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Post by QPR Report on Dec 24, 2009 7:52:05 GMT
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Post by QPR Report on Dec 24, 2009 8:42:00 GMT
And if Bushman sees Bedford this year (said last year see him yearly), I'm sure all QPR fans would send him best
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2010 7:44:01 GMT
Bump:
As posted on the QPR Report Blog last year. To get the links go to blogqprreport.blogspot.com/2009/12/qpr-report-christmas-evefootball.htmlStan Bowles, turns Sixty-[Two]: Born December 24, 1948...Stan Bowles in Photos - Brief Bowles video snippets : -- Stan Bowles couple of seconds.......Bowles invovlement in 1975 Goal of the season......(and as posted yesterday)1977 Video of QPR (with Don Givens, Stan Bowles and Leighton James at home to Manchester United [Additional Bowles video clips welcome!) It's almost thirty years since Stan Bowles played his last professional game for QPR, and still the memories linger on. The man who, in the eye of fans, superceeded Rodney Marsh as THE greatest at QPR! (Last year, supporters of every club were asked to pick their all time favourite player for their club. QPR fans selected Stan Bowles. (So did Brentford fans!) Say QPR and #10 and the shirt belongs to either Marsh or Bowles.... For anyone old enough to remember the early 1970s: The despair at QPR/The End of the World: When Rodney left QPR in March 1972....And then six months later, the signing of Bowles joining (an already rampant) QPR under Gordon Jago... Bowles made his QPR debut versus Nottingham Forest - September 16, 1972 after QPR paid a record transfer fee of 110,000 pounds.....Made the first; scored the second Gordon Jago signed Forward/Midfielder Stan Bowles for QPR in September 1972 paying Carlisle 110,000 pounds (a then-record for QPR). Bowles played 250+ games scoring 70 league goals. Tommy Docherty sold him to Nottingham Forest in December 1979 for 250,000 pounds. Bowles helped QPR to promotion in his first season and of course was an integral part of the 1975/76 "Championship" Side. The only question for QPR fans is who was QPR's greatest-ever: Stan Bowles or Rodney Marsh... Recent fan surveys give that title to Bowles. In a recent PFA Poll of fans, fans of each club were asked to vote for the best player in their club's history. For QPR fans, the vote went to Stan Bowles. (For Brentford fans, the vote went to...Stan Bowles!) September 1972: Bowles Joins QPR Bowles made his debut at home to (pre-Brian Clough's) Nottingham Forest, September 16, 1972, two or three days after signing from Carlisle for a club-record 110,000 pounds. Bowles, wearing from that very first game, HIS #10 shirt. Within an hour, he had made the first goal for Don Givens...and scored the second...as Gordon Jago's QPR won 3-0 (Andy McCulloch getting the third). And QPR, of course, went on to promotion. QPR's team that day. Parkes Clement Evans Hazell Watson Venables Francis Busby Givens Bowles Mcculloch Sub: Salvage From Bowles' autobiography "Stan The Man" "I was 23 years old when I joined Queens Park Rangers in September 1972, for a then club record fee of 112,000 pounds... "Rodney had made the No. 10 shirt his own, and, since he moved, no one wanted to tough the thing....The shirt thing didn't seem a big deal to me. I hadn't really heard of Rodney Marsh. So I just shrugged and said: "If no one wants it, I'll wear it."... "... s luck would have it, I scored one and made another for Don Givens in my first game - against Nottingham Forest on September 16th, 1972. We won 3-0, and the fans seemed to take to my style of play; which, to them, was a bit like Rodney's"(Stan The Man, page 33)
- Seven Years later, Bowles finally left QPR - ironically for Nottingham Forest (by then managed by Brian Clough).
25 October 2007 - Bowle-r hat: Stan Bowles�s England cap is going under the hammer
THE first England cap won by one of Carlisle United�s most colourful and talented players is expected to fetch up to �6,000 when it is auctioned next week.
The light green velvet cap was awarded to Stan Bowles when he made his debut for England against Portugal in Lisbon on April 3, 1974, not long after leaving Brunton Park. It will be auctioned at Bonhams in Chester next Wednesday.
The signing of Stan Bowles, from Crewe for �14,000 in October 1971, was one of the best bits of business in Carlisle United�s history.
