Post by harlowranger on Nov 28, 2011 21:56:30 GMT
[Bump from last season, when set to play Roy Hodgson's WBA at Loftus Road!)
QPR welcome West Bromwich Albion F.C.
For our next match at Loftus Road we welcome Roy Hodgson and his West Bromwich Albion team.
Hodgson did a good job their at the end of last season and this season has started off at a similar pace as ourselves.
There has been many memorable encounters over the years but none so as special as the 3-2 League Cup win in 1967.
We also had the 1-0 FA Cup Semi Final win of 1982 , which was followed by a 3-2 loss in the third round of the FA Cup the following year.
Our previous League encounter being on the 6th March 2010 and was in the Championship , it was our for first game for new Manager at the time Neil Warnock.
The match resulted in a 3-1 home win for the Hoops and a great win at that time over one of the promotion contenders who were lying second place prior to kick off.
There has been no matches at the top level since the Premier League was introduced.
We have only contested 32 League games , six more recently in the Championship ,
ten in the Division One(prior to Championship)and 14 matches at top flight level,
Old Division One .
The final two matches being in the 1940's in the Old Division Two.
Past Results
English League Championship
06.03.2010...Queens Park Rangers..3-1..West Bromwich Albion
14.12.2009...West Bromwich Albion..2-2..Queens Park Rangers
04.05.2008...Queens Park Rangers..0-2..West Bromwich Albion
30.09.2007...West Bromwich Albion..5-1..Queens Park Rangers
31.03.2007...Queens Park Rangers..1-2..West Bromwich Albion
31.10.2006...West Bromwich Albion..3-3..Queens Park Rangers
English Division One
13.01.2001...Queens Park Rangers..2-0..West Bromwich Albion
28.08.2000...West Bromwich Albion..2-1..Queens Park Rangers
29.04.2000...Queens Park Rangers..0-0..West Bromwich Albion
19.10.1999...West Bromwich Albion..0-1..Queens Park Rangers
10.04.1999...Queens Park Rangers..2-1..West Bromwich Albion
21.10.1998...West Bromwich Albion.2-0..Queens Park Rangers
14.02.1998...West Bromwich Albion..1-1..Queens Park Rangers
13.09.1997...Queens Park Rangers..2-0..West Bromwich Albion
28.12.1996...West Bromwich Albion..4-1..Queens Park Rangers
07.09.1996...Queens Park Rangers..0-2..West Bromwich Albion
English Division One (old)
12.04.1986...Queens Park Rangers..1-0..West Bromwich Albion
09.11.1985...West Bromwich Albion..0-1..Queens Park Rangers
26.01.1985...West Bromwich Albion..0-0..Queens Park Rangers
25.08.1984...Queens Park Rangers..3-1..West Bromwich Albion
07.05.1984...Queens Park Rangers..1-1..West Bromwich Albion
10.12.1983...West Bromwich Albion..1-2..Queens Park Rangers
24.03.1979...West Bromwich Albion..2-1..Queens Park Rangers
22.08.1978...Queens Park Rangers..0-1..West Bromwich Albion
22.03.1978...West Bromwich Albion..2-0..Queens Park Rangers
29.10.1977...Queens Park Rangers...2-1..West Bromwich Albion
12.02.1977...West Bromwich Albion..1-1Queens Park Rangers
04.09.1976...Queens Park Rangers..1-0..West Bromwich Albion
26.12.1968...Queens Park Rangers..0-4..West Bromwich Albion
05.10.1968...West Bromwich Albion...3-1Queens Park Rangers
English Division Two (old)
02.04.1949...West Bromwich Albion..1-1..Queens Park Rangers
06.11.1948...Queens Park Rangers..0-2..West Bromwich Albion
Cup Results
English FA Cup
08.01.1983...r3West Bromwich Albion..3-2..Queens Park Rangers
03.04.1982...sfQueens Park Rangers..1-0..West Bromwich Albion
(Highbury)
English League Cup
06.09.1972...r2West Bromwich Albion..2-1..Queens Park Rangers
04.03.1967....Queens Park Rangers..3-2..West Bromwich Albion
(Wembley Final)
League Meetings
32 League Meetings
QPR wins 11 , including 3 wins at the Hawthorns.
WBA wins 13 , including 6 wins at Loftus Road.
Draws 8
QPR goals 35.
WBA goals 47.
Last Meeting
6th March 2010- Championship.
QPR 3 WBA 1
Neil Warnock, 61, is still finding his feet. His first QPR squad included more loan players than the five allowed. Having amended that, he took the field to rapturous applause and gave his clenched-fist acknowledgment to the away end.
Then, after his new charges had rolled over the division's second-placed side, West Bromwich Albion, he said: "I still don't know who scored our first and third goals. I'll have a look tonight."
It hardly mattered.
After four points from nine games since Boxing Day Queens Park Rangers were two places and three points above the relegation line. It looks healthier now and tomorrow they face Plymouth. Win that and Warnock will have them thinking of play-offs. He is not so much a breath of fresh air as a tornado.
His charges were supercharged with his energy. Knowing who they are can wait.
"It's a matter of them finding out what I'm like and what I want from them," said Warnock. They are well practised at this. He is their fourth new manager of the season. What he wanted from them was to enjoy it. "They get paid a fortune to play football at a great club," he said. "I told them to smile." It worked. "They possibly amazed themselves," he added. "But they lack nothing in ability.
My job is to channel it. I think we're in for a good time."
The players took him at his word. In the first minute the Moroccan Adel Taarabt ("Tarbs" to the manager) twisted Albion's left-back Marek Cech into demoralisation, from which two goals shortly stemmed.
Jay Simpson stabbed in when Taarabt's cross squirmed from Scott Carson's grasp, then Alejandro Faurlin picked out the overlapping Matthew Connolly for a shot under the keeper. Though Chris Brunt's header to Jerome Thomas's centre made it 2-1 at half-time, Rangers breathed again when Akos Buzsaky's 40-yard free-kick bounced near the penalty spot, up and over the keeper and in untouched. Carson has fallen off England's pecking bench.
"We needed to be solid in the first 20 minutes," said Albion's manager, Roberto Di Matteo, after they had crumbled to a defeat that saw them slip to third. Maybe the thought that they, not Reading, should have been facing Aston Villa in the Cup preyed on minds that seemed elsewhere.
Or perhaps it was that Warnock had won at The Hawthorns with Crystal Palace.
He played on this beforehand: "They probably wish the fixture was a week or so down the line as it's always difficult to come up against a side with a new manager." In fact he is the first at QPR in eight including caretakers – 16½ months in Flavio Briatore's chairmanship – to win his first match.
As football chairmen go, the former owner of Renault's Formula One team was the pits and QPR could never have got their maverick man to move eight miles west without Briatore's removal from back-seat driving last month. They would have been a crash waiting to happen.
"What the players and board need is stability," Warnock said, though with him unstable equilibrium is more likely. "This is my type of club – muck and nettles," he said, relishing its intimacy. "I used to think south of Watford was the back of beyond." Palace taught him otherwise, though his loyalty through administration hardly deserved a "lack of morality" charge from Simon Jordan, the former chairman – more a pot and kettles club there perhaps.
Kaspars Gorkss, asked what QPR made of Warnock after five days, said: "He's a motivator. I hope he stays for 20 years." That will take him to 81. His average over 30 years is two and a half, his best eight at Sheffield United.
If Stuart Attwell had given the penalty he might have at 2-1 when Gorkss upended Simon Cox, a breath of foul air might have been felt. As it is, Formula Warnock has hearts beating about the Bush with new excitement.
Man of the match Adel Taarabt (QPR)
Classic Encounters
Game 1
31st October 2006 – Championship
WBA 3 QPR 3
ALBION threw away two leads - and two vital points - on a frustrating night at The Hawthorns.
