#OTD in 1997: The #QPR Official Site Launched

[QPR Report]

Edit

September 24, 1997

On this day: 24 years ago, the QPR Official Site was launched. And we had an extra source of information besides Battletank's path-breaking QPR.org

Chris Wright Was Chairman...Stuart Houston. QPR had Quashie and Murray and Sinclair and Spencer and Sheron...

Some of those early posts ...

[QPR Report]

25 Years Ago Today, QPR Launched its Website...

On this day: 25 years ago, the QPR Official Site was launched. And we had an extra source of information besides Battletank's path-breaking QPR.org

Chris Wright Was Chairman...Stuart Houston. QPR had Quashie and Murray and Sinclair and Spencer and Sheron...

Some of those early posts


QPR Official Site - September 24, 1997

- Welcome to the new Official Queens Park Rangers Web Site.
- We're delighted to have an official presence on the Internet and this site will give you the chance
to keep up to date with everything that is happening at Loftus Road.
- Now wherever you are in the world - and I receive correspondence from our supporters from as far
afield as Australia and Japan
- you can know what's happening at the press of a button.
Here at Queens Park Rangers we try to keep you informed as much as is practically possible and this site
is a great step forward for the club and our supporters.
- It means you'll be able to read match reports of games just seconds after the final whistle has sounded,
and very soon you will even be able to listen to live commentaries!
- News stories about the players, events and all aspects of the club will be updated on a daily basis by
staff working inside the club.
- You can also order Club Merchandise without leaving your own home and chat with fellow fans in the Official
Chat Forum.
- We'd also like you to play your part in further developing our site. You can help us by signing into the
online Visitors Book.
- Happy Browsing,
-Chris Wright
Chairman
Queens Park Rangers Football and Athletic Club Limited


On the day of this inaugural post, QPR beat Terry Fenwick's Portsmouth 1-0 at Loftus Road

September 25, 1997 - QPR Official Site - R'S BATTLERS PLEASE BOSS - R's boss Stewart Houston was delighted to pick up all three points, after seeing Rangers battle out a 1-0 win against Pompey, at Loftus Road on Wednesday night.
- Stewart stressed the importance of being able to pick up wins when Rangers are perhaps not playing at their best.
- " I thought that was a really battling performance and although we can play better, I was pleased to pick up the three points. Although we were only one up, their keeper made three outstanding saves, and perhaps we could have had a penalty, the players thought so."
- The boss had to switch things round when an injury to Steve Morrow forced him into bringing on Matthew Rose.
- " Steve's overstretched and straight away he had a problem and we had to take him off. I felt I had to change things a little bit, so I did, and it seemed to tighten things up a little."
- Stewart afterwards cleared up any confusion over who got the Rangers goal and was quick to applaude Sheron's contribution.
- " Mike Sheron received the ball and squared it across the six yard box and Spenny's come in and got the touch. Mike comes alive in the last 25 yards - he was just a bit unlucky - but the goals will come."
- The win lifts Rangers to equal top, but the boss refuses to get too carried away.
- " It's early days yet, eight games into the season, but six wins out of seven gives us a lot of confidence."

Speaking the next Day...

QPR Official Site - ALL SMILES FOR SPENNY - JOHN SPENCER fired the bullet that took the R's joint top of the league, and then paid tribute to his striking partner Mike Sheron.
- Spencer's 44th minute strike was enough to beat Portsmouth and to hoist Rangers level with Nottingham Forest at the top. The wee Scotsman was delighted with the outcome of the night.
- ""It was a really tough game. Portsmouth played well for long periods, pinning us back. But justifiably the three points went to us in the end."
- " I can't really remember too much of the build up on the goal. Mike Sheron floated into the box on the left hand side and he cut the ball across. I was actually going to leave it, as I thought the shot was going in, but a defender was coming in on my right hand side, and he might have cleared it off the line. So I slid in, managed to get my studs on it and put it in the net. You can't really take any chances!!"
- Spenny is enjoying the winning run with Rangers, and he feels his new frontline partnership with Mike Sheron, is starting to blossom.
- " I was struggling in the first few games with an ankle injury that I had last year, but I've played through that now and managed to get myself a bit fitter. The ankle seems to have cleared up. and I feel a lot sharper and a lot more confident."
- "Myself and Mike are doing all right together at the moment. We seem to be creating lots of chances and everything seems to be going well. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we'll be talking like this at the end of the season."


Also on the Site opening day...

