Post by Macmoish on May 30, 2014 16:43:42 GMT
22 Years ago...
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - MAY 31, 2001
STRIKER SIGNS
QPR have today completed the signing of Leroy Griffiths from Hampton and Richmond Borough.
Pacey striker Griffiths, 24, boasts an impressive goalscoring record at non-league level having scored 22 goals in 58 appearances for the Ryman League Premier club.
Before joining Hampton and Richmond, he scored 23 goals in 49 games for Ryman Division 3 outfit Corinthian Casuals. He joins QPR for an undisclosed fee
And couple days later:
LEROY MOVE FOLLOWS TRADITION
STRIKER Leroy Griffiths is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Les Ferdinand and Andrew Impey, who became established professional stars after moving to Queens Park Rangers from local non-League sides.
Griffiths,24, joined QPR on Thursday from Ryman League Hampton and Richmond Borough for an undisclosed fee. He is well aware of the past pedigree at the Loftus Road club of Ferdinand, who joined Rangers from Hayes, and Impey who made the move from Yeading.
Ferdinand and Impey both recently signed new contracts at their current Premiership clubs - Spurs and Leicester respectively.
Griffiths said:" It will be a tough act to follow the likes of Ferdinand and Impey at QPR, but I will give it my best shot. It just goes to show that there is life outside the professional ranks and there is hope for all non-League players. The Premiership may be full of foreign players, but there is plenty of talent in this country and a lot of good quality at semi-pro level.
"I'm delighted to have joined QPR. It is a big move and a step I wanted to take, so I want to do well. Rangers have given me a break to better myself. All I can do is give them 100% and show them the respect they have shown me.
"I've just been plugging away at Hampton. The coaching staff there told me to keep my head down and work hard and that things would happen for me. Luckily enough they did.
"I've had a few offers from other clubs. I sat down and talked the options through with my family. You have to go with the people you trust.
"Ian Holloway at QPR seems like a nice bloke and a good manager. He approached me in a well-organised way and came through with the right credentials to persuade me to join QPR.
"I know that Ian has found a number of players playing in non-League in the past. He did a good job with people like Barry Hayles, improving them as players. So hopefully he can do the same for me. I have got to show the boss that he has put the right judgement in me.
"I try to entertain spectators in the way I play. I like to think of myself as an all-round player. I am not an out-and-out goalscorer. I like to be involved in the nitty-gritty, setting up and creating goals as well as scoring as many as I can.
"Wherever there is a place to be on the pitch, that is where I am helping out. I like to do a job for the team, covering people who will cover me. It is all about team work. If you can help someone out, go and help them.
"And I hope to help QPR back to Division One and hopefully win some silverware. That would be the boost that the club needs."
OLLY ON FIRST SUMMER SIGNING
Ian Holloway is delighted with the signing of Leroy Griffiths,24, from Ryman League Hampton and Richmond Borough for an undisclosed fee. The R's boss has a fine track record for unearthing players from the non-League level.
When Holloway was in charge at Bristol Rovers, he signed Barry Hayles from Stevenage Borough, Nathan Ellington from Walton and Hersham and Dwayne Plummer from Chesham United. He also plucked former Hayes striker Jason Roberts from Wolves reserves.
All of those players prospered under Holloway's tutelage. And the boss seems confident that he has found another gem in Griffiths.
Holloway said:" I am very excited about this signing. Leroy is someone that our scouting department have been tracking for quite a while. I sent my director of football Gerry Francis down to Hampton to see a game and Gerry felt that this was a very exciting player.
"We invited Leroy over for a trail and he did exceptionally well. He is hungry, very strong and very quick. He's an entertainer. The QPR fans do appreciate someone with a bit of flair and a bit of skill. Leroy started off as a young player with Charlton before drifting into the non-League game, so he wants to make a name for himself.
"With full-time training everyday, I am sure that Leroy can hopefully improve on what he has got already and excite our supporters.
"I like to do my homework and scout around the non-League levels. I've never been scared to take a gamble. It is not where you have come from, but where you want to go.
"There are an awful lot of talented players out there who haven't been given the opportunity to play at the professional level. Or maybe they had the chance before and wasted it. I always find that the desire they've got within them makes them a successful player at the end of the day."
Griffiths scored 22 goals in 58 appearances for Hampton and Richmond Borough. He previously played for Corinthian Casuals, where he hit the net 23 times in 49 games.
Career
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leroy_Griffiths
Marking the arrival of Leon Griffiths and great victory for just relegated; Holloway and Jackett's new QPR!
