RIP Jim Smith. A manager I had time for. Old school and seemed a real gentleman. Condolences to his family.
Jim and Ron Saunders cut from the same cloth. Two top managers we've lost this week. Rest in Peace Jim
Just heard the news. I remember that cup final well as a young Ellers. I remember getting a coach home with an older mate and having all the Oxford fans doing the 3-0 sign as our coach stopped and they all walked by. The Bald Eagle has he was known seemed a nice guy. And agree an old school manager. Shame. RIP Jim and thanks for the cup run.
RIP Jim Smith he was a fine manager indeed, straight talking bloke. I actually have no memory of this I walked to Wembley from Loftus Road with several friends stopping at every watering hole on the way, not to mention the a couple of carrier bags full of beer and we drank the whole lot before we got to Wembley! That's it, after this I have zero memories of the day.
RIP Jim. Biggest memory that day was wearing my half QPR, half Celtic wooly hat. I still have it would you believe. Found it while moving house a few years back.
Jim Smith was one of the great QPR manager's. As well as getting to the final he also got us to the top of the then First Division table in 87/88 . We finished the month of September as leaders of the First Division, three points ahead of Liverpool. We ended up finishing that season in fifth place. Good times. RIP Jim
I remember when we were top. We went to Anfield as leaders the day after the big storm and got stuffed 4-0. Remember dodging all the fallen trees lying in the roads as we drove through London heading for the M1. To cap a bad day, our car broke down on the way home and we missed our turn off on the M62 and ended up in Manchester. Liverpool had a great team then, Aldridge, Barnes etc. We had a decent team too. Good times.
I went to that game too fin, my journey wasn't as eventful as yours as we went by train. My recollection of the day was that Kevin Brock was dreadful and handed them two goals. We held out for a while and was still in the game at 1-0 down but succumbed to the superior fire power of Aldridge , Barnes, Johnson and Beardsley.
I remember that day better than any of you. We went into the afternoon as leaders I went into the afternoon in labour. I tried to listen to the match but the pain and the pain was too much And at 5.25 pm on October 17th 1987 my lovely daughter Sian was born...and we were no longer top I tell the story that that is the last time we were, but it is not technically true...we had a few days at the top after beating Coventry in a mid week match a few years later...but no one else needs to know that
And me, the SF 1st Leg against Liverpool, Coach up from Newton Abbot, watched the game, freezing night, coach back, broke down in Bristol,back home by 06:30, following morning, college at 9:00... and it was live on the television. Met Jim at a mid season friendly, remember them, think it was Dawlish Town v QPR, captained by Alan Mc, David Seamen in goal warming up by letting youngsters take penalties against him.... could you imagine it now if we had a midweek without a game? Very pleasant guy, RIP Jim.
RIP Very nice article. He was much more than many of us remember. Jim Smith was a pioneer and one of QPR’s best-ever managers By David McIntyre 11/12/2019 https://www.westlondonsport.com/qpr...-a-pioneer-and-one-of-qprs-best-ever-managers please log in to view this image
Some great years under his watch. Away at Liverpool when we got knocked of the Milk Cup semi. Walked into my bedroom to see that the alarm clock was two minutes away from going off. RIP, Jim!
David Bellamy, naturalist and broadcaster, dies 86 david-bellamy-naturalist-and-broadcaster-dies-11884072
I met Jim Smith on the Isle of Wight many years ago when he was Pompey manager, and they came to the island to play a pre-season friendly at Ryde Sports FC. A very nice man, and an excellent manager who brought through the likes of talented academy players such as Andy Awford, Kit Symons, Darren Anderton and Darrell Powell. Will be sadly missed. RIP