Everything looked rosy for the hosts when goals from Nathan Ellington and Diomansy Kamara gave them a deserved 2-0 lead inside 40 minutes.
But QPR stunned the Baggies by clawing themselves level with strikes either side of the break from Damion Stewart and Kevin Gallen.
Kamara put Tony Mowbray's side back in front by grabbing his eighth goal in just five-and-a-half games in the 54th minute.
But there was to be another, final twist when Rangers sub Marc Nygaard earned John Gregory's never-say-die side a point with an 82nd-minute header.
Albion were left scratching their heads at the final whistle as to how they had failed to win a game they dominated from start to finish.
As well as scoring three times, they created countless other chances but were ultimately undone by a rare display of slack defending.
Mowbray made two enforced changes from Saturday's first league defeat in seven games at Blues.
With Paul Robinson starting a three-game ban, Steve Watson was recalled at right-back, with Martin Albrechtsen switching to left-back.
Central midfielder Ronnie Wallwork also earned his first start for seven matches in place of ankle-injury victim Nigel Quashie, while Kevin Phillips made a welcome return to the bench following a calf injury.
Albion started brightly and almost snatched a fifth-minute lead.
Watson exchanged a clever one-two with the twinkle-toed Zoltan Gera before firing a first-time effort just wide from 15 yards.
QPR soon hit back and only Wallwork's vital interception inside the Albion box denied Dexter Blackstock the simplest of chances from Gareth Ainsworth's low cross.
However, the home hordes were soon 'boing boinging' when Ellington fired the hosts into an eighth-minute lead.
Diomansy Kamara slipped Jason Koumas through in the box, only for Rangers keeper Simon Royce to parry the Welsh wizard's first-time effort wide.
But the alert 'Duke' was the first to the rebound and drilled the ball in off Royce from an acute angle.
Koumas was proving a real handful for the West Londoners' defence and ended a surging 14th-minute run by firing straight at Royce from 20 yards, with the Rangers keeper gathering at the second attempt.
The early goal had failed to dampen QPR's spirits and, moments later, Pascal Zuberbuhler did well to keep out Steve Lomas' stinging 20-yard drive from Gallen's pull back.
Back came Albion and, after a lengthy spell of keep ball, Royce did brilliantly to tip over Watson's header from fully 18 yards after the ex-Everton man had been picked out by Albrechtsen's diagonal centre.
From Koumas' ensuing corner, Curtis Davies will feel he should have done much better after directing a free header over from ten yards.
Albion looked dangerous every time they attacked and Royce again kept the deficit down to one goal when he denied the unmarked Gera with a stunning reaction save from Kamara's pinpoint pass.
But it was to be a momentary reprieve as the buoyant Baggies secured a deserved 2-0 lead in the 40th minute.
Kamara superbly controlled Koumas' diagonal ball with his chest before shrugging off the attentions of Rangers centre-half Stewart and drilling past Royce from eight yards.
But Albion's joy was somewhat tempered two minutes into stoppage time when the visitors pulled a goal back.
After a short corner, Cook swung in a sublime centre and Stewart ghosted in to stab the ball home from six yards.
Incredibly, Rangers clawed themselves level three minutes after the re-start.
Blackstock burst into the Baggies box before squaring for Gallen who stabbed home from close range.
Albion regrouped and only Ainsworth's stunning last-ditch tackle denied Ellington what looked a certain goal following Kamara's neat run and pass.
Stewart then had to make a vital clearance inside his own six-yard box after Greening had jinked his way into the box and cut the ball past Royce.
But the pressure finally paid off as Albion edged back in front in the 54th minute.
Ellington did well to win a loose ball and thread Kamara through and the Senegal pace ace clinically fired into the bottom right-hand corner of Royce's net.
Albion created another gilt-edged chance in the 58th minute when Gera raced on to Koumas' sublime through-pass and pulled the ball back.
Stewart's slip gave Ellington a clear sight of goal but the former Wigan striker fired straight at Royce.
Albion continued to press for a fourth and Ellington's dink header from Watson's pinpoint crossfield pass put Koumas in the clear.
However, Royce was alert to Koumas' intentions and stood tall to catch the ex-Tranmere ace's attempted lob at point-blank range.
Albion continued to pile on the pressure and Kamara was only a whisker away from converting Davies' head back across the face of goal from Greening's centre.
Koumas then saw a 20-yard curler deflect off Michael Mancienne and fly inches wide.
With Albion still only leading by the odd goal, the points were by no means safe.
Zuberbuhler first showed a safe pair of hands to hold onto Cook's close-range effort before the same player curled the ball just wide from a 20-yard free-kick.
But Rangers silenced the home hordes by equalising eight minutes from time when sub Nygaard headed home Cook's left-wing cross.
Albion laid siege to the Rangers goal in the dying minutes in a desperate search for a winner.
But they ultimately ran out of time as the Hoops became only the second team this season to leave The Hawthorns undefeated.
ALBION (4-4-2): Zuberbuhler; Watson, C Davies, Perry, Albrechtsen; Gera, Greening, Wallwork (Hartson 85), Koumas; Ellington (Phillips 72), Kamara. Subs not used: Hoult (gk), Chaplow, McShane.
QPR (4-4-2): Royce; Mancienne, Stewart, Rehman, Bignot; Ainsworth, Smith, Lomas, Cook; Gallen, Blackstock (Nygaard 63). Subs not used: Jones (gk), Milanese, Ward, Rowlands.
GOALS: ALBION - Ellington (8), Kamara (40 & 54). QPR - Stewart (45+2), Gallen (48), Nygaard (82).
BOOKINGS: QPR - Smith (foul 18), Bignot (foul 84), Lomas (foul 90+4).
REFEREE: L Mason (Lancashire).
ATTENDANCE: 17,417.
Game 2
25 th August 1984 – Division One (Old)
QPR 3 WBA 1
Report courtesy of Vital QPR
A new season in the top flight graced Queens Park Rangers and they faced West Brom under new guidance.
Under the guidance of new boss Alan Mullery, Rangers prepared for the opening day test against West Bromwich Albion, with change still lingering in the air in W12.
The R's had sold Clive Allen to Tottenham Hotspur after he handed in a transfer request, with deals for Birmingham City front-man Mick Harford, and opposition striker Cyrille Regis falling through.
They did dip into the transfer market to sign Gary Bannister from Sheffield Wednesday, and opted against selling Simon Stainrod to the Owls.
A fifth placed finish in 1984 meant that the R's had a steep task to emulate the achievement of departing boss Terry Venables - but Mullery was full of hope as the season got underway.
West Brom had finished 17th last time out and Johnny Giles was looking to improve his side's displays as they entered a new campaign.
The Baggies had been a side last season with a glut of talented players, that had truly flattered to deceive on a number of occasions - with Giles under pressure to get his players performing this time out.
Rangers started with the debutante Bannister in the front-line alongside Simon Stainrod, as they searched to get their first opening day win since 1981 against Wrexham.
If Rangers opening day record wasn't up to scratch, then West Brom's was disastrous, without an opening day victory since 1978, as prospective R's forward Regis started for the Baggies.
The hosts didn't have to wait too long for their first goal of the campaign, and it was perfectly crafted from the boot of Mike Fillery.
The midfielder hung a free-kick into the area and with the Baggies rearguard struggling to cope Simon Stainrod was able to back-heel into the back of the net from close range.
One quickly became two when Bannister's flick-on from a Hucker delivery fell to the feet of the onrushing Stainrod, and the forward lashed beyond Tony Godden.
Stainrod also had a hand in the third as he was felled on the edge of the area, with Terry Fenwick stepping up and drilling a free-kick home from 20-yards out.