Guardian - Queens Park Rangers 3 - 1 Chelsea
Griffiths makes Chelsea pay the price as he moves from rags to richesGriffiths 31, Connolly 70, Peacock 88 | Gronkjaer 10
Chris Taylor at Loftus Road The Guardian, Monday 30 July 2001 21.45 BST Article historyChelsea's £25m summer spending spree may yet prove to be value for money, but it was Rangers' sole close-season purchase, a £40,000 buy from Hampton and Richmond, who stole the show as the millionaires from SW6 got a rude awakening in Shepherds Bush.
Leroy Griffiths made himself an instant hit with Rangers fans when he latched on to a through ball and, leaving the Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly trailing in his wake, lashed a fierce volley across Ed de Goey and into the far corner of the net. It was a moment of class from a young man who seemed totally unfazed by taking on one of the world's top defenders only a few weeks after turning out in the Rymans League.
"He's won the World Cup, been in the Champions League and that's where I want to be," said Griffiths. "You may be a World Cup winner but you're playing against someone totally different that you don't know anything about."
It was, as his manager Ian Holloway said, a wonderful goal from a player who has proved to be "a breath of fresh air". The victory will help boost confidence and blow away some of the gloom from last season's relegation to the Second Division, which has left continuing uncertainty over the cash-strapped club's future.
Pre-season games are a notoriously poor guide to the prospects for the coming campaign - witness Chelsea's Charity Shield victory over Manchester United last year - but there was little in this disjointed performance to suggest Claudio Ranieri's team would be capable of mounting a title challenge. In particular, Frank Lampard's anonymous display in midfield, where he was outshone by the Chelsea old boy Gavin Peacock, only served as a reminder that his predecessor as the Blues' costliest Englishman was Chris Sutton.
It had all looked so different early on. When Gronkjaer calmly netted in the 10th minute after Gianfranco Zola's defence-splitting pass had sprung the offside trap, it looked like the visitors would be able to take the game at a stroll on what was a swelteringly hot day. But with Chelsea making seven changes in the second half it was QPR who went ahead when Karl Connolly volleyed past Mark Bosnich. Shortly afterwards a slick passing move had the crowd chanting " ole " and ended with another good scoring chance.
Chelsea pushed forward in search of an equaliser with Eidur Gudjohnsen, the brightest of a lacklustre bunch, three times denied by the Hoops' goalkeeper Chris Day. He also made two fine saves from Mario Stanic, another second-half substitute, in a busy final 15 minutes.
Although Peacock's 88th-minute strike made for a slightly flattering scoreline, Chelsea could only envy the team spirit that Holloway has clearly instilled at Loftus Road.
Holloway knows that QPR still have a long way to go, although he might like to remind his charges that 25 years ago it was the QPR of Gerry Francis who were the high fliers, finishing second in the league, while Chelsea, newly relegated and massively in debt, were fielding a bargain-basement team led by a teenaged Ray Wilkins. It seemed appropriate, then, that the afternoon ended on a note of 70s nostalgia with a knot of fans scuffling in the centre circle after a pitch invasion.
QPR (4-4-2): Day; Forbes, Palmer, Ben Aska, Bruce; Bonnot (Cochrane, 51min), Perry, Peacock, Connolly (Walsh, 90); Thomson, Griffiths (Koejoe, 73).
Chelsea (3-4-3): De Goey (Bosnich, h-t); Gallas, Desailly (Bogarde, 66), Babayaro (Harley, h-t); Melchiot, Lampard, Morris (Jokanovic, h-t), Le Saux; Zola (Gudjohnsen, h-t), Hasselbaink (Forssell, 65), Gronkjaer (Stanic, h-t). Referee : C Penton.
BBC - Rangers rock sluggish Chelsea - QPR 3-1 Chelsea
Rangers deservedly got the better of their west London rivals as stunning strikes from Karl Connolly and Gavin Peacock capped an impressive fightback.
Chelsea hardly looked a £50m outfit as they laboured in the heat, but they did catch Rangers out with the opening goal on nine minutes.
Gianfranco Zola's defence-splitting pass to Jesper Gronkjaer on the left saw the Dane bear down on goal before curling the ball home for a fine opener.
The home side responded in style when an inch-perfect pass from Connolly was controlled first time by Leroy Griffiths, who rifled a left-foot shot across Ed de Goey and into the far corner.
Hasselbaink wasted a great chance for Chelsea
A complete miskick from Rangers goalkeeper Chris Day gifted Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink a chance, but the striker volleyed wide from only six yards.
Day made up for the error with a string of fine saves in the second-half, including point-blank stops from Mario Stanic twice and Eidur Gudjohnsen.
But Rangers finished the stronger and Connolly fired them in front when he hammered an unstoppable shot past a bemused Mark Bosnich from the edge of the box.
