Apologies if this has already been posted.........great story though.... http://www.qprdot.org/viewtopic.php?t=62581&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Sorry for the delay Roller (& Macca) Another great and very fitting piece written to a true legend of the club. If only our modern day captain(s) could take even half of his profffesionalism back into our club!!
QPR FC ‏@OfficialQPR RT - As his funeral begins ... RIP Alan McDonald. A legend at Loftus Road. Gone but never forgotten. #QPR #RIPMacca
For anyone who can't get to the ground to sign the Book of Condolences, you can submit a few words for inclusion up to Saturday 5pm, by emailing [email protected]
Still say a statue outside the new stadium as 17 years service is not to be taken lightly. How many other QPR players have played for one club that long and was the captain? Some may say statues are tacky outside stadiums but go look at the ones outside the Emirates. Supporters and tourists can't wait to have their pictures taken with them.
This is the BBC Northern Ireland report of Macca's funeral: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18627983 A turnout fitting for a legend...
Belfast Telegraph - Some 30 Photos in all at http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/n...d-in-belfast-16178936.html?action=Popup&ino=1 please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Roy McDonald, brother of Alan is hugged by former Northern Ireland player Iain Dowie. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/n...6178936.html?action=Popup&ino=3#ixzz1zAZ0qTIA
TONIA McDONALD - A THANK YOU Posted on: Fri 29 Jun 2012 Following the funeral yesterday of Rangers legend Alan McDonald, his widow Tonia has spoken of her deep appreciation for all the messages she and Alan's family have received since his untimely death last Saturday. In a special message to Rangers fans, Tonia told www.qpr.co.uk: "I cannot thank the Rangers fans enough. "We have been overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received from the Club, Alan's former team-mates and the fans this week. "Alan loved every minute of the time he spent at QPR; he was proud to have captained and coached them. "He never lost his affection for QPR even after we moved back to Ireland and he kept in touch with many of the friends he made during his career there. "The Club was always held with the highest esteem in his heart. "For me to see and meet again so many of his former colleagues and friends yesterday was a reminder of just how highly he was thought of by everyone. "Thank you everyone on behalf of myself and Joshua." Alan's funeral was attended by over 500 people yesterday in the Ballygowan Presbyterian Church in Co Down. Former QPR players, Kevin Gallen, Darren Peacock, Simon Barker, Tony Roberts, Billy Hamilton, Andrew Impey, Ian Stewart, Steve Lomas and Iain Dowie were in attendance, alongside former Northern Ireland players Pat Jennings, Sammy McIlroy, Nigel Worthington, Jimmy Nicholl, Michael Hughes, Keith Gillespie, Tommy Wright, Gerry Armstrong, Jimmy Quinn and current International Manager Michael O'Neill. Also in attendance were many members of the Temple Golf and Country Club, where Alan was a member. The Club was represented by Secretary Terry Springett, as well as members of staff from the commercial department and QPR in the Community Trust.
