| Bald Eagle RIP on 18:52 - Dec 10 with 3653 views | DWQPR |
Did a decent job for the club in the mid to late 80’s, especially after needing to ge stabilised after Venables left and Mullery dismantled us with his man management skills. Brought in a few great players such as Paul Parker and Trevor Francis. League Cup Final and also gave us our best start to a top flight season. Thanks Jim. RIP |  |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 18:58 - Dec 10 with 3626 views | flynnbo |
RIP |  | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:06 - Dec 10 with 3593 views | paulparker |
Mixed emotions on Jim Smith never forgave him for the milk cup debacle as he wanted oxford to win
But that team in 87/88 was a very good team that doesn’t get the love it should by QPR fans
Seamen, Parker, macca , fenwick as sweeper, Brock, Allen , Bannister , great times and he bought back the 5-3-2 before it was fashionable
He was in charge of the 6-0 , 2-0, and the 3-1 over Chelsea
He bought in Maddix, , falco, Trev Francis, Barker , a young les, Mark stein, ossie ardillies and then disappeared to Newcastle
RIP Jim and thanks for the good times |  |
| And Bowles is onside, Swinburne has come rushing out of his goal , what can Bowles do here , onto the left foot no, on to the right foot
That’s there that’s two, and that’s Bowles
Brian Moore
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:07 - Dec 10 with 3586 views | Hayesender |
Very good manager for us, apart from the game that shall never be mentioned.
That team in 87/88 was a delight to watch |  |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:08 - Dec 10 with 3578 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
Apart from that Fecking 86 disgrace, I liked him and he did good things.
RIP Jim |  |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:29 - Dec 10 with 3461 views | Juzzie |
Did he actually contrive us to lose the Final? Im not so sure. I think he was in a no lose situation and happy whoever won.
RIP |  | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:32 - Dec 10 with 3453 views | loftboy |
Rip Jim, not my favourite Qpr manager but we had a bloody good side for a season of two. |  |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:48 - Dec 10 with 3401 views | queensparker |
I loved that 5-3-2 team that topped the league for a while (before Liverpool dicked us 4-0 at Anfield and that was pretty much that)
Mark Dennis and Wayne Fereday at full backs - awesome |  | | |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 20:03 - Dec 10 with 3349 views | ManinBlack |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:06 - Dec 10 by paulparker |
Mixed emotions on Jim Smith never forgave him for the milk cup debacle as he wanted oxford to win
But that team in 87/88 was a very good team that doesn’t get the love it should by QPR fans
Seamen, Parker, macca , fenwick as sweeper, Brock, Allen , Bannister , great times and he bought back the 5-3-2 before it was fashionable
He was in charge of the 6-0 , 2-0, and the 3-1 over Chelsea
He bought in Maddix, , falco, Trev Francis, Barker , a young les, Mark stein, ossie ardillies and then disappeared to Newcastle
RIP Jim and thanks for the good times |
Totally agree with all of this. RIP Jim |  | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 20:34 - Dec 10 with 3228 views | stevec |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:06 - Dec 10 by paulparker |
Mixed emotions on Jim Smith never forgave him for the milk cup debacle as he wanted oxford to win
But that team in 87/88 was a very good team that doesn’t get the love it should by QPR fans
Seamen, Parker, macca , fenwick as sweeper, Brock, Allen , Bannister , great times and he bought back the 5-3-2 before it was fashionable
He was in charge of the 6-0 , 2-0, and the 3-1 over Chelsea
He bought in Maddix, , falco, Trev Francis, Barker , a young les, Mark stein, ossie ardillies and then disappeared to Newcastle
RIP Jim and thanks for the good times |
Great summing up. For some reason that period has become a forgotten time but a very good team that more than held its own for years in the top division. A time when we didn’t really fear any side.
RIP Jim Smith |  | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 20:37 - Dec 10 with 3216 views | smegma |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:29 - Dec 10 by Juzzie |
Did he actually contrive us to lose the Final? Im not so sure. I think he was in a no lose situation and happy whoever won.
