As QPR prepare to meet Man City a Loftus Road, LFW looks back at Rangers' destruction of Peter Reid's Sky Blues in 1992.
While QPR were, mostly, a total embarrassment during the 2012/13 Premier League season, they did rally briefly during January and secured creditable draws with Manchester City, Spurs and West Ham before returning to the complete implosion that had preceded it. The home point against champions City was largely down to goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who had his best game for the club by some distance. The goalless draw could have got even better for Harry Redknapp’s hapless side had Loic Remy been awarded a penalty in the second half by referee Phil Dowd — a 50/50 decision that went against them. A clean sheet on what turned out to be Ryan Nelsen’s last match at the club — the New Zealand international centre half given a guard of honour by his team mates at full time.
QPR: Cesar 9, Onouha 8, Hill 8, Nelsen 8, Traore 8, Derry 7, Mbia 7 (Faurlin -), Granero 5 (Park 88, -), Fabio 6, Taarabt 8, Remy 7 (Zamora 90, -)
Subs not used: Green, Murphy, Ben-Haim, Bothroyd
Booked: Granero (foul), Mbia (foul)
Man City: Hart 8, Zabaleta 8, Lescott 7, Garcia 7, Milner 6 (Sinclair 85, -), Barry 6, Nasri 5 (Dzeko 58, 5), Silva 7, Aguero 7, Tevez 5 (Rodwell 72, 6)
Subs not used: Pantalimion, Kolarov, Nastasic, Rekik
Booked: Zabaletta (foul), Barry (foul)
Manchester City 3 QPR 1, Saturday September 1, 2012, Premier League
QPR returned to the scene of the amazing title decider from 2011/12, early in the 2012/13 campaign. Optimism was still high as big name players continued to pour through the entrance door at Loftus Road — Esteban Granero made his debut here while Rob Green started knowing it would be his last game as first choice with Julio Cesar's unlikely transfer from Inter Milan confirmed as well. A mess from an early City corner was tidied up emphatically by Yaya Toure for the opening goal but just as they had done on that memorable day in May, QPR weren't overawed by the billion pound team and during a prolonged spell of pressure in the second half they equalised when Hart saved well from Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora nodded in the rebound. What Rangers really needed to do then was keep things tight for ten minutes but in typical style they fell behind again almost immediately to a goal from Edin Dzeko and the win was sealed by Carlos Tevez in injury time as the Argentinean took advantage of the space being created by QPR's hunt for an equaliser and slotted home.
Man City: Hart 7, Zabaletta 8 (K Toure 74, 6), Kompany 7, Lescott 6, Kolarov 7, Silva 7 (Milner 81, -), Rodwell 6, Y Toure 8, Nasri 6 (Razak 89, -), Tevez 8, Dzeko 6
Subs: Pantilimon, Clichy , Sinclair, Balotelli
Goals: Y Toure 16 (unassisted), Dzeko 61 (assisted Tevez), Tevez 90+2 (assisted Dzeko)
Yellows: Kolarov 44 (foul), Rodwell 73 (foul)
QPR: Green 6, Bosingwa 6, Nelsen 7, Ferdinand 5 (Onuoha 67, 6), Fabio 6, Park 6, Faurlin 6 (Dyer 72, 6), Granero 7 (Cisse 85, -) Wright-Phillips 5, Johnson 6, Zamora 6
Subs: Murphy, Derry , Mackie, Hoilett
Goals: Zamora 59 (assisted Johnson)
Yellows: Zamora 84 (foul)
Man City 3 QPR 2, Sunday May 13, 2012, Premiership
The game between these two sides on the final day of 2011/12 will go down as one of the all-time classics. City needed to match Manchester United’s result at Sunderland to win a first league title in 44 years, Rangers meanwhile had to match Bolton’s result at Stoke to remain in the top flight. Things seemed to be going according to script at half time with Paddy Kenny allowing Pablo Zabaleta’s weak shot to squirm in for a single goal lead that the home team was thoroughly good value for. Bolton led at half time and QPR were staring relegation in the face. The second half was an astonishing 45 minutes of drama. QPR equalised immediately after half time when Djibril Cisse seized on a Joleon lescott mistake and fired home but the Londoners’ chances of hanging on were dealt a massive blow when Joey Barton was sent off for striking Carlos Tevez off the ball — Barton kicked Sergio Aguero and headbutted Vincent Kompany on the way off for good measure. But miraculously the visitors then took the lead for the first time when Armand Traore crossed for Jamie Mackie to head home spectacularly. Despite City averaging a shot every other minute and QPR only completing 82 passes in the entire game the scoreline remained the same until injury time when substitute Edin Dzeko headed in a corner. With the news from Stoke through, and positive from a QPR point of view, there weren’t too many disappointed faces in the away end when Aguero stormed through to win the game, and the title, with the final kick.
