Ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to Blackburn, LFW looks back at a famous QPR win on this ground from 1999 when Brian Kidd’s fledgling managerial career was brought to a shuddering halt by a Wardley and Gallen combo.
QPR 2 Blackburn Rovers 2, Tuesday September 16, 2015, Championship
A run-of-the-mill midweek Championship fixture between these two midtable teams was turned into an entertaining, infuriating farce by the maverick refereeing stylings of Darren Deadman when these sides last met, at Loftus Road back in September. Blackburn took the lead early, Grant Hanley bundling the ball and goalkeeper Alex Smithies into the back of the net for the opener. Charlie Austin made the most of defensive uncertainty to slam in an equaliser after half time, but a fabulous take, turn and finish from Jordan Rhodes restored Blackburn’s lead. Nedum Onuoha headed a second equaliser before the end, but with Deadman losing complete control of himself and the match it was something of a miracle to get to the end without anybody being killed.
QPR: Smithies 6; Perch 6, Onuoha 5, Angella 6, Konchesky 5; Henry 4, Toszer 5; Phillips 6, Chery 5 (Mackie 68, 6), Luongo 6; Austin 7
Subs not used: Hall, Hill, Gladwin, Lumley, Doughty, Faurlin
Goals: Austin 46 (assisted Luongo), Onuoha 79 (assisted Tozser)
Yellow Cards: Smithies 13 (dissent), Austin 27 (dodgy boots)
Blackburn: Steele 6; Henley 5, Duffy 7, Hanley 7, Spurr — (Olsson 8, 5); Marshall 6 (lawrence 89, -), Guthrie 6, Evans 6, Conway 7; Koita 8 (Delfouneso 82, -), Rhodes 7
Subs not used: Kilgallon, O’Sullivan, Akpan, Raya
Goals: Duffy 13 (assisted Conway), Rhodes 60 (assisted Steele/Koita)
Yellow Cards: Henley 40 (foul), Guthrie 51 (foul)
Blackburn 2 QPR 0, Tuesday April 8, 2014, Championship
Harry Redknapp’s attitude to the young players at QPR shone through brighter than ever when these sides last met at Ewood Park for a midweek game in April 2014. Despite not playing any senior football at all for the thick end of two years, Luke Young was selected from the start out of position at centre half. It took Rudy Gestede just eight minutes to take advantage and give Rovers the lead. Tommy Spurr, once a transfer target for Rangers, made it 2-0 after half time and QPR offered next to nothing by way of response.
Blackburn Rovers: Robinson 7, Keane 6, Hanley (c) 7, Kilgallon 7, Spurr 7, Cairney 6, Lowe 7, Williamson 6 (Etuhu 85’), Conway 7, Gestede 8, Rhodes 7.
Goals: Gestede, Spurr
QPR: Green 4, Simpson 6, Dunne 5, Young 5, Assou Ekotto 6 (Yun 77’), Hoillet 5, Henry 5, Benayoun 5, Carroll 5 (Maiga 68’), Morrison 7, Keane 5 (Austin 68’)7
Booked: Simpson
QPR 0 Blackburn 0, Saturday December 7, 2013, Championship
There was almost nothing whatsoever to report from the first meeting between these two sides that season as they fought out a dire goalless draw at Loftus Road back in December. QPR went closer to winning the game than their visitors — Rovers keeper Simon Eastwood pulled off an improbable save from point blank range to deny Matt Phillips and then got lucky when Charlie Austin’s flashing header bounced back into his arms off the foot of the post — but Clint Hill cleared a first half header from Scott Dann off the line and ultimately a scoreless draw was a fair reflection of a dreadful game.
