Great OP PD! In many ways Iâd actually prefer to go up through the playoffs than via the second automatic spot. Itâd be biggest day out for the club in many a year, and as the closest league club to Wembley I reckon loads of fans would come out of the woodwork and weâd swamp Wembley in blue and white. Watching the scenes of joy when Olly lead Palace to victory last season made me very envious. The only trouble is that in the run-up to what is essentially a mini cup competition form is absolutely crucial. You usually find that itâs a team who make a late surge into the playoff places who do well, rather than the side that drops out of the top two.. I guess with Charlie back though you never know! U Rs!!
I'm sure on paper not many teams would fancy us in the play-offs. All that experience and with Joey Barton's distinguished international career we are the last team anyone would want to play.
If it was a guaranteed win then I would love that, a loss would be a complete disaster though! I would love to see the R's play at Wembley, being a youngster I have never had the chance. I have been there a few times during the Olympics, but to see Rangers play there (and win!) would be amazing. Definitely the way to go up if you do!
Us V Wigan. It will be us or Reading for 6th!!! No Remy or Taraabt available otherwise I want to know why they are not here now!!! Someone mentioned 2m for Remy back now, surely its worth it bearing in mind the money weve thrown away over the last couple of years.
BUMP - So much for attention seeking drama queens being 'disappointed with our fans'. The sentiments expressed by these fans were shared by this post... the seasons been terrible but if we go up via the play offs then great, we've got away with it
I enjoyed reading through this well percepted post again Peter. I'm so glad that it happened for us. It will give us memories that we shall cherish for the rest of our days.
Well it was a big weekend wasn't it! My wife came back from a shopping trip at around 10.30 on Saturday morning and I got a little shiver when she told me that there were already hundreds of Rangers fans in and around the pubs of Ruislip Manor. I had tickets for several friends that were coming from various directions, so couldn't get to Hennessy's in Kingsbury, which was a regret, as I would have loved to have met some of the Not606ers there. As it was, my son Owen and I met up with a couple of friends at a little bar in Eastcote, before heading for the Torch in Wembley, where I was to meet the rest of our gang. A text from my daughter saying 'There are QPR fans everywhere!' was borne out when we got the Met train from Eastcote to Wembley park at around 12.30, as it was already packed with Rangers fans coming from Uxbridge, Hillingdon and Ickenham. On the train another text read 'The Torch is mobbed - we are in the Crock Of Gold'. This was fine, as I could pass on a couple more tickets, but there was still one of our crowd that I had not made contact with. Cue another text - 'I am in the back bar of the Torch, I've got six spare pints in'. Well I couldn't tell him to abandon the beer and come to the Crock, so left the others to their Guinness in the Crock and walked up to the Torch to pass on the last ticket. There were several hundred Rs outside the Torch, and at first I thought getting in to the place at all might could prove impossible, let alone getting to the back bar. It turned out that there were more outside the pub than in, however, with many people seeming to have bought beer from supermarkets to consume outside pubs - not a bad idea. I made it to the back bar and helped out my pal by drinking two of his beers before helping him carry the rest down to meet the others in the Crock. Walking up Wembley Way, it seemed that we outnumbered Derby fans by about 2 to 1 (I guess more of them were already in the ground) and on entering the ground and taking our seats, the spine tingling reached a new level when taking in the sea of blue and white that we were surrounded by - what a great idea those flags were. An even first half, and then the game changed when O'Neill was correctly sent off. Derby were camped in our half and it seemed an inevitability that, even if we made it to extra time, we would find it impossible keep them out for a further 30 minutes. Then of course it happened. Hoilett battled on the byeline, crossed, and - Zamoraaaaaaaaaaa! It took me a second or two to take it in, check the lino, check the ref â yes it had happened! Pandemonium ensued. My son and I hugging, everyone hugging, everyone dancing, waving flags deliriously. Things like this happen to Man Utd or Man City or Chelsea, they donât happen to QPR â but it had. Never has Hi-Ho Silver Lining sounded so good. Where to go now? Several phone calls were made in an effort to regroup and we ended up in the Watkins Folly. Five pounds a pint? â bargain. Rangers fans outside implored the Derby fans in the passing coaches to âSay Hello To Brentfordâ, whilst inside a singer/guitarist soon realised that his normal repertoire would be drowned out by âKevin Gallenâs Magicâ and resorted to âWe Are The Championsâ â well, we finished fourth anyway! Years ago it would have been a very long night, but a big day to come tomorrow and my son not being of drinking age meant a fairly early departure and a train home at around 9.00 still clutching our flags. Walking down from the station we got numerous toots from passing traffic. There are QPR fans everywhere! Back home, a few glasses of red were consumed with wife and daughter, before watching the game again with Owen. That would normally be enough for any weekend, but I was born 25th May 1954. The next day was my 60th birthday. The inevitable hangover was assuaged by an early Guinness before around 50 friends and family arrived for a barbecue/party which ended at around 2am. Thank God the government had agreed to make the next day a public holiday!
Thanks for that Stroller, how fantastic to have been part of that great experience. Anyone there that day was so lucky to have all those memories. May 25th is my birthday too! At least we probably shared a massive hangover, if not the Wembley experience.
One thing that occurred to me as we left the stadium was, why didn't they open the bars and restaurants in our end again after the game? If they'd replayed the game on the TVs they could have made a killing, whilst allowing the Derby fans to slink away unhindered by gloating Rs.