Striker Steve MacKenzie did get a goal for Albion, but it wasn't enough to make a genuine difference as the R's got the season off to a flier.
The feel-good factor continued as Rangers were undefeated in the first four games, but they were eventually thumped at White Hart Lane by a rampant Spurs (0-5) - before conceding another five goals against Newcastle United, only to score five as well in a comeback heralded as one of the greatest.
However one win in ten saw Mullery under pressure in the hot-seat, and he was eventually sacked following a gruelling home win over Stoke City who went on themselves to be relegated by quite a margin.
Frank Sibley steadied the ship and despite a dip in form in the final few games they narrowly avoided relegation. Four defeats from five games saw them finish one place and one point from relegated Norwich City.
West Bromwich Albion meanwhile ousted Giles by late September, with Nobby Stiles replacing him at the Hawthornes. As a result the Baggies managed to secure a 12th placed finish.
It was a false dawn as the following season the Baggies were relegated as the rock-bottom side in the First Division, triggering their longest spell out of the top flight since their return in 2002.
Final Score: Queens Park Rangers 3-1 West Bromwich Albion
Attendance: 12,802
Queens Park Rangers: Hucker, Neill, Dawes, Stewart, Wicks, Fenwick, Micklewhite, Fillery, Bannister (Fereday), Stainrod, Gregory
West Bromwich Albion: Godden, Whitehead, Statham, Hunt, Bennett, Robertson, Grealish, Thompson, Regis, MacKenzie, Cross
Game 3
14th December 2009 -Championship
WBA 2 QPR 2
Cup reports and Videos !
League Cup Final - 4th March 1967 – Wembley
QPR 3 WBA 2
Programme link
www.kabrna.com/marsh/qpr_wba.htm
www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=44593
QPR's Path To Wembley -
Wikipedia Match Report
The 1967 Football League Cup Final took place on 4 March 1967 at Wembley Stadium. It was the seventh final and the first to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Queens Park Rangers of the Third Division and West Bromwich Albion of the First.
WBA were hot favourites to win, led by centre forward Jeff Astle. It was QPR's first ever appearance at Wembley, their star man was Rodney Marsh.
WBA started strongly with former QPR winger Clive Clark scoring twice to give WBA a 2-0 half time lead. In a fairy tale 2nd half, the underdogs stormed back. First Roger Morgan scored with a header. Then Rodney Marsh went on a mazy run, eluding tackles, and shot in off the post past keeper Dick Sheppard.
In the closing minutes QPR centre half Ron Hunt went on a forward run and as he challenged the keeper for the ball it ran loose to Mark Lazarus to score the winning goal. Mike Keen lifted the cup to thousands of cheering Rangers fans" - Wikipedia
Carling Classic Finals - 1967 Classic Finals: Part One
1967: Queens Park Rangers 3 West Bromwich Albion 2
Interest in the League Cup was dwindling by 1967 and the Football League decided that to renew interest in England's second biggest cup competition, some changes needed to be made. Out went the two-legged final and in game a one-off finale, staged at the home of football, Wembley. Also, the winners (providing they were a First Division club) would be guaranteed European football in the Fairs Cup (now the UEFA Cup) the following season.
But a determined band of brothers from west London had other ideas as they hijacked the revitalised tournament. And so it was that Third Division QPR, with the likes of Les Allen, Jim Langley and the legendary Rodney Marsh in the side, waltzed all the way to the final and once there produced another great upset - just as they had done all season.
Former Rangers striker Clive Clark bagged a brace for West Brom in the first half to give the Baggies a two goal lead at half-time. But the Rs refused to lie down and they stunned the Midlanders with a breathtaking second half performance.
Roger Morgan scored just a few minutes after the restart to make it 2-1 and then, with 15 minutes of normal time remaining, Marsh produced a magnificent piece of skill, running through the Albion defence and levelling for the Londoners. And then, in the dying moments, Mark Lazarus completed a remarkable comeback and ensured Rangers made history as the first division three team to lift the League Cup.
They were refused entry into the Fairs Cup because of their lowly league status, but still had plenty to celebrate as they also won the Third Division title that season.
Carling: Carling Cup History "...The romance for the smaller clubs returned with the Wembley ticket: in 1967, a young Rodney Marsh helped QPR on the way to their first proper piece of silverware.
They beat West Brom 3-2 and, in the process, became the first Third Division club to win a major trophy. The Super Hoops added to their haul a few weeks later by picking up the Third Division title too. The League Cup was fast becoming the 'Lucky Cup'.
The fact that 98,000 fans packed into Wembley for the 1967 final was conclusive proof that the League Cup was now extremely popular. In just seven years it had earned the right to stand alongside the FA Cup as a showpiece final. In every subsequent year, Wembley would be a sell-out.
1967 Team - "Where Are They Now" - From 2003 Sunday Times
Caught In Time QPR win League Cup, 1967 by Greg Struthers
A quiet revolution was taking place in west London in the mid-1960s. A dapper former army major called Alec Stock was putting together a Queens Park Rangers football team that was ready to challenge the cream of the country.
Stock had developed a fine youth scheme since taking over in 1959, and when Jim Gregory was appointed club chairman in March 1965, the manager was given money to spend on new players. Striker Les Allen was enticed from Tottenham, the experienced Jim Langley was bought from Fulham, and a fee of only 15,000 pounds was paid to Craven Cottage for striker Rodney Marsh, probably the most famous player to don blue-and-white hoops.
Under the astute management of Stock and coach Bill Dodgin, the experience and talent blended well, with young lads breaking into the first team such as Dave Clement, Frank Sibley, Tony Hazell and the Morgan twins, Ian and Roger.
"The young players would inspire each other," recalls Roger Morgan. "There were about five or six of us who had grown up together, and there was tremendous team spirit.
Alec was prepared to put his faith in youth, but we learnt from the experienced players around us." Mike Keen, the club captain, has fond memories of his time at Loftus Road. "Even though we were in the Third Division, we were playing some quality football, and there was a good attitude in the team," he says. They showed the nation how good they really were on a crisp, frosty March 4, 1967.
The football hierarchy was concerned about the diminishing value of the League Cup in the eyes of the leading clubs. So it decided that the final would be staged at Wembley and that the winning First Division club would qualify for the European Fairs Cup.
Queens Park Rangers scuppered those plans. They marched cornfortably into the final, then came from two goals down at half-time to upset First Division West Bromwich Albion, winning 3-2.
Clive Clark, a former QPR player, scored both goals for West Brom, but the Rangers players were not concerned at half-time. "We had come back from 2-0 down in other games that season and were told to simply go out and enjoy the. day," says Keen.
Enjoy it they did. Roger Morgan scored after the restart, and 15 minutes from the end, Marsh set off on a trademark mazy dribble that ended with a brilliant solo goal, his shot going in off the post. Late in the game, Mark Lazarus scored the winner.
Rangers were denied a place in Europe, but were more than satisfied with their season. They won the Third Division by 12 points, and the following year were promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history.
FA Cup Semi Final – Highbury - 3rd April 1982
QPR 1 WBA 0
QPR's Team against WBA
Hucker
Gillard Hazell Roeder Fenwick
Flanagan Waddock Currie Micklewhite
Allen Stainrod
WBA had Andy King and Cyrel Regis in their team.
WBA - Grew, Batson, Statham, Zondervan, Wile, Robertson, Bennett, King, Regis, Cross, Mackenzie. - Owen (sub)
Express and Star - Semi-final just a blur for Bob
He was the Baggies fan who broke the hearts of the Albion throng. But Bob Hazell still can’t remember a thing about it.
The club return to the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday 26 years since their last appearance ended in the calamity of defeat to a then Championship level Queen’s Park Rangers.