QPR: Green 6; Simpson 6 Dunne 6, Hill 7, Assou-Ekotto 6 (Traore 87, -); Phillips 5 (O’Neil 59, 6), Carroll 6, Barton 6, Hoilett 5 (Kranjcar 59, 6); Johnson 6, Austin 6
Subs not used: Onuoha, Jenas, Henry, Murphy
Blackburn: Eastwood 7; Henley 6, Dann 6, Hanley 6, Spurr 6; Marshall 6, Williamson 6, Lowe 6, Cairney 6 (King 63, 5 (Dunn 85, -)); Taylor 6; Rhodes 6 (Campbell 76, 5)
Subs not used: Kilgallon, Judge, Rochina, Kean
Bookings: Henley 33 (foul), Dann 48 (foul), Spurr 64 (foul), Taylor 69 (repetitive fouling)
Blackburn 3 QPR 2, Saturday February 11, 2012, Premier League
Perhaps the first indication that Mark Hughes wasn’t to be the great saviour of QPR that he made himself out to be came in a meeting between these two clubs back in February 2012. Rangers had been 2-0 up at Villa and drawn, then lost at home to fellow strugglers Wolves after Djibril Cisse’s sending off, in the previous games so needed a result at relegation haunted Blackburn to keep the wolf from the door. The R’s were 3-0 down by half time. Anton Ferdinand, Fitz Hall and Paddy Kenny were in abysmal form, and Blackburn’s in form Nigerian striker Yakubu ran amok, scoring the first after a quarter of an hour and feeding Hoilett to force a third from Nedum Onuoha on the stroke of half time. Steven Nzonzi scored in between. Rangers rallied in the second half and Jamie Mackie scored twice late on to give the scoreline a respectability the R’s scarcely deserved. Ultimately Blackburn were relegated, and QPR survived, but you’d never have believed that outcome on this evidence.
Blackburn: Robinson 7, Orr 5, Hanley 6, Dann 6, Martin Olsson 7, Nzonzi 7, Lowe 6, Hoilett 7 (Henley 50, 5), Formica 7 (Modeste 66, 5), Pedersen 6, Yakubu 7 (Goodwillie 90, -)
Subs Not Used: Bunn, Petrovic, Rochina, Vukcevic
Booked: Lowe (foul)
Goals: Yakubu 15 (assisted Nzonzi), Nzonzi 23 (assisted Hoilett), Onuoha 45 og (assisted Hoilett)
QPR: Kenny 3, Onuoha 4, Ferdinand 3, Hall 3 (Gabbidon 90, -), Taiwo 4, Traore 4, Wright-Phillips 4, Barton 5, Buzsaky 3 (Mackie 66, 8), Taarabt 6, Zamora 6
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Hill, Derry, Bothroyd, Smith
Booked: Mackie (dissent)
Goals: Mackie 71 (assisted Taiwo), 90 (unassisted)
QPR 1 Blackburn 1, Saturday October 15, 2011, Premier League
Fresh from a 6-0 trouncing at Fulham QPR played it steady and cautious against fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers at Loftus Road in their first season back in the Premier League. Heidar Helguson was restored to the starting line up and rewarded manager Neil Warnock with a goal, although his chipped effort after a quarter of an hour that dipped into the far corner looked suspiciously like a cross. But Rangers failed to cope with the aerial threat posed by Chris Samba all afternoon and barely ten minutes after falling behind Rovers were level when he towered over Fitz Hall to head home a well flighted free kick. Both sides seemed satisfied with their draw.
QPR: Kenny 7, Young 7, Ferdinand 6, Hall 5, Traore 6, Derry 5, Faurlin 6, Wright-Phillips 6 (Smith 83, -), Barton 6, Mackie 6 (Taarabt 64, 5), Helguson 7
Subs Not Used: Murphy, Orr, Bothroyd, Buzsaky, Puncheon
Booked: Hall (foul), Wright-Phillips (foul), Traore (foul)
Goals: Helguson 16 (unassisted)
Blackburn: Robinson 6, Salgado 6, Samba 8, Dann 6, Givet 6, Lowe 7, Petrovic 6, Nzonzi 7, Olsson 7, Hoilett 7, Roberts 5 (Goodwillie 67, 4)
Subs Not Used: Bunn, Formica, Rochina, Yakubu, Vukcevic, Hanley
Booked: Nzonzi (foul), Lowe (foul)
Goals: Samba 24 (assisted Lowe)
Blackburn 1 QPR 0, FA Cup Third Round, Saturday January 8, 2011
The magic of the FA Cup was in short supply at Ewood Park in January 2011. In front of a sparse crowd both teams turned out largely second string outfits in what proved to be a drab encounter. Blackburn won the game through a fine late goal from the impressive Junior Hoilett. QPR went close to forcing a replay with near misses either side of that from long range by Petter Vaagan Moen and a headed effort from a corner by Kaspars Gorkss. The whole event was completely overshadowed though by a broken leg suffered by Rangers’ Jamie Mackie. Mackie flung himself into a fool’s mission against Gael Givet and came off much the worse. The mood soured further when El Hadji Diouf stood over the stricken QPR player and accused him of faking injury among other allegations. This sparked angry scenes at the time, and again at the final whistle, and Neil Warnock branded the Senegal striker a "sewer rat” in his after match interviews — before later signing him while manager at Leeds. The defeat extended QPR’s run of games in the FA Cup without a win to 11 years, the worst record of any team at any level in the entire country.