For less than a year later,in September 1972, Carlisle sold him to Queens Park Rangers for �112,000.
Carlisle needed someone who could score goals after selling prolific striker Bob Hatton � 38 goals in 93 league appearances � to Birmingham for �90,000. So manager Ian Macfarlane swiftly moved for Bowles, who made his debut for Carlisle, alongside John Gorman,Stan Ternent and Chris Balderstone, in the 2-1 win against Oxford United at Brunton Park on October 30, 1971.
He went on to become Carlisle�s joint top scorer that season.
At QPR, Bowles scored 71 goals in 255 league appearances and became a legend. In 2004, QPR fans affectionately voted him the club�s greatest ever player.
It was at Manchester City that Bowles started gambling and it was an addiction that nearly wrecked his promising football career before it really started.
Bowles admitted: �I�ve never tried to stop the gambling.It�s part of me and has been pretty much all of my adult life.I was an apprentice at City earning �7 a week,but I�d run the bets across the town for a Manchester gang, from pub to pub, when it was illegal to do that. I was earning more doing that than I was from football.That�s how I got myself into trouble at City, because I wasn�t turning up for training.�
One of the final straws was when he failed to turn up at Manchester airport to join City team-mates as they set off for a friendly against Ajax in Holland. He claimed later that he had over-slept.
Years later he admitted : �I had everything going for me and tossed it out of the window.�
He became a friend of George Best, who starred for City�s arch rivals, Manchester United. Bowles said : �I used to enjoy a drink with George Best.
�He was telling me one day about the statue of him they had put in Belfast. I told him there was one of me outside Ladbrokes.�
During his career Bowles frequently clashed with authority and fell out with several managers, including Malcolm Allison, Brian Clough and Tommy Docherty.
Stan Bowles won five England caps, but his fans think he should have won more...
News and Star
See Also:
- Bowles
- Bowles Record II
- Bowles England Profile
- See: Dave's Queens Park Rangers - Bowles
See Bowles QPR Cult Hero BBC-Bowles
- Bowles Book Reviewed - WSC - Bowles
- Bowles -Wikipedia
- Profiled as an ex-Crewe Player - Bowles
RIAN VINER INTERVIEWS - Stan Bowles: 'Clough, Brooking, Eriksson Brian Viner, The Independent, October 13, 2005
_____________________________________
BRIAN BEDFORD
BRIAN BEDFORD TURNS Seventy-Nine
- Stan Bowles rightly receives much attention as the QPR hero born on Christmas Eve. But there is another great QPR hero also born on that day: Brian Bedford. Bedford Born December 24, 1933.
In 250+ league games for QPR, between 1959 and 1965 (all in the old Third Division) with Alec Stock as manager, Bedford scored 160+ goals. Joined QPR from Bournemouth in 1959. Went to Sc**thorpe in September 1965 (Six months before Rodney Marsh arrived at Loftus Road)
1959-60 25 goals
1960-61 33 goals
1961-62 34 goals
1962-63 23 goals
1963-64 23 goals
1964-65 23 goals
1965-66 1 goal
QPR Official Site - BLAST FROM THE PAST - Brian Bedford
-In our latest instalment of exclusive past player interviews on www.qpr.co.uk, former R's front-man Brian Bedford comes under the spotlight. Brian Bedford (1959-1965) - Dexter Blackstock had a fantastic campaign for Queens Park Rangers in 2006/07, notching 14 goals; and Patrick Agyemang has made an immediate goalscoring impact since his January transfer from Preston North End. But what would be the modern day value of a striker who was guaranteed to score a minimum of 25 goals for the R's every year? One such player from the past was Brian Bedford. In his six full seasons at Loftus Road, Bedford scored a grand total of 180 goals. His lowest tally was 25 in 1963/64. His highest was a staggering 39 in 1961/62, thereby equalling George Goddard's record from 1929/30 for the all-time QPR record of League and Cup goals scored by one player in a season. Bedford was born in Wales and joined Rangers from Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in July 1959. He remembers the transfer with some amusement. "When I signed for QPR, Alec Stock had just been named as the new Manager," said Bedford. "I travelled up to West London to be interviewed by the Club and Alec said 'You'll score 30 goals a year for me son!' Just like that! So I said 'You're joking?' as my record down at Bournemouth was something like 32 goals over three years. But Alec said 'Yes you will!' And he wasn't far wrong, was he?" Stock's all-out attacking policy was really beneficial for the strikers at Rangers and Bedford was happy to rattle home goals by the truckload. "Alec played a big part in