And although one of the capital’s famous goalscoring sons, Clive Allen, struck the goal that took Rangers to the final, no player did more to sink the Baggies that day than Hazell.
Former Villa manager John Gregory was in the Rangers midfield in those days but, ineligible for the semi, watched the Highbury contest from the QPR dugout. And his eyes rarely strayed from the central confrontation on which the semi-final hinged.
“To be honest, it was a pretty crap match,” Gregory says. “But if you are going to speak to one man about that game it has to be Bob. He won it for us.”
Why the reverence for the central defender? Because Hazell produced arguably the game of his career to nullify Albion legend Cyrille Regis, who at that time was in all his pomp and one of the most feared strikers in the top flight.
Albion would ultimately be grateful for Regis for scoring the goals that would keep them in the division but they hoped his pace and power would also see them through to Wembley. Hazell made sure it was not to be.
“Yeh that’s true,” says Regis. “I was flying at the time, I had 24 or 25 goals. And Bob has told me since how he was singled out to stop me.
“Bob was a powerful player like me and he had a great game, he was on form that day. I can only remember getting a half chance. He matched me wherever I went and we kind of nullified each other. He also clattered Andy King – nothing illegal – with a challenge and he had to go off which also upset our rhythm.
“But there is a message there for any team. You’ve got to have more than one match winner. I was playing well at the time and I am not saying everybody wasn’t playing well but Rangers were right. If you stopped me scoring they would have a good chance.”
Hazell is now a Birmingham-based 48-year-old Sports Prevention Manager working to help rehabilitate young offenders through sport. But despite memorable spells at Molineux, where he became the first black player to score for Wolves, and then Port Vale and Leicester, no game defines him quite like that heartbreaking day for Albion.
A pity then, it’s all still a bit of a blur.
“You will find this hard to believe but the truth is I can barely remember one or two incidents from that game,” says Hazell.
“It was one of those matches where I concentrated so hard that even when the final whistle went I didn’t realise it was the end of the game.
“But, at that time, Cyrille was ripping up trees, he was really doing the business and I remember vividly the team meeting beforehand. Terry Venables (QPR manager) looked at me at that meeting and said: ‘Bob, if you can look after Cyrille, we have got a good chance here.’
“Although Cyrille and I were and are good friends that was my mission for the day. For the day? It felt like it was my life’s mission. And from the time we walked out on to the pitch to after the match had been finished, barely a couple of things have ever come back to me.
“I can remember the lead up to our goal although I can’t remember how the ball came in my direction. They showed it on TV last week but the clip was so short I still couldn’t remember how it got there.
“The only other thing I can remember is right at the finish, we won a free-kick and I tried to be clever and waste a little more time by kicking the ball forward. The ref realised what I was up to and decided to teach me a lesson and said ‘Right, play on.’ Derek Statham jumped on to it but just as he made his play, the final whistle went.
“Tony Currie came up to me and shouted ‘Bob, Bob, you did ••••••• great!’ I don’t think I responded. I was still in the ‘zone’.”
In fact, it wasn’t until the following day when another legendary local figure came to take his pal out for a celebration that the enormity of the occasion struck home.
“I was back home – and I remember this bit clearly – that me and my great friend George Berry were out for a drive on the Sunday afternoon.
“We were somewhere in the country and I was looking at the trees flying by and I suddenly said to George: ‘Blimey, I’m going to Wembley. I’m going to be in the FA Cup final.’ And suddenly it all struck home. That FA Cup final was everything to me. As a kid I was an absolute fanatic up at 9am to watch the coverage begin.
“I remember all of that. And now I was going to be there. I really started to take it all in.
“Normally I can go through a game 100 times in detail and remember all the moments, recount them and replay them. But I think that match was just so intense and marking Cyrille was such a challenge.
“We’ve spoken about it many times, shared a stage together and talked about it, been away together and people have brought it up. It did mean a great deal to me.
“I had been brought up as an Albion fan and that day I was playing against some of my heroes. John Wile was in the side and I had watched him from the terraces. Tony Brown and Ally Rob . . . it was a big thing for me.
“And when I was at Wolves, I used to sneak away and watch Albion play.
“I was always a little disappointed that Albion never came in for me as a schoolboy but at that time, a lot of people would have struggled to get in there.
“To play against them and turn them over made that day all the more memorable and all I can say is ‘Thank God’ for that memory.”
Ultimately, Hazell finished empty-handed as Spurs won the final after a replay but he does not believe that should deter the focus Albion place on Saturday’s meeting with Portsmouth.
“It’s alright saying promotion is more important but if your team is good - and Albion’s is - the odds that you can get up the following year are still very good,” he insists.
“You can’t say that for the Cup. It could be an age before Albion are here again. And often when you look at teams getting promoted when they are not ready, they have all sorts of problems.
“They don’t say ‘Well, we did well to even get here’. It all implodes and they can easily end up going down a couple of divisions.
“But any player who has walked out there for the final will remember it forever. I got promoted with QPR and that was terrific but it still doesn’t match playing in the FA Cup final. And I was on the losing side! Had we beaten Spurs, they would still be trying to drag me down from the clouds now.”
Unfortunately, his head overrules his heart when he looks to Saturday’s contest and the possibility of the Baggies enduring another FA Cup semi disappointment to go with the setbacks of 1969, 1978 and 82.
He adds: “Portsmouth are a really powerful team. When you are the lower division side, the one thing that you hope for in Cup ties is that physical edge.
“You like to play a Tottenham where you know they are going to be very skilful but you might have the edge in muscle, aggression and work rate. That isn’t the case here and Albion are going to have their work cut out.
“I don’t know whether it’s bravado in Albion saying the league is more important. Personally, I don’t like that talk. For Pompey, winning the FA Cup is everything. And that could also make a difference.
“I would love to see Albion do it, it would be terrific for this area no matter what the Wolves fans think! But if I had any money I would have to put it on Pompey. Express and Star.
QPR Defeat - English Div One (old)
5.10.1968 WBA 3 QPR 1
Played for Both Clubs .
Here's some Players that have played for both Clubs , here's a 5 Clubs sequence of Clubs they played for , who are they ?
Managed both Clubs No1 – His playing Career. as follows;
1.Charlton A>Exeter City>Lincoln City>Mansfield Town>Port Vale>Colchester U ?Ray Harford
2.Leeds U>QPR>WBA>QPR>Preston NE?Clive Clark
3.QPR>WBA>Notts County>Northern Spirit>Dunfermline A?Andy McDermott
4.Plymouth A>Arsenal>Crystal P>WBA>QPR?Paul Barron
5.Luton>Everton>QPR>WBA>Everton?Andy King
6.Barnsley>WBA>QPR>Tunbridge Wells?Alf Ridyard
7.Portsmouth>QPR>WBA>Mansfield T?Bill Williams
8.QPR>WBA>Leyton Orient?Alan Glover
9.QPR>Sampdoria>Sunderland>WBA>Millwall?Danny Dichio
9a.QPR>Oxford U>WBA>Millwall>Aldershot ?Peter Hucker
Managed both Clubs ,management career
10.WBA>Galatasaray>Arsenal>QPR>Coventry (caretaker)?
Don Howe
10a.WBA>Aston Villa>QPR?
LOANS
11.WBA>Kidderminster H(loan)>Coventry(loan)>QPR(loan)>Millwall?
12.Millwall>Blackburn R>QPR(loan)>West Brom ?Steven Reid
13.Manchester City >West Brom>QPR(loan)>Nottingham Forest?
Ishmael Miller
14.WBA(loan)>Stockport C>Notts County(loan)>Preston(loan)>Walsall>Rushden and Diamonds>Port Vale>QPR?Brett Angell
15.Crystal Palace>Wigan>QPR(loan)>WBA(loan)Wigan?Ben Watson
16.Arsenal>Millwall(loan)>WBA(loan)>QPR(loan)Hull City?Jay Simpson
QPR welcome West Bromwich Albion F.C.
