Post by QPR Report on Mar 27, 2009 12:16:27 GMT
On the Official Site.
(Years from now, I imagine the QPR players from recent years will be recalling the events at Loftus Road in the early 21st century!)
BLAST FROM THE PAST - MARTIN ALLEN
The most talked about episode from Martin Allen's career at Queens Park Rangers was not a match he played in … but one that he missed!
It was 20 years ago this month - on March 11th 1989. Rangers travelled north for a First Division fixture at Newcastle United and our squad stayed in a hotel overnight before the game.
Allen said: "I was sharing a room with our goalkeeper David Seaman. At two o'clock in the morning, David took a phone call from my dad saying that my wife Gabriella was about to give birth.
"I found out there was a flight back to London at 7.30am and I told our Assistant Manager Peter Shreeves. He said 'Before you leave, check that she's still in labour. And if you are going to go, then get on the plane and good luck. But check first.'
"I rang from the hotel at 6.00am and Gabriella was settling in at the Royal Berks Hospital. So I got the plane from Newcastle Airport and arrived at Heathrow about 8.30am. From there, I was in the hospital at 9.30am and our baby George was born at 12.15pm.
"I'll never forget the following Monday. I was just leaving for home after training when QPR Manager Trevor Francis handed me an envelope while I was getting in my car. I thought it was going to be a note of congratulations for having the baby. But it was a two week wages fine!
"It was quite shocking and disappointing. After that, my working relationship with Trevor broke down. I was eventually sold to West Ham a few months later.
"But I have no regrets about what happened. It was only human that I wanted to see the birth of my first child. Everyone has the right if they wish to do that - whether you are a footballer or whether you are a banker or a politician. It doesn't matter what you work as. You have that right.
"I still get phone calls from newspapers about the incident - even now. My name always crops up when any top sportsman chooses to attend the birth of a child. Or even when they opt to stay and perform in their chosen sport when the wife is in labour.
"My famous - or infamous - son George is now 20 years-old. As I am talking to you on the phone for this interview, I am just driving him down to Bristol University where he is studying Maths & Philosophy. George is doing very well and enjoying his own life now."
'Mad Dog' originally came up through the youth ranks at Rangers. A total of 167 appearances followed for the First Team with 19 goals. His tenacious midfield play is fondly remembered at Loftus Road.
"We had a very strong youth policy when I first joined the R's," said Allen. "Chris Gieler was the Youth Development Officer and he was really ahead of all the other Clubs when finding young players. Chris invited me in for schoolboy training when I was 12 years-old after I had played for Reading Boys away to Oxford Boys one Tuesday afternoon.
"Then when I left school, I was delighted to be given an apprenticeship at the Club on a two year contract. I worked under a QPR Youth Team Manager called George Graham!
"I was surrounded in the R's set-up at that point by some of the best England Youth players. People like Dougie McClure, Gary Cooper and David Kerslake. They were all getting games for the Reserves and I wasn't. So I was probably at the bottom of the whole group and it really was a difficult time.
"Everyone knew the football name of 'Allen' and it was a bit of a hindrance for me as it brought high expectations and added pressures. My cousins Clive and Paul Allen were both doing very well in the game as teenagers but I was struggling and I wasn't quite ready to make the grade. I was a leggy youth player and I needed to fill out.
"So I did a lot of hard work with my father Dennis at Reading Athletic Club and Reading Boxing Club for seven weeks one summer. It was my dad's drive and determination that pushed me and worked me.
"When I went back for pre-season with the R's, I was much fitter, stronger and faster. The rest is history. But it wasn't easy as I didn't really come through and develop until I was 19.
"After that, there were two occasions with Queens Park Rangers that I will never forget and one that I have always wanted to forget!
"The first big memory was my full League debut away to Newcastle in April 1985. In the very first couple of minutes of that game, Glenn Roeder - the Geordies' defender - moved into midfield with the ball at his feet and was about five yards away from me when he did one of his famous step-overs. I went one way and Glenn went the other way. Rather than letting him go by, I stuck my leg out and got booked.
"All my family had travelled up to the North-East to see me play. So there were about eight of the Allen's sitting up at the back of the stand in St James' Park dreading my next tackle in case I got sent-off in my first game! But I managed to stay on the pitch and it really was an absolutely magical day for me.
"Another match I love to recall was the 1986 Milk Cup Semi-Final Second Leg away to Liverpool when we faced such a brilliant team.
"I still get reminded by many QPR supporters about the famous tackle I did on Liverpool's Alan Hansen. He was much quicker than me and he was dribbling back towards his own goal. But I lifted him about six feet in the air on the edge of their 18 yard box in front of a packed end of R's fans! Needless to say, I got another booking!
"In a dramatic finish, Liverpool scored two own goals to send us through to the Final. We got a standing ovation from the whole Anfield crowd at the end. That night was probably the highlight of my whole career.
