Post by QPR Report on Jun 12, 2009 11:41:42 GMT
The New Football Pools - Football Fever Five - Your Ultimate Season
A club by club look
Queen’s Park Rangers
1975-76
- Rangers have never been closer to the League Championship than in 1975-76, when the side containing QPR legends such as Gerry Francis, Stan Bowles and Dave Thomas finished runnersup to Liverpool.
With three games to play, Dave Sexton’s side – lauded for their free-flowing football, which helped boost average gates by over 16 percent – led the table by a point, but defeat at Norwich gave Liverpool a slight advantage. Although Rangers won their final two games – against Arsenal and Leeds – Liverpool matched them to hang on. The Rangers players watched on TV as the Reds beat Wolves to take the title.
1966-67
Rodney Marsh scored 30 goals in 41 appearances as Alec Stock’s QPR side marched to the Third Division Championship and won their first major trophy, the League Cup. They set a club record of 67 points to win the title by 12 points, and scored 103 goals in the process. The R’s beat West Brom 3-2 in the League Cup Final – the first at Wembley. They were the first Third Division side to win the tro phy, and they did so by coming from two goals down, with Morgan, Marsh and Lazarus scoring second-half goals.
2003-04
Ian Holloway led Rangers to promotion to the Championship after a nerve-jangling climax to the season. Promotion wasn’t secured until the very last game, when goals from Kevin Gallen and Paul Furlong, plus an own goal from Chris Carr, gave QPR a vital 3-1 win at Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday. It meant they finished runners-up, just a point ahead of Bristol City, who had to settle for the play-offs.
1982-83
Terry Venables’ side achieved a club record points total (85) in winning the Second Division title and returning to the top flight after a four-year absence. Rangers – with a squad that included the likes of Clive Allen, Terry Fenwick and Gary Micklewhite – finished 10 points clear of runners-up Wolves. QPR, FA Cup finalists the previous year, were knocked out in the third round at West Brom.
1992-93
The first Premier League season was one of Rangers’ most memorable. Managed by Rangers legend Gerry Francis, they finished 5th, ahead of the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. Les Ferdinand scored 20 league goals and average gates at Loftus Road were up 11 percent on the previous season. The New Football Pools Club-by-Club
WHAT WAS THE ULTIMATE SEASON?- Season 2008/09 provided a gripping climax across the Coca-Cola Football League, but what is the best season ever? It's a debate that football fans have up and down the country and now we have the answer! Official Football League licensee The New Football Pools have release the latest in their series of 'Football Fever' reports that analyse various aspects of the game.
- Following on from reports covering stress, fans, rivalries and achievement, 'Football Fever 5 - The Ultimate Season' reveals which season really is the best in the modern era. Statisticians and football experts have analysed every season in English football since 1966 to come up with a definitive list of the top 10 seasons.
-Football Fever 5 does not stop there however - they have gone even further and looked at each individual club in The Football League to produce a shortlist of their own top 5 seasons. Click on the link below to which seasons the experts have selected for your club!
- To read the main 'Football Fever 5' report click here.
- To find out which seasons made the shortlist for your club click here.
community.footballpools.com/football-reports/fever/
"The 2008-09 football season has provided a gripping climax across the Coca Cola Football League as well as the Barclays Premier League and the FA Cup and European competitions. Plus a resurgent England under new boss Fabio Capello are gaining momentum in their bid to qualify for World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
Some say this season could be classed as one of the best seasons they’ve ever seen, but is it?
Whether it’s on the telly or in the stands, we’re all asking the same question:
* Is football more exciting today than in years gone by?
Here at The New Football Pools, we’ve looked to answer those questions by analysing every season in English football since the summer of 1966, when we reached the pinnacle of the world game.
Our statisticians and football experts, including legends such as Alan Hansen, Gordon Banks and John Barnes, have looked in detail at the various factors that make up a truly memorable season, namely;
* the title/relegation thrillers in each of the four divisions
* the number of goals scored
* average attendances
* exciting domestic and European cup competitions (dramatic finals, cup upsets etc)
* those great European nights for English clubs
* international success (or not) for England
* individual matches and players that make a season particularly memorable
From this we’ve produced a shortlist of the top 5 seasons since 1966 across all 72 Football League clubs.
The result is “Football Fever 5 – Your Ultimate Season – The Football League”.
So read on to find out which seasons came out top, and why, and let us know whether you agree.
community.footballpools.com/football-reports/fever/football_league