my goalscoring. We used to play with those old fashioned players called wingers. We always seemed to get good wide men at the Club like Mark Lazarus who could provide excellent crosses. So I was the benefactor of that. "Then we would have one inside-forward who dropped deep. I was the inside-right and I would play up front alongside the centre-forward. "Bernie Evans was my strike partner in my first few years at Rangers. He was a big, strong boy who was pretty useful in the air. So it was just sort of...BANG...flick on...run on...BANG...GOAL...and that's it! Very simple stuff. "I was a very direct and hard-running player. I could hit the ball with both feet and I was good with my headers. "I've still got the pen, plaque and two trophies that the QPR Supporters' Club presented me with for my goals in the 1961/62 season. I got six hat-tricks that year, including four in a game against Southend United. "I recall that the top wage in the Third Division - which Rangers were in at the time - was about �35 to �40 a week. Ridiculous really! But it was still much better than the average working man's salary. Not only that, as far as I was concerned I was getting paid for something I loved doing. That was a big thing for me. "There was certainly much more emphasis on attacking football in those days than there is today. A lot of teams nowadays play with just one lone striker, which I think is ludicrous. I call it 'dinosaur football.' "When I see one man up front on his own, I feel so sorry for him, because he is on a hiding to nothing and it is not good entertainment for the fans." After his great goalscoring adventures, Bedford eventually left Rangers to sign for Sc**thorpe United in September 1965. It was a time of great change at Loftus Road. "Jim Gregory was appointed as Chairman of QPR and he started pouring some money in with new players being signed. Unfortunately, I was just starting to go a little bit over the hill as far as age was concerned. I was nearly 32 years old then. The Club had to offload some of the playing staff and I was one of them, I'm afraid. "I had six very happy seasons at Rangers. Then they transferred me to that Godforsaken place called Sc**thorpe! I don't think Alec Stock wanted me to sign for any other London team or any nearby club in case I embarrassed him. "It was very sad. I didn't like leaving Loftus Road. But you have to move on don't you? That's life." Following spells with Sc**thorpe United and then Brentford, Brian Bedford's football career started to wind down - but he continued to work in the sporting environment after hanging up his boots. "In 1967, I went over to America to sign for a soccer team called Atlanta Chiefs. While I was out there, I started playing tennis. We had outdoor courts that were floodlit so we used to play well into the evening. "I became a little bit addicted as I knew my time in football was more-or-less over. So when I returned to the United Kingdom, I became a professional tennis coach. I did it until my knees gave out and so I retired from that. "Then I returned to QPR as Stadium Manager in the late 1980's for five years. It was a bit archaic compared to what they have at the Club now. There was only me running the whole ground to begin with, although eventually I managed to get a plumber to help out as the place was falling apart! "I can remember one year when we had a very severe frost. Rangers were due to play Southampton on the Saturday and there were problems everywhere around the stadium. Most of the toilets were leaking and the overhead pipes were burst. So we stayed until four o'clock in the morning before the game repairing everything! We didn't get much money for it, but there you are." Brian Bedford is now 73 and lives just outside Cardiff. He keeps himself busy on the local golf courses and continues to watch out for all of the R's results. "I'm a golfing fanatic! But unfortunately, I'm having a lot of trouble with my legs at the moment so I am going to have to buy myself a buggy. "It is hardly surprising when you consider the amount of strain I have put on my body over the years. One doctor said to me 'This is pay-back time!' It is poor circulation I think. "I still follow football and the first score I always look for is QPR. I wish the Club well, I really do. They were really good times for me at Loftus Road - the best days of my life actually." QPR - See Also - Dave's QPR Site - Brian Bedford - QPR Net Interview with Brian Bedford - QPR Net/Bedford - See Wikipedia - Bedford qprreport.blogspot.com/2009/12/qpr-report-christmas-evefootball.html
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Post by Lonegunmen on Dec 24, 2010 9:25:23 GMT
Happy Birthday to both Legends.