Following the funeral yesterday of Rangers legend Alan McDonald, his widow Tonia has spoken of her deep appreciation for all the messages she and Alan's family have received since his untimely death last Saturday. http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10373~2826506,00.html
Remembering a QPR legend by david mcintyre I didn't know Alan McDonald well. There are others â including one or two who've been reporting on QPR longer than me â who are much better qualified to write about him. Macca left QPR two years before I started covering them. Until he returned as assistant manager, our only contact had been a few phone calls, the first of which was for a preview of the 2003 play-off final. His love for the club was clear, although so too was his hurt at the manner in which he was released after such long service. After he came back to Rangers, I got to know him a bit and can only concur with how others have described him; warm, generous, with a great sense of fun and an obvious love of QPR. The last proper conversation I had with him was a day or so after he left Rangers following the appointment of John Gregory as manager â a departure which was again difficult, but one he took in his stride. I think one of the things that made Macca special was that while other icons did their thing and moved on, he was a constant. Rangers had some superb and hugely popular players in the early 80s. In the following decade, Gerry Francis coming back was a big deal as he was a legend as a player. Players like Wilkins, Ferdinand and others also etched their names into Rangers folklore. But they all came and went. Macca was the one who was there through it all. To perform to such a consistently high standard over so many years is a remarkable feat. When I think back to the various QPR open days and other events I loved going to as a youngster, I recall times when Ferdinand, Roy Wegerle, Wilkins or someone else was the man of the moment â the one swamped by autograph hunters at that particular time. Francis, when he returned as manager, was definitely such a figure and has that personal touch. But again and again, Macca was a focal point. He was always the one surrounded by the largest group, posing for the most photos, being passed the most babies and small children to hold. It's a corny term, but he really was Mr QPR. He was also very much loved by those who knew him well and this was reflected in the tributes paid this week from different parts of the world, from his great friend and dressing-room partner in crime David Bardsley, who now lives in the US, to Paul Parker (Malaysia) and Jim Smith (Spain). One of the most poignant tributes came from Dave Anderson, the manager of Harrow Borough. The pair had been friends for most of their lives, were best men at each other's weddings and godfather to each other's daughters. A frequently-made comment this week has been that the word legend is overused, but Alan McDonald is a proper QPR legend alongside an elite group of other names. He belongs in that category. So how should his contribution be fittingly and lastingly honoured? Personally I felt a good start would have been for the club to hold off on announcements involving Joey Barton and Samba Diakite for a few days. Barton, of all people, sharing the spotlight with a worthy captain of the club seemed crass to me. As for Diakite, yes he's potentially a very good signing (and a signing agreed ages ago) but the chest-beating over the latest big deal could and should have waited 48 hours I thought. Of course the business of the club must not stop, but I felt the public focus should have been solely on one event this week. Watching Tony Fernandes talking about the Diakite deal on TV, I couldn't help wondering, had he succeeded in taking over West Ham and they had lost a figure like Billy Bonds, whether he would been speaking about a big-money signing before a funeral had taken place. But, as I expected, most people strong disagree, with many on Twitter making it clear they were very happy with the way the club have handled things this week. The vast majority feel QPR played a blinder. And as opposed to signings or other football-related matters, when the majority can be very wrong, with something like this if the fans feel the club got it right, it got it right. Simple as that. On that basis the club got it very right indeed. I hope they get the next stage right in the form of a memorial to one of the club's great servants. There has been some talk of retiring the number five shirt. I think that would be a mistake. Besides, he also wore the number six and two shirts during his time at the club. Getting rid of a shirt number seems to me to be the last thing that should happen. The legend should very much live on, and it ought to be a shirt that means something to future generations, as the number 10 shirt has. Imagine how proud you'd be if your son or grandson went on to grace the shirt worn by Alan McDonald. It ought to remain. Renaming a stand would be a significant and worthwhile gesture and one I can see the club going for, partly because it's logistically not difficult and would be a quick win for them in PR terms. A statue or plaque would be harder work but an option I hope won't be discounted. I was always more of a Danny Maddix man myself â something I enjoyed telling Macca on a few occasions. But there's no doubt that Alan McDonald is in that very elite group of former QPR players who can be considered true legends, and I don't think talk of statues or renaming stands is an over-reaction. In addition to a stadium memorial, I also think something at the club's new training ground would be appropriate. Fernandes believes the signing of Diakite is a watershed moment. But I think the training ground at Warren Farm will be the watershed moment â a hugely important development. In my eyes it's more than just a training ground. I think it can become a local landmark and really announce Rangers as a big club in the heart of west London. And as Alan McDonald was a product of the youth system, a renowned training-ground joker but also regarded as a great professional, someone who represented all that was good about QPR and lived in the area for many years, a memorial at Warren Farm would surely be a fitting tribute.
He was an awesome player and leader. He must have been a nightmare to play against. Incredible service to the club, unlikely to be repeated. He deserved to have played the full 90 minutes rather than being taken off so early.