For our next match at Loftus Road we welcome Roy Hodgson and his West Bromwich Albion team.
Hodgson did a good job their at the end of last season and this season has started off at a similar pace as ourselves.
There has been many memorable encounters over the years but none so as special as the 3-2 League Cup win in 1967.
We also had the 1-0 FA Cup Semi Final win of 1982 , which was followed by a 3-2 loss in the third round of the FA Cup the following year.
Our previous League encounter being on the 6th March 2010 and was in the Championship , it was our for first game for new Manager at the time Neil Warnock.
The match resulted in a 3-1 home win for the Hoops and a great win at that time over one of the promotion contenders who were lying second place prior to kick off.
There has been no matches at the top level since the Premier League was introduced.
We have only contested 32 League games , six more recently in the Championship ,
ten in the Division One(prior to Championship)and 14 matches at top flight level,
Old Division One .
The final two matches being in the 1940's in the Old Division Two.
Past Results
English League Championship
06.03.2010...Queens Park Rangers..3-1..West Bromwich Albion
14.12.2009...West Bromwich Albion..2-2..Queens Park Rangers
04.05.2008...Queens Park Rangers..0-2..West Bromwich Albion
30.09.2007...West Bromwich Albion..5-1..Queens Park Rangers
31.03.2007...Queens Park Rangers..1-2..West Bromwich Albion
31.10.2006...West Bromwich Albion..3-3..Queens Park Rangers
English Division One
13.01.2001...Queens Park Rangers..2-0..West Bromwich Albion
28.08.2000...West Bromwich Albion..2-1..Queens Park Rangers
29.04.2000...Queens Park Rangers..0-0..West Bromwich Albion
19.10.1999...West Bromwich Albion..0-1..Queens Park Rangers
10.04.1999...Queens Park Rangers..2-1..West Bromwich Albion
21.10.1998...West Bromwich Albion.2-0..Queens Park Rangers
14.02.1998...West Bromwich Albion..1-1..Queens Park Rangers
13.09.1997...Queens Park Rangers..2-0..West Bromwich Albion
28.12.1996...West Bromwich Albion..4-1..Queens Park Rangers
07.09.1996...Queens Park Rangers..0-2..West Bromwich Albion
English Division One (old)
12.04.1986...Queens Park Rangers..1-0..West Bromwich Albion
09.11.1985...West Bromwich Albion..0-1..Queens Park Rangers
26.01.1985...West Bromwich Albion..0-0..Queens Park Rangers
25.08.1984...Queens Park Rangers..3-1..West Bromwich Albion
07.05.1984...Queens Park Rangers..1-1..West Bromwich Albion
10.12.1983...West Bromwich Albion..1-2..Queens Park Rangers
24.03.1979...West Bromwich Albion..2-1..Queens Park Rangers
22.08.1978...Queens Park Rangers..0-1..West Bromwich Albion
22.03.1978...West Bromwich Albion..2-0..Queens Park Rangers
29.10.1977...Queens Park Rangers...2-1..West Bromwich Albion
12.02.1977...West Bromwich Albion..1-1Queens Park Rangers
04.09.1976...Queens Park Rangers..1-0..West Bromwich Albion
26.12.1968...Queens Park Rangers..0-4..West Bromwich Albion
05.10.1968...West Bromwich Albion...3-1Queens Park Rangers
English Division Two (old)
02.04.1949...West Bromwich Albion..1-1..Queens Park Rangers
06.11.1948...Queens Park Rangers..0-2..West Bromwich Albion
Cup Results
English FA Cup
08.01.1983...r3West Bromwich Albion..3-2..Queens Park Rangers
03.04.1982...sfQueens Park Rangers..1-0..West Bromwich Albion
(Highbury)
English League Cup
06.09.1972...r2West Bromwich Albion..2-1..Queens Park Rangers
04.03.1967....Queens Park Rangers..3-2..West Bromwich Albion
(Wembley Final)
League Meetings
32 League Meetings
QPR wins 11 , including 3 wins at the Hawthorns.
WBA wins 13 , including 6 wins at Loftus Road.
Draws 8
QPR goals 35.
WBA goals 47.
Last Meeting
6th March 2010- Championship.
QPR 3 WBA 1
Neil Warnock, 61, is still finding his feet. His first QPR squad included more loan players than the five allowed. Having amended that, he took the field to rapturous applause and gave his clenched-fist acknowledgment to the away end.
Then, after his new charges had rolled over the division's second-placed side, West Bromwich Albion, he said: "I still don't know who scored our first and third goals. I'll have a look tonight."
It hardly mattered.
After four points from nine games since Boxing Day Queens Park Rangers were two places and three points above the relegation line. It looks healthier now and tomorrow they face Plymouth. Win that and Warnock will have them thinking of play-offs. He is not so much a breath of fresh air as a tornado.
His charges were supercharged with his energy. Knowing who they are can wait.
"It's a matter of them finding out what I'm like and what I want from them," said Warnock. They are well practised at this. He is their fourth new manager of the season. What he wanted from them was to enjoy it. "They get paid a fortune to play football at a great club," he said. "I told them to smile." It worked. "They possibly amazed themselves," he added. "But they lack nothing in ability.
My job is to channel it. I think we're in for a good time."
The players took him at his word. In the first minute the Moroccan Adel Taarabt ("Tarbs" to the manager) twisted Albion's left-back Marek Cech into demoralisation, from which two goals shortly stemmed.
Jay Simpson stabbed in when Taarabt's cross squirmed from Scott Carson's grasp, then Alejandro Faurlin picked out the overlapping Matthew Connolly for a shot under the keeper. Though Chris Brunt's header to Jerome Thomas's centre made it 2-1 at half-time, Rangers breathed again when Akos Buzsaky's 40-yard free-kick bounced near the penalty spot, up and over the keeper and in untouched. Carson has fallen off England's pecking bench.
"We needed to be solid in the first 20 minutes," said Albion's manager, Roberto Di Matteo, after they had crumbled to a defeat that saw them slip to third. Maybe the thought that they, not Reading, should have been facing Aston Villa in the Cup preyed on minds that seemed elsewhere.
Or perhaps it was that Warnock had won at The Hawthorns with Crystal Palace.
He played on this beforehand: "They probably wish the fixture was a week or so down the line as it's always difficult to come up against a side with a new manager." In fact he is the first at QPR in eight including caretakers – 16½ months in Flavio Briatore's chairmanship – to win his first match.
As football chairmen go, the former owner of Renault's Formula One team was the pits and QPR could never have got their maverick man to move eight miles west without Briatore's removal from back-seat driving last month. They would have been a crash waiting to happen.
"What the players and board need is stability," Warnock said, though with him unstable equilibrium is more likely. "This is my type of club – muck and nettles," he said, relishing its intimacy. "I used to think south of Watford was the back of beyond." Palace taught him otherwise, though his loyalty through administration hardly deserved a "lack of morality" charge from Simon Jordan, the former chairman – more a pot and kettles club there perhaps.
Kaspars Gorkss, asked what QPR made of Warnock after five days, said: "He's a motivator. I hope he stays for 20 years." That will take him to 81. His average over 30 years is two and a half, his best eight at Sheffield United.
If Stuart Attwell had given the penalty he might have at 2-1 when Gorkss upended Simon Cox, a breath of foul air might have been felt. As it is, Formula Warnock has hearts beating about the Bush with new excitement.
Man of the match Adel Taarabt (QPR)
Classic Encounters
Game 1
31st October 2006 – Championship
WBA 3 QPR 3
ALBION threw away two leads - and two vital points - on a frustrating night at The Hawthorns.