QPR Official Site - September 24, 1997 - QUASHIE - THE NEW HODDLE ? - R's Scottish international striker John Spencer is predicting a big future for QPR's outstanding 19 year old prospect Nigel Quashie.
- Nigel's recent return to the first team picture after 18 months on the sidelines with glandular fever, has been a big boost to manager Stewart Houston and Spencer is sure Nigel can go all the way to the top.
-" For a 19 year old, Nigel is awesome. If he stays fit he will be a full England cap within 12 months. He could go on to beat Alan Shearer's transfer price if he continue's to progress.
-The youngster has already been selected for England at U-19 and U-21 level, and Spencer believes he is the next best thing to hit English football, since current England manager Glenn Hoddle.
- " The lad is as good a player as England have had since Glenn Hoddle. I've seen Hoddle in training when I was with Chelsea. He was the other side of 30 and Nigel is under 20, but they can do the same things."
- " They can both hit long passes and can run games. In training Nigel can hit free-kicks any spot he likes. You have to stand there in amazement."
- Quashie was given his QPR debut at the age of 17, by then manager Ray Wilkins, but glandular fever severely hampered his progress last season and left him often too weak to train. Now back in the first team, Nigel is happy to put those dark days behind him.
- " It was awful. One morning I would feel fine, the next so weak all I wanted to do was go to bed for a week. The illness has made me much more professional. I get plenty of rest before matches and fill up with pasta at the right times.
-All R's fans will be delighted to see Nigel back in the limelight and like the player will be hoping he can help clinch a return to the Premiership.
-" I am taking it a game at a time. The main thing is promotion."


A couple days later:

QPR Official Site -September 26, 1997 IMPEY DEAL GOES THROUGH

- ANDY IMPEY has finally completed his £1.2M move to West Ham United.
The Hammers wanted to sign Impey in the summer, but then put the deal on ice, whilst the R's wideman recovered from a foot injury.
- West Ham boss Harry Redknapp watched Impey play a full 90 minutes for QPR reserves last night, before completing the deal this morning.
- The 26 year old revealed when he first found out about West Ham's interest.
- " I first found out West Ham wanted me in June. the transfer was sorted out when I was on holiday in Jamaica, but things
started to drag on because of the problem with my foot."
- " The injury happened a long time ago. I broke my toe two or three years back and it started to give me pain last season.
The toe had bent after healing, so I had an operation to get it straightened. It took four months to fully recover
after the operation at the end of last season."

- " I've been training with Rangers this campaign, and playing practice matches and 5-a sides for nearly six weeks.
West Ham couldn't take a chance on my fitness, but now I'm perfectly all right."
- " I was worried a little bit about the delay. I didn't know how long West Ham would wait, but the specialist told me my toe
would recover, and there is no problem at all now."
- " I had seven years at Rangers, which I enjoyed. But I didn't play very well last season, so I thought it was time for a change and a new challenge."
- Andrew joined Rangers from Yeading FC in August 1990. He made his debut the following year and became a regular under the Gerry Francis regime.
- He won the Player of the Year in 1995 and forced his way into the England squad for a training week. But with his contract set to expire
at the end of the current season, the transfer to West Ham ends Impey's days at Loftus Road.
- Andy had his final game in a QPR shirt for the reserves at home to Ipswich, but the side lost 2-1. Paul Bruce grabbed the R's only goal.
- QPR: Sommer, Woolsey, Brazier, Perry, Plummer, Yates,(Whittle 45) Graham, Impey, Charles, Norman, Bruce


QPR Official Site -September 30- BOSMAN SPARKED IMPEY MOVE

- THE BOSMAN RULING and Daniel Dichio's departure on a free transfer contibuted to Rangers selling Andy Impey to West Ham for £1.2M
- Chairman Chris Wright said: " To some extent, we're disappointed that Andrew has left. He is an extremely good player and had done
well here at Rangers over the years."
- " But Andrew was in the last year of his contract and we couldn't get him to discuss new terms. His feeling was that he wanted to move
on and didn't want to think about a new contract with Rangers."
- " After what happened with Danny Dichio leaving, the club didn't want that happening again and I don't want players who are not commited
to the club. A player who is in the last year of his contract and who has no intention of signing a new one, is not going to be as commited to the club as you would like."
- West Ham came in with an offer for Andrew and it was the right move for everyone. It was the prudent thing for Rangers to do.
No one is happy when a talented player leaves the club, but we cannot be in a situation where we have players who are not prepared to commit themselves to us." =-
" We tried as hard as we could, but Andrew was not prepared to do that. We were all sad to see him go, but as players go out, others will come in. You cannot keep buying players and not selling."


