Ahead of Sunday’s trip to White Hart Lane, LFW looks back on a meeting between the sides towards the end of Jim Smith’s reign in charge of QPR when former Spurs favourite Mark Falco haunted his former club.
QPR secured a much needed victory against Spurs in April as they continued their fight against relegation from the Premier League. Adel Taarabt haunted his former club with a long range free kick in the first half that dipped down into the bottom corner as Brad Friedel struggled to deal with the sun. Rangers were good value for that lead but found themselves clinging on for grim death at the end after Taarabt had then been sent off by referee Mark Clattenburg for kicking the ball away – a second yellow card handed out before the referee had realised he’d already shown him a first. This was one of five consecutive wins at Loftus Road at the end of the season that secured safety for the Super Hoops.
QPR: Kenny 8, Onuoha 7, Ferdinand 8, Hill 8, Taiwo 8, Mackie 7, Barton 7, Derry 7, Diakite 7 (Buzsaky 69, 6), Taarabt 7, Zamora 8
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Gabbidon, Traore, Helguson, Cisse, Wright-Phillips
Sent Off: Taarabt 78 (two bookings)
Booked: Zamora (foul), Taarabt (foul), Onuoha (foul), Hill (foul), Taarabt (kicking ball away)
Goals: Taarabt 24 (free kick, won Taarabt)
Tottenham: Friedel 5, Walker 7, Gallas 5, King 5, Assou-Ekotto 4 (Rose 66, 6), Sandro 5 (Lennon 46, 6), Modric 7, Parker 6 (Giovani 84, -), Bale 6, Van der Vaart 6, Defoe 5
Spurs 3 QPR 1, Sunday October 30, 2011, Premier League
Tottenham’s performance against QPR back in October was about the best I saw from a Premiership team live last season and it needed Rangers to be at their very best just to hang onto their coat tails. A breathtaking first half in which QPR’s defence clung on by its finger nails while the attack was hindered by Adel Taarabt’s worst performance for the club saw the home side surge into a two goal lead. Gareth Bale finished expertly after 20 minutes and Rafael Van der Vaat added a second just under a quarter of an hour later in front of the Sky Sports cameras. Harry Redknapp told reporters afterwards his team had heard some serious arguments coming from the away dressing room at half time and sporting a new look team with Jay Bothroyd and Jamie Mackie added to the mix Rangers started to make a game of it. They had Spurs worried when Bothroyd halved the deficit just after the hour mark but a flowing move and sumptuous strike from Bale ten minutes later made the points safe for the home side.
Tottenham: Friedel 7, Walker 7, Kaboul 7, King 7, Assou-Ekotto 6, Lennon 7, Parker 9 (Sandro 86, -), Modric 9, Bale 8, Van der Vaart 8, Adebayor 6
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Pavlyuchenko, Gallas, Defoe, Bassong, Livermore
Goals: Bale 20 (assisted Lennon), Van der Vaart 33 (assisted King), Bale 72 (assisted Lennon)
QPR: Kenny 8, Young 6, Ferdinand 7, Hall - (Gabbidon 9, 6), Traore 6, Faurlin 7, Derry 5 (Mackie 46, 7), Wright-Phillips 7, Barton 7, Taarabt 4 (Bothroyd 46, 8), Helguson 7
Subs Not Used: Murphy, Hill, Buzsaky, Smith
Goals: Bothroyd 62 (assisted Helguson)
Spurs 1 QPR 0, Saturday December 9, 1995, Premier League
By the time QPR arrived at White Hart Lane in December 1995 they were on a disastrous run of ten league games without a win – a run that had been triggered by a collapse in the home fixture with Spurs in September that we’ll move onto shortly. Considering Ray Wilkins’ team actually finished the season quite strongly it was this dreadful run through October, November and December that would eventually cost them their Premiership place. Meak surrenders were the order of the day and having allowed Teddy Sheringham to open the scoring with the time still in single figures Rangers rarely, if ever, looked like getting back into the game. As I’ve said so often about games from our last Premiership campaign, when you look at the QPR team on paper it’s not hard to see why it struggled.