Everything looked rosy for the hosts when goals from Nathan Ellington and Diomansy Kamara gave them a deserved 2-0 lead inside 40 minutes.
But QPR stunned the Baggies by clawing themselves level with strikes either side of the break from Damion Stewart and Kevin Gallen.
Kamara put Tony Mowbray's side back in front by grabbing his eighth goal in just five-and-a-half games in the 54th minute.
But there was to be another, final twist when Rangers sub Marc Nygaard earned John Gregory's never-say-die side a point with an 82nd-minute header.
Albion were left scratching their heads at the final whistle as to how they had failed to win a game they dominated from start to finish.
As well as scoring three times, they created countless other chances but were ultimately undone by a rare display of slack defending.
Mowbray made two enforced changes from Saturday's first league defeat in seven games at Blues.
With Paul Robinson starting a three-game ban, Steve Watson was recalled at right-back, with Martin Albrechtsen switching to left-back.
Central midfielder Ronnie Wallwork also earned his first start for seven matches in place of ankle-injury victim Nigel Quashie, while Kevin Phillips made a welcome return to the bench following a calf injury.
Albion started brightly and almost snatched a fifth-minute lead.
Watson exchanged a clever one-two with the twinkle-toed Zoltan Gera before firing a first-time effort just wide from 15 yards.
QPR soon hit back and only Wallwork's vital interception inside the Albion box denied Dexter Blackstock the simplest of chances from Gareth Ainsworth's low cross.
However, the home hordes were soon 'boing boinging' when Ellington fired the hosts into an eighth-minute lead.
Diomansy Kamara slipped Jason Koumas through in the box, only for Rangers keeper Simon Royce to parry the Welsh wizard's first-time effort wide.
But the alert 'Duke' was the first to the rebound and drilled the ball in off Royce from an acute angle.
Koumas was proving a real handful for the West Londoners' defence and ended a surging 14th-minute run by firing straight at Royce from 20 yards, with the Rangers keeper gathering at the second attempt.
The early goal had failed to dampen QPR's spirits and, moments later, Pascal Zuberbuhler did well to keep out Steve Lomas' stinging 20-yard drive from Gallen's pull back.
Back came Albion and, after a lengthy spell of keep ball, Royce did brilliantly to tip over Watson's header from fully 18 yards after the ex-Everton man had been picked out by Albrechtsen's diagonal centre.
From Koumas' ensuing corner, Curtis Davies will feel he should have done much better after directing a free header over from ten yards.
Albion looked dangerous every time they attacked and Royce again kept the deficit down to one goal when he denied the unmarked Gera with a stunning reaction save from Kamara's pinpoint pass.
But it was to be a momentary reprieve as the buoyant Baggies secured a deserved 2-0 lead in the 40th minute.
Kamara superbly controlled Koumas' diagonal ball with his chest before shrugging off the attentions of Rangers centre-half Stewart and drilling past Royce from eight yards.
But Albion's joy was somewhat tempered two minutes into stoppage time when the visitors pulled a goal back.
After a short corner, Cook swung in a sublime centre and Stewart ghosted in to stab the ball home from six yards.
Incredibly, Rangers clawed themselves level three minutes after the re-start.
Blackstock burst into the Baggies box before squaring for Gallen who stabbed home from close range.
Albion regrouped and only Ainsworth's stunning last-ditch tackle denied Ellington what looked a certain goal following Kamara's neat run and pass.
Stewart then had to make a vital clearance inside his own six-yard box after Greening had jinked his way into the box and cut the ball past Royce.
But the pressure finally paid off as Albion edged back in front in the 54th minute.
Ellington did well to win a loose ball and thread Kamara through and the Senegal pace ace clinically fired into the bottom right-hand corner of Royce's net.
Albion created another gilt-edged chance in the 58th minute when Gera raced on to Koumas' sublime through-pass and pulled the ball back.
Stewart's slip gave Ellington a clear sight of goal but the former Wigan striker fired straight at Royce.
Albion continued to press for a fourth and Ellington's dink header from Watson's pinpoint crossfield pass put Koumas in the clear.
However, Royce was alert to Koumas' intentions and stood tall to catch the ex-Tranmere ace's attempted lob at point-blank range.
Albion continued to pile on the pressure and Kamara was only a whisker away from converting Davies' head back across the face of goal from Greening's centre.
Koumas then saw a 20-yard curler deflect off Michael Mancienne and fly inches wide.
With Albion still only leading by the odd goal, the points were by no means safe.
Zuberbuhler first showed a safe pair of hands to hold onto Cook's close-range effort before the same player curled the ball just wide from a 20-yard free-kick.
But Rangers silenced the home hordes by equalising eight minutes from time when sub Nygaard headed home Cook's left-wing cross.
Albion laid siege to the Rangers goal in the dying minutes in a desperate search for a winner.
But they ultimately ran out of time as the Hoops became only the second team this season to leave The Hawthorns undefeated.
ALBION (4-4-2): Zuberbuhler; Watson, C Davies, Perry, Albrechtsen; Gera, Greening, Wallwork (Hartson 85), Koumas; Ellington (Phillips 72), Kamara. Subs not used: Hoult (gk), Chaplow, McShane.
QPR (4-4-2): Royce; Mancienne, Stewart, Rehman, Bignot; Ainsworth, Smith, Lomas, Cook; Gallen, Blackstock (Nygaard 63). Subs not used: Jones (gk), Milanese, Ward, Rowlands.
GOALS: ALBION - Ellington (8), Kamara (40 & 54). QPR - Stewart (45+2), Gallen (48), Nygaard (82).
BOOKINGS: QPR - Smith (foul 18), Bignot (foul 84), Lomas (foul 90+4).
REFEREE: L Mason (Lancashire).
ATTENDANCE: 17,417.
Game 2
25 th August 1984 – Division One (Old)
QPR 3 WBA 1
Report courtesy of Vital QPR
A new season in the top flight graced Queens Park Rangers and they faced West Brom under new guidance.
Under the guidance of new boss Alan Mullery, Rangers prepared for the opening day test against West Bromwich Albion, with change still lingering in the air in W12.
The R's had sold Clive Allen to Tottenham Hotspur after he handed in a transfer request, with deals for Birmingham City front-man Mick Harford, and opposition striker Cyrille Regis falling through.
They did dip into the transfer market to sign Gary Bannister from Sheffield Wednesday, and opted against selling Simon Stainrod to the Owls.
A fifth placed finish in 1984 meant that the R's had a steep task to emulate the achievement of departing boss Terry Venables - but Mullery was full of hope as the season got underway.
West Brom had finished 17th last time out and Johnny Giles was looking to improve his side's displays as they entered a new campaign.
The Baggies had been a side last season with a glut of talented players, that had truly flattered to deceive on a number of occasions - with Giles under pressure to get his players performing this time out.
Rangers started with the debutante Bannister in the front-line alongside Simon Stainrod, as they searched to get their first opening day win since 1981 against Wrexham.
If Rangers opening day record wasn't up to scratch, then West Brom's was disastrous, without an opening day victory since 1978, as prospective R's forward Regis started for the Baggies.
The hosts didn't have to wait too long for their first goal of the campaign, and it was perfectly crafted from the boot of Mike Fillery.
The midfielder hung a free-kick into the area and with the Baggies rearguard struggling to cope Simon Stainrod was able to back-heel into the back of the net from close range.
One quickly became two when Bannister's flick-on from a Hucker delivery fell to the feet of the onrushing Stainrod, and the forward lashed beyond Tony Godden.
Stainrod also had a hand in the third as he was felled on the edge of the area, with Terry Fenwick stepping up and drilling a free-kick home from 20-yards out.
Striker Steve MacKenzie did get a goal for Albion, but it wasn't enough to make a genuine difference as the R's got the season off to a flier.
