Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Queens Park Rangers

Full name	Queens Park Rangers Football Club
Nickname(s)	QPR, The Rs, The Hoops
Founded	1882
Ground	Loftus Road (Rangers Stadium) Shepherd's Bush Hammersmith (Capacity: 19,128)
Chairman	Flavio Briatore
Manager	Paulo Sousa
League	The Championship
2007–08	The Championship, 14th
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English football club, based in Shepherd's Bush in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London. The club's first team currently plays in the Football League Championship. In August 2007 QPR was bought by Formula One tycoons Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, who sold a 20% stake to the family of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal in December of that year.

The club is commonly referred to as QPR, The Rs or often just Rangers by fans. They are also referred to as the Hoops (after the team's kit of blue and white hooped shirts). QPR are not to be confused with the Scottish clubs Rangers or Queen's Park.

Contents 1 History 2 Investment 3 Rivals 4 Honours 5 Records 6 Grounds 7 Managers past and present 8 Technical Staff 9 Current squad 9.1 Out on loan 10 Supporters' clubs 11 References 12 External links

History

Main article: History of Queens Park Rangers F.C.

For the current season see Queens Park Rangers F.C. season 2008-09

QPR was formed in 1882, when a team known as St Jude's merged with Christchurch Rangers. The resulting team was called Queens Park Rangers, because most of the players came from the Queens Park area of North-West London. QPR became a professional team in 1889 and played their home games in nearly 20 different stadia (a league record), before permanently settling in Loftus Road in 1917 (although the team briefly played at White City between 1931-3 and 1962–63 in the hope of attracting larger crowds).^[1] QPR were promoted as champions of Division 3 South in the 1947–48 season. Dave Mangnall was the manager as Rangers enjoyed four seasons in the Second Division, being relegated in 1951–52. Tony Ingham was signed from Leeds United and went on to make most ever league appearances for QPR (519).

Prior to the start of the 1959-60 season saw the arrival of arguably the club's greatest ever manager,^[2] Alec Stock. The 1960–61 season saw QPR achieve their biggest win to date - 9–2 vs Tranmere Rovers in a Division 3 match. In time, Stock, with the advent as Chairman in the mid-60s of Jim Gregory helped to achieve a total transformation of the club and its surroundings.

In 1966–67, QPR won the Division Three championship and became the first Third Division club to win the League Cup on Saturday, 4 March 1967, beating West Bromwich Albion 3–2, (coming back from a two goal deficit). 40 years on, it is still the only major trophy that QPR have won. The final was also the first League Cup Final to be held at Wembley Stadium. After winning promotion in 1968 to the top flight for the first time in their history, Rangers were relegated after just one season and spent the next four years in Division 2. Terry Venables joined from Spurs at the beginning of the 1969–70 season and Rodney Marsh was sold to Manchester City. During this time, new QPR heroes emerged including Phil Parkes, Don Givens, Dave Thomas and Stanley Bowles. These new signings were in addition to home-grown talent such as Dave Clement, Ian Gillard, Mick Leach and Gerry Francis.

In 1974 Dave Sexton joined as manager and, in 1975–76 led QPR to the runners-up spot in the First Division, missing out on the Championship by a single point with a squad containing five England internationals and internationals from the home nations and Morocco. After completing their 42-game season, QPR sat at the top of the league, one point ahead of Liverpool who went on to defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers to clinch the title. Also, Wolves relegated to Second League at same season. The late 1970s also saw some cup success with Rangers reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup and in their first entry into European football reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup losing to AEK Athens FC on penalties. Following Sexton's depature in 1977 the club eventually slipped into the Second Division in 1979.