Blackburn Bunn 6, Salgado 8 (Linganzi 81, -), Hanley 6, Nelsen 7, Givet 6 (Morris 30, 6), Hoilett 8, Lowe 6, Pedersen 6, El-Hadji Diouf 7, Mame Diouf 7, Mwaruwari 6 (Roberts 46, 6)
Subs Not Used: Fielding, Goulon, Doran, Cotton
Goals: Hoilett 77 (assisted E H Diouf)
QPR: Kenny 8, Orr 7, Gorkss 6, Hill 6, Borrowdale 5, Derry 7, Faurlin 7 (Cook 81, -), Clarke 5, Mackie 6 (Andrade 31, 6), Moen 7, Hulse 6 (Doughty 88, -)
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Tofas, Harriman
Booked: Borrowdale (foul), Derry (foul)
2015/16 QPR 2 Blackburn 2 (Austin, Onuoha)
2013/14 Blackburn 2 QPR 0
2013/14 QPR 0 Blackburn 0
2011/12 Blackburn 3 QPR 2 (Mackie 2)
2011/12 QPR 1 Blackburn 1 (Helguson)
2010/11 Blackburn 1 QPR 0*
2005/06 Blackburn 3 QPR 0*
2000/01 QPR 1 Blackburn 3 (Plummer)
2000/01 Blackburn 0 QPR 0
1999/00 Blackburn 0 QPR 2 (Wardley, Gallen)
1999/00 QPR 0 Blackburn 0
1995/96 QPR 0 Blackburn 1
1995/96 Blackburn 1 QPR 0
1994/95 QPR 0 Blackburn 1
1994/95 Blackburn 4 QPR 0
1993/94 Blackburn 1 QPR 1 (Ready)
1993/94 QPR 1 Blackburn 0 (Ferdinand)
1992/93 Blackburn 1 QPR 0
1992/93 QPR 0 Blackburn 3
1990/91 QPR 2 Blackburn 1** (Falco, Barker)
1986/87 Blackburn 2 QPR 2** (Bannister, Walker)
1986/87 QPR 2 Blackburn 1** (Byrne, Brazil)
1982/83 Blackburn 1 QPR 3 (Stainrod 2, Flanagan)
1982/83 QPR 2 Blackburn 2 (Allen, Fenwick)
1981/82 Blackburn 2 QPR 1 (Allen)
1981/82 QPR 2 Blackburn 0 (Gregory, Allen)
1980/81 QPR 1 Blackburn 1 (Francis)
1980/81 Blackburn 2 QPR 1 (Neal)
1970/71 QPR 2 Blackburn 0 (Marsh, Francis)
1970/71 Blackburn 0 QPR 2 (Leach, Saul)
1969/70 QPR 2 Blackburn 3 (Venables pen, Hazell)
1969/70 Blackburn 0 QPR 1 (Leach)
1967/68 Blackburn 0 QPR 1 (F Clarke)
1967/68 QPR 3 Blackburn 1 (Marsh, Wilks, Sanderson)
1951/52 Blackburn 4 QPR 2 (Nicholas, Addinall)
1951/52 QPR 2 Blackburn 1 (Addinall 2)
1950/51 Blackburn 2 QPR 1 (Hatton)
1950/51 QPR 3 Blackburn 1 (Addinall 2, Hatton pen)
1949/50 QPR 2 Blackburn 3 (Addinall, Hatton)
1949/50 Blackburn 0 QPR 0
1948/49 QPR 4 Blackburn 2 (Parkinson 2, Hatton, Hartburn)
1948/49 Blackburn 0 QPR 0
1911/12 Blackburn 2 QPR 1 (Revill)***
* - FA Cup
** - League Cup
*** - Charity Shield, played at White Hart Lane
Blackburn 0 QPR 2, Saturday October 30, 1999, First Division
QPR were proving something of a surprise package in the First Division when they visited Blackburn Rovers in October 1999. Saves from relegation only on the very final day of the previous season courtesy of an unlikely 6-0 home win against Crystal Palace, cash strapped Rangers had been tipped for another season of struggle by many the following season. But manager Gerry Francis pulled a couple of scouting masterstrokes with the signings of Jermaine Darlington and Stewart Wardley from deep within the non-league pyramid and persuaded Bradford to part with Rob Steiner for a pittance as well. With the form of existing players like Gavin Peacock and Chris Kiwomya, and the emergence of a young Richard Langley thrown into the mixture as well Rangers had already won 4-1 at Ipswich, 1-0 at West Brom and 3-1 at home to big spending Huddersfield in an excellent start to the campaign.