QPR Official Site - HOUSTON WINS TOP AWARD

- RANGERS manager Stewart Houston has been awarded the Nationwide Division 1 Manager of the Month award for September
- Stewart guided the R's to a four match winning run, which saw them move into second place in the League. Rangers beat Reading, West Brom, Crewe and Portsmouth before coming unstuck at Port Vale on Saturday.
- Stewart said today: " I'm very pleased to accept this award. The players have made it happen for me. I was a bit surprised to get this accolade, but it's all credit to the players."
- The Division 2 award went to Ian Atkins of Northampton and the Division 3 Award to Sam Allardyce of Notts County.


QPR Official Site - October 2, 1997 - CHAIRMAN WOOS STAYAWAY FANS
RANGERS chairman Chris Wright is confident that the club can build on its fan base, as we look to return to the Premiership.
- Chris say: " From the standpoint of financial reality, we have quite a job to do to compete with bigger clubs. So we need to build up our support levels. We want to bring all those disenfranchised Rangers fans back into Loftus Road."
- " We had some 14,000 supporters cheering us on at Wimbledon in the FA Cup at Wimbledon last season, so we know the fans are out there. It's up to the booard, the club and the team on the pitch, to get those people out of the woodwork and back in the stands at Loftus Road."


QPR Official Site - October 8, 1997 - MOVE STILL ON CARDS

- RANGERS are continuing to peruse plans for a possible move away from Loftus Road
- The project is being masterminded by Stephen Oakley, 45, the new chief executive of Loftus Road plc. He feels the options are to expand the existing facilities or to build a new stadium further along the A40 corridor.
- Mr Oakley says: " If the things we want do come to fruition, with Rangers back in the Premiership, we will need a bigger capacity. Building a new stadium is sometimes cheaper than adding to the existing one."
- The Loftus Road group have looked at several possible sites and a decision will be taken at the end of the season. Mr Oakley did say that the group's skills in managing sporting events could lead into a move into basketball and ice-hockey.
- Loftus Road also plans to expand its merchandising operation and develop banqueting and conference facilities to reduce its dependence on success on the field.


And finally on a sad note...

QPR Official Site - September 30, 1997 - R'S MOURN CUP FINAL KEEPER - FORMER RANGERS keeper Peter Springett has died at the age of 51, after a four year battle against a crippling illness
- Peter, who was one of Rangers heroes in the 1967 League Cup winning team, was born in Fulham on May 8th 1946 and came through the apprentice ranks.
- He signed as a pro in 1963, making his debut that month against Peterborough. He was capped at England Youth and U-23 level.
- By 1965/6, Peter had made the first team spot his own and the following season he was an ever present in the Rangers side that won the League Cup and Third Division double. He made a total of 160 appearances for QPR.
- In May 1967, Peter joined Sheffield Wednesday in a unique deal that saw his brother Ron move to Rangers. Peter played 180 League games for the Owls and another 191 for Barnsley, before retiring to become a policeman.
- The Rangers players will wear black armbands against Charlton as a mark of respect.


And to put into perspective

(Note to put into perspective...this was QPR's Season From Wikipedia -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997%E2%80%9398_Queens_Park_Rangers_F.C._season


1997–98 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Queens Park Rangers 1997–98 season
Chairman Chris Wright
Manager Stewart Houston (until 10 November)
John Hollins (caretaker from 11 November - 5 December)
Ray Harford (from 5 December)
Stadium Loftus Road
First Division 21st
FA Cup Third round
League Cup First round
Top goalscorer Sheron (11)
Average home league attendance 13,083
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

During the 1997–98 English football season, Queens Park Rangers F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.


Season summary

In the 1997–98 season, QPR did start the campaign brightly but in November, Houston was sacked as manager with the club in 13th place and only four points adrift from the playoff places. Ray Harford was appointed as Houston's replacement and QPR went on to struggle with only three wins at the end of the season since his appointment and only managed to avoid relegation by one point at the expense of Manchester City, Stoke City and Reading.