In 1980 Terry Venables took over as manager and the club installed a 'plastic pitch'. In 1982 QPR, still playing in the Second Division, reached the FA Cup Final for the only time in the club's history, facing holders Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham won 1–0 in a replay. The following season 1982–83 QPR went on to win the Second Division championship and returned to English football's top division. After a respectable fifth place finish, and UEFA Cup qualification, the following year, Venables departed to become manager of Barcelona. Over the next seven years, various managers came and went from Loftus Road and the club spent many seasons finishing mid table but avoided relegation. The most successful season during this period was the 1987–88 in which QPR finished fifth, missing out on a UEFA Cup campaign due to the ban on English clubs in European competition as a result of the Heysel Stadium disaster. They were also runners up in the 1986 League Cup, losing to Oxford United.

Gerry Francis, a key player in the 1970s QPR side who had proved himself as a successful manager with Bristol Rovers, was appointed manager in the summer of 1991. In the 1991–92 First Division campaign they finished mid-table in the league and were founder members of the new Premier League which began in 1992. Francis oversaw one of QPR's most famous victories, the 4–1 win at Old Trafford in front of live TV on New Years Day 1992. They finished that season in fifth place, and in the following season Francis guided them to a ninth place finish. Midway through the 1994–95 season Francis resigned and very quickly became manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Ray Wilkins was installed as player-manager. Wilkins led QPR to an eighth place finish in the Premiership. In July 1995 the club's top goalscorer, Les Ferdinand, was sold for a club record fee of £6 million to Newcastle United.

QPR's struggled in the following season and were relegated at the end of the 1995–96 season. QPR then competed in Division 1 until 2001 under a succession of managers. Gerry Francis returned in 1998 however the 2000–2001 season proved to be a disaster, and Francis resigned in early 2001. Charismatic former player Ian Holloway became manager but was unable to stop Rangers from being relegated to England's third tier for the first time for more than thirty years. Following the 2003–2004 season QPR returned to Division 1 and struggled for consistent form over the next two campaigns before Holloway was suspended amidst rumours of his departure for Leicester City. A poor series of results and lack of progress at the club saw Holloway's successors Gary Waddock and later John Gregory (both former players) fail to hold on to the manager's job.

During this same period QPR became embroiled in financial and boardroom controversy. Although the club had floated on the Alternative Investment Market in 1991, in 2001 it entered administration. A period of financial hardship followed and the club left administration after receiving a £10m high-interest emergency loan which continued to burden the club.^[3] Scandals involving the directors, shareholders and others emerged in 2005–06 season and included allegations of blackmail and threats of violence against the club's chairman Gianni Paladini. In an unrelated incident QPR were further rocked by the murder of Youth Team footballer Kiyan Prince on 18 May 2006^[4] and, just over a year later, the death of promising teenager and first-team player Ray Jones in a car crash.^[5]. Following this low point in the club's history as Rangers also faced mounting financial pressure, in the same month it was announced that the club had been bought by wealthy Formula 1 businessmen Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone (see Investment below). During the 2007–08 season, Rangers competed in the Football League Championship (see also: Queens Park Rangers F.C. season 2007-08). John Gregory's reign as manager came to an end in November 2007 after a string of poor results left QPR at the bottom of the Championship and he was replaced by Luigi De Canio until the end of the 2007–08 season. Further investment followed in early 2008 as the club looked to push for promotion to the Premier League within four years, on the back of greater financial stability.^[6] On 14 May 2008 Iain Dowie was announced as the manager to begin the campaign to return Rangers to the top flight.^[7][8] However, on 24 October 2008 Iain Dowie was sacked after just fifteen games in charge of the club.^[9]

On Wednesday, 19 November 2008, QPR named former Portugal midfielder Paulo Sousa as their new first team coach.^[10]

