QPR's post war history.

Like many, if not all of you, I can't help bemoaning the fact that we've had three attempts at the PL and thrown away our chances like a discarded Christmas present from Great Aunt Myrtle.

I suppose it is particularly poignant on the eve of the playoff between Reading and Huddersfield. The former we've often kept pace with over the years and the latter have come from nowhere and are a force to be reckoned with - for now at least.

It is important to consider the present in the context of history. For example, and to take a non footballing example, the financial crash in 1987, when viewed on a graph of the financial fortunes of the UK is a small blip rather than a cataclysmic chasm.

All of which made me want to re-examine the QPR highs and lows since the war (someone else can do the whole lot if they wish!).

During that time we've been promoted eight times.

The greatest periods of stability were between 1952 to 1967 in Division 3 ie 15 years but then back to back promotions to Div 2 then Div 1 so a 17 year good run and then, of course, 1983 to 1996 in Div 1 which morphed into the PL in 1992 ie 13 years.

7 years in the Championship between 2004 until we achieved promotion in 2011 when we spent 2 years in the PL so a 'good' run for 9 years.

We've not really seen the yo-yo effect of the last few years before. Whether that is a precursor to recurrent success or the harbinger of doom for another 10 to 15 years remains to be seen. The QPR of yesteryear did not have to deal with FFP, Murdock's Sky money, high wages and ever increasing expectations from fans.

I think we can only hope that the pattern is a precursor to success but I suspect, as many of us have expressed on here, that we are due another period of years in the Championship before we get another bite at the PL cherry. That's if we avoid relegation as we so narrowly did this season!

 

Hard to see even a few 'green shoots' at the moment. A manager who seems out of his depth and a club that clearly is shopping in the bargain basement doesn't bode well for next season or beyond. If we had a decent youth set-up providing some quality youngsters we might have some optimism but I can't see it at present.

Past performance is no indicator of future potential and we'll do well to stay in the Championship. I'll be delighted if I'm proved wrong...

 

Aim afraid I'm in the same camp as Sooper, and a number of others on here. It is hard to see success on the horizon right now - without a management change (in my opinion), we have seen a lot of very good managers pass by in the last 9 months and missed opportunities.
It is typical of our club that our management and board have to have a summit in Singapore to push ahead rather than the boardroom of Shepherds Bush and get on with things.
This last season was meant to be mid-table stability and next season a push-on towards the play-off area maybe. As we found out that was almost a full-on disaster. So things need to change dramatically (yet again). Which has all the signs of doom hanging over it. Most noticeable to me was the way stoic fans on here started losing heart, deciding not to use their tickets for games or choosing not to go to watch our football - that is a very sad state for us to be in.
We'll just have to see what the summer brings and re-assess on day one of another season.

 

True of course. However the pattern is that stability leads to success. Perhaps predictably so. To be fair to TF, he's craved that stability but not managed to achieve it. I hope we can achieve a stable few years in the Championship and build on that.

 

I think another disadvantage we have is the size of the 'parachute payments' now being paid, Sunderland, Boro and Hull will all get almost £100 million over the next few years, whilst that is no guarantee of improving their teams they will have a massive head start on the teams already in the division and if they can keep the basis of a competitive team that money will give them the pick of talent available. We have completely missed our chance and Ollie plus hoofball really isn't the answer...

 

As I recall we got £30m?
Does make you wonder where 'fair play' figures in all of that.

 

I think that Olly has been brought in because of his enthusiasm rather than ability to attract players that would get us into the premiership. Plus FFP still hanging over our heads, we can still only shop at Lidl - other managers have previously screwed the club over financially.
Time is what we need. Who can say that there will never be another Leicester City? WHo would have thought that years ago Wimbledon would have climbed from the old 4th division to the top league, and just think of AFC Wimbledon and where they were 8 years ago.
I am an eternal optimist and whilst there is a stack of Sky Cash available, whilst ability counts for a lot, so does heart and application.
We will get up - not too sure whether under Olly but I think his heart is in the right place and whether his personality helps only time will tell

 

Good on you Ninj. Keep the faith. I try to but it is severely tested!

 

I read a lot of these threads and correct me if you can tell me otherwise but never do we see any blame or responsibility put on us the fans.
I watched a lot of football at Loftus Road in my younger years but when I go now there is one huge difference.
Loftus Road used to be a fortress, the solid footing that everything else was built on. You may say we had better football to watch and better players to cheer on but back in those days it was an intimidating place for away players. The design of the ground means the crowd is very close to the action. I remember from the moment the teams set foot on the pitch an atmosphere being created that was encouraging for the home players and intimidating for the visitors.
On my more recent visits it has seemed to me that the home support these days waits for something to cheer and in worse case scenarios are on the back of certain players from the start.
The fans need to play a part in turning this around. Just my silly old view.

 

You're not wrong but it has been mentioned many times before.
I've never booed my team and certainly never needled an individual player. I express my displeasure with silence but generally I am roaring my support and encouragement even if they're not doing so well.

When we played Chelsea at LR the 12th man was absolutely important in the victory (and them going down to 9 men!!). I'd love to see that degree of support - perhaps without the vitriol - at all home games. Wouldn't hurt the cause.

 

give them the vitriol as well

 

olly will save us

 

We've had a sniff at greatness with promises of wonderful things from the likes of Mittal, Ecclestone, Briatore and Fernandes.

Awesome promotions with Taarabt, jammy promotions with Zamora. Even more jammy last day of the season survivals with Francis and Hughes but more than our fair share of awful relegations and failed play-offs still too painful to recall.

Now more than at any time since Fernandes took over I get the feeling that he's a bit bored of it all but maybe the long-awaited and much touted move to a new ground could be the factor to revitalize the club and its fortunes. Perhaps he's realized that football is nothing more than an ego trip and a complete money vacuum and you have to prefer the former to put up with the latter but sooner or later the interest or the money runs out, just a matter of which one first.

There is always hope, just look at Leicester, Burnley, Bournemouth, Brighton, Huddersfield etc. A club on the verge of relegation wins the Premier League and minnows still managing to stay in the Prem with new boys getting promoted. There is always a chance but for QPR we never know if that chance is to go up or down!

You R's!!