1 Nottingham Forest (C) 46 28 10 8 82 42 +40 94 Promotion to 1998–99 FA Premier League
2 Middlesbrough (P) 46 27 10 9 77 41 +36 91
3 Sunderland 46 26 12 8 86 50 +36 90 Qualification to First Division play-offs
4 Charlton Athletic (P) 46 26 10 10 80 49 +31 88
5 Ipswich Town 46 23 14 9 77 43 +34 83
6 Sheffield United 46 19 17 10 69 54 +15 74
7 Birmingham City 46 19 17 10 60 35 +25 74
8 Stockport County 46 19 8 19 71 69 +2 65
9 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 18 11 17 57 53 +4 65
10 West Bromwich Albion 46 16 13 17 50 56 −6 61
11 Crewe Alexandra 46 18 5 23 58 65 −7 59
12 Oxford United 46 16 10 20 60 64 −4 58
13 Bradford City 46 14 15 17 46 59 −13 57
14 Tranmere Rovers 46 14 14 18 54 57 −3 56
15 Norwich City 46 14 13 19 52 69 −17 55
16 Huddersfield Town 46 14 11 21 50 72 −22 53
17 Bury 46 11 19 16 42 58 −16 52
18 Swindon Town 46 14 10 22 42 73 −31 52
19 Port Vale 46 13 10 23 56 66 −10 49
20 Portsmouth 46 13 10 23 51 63 −12 49
21 Queens Park Rangers 46 10 19 17 51 63 −12 49
22 Manchester City (R) 46 12 12 22 56 57 −1 48 Relegation to 1998–99 Second Division
23 Stoke City (R) 46 11 13 22 44 74 −30 46
24 Reading (R) 46 11 9 26 39 78 −39 42

Updated to games played on 3 May 1998.
Source: Statto.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
Results

Queens Park Rangers' score comes first[1]
Legend
Win Draw Loss
Football League First Division
Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
9 August 1997 Ipswich Town H 0–0 17,614
15 August 1997 Tranmere Rovers A 1–2 7,467 Peacock
23 August 1997 Stockport County H 2–1 11,108 Sinclair (2)
30 August 1997 Nottingham Forest A 0–4 18,804
2 September 1997 Reading A 2–1 10,203 Spencer, Swales (own goal)
13 September 1997 West Bromwich Albion H 2–0 14,399 Sheron, Peacock
20 September 1997 Crewe Alexandra A 3–2 5,348 Spencer, Maddix, Sinclair
24 September 1997 Portsmouth H 1–0 12,620 Spencer
27 September 1997 Port Vale A 0–2 7,197
4 October 1997 Charlton Athletic H 2–4 14,825 Sheron (2)
18 October 1997 Sheffield United A 2–2 18,006 Murray, Morrow
21 October 1997 Bury A 1–1 4,602 Spencer
26 October 1997 Manchester City H 2–0 14,451 Ready, Peacock (pen)
1 November 1997 Birmingham City H 1–1 12,715 Barker
5 November 1997 Swindon Town A 1–3 10,132 Peacock
8 November 1997 Middlesbrough A 0–3 30,067
15 November 1997 Stoke City H 1–1 11,923 Barker (pen)
22 November 1997 Huddersfield Town H 2–1 16,066 Quashie (2)
29 November 1997 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 2–3 23,645 Sheron, Peacock
3 December 1997 Norwich City H 1–1 10,141 Peacock
6 December 1997 Sunderland H 0–1 15,266
12 December 1997 Oxford United A 1–3 6,664 Peacock
21 December 1997 Bradford City H 1–0 8,853 Peacock (pen)
26 December 1997 Portsmouth A 1–3 12,314 Sheron
28 December 1997 Reading H 1–1 13,015 Spencer
10 January 1998 Ipswich Town A 0–0 12,672
17 January 1998 Tranmere Rovers H 0–0 12,033
24 January 1998 Nottingham Forest H 0–1 13,220
31 January 1998 Stockport County A 0–2 7,958
7 February 1998 Crewe Alexandra H 3–2 13,429 Kennedy (2), Ready
14 February 1998 West Bromwich Albion A 1–1 19,143 Dowie
17 February 1998 Charlton Athletic A 1–1 15,555 Peacock (pen)
21 February 1998 Port Vale H 0–1 14,198
25 February 1998 Sheffield United H 2–2 9,560 Sheron, Ready
28 February 1998 Norwich City A 0–0 12,730
4 March 1998 Middlesbrough H 5–0 11,580 Vickers (own goal), Bruce, Gallen, Sheron (2)
7 March 1998 Birmingham City A 0–1 18,298
14 March 1998 Swindon Town H 1–2 13,486 Quashie
21 March 1998 Stoke City A 1–2 11,051 Barker (pen)
28 March 1998 Huddersfield Town A 1–1 13,681 Jones
1 April 1998 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 0–0 12,337
10 April 1998 Sunderland A 2–2 40,014 Sheron (2)
14 April 1998 Oxford United H 1–1 12,859 Gallen
19 April 1998 Bradford City A 1–1 14,871 Gallen
25 April 1998 Manchester City A 2–2 32,040 Sheron, Pollock (own goal)
3 May 1998 Bury H 0–1 15,210
FA Cup
Main article: 1997–98 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R3 3 January 1998 Middlesbrough H 2–2 13,379 Spencer, Gallen
R3R 13 January 1998 Middlesbrough A 0–2 21,817
League Cup
Main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 First Leg 12 August 1997 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 0–2 8,355
R1 Second Leg 27 August 1997 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 2–1 (lost 2-3 on agg) 18,398 Peacock, Murray
Squad