Then Peacock's marvellous finish after a one-two with Andy Thomson rounded off a great afternoon for Rangers. BBC
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - MAY 31, 2001
STRIKER SIGNS
QPR have today completed the signing of Leroy Griffiths from Hampton and Richmond Borough.
Pacey striker Griffiths, 24, boasts an impressive goalscoring record at non-league level having scored 22 goals in 58 appearances for the Ryman League Premier club.
Before joining Hampton and Richmond, he scored 23 goals in 49 games for Ryman Division 3 outfit Corinthian Casuals. He joins QPR for an undisclosed fee
And couple days later:
LEROY MOVE FOLLOWS TRADITION
STRIKER Leroy Griffiths is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Les Ferdinand and Andrew Impey, who became established professional stars after moving to Queens Park Rangers from local non-League sides.
Griffiths,24, joined QPR on Thursday from Ryman League Hampton and Richmond Borough for an undisclosed fee. He is well aware of the past pedigree at the Loftus Road club of Ferdinand, who joined Rangers from Hayes, and Impey who made the move from Yeading.
Ferdinand and Impey both recently signed new contracts at their current Premiership clubs - Spurs and Leicester respectively.
Griffiths said:" It will be a tough act to follow the likes of Ferdinand and Impey at QPR, but I will give it my best shot. It just goes to show that there is life outside the professional ranks and there is hope for all non-League players. The Premiership may be full of foreign players, but there is plenty of talent in this country and a lot of good quality at semi-pro level.
"I'm delighted to have joined QPR. It is a big move and a step I wanted to take, so I want to do well. Rangers have given me a break to better myself. All I can do is give them 100% and show them the respect they have shown me.
"I've just been plugging away at Hampton. The coaching staff there told me to keep my head down and work hard and that things would happen for me. Luckily enough they did.
"I've had a few offers from other clubs. I sat down and talked the options through with my family. You have to go with the people you trust.
"Ian Holloway at QPR seems like a nice bloke and a good manager. He approached me in a well-organised way and came through with the right credentials to persuade me to join QPR.
"I know that Ian has found a number of players playing in non-League in the past. He did a good job with people like Barry Hayles, improving them as players. So hopefully he can do the same for me. I have got to show the boss that he has put the right judgement in me.
"I try to entertain spectators in the way I play. I like to think of myself as an all-round player. I am not an out-and-out goalscorer. I like to be involved in the nitty-gritty, setting up and creating goals as well as scoring as many as I can.
"Wherever there is a place to be on the pitch, that is where I am helping out. I like to do a job for the team, covering people who will cover me. It is all about team work. If you can help someone out, go and help them.
"And I hope to help QPR back to Division One and hopefully win some silverware. That would be the boost that the club needs."
OLLY ON FIRST SUMMER SIGNING
Ian Holloway is delighted with the signing of Leroy Griffiths,24, from Ryman League Hampton and Richmond Borough for an undisclosed fee. The R's boss has a fine track record for unearthing players from the non-League level.
When Holloway was in charge at Bristol Rovers, he signed Barry Hayles from Stevenage Borough, Nathan Ellington from Walton and Hersham and Dwayne Plummer from Chesham United. He also plucked former Hayes striker Jason Roberts from Wolves reserves.
All of those players prospered under Holloway's tutelage. And the boss seems confident that he has found another gem in Griffiths.
Holloway said:" I am very excited about this signing. Leroy is someone that our scouting department have been tracking for quite a while. I sent my director of football Gerry Francis down to Hampton to see a game and Gerry felt that this was a very exciting player.
"We invited Leroy over for a trail and he did exceptionally well. He is hungry, very strong and very quick. He's an entertainer. The QPR fans do appreciate someone with a bit of flair and a bit of skill. Leroy started off as a young player with Charlton before drifting into the non-League game, so he wants to make a name for himself.
"With full-time training everyday, I am sure that Leroy can hopefully improve on what he has got already and excite our supporters.
"I like to do my homework and scout around the non-League levels. I've never been scared to take a gamble. It is not where you have come from, but where you want to go.
"There are an awful lot of talented players out there who haven't been given the opportunity to play at the professional level. Or maybe they had the chance before and wasted it. I always find that the desire they've got within them makes them a successful player at the end of the day."
Griffiths scored 22 goals in 58 appearances for Hampton and Richmond Borough. He previously played for Corinthian Casuals, where he hit the net 23 times in 49 games.
Career
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leroy_Griffiths
Marking the arrival of Leon Griffiths and great victory for just relegated; Holloway and Jackett's new QPR!