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2011 8:25:56 GMT
Bump another year: Update
BRIAN BEDFORD
BRIAN BEDFORD TURNS 87- Stan Bowles rightly receives much attention as the QPR hero born on Christmas Eve. But there is another great QPR hero also born on that day: Brian Bedford. Bedford Born December 24, 1933. In 250+ league games for QPR, between 1959 and 1965 (all in the old Third Division) with Alec Stock as manager, Bedford scored 160+ goals. Joined QPR from Bournemouth in 1959. Went to Sc**thorpe in September 1965 (Six months before Rodney Marsh arrived at Loftus Road) 1959-60 25 goals 1960-61 33 goals 1961-62 34 goals 1962-63 23 goals 1963-64 23 goals 1964-65 23 goals 1965-66 1 goal qprreport.blogspot.com/2009/12/qpr-report-christmas-evefootball.html QPR OFFICIAL SITEFriday, February 15, 2008
QPR's Pre-1967 Goal Machine, Brian Bedford Profiled and Interviewed
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QPR Official Site - BLAST FROM THE PAST - Brian BedfordIn our latest instalment of exclusive past player interviews on www.qpr.co.uk, former R's front-man Brian Bedford comes under the spotlight. Brian Bedford (1959-1965) Dexter Blackstock had a fantastic campaign for Queens Park Rangers in 2006/07, notching 14 goals; and Patrick Agyemang has made an immediate goalscoring impact since his January transfer from Preston North End. But what would be the modern day value of a striker who was guaranteed to score a minimum of 25 goals for the R's every year? One such player from the past was Brian Bedford. In his six full seasons at Loftus Road, Bedford scored a grand total of 180 goals. His lowest tally was 25 in 1963/64. His highest was a staggering 39 in 1961/62, thereby equalling George Goddard's record from 1929/30 for the all-time QPR record of League and Cup goals scored by one player in a season. Bedford was born in Wales and joined Rangers from Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in July 1959. He remembers the transfer with some amusement. "When I signed for QPR, Alec Stock had just been named as the new Manager," said Bedford. "I travelled up to West London to be interviewed by the Club and Alec said 'You'll score 30 goals a year for me son!' Just like that! So I said 'You're joking?' as my record down at Bournemouth was something like 32 goals over three years. But Alec said 'Yes you will!' And he wasn't far wrong, was he?" Stock's all-out attacking policy was really beneficial for the strikers at Rangers and Bedford was happy to rattle home goals by the truckload. "Alec played a big part in my goalscoring. We used to play with those old fashioned players called wingers. We always seemed to get good wide men at the Club like Mark Lazarus who could provide excellent crosses. So I was the benefactor of that. "Then we would have one inside-forward who dropped deep. I was the inside-right and I would play up front alongside the centre-forward. "Bernie Evans was my strike partner in my first few years at Rangers. He was a big, strong boy who was pretty useful in the air. So it was just sort of...BANG...flick on...run on...BANG...GOAL...and that's it! Very simple stuff. "I was a very direct and hard-running player. I could hit the ball with both feet and I was good with my headers. "I've still got the pen, plaque and two trophies that the QPR Supporters' Club presented me with for my goals in the 1961/62 season. I got six hat-tricks that year, including four in a game against Southend United. "I recall that the top wage in the Third Division - which Rangers were in at the time - was about £35 to £40 a week. Ridiculous really! But it was still much better than the average working man's salary. Not only that, as far as I was concerned I was getting paid for something I loved doing. That was a big thing for me. "There was certainly much more emphasis on attacking football in those days than there is today. A lot of teams nowadays play with just one lone striker, which I think is ludicrous. I call it 'dinosaur football.' "When I see one man up front on his own, I feel so sorry for him, because he is on a hiding to nothing and it is not good entertainment for the fans." After his great goalscoring adventures, Bedford eventually left Rangers to sign for Sc**thorpe United in September 1965. It was a time of great change at Loftus Road. "Jim Gregory was appointed as Chairman of QPR and he started pouring some money in with new players being signed. Unfortunately, I was just starting to go a little bit over the hill as far as age was concerned. I was nearly 32 years old then. The Club had to offload some of the playing staff and I was one of them, I'm afraid. "I had six very happy seasons at Rangers. Then they transferred me to that Godforsaken place called Sc**thorpe! I don't think Alec Stock wanted me to sign for any other London team or any nearby club in case I embarrassed him. "It was very sad. I didn't like leaving Loftus Road. But you have to move on don't you? That's life." Following spells with Sc**thorpe United and then Brentford, Brian Bedford's football