History of QPR FC Loftus Road, London Middlesex England

Usually referred to as QPR, also known as The Rs or The Hoops) are an English professional football club, based in Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith and Fulham, West London. They currently play in the Football League Championship, and their honours include winning the League Cup in 1967, and being runners-up in the old First Division in 1975–76 and FA Cup in 1982.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club were founded in 1882, and their traditional colours are blue and white. In the early years after the club's formation in their original home of Queen's Park, games were played at many different grounds until finally the club settled into their current location at Loftus Road. Owing to their proximity to other west London clubs, QPR maintain long-standing rivalries with several other clubs in the area. The most notable of these are Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford with whom they contest what are known as West London derbies. In 2007 QPR were taken over by Italian tycoon Flavio Briatore. Other major shareholders include Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

The current chairman of the club is Indian businessman Ishan Saksena, and the manager is former Hartlepool United and Scunthorpe United player Neil Warnock, who has also managed teams such as Sheffield United and, most recently, Crystal Palace in a very successful footballing career spanning nearly fifty years.

History:

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 Queen's 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 at Loftus Road in 1917 (although the team would briefly attempt to attract larger crowds by playing at the White City Stadium for two short spells: 1931 to 1933 and the 1962–63 season).^[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). QPR were one of the best sides in West London in 1992-1994, better than locals big names such as Chelsea and Fulham.

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). 42 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 Stan 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 seven 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. Wolves were relegated to the Second Division that 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 on penalties. Following Sexton's departure 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 season 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.

Old logo used from the 1980s until 2008

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. 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. 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 and, in August 2007, the death of promising teenager and first-team player Ray Jones in a car crash. 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 One businessmen Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone (see Ownership and finances 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 October 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^. On 14 May 2008 Iain Dowie was announced as the manager to begin the campaign to return Rangers to the top flight. However, on 24 October 2008 Iain Dowie was sacked after just fifteen games in charge of the club.

On Wednesday, 19 November 2008, QPR named former Portugal midfielder Paulo Sousa as their new first team coach. However, on 9 April 2009, His contract was terminated after he allegedly divulged confidential information without authority. On the same day as Sousa's sacking as QPR Manager Player/Coach Gareth Ainsworth was appointed as Player/Caretaker Manager of QPR for a second time. On the 3rd June 2009 Jim Magilton was named as new manager of Queens Park Rangers. Rangers chairman Briatore said: "We had an incredibly high number of applicants, but Jim was the stand-out candidate for the role". However, despite leading QPR to a good start to the 2009/2010 season, a loss of form combined with an alleged head-butting incident with Hungarian midfielder Akos Buszaky saw the club further embroiled in controversy. Jim Magilton left the club by mutual consent on the 16th December 2009, along with his assistant John Gorman. They were replaced by Paul Hart and Mick Harford on the next day.

Less than a month and only 5 games after becoming manager at QPR, Paul Hart parted with the club on 14 January 2010. The reasons for his leaving the club are unstated at this time.

On 1 March 2010 Neil Warnock was appointed Manager on a three and a half year contract.

Stadia:

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:

• 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)