirt would never be forgotten.
We probably all have different abiding memories of Kaspars GorkÅ¡s but they undoubtedly all feature him throwing his body in front of a goal bound shot, his face etched with determination and almost certainly with a blood stained bandage wrapped around his head. Even though he was a stalwart of Warnock’s promotion winning team he was unluckily jettisoned immediately after we secured our return to the Premier League. GorkÅ¡s was heartily welcomed back to Loftus Road for a Capital One Cup match, and I know I wasn’t the only one who politely applauded his inevitable goal. The old warrior scored again a few weeks later in a Premier League match to give the Loftus Road faithful another reminder of the bloody-minded resolve that made him so popular with them; those who booed him as he collected a red card for a desperate lunge at Junior Hoilett in Reading’s recent victory at Shepherds Bush I’m sure only did so in the heat of battle, a greater number of people applauded him off.
Perhaps the most surprised recipient of a warm welcome back to W12 was Peter Ramage. Born in Whitley Bay, Ramage is Geordie to his core. After signing for his beloved Newcastle United at the tender age of just 11 and progressing through their youth ranks, he fulfilled his lifelong dream by finally breaking into their first team ten years later. His failure to retain a first team place ultimately led to him leaving reluctantly leaving his home town club on a free transfer in the summer of 2008 and he readily signed for QPR. Sadly a torn cruciate ligament effectively put paid to his career in W12 as events at the club moved on apace around him and he was gently eased out as QPR signed higher and higher profile players.
In amongst all of the excitement earlier this season of QPR beating Barnsley to maintain their challenge right at the top of the Championship, Robert Green and our defence recording a club record breaking eighth consecutive clean sheet and Charlie Austin scoring his fifth goal in five matches, Ramage, playing on loan from Crystal Palace, tore his thigh muscle. As he limped off the field the whole of the ground stood and applauded him.
Ramage is not anywhere near the most talented player to have worn a QPR shirt in the past, nor was he a member of a team that achieved greatness for the club, but he was widely recognised as a player who gave his all. No one had forgotten the effort he had expended for QPR, nor how he had struggled on for the final 15 minutes of the match after tearing his knee ligaments because all three substitutes had already been deployed and he refused to leave the team a man short. Ramage was clearly touched by the unexpected gesture, he seemed to briefly pause to prolong the moment before limping away down the tunnel for treatment.
When Ryan Nelsen announced that he was leaving QPR to take up the position of manager at FC Toronto after barely playing for half a season there were mixed sentiments expressed on the various fans’ forums, some grateful for his efforts, others let down that he was leaving before the end of the season; everyone agreed though that in his short time at the club he had played with the passion and determination that was so sadly lacking in many of his contemporaries. His final match in the hoops was a backs against the wall battle against Manchester City, the reigning Premier League Champions. Nelsen excelled at the heart of an incredible defensive display that saw Rangers keep the combined talents of Silva, Aguero, Tevez and Nasri at bay.
At the end of the match the Rangers’ supporters acclaimed that "There’s only one Ryan Nelsen” as he completed a well-deserved lap of honour before exiting through a guard of honour provided by his team mates. Despite only having played in 24 matches, his outstanding contribution was duly recognised and rewarded by both supporters and colleagues.
At QPR we have a rich tradition of skilful, attacking players. The iconic number ten jersey rightly holds incredible significance for us - we will always cite one or more of Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles, Simon Stainrod, John Byrne and Roy Wegerle among our all-time heroes and we will always be on the lookout for the next maverick to get our pulses racing and our expectations soaring. But equally we love players who show the desire to play for our club that any of us would. The players who continually put their bodies on the line, chase every lost cause and sweat blood for the team are just as special to us. These players may not have the magical skills that we demand from a Number Ten, but their will to win, commitment to the team and do or die attitude gives them an honoured niche in our memories.
While having the skill of a Marsh or a Bowles helps it is not essential, any player can enter QPR folklore; if you give us 90 minutes, we will give you a lifetime.
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Pictures — Action Images