Spurs: Walker, Calderwood (Edinburgh 84), Campbell, Mabbutt, Wilson, Howells, Dozzell, Rosenthal, Fox, Sheringham, Armstrong
Subs:Day, McMahon
Goals: Sheringham 3
Bookings: Howells
QPR: Sommer, Bardsley, Yates, McDonald, Challis, Impey, Barker (Charles 78), Holloway, Sinclair, Hateley, Gallen (Osborn 63)
Subs: Maddix
Bookings: Barker, McDonald
QPR 2 Spurs 3, Monday September 25, 1995, Premier League
It’s hard to believe, now we know everything that went on subsequently, but there was actually a decent amount of optimism around Loftus Road when Spurs visited for a live Monday Night Football encounter in September 1995. A pretty lousy start to the first post-Les Ferdinand season at Loftus Road had given way to victories over Man City and, memorably, away at Leeds 3-1 and more importantly Ray Wilkins had gone out and spent some money on a Ferdinand replacement. Sadly that replacement was Mark Hateley, who was paraded in front of the supporters before this game on crutches. Nevertheless Rangers set about Spurs well and former boss Gerry Francis could only watch in stunned silence as Danny Dichio gave QPR the lead, and then straight after half time Andy Impey nodded in Rufus Brevett’s looping back post cross. Then, disaster. Within a minute of doubling the lead QPR found it halved in controversial circumstances – Teddy Sheringham embarrassingly flinging himself over the back of Karl Ready as the defender turned to chase a ball that had long since cleared the area and was no longer anywhere close to either of them. David Ellery always was an obliging referee for Sheringham, and Spurs, and awarded the softest of soft penalties. From then on a collapse always looked likely and Sheringham and Dozzell scored a goal each in three devastating minutes midway through the half. QPR did recover to win at Bolton a week later but then won only two of their next 18 matches in the league and were eventually relegated.
QPR: Sommer, Maddix, McDonald, Ready, Brevett, Impey, Holloway, Barker, Osborn (Allen 79), Sinclair, Dichio
Subs: Gallen, Challis
Goals: Dichio 36, Impey 46
Spurs: Walker, Austin, Calderwood, Mabbutt, Wilson, Anderton (Edinburgh 65), Dozzell, Howells, Rosenthal, Armstrong, Sheringham
Subs: Campbell, Thorsvedt
Goals: Sheringham 48, 75, Dozzell 73
Bookings: Calderwood, Howells, Armstrong
2011/12 Q{R 1 Spurs 0 (Taarabt)
2011/12 Spurs 3 QPR 1 (Bothroyd)
1995/96 Spurs 1 QPR 0
1995/96 QPR 2 Spurs 3 (Dichio, Impey)
1994/95 QPR 2 Spurs 1 (Ferdinand)
1994/95 Spurs 1 QPR 1 (Impey)
1993/94 Spurs 1 QPR 2 (Sinclair 2)
1993/94 QPR 1 Spurs 1 (Ferdinand)
1992/93 Spurs 3 QPR 2 (Peacock, White)
1992/93 QPR 4 Spurs 1 (Penrice 2, Holloway, Wilkins)
1991/92 QPR 1 Spurs 2 (Sinton)
1991/92 Spurs 2 QPR 0
1990/91 Spurs 0 QPR 0
1990/91 QPR 0 Spurs 0
1989/90 QPR 3 Spurs 1 (Wilkins, Sinton, Barker)
1989/90 Spurs 3 QPR 2 (Bardsley, T Francis)
1988/89 QPR 1 Spurs 0 (Falco)
1988/89 Spurs 2 QPR 2 (Falco, T Francis)
1987/88 QPR 2 Spurs 0 (Kerslake 2)
1987/88 Spurs 1 QPR 1 (Coney)
1986/87 Spurs 1 QPR 0
1986/87 QPR 2 Spurs 0 (M Allen, Byrne)
1985/86 QPR 2 Spurs 5 (Bannister, Rosenior)
1985/86 Spurs 1 QPR 1 (Byrne)
1984/85 QPR 2 Spurs 2 (Bannister 2)
1984/85 Spurs 5 QPR 0
1983/84 QPR 2 Spurs 1 (Fereday, Gregory)
1983/84 Spurs 3 QPR 2 (Fenwick, Stainrod)