Man City: Hart 6, Zabaleta 7, Kompany 8, Lescott 6, Clichy 6, Nasri 7, Yaya Toure 8 (De Jong 44, 6), Barry 6 (Dzeko 69, 7), Silva 8, Tevez 6 (Balotelli 75, 7), Aguero 7
Subs Not Used: Pantilimon, Richards, Milner, Kolarov
Booked: Aguero (over celebrating)
Goals: Zabaleta 39 (assisted Toure), Dzeko 90 (assisted Silva), Aguero 90 (assisted Balotelli)
QPR: Kenny 7, Onuoha 7, Ferdinand 8, Hill 9, Taiwo 8, Wright-Phillips 6, Barton 3, Derry 7, Mackie 7, Cisse 7 (Traore 59, 7), Zamora 6 (Bothroyd 76, 6)
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Gabbidon, Taarabt, Campbell, Buzsaky
Sent Off: Barton 55 (being a knob)
Booked: Bothroyd (kicking ball away)
Goals: Cisse 48 (unassisted), Mackie 66 (assisted Traore)
QPR 2 Manchester City 3, Saturday November 5, 2011, Premiership
QPR came closer than most to toppling Manchester City during the Sky Blues’ formidable start to the Premiership campaign in this fixture last season. The absence of Vincent Kompany from the heart of the City defence and a no-fear attitude from Neil Warnock’s side seemed to catch Roberto Mancini’s team cold and Rangers were desperately unfortunate not to take something from the game. Rangers took a deserved first half lead when Jay Bothroyd planted a firm header past Joe Hart and the former Cardiff man clipped the outside of the post with a similar chance moments later when he should have made it two. That profligacy was punished either side of half time when first Edin Dzeko and then David Silva clinically put the visitors in front for the first time but Rangers roared back and equalised when another Bothroyd header was deflected into the net by Heidar Helguson. Sadly there was to be no fairytale as City overpowered their hosts once and for all with 15 minutes left to play and Yaya Toure buried a winning header at the School End. A fantastic game played out in a raucous Saturday night atmosphere.
QPR: Kenny 7, Young 6, Gabbidon 6, Ferdinand 7, Traore 7 (Hill 90, -), Mackie 7 (Smith 84, -), Barton 7, Faurlin 9, Wright-Phillips 7, Bothroyd 8 (Puncheon 76, 5), Helguson 9
Subs Not Used: Murphy, Orr, Derry , Andrade
Booked: Barton (foul)
Goals: Bothroyd 28 (assisted Barton), Helguson 69 (assisted Traore/Bothroyd)
Man City: Hart 8, Richards 7, Savic 5, Lescott 6, Kolarov 8, Barry 6 (Balotelli 75, 6), Y Toure 8, Milner 7, Silva 8, Aguero 6 (Johnson 68, 6), Dzeko 8 (Toure 88, -)
Subs Not Used: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Nasri, Clichy
Booked: Balotelli (diving)
Goals: Dzeko 43 (unassisted), Silva 52 (assisted Dzeko), Y Toure 74 (assisted Kolarov)
QPR 0 Man City 3, League Cup, Tuesday October 28, 2003
These sides last met on this ground in 2003 in the League Cup when City were a Premiership team managed by Kevin Keegan and QPR were rebuilding in League One under Ian Holloway following financial collapse. QPR had won away at Sheffield United in the previous round and hopes were high of an upset at a packed Loftus Road . Sadly those hopes reckoned without the form of Shaun Wright Phillips, now with QPR but then a bright young thing at City about to be bought for £22m by Chelsea. His first owed much to Terrell Forbes who picked up an injury deep in his own half but rather than leave the field walked slowly back down the touchline and inadvertently played Wright Phillips onside and he was able to run on and finish past Chris Day. Rangers made a fist of things thereafter but a quickfire double 15 minutes from time from Wright Phillips again and then Jon Macken sealed passage for the Premiership side.