The feel-good factor continued as Rangers were undefeated in the first four games, but they were eventually thumped at White Hart Lane by a rampant Spurs (0-5) - before conceding another five goals against Newcastle United, only to score five as well in a comeback heralded as one of the greatest.
However one win in ten saw Mullery under pressure in the hot-seat, and he was eventually sacked following a gruelling home win over Stoke City who went on themselves to be relegated by quite a margin.
Frank Sibley steadied the ship and despite a dip in form in the final few games they narrowly avoided relegation. Four defeats from five games saw them finish one place and one point from relegated Norwich City.
West Bromwich Albion meanwhile ousted Giles by late September, with Nobby Stiles replacing him at the Hawthornes. As a result the Baggies managed to secure a 12th placed finish.
It was a false dawn as the following season the Baggies were relegated as the rock-bottom side in the First Division, triggering their longest spell out of the top flight since their return in 2002.
Final Score: Queens Park Rangers 3-1 West Bromwich Albion
Attendance: 12,802
Queens Park Rangers: Hucker, Neill, Dawes, Stewart, Wicks, Fenwick, Micklewhite, Fillery, Bannister (Fereday), Stainrod, Gregory
West Bromwich Albion: Godden, Whitehead, Statham, Hunt, Bennett, Robertson, Grealish, Thompson, Regis, MacKenzie, Cross
Game 3
14th December 2009 -Championship
WBA 2 QPR 2
Cup reports and Videos !
League Cup Final - 4th March 1967 – Wembley
QPR 3 WBA 2
Programme link
www.kabrna.com/marsh/qpr_wba.htm
www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=44593
QPR's Path To Wembley -
Wikipedia Match Report
The 1967 Football League Cup Final took place on 4 March 1967 at Wembley Stadium. It was the seventh final and the first to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Queens Park Rangers of the Third Division and West Bromwich Albion of the First.
WBA were hot favourites to win, led by centre forward Jeff Astle. It was QPR's first ever appearance at Wembley, their star man was Rodney Marsh.
WBA started strongly with former QPR winger Clive Clark scoring twice to give WBA a 2-0 half time lead. In a fairy tale 2nd half, the underdogs stormed back. First Roger Morgan scored with a header. Then Rodney Marsh went on a mazy run, eluding tackles, and shot in off the post past keeper Dick Sheppard.
In the closing minutes QPR centre half Ron Hunt went on a forward run and as he challenged the keeper for the ball it ran loose to Mark Lazarus to score the winning goal. Mike Keen lifted the cup to thousands of cheering Rangers fans" - Wikipedia
Carling Classic Finals - 1967 Classic Finals: Part One
1967: Queens Park Rangers 3 West Bromwich Albion 2
Interest in the League Cup was dwindling by 1967 and the Football League decided that to renew interest in England's second biggest cup competition, some changes needed to be made. Out went the two-legged final and in game a one-off finale, staged at the home of football, Wembley. Also, the winners (providing they were a First Division club) would be guaranteed European football in the Fairs Cup (now the UEFA Cup) the following season.
But a determined band of brothers from west London had other ideas as they hijacked the revitalised tournament. And so it was that Third Division QPR, with the likes of Les Allen, Jim Langley and the legendary Rodney Marsh in the side, waltzed all the way to the final and once there produced another great upset - just as they had done all season.
Former Rangers striker Clive Clark bagged a brace for West Brom in the first half to give the Baggies a two goal lead at half-time. But the Rs refused to lie down and they stunned the Midlanders with a breathtaking second half performance.
Roger Morgan scored just a few minutes after the restart to make it 2-1 and then, with 15 minutes of normal time remaining, Marsh produced a magnificent piece of skill, running through the Albion defence and levelling for the Londoners. And then, in the dying moments, Mark Lazarus completed a remarkable comeback and ensured Rangers made history as the first division three team to lift the League Cup.
They were refused entry into the Fairs Cup because of their lowly league status, but still had plenty to celebrate as they also won the Third Division title that season.
Carling: Carling Cup History "...The romance for the smaller clubs returned with the Wembley ticket: in 1967, a young Rodney Marsh helped QPR on the way to their first proper piece of silverware.
They beat West Brom 3-2 and, in the process, became the first Third Division club to win a major trophy. The Super Hoops added to their haul a few weeks later by picking up the Third Division title too. The League Cup was fast becoming the 'Lucky Cup'.
The fact that 98,000 fans packed into Wembley for the 1967 final was conclusive proof that the League Cup was now extremely popular. In just seven years it had earned the right to stand alongside the FA Cup as a showpiece final. In every subsequent year, Wembley would be a sell-out.
1967 Team - "Where Are They Now" - From 2003 Sunday Times
Caught In Time QPR win League Cup, 1967 by Greg Struthers
A quiet revolution was taking place in west London in the mid-1960s. A dapper former army major called Alec Stock was putting together a Queens Park Rangers football team that was ready to challenge the cream of the country.
Stock had developed a fine youth scheme since taking over in 1959, and when Jim Gregory was appointed club chairman in March 1965, the manager was given money to spend on new players. Striker Les Allen was enticed from Tottenham, the experienced Jim Langley was bought from Fulham, and a fee of only 15,000 pounds was paid to Craven Cottage for striker Rodney Marsh, probably the most famous player to don blue-and-white hoops.
Under the astute management of Stock and coach Bill Dodgin, the experience and talent blended well, with young lads breaking into the first team such as Dave Clement, Frank Sibley, Tony Hazell and the Morgan twins, Ian and Roger.
"The young players would inspire each other," recalls Roger Morgan. "There were about five or six of us who had grown up together, and there was tremendous team spirit.
Alec was prepared to put his faith in youth, but we learnt from the experienced players around us." Mike Keen, the club captain, has fond memories of his time at Loftus Road. "Even though we were in the Third Division, we were playing some quality football, and there was a good attitude in the team," he says. They showed the nation how good they really were on a crisp, frosty March 4, 1967.
The football hierarchy was concerned about the diminishing value of the League Cup in the eyes of the leading clubs. So it decided that the final would be staged at Wembley and that the winning First Division club would qualify for the European Fairs Cup.
Queens Park Rangers scuppered those plans. They marched cornfortably into the final, then came from two goals down at half-time to upset First Division West Bromwich Albion, winning 3-2.
Clive Clark, a former QPR player, scored both goals for West Brom, but the Rangers players were not concerned at half-time. "We had come back from 2-0 down in other games that season and were told to simply go out and enjoy the. day," says Keen.
Enjoy it they did. Roger Morgan scored after the restart, and 15 minutes from the end, Marsh set off on a trademark mazy dribble that ended with a brilliant solo goal, his shot going in off the post. Late in the game, Mark Lazarus scored the winner.
Rangers were denied a place in Europe, but were more than satisfied with their season. They won the Third Division by 12 points, and the following year were promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history.
FA Cup Semi Final – Highbury - 3rd April 1982
QPR 1 WBA 0
QPR's Team against WBA
Hucker
Gillard Hazell Roeder Fenwick
Flanagan Waddock Currie Micklewhite
Allen Stainrod
WBA had Andy King and Cyrel Regis in their team.
WBA - Grew, Batson, Statham, Zondervan, Wile, Robertson, Bennett, King, Regis, Cross, Mackenzie. - Owen (sub)
Express and Star - Semi-final just a blur for Bob
He was the Baggies fan who broke the hearts of the Albion throng. But Bob Hazell still can’t remember a thing about it.
The club return to the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday 26 years since their last appearance ended in the calamity of defeat to a then Championship level Queen’s Park Rangers.
And although one of the capital’s famous goalscoring sons, Clive Allen, struck the goal that took Rangers to the final, no player did more to sink the Baggies that day than Hazell.