Investment

After a number of years of financial difficulties which included a period in financial administration, QPR was bought by Formula One tycoons and multi-millionaires Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore in a £14m takeover in August 2007. In spending £690,000 to acquire a 69 per cent majority stake in the club, Ecclestone spent £150,000 on his 15 per cent, while Briatore bought 54 per cent for £540,000 through a British Virgin Islands registered company, Sarita Capital. In addition Briatore and Ecclestone are believed to have promised £5 million in convertible loan facilities to help buy players and have covered £13 million of debt, in a total commitment to the club of around £20 million. At the time of purchase the remaining 31 per cent of shareholders turned down the offer of 1p a share.^[11] Four months later, on 20 December 2007, it was announced that the family of billionaire Lakshmi Mittal had purchased a 20 per cent shareholding in the club from Briatore. The purchase price of the 20 per cent stake was just £200,000. As part of the investment Lakshmi Mittal's son-in-law took a place on the board of directors.^[12] While Gianni Paladini remains chairman of the football club, Alejandro Agag, as chairman of QPR Holdings (the parent company) was the de facto chairman,^[11] until he was replaced by Flavio Briatore in early February 2008.^[13] Agag moved into the role of managing director, supported by a deputy managing director, Ali Russell, who moved from Hearts in the Scottish Premier League.^[13]

Despite QPR's perilous financial condition, the combined personal wealth of the club's new owners (which included the world's then 5th richest man Lakshmi Mittal) sparked speculation that QPR would receive significant further investment from their new benefactors drawing parallels to their wealthy West London neighbours Chelsea and Fulham.^[6] However, to date no significant further funds are believed to have been made available to the club other than those injected as part of the purchase of its share capital. Indeed it was reported in January 2008 that the investors had not discharged the £10 million loan from ABC Corporation together with its £1 million annual interest burden—despite the club's prospective annual turnover of between £10 million and £15 million a year. Furthermore around £2 million was still owed to a former director and major shareholder, Antonio Caliendo, who waived £4.5 million of loans when Briatore and Ecclestone bought the club. It was expected that the ABC loan would be discharged in June 2008 on its maturity and that the debt owed to Antonio Caliendo would be paid off "in early 2008" in line with a funding strategy which Ecclestone has publicly stated would not result in the wealthy owners simply bankrolling the club.^[6] In fact the ABC loan was discharged on or around 31 July 2008.^[14] Mittal's investment is thought to be primarily motivated by his son-in-law's interests and that Mittal himself will remain a silent investor while Briatore, Ecclestone and Bhatia work together to implement the strategy of slowly building the club up ahead of a push for promotion to the Premier League in 2009. The new owners have also pledged to refurbish Loftus Road and use their experience in Formula One to increase sponsorship revenues.^[11] On 25 March 2008 Q.P.R. confirmed that, from the 2008–09 season and for five seasons, their kits will be supplied by Lotto Sport Italia as part of a number of new partnerships formed by Flavio Briatore.^[15] The investment potential of the club's new backers resulted in a number of wildly speculative storylines in the football press throughout the 2007-2008 season including rumoured signings of former World Player of the Year winners Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane (the latter as a possible manager).^[16]

In May 2008, billionaire Vijay Mallya was linked with buying into the club, as part of the Ecclestone, Briatore and Mittal consortium.^[17] Following the termination of the club's sponsorship deals with Car Giant, Le Coq Sportif and Sellotape at the end of the 2007-08 season, in early July 2008 it was expected to be announced that Gulf Air would be the new shirt sponsors.^[18] Further sponsorship packages were also announced including Abbey Financial Services and Lotto Sport Italia.^[19]

Rivals

The club's traditional local rivals are Brentford, Chelsea and Fulham. Recently, rivalries with Luton Town and - to a lesser extent - Watford and Cardiff City have begun.^[20]

Honours

League

• Division One Runners-up 1975–76
• Division Two Champions 1982–83
• Division Two Runners-up 1967–68, 1972–73
• Nationwide Division Two Runners-up 2003–04
• Division Three Champions 1966–67
• Division Three (South) Champions 1947–48

Cup

• FA Cup Runners-up 1982
• League Cup Winners 1967
• League Cup Runners-up 1986
• FA Community Shield Runners-up 1908, 1912

Records

For more details on this topic, see QPR records.

