Having cleared this with Paul’s wife Eileen, I am deeply saddened to tell supporters that Paul Harford died Friday 23rd September. Older supporters who especially travelled away with the Rangers should remember him. With his big beard and girth, I always described Paul as being like Henry VIII in modern clothes.
There have been some well known Rangers supporters. I first met ‘Effin’ Fred Perry back in the sixties in the newsagents at the top of Mordaunt Road, Harlesden, owned by wonderful friends of my family. I played football with Steve Edwards for ten years. But it is Paul that I am moved to write about and would like to use this fans web site please.
Paul was a big R’s fan in more ways than one — dating back to Division 3 South days in the 50’s. He followed R’s all over the country and hardly missed a game for many, many years — Saturdays, midweek, cups, league — Paul was there. Firstly on his own then with his boys as they grew up. At one time he was a steward on away coaches and trains for the supporters club and the LSA at sometime I do believe.
Paul certainly enjoyed a drink it could be said and his choice was Guinness. He told me of one midweek away game at a far flung far northern team in sixties Division 3 days. Paul missed the last train home. Instead he blagged a ride home on a goods train. The porter opened the wagon when it got back to London only for Paul to roll out. It was in the early hours of the morning so Paul went straight into his office in Victoria with Eileen not seeing him until the following evening.
I first met Paul on Monday 13th December 1976 at the offices of Legal & General in Pall Mall. Our respective offices had just been closed down due to the recession with everyone transferred to Pall Mall. Waiting for our desks to turn up, I was talking to my friends about having seen Rangers at Anfield the previous Saturday. Paul overheard this and said: ‘You a Rangers fan? I was there too’. A friendship sealed for life — Rangers fans — nuff said.
The next thing he did was ask me if I wanted to buy any Rangers Bingo tickets! You see Paul was an agent for our commercial department for many years, selling the Bingo tickets printed on that hairy paper from the past. You tore off 3 of the perforated sides and checked off the numbers against the sheet you got each week. Paul was a gregarious, friendly man who had one hell of a clientele at the various establishments he frequented. He raised thousands for QPR when this type of income was very important to football clubs. ‘Keith- me old pal, me old beauty. How many tickets do you want?’
Because you could get closer to players years ago, Paul got to know a few. In the seventies we had a player by the name of Mike Ferguson or ‘Coat Hanger’ as some called him because of his rounded shoulders. Paul used to meet Mike in the Smuts before a game for a couple of pints of Guinness. At 2.30 Mike would say: ‘Better be off now to get changed for the game’.
Paul also told a story about Stan Bowles taking a bollocking from Dave Sexton — for a change. In the middle of the dressing down the phone rings and Dave answers it. Sexton then hands it over to Stan. It was Don Shanks in the café over the road wanting to know what Stan wanted for breakfast so Stan didn’t have to wait when he eventually got away from the manager.
Paul really was a lovely friendly man - highly principled and straight in my opinion. But if he felt someone was taking advantage of him he would explode like a volcano. There was one time when we were in the upstairs office in Pall Mall. Vesuvius exploded because someone tried to pull the wool over Paul’s eyes. Paul was ranting away and threw this file across the office intending it to land on his desk. Unfortunately for Paul the cleaner had been over zelous with the Pledge the night before. The file hit the desk, skidded across it and flew straight out of the open window, down two floors into the street below. ‘Oh my gawd’ he was heard to shut as he ran off. Paul’s huge frame was last seen to be holding up the traffic in Pall Mall as he retrieved this guy’s personal information. I’m not sure if it made the radio reports that night.
Paul used to be a member of a quiz team I organised — chipping in with the horse racing answers. One evening at Harrow Borough football club can you believe in walked Tony Blair and Gordon Brown who were canvassing in the area for the up coming General Election.
Blair tried to tour the tables pressing the flesh. Jacket off — man of the people - in shirt sleeves— half pint of beer strategically placed — getting down with the riff raff photo opportunity. He was as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit on our table. Anyway Paul jumps to his feet as Blair comes to our table. Surely not to deck him?
‘Gareth me old pal. Been down the Rangers lately?’ It turns out that Gareth Thomas the local Labour MP is a Rangers fan and Paul knew him. Paul then proceeded to talk excitedly to Gareth about the R’s right over Blair’s head. Blair was trapped between Paul’s huge body and the entourage behind him— and was ignored. He did not like it. Hilarious.
Paul was a lovely friendly man (I can never say that enough times) who would let fly with his famous booming laugh at the drop of a hat.
In the last few years Paul did not enjoy the best of health. He manfully travelled from his home in South Harrow to his hospital at Denmark Hill for treatment every week by public transport - which was a testimony to his charactor.
He spent the last four months of his life in Northwick Park Hospital.
Paul leaves his wife Eileen and sons Desmond, Peter and Neil and his grandchildren — all Rangers fans — of course.
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