Blackburn meanwhile were deep in the doldrums. Relegated from the Premier League the season before they’d given Alex Ferguson’s long-time assistant Brian Kidd a shot at a number one position for the first time in his career but were finding the going tough in the second tier. They’d won just three of their first 14 league fixtures and were fortunate to escape from Loftus Road with a goalless draw a month prior to the Ewood Park meeting — Richard Langley’s shot from an acute angle somehow staying out despite hitting the underside of the bar and rolling along the goal line.
Kidd had taken over initially halfway through the previous season when Roy Hodgson’s initially promising spell with Rovers collapsed into a relegation battle. Kidd spent £20m on players including Ashley Ward from Barnsley for £4.5m, Matt Jansen from Palace for £4.1m and Lee Carsley from Derby for £3.4m but still couldn’t prevent relegation and then despite adding another six players in the summer including Villa full back Simon Grayson, experienced Everton centre half Craig Short and Bolton midfielder Per Frandsen things hadn’t improved a great deal. The vultures were circling as Rangers arrived in town on a wet October afternoon.
QPR took the lead five minutes before half time. Stuart Wardley was a furniture removal man playing Essex Senior League football for Saffron Walden the season before but despite breaking his ankle in a trial game for QPR’s reserves against Cambridge he’d been offered a professional deal at Loftus Road and hit the ground running. His goal at Ewood Park was a typical effort — arriving late into the area from midfield to scuff home a through ball from Karl Ready. That was his fourth goal of the season already and he’d go on to bag 14 in his first season of professional football and win the club’s Player of the Year award.
Francis had chosen to pair Steiner with Chris Kiwomya in his attack that season, and given the form to this point that was entirely the correct decision. It did however mean that club legend Kevin Gallen found himself out in the cold on the substitute’s bench more often than not. He was introduced into this game in injury time more as a clock running exercise than anything else but when Kiwomya then burst through on goal immediately after the change and drew a save in a one on one situation from keeper John Filan, Gallen was on hand to nod the rebound into the empty net and seal the victory in front of a delirious travelling support.
Rangers stayed in the north for a subsequent Tuesday night game at Stockport where they recovered from three goals down to draw 3-3. And that ended up being the problem — too many draws. Francis’ team finished deadlocked 18 times that season, 12 of them at Loftus Road, including a run of six consecutive ties through January and February. It kept the play offs agonisingly out of reach for the entire season — although the campaign was still seen as a massive success. Sadly, with Steiner forced to retire and the financial restrictions on the club tightening with each passing week, they were relegated the season after.
Kidd meanwhile was sacked immediately after the QPR game. Blackburn rallied to finish eleventh but having brought in Graeme Souness to lead a revival they were promoted as runners up to Fulham in 2000/01 as Rangers languished second bottom of the league
Blackburn: J Filan, J Kenna (S Grayson, 62), D Peacock, C Dailly, C Davidson, J Wilcox, P Frandsen (J McAteer, 70), L Carsley, D Duff, A Ward, M Jansen (E Ostenstad, 57)
Subs not used: K Brown, A Kelly
QPR: L Harper, J Darlington, K Ready, D Maddix, M Rose, I Baraclough , P Murray, K Rowland (R Langley, 89), S Wardley, R Steiner (K Gallen, 88), C Kiwomya
Subs not used: A Bankole, A Scully, S Morrow
Goals: Wardley 40, Gallen 90
Bookings: Baraclough
Attendance: 17,491
Highlights >>>Blackburn 1 QPR 0, FA Cup 2011 >>> QPR 0 Blackburn 3, 1993 >>> QPR 2 Blackburn 0, 1981
American international striker Roy Wegerle was one of those players who just seemed to really suit QPR. He followed in a long and illustrious history of maverick number 10s at Loftus Road and led the line superbly through the Don Howe and early Gerry Francis days at Loftus Road. One of his predecessors in that role and shirt number, Rodney Marsh, spotted the South African born striker playing for Tampa Bay Rowdies in the MLS and recommended him to Rangers for a trial.
