Has anyone ever had an experience similar to the one below? I did quite a few years ago at West Ham. It was a very awkward situation to say the least. Anyway Jaward's piece below sums it up nicely. His a school teacher and an avid QPR fan. http://loveqprlovefootball.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1
JAN 2 Behind Enemy Lines... £58.50 to watch a struggling QPR get hammered at Chelsea? There was no chance I was going to pay that, especially coming after Christmas and New Year. However, about a month ago, my brother in law offered me the chance to sit in the Chelsea end for free. He's also a QPR season ticket holder but had a friend who has season tickets in the Matthew Harding stand. He was away for New Year and gave Nick his tickets. When he first offered my immediate reaction was 'not a chance.' I knew I was staying in South Kensington over New Year, just 10 mins from Stamford Bridge, but I just couldn't face sitting amongst that lot for 90 minutes. He kept offering and at times I was tempted but after the performance against Liverpool, there was no way I was going to go and watch us get humiliated. However, he persisted and I finally gave in. I have no idea why, I was certain we would lose. Walking to the ground, scenarios were going through my head- would I have to applaud if they scored? How would I control myself if we scored? I genuinely felt there was no chance of the latter happening. After finally reaching our seats in the Matthew Harding Stand Lower Tier, I surveyed the fans around me. Were they going to sniff me out? What if my QPR Oyster card fell out of my pocket? The pre-match talk between Nick and I was about QPR and I was wary someone would hear us. They didn't look like the friendliest bunch, especially the 22st skin head right in front of us. The teams were announced and I had to laugh at the boos Anton Ferdinand received from every single Chelsea fan. As the teams came out, I looked over at the incredibly loud QPR support, a sense of pride rushing through me. The game kicked off and the QPR support were in great voice. A rendition of their 'Champions of Europe' song from a handful of Chelsea fans was met with 'Champions of Europe, you're already out' from the QPR supporters. This obviously touched a nerve and the predictable 'Going down' chants started. They claimed to 'not hate us because we're ****,' however it was clear, especially amongst the older fans, that a rivalry still exists. I even heard a song about us never being able to sing about being Champions of Europe! I don't think any of us QPR fans would expect to anyway! When Marko Marin went over to the QPR supporters to take a corner, he was roundly booed. A Chelsea fan stood up and shouted, 'You don't even know he is so why are you booing him?' Does he not realise we hate anyone wearing that blue shirt? The first half was tight and the frustration was building amongst the Chelsea fans. Every time a QPR player over hit a pass, a Chelsea fan would state, 'Look, they're ****, get into them Chels!' Yet, I'd say their passing and shooting was worse than ours in the first half. Our performance was hugely improved from the Liverpool game and they were clearly missing the creative spark of Mata and Hazard. Half time was strange. It was a very subdued atmosphere, with no one really talking. Clearly, like Rafa Benitez, the Chelsea fans felt they just had to turn up and collect the 3 points. The stadium announcer introduced a Chelsea 'legend' on to the pitch at half time (I had no idea who he was) and took great pleasure in announcing he had won more trophies than QPR had in their history. A pathetic attempt to wind up the away fans, having already tried a similar thing by mentioning Jose Bosingwa. You'll probably struggle to find a more unprofessional stadium announcer in English football- I'd be embarrassed if ours tried a similar thing every week. The teams came back out for the 2nd half and Chelsea started brightly- it was the only spell in the game where we looked under a bit of pressure and for the first time, their fans started to get a little bit excited. Every couple of minutes you'd hear someone shout, 'Come on Chels, they're ****!' yet we were more than holding our own. Julio Cesar pulled off a wonderful save from the awful Fernando Torres and the keeper was starting to get under the skin of the home fans by using up as much time as possible. When Frank Lampard looked like he had given Chelsea the lead, the fans around me celebrated. I turned to Nick and, in an incredible attempt to look like a 'home' fan, he had done the most pathetic cheer I've ever heard. Frustrations amongst those around me grew- 'If they get a fackin' point they'll feel like they've won the fackin' European cup!' As the game wore on, a feeling grew inside that maybe, just maybe, we would hang on for a point. Jamie Mackie had a glorious chance to give us the lead, only to be denied by a fantastic last-ditch tackle. My heart was now pounding and the nerves were building. Then the impossible happened. A corner was cleared to the edge of box, falling to Taarabt. A wonderful lay off from the Moroccan, a superb first time shot from Shaun Wright-Phillips and we were 1-0 up. I clenched my fist under my leg and struggled to keep my emotions in check. Imagine the most beautiful woman in the world, naked, standing in front of you, beckoning you forward but not being able to do a thing about it- that pretty much sums up how I was feeling. I looked over at the QPR supporters, celebrating wildly, and it is an image I will never forget. The looks on the faces of those around me were priceless, the moaning and whinging had hit an all-time high. One fan shouted, 'They're worse than f****** Villa and they're beating us 1-0!' How he had come to that conclusion I will never know- Villa conceded 8. It summed up what I thought about some Chelsea fans- they have no idea about football and believe football only begun in 2004. The next 13 minutes felt like an eternity. A couple of half chances fell to the home team but we held firm. It got to 88 minutes and I felt like we weren't going to lose the game. When the referee blew for full time I looked over at our superb supporters and wished I was over there with them. As we were leaving the stadium, you can't tell me it meant nothing to the Chelsea fans. They were full of anger and embarrassment at losing to local rivals and 'little old QPR.' 'Theyll probably release a fackin' DVD of this,' I heard one fan mention. 'They fackin' parked the bus,' another one said. Didn't they win the Champions League by parking the bus?! Pot, kettle, black springs to mind. We rushed round to where the QPR fans were exiting and could finally show our joy at having beaten that lot. It felt good, really good. Our first away win since November 2011, our first win at Stamford Bridge since 1983 and an amazing way to start 2013. The difference in the performance compared to the Liverpool game was staggering. We were well organised, the back were outstanding and the midfield did not stop working and closing down. Safety still feels like a long way off and there will be plenty of ups and downs along the way. But for now, let us revel in this victory. It would have been great to be amongst our own, but I've never felt as smug as I did at 9.30 last night, surrounded by Chelsea fans. Posted Yesterday by Jawad
Luton v QPR 2001 FA Cup. "Come and sit in family end" my friend says, "we'll be fine". Scary and def not fine. Had young kids with me and at least one fight. Vowed never to sit in opposition end ever again and have not since (don't think it counts when my Man U friend took me to Wembley to watch Barca v Man U though still felt uncomfortable!!).