• Highest Attendance 35,353: vs Leeds United 27/04/1974 Division 1
• Highest league win 9-2: vs Tranmere Rovers 03/12/1960 Division 3
• Highest league loss 1-8: vs Manchester United 19/03/1969 Division 1
• Most capped player Alan McDonald: 52 Northern Ireland
• Most League appearances Tony Ingham: 519 1950–63
• Oldest Player Ray Wilkins: 39 years 352 days. 01/09/1996 Division 1
• Youngest Player Frank Sibley: 15 years 275 days
• Most League Goals in a Season: George Goddard, 37, Division 3 South, 1929–30.
• Most Goals in a Season: Rodney Marsh, 44 (30 League, 3 FA Cup,11 League Cup) 1966–67
• Most League Goals in Total Aggregate: George Goddard, 174, 1926–34.
• Most Goals in Total Aggregate: George Goddard, 186 , 1926–34
• Record Transfer Fee Received: £6,000,000 from Newcastle United for Les Ferdinand, June 1995.
• Record Transfer Fee Paid: £2,750,000 to Stoke City for Mike Sheron, July 1997.

Grounds

Rangers have had a somewhat nomadic existence, having played in nearly 20 different locations throughout North West London since their formation. The several grounds before 1886 are unknown but were probably in the Queens Park area (the first being The Queens Park itself) Along with having the title of most home grounds in football league history:^[21]

• Welford's Fields (1886–1888)
• London Scottish F.C.'s Ground (1888–1889)
• Brondesbury (1888–1889)
• Home Farm (1888–1889)
• Kensal Green (1888–1889)
• Gun Club (1888–1889)
• Wormwood Scrubs (1888–1889)
• Killburn Cricket Ground (1888–1889)
• Kensal Rise Athletic Ground (1899–1901)
• Latimer Road (1901–1904)
• Notting Hill (1901–1904)
• Royal Agricultural Society showgrounds (1904–1907)
• Park Royal (1904–1907)
• Park Royal Ground (1907–1917)
• Loftus Road (1917–1931)
• White City Stadium (1931–1933)
• Loftus Road (1933–1962)
• White City Stadium (1962–1963)
• Loftus Road (1963–present)

Managers past and present

Name	Nat	From	To	G	W	D	L	Win %
James Cowan		August 1907	May 1913
James Howie		August 1913	April 1920
Ned Liddell		April 1920	May 1925	177	71	42	64	40.1
Robert Hewison		August 1925	May 1931	219	80	53	86	36.5
Archie Mitchell		November 1931	May 1933	79	32	18	29	40.5
Mick O'Brien		May 1933	April 1935	84	40	16	28	47.6
Billy Birrell		April 1935	May 1939	184	85	42	57	46.2
Ted Vizard		May 1939	April 1944
Dave Mangnall		April 1944	May 1952	280	112	74	94	40.0
Jack Taylor		June 1952	May 1959	341	118	89	134	34.6
Alec Stock		August 1959	June 1968	439	206	104	129	46.9
Bill Dodgin		June 1968	November 1968	16	2	5	9	12.5
Tommy Docherty		November 1968	November 1968	4	1	0	3	25.0
Les Allen		December 1969	January 1970	4	2	1	1	50.0
Gordon Jago		January 1971	October 1974	161	71	55	35	44.1
Dave Sexton		October 1974	July 1977	130	57	32	41	43.8
Frank Sibley		July 1977	July 1978	45	9	17	19	20.0
Steve Burtenshaw		July 1978	May 1979	41	6	13	22	14.6
Tommy Docherty		May 1979	October 1980	51	20	16	15	39.2
Terry Venables		October 1980	May 1984	166	84	33	49	50.6
Alan Mullery		June 1984	December 1984	26	11	8	7	42.3
Frank Sibley (Caretaker)		December 1984	June 1985	28	8	6	14	28.6
Jim Smith		June 1985	December 1988	167	67	38	62	40.1
Trevor Francis		December 1988	November 1989	93	31	30	32	33.3
Don Howe		November 1989	May 1991	75	27	21	27	36.0
Gerry Francis		May 1991	November 1994	158	59	47	52	37.3
Ray Wilkins		November 1994	September 1996	80	31	13	36	38.8
Stewart Houston		September 1996	November 1997	63	25	15	23	39.7
John Hollins (Caretaker)		November 1997	December 1997	4	1	2	1	25.0
Ray Harford		December 1997	September 1998	41	5	18	18	12.2
Iain Dowie (Caretaker)		September 1998	October 1998	2	1	0	1	50.0
Gerry Francis		October 1998	February 2001	125	36	42	47	28.8
Ian Holloway		February 2001	February 2006	252	100	71	81	39.7
Gary Waddock		February 2006	September 2006	23	4	8	11	17.4
John Gregory		September 2006	October 2007	48	13	12	23	27.1
Mick Harford (Caretaker)		October 2007	October 2007	5	2	2	1	40.0
Luigi De Canio		October 2007	May 2008	35	12	11	12	34.3
Iain Dowie		May 2008	October 2008	15	8	3	4	53.3
Gareth Ainsworth (Caretaker)		October 2008	November 2008	6	2	1	3	33.3
Paulo Sousa		November 2008	Present	3	1	1	1	33.3