QPR: C Day, R Edghill, T Forbes, C Carlisle, G Padula, G Ainsworth, M Rowlands, M Bircham , K McLeod, K Gallen, R Pacquette (E Sabin, 62)
Subs not used: N Culkin , S Palmer, M Bean, D Oli
Booked: Bircham
Man City: D Seaman, S Jihai, S Distin, R Dunne, M Tarnat, S Wright-Phillips, P Bosvelt , J Barton, T Sinclair (E Berkovic, 85), R Fowler (A Sibierski, 85), N Anelka (J Macken, 73)
Subs not used: G Wiekens, K Stuhr-Ellegaard
Goals: Wright Phillips 22,77 Macken 79
Booked: Bosvelt
Man City 1 QPR 3, Wednesday March 8, 2000, First Division
When these sides last met in the league it was 11 years ago in the First Division. Joe Royle’s City were on their way back to the Premiership but had only drawn at Loftus Road earlier in the season and slipped to a shock defeat here against Gerry Francis’ team. Rangers were comfortably in midtable at this stage but put on a real show for the faithful travelling fans who were positioned high in the corner of Maine Road on a rather rickety temporary stand that seemed to sway in the Wednesday night wind. Chris Kiwomya, who had scored in the first match, opened the scoring eight minutes before half time and an own goal from Wiekens before half time doubled the lead. A late penalty from loaned Derby striker Mikkel Beck sealed the win before Jeff Whitley bagged a late consolation.
Man City: N Weaver, R Edghill, G Wiekens, R Jobson, D Granville (I Bishop, 46), D Tiatto (K Horlock, 69), J Whitley, J Pollock (P Dickov, 60), M Kennedy, L Peacock, S Goater
Subs not used: S Wright-Phillips, T Wright
Goals: Whitley 84
QPR: L Harper, J Darlington, C Plummer, K Ready , D Ward, I Baraclough (M Rose, 62), P Murray, G Peacock (S Wardley, 27), R Langley, C Kiwomya, M Beck
Subs not used: S Slade , K Rowland, L Miklosko
Goals: Kiwomya 37, Wiekens og 45, Beck pen 73
Booked: Ready, Baraclough
2012/13 QPR 0 Man City 0
2012/13 Man City 3 QPR 1 ( Zamora )
2011/12 Man City 3 QPR 2 (Cisse, Mackie)
2011/12 QPR 2 Man City 3 (Bothroyd, Helguson)
2003/04 QPR 0 Man City 3*
1999/00 Man City 1 QPR 3 (Kiwomya, Wiekens og, Beck)
1999/00 QPR 1 Man City 1 (Kiwomya)
1997/98 Man City 2 QPR 2 (Sheron, Pollock og)
1997/98 QPR 2 Man City 0 (Ready, Peacock)
1996/97 Man City 0 QPR 3 (Spencer 2, Slade)
1996/97 QPR 2 Man City 2 (Sinclair, Murray)
1995/96 Man City 2 QPR 0
1995/96 QPR 1 Man City 0 (Barker)
1994/95 Man City 2 QPR 3 (Ferdinand 2, Dichio)
1994/95 QPR 3 Man City 4* (Gallen, Sinclair, Penrice)
1994/95 QPR 1 Man City 2 ( Wilson )
1993/94 QPR 1 Man City 1 (Penrice)
1993/94 Man City 3 QPR 0
1992/93 QPR 1 Man City 1 ( Wilson )
1992/93 QPR 1 Man City 2** (Holloway)
1992/93 Man City 1 QPR 1 (Sinton)
1991/92 QPR 4 Man City 0 (Ferdinand 2, Wilson, Barker)
1991/92 Man City 2 QPR 2 (Wegerle, Bailey)
1991/92 QPR 1 Man City 3* (Penrice)
1991/92 Man City 0 QPR 0*
1990/91 QPR 1 Man City 0 (Ferdinand)
1990/91 Man City 2 QPR 1 (Sinton)
1989/90 QPR 1 Man City 3 (Wegerle)
1989/90 Man City 1 QPR 0
1986/87 QPR 1 Man City 0 (M Allen)
1986/87 Man City 0 QPR 0
1985/86 Man City 2 QPR 0
1985/86 QPR 0 Man City 0
1978/79 Man City 3 QPR 1 (Busby)
1978/79 QPR 2 Man City 1 ( Hamilton 2)
1977/78 Man City 2 QPR 1 (Abbot)
1977/78 QPR 1 Man City 1 (G Francis)
1976/77 QPR 0 Man City 0
1976/77 Man City 0 QPR 0
1975/76 QPR 1 Man City 0 (Webb)
1975/76 Man City 0 QPR 0
1974/75 QPR 2 Man City 0 ( Rogers 2)
1974/75 Man City 1 QPR 0
1973/74 QPR 3 Man City 0 (Leach 2, Bowles)
1973/74 Man City 1 QPR 0
1969/70 Man City 3 QPR 0*
1968/69 Man City 3 QPR 1 (Leach)
1968/69 QPR 1 Man City 1 (Bridges)
1950/51 Man City 5 QPR 2 (Hatton, Smith)
1950/51 QPR 1 Man City 2 (Hatton)
* - League Cup
** - FA Cup
QPR had endured a tough first half to Gerry Francis’ first season in charge at the club and flirted with the relegation zone until just before Christmas when suddenly things started to click. A 4-1 win at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day undermined United’s title challenge and eventual champions Leeds would be vanquished by the same scoreline at Loftus Road just a couple of days after this meeting with Manchester City, then managed by former QPR player Peter Reid.
