Ahead of Sunday’s trip to White Hart Lane, LFW looks back at a meeting between the two sides from 1988 when Ossie Ardiles, in a rare outing in QPR colours, treated his former club to a come-back equaliser.
QPR 0 Tottenham 0, Saturday January 12, 2013, Premier League
Although the 2012/13 Premier League season was something of disaster for QPR, there was a little period in January when the bunch of mercenaries of arseholes actually pulled together and showed some sort of feeble resistance to the inevitable onset of relegation. That rearguard action was led by veteran centre half Ryan Nelsen ahead of his move to Toronto at the end of January, and goalkeeper Julio Cesar who, for a few weeks at leats, showed why he’d been so highly rated before arriving at Loftus Road and why everybody was initially so excited about his signing. Against Spurs at Loftus Road, Cesar was in inspired form and QPR, with Adel Taarabt playing in a "false nine” position held on for grim death against their Champions League chasing visitors. Draws against high flying Man City, and at West Ham, sat either side of this creditable effort but Cesar, and QPR, soon reverted to type and went down with a whimper.
QPR: Cesar 8, Onuoha 7, Nelsen 7, Hill 7, Da Silva 7, Derry 7, Park 5, Mbia 7, Mackie 6, Wright-Phillips 7, Taarabt 7
Subs not used: Green, Ferdinand, Ben Haim, Faurlin, Cisse, Bothroyd, Campbell
Bookings: Mbia 69 (handball)
Spurs: Lloris 7, Walker 6, Vertonghen 7, Dawson 7, Naughton 6, Sandro 7 (Parker 25, 7), Dembele 7, Bale 6, Lennon 7 (Sigurdsson 79, 6), Defoe 7, Adebayor 5 (Dempsey 69, 6)
Subs not used: Friedel, Assou-Ekotto, Caulker, Huddlestone
Bookings: Dembele 38 (foul)
Spurs 2 QPR 1, Sunday September 18, 2012, Premier League
Things had all looked so different when the two teams met for the first time that season at White Hart Lane. QPR, then under the charge of Meticulous Mark Hughes, may have lost but they could count themselves very unfortunate to have done so. Only two superb saves from Brad Friedel prevented Junior Hoilett giving QPR the lead in the first half before Bobby Zamora snuck in behind the home defence, seized a pass from Ale Faurlin and smacked in a deserved opening goal. QPR looked good, but they were stung by a mad 60 seconds after half time when first a cross bobbled into the net off Faurlin amidst some penalty box confusion, and then Jermain Defoe slammed in a second with the R’s appealing for a free kick downfield. Even then there was a late chance to equalise for Hoilett but he delayed his shot too long. The feeling afterwards was nevertheless positive among the QPR ranks, and the Spurs fans were complimentary about the Rangers’ performance. Then the season fell apart.
Spurs: Friedel 8, Walker 6, Gallas 6, Vertonghen 8, Bale 7, Dembele 6, Sandro 6, Sigurdsson 5 (Caulker 46, 6), Dempsey 7 (Huddlestone 88, -), Lennon 7 (Townsend 90, -), Defoe 7
Subs: Lloris, Dawson, Falque, Mason
Goals: Faurlin (OG 60), Defoe (61)
QPR: César 8, Bosingwa — (Dyer 3, 8), Hill 7, Nelsen 7, Onuoha 7, Wright-Phillips 7 (Mackie 77, 6), Granero 7, Faurlin 7, Park 7, Hoilett 7, Zamora 8 (Cissé 73, 6)
Subs: Green, Diakite, Derry , Ehmer
Goals: Zamora 34 (assisted Faurlin)
Booked: Granero 54 (repetitive fouling), Dyer 87 (foul)
QPR 1 Spurs 0, Saturday April 21, 2012, Premier League
QPR secured a much needed victory against Spurs in April last year 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
2012/13 QPR 0 Spurs 0
2012/13 Spurs 2 QPR 1 (Zamora)
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
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
Although Clive Wilson played for QPR’s London rivals Chelsea and Spurs, he played the best football of his career at Loftus Road. Originally a left footed midfielder who was spotted by Manchester City in the late 1970s while at college, Wilson then made more than 100 appearances in Sky Blue through to 1987 when he embarked on a three year spell in West London at Stamford Bridge.