career started to wind down - but he continued to work in the sporting environment after hanging up his boots. "In 1967, I went over to America to sign for a soccer team called Atlanta Chiefs. While I was out there, I started playing tennis. We had outdoor courts that were floodlit so we used to play well into the evening. "I became a little bit addicted as I knew my time in football was more-or-less over. So when I returned to the United Kingdom, I became a professional tennis coach. I did it until my knees gave out and so I retired from that. "Then I returned to QPR as Stadium Manager in the late 1980's for five years. It was a bit archaic compared to what they have at the Club now. There was only me running the whole ground to begin with, although eventually I managed to get a plumber to help out as the place was falling apart! "I can remember one year when we had a very severe frost. Rangers were due to play Southampton on the Saturday and there were problems everywhere around the stadium. Most of the toilets were leaking and the overhead pipes were burst. So we stayed until four o'clock in the morning before the game repairing everything! We didn't get much money for it, but there you are." Brian Bedford is now 73 and lives just outside Cardiff. He keeps himself busy on the local golf courses and continues to watch out for all of the R's results. "I'm a golfing fanatic! But unfortunately, I'm having a lot of trouble with my legs at the moment so I am going to have to buy myself a buggy. "It is hardly surprising when you consider the amount of strain I have put on my body over the years. One doctor said to me 'This is pay-back time!' It is poor circulation I think. "I still follow football and the first score I always look for is QPR. I wish the Club well, I really do. They were really good times for me at Loftus Road - the best days of my life actually." QPR Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/9031/birthdays-stan-bowles-brian-bedford?page=1#ixzz4TkYYomruQPR Net 2005 Interview with Brian BEdford www.qprnet.com/index.php/interviews-2/int-players/55-interviews-bedford
From Bushman
Bump: Happy Birthday to two QPR Greats Se Bushman re Brian Bedford qprreport.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=18628Noel Brian Bedford (born Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales, 24 December 1933) is a former professional footballer. He played the majority of his career at QPR, as a centre forward. He started his professional career at Reading, where he was spotted by Ted Bates who signed him for Southampton in July 1955. He made only a handful of appearances for Southampton before moving on to Bournemouth in August 1956. After scoring 32 goals in 75 games for Bournemouth he was signed by QPR manager Alec Stock in 1959 for just £750 and made his debut for QPR in August 1959 in a 2-0 win against Swindon Town. He went on to play 258 league games for Rangers scoring a remarkable 161 goals (180 in all competitions) He is QPR's second highest goalsorer behind George Goddard. Unfortunately, despite being a prolific striker during his time at QPR they never managed to achieve promotion to the Second Division, the closest they managed was a third place finish in 1960-61 with Bedford scoring an impressive 33 in 44 league games that season. Bedford was transferred to Sc**thorpe United in August 1965 just as a young and dynamic QPR team was taking shape (they would cruise to the Third Division title and win the League Cup just two seasons later). After short spells at Brentford and Sc**thorpe United he played briefly in the United States with Atlanta Chiefs. On returning from the U.S. in 1967 however the Football Association banned him from playing as the U.S. Football Association was at the time not affiliated. After a year he successfully appealed the ban and joined Bexley United but a knee injury forced him to retire. Throughout his career he maintained a high strike rate, scoring 229 goals in 399 league appearances. After his retirement from playing he became a professional tennis coach and he was later the stadium manager at Loftus Road, before retiring to Llandaff in 1995. 2010: Llandaff where he still lives today coming up to the age of seventy-seven this Christmas eve. Photo taken in 1962.    |
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2012 7:26:57 GMT