"But we went on to lose 3-0 to Oxford United at Wembley Stadium and it was certainly the one game I've always wanted to wipe out. Going into that showpiece event, I felt on top of the world and on top of my game. Everyone - me included - just expected us to win the Cup.
"In the end, it was a massive letdown. I still don't feel great about it now as I didn't perform on the day. So I've always wanted to bury the memory of it."
Allen is now 43 years-old and has been Manager of Cheltenham Town FC in League One since September. But like all of our former players, he takes a keen interest in events here at Rangers.
"I absolutely love being a Manager. It is quite a challenge at Cheltenham, although one I am enjoying actually. Wages have been slashed here and we have had to make a lot of cut-backs, just like most companies in the outside world. So you are not going to be as efficient as before.
"However, this summer I will get the chance to wheel and deal in the transfer market. So I will have a very competitive team next season without a shadow of a doubt.
"Incidentally, since I've been a football Manager I've had several occasions when players' wives have been expecting babies. In fact, I've got one at the moment. So I sat the player down and asked him what he would like to do. He said he would prefer to be at the birth and I replied 'Well, you deserve that right.'
"Away from Cheltenham Town, I obviously still have a soft spot for QPR. I invariably get very well looked after when I want to go back to watch a match at Loftus Road. It's also nice that the Rangers supporters I bump into in the street are always very kind to me.
"The R's have moved up to a different level financially with their current backers and have a bright future. Although I believe you have to get the right 'chemistry' in the dressing room and within the Club from top to bottom.
"It's not just about having good players. The 'chemistry' I mentioned is so important - it can go a long way to making a successful squad and a good team. But that will all take time and patience as there have been a lot of changes at Loftus Road."
And what about the situation back in 1989 with Trevor Francis and the birth of baby George? Did that ever resolve itself?
Allen said: "Several years later, I played for West Ham away to Sheffield Wednesday - when Trevor Francis was Manager at Hillsborough. I got badly injured in the game, with cracked ribs and a punctured lung.
"I was rushed away in an ambulance as I was struggling to breathe and in a pretty bad way. About 10.30pm that night, there was a phone call to my ward at the hospital in Sheffield.
"The nurse came over and said 'Trevor Francis from Sheffield Wednesday just rang. He enquired how you are and if you are healthy.'
"Well at that point, I had to pinch myself to see if I was still alive. Because it was the first time that Trevor had communicated with me since I left the QPR team hotel at Newcastle!"
www.qpr.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10373~1604506,00.html
(Years from now, I imagine the QPR players from recent years will be recalling the events at Loftus Road in the early 21st century!)
BLAST FROM THE PAST - MARTIN ALLEN
The most talked about episode from Martin Allen's career at Queens Park Rangers was not a match he played in … but one that he missed!
It was 20 years ago this month - on March 11th 1989. Rangers travelled north for a First Division fixture at Newcastle United and our squad stayed in a hotel overnight before the game.
Allen said: "I was sharing a room with our goalkeeper David Seaman. At two o'clock in the morning, David took a phone call from my dad saying that my wife Gabriella was about to give birth.
"I found out there was a flight back to London at 7.30am and I told our Assistant Manager Peter Shreeves. He said 'Before you leave, check that she's still in labour. And if you are going to go, then get on the plane and good luck. But check first.'
"I rang from the hotel at 6.00am and Gabriella was settling in at the Royal Berks Hospital. So I got the plane from Newcastle Airport and arrived at Heathrow about 8.30am. From there, I was in the hospital at 9.30am and our baby George was born at 12.15pm.
"I'll never forget the following Monday. I was just leaving for home after training when QPR Manager Trevor Francis handed me an envelope while I was getting in my car. I thought it was going to be a note of congratulations for having the baby. But it was a two week wages fine!
"It was quite shocking and disappointing. After that, my working relationship with Trevor broke down. I was eventually sold to West Ham a few months later.
"But I have no regrets about what happened. It was only human that I wanted to see the birth of my first child. Everyone has the right if they wish to do that - whether you are a footballer or whether you are a banker or a politician. It doesn't matter what you work as. You have that right.
"I still get phone calls from newspapers about the incident - even now. My name always crops up when any top sportsman chooses to attend the birth of a child. Or even when they opt to stay and perform in their chosen sport when the wife is in labour.
"My famous - or infamous - son George is now 20 years-old. As I am talking to you on the phone for this interview, I am just driving him down to Bristol University where he is studying Maths & Philosophy. George is doing very well and enjoying his own life now."
'Mad Dog' originally came up through the youth ranks at Rangers. A total of 167 appearances followed for the First Team with 19 goals. His tenacious midfield play is fondly remembered at Loftus Road.
"We had a very strong youth policy when I first joined the R's," said Allen. "Chris Gieler was the Youth Development Officer and he was really ahead of all the other Clubs when finding young players. Chris invited me in for schoolboy training when I was 12 years-old after I had played for Reading Boys away to Oxford Boys one Tuesday afternoon.