Former Villa manager John Gregory was in the Rangers midfield in those days but, ineligible for the semi, watched the Highbury contest from the QPR dugout. And his eyes rarely strayed from the central confrontation on which the semi-final hinged.
“To be honest, it was a pretty crap match,” Gregory says. “But if you are going to speak to one man about that game it has to be Bob. He won it for us.”
Why the reverence for the central defender? Because Hazell produced arguably the game of his career to nullify Albion legend Cyrille Regis, who at that time was in all his pomp and one of the most feared strikers in the top flight.
Albion would ultimately be grateful for Regis for scoring the goals that would keep them in the division but they hoped his pace and power would also see them through to Wembley. Hazell made sure it was not to be.
“Yeh that’s true,” says Regis. “I was flying at the time, I had 24 or 25 goals. And Bob has told me since how he was singled out to stop me.
“Bob was a powerful player like me and he had a great game, he was on form that day. I can only remember getting a half chance. He matched me wherever I went and we kind of nullified each other. He also clattered Andy King – nothing illegal – with a challenge and he had to go off which also upset our rhythm.
“But there is a message there for any team. You’ve got to have more than one match winner. I was playing well at the time and I am not saying everybody wasn’t playing well but Rangers were right. If you stopped me scoring they would have a good chance.”
Hazell is now a Birmingham-based 48-year-old Sports Prevention Manager working to help rehabilitate young offenders through sport. But despite memorable spells at Molineux, where he became the first black player to score for Wolves, and then Port Vale and Leicester, no game defines him quite like that heartbreaking day for Albion.
A pity then, it’s all still a bit of a blur.
“You will find this hard to believe but the truth is I can barely remember one or two incidents from that game,” says Hazell.
“It was one of those matches where I concentrated so hard that even when the final whistle went I didn’t realise it was the end of the game.
“But, at that time, Cyrille was ripping up trees, he was really doing the business and I remember vividly the team meeting beforehand. Terry Venables (QPR manager) looked at me at that meeting and said: ‘Bob, if you can look after Cyrille, we have got a good chance here.’
“Although Cyrille and I were and are good friends that was my mission for the day. For the day? It felt like it was my life’s mission. And from the time we walked out on to the pitch to after the match had been finished, barely a couple of things have ever come back to me.
“I can remember the lead up to our goal although I can’t remember how the ball came in my direction. They showed it on TV last week but the clip was so short I still couldn’t remember how it got there.
“The only other thing I can remember is right at the finish, we won a free-kick and I tried to be clever and waste a little more time by kicking the ball forward. The ref realised what I was up to and decided to teach me a lesson and said ‘Right, play on.’ Derek Statham jumped on to it but just as he made his play, the final whistle went.
“Tony Currie came up to me and shouted ‘Bob, Bob, you did ••••••• great!’ I don’t think I responded. I was still in the ‘zone’.”
In fact, it wasn’t until the following day when another legendary local figure came to take his pal out for a celebration that the enormity of the occasion struck home.
“I was back home – and I remember this bit clearly – that me and my great friend George Berry were out for a drive on the Sunday afternoon.
“We were somewhere in the country and I was looking at the trees flying by and I suddenly said to George: ‘Blimey, I’m going to Wembley. I’m going to be in the FA Cup final.’ And suddenly it all struck home. That FA Cup final was everything to me. As a kid I was an absolute fanatic up at 9am to watch the coverage begin.
“I remember all of that. And now I was going to be there. I really started to take it all in.
“Normally I can go through a game 100 times in detail and remember all the moments, recount them and replay them. But I think that match was just so intense and marking Cyrille was such a challenge.
“We’ve spoken about it many times, shared a stage together and talked about it, been away together and people have brought it up. It did mean a great deal to me.
“I had been brought up as an Albion fan and that day I was playing against some of my heroes. John Wile was in the side and I had watched him from the terraces. Tony Brown and Ally Rob . . . it was a big thing for me.
“And when I was at Wolves, I used to sneak away and watch Albion play.
“I was always a little disappointed that Albion never came in for me as a schoolboy but at that time, a lot of people would have struggled to get in there.
“To play against them and turn them over made that day all the more memorable and all I can say is ‘Thank God’ for that memory.”
Ultimately, Hazell finished empty-handed as Spurs won the final after a replay but he does not believe that should deter the focus Albion place on Saturday’s meeting with Portsmouth.
“It’s alright saying promotion is more important but if your team is good - and Albion’s is - the odds that you can get up the following year are still very good,” he insists.
“You can’t say that for the Cup. It could be an age before Albion are here again. And often when you look at teams getting promoted when they are not ready, they have all sorts of problems.
“They don’t say ‘Well, we did well to even get here’. It all implodes and they can easily end up going down a couple of divisions.
“But any player who has walked out there for the final will remember it forever. I got promoted with QPR and that was terrific but it still doesn’t match playing in the FA Cup final. And I was on the losing side! Had we beaten Spurs, they would still be trying to drag me down from the clouds now.”
Unfortunately, his head overrules his heart when he looks to Saturday’s contest and the possibility of the Baggies enduring another FA Cup semi disappointment to go with the setbacks of 1969, 1978 and 82.
He adds: “Portsmouth are a really powerful team. When you are the lower division side, the one thing that you hope for in Cup ties is that physical edge.
“You like to play a Tottenham where you know they are going to be very skilful but you might have the edge in muscle, aggression and work rate. That isn’t the case here and Albion are going to have their work cut out.
“I don’t know whether it’s bravado in Albion saying the league is more important. Personally, I don’t like that talk. For Pompey, winning the FA Cup is everything. And that could also make a difference.
“I would love to see Albion do it, it would be terrific for this area no matter what the Wolves fans think! But if I had any money I would have to put it on Pompey. Express and Star.
QPR Defeat - English Div One (old)
5.10.1968 WBA 3 QPR 1
Played for Both Clubs .
Here's some Players that have played for both Clubs , here's a 5 Clubs sequence of Clubs they played for , who are they ?
Managed both Clubs No1 – His playing Career. as follows;
1.Charlton A>Exeter City>Lincoln City>Mansfield Town>Port Vale>Colchester U ?Ray Harford
2.Leeds U>QPR>WBA>QPR>Preston NE?Clive Clark
3.QPR>WBA>Notts County>Northern Spirit>Dunfermline A?Andy McDermott
4.Plymouth A>Arsenal>Crystal P>WBA>QPR?Paul Barron
5.Luton>Everton>QPR>WBA>Everton?Andy King
6.Barnsley>WBA>QPR>Tunbridge Wells?Alf Ridyard
7.Portsmouth>QPR>WBA>Mansfield T?Bill Williams
8.QPR>WBA>Leyton Orient?Alan Glover
9.QPR>Sampdoria>Sunderland>WBA>Millwall?Danny Dichio
9a.QPR>Oxford U>WBA>Millwall>Aldershot ?Peter Hucker
Managed both Clubs ,management career
10.WBA>Galatasaray>Arsenal>QPR>Coventry (caretaker)?
Don Howe
10a.WBA>Aston Villa>QPR?
LOANS
11.WBA>Kidderminster H(loan)>Coventry(loan)>QPR(loan)>Millwall?
12.Millwall>Blackburn R>QPR(loan)>West Brom ?Steven Reid
13.Manchester City >West Brom>QPR(loan)>Nottingham Forest?
Ishmael Miller
14.WBA(loan)>Stockport C>Notts County(loan)>Preston(loan)>Walsall>Rushden and Diamonds>Port Vale>QPR?Brett Angell
15.Crystal Palace>Wigan>QPR(loan)>WBA(loan)Wigan?Ben Watson
16.Arsenal>Millwall(loan)>WBA(loan)>QPR(loan)Hull City?Jay Simpson