RIP |
Yes he did. It was revealed years later he gave the players sleeping tablets . Hence we were comatose for 90 minutes.
But he was responsible for what was a very decent team. RIP Jim. | | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 20:53 - Dec 10 with 3164 views | MrSheen |
RIP the man who gave Dean Coney his wooosh (for a few weeks at least). |  | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 21:13 - Dec 10 with 3103 views | daveB |
really good manager for us, got the best out of Byrne and Bannister. Signed Paul Parker had some great wins got to a cup final and finished 5th. One of our best and most under appreciated managers
Rest in Peace |  | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 21:35 - Dec 10 with 3037 views | Benny_the_Ball |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:06 - Dec 10 by paulparker |
Mixed emotions on Jim Smith never forgave him for the milk cup debacle as he wanted oxford to win
But that team in 87/88 was a very good team that doesn’t get the love it should by QPR fans
Seamen, Parker, macca , fenwick as sweeper, Brock, Allen , Bannister , great times and he bought back the 5-3-2 before it was fashionable
He was in charge of the 6-0 , 2-0, and the 3-1 over Chelsea
He bought in Maddix, , falco, Trev Francis, Barker , a young les, Mark stein, ossie ardillies and then disappeared to Newcastle
RIP Jim and thanks for the good times |
This. Though hailing from Sheffield Jim clearly developed a love affair with Oxford United that saw him manage the first team twice and serve on the board of directors. It was just rotten luck that we faced his beloved Oxford United in the 1986 Milk Cup final and that capitulation overshadowed the great work he subsequently did in 1987/88.
One of football's great characters. RIP Jim. [Post edited 10 Dec 2019 21:53]
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 22:24 - Dec 10 with 2919 views | 2Thomas2Bowles |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 19:29 - Dec 10 by Juzzie |
Did he actually contrive us to lose the Final? Im not so sure. I think he was in a no lose situation and happy whoever won.
RIP |
I remember him being interviewed after the game, you never saw a happier losing manager.
So bad was the way we played and the result, few R's ever want to talk about or remember it. | |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 22:29 - Dec 10 with 2902 views | Loftgirl |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 22:24 - Dec 10 by 2Thomas2Bowles |
I remember him being interviewed after the game, you never saw a happier losing manager.
So bad was the way we played and the result, few R's ever want to talk about or remember it. |
I was there. Had it on video too, never watched it. |  | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 22:41 - Dec 10 with 2875 views | bosh67 |
RIP top man! |  |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 23:41 - Dec 10 with 2799 views | daveB |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 22:24 - Dec 10 by 2Thomas2Bowles |
I remember him being interviewed after the game, you never saw a happier losing manager.
So bad was the way we played and the result, few R's ever want to talk about or remember it. |
lots been made of that but it's all bollox really, he was putting a brave face on it, players let him down that day and just didn't turn up, all players involved have said that since | | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 00:00 - Dec 11 with 2775 views | BrianMcCarthy |
I thought that his first two seasons were utter dross, a team full of fat lads propped up only by the plastic pitch at home. I was young, and maybe too demanding. But we seemed moribund.
But Jim Smith got us to Wembley in the middle of those two years, and - despite the gloom produced by the shocking non-event of the final - we had deserved to get there.
Then in his third season, we completely refreshed the team and backed up by Gregory's investment and Peter Shreeve's nous we moved to 352 and had a fine season despite having a thin squad. We were missing our starting wing-backs in Anfield when we got thumped by that (to be fair) fine team, and then in December we lost Fenwick, captain and inspirational sweeper to Spurs, and we still finished fifth in the league and reached the fifth round of the Cup.
We qualified for Europe.
A fine achievement.
He was gone that December. I don't think us fans ever forgave him for Oxford. And we had to put up with a year of Trevor Francis' nonsense before Don Howe's excellent stewardship set us up for five great years under him and his successor, Gerry Francis.