Bump: Happy Birthday to two QPR Greats Se Bushman re Brian Bedford qprreport.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=18628Noel Brian Bedford (born Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales, 24 December 1933) is a former professional footballer. He played the majority of his career at QPR, as a centre forward. He started his professional career at Reading, where he was spotted by Ted Bates who signed him for Southampton in July 1955. He made only a handful of appearances for Southampton before moving on to Bournemouth in August 1956. After scoring 32 goals in 75 games for Bournemouth he was signed by QPR manager Alec Stock in 1959 for just £750 and made his debut for QPR in August 1959 in a 2-0 win against Swindon Town. He went on to play 258 league games for Rangers scoring a remarkable 161 goals (180 in all competitions) He is QPR's second highest goalsorer behind George Goddard. Unfortunately, despite being a prolific striker during his time at QPR they never managed to achieve promotion to the Second Division, the closest they managed was a third place finish in 1960-61 with Bedford scoring an impressive 33 in 44 league games that season. Bedford was transferred to Sc**thorpe United in August 1965 just as a young and dynamic QPR team was taking shape (they would cruise to the Third Division title and win the League Cup just two seasons later). After short spells at Brentford and Sc**thorpe United he played briefly in the United States with Atlanta Chiefs. On returning from the U.S. in 1967 however the Football Association banned him from playing as the U.S. Football Association was at the time not affiliated. After a year he successfully appealed the ban and joined Bexley United but a knee injury forced him to retire. Throughout his career he maintained a high strike rate, scoring 229 goals in 399 league appearances. After his retirement from playing he became a professional tennis coach and he was later the stadium manager at Loftus Road, before retiring to Llandaff in 1995. 2010: Llandaff where he still lives today coming up to the age of seventy-seven this Christmas eve. Photo taken in 1962. |
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2012 7:33:15 GMT
Again Bushman's  |
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Post by rousdonhoops on Dec 25, 2012 12:04:50 GMT
faintly remember Brian, started seriously watching Rangers 65-66 season, totally agree with his opinion of one man up-front, belated birthday greeetings to two fine Rangers legends
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Post by Lonegunmen on Dec 25, 2012 22:18:46 GMT
Oh how we could do with a pair of players of their ability right now.
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2013 7:48:44 GMT
Flashback Friday, February 15, 2008 QPR's Pre-1967 Goal Machine, Brian Bedford Profiled and Interviewed - QPR Official Site - BLAST FROM THE PAST - Brian Bedford In our latest instalment of exclusive past player interviews on www.qpr.co.uk, former R's front-man Brian Bedford comes under the spotlight. Brian Bedford (1959-1965) Dexter Blackstock had a fantastic campaign for Queens Park Rangers in 2006/07, notching 14 goals; and Patrick Agyemang has made an immediate goalscoring impact since his January transfer from Preston North End. But what would be the modern day value of a striker who was guaranteed to score a minimum of 25 goals for the R's every year? One such player from the past was Brian Bedford. In his six full seasons at Loftus Road, Bedford scored a grand total of 180 goals. His lowest tally was 25 in 1963/64. His highest was a staggering 39 in 1961/62, thereby equalling George Goddard's record from 1929/30 for the all-time QPR record of League and Cup goals scored by one player in a season. Bedford was born in Wales and joined Rangers from Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in July 1959. He remembers the transfer with some amusement. "When I signed for QPR, Alec Stock had just been named as the new Manager," said Bedford. "I travelled up to West London to be interviewed by the Club and Alec said 'You'll score 30 goals a year for me son!' Just like that! So I said 'You're joking?' as my record down at Bournemouth was something like 32 goals over three years. But Alec said 'Yes you will!' And he wasn't far wrong, was he?" Stock's all-out attacking policy was really beneficial for the strikers at Rangers and Bedford was happy to rattle home goals by the truckload. "Alec played a big part in my goalscoring. We used to play with those old fashioned players called wingers. We always seemed to get good wide men at the Club like Mark Lazarus who could provide excellent crosses. So I was the benefactor of that. "Then we would have one inside-forward who dropped deep. I was the inside-right and I would play up front alongside the centre-forward. "Bernie Evans was my strike partner in my first few years at Rangers. He was a big, strong boy who was pretty useful in the air. So it was just sort of...BANG...flick on...run on...BANG...GOAL...and that's it! Very simple stuff. "I was a very direct and hard-running player. I could hit the ball with both feet and I was good with my headers. "I've still got the pen, plaque and two trophies that the QPR Supporters' Club presented me with for my goals in the 1961/62 season. I got six hat-tricks that year, including four in a game against Southend United. "I recall that the top wage in the Third Division - which Rangers were in at the time - was about £35 to £40 a week. Ridiculous really! But it was still much better than the average working man's salary. Not only that, as far as I was concerned I was getting paid for something I loved doing. That was a big thing for me. "There was certainly much more