"Then when I left school, I was delighted to be given an apprenticeship at the Club on a two year contract. I worked under a QPR Youth Team Manager called George Graham!
"I was surrounded in the R's set-up at that point by some of the best England Youth players. People like Dougie McClure, Gary Cooper and David Kerslake. They were all getting games for the Reserves and I wasn't. So I was probably at the bottom of the whole group and it really was a difficult time.
"Everyone knew the football name of 'Allen' and it was a bit of a hindrance for me as it brought high expectations and added pressures. My cousins Clive and Paul Allen were both doing very well in the game as teenagers but I was struggling and I wasn't quite ready to make the grade. I was a leggy youth player and I needed to fill out.
"So I did a lot of hard work with my father Dennis at Reading Athletic Club and Reading Boxing Club for seven weeks one summer. It was my dad's drive and determination that pushed me and worked me.
"When I went back for pre-season with the R's, I was much fitter, stronger and faster. The rest is history. But it wasn't easy as I didn't really come through and develop until I was 19.
"After that, there were two occasions with Queens Park Rangers that I will never forget and one that I have always wanted to forget!
"The first big memory was my full League debut away to Newcastle in April 1985. In the very first couple of minutes of that game, Glenn Roeder - the Geordies' defender - moved into midfield with the ball at his feet and was about five yards away from me when he did one of his famous step-overs. I went one way and Glenn went the other way. Rather than letting him go by, I stuck my leg out and got booked.
"All my family had travelled up to the North-East to see me play. So there were about eight of the Allen's sitting up at the back of the stand in St James' Park dreading my next tackle in case I got sent-off in my first game! But I managed to stay on the pitch and it really was an absolutely magical day for me.
"Another match I love to recall was the 1986 Milk Cup Semi-Final Second Leg away to Liverpool when we faced such a brilliant team.
"I still get reminded by many QPR supporters about the famous tackle I did on Liverpool's Alan Hansen. He was much quicker than me and he was dribbling back towards his own goal. But I lifted him about six feet in the air on the edge of their 18 yard box in front of a packed end of R's fans! Needless to say, I got another booking!
"In a dramatic finish, Liverpool scored two own goals to send us through to the Final. We got a standing ovation from the whole Anfield crowd at the end. That night was probably the highlight of my whole career.
"But we went on to lose 3-0 to Oxford United at Wembley Stadium and it was certainly the one game I've always wanted to wipe out. Going into that showpiece event, I felt on top of the world and on top of my game. Everyone - me included - just expected us to win the Cup.
"In the end, it was a massive letdown. I still don't feel great about it now as I didn't perform on the day. So I've always wanted to bury the memory of it."
Allen is now 43 years-old and has been Manager of Cheltenham Town FC in League One since September. But like all of our former players, he takes a keen interest in events here at Rangers.
"I absolutely love being a Manager. It is quite a challenge at Cheltenham, although one I am enjoying actually. Wages have been slashed here and we have had to make a lot of cut-backs, just like most companies in the outside world. So you are not going to be as efficient as before.
"However, this summer I will get the chance to wheel and deal in the transfer market. So I will have a very competitive team next season without a shadow of a doubt.
"Incidentally, since I've been a football Manager I've had several occasions when players' wives have been expecting babies. In fact, I've got one at the moment. So I sat the player down and asked him what he would like to do. He said he would prefer to be at the birth and I replied 'Well, you deserve that right.'
"Away from Cheltenham Town, I obviously still have a soft spot for QPR. I invariably get very well looked after when I want to go back to watch a match at Loftus Road. It's also nice that the Rangers supporters I bump into in the street are always very kind to me.
"The R's have moved up to a different level financially with their current backers and have a bright future. Although I believe you have to get the right 'chemistry' in the dressing room and within the Club from top to bottom.
"It's not just about having good players. The 'chemistry' I mentioned is so important - it can go a long way to making a successful squad and a good team. But that will all take time and patience as there have been a lot of changes at Loftus Road."
And what about the situation back in 1989 with Trevor Francis and the birth of baby George? Did that ever resolve itself?
Allen said: "Several years later, I played for West Ham away to Sheffield Wednesday - when Trevor Francis was Manager at Hillsborough. I got badly injured in the game, with cracked ribs and a punctured lung.
"I was rushed away in an ambulance as I was struggling to breathe and in a pretty bad way. About 10.30pm that night, there was a phone call to my ward at the hospital in Sheffield.
"The nurse came over and said 'Trevor Francis from Sheffield Wednesday just rang. He enquired how you are and if you are healthy.'
"Well at that point, I had to pinch myself to see if I was still alive. Because it was the first time that Trevor had communicated with me since I left the QPR team hotel at Newcastle!"
www.qpr.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10373~1604506,00.html