Nice find that piece Nines. Understand his apprehension in sleeping with the enemy BUT tbh that can't have been as difficult as the decision of any Rs fan to go to that game in the first place - given the run of three defeats, our generally crap performances over the best part of two seasons AND not forgetting the tonking we got there last term. Massive respect to Jawad and all our other fans who somehow overcame severe melancholy to brave and ultimately triumph that night. Done us proud, heroes every one of them.
I can empathise with all of that Brix. I agreed to swap shifts at work so I didn't have to experience the pain from last season all over again.
Brix, I almost started a thread to honour those fans but decided against it. Your post has done that very nicely.
Done it a couple of times at Luton (When away fans were banned) and a couple of times at Brentford All through the Brentford game I had to endure some C*** of a Brentford fan singing some song about throwing QPR fans on a bonfire until the final whistle when I tapped him on the shoulder and told him I was Rangers so 'where's the f'ing bonfire matie ?'. Funny as anything when he almost burst into tears and went screaming to the stewards that there were QPR fans in their end......Oh happy days
That's a nice article Nines. Thinking back, I've done this lots of times, mainly because of last minute decisions to go to games, and in the days before all ticket. Against Chelsea, had the joy of sitting in one of their derelict stands for the one below in 79. Only problem was trying to keep my old man under control. It was obvious we were Rs, but somehow got away with it. [video=youtube_share;XbxR9VmsQOw]http://youtu.be/XbxR9VmsQOw[/video] Most threatening apart from that Birmingham away early 70s, lost to Trevor Francis' goal of the season, felt lucky to get out alive just on the basis of accent; May 1982, just before the cup final, watched us destroy Newcastle 4-0 standing with the Geordies with my neutral mates threatening to knock me unconscious if I as much as squeaked; and a few years ago took my son and some of his mates to see us win with a very dodgy last minute goal at Coventry (old Stadium). Thought we were in some kind of family stand, but didn't feel like it. By complete contrast for the last two seasons Gooner mates have generously got me tickets with them at the Emirates. Reckon I would have to physically attack someone, with weapons, to get into trouble there. Then again, haven't had much to jump up and down about....
Oh I forgot, I also sat in the Directors box at Chelsea in the 90's ( I think) when Paul Furlong scored the winner against us. Had a meal with Peter Osgood before the game who was actually a great laugh and took the p*** constantly about me and my old man being Rangers.
I was in with the Man Utd fans at OT when we won 4-1 on New Years Day. It was fantastic and the Manc who I had gone with said to me 'do you mind if we go' with about 10 mins to go. I was happy to oblige as I felt I had been sussed by a few around me. But as we went we had to walk past the 500 or so QPR fans who were joyfully waving goodbye. 'If only you knew' I thought
2 examples i was at qpr v ffc about 14 years ago, i was in the ellers road with my qpr mate, it was a crap game ended 0-0 and it was obvious i was a ffc fan, in truth it was all friendly banter, the worse one was same season i went to see rangers v gillinscum away(no im not a closet rangers fan) crouch scored the winner, i was in a local pub and gills fans where singing anti ffc songs(yes someone did not like us back then) about the ffc fan who got killed 2 years earlier. i had enough told a gills fan that i was a ffc fan, he was smaller than me so i was really brave, it could of kicked off in that pub.but there more than them than me, was i glad that we beat them the week before and rangers beat them that night, crouchs old nickname was rodney by the rangers fans
RTID- I presume that was the game we had to be given tickets for as it was the FA cup, or Luton would be kicked out ?? Trust me it was no better in the Rangers end !! Stabbings, slashings and ammonia galore !! Not a nice place
Been here a few times. Got refused entry to the QPR end in the 80's by the police who told me I looked like a chelsea fan and had to stand in the shed on my own, away to Brighton with the misses in 2006 (?) right in their singing section - had to walk out when we scored a couple in injury time - I jumped up and got threatened - thank god she was there..., and yes Luton away - when they banned away fans - one night game - half the Luton home end was full of people I recognised but we just nodded to each other and finally once at Reading when the QPR end was full and I got to the ground 30 mins late. Great night out this week. If Carlsberg made away games. Got home from the match and the misses had got up and opened a bottle of bubbly as she knew how important the win was. I must admit when the whistle went I just felt numb. There was an old guy next to me who welled up. At work today everyone is saying well done - like I've just had a new kid. Am I a sad git? Do I really eat sleep and breathe QPR?
its very sad when any football fan does not come home, he was about 23 i knew him, t.b.h he was always trying to act the hardman. it was 1998, bad times