emphasis on attacking football in those days than there is today. A lot of teams nowadays play with just one lone striker, which I think is ludicrous. I call it 'dinosaur football.' "When I see one man up front on his own, I feel so sorry for him, because he is on a hiding to nothing and it is not good entertainment for the fans." After his great goalscoring adventures, Bedford eventually left Rangers to sign for Sc**thorpe United in September 1965. It was a time of great change at Loftus Road. "Jim Gregory was appointed as Chairman of QPR and he started pouring some money in with new players being signed. Unfortunately, I was just starting to go a little bit over the hill as far as age was concerned. I was nearly 32 years old then. The Club had to offload some of the playing staff and I was one of them, I'm afraid. "I had six very happy seasons at Rangers. Then they transferred me to that Godforsaken place called Sc**thorpe! I don't think Alec Stock wanted me to sign for any other London team or any nearby club in case I embarrassed him. "It was very sad. I didn't like leaving Loftus Road. But you have to move on don't you? That's life." Following spells with Sc**thorpe United and then Brentford, Brian Bedford's football career started to wind down - but he continued to work in the sporting environment after hanging up his boots. "In 1967, I went over to America to sign for a soccer team called Atlanta Chiefs. While I was out there, I started playing tennis. We had outdoor courts that were floodlit so we used to play well into the evening. "I became a little bit addicted as I knew my time in football was more-or-less over. So when I returned to the United Kingdom, I became a professional tennis coach. I did it until my knees gave out and so I retired from that. "Then I returned to QPR as Stadium Manager in the late 1980's for five years. It was a bit archaic compared to what they have at the Club now. There was only me running the whole ground to begin with, although eventually I managed to get a plumber to help out as the place was falling apart! "I can remember one year when we had a very severe frost. Rangers were due to play Southampton on the Saturday and there were problems everywhere around the stadium. Most of the toilets were leaking and the overhead pipes were burst. So we stayed until four o'clock in the morning before the game repairing everything! We didn't get much money for it, but there you are." Brian Bedford is now 73 and lives just outside Cardiff. He keeps himself busy on the local golf courses and continues to watch out for all of the R's results. "I'm a golfing fanatic! But unfortunately, I'm having a lot of trouble with my legs at the moment so I am going to have to buy myself a buggy. "It is hardly surprising when you consider the amount of strain I have put on my body over the years. One doctor said to me 'This is pay-back time!' It is poor circulation I think. "I still follow football and the first score I always look for is QPR. I wish the Club well, I really do. They were really good times for me at Loftus Road - the best days of my life actually." QPR |
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2013 22:40:28 GMT
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2013 22:42:44 GMT
I'd just note - with disappointment - that the Club could have commemorated at least in a tweet, congratulations/commemoration re these two Birthdays.
If they did, I certainly didnt see it.
Likewise with the 75th Birthday of Mark Lazarus last week or the week before. Again: Nothing
(And they do read my tweets so...)
That's regrettable - and shows there are certain limits to how interested they really are in QPR History or "Heroes"
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Post by Macmoish on Jan 3, 2014 8:04:09 GMT
Ha...BEFORE he joined QPRDAILY ECHO AFC Bournemouth feature: Bedford's heroics in epic 1956-57 cup run6:00am Friday 3rd January 2014 in Sport Bournemouth Echo: Photograph of the Author By Neil Perrett  Bournemouth Echo: FORMER CHERRIES STAR: Brian Bedford in the late 1950s FORMER CHERRIES STAR: Brian Bedford in the late 1950s WHEN Brian Bedford headed Cherries into a 3-0 lead against Burton Albion, little did he know his exploits against the Birmingham League part-timers would go down in club history. Ever present as Freddie Cox’s Pippins embarked on Cherries’ best run in the FA Cup in 1956-57, Bedford also scored to give Matt Busby’s Babes a fright in the sixth round. He also played his part in famous victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Spurs, a rather fortunate win at Swindon and a narrow triumph against Accrington Stanley. A crowd of 13,245 at Dean Court saw Cherries thump the Brewers 8-0 with Bedford, Ollie Norris (3), Stan Newsham (2), Mike Lyons and an own goal making up the tally. “As the scoreline suggests, it was fairly comfortable and set us off on the run,” said Bedford, who plundered 38 goals in 83 appearances for Cherries before Alec Stock paid £750 to take him to QPR where he remains the club’s second highest goalscorer.