Guardian - Queens Park Rangers 3 - 1 Chelsea
Griffiths makes Chelsea pay the price as he moves from rags to richesGriffiths 31, Connolly 70, Peacock 88 | Gronkjaer 10
Chris Taylor at Loftus Road The Guardian, Monday 30 July 2001 21.45 BST Article historyChelsea's £25m summer spending spree may yet prove to be value for money, but it was Rangers' sole close-season purchase, a £40,000 buy from Hampton and Richmond, who stole the show as the millionaires from SW6 got a rude awakening in Shepherds Bush.
Leroy Griffiths made himself an instant hit with Rangers fans when he latched on to a through ball and, leaving the Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly trailing in his wake, lashed a fierce volley across Ed de Goey and into the far corner of the net. It was a moment of class from a young man who seemed totally unfazed by taking on one of the world's top defenders only a few weeks after turning out in the Rymans League.
"He's won the World Cup, been in the Champions League and that's where I want to be," said Griffiths. "You may be a World Cup winner but you're playing against someone totally different that you don't know anything about."
It was, as his manager Ian Holloway said, a wonderful goal from a player who has proved to be "a breath of fresh air". The victory will help boost confidence and blow away some of the gloom from last season's relegation to the Second Division, which has left continuing uncertainty over the cash-strapped club's future.
Pre-season games are a notoriously poor guide to the prospects for the coming campaign - witness Chelsea's Charity Shield victory over Manchester United last year - but there was little in this disjointed performance to suggest Claudio Ranieri's team would be capable of mounting a title challenge. In particular, Frank Lampard's anonymous display in midfield, where he was outshone by the Chelsea old boy Gavin Peacock, only served as a reminder that his predecessor as the Blues' costliest Englishman was Chris Sutton.
It had all looked so different early on. When Gronkjaer calmly netted in the 10th minute after Gianfranco Zola's defence-splitting pass had sprung the offside trap, it looked like the visitors would be able to take the game at a stroll on what was a swelteringly hot day. But with Chelsea making seven changes in the second half it was QPR who went ahead when Karl Connolly volleyed past Mark Bosnich. Shortly afterwards a slick passing move had the crowd chanting " ole " and ended with another good scoring chance.
Chelsea pushed forward in search of an equaliser with Eidur Gudjohnsen, the brightest of a lacklustre bunch, three times denied by the Hoops' goalkeeper Chris Day. He also made two fine saves from Mario Stanic, another second-half substitute, in a busy final 15 minutes.
Although Peacock's 88th-minute strike made for a slightly flattering scoreline, Chelsea could only envy the team spirit that Holloway has clearly instilled at Loftus Road.
Holloway knows that QPR still have a long way to go, although he might like to remind his charges that 25 years ago it was the QPR of Gerry Francis who were the high fliers, finishing second in the league, while Chelsea, newly relegated and massively in debt, were fielding a bargain-basement team led by a teenaged Ray Wilkins. It seemed appropriate, then, that the afternoon ended on a note of 70s nostalgia with a knot of fans scuffling in the centre circle after a pitch invasion.
QPR (4-4-2): Day; Forbes, Palmer, Ben Aska, Bruce; Bonnot (Cochrane, 51min), Perry, Peacock, Connolly (Walsh, 90); Thomson, Griffiths (Koejoe, 73).
Chelsea (3-4-3): De Goey (Bosnich, h-t); Gallas, Desailly (Bogarde, 66), Babayaro (Harley, h-t); Melchiot, Lampard, Morris (Jokanovic, h-t), Le Saux; Zola (Gudjohnsen, h-t), Hasselbaink (Forssell, 65), Gronkjaer (Stanic, h-t). Referee : C Penton.
BBC - Rangers rock sluggish Chelsea - QPR 3-1 Chelsea
Rangers deservedly got the better of their west London rivals as stunning strikes from Karl Connolly and Gavin Peacock capped an impressive fightback.
Chelsea hardly looked a £50m outfit as they laboured in the heat, but they did catch Rangers out with the opening goal on nine minutes.
Gianfranco Zola's defence-splitting pass to Jesper Gronkjaer on the left saw the Dane bear down on goal before curling the ball home for a fine opener.
The home side responded in style when an inch-perfect pass from Connolly was controlled first time by Leroy Griffiths, who rifled a left-foot shot across Ed de Goey and into the far corner.
Hasselbaink wasted a great chance for Chelsea
A complete miskick from Rangers goalkeeper Chris Day gifted Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink a chance, but the striker volleyed wide from only six yards.
Day made up for the error with a string of fine saves in the second-half, including point-blank stops from Mario Stanic twice and Eidur Gudjohnsen.
But Rangers finished the stronger and Connolly fired them in front when he hammered an unstoppable shot past a bemused Mark Bosnich from the edge of the box.
Then Peacock's marvellous finish after a one-two with Andy Thomson rounded off a great afternoon for Rangers. BBC