Technical Staff

Name	Nationality	Position
Gianni Paladini		Sporting Director
Paulo Sousa		First-Team Coach
Bruno Oliveira		Assistant First-Team Coach
David Rouse		Goalkeeping Coach
John Harbin		Fitness Coach
Gareth Ainsworth		Player/Coach
Vacant		First Team Scout
Gary Doyle		Kit Man
Paul Hunter		Physiotherapist
Shane Annun		Assistant Physiotherapist

Current squad

As of 26 November 2008.^[22]

No. Position Player 2 DF Damien Delaney 3 DF Damion Stewart 4 MF Gavin Mahon 5 DF Fitz Hall 6 MF Mikele Leigertwood 7 MF Dani Parejo (on loan from Real Madrid) 8 FW Rowan Vine 9 FW Dexter Blackstock 10 MF Ákos Buzsáky 11 FW Patrick Agyemang 13 DF Kaspars Gorkšs 14 MF Martin Rowlands (captain) 15 DF Peter Ramage 16 DF Matthew Connolly

No. Position Player 17 MF Lee Cook (on loan from Fulham) 18 MF Damiano Tommasi 20 MF Emmanuel Ledesma (on loan from Genoa) 21 MF Matteo Alberti 22 FW Samuel Di Carmine (on loan from Fiorentina) 23 GK Jake Cole 24 GK Radek Černý 25 MF Hogan Ephraim 26 MF Gareth Ainsworth 27 FW Heiðar Helguson (on loan from Bolton Wanderers) 28 DF Joe Oastler 29 DF Gary Borrowdale (on loan from Coventry City) 33 GK Reece Crowther

Out on loan

No. Position Player 1 GK Lee Camp (at Nottingham Forest) 12 MF Adam Bolder (at Millwall) 19 FW Angelo Balanta (at Wycombe Wanderers) –– MF Chris Arthur (at Kettering Town) –– DF Zesh Rehman (at Blackpool) –– FW Romone Rose (at Histon)

For player movements since the end of the 2007-08 season, see Queens Park Rangers F.C. season 2008-09

Supporters' clubs

In common with many long-established football clubs in England, QPR has a network of loyal supporters' associations. The principal supporters' association is the QPR LSA. Other supporters groups exist throughout the UK and around the world including the USA, New Zealand, Serbia, Sweden, Australia and Hungary. QPR also has a supporters' football team: Accrington Stanley Bowles who play matches against similar supporters' sides from other English clubs.

References

External links

• Official Site
• Supporters Trust
• QPR Fans For the Fans, by the Fans.
• QPRDOT.org Unofficial QPR Message Board
• QPR Mad Unofficial QPR site
• Loft For Words
• QPR Report Continually-updated QPR News Site
• QPR Report Messageboard
• QPR at VitalFootball.co.uk
• We are the Rangers Boys, fansite including audio of fan chants
• Queens Park Rangers F.C. on BBC Sport: Club News - Recent results - Upcoming fixtures - Club stats
• QPR Today
• Vital Football Queens Park Rangers Run By The Fans; For The Fans

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