4th Feb 2011 - QPR were top of the Championship, following a 19 match unbeaten run at the start of the season we had gone through a mid-season wobble losing to Watford, Leeds and Norwich in the space of 5 matches, we were beginning to put another good run together when we faced a difficult televised Friday night match at in-form Reading who had lost only one of their previous 15 games. An even first half suddenly seemed to be going away from us when Hogan Ephraim was sent off for a late tackle and we faced a daunting 2nd half with ten men. Far from capitulating we actually comfortably contained everything the Royals could throw at us and looked increasingly dangerous on the counter, and with 8 minutes to go one such counter produced a superb finish from Wayne Routledge to give us a memorable victory and what most R's fans would see as THE defining moment of our title-winning season. The team that night was: Kenny; Orr, Gorkss, Connolly, Hill; Derry, Faurlin; Routledge, Taarabt, Ephraim; Hulse. 4th Feb 2012 - QPR are 16th in the Premier League, a long winless run after a promising start saw Mark Hughes replace Neil Warnock and a loss, win and draw from the first three games has put us top of the 'Bottom 5'. Five new signings are now carrying our hopes for survival and we go into another crucial '4th February' match which could define our season. Our team tomorrow will bear little resemblance to last years team at Reading. A likely line-up could be: Kenny; Young, Ferdinand, Onuoha, Taiwo; SWP, Barton, Buzsacky, Traore; Cisse, Zamora. It's possible only Kenny of last season's side could be sure of his place and others still here will merely be peripheral squad players. It really is a massive upheaval in such a short period of time, but, deep down, tells us what we all knew from the moment promotion was confirmed.
Good post. Interesting observation about the teams. I can't help but be a little sad reading the old line up and seeing names like Conolly, Hill and Ephraim who aren't involved anymore. However, that is the nature of progression and surely it was obvious to the fans and even the players that moving up to the top flight might be a step too far for some of them. As I know has been said on here before, no room for sentiment...and on the 4th of February 2011 if you had said that Hulse would be replaced up front by Zamora and Cisse...I doubt there would be many complaints.
Tell it like it is Sooper, tell it like it is For me it sure have seemed like we needed a big overhaul. Though Norwich and Swansea came nowhere close to us last season but have comfortably cemented themselves as midtable sides in the Prem while we've been struggling is down to one thing. The QPR side of last season was assembled with one clear objective from NW, to get us out if the W*****ship. While the Norwich and Swansea sides lacked the steele we had that made us so consistent, they had more balanced teams with personel AND managers more suited to the Premier League than us imo, hence the difference in success up until the half way mark. Loved last years team, and the romantic in me hoped they would do the bizz a level up. But that lineup you've predicted for saturday fills me with much greater belief in the future than my wildest fantasies could ever have.
Well written post. NW said that from the moment he took over at QPR, he would need to have a team to get the club back to the premiership, and then a new one to compete in the top division. Under the old owners, that was never going to happen, and TF has had less than tweve months in and he has put his money where is mouth is, and invested. as much as I respect NW for getting us back to the premirship -and we needed him at the time, I think we are all in for an amazing ride on the QPR Rollercoaster under MH. Not too sure NW would have got us the players MH has managed to get us, but we are a club that is on the up. The players that got us up can do jobs for other clubs however, I am sure that some may still be around next season.
Would also be interested to see the team we fielded on Feb 4, 2002 (or near). A decade is a long time in football. Anyone?
QPR Vs Cambridge United 0-0 2nd february 2002 Nationwide Division Two Att: 18,071 Fraser Digby Terrell Forbes Daniel ****tu Steve Palmer Marcus Bignot Doudou Gavin Peacock Matthew Rose Leroy Griffiths Kevin Gallen Andy Thomson Subs: Rhys Evans Richard Langley Karl Connolly Richard Pacquette Alex Bonnott Not a bad attendance for a third tier game!
I see we rose to the occasion! That must've been one of those cut=price games they threw in every now and then... ****tu and Doudou! Say no more
Nice article sooper! I was at Reading last year and we went absolutely crazy when that goal went in. A defining moment indeed! And as nut say...onwards and upwards!!
18,071 Exactly! Other clubs seem to knock our home attendance but how many of those clubs would get that gate in the ‘third tier’? That’s why I laugh when Fulham fans call us ‘Tin Pot’ because without the ‘tourists they would be back to the 6K, and never did they get gates like that in the lower divisions. We should be proud of our support because as I have said on many occasions, that during the dark days with no money and league One football we average 16K at home and I was at many sell out away games where we had 1-2K Rangers. I remember a cold Tuesday night at Northampton where the Rangers sold out and many of us in the away end. Rangers fans don’t just turn up for the big time we are there all the time. As our legend Gareth Ainsworth said ‘QPR fans are Partisan’ Proper club, proper fans. As for the promoted sides I think that the team NW took up was a solid promotion team but as soon as TF took over NW wanted more/better players as he realised that some were too slow or not good enough and that may have upset the balance a bit, however once the new team ‘gels’ we should reap the dividends. Swans and Norwich have done very well this season but it’s not over yet. We just have to look back at last season with Blackpool and remember there is always a team that drops like a stone and one that kicks on. Ellers
I was in the pub last year in Balham, with the first 5nations game being played Me and my friend convinced the landlord to pipe Sky from his flat above the pub to the security monitor on the balcony, where we proceeded to drink beer and sing loudly. By the end of the match about a dozen rangers fans had 'outed' themselves and joined us outside in the cold! What a buzz!
Good post. Just to be controversial I wonder if such a masssive overhaul would have been required if either a) NW had been allowed more time to select his players last summer or b) he had chosen his strikers more wisely anyway?
I think unfortunately for NW all the best strikers were already snapped up (that were available) by the time he got some money. I still feel that if DJ can get fit he will be an excellent squad member......Hulse and Betty can go, and have Mackie be our 4th striker until the end of the season.