QPR face West Brom at Loftus Road on Saturday, a side that the R’s have beaten in a League Cup final and FA Cup semi final in days gone by. Remarkable when you consider Rangers’ poor record in knock out competition.
QPR 3 West Brom 1, Saturday March 6, 2010, Championship
Neil Warnock’s reign at QPR has been one long incredible success story so far, and it all started with an unlikely win in his first match in charge against West Brom. The Baggies were top of the league and heading back to the Premiership under Roberto De Matteo and were heavy favourites to win at Loftus Road against a QPR side with just one win from their previous 11 matches and about to start life under their fourth permanent manger of the season. Relegation was starting to look like a serious possibility for the Super Hoops but Warnock’s impact was instant. Jay Simpson made the most of a poor piece of goalkeeping from Scott Carson to tap in from close range after 13 minutes and that lead was doubled five minutes later when a glorious through ball from Alejandro Faurlin set up Matt Connolly for a rare goal. When brunt halved the deficit before half time a nervous second half seemed likely but Rangers re-established their advantage when Carson again treated them to a soft goal, Akos Buzsaky the beneficiary directly from a free kick on this occasion.
QPR: Ikeme 8, Connolly 7, Gorkss 7, Stewart 7, Hill 6, Taarabt 7 (Ramage 69, 6), Leigertwood 7, Faurlin 8, Ephraim 6 (Buzsaky 59, 7), Priskin 6 (Vine 77, 6), Simpson 7
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Balanta, Borrowdale, German
Booked: Priskin (dissent), Faurlin (foul)
Goals: Simpson 13 (assisted Taarabt), Connolly 18 (assisted Faurlin), Buzsaky 67 (free kick)
West Brom: Carson 3, Reid 6, Tamas 6, Olsson 7, Cech 6 (Miller 64, 5), Morrison 6 (Dorrans 68, 6), Mulumbu 7, Watson 6, Brunt 7, Thomas 7, Cox 6
Subs Not Used: Kiely, Mattock, Koren, Moore, Meite
Booked: Cech (foul), Brunt (foul)
Goals: Brunt 36 (assisted Thomas)
West Brom 2 QPR 2, Monday December 14, 2009, Championship
Before Christmas Rangers travelled to the Hawthorns once more under the guidance of a brand new managerial team. In the wake of Jim Magilton's suspension youth team coaches Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham took the reins for a match televised live by Sky. The R's stunned their hosts by surging into a two goal lead just after half time with Kaspars Gorkss first forcing an own goal from Olsson from a Ben Watson corner, then heading another set piece from the ginger midfielder in himself. Sadly Rangers couldn't hold on, getting nervous and dropping deep when Jerome Thomas fired home after a defensive scramble and then collapsing in injury time when Alejandro Faurlin and Alessandro Pellicori contrived to give the ball away in the Baggies’ half and Simon Cox stole in to bury an equaliser with the last kick of the game.
West Brom: D Kiely 8, G Zuiverloon 7 (R Bednar 85, -), A Meite 5, J Olsson 6, J Mattock 5, C Brunt 6, G Jara 6, G Dorrans 7, J Thomas 8, L Moore 5 (C Wood 64, 6), S Cox 7
Subs not used: R Allsop, M Cech, F Teixeira, Y Mulumbu, S Martis
Booked: Brunt (foul), Cox (dissent)
Goals: Thomas 67 (assisted), Cox 90+3 (assisted Bednar)
QPR: R Cerny 6, P Ramage 5, D Stewart 7, K Gorkss 8, T Williams 6, Routledge 6, M Leigertwood 7, B Watson 6, J Simpson 5 (F Hall 90, -) A Taarabt 7 (A Faurlin 81, -), P Agyemang 6 (A Pellicori 84, -)
Subs not used: R Taylor, R Vine, M Alberti, J Parker
Goals: Olsson own goal 56 (assisted Watson), Gorkss 62 (assisted Watson)
Head to Head >>> QPR wins 13 >>> Draws 8 >>> West Brom wins 15
2009/10 QPR 3 West Brom 1 (Simpson, Connolly, Buzsaky)
2009/10 West Brom 2 QPR 2 (Olsson og, Gorkss)
2007/08 QPR 0 West Brom 2
2007/08 West Brom 5 QPR 1 (Ainsworth)
2006/07 QPR 1 West Brom 2 (Blackstock)
2006/07 West Brom 3 QPR 3 (Stewart, Gallen, Nygaard)
2000/01 QPR 2 West Brom 0 (Plummer, Koejoe)
2000/01 West Brom 2 QPR 1 (Kiwomya)
1999/00 QPR 0 West Brom 0
1999/00 West Brom 0 QPR 1 (Wardley)
1998/99 QPR 2 West Brom 1 (Ready, Peacock)
1998/99 West Brom 2 QPR 0
1997/98 West Brom 1 QPR 1 (Dowie)
1997/98 QPR 2 West Brom 0 (Sheron, Peacock)
1996/97 West Brom 4 QPR 1 (Spencer)
1996/97 QPR 0 West Brom 2
1985/86 QPR 1 West Brom 0 (Bannister)