At City he was part of an FA Youth Cup final side in 1980, and made his debut against Stoke in the League Cup in 1981, but had to wait until 1984/85 to become a regular in the side. When Paul Power left for Everton in 1986, Wilson was tried at left back which was the position he would make his name in at Loftus Road later in his career. He joined Chelsea in 1987 after City were relegated and won the Second Division championship with the Blues in 1988/89.
Wilson was brought to Loftus Road in 1990 by Don Howe who also initially used Wilson as a midfielder. He scored memorably at the School End against Chelsea in a 2-2 draw in the 1991/92 season and — Shaun Wright-Phillips take note — danced an ecstatic dance of celebration right in front of a packed away end full of Chelsea supporters.
Gerry Francis had taken charge by then and Wilson was to form a key part of the QPR side that finished as the top London club in the first ever Premier League season 1992/93. The R’s were fifth that year and by this point Wilson had been moved back to the left side of the defence. With David Bardsley on the opposite side it gave QPR two tremendous ball playing full backs who were good defensively, but excellent going the other way long before teams started playing with genuine wing backs. Both deserved more England caps, and would surely have won them playing for a more illustrious club in the way they did for Rangers.
Wilson had another string to his bow — he was QPR’ designated penalty taker for many years as well, assuming the job after Roy Wegerle had missed a couple of never relinquishing it until the day he left W12. I never actually had that much faith in Wilson when he stepped up from 12 yards, although that’s probably because he missed one in an FA Cup third round match at Southampton in 1992 which was the first time I’d ever been to a QPR game, and then missed again in a shoot out against my hometown team Grimsby the next time I saw him step up live. But he was reliable more often than not and anybody who was there can no doubt recall the tension, and outpouring of relief, when he won an FA Cup fifth round tie at Loftus Road against Millwall in 1995 from the penalty spot with the very final kick of the game. Relief that Rangers were into the quarter final, but more so because it saved a frightening Tuesday night trip to the Den in a season where the Lions had already done for Chelsea and Arsenal in the knock out competitions.
He scored less frequently in open play, but did famously notch one at the Kop End with his first touch when QPR won at Anfield for the first time in their history in 1990/91. In an interview with QPRNet Wilson said: "I tell you, it’s not often you get a touch up there at all but to score with your first touch was a great feeling. It was a game no one expected us to win I remember it well, we were two nil up and they had got their customary dodgy penalty to get back in the game! I came on as sub and I think it was Andrew Impey crossed it from the right and Ray went to head it and in true Ray fashion he totally missed it! The ball bounced off someone’s knee and I’m running in and knock it in the net. That killed the game off, so it really was a wonderful feeling.”
While the subsequent departure of Les Ferdinand that summer is rightly remembered as a key reason for Rangers’ subsequent relegation, the quieter departure of Wilson already had a bearing. Rangers had been reluctant to offer the player a long contract when his previous deal had ended but Gerry Francis, by now the Tottenham manager, had no such issue at his new club and promptly snapped the full back up on the cheap.
Wilson told Ron at QPRNet: "My contract at QPR was coming to an end and at the time there was a rule that if you were over thirty three and you’d been at a club for five years you were entitled to a free transfer, that’s the stage I was at. Gerry obviously knew that from his time at QPR. Honestly and truthfully I never made contact with Gerry, he rang me up in the summer and said "you know why I’m ringing, do you want to come and have a talk?” So I said yes. I went to meet him and he made me an offer which was too good to turn down. It wasn’t just about the money, QPR had offered me similar terms to stay but the big difference was he was offering me an extra year which gave me twelve months more security and at thirty three it was too big a chance for me to say no to. If I had been twenty-five then maybe I wouldn’t have gone but I was in the twighlight of my career and I was given the chance of playing for the biggest club of my career.”
He spent another four years at Tottenham, never quite hitting the heights of his time at QPR but doing a reasonable job on the left side of the defence all the same and making 81 appearances in total with two goals against Leicester in the league and Wolves in the cup. He finished his career with a season in Division Two at Cambridge United, who consolidated their position at the higher level after promotion in 1998/99. He also served as player coach at non-league Wingate and Finchley for a period.
As well as his football media work, Wilson now teaches PE at St John’s School in Epping according to Wikipedia.
Others >>> Steven Caulker, Spurs 2009-2013, QPR 2014-present >>> Ryan Nelsen, Spurs 2012, QPR 2012-2013 >>> 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 2008-2012 >>> Dean Parrett, QPR (trainee), Spurs 2007-2013 >>> 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 >>> Mark Falco, Spurs 1978-1987, QPR 1988-1991 >>> 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