1981/82 Spurs 1 QPR 0*
1981/82 Spurs 1 QPR 1* (Fenwick)
1980/81 Spurs 3 QPR 1** (Stainrod)
1980/81 QPR 0 Spurs 0**
1978/79 Spurs 1 QPR 1 (Clement)
1978/79 QPR 2 Spurs 2 (Bowles, Shanks)
1976/77 Spurs 3 QPR 0
1976/77 QPR 2 Spurs 1 (Bowles, Clement)
1975/76 Spurs 0 QPR 3 (Francis 2, Givens)
1975/76 QPR 0 Spurs 0
1974/75 QPR 0 Spurs 1
1974/75 Spurs 1 QPR 2 (Bowles 2)
1973/74 QPR 3 Spurs 1 (Bowles, Givens, Francis)
1973/74 Spurs 0 QPR 0
1973/74 QPR 1 Spurs 0*** (Givens)
1968/69 QPR 1 Spurs 1 (Clarke)
1968/69 Spurs 3 QPR 2 (Clarke, Clement)
1949/50 QPR 0 Spurs 2
1949/50 Spurs 3 QPR 0
1948/49 QPR 0 Spurs 0
1948/49 Spurs 1 QPR 0
* - FA Cup final
** - FA Cup
*** - League Cup
Spurs 2 QPR 2, Saturday November 26, 1988, First Division
QPR travelled to Spurs in November 1988 in indifferent form at the tail end of Jim Smith’s reign as manager. Having started the season without scoring in their first three games they’d rallied slightly, but were fourteenth in the First Division on a run of one win from five games when they travelled to White Hart Lane in November. The R’ had lost their previous two games – away to Middlesbrough and at home to Liverpool – by a single goal to nil but they took striker Mark Falco, defender Danny Maddix and experienced Argentinean midfielder Ossie Ardilles back to their former club looking for a change in fortunes.
Falco wasted no time in reintroducing himself to the Spurs faithful, opening the scoring early on. A low cross from Wayne Fereday to the edge of the area caused confusion in the home ranks and when Paul Allen inadvertently diverted the ball into Falco’s path he finished crisply into the bottom corner on the half volley.
Spurs, managed by former QPR boss Terry Venables and with the likes of Chris Waddle and Paul Gascoigne among their ranks, attempted to fight back. Gascoigne’s corner was flicked on at the near post by Guy Butters and palmed away from danger by Rangers goalkeeper David Seaman as Paul Stewart threatened to head home at the back post.
But QPR, resplendent in their traditional red and black hooped away shirt, were soon in for a second. Fereday again provided the assist, this time collecting a short free kick down the right flank after a foul on Falco and crossing to the far post where Butters made an almighty hash of things under little pressure and teed up a second goal on a plate for Trevor Francis who could hardly miss from a yard out.
There was little evidence of the defensive steel that Venables’ QPR team had been famed for in his new Tottenham side but they did possess plenty of flair in attack and when Maddix brutally hacked down Stewart on the edge of the area – a foul that would bring a red card in the modern game but didn’t even warrant a talking to here –Gascoigne clipped the ball over the QPR wall and into the bottom left hand corner with Seaman motionless on the line.
The scores were levelled late in the game when Ardilles, perhaps believing he was still a Spurs player, handed possession to substitute Vinny Samways and he accelerated to the edge of the area before playing in Chris Waddle who arrived late in the right channel and finished sharply into the far corner with his left foot. Now, from looking on course for a win, QPR were clinging onto a point.