1985/86 West Brom 0 QPR 1 (Robinson)
1984/85 West Brom 0 QPR 0
1984/85 QPR 3 West Brom 1 (Stainrod 2, Fenwick)
1983/84 QPR 1 West Brom 1 (Fereday)
1983/84 West Brom 1 QPR 2 (Stainrod, Fenwick)
1982/83 West Brom 3 QPR 2* (Fenwick, Micklewhite)
1981/82 QPR 1 West Brom 0* (C Allen)
1978/79 West Brom 2 QPR 1 (McGee)
1978/79 QPR 0 West Brom 1
1977/78 West Brom 2 QPR 0
1977/78 QPR 2 West Brom 1 (Bowles, Eastoe)
1976/77 West Brom 1 QPR 1 (G Francis)
1976/77 QPR 1 West Brom 0 (Gillard)
1972/73 West Brom 2 QPR 1** (Givens)
1968/69 QPR 0 West Brom 4
1968/69 West Brom 3 QPR 1 (Clarke)
1966/67 QPR 3 West Brom 2** (R Morgan, Marsh, Lazarus)
1948/49 West Brom 1 QPR 1 (Pointon)
1948/49 QPR 0 West Brom 2
* - FA Cup
** - League Cup
The 1960s and 1970s were glorious times to be a QPR fan by and large as the club moved from its previous status as Division Three South minnows into the big time and almost finished up as champions of England. There were ups and downs along the way of course but the club we know today was shaped during those two decades under the guidance of chairman Jim Gregory.
It was Gregory’s takeover of the club and the management of former army major Alec Stock that brought the R’s their one and only domestic cup triumph to date and two successive promotions. Stock had cup pedigree having famously knocked Sunderland out of the 1949 FA Cup while with Yeovil and his good work with the youth team at Loftus Road paid dividends when Gregory arrived and supplemented it with money for bigger name signings such as Les Allen from the double winning Spurs team, and Fulham pair Jim Langley and Rodney Marsh.
In 1967 QPR were still a Third Division side but they made it all the way through to the first League Cup final to be played at Wembley Stadium thanks to victories over Colchester, Aldershot, Swansea, Leicester, Carlisle and finally Birmingham in the semi final. This was a truly exceptional QPR team that not only boasted Allen, Langley and Marsh, who scored ten goals in the eight games leading up to the final, but also included great QPR favourites like Mark Lazarus, Roger and Ian Morgan, Mike Keen and Frank Sibley.
In the final however they came up against their toughest test yet, First Division West Bromwich Albion and their legendary striker Jeff Astle in front of 98,000 fans. By half time the game had gone much according to the script with the Baggies two goals to the good thanks to a brace from Clive Clark who’d played previously for QPR and would return to Loftus Road later in his career. Clark scored after seven minutes, collecting Doug Fraser’s pass and firing past Peter Springett, and then again before half time after sneaking through the Rangers’ offside trap.
But miraculously Rangers fought back in the second half. The warning signs had been there in the first half when Marsh had an acrobatic overhead kick disallowed for offside and West Brom were living on their nerves when Roger Morgan scored with a header on the hour from Allen’s free kick. Then Marsh scored one of the all time great Wembley goals from long range after a mazy dribble through the West Brom half with 15 minutes still left to play. The Baggies felt aggrieved that the crucial third goal was allowed by referee Walter Crossley, Mark Lazarus slamming the ball home after centre half Ron Hunt put in a physical challenge on the goalkeeper Shepherd, but there was no stopping Rangers by this point and the cup was theirs.
Interest in the competition had been dwindling prior to this, and a place in the Fairs Cup (later the UEFA Cup) was added as a prize to give teams and incentive to compete more for the trophy. QPR though were denied their first European entry because of their lowly league status and West Brom went forward into Europe instead. The League Cup was only just the beginning though – Rangers won the Third Division title that year and rocketed straight through the Second Division into the first the following season.
Roger Morgan later told The Times: "The young players would inspire each other. There were about five or six of us who had grown up together, and there was tremendous team spirit. Alec was prepared to put his faith in youth, but we learnt from the experienced players around us."
