Chris Charles The last time QPR faced Chelsea in a league match, Don’t Look Back In Anger was in the top 10, Gareth Southgate was weeks away from a pizza advert and Shaun Wright-Phillips was knee-high to a grasshopper. (OK, bad example, that last one). Way back then, Simon Barker cancelled out John Spencer’s strike to earn Rangers a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, but a few weeks later the visitors were relegated. Few suspected it would be 15 years before they returned to the top flight. On Sunday the teams lock horns at Loftus Road in what is undoubtedly QPR’s biggest game since 1996 and Chelsea’s biggest game since, er, Wednesday. While Rangers fans have been salivating about this contest for weeks, it has barely registered a blip on Blues messageboard The Shed End, with just eight replies to the pre-match thread. ‘Myles’ observed: “It is QPR’s cup final so whatever the line-up, we will have to be weary.” Let’s hope so, Myles. Let’s hope so. Meanwhile, on Chelsea’s official site they gave the following warning: “Travelling fans should be aware that Rangers’ policy is no alcohol will be on sale in the away end at their ground. Perhaps they believe, as we hope, that the home fans will be the only ones needing to drown their sorrows.” Cheeky. “Ninety minutes of sheer hell was immediately followed by 90 minutes of sheer hell.” The last time QPR visited Stamford Bridge for a Carling Cup tie a couple of years back, the away fans taunted their hosts with cries of “We forgot that you were here” as they finally managed a song. “We forgot that you exist” came the cutting reply. There’s little in the form book to suggest anything other than a right royal thrashing for QPR, particularly after their hammering by the Premier League’s other west London club at the beginning of the month. But English football has a habit of throwing up surprises (please, God) which is why all this talk of a closed shop in the Premier League should be dismissed as swiftly as the England cricket team’s challenge in India. Any hopes of causing an almighty upset on Sunday could rest on the crowd. The unwavering, cacophonous support in the face of adversity at Craven Cottage was a thing to behold and more of the same would be most welcome – as long as the repertoire doesn’t include “6-0 and you still don’t sing” this time. On the Open All R’s podcast, QPR legend Marc Bircham this week insisted: “We’ve got to make the place like Istanbul” – and he wasn’t talking about shipping in a few middle-aged blokes to haggle over the price of a rug. The ex-midfielder, who famously wore a ‘Birchams 8 Chelsea’ shirt on Soccer AM a few years back, has been drumming into the current crop of players how important this fixture is to the fans. Meanwhile, misty-eyed supporters have been dragging up archive footage of QPR’s own famous 6-0 win over Chelsea on the plastic pitch in 1986. John Byrne, who scored a couple that day, once recalled: “Doug Rougvie, who was playing at centre-back for Chelsea, was a fearsome player and he was absolutely furious. By the end, Doug was looking for blood. “We had the Milk Cup final coming up a couple of weeks later. Gary Bannister and me didn’t want to get injured so having destroyed Chelsea, we spent the last part of the match avoiding Doug. We stayed away from him. Banno went to play on one wing and I went and played on the other!” 1995 and all that... And then there was Kevin Gallen, who popped up with the winner in 1995 – the last time QPR beat their neighbours, prompting the line in the ‘Magic Hat’ song “…and when we play the Chelsea he scores all ******* night!” In reality he scored one goal and one goal only against the Blues in his entire career but you can guarantee that song will be resounding around Loftus Road on Sunday – and should any of the current team replicate the feat, they will instantly go down in folklore. The other unfortunate feature of this fixture is the history of trouble between certain supporters, most of whom are now comfortably middle-aged. No doubt a few will be hoping to settle old scores, forgetting the body has aged quicker than the brain. I’m reminded of a Sex Pistols gig a couple of years ago when all the old punks (me included) got in the middle to pogo. After 30 seconds everyone was facing the floor with their hands on their knees, desperately trying to gulp down some oxygen before trying again. Whatever happens on the field on Sunday, it’s got to be more entertaining than the bore-fest against Blackburn a week ago. After catching my little one with her head in a word search book, I jokingly ribbed her that she needn’t bother coming again if she wasn’t going to watch the match, at which a weary voice behind us piped up: “Make sure he holds you to that!” Ninety minutes of sheer hell was immediately followed by 90 minutes of sheer hell as we faced the tortuous ordeal of the cramped club shop, reminding why I have never been to the January sales. The only bright spot was her getting to meet her idol Adel Taarabt as we waited in the queue. He might have got a bad press over the last month but the Moroccan was all smiles as he happily posed for a photo, making her day and immediately going up several notches in my estimation. I have to say I thought Joey Barton was bit harsh when he said earlier this week: “If Taarabt is a genius I have yet to see it.” Particularly when after the Newcastle game in September, he tweeted: “Taarabt, genius”. Elsewhere, Fulham seemingly used up all their goals against Rangers, after enduring a miserable week which saw them beaten by Stoke and Krakow, while Brentford were held to a 0-0 draw by Scunthorpe. Afterwards, fans on the Griffin Park Grapevine forum were discussing their highlights of the game, with ‘Newbee’ writing: “Mine has to be the guy in New Road who sits next to the dugouts, who spent most of the match shouting to [Scunthorpe boss] Alan Knill: ‘You should have stayed at Rochdale!’ “Eventually Knill turns round and shouts back: ‘I was never at Rochdale!’ “Our guy then shrugs his shoulders and tells Knill to watch the game…10 minutes later he realises that he got Knill mixed up with Keith Hill [who left Rochdale for Barnsley].” And finally we go back to the Premier League for the chant of the week after Wayne Rooney was introduced for a brief cameo at Anfield…”Who’s the Scouser in the wig?!” Have a good weekend. www.twitter.com/chris__charles http://www.westlondonsport.com/features-comment/he-wears-a-magic-hat/
God I for one, never ever in a million years expected it to be 15 years out of the prem.Lets face it the way things have gone with relegation to lge 1 and defeat to that car makers team,it looked like we'd never be back. But here we are and I'll never take our place for granted again.
Sadly this will be viewed as just another easy game by Chelski, let's hope we can catch them being complacent...