Allen drove a 25 yarder straight at Seaman after good work down the left by Stewart as the onslaught continued. But the points should have been QPR’s when Martin Allen cut in from the right flank, played a one two with Francis on the edge of the area and then hacked over the bar from four yards out with only the goalkeeper to beat.
A Littlewoods Cup draw with Wimbledon and a 2-1 home win in the league against Coventry with goals from Francis and Falco proved to be Smith’s final matches in charge as he left for Newcastle. Francis, who scored in a 1-1 draw with Charlton at Selhurst Park during Peter Shreeves’ caretaker spell, was appointed manager himself and eventually led the R’s to ninth in the league with just two defeats from the final 15 games of the season.
That run included a 1-0 home win against Spurs in the return fixture when Falco got the only goal of the game.
Spurs: Mimms, Butters, Thomas, Fenwick, Fairclough, Mabbutt, Walsh (Samways), Gascoigne, P Allen, Waddle, Stewart
QPR: Seaman, Pizanti, McDonald, Maddix, Parker, M Allen, Barker (McGuire), Brock, Ardiles (Kerslake), Falco, Francis
Attendance: 26,698
Highlights >>> QPR 4 Spurs 1 92/93 >>> QPR 2 Spurs 2, 84/85 >>> QPR 1 Spurs 1 82 Cup Final >>> QPR 3 Spurs 1 73/74
Mark Falco >>> Spurs 1978-1987 >>> QPR 1988-1991
Mark Falco has always been one of those names that gets lost among the legends that pre and proceeded him at QPR.
The likes of Rodney Marsh, the Morgan twins and Mark Lazarus in the late 1960s gave way to that great team of the 1970s with Phil Parkes, Dave Thomas and Stan Bowles and then after a couple of lean years a new team of heroes including Gary Waddock, Tony Currie and Clive Allen emerged to take Rangers to Wembley. The 1980s conjures images of Gary Bannister and John Byrne and the 1990s began with Roy Wegerle and progressed into Les Ferdinand.
Now nobody is saying that Falco could hold a candle to some of those players, but he’s barely mentioned in passing by most as a veteran striker who spent a brief period with QPR at the end of his career when the team was pretty mediocre. In fact Falco was only 28 when he moved to Loftus Road, and he stayed for four years during which time he scored 33 goals in 106 league and cup appearances – worthy of more note in the annuls of QPR history.
Especially given that the goals he did get were often absolutely spectacular. Falco was hard as nails – an old fashioned elbows up centre forward who played north of the border for Rangers and eventually went on to turn out for Millwall to whom QPR sold him for £175,000 in 1991. But he also had a penchant for beautifully executed volleys and that technique brought the two outstanding moments of his QPR career.
They came within a month of each other in the winter of 1989. In November he crafted an opening for himself on the edge of the penalty area at the Loft End and fizzed an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner as struggling Rangers beat second placed Liverpool at Loftus Road to relieve some pressure on manager Trevor Francis. The second was an even more spectacular effort a month from almost the exact same spot on the pitch after Francis had indeed left his post. This time he flung himself into the air to execute an outlandish scissor kick from 25 yards out that dipped into the top corner and helped secure a 4-2 win against the old enemy Chelsea. Two of QPR’s goals that day came from a young Les Ferdinand and it was to be his emergence and the £1m purchase of Roy Wegerle from Luton that eventually saw Falco moved on.
Born in Bethnal Green and spotted playing youth football around Hackney, Falco emerged from the Spurs youth set up in 1979 and went on to score 89 goals in 236 appearances for the Whites across nine years. That period of time included the 1982 FA Cup Final with QPR which went to a replay, however injury ruled him out of both games.