The late Mike Keen, club captain on the day, added: "Even though we were in the Third Division, we were playing some quality football, and there was a good attitude in the team. We had come back from 2-0 down in other games that season and were told to simply go out and enjoy the. Day.”
QPR: Springett, Hazell, Langley, Hunt, Keen, Sibley, Sanderson, R Morgan, Lazarus, Allen, Marsh.
Links >>> QPR 3 West Brom 1 09/10 Match Report >>> QPR 3 West Brom 1 09/10 Highlights >>> West Brom 2 QPR 2 09/10 Match Report>>> West Brom 2 QPR 2 09/10 Highlights >>> QPR 0 West Brom 2 08/09 Match Report >>> West Brom 3 QPR 3 06/07 Highlights >>> QPR 1 West Brom 0 FA Cup semi final 1982 highlights >>> West Brom 2 QPR 3 League Cup final 1967 highlights
Clive Clark >>> QPR 1958-1960, 1969-1970 >>> West Brom 1960-1969
After that it would seem remiss of me not to feature Clive Clark as the chosen player connection this week.
Clark was born in Leeds in 1940 and developed into a skilful left sided attacker with his home town club. He didn’t make the grade at Elland Road though and in 1958 dropped down the divisions, and the country, to sign for Queens Park Rangers who were then under the guidance of Jack Taylor who ironically left midway through Clark’s Loftus Road stay to join Leeds.
Clark made 63 appearances for Rangers and scored seven goals after making his debut against Bournemouth in 1958 and that was enough to attract interest from one of the big boys. Having moved to West Brom midway through the 1960/61 season Clark joined the likes of Tony Brown, Jeff Astle and Bobby Hope in a legendary Albion team that was overwhelming favourite to beat QPR when the sides, two divisions apart, came together in the 1967 League Cup final. Clark, as we know, haunted his former club with two well taken first half goals but still finished on the losing side.
Clark was no stranger to scoring on the big occasion, the Baggies had lifted the League Cup 12 months earlier by beating West Ham 5-3 on aggregate in the last final to be played over two legs. He played in an FA Cup win in 1968 and another League Cup final defeat in 1970 at the hands of Man City.
In all the speedy winger scored almost 100 goals in around 350 appearances for the Baggies and is fondly remembered in that part of the world. His career at The Hawthorns was curtailed by a nasty knee injury picked up on the club’s controversial tour of Africa in the early 1970s that was marred by bad tackles and injuries suffered by several star players.
The cup final success of 1967 sent QPR shooting up the Football League and Clark returned for ten game spell during the 1969/70 Second Division campaign. He went on to make the best part of 80 appearances for Preston North End and added a Third Division title medal to his collection there in 1970/71. He ended his career with a brief eight game spell at Southport and time in the American MLS with Washington, Dallas and Philadelphia.
Others >>> Danny Gabbidon, West Brom 1998-2000, QPR 2011-present >>> Rob Hulse, West Brom 2003-2005, QPR 2010-present >>> Ishmael Miller, West Brom 2007-2011, QPR (loan) 2011 >>> Ben Watson, QPR (loan) 2009, West Brom (loan) 2010 >>> Jay Simpson, West Brom (loan) 2009, QPR (loan) 2009-2010 >>> Steven Reid QPR (loan) 2009, West Brom 2009-present >>> Lloyd Dyer, West Brom 2000-2006, QPR (loan) 2005 >>> George Santos, West Brom 2000, QPR 2004-2006 >>> Brett Angell, West Brom (loan) 1996, QPR 2002-2003 >>> Jerome Thomas, QPR (loan) 2002, West Brom 2009-present >>> Paul Peschisolido, West Brom 1996-1997, QPR (loan) 2000 >>> Ray Harford, West Brom (manager) 1997, QPR (manager) 1997-1998 >>> Andy McDermott, QPR 1995-1996, West Brom 1996-2000 >>> Danny Dichio, QPR 1993-1997, West Brom 2001-2004 >>> Nigel Quashie, QPR 1995-1998, 2010, West Brom 2006-2007 >>> Ossie Ardiles, QPR 1988-1989, West Brom (manager) 1992-1993 >>> Wayne Fereday, QPR 1980-1989, West Brom 1991-1994 >>> Gary Bannister, QPR 1984-1988, West Brom 1990-1992 >>> Paul Barron, West Brom 1982-1985, QPR 1985-1988 >>> Alan Glover Peter Eastoe, QPR 1976-1979, West Brom 1982-1985 >>> Andy King, QPR 1980-1981, West Brom 1981-1982
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