[1] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Position Player
England GK Lee Harper
Wales GK Tony Roberts
United States GK Juergen Sommer
Wales DF Karl Ready
Northern Ireland DF Steve Morrow
Jamaica DF Danny Maddix
England DF Rufus Brevett
England MF Gavin Peacock
Scotland MF Nigel Quashie
England MF Paul Murray
England MF Trevor Sinclair
England FW Mike Sheron
Scotland FW John Spencer
England FW Kevin Gallen
England DF Steve Yates
England MF Simon Barker
England DF Matthew Rose
England DF David Bardsley
Australia DF George Kulcsar
Northern Ireland FW Iain Dowie
Republic of Ireland MF Mark Kennedy (on loan from Liverpool)

No. Position Player
England DF Ian Baraclough
England MF Matt Brazier
Wales MF Vinnie Jones
Northern Ireland DF Keith Rowland
England DF Neil Ruddock (on loan from Liverpool)
Republic of Ireland MF Tony Scully
England DF Mark Perry
England FW Steve Slade
England DF Paul Bruce
Finland DF Antti Heinola
England MF Michael Mahoney-Johnson
Northern Ireland MF Mark Graham
England DF Chris Plummer
England DF Trevor Challis
England MF Andy Impey
Wales MF Leon Jeanne
Jamaica MF Richard Langley
England DF Rik Lopez
England DF Karl Owen
England FW Wayne Purser
Republic of Ireland DF David Whittle

[Lonegunmen]

I was on the old "Planet" QPR MB years back with Dodgy, (As John is known as by friends). Phil from SA was also there. And a fella called Anders, who was a Man City fan, was teaching Dodgy and I HTML coding. I first joined the Internet Age on my first home computer in December 1994.

[Macmoish]

Bump...!



QPR Official Site -September 26, 1997 IMPEY DEAL GOES THROUGH

- ANDY IMPEY has finally completed his £1.2M move to West Ham United.
The Hammers wanted to sign Impey in the summer, but then put the deal on ice, whilst the R's wideman recovered from a foot injury.
- West Ham boss Harry Redknapp watched Impey play a full 90 minutes for QPR reserves last night, before completing the deal this morning.
- The 26 year old revealed when he first found out about West Ham's interest.
- " I first found out West Ham wanted me in June. the transfer was sorted out when I was on holiday in Jamaica, but things
started to drag on because of the problem with my foot."
- " The injury happened a long time ago. I broke my toe two or three years back and it started to give me pain last season.
The toe had bent after healing, so I had an operation to get it straightened. It took four months to fully recover
after the operation at the end of last season."

- " I've been training with Rangers this campaign, and playing practice matches and 5-a sides for nearly six weeks.
West Ham couldn't take a chance on my fitness, but now I'm perfectly all right."
- " I was worried a little bit about the delay. I didn't know how long West Ham would wait, but the specialist told me my toe
would recover, and there is no problem at all now."
- " I had seven years at Rangers, which I enjoyed. But I didn't play very well last season, so I thought it was time for a change and a new challenge."
- Andrew joined Rangers from Yeading FC in August 1990. He made his debut the following year and became a regular under the Gerry Francis regime.
- He won the Player of the Year in 1995 and forced his way into the England squad for a training week. But with his contract set to expire
at the end of the current season, the transfer to West Ham ends Impey's days at Loftus Road.
- Andy had his final game in a QPR shirt for the reserves at home to Ipswich, but the side lost 2-1. Paul Bruce grabbed the R's only goal.
- QPR: Sommer, Woolsey, Brazier, Perry, Plummer, Yates,(Whittle 45) Graham, Impey, Charles, Norman, Bruce