This was the beginning of Les Ferdinand’s reign of terror against top flight defences in English football and Tony Cotton had to be at his very best in the City goal to claw out a trademark header from the former Hayes man after Gary Penrice had lofted a teasing cross towards him at the back post.
But there was no stopping Les in the twentieth minute when he opened the scoring with one of the great QPR goals. Collecting possession ten yards inside the Manchester City half with his back to goal he sprayed a pass wide to the Rangers right where Andy Impey was in irresistible form. The bull-like winger rode a rash tackle from Neil Pointon and accelerated away before crossing into the heart of the City penalty area. Meanwhile Ferdinand had turned and used his renowned acceleration to power into the danger zone unmarked and arrived right on cue to thump home an unstoppable diving header.
This game could have turned out differently had Mike Sheron’s 25 yard volley dipped into the net rather than smacking against the cross bar, but then it could have been so much worse for City had Cotton been sent off for upending Andy Sinton in the area seven minutes before half time when the QPR winger was clearly about to roll the ball into the net after being played through by a neat exchange of passes between Alan McDonald and Ray Wilkins.
A more obvious red card you could never wish to see but having escaped with a yellow Cotton then almost had the nerve to turn Clive Wilson’s left footed penalty around the post. Luckily for the home team, and the referee who would no doubt have faced serious questions at half time otherwise, Cotton could only turn the ball onto the inside of the post and into the net.
Cotton’s continued participation in the game came into question again in the second half when Penrice returned a partially cleared corner back in behind the advancing City defence to set up an almighty penalty box scramble in which Ferdinand seemed to be clearly tripped by the goalkeeper. With play waved on and a scramble ensuing Darren Peacock seemed to foul Neil Pointon and when that was ignored Les stepped up to end the argument and lash home from close range at the Loft End.
Pointon’s afternoon of torture at the hands of Impey, playing one of his best ever match for Rangers, was complete when the former Yeading winger took his man on the outside again and fired a low cross into the area for substitute Simon Barker to tap home at the back post.
Rangers had lost just one of 14 matches coming into this match but had drawn nine of those. The new found cutting edge sliced through Leeds and Villa later that week as Rangers came home with a wet sail. They lost just four of their last 25 matches that season to climb to eleventh, Manchester City finished fifth.
QPR: Stejskal, Bardsley, McDonald, Peacock, Wilson, Impey, Holloway, Wilkins Sinton, Penrice (Barker), Ferdinand
Links >>> QPR 1 Man City 2, FA Cup 1993 Highlights >>> QPR 4 Man City 0 91/92 Highlights >>> QPR 1 Man City 3 91/92 Highlights >>> QPR 1 Man City 0 1990/91 Highlights >>> Bowles goal v Sunderland 1976/77 >>> Bowles breaks UEFA Cup scoring record v Cologne >>> Bowles fabulous goal v Cardiff
Bowles played for seven years at QPR as part of the club’s greatest ever side that came so close to winning the league championship in 1976. He is widely seen as the best player ever to wear the blue and white hoops.
His time at Manchester City was somewhat less successful. As a teenager in the city he worked as a bookies runner for the notorious Quality Street Gang, and got rather too involved with the gambling himself, which didn’t do him any favours in the eyes of City’s manager Malcolm Allison who rarely picked Bowles after he’d progressed through the ranks there and eventually offloaded him to Crewe.