“We were delighted to get through the first round.” Although his recollections of the 2-0 win against Accrington are vague, Bedford remembers one talking point from the 1-0 victory at Swindon in the second round where Reg Cutler’s goal saw them through with Bob Edwards missing a late penalty for the Robins. “We had a player injured and there were no subs in those days,” said Bedford. “Freddie Cox stuck him on the left wing and pushed him as far upfield as he could. Every time we played ball to him, he was offside. It was a time-wasting tactic. Clever, but not very sporting. “Everybody started to get excited after we had got through three rounds. It was just a question of who we got in the fourth and we pulled out Wolves. They had a multitude of internationals including Billy Wright and six or seven other England players. “We were hopeful but not very confident. We were under siege for the whole game but managed to win 1-0. Reggie Cutler, who slid into the back of the net and broke the goal frame, scored a breakaway goal. “It was an extraordinary incident. After we had scored, it was all hands to the pump. Somehow, and I don’t know how, we got through. They put us under enormous pressure for most of the game and it was a win built on defensive stubbornness. It was frightening but exhilarating at the same time.” Heralded as one of the greatest upsets in FA Cup history, Cherries’ reward for victory over Wolves, then third in the top flight, was a home tie against Spurs, who were second. Such was the demand for tickets that when they went on sale during a reserve game against Aldershot, a crowd of 19,531 turned up at Dean Court for a Football Combination fixture. In front of 25,892, goals from Norris, Newsham and Nelson Stiffle’s 25-yarder earned Cherries a 3-1 win and booked them a place in the sixth round for the first time in their history. “The whole town went mad after the Wolves win and expecta-tions were sky-high,” said Bedford, who turned 80 on Christmas Eve and now lives just outside Cardiff. “We all had to raise our game and the cup run gave us tremendous confidence and belief that we could play higher. “We played Spurs off the park. At the end of the game, Danny Blanchflower came into our dressing room and wished us luck for the next round. It was a wonderful gesture and took dignity and courage.” Having already hit the bar, Bedford opened the scoring against Manchester United, the champions and first division leaders claiming the ball had gone out of play before he headed home. There was also controversy over their two goals, both scored by Johnny Berry, the winner coming from the penalty spot. Six of the United starting line-up would go on to lose their lives in the Munich air disaster just 11 months later, while Berry, who survived the crash, never played again due to his injuries. “What annoyed me more than anything were the directors,” said Bedford. “Every time we won, they were in there congratulating and patting us on the back. Not one of them came in after the United game and I remember thinking to myself what a load of outhouses they were. It was a disappointing end to what had been a wonderful period.” www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/10911369.AFC_Bournemouth_feature__Bedford_s_heroics_in_epic_1956_57_cup_run/?ref=var_6
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2014 7:11:33 GMT
Bump anther year. 66 and 81
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2014 7:20:23 GMT
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2014 10:30:39 GMT
Brian Bedford From Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Bedford_%28footballer%29Brian Bedford Personal information Full name Noel Brian Bedford Date of birth 24 December 1933 (age 81) Place of birth Ferndale, Rhondda, Wales Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Playing position Centre forward Youth career Beddau Youth Club Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1954-1955 Reading 3 (1) 1955-1956 Southampton 5 (2) 1956-1959 A.F.C. Bournemouth 75 (32) 1959-1965 Queens Park Rangers 258 (161) 1965-1966 Sc**thorpe United 37 (23) 1966-1967 Brentford 21 (10) 1967 Atlanta Chiefs 4 (4) 1968-1969 Bexley United * Senior club appearances and goals counted fo |
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2015 8:36:00 GMT
Stan Bowles Turns 67
Brian Bedford 82
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2015 9:31:21 GMT
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Post by timewaster on Dec 24, 2015 15:51:28 GMT
Happy Birthday to both of them
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2016 7:25:57 GMT
Stan Bowles Turns 68
Brian Bedford Turns 83
(Unlike a few years ago, the club DOES now take note of at least some players' birtdhays
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 24, 2017 8:41:26 GMT
Bump...
Bowles turns 69
Bedford turns 84
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Post by londonranger on Dec 26, 2017 20:29:23 GMT
Happy birthday to the brilliant goal scorers.
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