QPR Official Site -September 30- BOSMAN SPARKED IMPEY MOVE

- THE BOSMAN RULING and Daniel Dichio's departure on a free transfer contibuted to Rangers selling Andy Impey to West Ham for £1.2M
- Chairman Chris Wright said: " To some extent, we're disappointed that Andrew has left. He is an extremely good player and had done
well here at Rangers over the years."
- " But Andrew was in the last year of his contract and we couldn't get him to discuss new terms. His feeling was that he wanted to move
on and didn't want to think about a new contract with Rangers."
- " After what happened with Danny Dichio leaving, the club didn't want that happening again and I don't want players who are not commited
to the club. A player who is in the last year of his contract and who has no intention of signing a new one, is not going to be as commited to the club as you would like."
- West Ham came in with an offer for Andrew and it was the right move for everyone. It was the prudent thing for Rangers to do.
No one is happy when a talented player leaves the club, but we cannot be in a situation where we have players who are not prepared to commit themselves to us." =-
" We tried as hard as we could, but Andrew was not prepared to do that. We were all sad to see him go, but as players go out, others will come in. You cannot keep buying players and not selling."

[saphilip]

Yep I joined the M/B in about Oct 2000, when it wa sall beginning to fall apart at QPR.

In hindsight though the demise of the Wright era at QPR began at about this time, Sep 1997. The record will show that we may have been top of the table then but fast forward a few months to May 1998 and you will see that we avoided going down by something like goal difference - and a set of famous Man City own goals at Maine Road a week earlier. The personal, both coaching & playing, was totally different then as well.

Houston & Roich were still in charge in Sep 97 but their spending habits, combioned that with the ineptness of Ray Hartford (something like 7 wins in 42 games), set in motion the financial meltdown that would almost kill QPR. It was also the time that Wright's attitude towards QPR would change dramatically.

[Macmoish]

The Harford era was strange. On paper he was a very competent coach (maybe better as #2). But at QPR he took a team on the edge of the promotion race and almost took us down. Something like 4 wins in 40 games before axed *and we were saved by Gerry Francis

And then came the Vinnie Jones signing by Wright and promising him the next managerial opening!

[Lonegunmen]

Where does all the time go? I could say that fans who were not on the site back then are obviously not true QPR fans but I wont.

[Macmoish]

Bump...

[Macmoish]

Bump another Year...

Fifteen Years - Seems, almost like yesterday

[Macmoish]

Bump: 16 Years ago Today

[Macmoish]

Bump - 19 Years ago



(Note to put into perspective...this was QPR's Season From Wikipedia -
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997%E2%80%9398_Queens_Park_Rangers_F.C._season


1997–98 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Queens Park Rangers 1997–98 season
Chairman Chris Wright
Manager Stewart Houston (until 10 November)
John Hollins (caretaker from 11 November - 5 December)
Ray Harford (from 5 December)
Stadium Loftus Road
First Division 21st
FA Cup Third round
League Cup First round
Top goalscorer Sheron (11)
Average home league attendance 13,083
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

During the 1997–98 English football season, Queens Park Rangers F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.


Season summary

In the 1997–98 season, QPR did start the campaign brightly but in November, Houston was sacked as manager with the club in 13th place and only four points adrift from the playoff places. Ray Harford was appointed as Houston's replacement and QPR went on to struggle with only three wins at the end of the season since his appointment and only managed to avoid relegation by one point at the expense of Manchester City, Stoke City and Reading.