You were all right, Jim. You did well.
RIP, agus ar dheis Dé. |  |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 00:03 - Dec 11 with 2771 views | daveB |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 00:00 - Dec 11 by BrianMcCarthy |
I thought that his first two seasons were utter dross, a team full of fat lads propped up only by the plastic pitch at home. I was young, and maybe too demanding. But we seemed moribund.
But Jim Smith got us to Wembley in the middle of those two years, and - despite the gloom produced by the shocking non-event of the final - we had deserved to get there.
Then in his third season, we completely refreshed the team and backed up by Gregory's investment and Peter Shreeve's nous we moved to 352 and had a fine season despite having a thin squad. We were missing our starting wing-backs in Anfield when we got thumped by that (to be fair) fine team, and then in December we lost Fenwick, captain and inspirational sweeper to Spurs, and we still finished fifth in the league and reached the fifth round of the Cup.
We qualified for Europe.
A fine achievement.
He was gone that December. I don't think us fans ever forgave him for Oxford. And we had to put up with a year of Trevor Francis' nonsense before Don Howe's excellent stewardship set us up for five great years under him and his successor, Gerry Francis.
You were all right, Jim. You did well.
RIP, agus ar dheis Dé. |
His first season was 85/86 when we got to the cup final | | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 00:07 - Dec 11 with 2764 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 23:41 - Dec 10 by daveB |
lots been made of that but it's all bollox really, he was putting a brave face on it, players let him down that day and just didn't turn up, all players involved have said that since |
I think you're right to a large degree, Dave.
But it's clear that we were incredibly flat, and his comments before and afterwards about Oxford were Corinthian, shall we say.
Afterwards he commented that he couldn't raise the team and that something was wrong in the dressing room. That was his job to sort out. It was hard to fathom, and I don't think that even the success of the 87-88 season erased the memory of that strange day. | |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 00:19 - Dec 11 with 2753 views | Juzzie |
I went to every League Cup game that season bar Hull away.
With the other semi being Villa v Oxford I really wanted Villa to win.
With their 2nd leg a week after us getting to the final there was already much talk of Smith and Oxford and I hated the fact that so much focus was on that and not what we had achieved. We had beaten four 1st Division teams en route including two away wins against Watford and Chelsea and that draw at Anfield.
I just knew if Oxford got through it would go against us. They did and it did.
[Post edited 11 Dec 2019 0:21]
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 00:54 - Dec 11 with 2720 views | BrianMcCarthy |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 00:03 - Dec 11 by daveB |
His first season was 85/86 when we got to the cup final |
Dave,
What I meant was that it was in the middle of his first two years. | |
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| Bald Eagle RIP on 01:36 - Dec 11 with 2692 views | CLAREMAN1995 |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 22:29 - Dec 10 by Loftgirl |
I was there. Had it on video too, never watched it. |
I was there also Loftgirl it was my first trip to England to watch QPR play and went with my 2 brothers.The build up was amazing and it was a perfect day until the game started and we never showed up to fight .I remember walking back disappointed but still buzzing from my Wembley trip.
We had a bizzare incident before the game as a man behind us was smoking and he actually lit my jacket on fire (smouldering )with his ash.The stewards were on it in a flash and trampled it to death to put it out .It was the year after the horrible Bradford fire and they were hyper vigilant .
The day before I waited for the team bus at Loftus Road and Jim Smith was first off ,asked me where I was from and told a couple of players to sign my Rosette .I think Terry Fenwick and John Byrne and Steve Wicks obliged .I lost it years ago of course .
RIP Jim |  | | |
| Bald Eagle RIP on 01:58 - Dec 11 with 2686 views | bob566 |
Don't believe for one minute that he threw the game. Fine Oxford team. Didn't they have a young Aldridge and Houghton. They got to the final too. Give them credit. Rip Jim | | | |
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