October 19, 1972- Dave Thomas Joined QPR from Burnley.
QPR had won four games in a row...QPR's absolutely brilliant midfielder, Martyn Busby had his leg shattered in a midweek game at Fulham (and so sadly never returned to his pre-injury future international level)...QPR's response: Gordon Jago and Jim Gregory signed Burnley's England U-23 midfielder/winger, Dave Thomas for a QPR and England transfer-shattering record: 165,000 pounds. A few months earlier, Thomas had been described as "the best young player in Europe." (Six months earlier, QPR had received 200,000 for Marsh and the English transfer record was not much higher.
Thomas made his QPR debut at home to Sunderland, October 21. QPR won 3-2 (Bowles 2, Givens) QPR's team: Parkes, Clemen, Hazell Evans Watson, Venables, Francis, Thomas, Bowles, Givens, Leach. Thomas struggled a bit before making the wing his own.
Obviously played a major, major role in QPR's (almost) Championship season. Played also 8 timrd for England. Jim Gregory bizarrely sold Thomas to Everton on the eve of the new season, hurting new manager Frank Sibley.
VIA QPR NET - GORDON JAGO Interview including re signing Dave Thomas"... We were playing well and had won six, drawn six and only lost once when Martyn Busby broke his leg at Fulham. We had a very young Reserve team and there was no really experienced player to bring in. The meeting the next day following Martyn's injury was incredible; Jim Gregory called the meeting to discuss what action we should take to continue our aim for promotion. Derek Healy our Chief Scout and myself were suggesting a number of players in the £40,000 to £50,000 range when the Chairman suddenly suggested Dave Thomas, I had seen Dave a number of times and knew that he was a good player.
Leeds were making talk of a £200,000 bid for Dave and I thought he was way out of our range having already spent £150,000. Regardless I called Jimmy Adamson at Burnley and told him of our interest and we put the two Chairmen together on the phone and they eventually agreed a price of £165,000. I then got back on with Jimmy and had him contact Dave and get him on a train to arrive in London that night telling him to make certain that he brought his boots!
Derek met Dave at Euston Station and drove him to my house in Kingston to meet myself and Club Secretary Ron Phillips. Twenty minutes later Dave had signed subject to a medical on Friday morning. We had secured a third top class forward and he played the next day against Sunderland.
qprnet.com/index.php/interviews-2/int-managers/19-interview-jagoDAVE THOMAS ON QPR - VIA QPR Net
BUSHMAN ARCHIVES
Dave Thomas debut v Sunderland
Also from Bushman
(From Bushman's archives)
And from Bushman's Photo Archives/Michael Wale Reports
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21st October 1972 - Division Two (old) QPR 3 Sunderland 2
MACMOISH
And this quote from a Dave Thomas Interview in QPR Net from a couple of years ago about QPR and old players
- Something which we've been talking about on this board) - and it's obviously not the current QPR or the previous QPR board alone. It's been consistent.
"....The only thing I'd criticise QPR for these days is how they treat players after theyve retired. Burnley and Everton are fantastic they're in touch all the time and always asking you down to be their guest for the day but QPR never do. Burnley do it all the time and considering the difference in resources I think that's sad.
Everton are unique, they've formed a former players foundation and what they do for their ex players is beyond belief. Some guys from my era are destitute now. To be fair it could be their own fault you give some players a hundred quid and they�ll spend a hundred and ten because some people can�t cope with money. Regardless Everton raise funds through golf days, after dinner speeches and the like and it's all organised through a voluntary committee and held in a charitable trust. Then if any ex player gets into trouble financially or health wise the committee will help them out. If I needed a new knee for example I could get in touch with them and they would help me out. It's an incredible thing they do.
I look at QPR and what they've done for their ex players and it's nothing at all. I think that's really sad .
The rest should be read at
qprnet.com/interviews/thomas.shtml
More re Dave Thomas/QPR
qprreport.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=7282Burnley Mad Profile of Dave Thomas -
www.clarets-mad.co.uk/feat/ed35/dave_thomasnbsp_343031/index.shtml
Post by Macmoish on Oct 6, 2012 at 2:56am
And from a couple of years ago, posted on the blogNice Retrospective: Burnley Profile of Dave Thomas
Burnley Mad profile of one QPR's greatests
Burnley MAD/By Tony Scholes - Dave Thomas
Date and Place of Birth 5th October 1950 - Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Transfers to and from Burnley
apprentice then pro October 1967 to Queens Park Rangers October 1972 £165,000
First and Last Burnley games
Everton (h) - 13th May 1967
Luton Town (a) - 30th September 1972 replaced by Geoff Nulty
Other Clubs Queens Park Rangers, Everton,
Wolverhampton Wanderers, Vancouver Whitecaps,
Middlesbrough, Portsmouth
Burnley Career Stats
Season League FA Cup League Cup Others Total
.
apps gls apps gls apps gls apps gls apps gls
1966/67 1 - - - - - - - 1 -
1967/68 3 - - - - - - - 3 -
1968/69 37(2) 4 2 - 8 3 - - 47(2) 7
1969/70 34(2) 4 - - 3 1 - - 37(2) 5
1970/71 34 3 1 - 1 - 2 - 38 3
1971/72 33 4 1 - 3 - - - 37 4
1972/73 11 4 - - 1 - - - 12 4
.