1 Nottingham Forest (C) 46 28 10 8 82 42 +40 94 Promotion to 1998–99 FA Premier League
2 Middlesbrough (P) 46 27 10 9 77 41 +36 91
3 Sunderland 46 26 12 8 86 50 +36 90 Qualification to First Division play-offs
4 Charlton Athletic (P) 46 26 10 10 80 49 +31 88
5 Ipswich Town 46 23 14 9 77 43 +34 83
6 Sheffield United 46 19 17 10 69 54 +15 74
7 Birmingham City 46 19 17 10 60 35 +25 74
8 Stockport County 46 19 8 19 71 69 +2 65
9 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 18 11 17 57 53 +4 65
10 West Bromwich Albion 46 16 13 17 50 56 −6 61
11 Crewe Alexandra 46 18 5 23 58 65 −7 59
12 Oxford United 46 16 10 20 60 64 −4 58
13 Bradford City 46 14 15 17 46 59 −13 57
14 Tranmere Rovers 46 14 14 18 54 57 −3 56
15 Norwich City 46 14 13 19 52 69 −17 55
16 Huddersfield Town 46 14 11 21 50 72 −22 53
17 Bury 46 11 19 16 42 58 −16 52
18 Swindon Town 46 14 10 22 42 73 −31 52
19 Port Vale 46 13 10 23 56 66 −10 49
20 Portsmouth 46 13 10 23 51 63 −12 49
21 Queens Park Rangers 46 10 19 17 51 63 −12 49
22 Manchester City (R) 46 12 12 22 56 57 −1 48 Relegation to 1998–99 Second Division
23 Stoke City (R) 46 11 13 22 44 74 −30 46
24 Reading (R) 46 11 9 26 39 78 −39 42

Updated to games played on 3 May 1998.
Source: Statto.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
Results

Queens Park Rangers' score comes first[1]
Legend
Win Draw Loss
Football League First Division
Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
9 August 1997 Ipswich Town H 0–0 17,614
15 August 1997 Tranmere Rovers A 1–2 7,467 Peacock
23 August 1997 Stockport County H 2–1 11,108 Sinclair (2)
30 August 1997 Nottingham Forest A 0–4 18,804
2 September 1997 Reading A 2–1 10,203 Spencer, Swales (own goal)
13 September 1997 West Bromwich Albion H 2–0 14,399 Sheron, Peacock
20 September 1997 Crewe Alexandra A 3–2 5,348 Spencer, Maddix, Sinclair
24 September 1997 Portsmouth H 1–0 12,620 Spencer
27 September 1997 Port Vale A 0–2 7,197
4 October 1997 Charlton Athletic H 2–4 14,825 Sheron (2)
18 October 1997 Sheffield United A 2–2 18,006 Murray, Morrow
21 October 1997 Bury A 1–1 4,602 Spencer
26 October 1997 Manchester City H 2–0 14,451 Ready, Peacock (pen)
1 November 1997 Birmingham City H 1–1 12,715 Barker
5 November 1997 Swindon Town A 1–3 10,132 Peacock
8 November 1997 Middlesbrough A 0–3 30,067
15 November 1997 Stoke City H 1–1 11,923 Barker (pen)
22 November 1997 Huddersfield Town H 2–1 16,066 Quashie (2)
29 November 1997 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 2–3 23,645 Sheron, Peacock
3 December 1997 Norwich City H 1–1 10,141 Peacock
6 December 1997 Sunderland H 0–1 15,266
12 December 1997 Oxford United A 1–3 6,664 Peacock
21 December 1997 Bradford City H 1–0 8,853 Peacock (pen)
26 December 1997 Portsmouth A 1–3 12,314 Sheron
28 December 1997 Reading H 1–1 13,015 Spencer
10 January 1998 Ipswich Town A 0–0 12,672
17 January 1998 Tranmere Rovers H 0–0 12,033
24 January 1998 Nottingham Forest H 0–1 13,220
31 January 1998 Stockport County A 0–2 7,958
7 February 1998 Crewe Alexandra H 3–2 13,429 Kennedy (2), Ready
14 February 1998 West Bromwich Albion A 1–1 19,143 Dowie
17 February 1998 Charlton Athletic A 1–1 15,555 Peacock (pen)
21 February 1998 Port Vale H 0–1 14,198
25 February 1998 Sheffield United H 2–2 9,560 Sheron, Ready
28 February 1998 Norwich City A 0–0 12,730
4 March 1998 Middlesbrough H 5–0 11,580 Vickers (own goal), Bruce, Gallen, Sheron (2)
7 March 1998 Birmingham City A 0–1 18,298
14 March 1998 Swindon Town H 1–2 13,486 Quashie
21 March 1998 Stoke City A 1–2 11,051 Barker (pen)
28 March 1998 Huddersfield Town A 1–1 13,681 Jones
1 April 1998 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 0–0 12,337
10 April 1998 Sunderland A 2–2 40,014 Sheron (2)
14 April 1998 Oxford United H 1–1 12,859 Gallen
19 April 1998 Bradford City A 1–1 14,871 Gallen
25 April 1998 Manchester City A 2–2 32,040 Sheron, Pollock (own goal)
3 May 1998 Bury H 0–1 15,210
FA Cup
Main article: 1997–98 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R3 3 January 1998 Middlesbrough H 2–2 13,379 Spencer, Gallen
R3R 13 January 1998 Middlesbrough A 0–2 21,817
League Cup
Main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R1 First Leg 12 August 1997 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 0–2 8,355
R1 Second Leg 27 August 1997 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 2–1 (lost 2-3 on agg) 18,398 Peacock, Murray
Squad