Jim Smith, QPR manager in 1986, passed on him as Manchester United had done in 1980 but he was picked up by our near neighbours Chelsea and received a grounding in English football during a loan spell at Swindon. He never played regularly at Stamford Bridge and was eventually offloaded to Luton for £75,000. He starred at Kenilworth Road and 18 months after arriving went back to QPR to sign permanently and become QPR’s first million pound player in the process.
There he became a Loft hero, specialising in spectacular tricks and goals, and cooly taken penalties. He scored 31 goals in 89 league and four cup appearances. In 1990/91 he top scored with 18. That included an incredible run of six goals from his first six games and in fact by the time QPR played their fifth game of that season, at home to Luton on September 15, he was the only player to have scored for Rangers at all. Of course that day, after Wegerle had given the R’s the lead, the team went crazy and bagged six including Paul Parker’s only ever goal for the club.
He continued to score prolifically and the highlight of his time with the club came in October 1990 at Elland Road where Rangers came from two goals down to win 3-2 on goalkeeper Jan Stejskal’s debut. One of Wegerle’s two goals that day saw him ghost past five Leeds players before smashing the ball in from 20 yards and it was later named the Match of the Day Goal of the Season, only the second time a QPR player had won the award at that point and only Trevor Sinclair has won it since.
QPR were famed through the 1990s for immediately selling their best players as soon as a half decent offer came along and in March 1992 they did so again, offloading Wegerle to Jack Walker’s Blackburn Rovers revolution for £1.2m — a record fee paid by a Second Division club at the time. The money was rarely all invested back into the playing squad and indeed it wasn’t on this occasion, the spiral staircases at the back of the South Africa Road stand are still known as the "Wegerle stairs” to this day as that’s apparently where a chunk of the money went. To be fair Gerry Francis had taken over as manager and Les Ferdinand had finally developed into a world class striker by that stage so Wegerle’s star was on the wane slightly in W12.
Wegerle was part of a Blackburn team that won the play offs in 1992 to earn a place in the inaugural Premier League but they then then signed Alan Shearer from Southampton and, as happened to him at Loftus Road after Ferdinand’s emergence, he was sidelined and offloaded — this time to Coventry City. He played just 22 times for Blackburn, and only clocked up 53 appearances for the Sky Blues due to injury but scored nine goals and eventually won 41 USA caps scoring seven times.
When his contract expired at Highfield Road in 1995 he left and went onto play for Colarado, DC United and Tampa Bay Mutiny in the US. After retirement he tried his hand at professional golf and television pundit in the US.
Others >>> Junior Hoilett, QPR 2012-present, Blackburn 2007-2012 >>> Chris Samba, QPR 2013, Blackburn 2007-2012 >>> Mark Hughes, QPR (manager) 2012, Blackburn (manager) 2004-2008, (player) 2000-2002 >>>> Bradley Orr, QPR 2010-2012, Blackburn 2012-present >>> Jay Bothroyd, QPR 2011-present, Blackburn (loan) 2004-2005 >>> Pascal Chimbonda, QPR 2011, Blackburn 2009-2011 >>> Marcus Bent, Blackburn 2000-2001, QPR (loan) 2010 >>> Steven Reid, Blackburn 2003-2010, QPR (loan) 2009 >>> Tim Flowers, Blackburn 1993-1999, QPR (coach) 2008 >>> Gareth Ainsworth, Blackburn (trainee) 1989-1991, QPR 2003-2010 >>> John Curtis, Blackburn 2000-2003, QPR 2007 >>> Andy Taylor, Blackburn 2004-2008, QPR (loan) 2006 >>> Marlon Broomes, Blackburn 1994-2001, QPR (loan) 2000 >>> Darren Peacock, QPR 1990-1994, Blackburn 1998-2000 >>> Ray Harford, Blackburn (manager) 1995-1996, QPR (manager) 1997-1998 >>> Simon Barker, Blackburn 1982-1988, QPR 1988-1998 >>> Ossie Ardiles, Blackburn 1988, QPR 1988-1989 >>> Jim Smith, Blackburn (manager) 1975-1978, QPR (manager) 1985-1988 >>> Mike Ferguson, QPR 1969-1973, Blackburn 1962-1968
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Pictures — Action Images