Total 153(4) 19 4 - 16 4 2 - 175(4) 23
Player Profile by Tony ScholesIt isn't often supporters would get excited about the signing of a 15-year-old schoolboy, but that was definitely the case in 1966 when Dave Thomas joined the club as an apprentice.
He'd already played at Turf Moor in a schools match and that was enough for the fans to see there was another player with some potential joining the club.
Thomas, born in Nottinghamshire but brought up in West Auckland, had something of a football pedigree. Years earlier his grandfather 'Ticer' Thomas became something of a legend in the north east having played in the Bishop Auckland side that won the FA Amateur Cup. He was also in the West Auckland side that became the first team to win the 'World Cup' which was depicted in the TV programme "A Captain's Tale" starring Dennis Waterman.
But for the young Thomas, his Burnley career started at the beginning of the 1966/67 season and he already came with great expectation with Jack Hixon, the scout who had found him for Burnley, describing him as the finest prospect he had ever seen.
Such were the hopes for him that he went straight into the reserve team and was almost immediately a regular in the Central League. Playing on the left wing those who went to the games soon saw his ability to beat players and cross the ball as well as his powerful shooting.
Incredibly, on the last day of that season, he was named in the Burnley side for the home game against Everton. At 16 years and 220 days of age he was 46 days older than Tommy Lawton was when he made his debut, but Thomas became the youngest player ever to play in a top flight game for Burnley, a record he still holds to this day.
That appearance didn't win him an automatic place in the side for the following season, but it was still one to remember for Thomas and the younger players at Burnley as we lifted the FA Youth Cup for the only time in the club's history.
With Steve Kindon on the left wing he played in an 'inside forward' role during the cup run but found himself in the first team the following season on the right wing as a replacement for Willie Morgan who had been sold to Manchester United.
One game stands out in that first full season, the 5-1 win against Leeds that came during a run of eight successive wins. Thomas was brilliant that October afternoon and beaten manager Don Revie, not one for offering praise to the opposition, described him as the finest talent in Britain and possibly the whole of Europe.
He won international honours at both youth and under-23 level but as Burnley headed towards relegation his form suffered. There were always rumours that of a rift between himself and Jimmy Adamson, who replaced Harry Potts as manager in 1970, and they were strengthened when he found himself playing a midfield role to accommodate the youngster Leighton James as well as Kindon.
Even so, he played more often than not in the side and was there at the beginning of the 1972/73 season. He played in the first eleven games that season, and scored four goals, but in a 2-2 draw at Luton he was substituted after receiving a booking that led to a suspension.
Geoff Nulty came in for him in the next game as he was forced to sit it out, but there was to be no return for Thomas. He'd played his last game for us and was sold to our promotion rivals Queens Park Rangers for £165,000. I bet they couldn't believe their luck they got him for that price.
As we won the second division, Thomas was in the QPR side that finished runners up. He picked up his runners up medal but also qualified for, and received, a winners medal. On his returns to Turf Moor he would always be greeted with chants of 'Thomas, Thomas, runner up'.
Back in the top flight he found his stage, and took a QPR side close to the title in the 1975/76 season as Burnley headed back down. By then he'd become a full international, making his England debut in Revie's first match in charge. He came on as a substitute for Frank Worthington against Czechoslovakia and almost immediately set up the first goal Mick Channon with an inch perfect cross.
After almost five years at Loftus Road he moved back to the north west and joined Everton in a £200,000 deal and was again in the same side as his former Burnley captain Martin Dobson. He spent two years at Goodison Park and seemed to set up goal after goal for Bob Latchford.
His next move took him to Molineux. Wolves paid £325,000 for his services but it proved to be an unsuccessful move. He hardly played for them and he was eventually released. From there he signed for Vancouver Whitecaps and on his return to England played for both Middlesbrough and Portsmouth.
They were his last club but he stayed after his retirement and joined the coaching staff and was later a coach at Brentford before dropping out of the game.
I always bemoan the fact that we never saw the best of him at Burnley. That I think was reserved for the QPR fans. In the end he was never able to deliver the promise at Turf Moor, but whether that was down to him or others we'll never know.
An in form Thomas was worth the admission money alone. He had pace, and a fantastic turn of pace. He could beat players with ease and could find the heads of strikers with unerring accuracy.
He only played for his country eight times and his career at the top was over far too soon. But at his best he was simply a class act.
Clarets Mad
QPRNet Interview with Dave Thomas
qprnet.com/index.php/interviews-2/int-players/10-interview-thomas
And from Bushman's Photo Archives/Michael Wale Reports![]()
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