Falco was originally given his Spurs debut by Keith Burkinshaw in the penultimate game of the 1978/79 season at Bolton, where he scored in a 3-1 win. He spent much of his time in the reserves after that, behind Steve Archibald and Garth Crooks in the pecking order, and had a brief loan spell with Chelsea. He scored twice in the 1981 Charity Shield draw with Aston Villa at Wembley but had to wait until 1983/84 for a regular starting place when the signing of Alan Brazil didn’t work out and Burkinshaw fell out with Archibald. He became a fan’s favourite, scoring twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Arsenal, getting a late winner against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup and then successfully converting a penalty in the shoot out to win the trophy against Anderlecht. He top scored for Spurs in 1984/85 and 1985/86 but lost his place the following year when another player with QPR connections Clive Allen hit an astonishing 49 goals in all comps.
He was named in Spurs’ top 50 players of all time in a poll conducted in 2009.
Short spells with Watford and as part of the English contingent at Glasgow Rangers during the ban on English clubs in Europe followed his departure from White Hart Lane in 1986. He scored 15 goals in 33 appearances for the Hornets, and 10 in 19 for Rangers including a winner against Dinamo Kiev in the European Cup.
Jim Smith turned to Falco in December 1987, spending £400,00 on the player to bring him to Loftus Road. He left to join Millwall in 1991 but retired through injury a year later after scoring four times in 20-odd appearances.
With thanks to Andrew Ford for the Spurs info.
Others >>> Luke Young, Spurs 1997-2001, QPR 2011-present >>> Adel Taarabt, Spurs 2007-2010, QPR (loan) 2009, 2010-present >>> Kyle Walker, Spurs 2009-present, QPR (loan) 2010-2011 >>> Wayne Routledge, Spurs 2005-2008, QPR 2009-2010, (loan) 2011 >>> Radek Cerny, Spurs 2005-2008, QPR 2008-present >>> Dean Parrett, QPR (trainee), Spurs 2007-present >>> Rohan Ricketts, Spurs 2002-2005, QPR (loan) 2007 >>> Stephen Kelly, Spurs 2000-2006, QPR (loan) 2003 >>> Dean Marney, Spurs 2002-2006, QPR (loan) 2004 >>> Chris Day, Spurs 1995-1996, QPR 2001-2005 >>> Dave McEwen, Spurs 2000-2001, QPR 2001-2002 >>> Peter Crouch, Spurs 1998-2000, 2009-2011, QPR 2000-2001 >>> Steve Slade Spurs 1994-1996, QPR 1996-2000 >>> Les Ferdinand, QPR 1987-1995, Spurs 1997-2003 >>> Clive Wilson, QPR 1990-1995, Spurs 1995-1999 >>> Gerry Francis, 1968-1979, 1981-1982, (manager) 1991-1994, (manager) 1998-2001, Spurs (manager) 1994-1997) >>> Andy Sinton, QPR 1989-1993, Spurs 1996-1999 >>> Paul Walsh, Spurs 1988-1992, QPR (loan) 1991 >>> Neil Ruddock, Spurs 1986-1988, 1992-1993, QPR (loan) 1998 >>> Ossie Ardiles, Spurs 1978-1988, (manager) 1993-1994, QPR 1988-1989 >>> Steve Hodge, Spurs 1986-1988, QPR 1994-1995 >>>Danny Maddix, Spurs 1986-1987, QPR 1987-2001 >>> David Kerslake, QPR 1984-1989, Spurs 1994-1997 >>> Clive Allen, QPR 1978-1980, 1981-1984, Spurs 1984-1988 >>> Andy Gray, QPR 1989, Spurs 1992-1994 >>> Terry Fenwick, QPR 1980-1987, Spurs 1987-1993 >>> Terry Venables, Spurs 1966-1969, (manager) 1987-1993, QPR 1969-1974, (manager) 1980-1984 >>> Alan Brazil, Spurs 1983-1984, QPR 1986 >>>Alan Mullery, Spurs 1964-1972, QPR (manager) 1984 >>> Frank Saul, Spurs 1960-1968, QPR 1970-1972 >>> Roger Morgan, QPR 1964-1969, Spurs 1969-1972 >>> Les Allen, Spurs 1959-1965, QPR 1965-1969, (manager) 1968-1971 >>> Frank Smith, Spurs 1954-1962, QPR 1962-1966
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Pictures – Action Images