When we talk about the great missed opportunities for QPR to establish themselves in the upper echelons of the modern sport the chat often quickly heads to the departure of Les Ferdinand, the way his record transfer fee was spent, and the relegation that followed in 1995/96.
There’s somewhat less discussion about how that team subsequently failed to even make the play-offs in the division below the season after, despite a takeover by Chrysalis mogul Chris Wright and substantial investment in a team that had Andy Impey and future England World Cup star Trevor Sinclair on the wings, England B internationals Paul Murray and Nigel Quashie in midfield, the free scoring John Spencer and Gavin Peacock in attack and a defence that included stalwarts Alan McDonald and Danny Maddix as well as Rufus Brevett who himself would go back to the Premier League for many years afterwards with Fulham and West Ham.
The damage was mostly done early. Kevin Gallen’s season ending knee injury suffered while scoring the winning goal in game two at Portsmouth was a significant blow. Ray Wilkins lasted barely to the end of the first month, despite winning at Fratton Park, at home to Oxford and taking a point at Wolves.
Plans to bring in Alan Curbishley from Charlton, where he would go on to build a Premier League dynasty, were abandoned in favour of untried Arsenal assistant Stewart Houston and his ill-fated decision to bring his former boss Bruce Rioch in as assistant. More damagingly still, in the short term, was Houston wanted to spend time assessing his team when the board were keen to get going with signings.
A loan off Everton’s Matt Jackson which should have been made permanent was allowed to lapse and slide away to a season of makeshift and fill in right backs like Mark Graham, Matt Brazier and Andy McDermott. Jackson played the next decade in the top two divisions with great distinction at Norwich and Wigan among others. After a 3-1 win at Barnsley on September 14 QPR won only twice more (at home to Bradford and away to Tranmere) in the next 13 games.
The campaign was kickstarted by the arrival of John Spencer and Gavin Peacock from bitter near neighbours Chelsea. Although Spencer’s debut goal at Reading ended up being the bright spot in a 2-1 defeat, the Scotland international was absolutely electric at First Division level and quickly piled on 18 goals in 29 appearances for the R’s including a memorable perfect hat trick in one of three separate victories over promoted Barnsley. Spencer scored eight goals in his final ten games of the season.
Spencer won a penalty, scored by Simon Barker, in a 1-0 home win over Sheff Utd, then scored himself, along with Peacock, for a 2-0 at Oldham. Both were on the scoresheet again a week later as Southend were thrashed 4-0 and a 2-1 win at Huddersfield sent Houston’s team into a Boxing Day clash with Norwich looking for a fifth straight win. The two had specialised in high-scoring affairs in the early days of the Premier League (3-1, 2-2, 4-3, 4-2 in one four game sequence) and they were in chaotic Christmas mood at Loftus Road once again.
The first two goals were highly typical of this QPR team and era.
For the opener a ball was worked through the centre of midfield to point man Danny Dichio who brought it down well and swung it out wide to the right for a cross. McDermott provided that on this occasion, and Spencer hung in the air to nod down back into the path of Peacock who’d started the move and finished brilliantly across veteran Bryan Gunn and into the far corner. The former Rangers youngster celebrating a return to the club on a permanent basis after initially signing on loan.
The second, however, offered up another reason why this team ultimately never went anywhere. You’re not going to achieve much if your goalkeeper costs you a goal every other game. Norwich, under a second spell of Mike Walker management after his failed tilt at Everton, equalised five before half time when Ian Crook’s 25 yard speculator, hit right at Tony Roberts, was somehow allowed to pass clean through his hands and into the back of the net as he held two gloves up to execute what should have been a simple catch. Ball with a bell in it etc.
Thankfully the R’s were back in front inside 60 seconds. Simon Barker threaded a cute ball through a static defence, possibly still in celebration mode, and Dichio moved onto the ball calmly to slot across the keeper for 2-1.
Back came Norwich. Their up and down between top two divisions had mirrored our own and when we did ride high together in the top five of the early Premier League it was Ruel Fox and later Darren Eadie who terrorised David Bardsley and co down the wing. Eadie it was, from Jackson’s long ball (of course) and Maddix’s poor slip who ran through to bang in 2-2 down at the School End.
The game would be settled at the death by an almighty goalmouth scramble and a goal from an unlikely source. Brevett’s cross and Dichio’s flick initially caused carnage and a chance for Trevor Sinclair. Sinclair then retrieved, carried the ball to the byline, stood a high, hanging cross up to the far post, and felt sure his team had won the game when Dichio headed it down, past Gunn, over the line, and back into play from what surely looked like a goal and a handball over the line.
To make sure, Australian full back McDermott thrashed the rebound into the roof of the net. His first goal for the club that he soon followed with another in a 2-0 home win against Huddersfield – I rather liked him and felt it odd that he was soon offloaded to West Brom for a nominal fee after just six starts.
There were a pair of memorable wins against Premier League-bound Barnsley to come soon after, including Trevor Sinclair’s bicycle kick. The comeback 4-4 at Port Vale was little over a fortnight away. The team won seven of its last ten games, including a 3-0 demolition of Man City at Maine Road. But it wasn’t enough. That poor start to the season, and another run of seven games without a win that included a dire 1-0 loss at home to Oldham, saw the R’s finish ninth, seven points off Palace who won the play-offs from sixth – Hopkins looking to curl one etc. Norwich finished thirteenth.
QPR spent again that summer, adding a clutch of Houston’s former charges from Arsenal as well as Stoke striker Mike Sheron. They briefly topped the league the following September but Houston was quickly sacked when form dipped and the decision to take West Brom’s Ray Harford at his “I’d win the league with your strikers” word proved disastrous. Wright’s lavish spending in the first 18 months as chairman quickly fell apart around the club’s ears and a long period of financial and footballing decline set in which carried Rangers all the way through another relegation into the Second Division.
QPR: T Roberts; A McDermott, A McDonald (D Maddix, 36), K Ready, R Brevett; S Barker, G Peacock, M Brazier (A Impey, 84), T Sinclair; J Spencer, D Dichio
Subs not used: M Hateley
Goals: Peacock 22, Dichio 40, McDermott 86
Norwich: B Gunn, R Newman, M Jackson, D Sutch, J Polston, I Crook, N Adams, M Milligan, D Eadie, A Johnson, K O’Neill
Subs not used: D Mills, K Scott, R Fleck
Goals: Crook 39, Eadie 74
Attendance: 15, 699