[1] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
No. Position Player
England GK Lee Harper
Wales GK Tony Roberts
United States GK Juergen Sommer
Wales DF Karl Ready
Northern Ireland DF Steve Morrow
Jamaica DF Danny Maddix
England DF Rufus Brevett
England MF Gavin Peacock
Scotland MF Nigel Quashie
England MF Paul Murray
England MF Trevor Sinclair
England FW Mike Sheron
Scotland FW John Spencer
England FW Kevin Gallen
England DF Steve Yates
England MF Simon Barker
England DF Matthew Rose
England DF David Bardsley
Australia DF George Kulcsar
Northern Ireland FW Iain Dowie
Republic of Ireland MF Mark Kennedy (on loan from Liverpool)

No. Position Player
England DF Ian Baraclough
England MF Matt Brazier
Wales MF Vinnie Jones
Northern Ireland DF Keith Rowland
England DF Neil Ruddock (on loan from Liverpool)
Republic of Ireland MF Tony Scully
England DF Mark Perry
England FW Steve Slade
England DF Paul Bruce
Finland DF Antti Heinola
England MF Michael Mahoney-Johnson
Northern Ireland MF Mark Graham
England DF Chris Plummer
England DF Trevor Challis
England MF Andy Impey
Wales MF Leon Jeanne
Jamaica MF Richard Langley
England DF Rik Lopez
England DF Karl Owen
England FW Wayne Purser
Republic of Ireland DF David Whittle

[Macmoish]

Bump - 18 Years ago

[Lonegunmen]

I am surprised so few others nave commented about this momentous occassion when QPR and the internet really started to take off. Jim Frayling was the man whom first got involved in the very first official club message board. A damn good guy Jim, later to be followed by Billy Rice and when Billy moved on it turned to crap to be finally squashed by the club. It was the place to hang out with a few others by fans.

[kerrins]

That Groucho Marx avatar of qprmals (message board stalwart and the oldest hippie in town)

You don't see computer graphics like that anymore

[Lonegunmen]

I miss Mal very much.

[stylecouncillor]

I was there the good old days Dodgy juzzie QPRmal SAPhillip Lonegunman all learning together making avatars posting pictures or at least trying to My current Avatar was lifted from the site many years ago for information purposes I was on the Swede thread back in the day probably the most dull thread about the prediction league which ran up 1000 posts 5 years running right up until the last days of the messageboard..... and nobody had a clue what the hell we were on about Darkside /Lightside absolute drivel,that in the early days people with slower internet connections couldn't even open when the 1000 was up but happy days.and great friendships formed.

[Macmoish]

Bump 19 Years

[Macmoish]

Bump - 20 Years

[Macmoish]

Bump/Flashback - 25 years today

[Lonegunmen]

Time has flown along with the club's fortunes.

[Macmoish]

QPR Official Site - September 24, 1997

- Welcome to the new Official Queens Park Rangers Web Site.
- We're delighted to have an official presence on the Internet and this site will give you the chance
to keep up to date with everything that is happening at Loftus Road.
- Now wherever you are in the world - and I receive correspondence from our supporters from as far
afield as Australia and Japan
- you can know what's happening at the press of a button.
Here at Queens Park Rangers we try to keep you informed as much as is practically possible and this site
is a great step forward for the club and our supporters.
- It means you'll be able to read match reports of games just seconds after the final whistle has sounded,
and very soon you will even be able to listen to live commentaries!
- News stories about the players, events and all aspects of the club will be updated on a daily basis by
staff working inside the club.
- You can also order Club Merchandise without leaving your own home and chat with fellow fans in the Official
Chat Forum.
- We'd also like you to play your part in further developing our site. You can help us by signing into the
online Visitors Book.
- Happy Browsing,
-Chris Wright
Chairman
Queens Park Rangers Football and Athletic Club Limited

[Lonegunmen]

RIP Dodgy and a lot of others. I still miss it. And I haven't been able to find QPRMal to this day.