A year later he was at Carlisle , playing alongside John Gorman, where scouts started to pay attention after 14 goals in 33 Second Division appearances. QPR took the plunge for £112,000 as they hunted for a replacement for their previous maverick striker Rodney Marsh who had just been sold to Manchester City.
The stories of Bowles, most true some not, are the stuff of legend. On one of his rare England appearances he wore odd boots, one from Puma and the other from Nike, after signing boot deals with both. He has been accused of/acclaimed for hitting the FA Cup with the ball when Sunderland placed it at the side of their pitch following their final victory in 1973 — although it’s since been suggested that it was actually Tony Hazell that did it, by accident. Bowles scored twice in a 3-0 win.
The tales of arriving in the dressing room ten minutes before kick off having previously been in the South Africa Road betting shop in full kit are too numerous to fully recount here. Bowles would regularly go and see chairman Jim Gregory for cash handouts to fund his notorious gambling habit.
On the pitch though there was no doubt about his ability. In the 1976/77 season he set a goal scoring record for an English player in the UEFA Cup, scoring 11 goals across four two legged ties as Rangers advanced to the quarter finals before losing on penalties to AEK Athens. He subsequently attracted interest from Hamburg pre-Keegan but turned the move down and finished at QPR with 97 goals in 315 appearances.
Bowles said: "I loved the place — still do. We had a great team — ten international players. There was Phil Parkes in goal, Dave Clement and Ian Gillard at full-back, the centre-halves were Frank McLintock and Terry Mancini, in midfield it was Terry Venables, Gerry Francis and Dave Thomas, and up front me and Don Givens. I used to hit the ball miles in front of Dave Thomas and knew he would always catch it, he had such pace on the wing. A smashing player, genuinely two-footed. Don Givens was a good striker. I didn’t get on with him, but we worked well together on the field. He tried to tell me to stop hanging around with gangsters and to stop drinking. I suppose he meant well but I didn’t want to hear it.”
Bowles gained a scandalously low five England caps, under three different managers, due in no small part to his reaction to manager Joe Mercer when he was substituted in a game against Northern Ireland in 1974 although his first cap had come in Alf Ramsey’s last match in charge in Portugal. Six years later he did the same to Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest and missed out on an appearance in the European Cup final after a row over playing in John Robertson’s testimonial. Clough sold Bowles on to Orient for £100,000 after eight months. He finished his career with Brentford.
Bowles can still be found in and around Loftus Road on matchdays, posing for pictures and enjoying the hospitality.
Others >>> Nedum Onuoha, Man City 2004-2012, QPR 2012-present >>> Shaun Wright Phillips, Man City 1998-2005, 2008-2011, QPR 2011-present >>> Joey Barton, Man City 2002-2007, QPR 2011-present >>> Ishmael Miller, Man City 2005-2008, QPR (loan) 2011 >>> Keith Curle, Man City 1991-1996, QPR (coach) 2010-present >>> Tim Flowers, Man City (loan) 2002, QPR (coach) 2008 >>> Steve Lomas, Man City 1991-1997, QPR 2005-2007 >>> Richard Edghill, Man City 1993-2002, QPR 2003-2005 >>> Robert Taylor, Man City 1999-2000, QPR (loan) 2001 >>> Gareth Taylor, Man City 1998-2001, QPR (loan) 2000 >>> Tony Scully, Man City 1997-1998, QPR 1998-2001 >>> Trevor Sinclair, QPR 1993-1998, Man City 2003-2007 >>> Mike Sheron, Man City 1990-1994, QPR 1997-1999 >>> Mark Kennedy, QPR (loan) 1998, Man City 1999-2001 >>> Paul Walsh, QPR (loan) 1991, Man City 1994-1995 >>> Clive Wilson, Man City 1979-1989, QPR 1990-1995 >>> David Seaman, QPR 1986-1990, Man City 2003-2004 >>> Peter Reid QPR 1989-1990, Man City (player manager) 1990-1993 >>> Trevor Francis, Man City 1981-1982, QPR (player manager) 1988-1990 >>> Clive Allen, QPR 1978-1980, 1981-1984, Man City 1989-1991 >>> John Burridge, QPR 1980-1982, Man City 1994-1995 >>> Barry Silkman Man City 1979-1980, QPR 1980-1981 >>> Rodney Marsh, QPR 1966-1972, Man City 1972-1975
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Pictures — Action Images