As QPR prepare to head to Chelsea on Wednesday, LFW recalls a match from the late 1970s when the R’s secured victory at Stamford Bridge to aid a fight against relegation.

Recent Meetings

The pre-match talk was all about whether Anton Ferdinand would shake John Terry’s hand as the controversy over the Chelsea skipper’s racist remarks in a previous meeting at Loftus Road escalated. Afterwards though both teams were left to reflect on late missed chances to win the game. Ferdinand ignored both Terry and Ashley Cole in the pre-match line up, but had Bobby Zamora been able to convert a winner after rounding Cech in the second half it would have been a far more effective message to for Rangers to deliver to the visitors. The R’s deserved to win, but could easily have lost having turned down that opportunity because Eden Hazard should have at least hit the target with a last minute sitter from eight yards out. On a day of high tension it seemed that both teams were happy to escape with a low key draw.

QPR: César 8, Bosingwa 7, Ferdinand 8, Nelsen 8, Fabio 7 (Onuoha 21, 6), Wright-Phillips 6 (Cissé 70, 6), Granero 8, Faurlin 8, Park 7, Johnson 7 (Mackie 33, 6), Zamora 7

Subs: Green, Taarabt, Dyer, Hoilett

Chelsea: Cech 7, Ivanovic 7, Luiz 6, Terry 7, Cole 7, Lampard 6, Mikel 6, Ramires 7, Hazard 6, Bertrand 6 (Moses 58, 7), Torres 5 (Sturridge 81, 7)

Subs: Turnbull, Romeu, Oscar, Cahill, Azpilicueta

Bookings: Ramires 14 (foul), Bertrand 27 (foul)

Chelsea 6 QPR 1, Sunday April 29, 2012, Premier League

Rangers looked all set for relegation after a capitulation to a rampant Chelsea side on their last visit to Stamford Bridge. In front of a live television audience the R’s shipped the first goal to Daniel Sturridge after a minute and conceded at regular intervals thereafter. John Terry got his inevitable goal from a corner and Fernando Torres notched a quick fire double to make it 4-0 before the half hour mark. He completed his hat trick in the second half and Malouda helped himself to one as well before Djibril Cisse notched a consolation strike and celebrated like he’d won the World Cup.

Chelsea: Cech 6, Ferreira 7, Bosingwa 8 (Hutchinson 81, -), Terry 8, Cole 7, Mata 9 (Malouda 67, 7), Essien 8, Lampard 8, Sturridge 8, Torres 9, Kalou 8 (Ramires 73, 7)

Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Romeu, Drogba, Meireles

Goals: Sturridge 1 (unassisted), Terry 13 (assisted Mata), Torres 19 (assisted Kalou), 25 (unassisted), 64 (assisted Mata), Malouda 80 (assisted Ramires)

QPR: Kenny 3, Onuoha 4, Ferdinand 3, Hill 2, Taiwo 2, Barton 4, Derry 2, Buzsaky 2 (Traore 66, 3), Mackie 4, Cisse 4, Zamora 2 (Wright-Phillips 78, -)

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Gabbidon, Campbell, Young, Smith

Booked: Barton (repetitive fouling)

Goals: Cisse 84 (assisted Onuoha)

QPR 0 Chelsea 1, FA Cup, Saturday January 28, 2012

With all the furore surrounding the first meeting between these sides at Loftus Road earlier in the year the last thing anybody really needed was for them to meet again three months later in the FA Cup. Rangers scraped through a replay against League One MK Dons, a first FA Cup win of any sorts for 11 years, to set up a lunchtime showdown in W12. Once again the post game focus was on controversial refereeing decisions, although this time it was Chelsea who benefitted having felt aggrieved at their treatment in the league match. Midway through the second half of a poor game Daniel Sturridge took a dive at the far post under a cross that had already passed him by and referee Mike Dean fell for it hook line and sinker. Juan Mata converted the resulting spot kick and Chelsea have since progressed all the way to the final.

QPR: Kenny 7, Hill 6, Ferdinand 7, Hall 7, Young 7, Mackie 6, Buzsaky 6 (Hulse 79, 7), Barton 6, Wright-Phillips 5, Helguson 7 (Macheda 46, 4), Smith 6

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Orr, Derry, Ephraim, Onuoha

Booked: Wright-Phillips, Hall

Chelsea: Cech 7, Ivanovic 6, Luiz 6, Terry 7, Cole 7, Meireles 6, Ramires 7 (Romeu 79, 6), Sturridge 7, Malouda 6, Mata 8 (Essien 90, -), Torres 3

Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Bosingwa, Lukaku, Cahill, Bertrand

Booked: Cole, Romeu

Goals: Mata 62 (penalty, won Sturridge)

QPR 1 Chelsea 0, Premiership, Sunday October 23, 2011

Rarely has there been a game like the first meeting between these sides this season. The first competitive meeting with Chelsea in the Bush for more than 15 years turned into a controversial humdinger with Rangers eventually coming out on top by a single goal. That strike, a penalty from Heidar Helguson after David Luiz had foolishly shoved him in the back, was one of the first key moments on an afternoon of high drama in W12. Rangers were in with a good chance of making it two when Shaun Wright-Phillips accelerated away from Jose Bosingwa and the Portuguese defender was sent off for hauling him down. By half time Chelsea’s discipline had gone completely in the face of a hostile atmosphere and Didier Drogba was also dismissed for a dreadful two footed tackle on Adel Taarabt. Playing with nine men Chelsea should have been on a damage limitation exercise but when Helguson missed a great chance to make it 2-0 it left the door open and Andre Villas-Boas’ side came close to equalising on several occasions. They had two large penalty shouts of their own when Luiz and Lampard were hauled back by Helguson and Hall in the QPR box and there were several near misses apart from that. Ashley Cole was lucky not to be the third man sent off for a poor challenge in stoppage time but referee Chris Foy decided to draw the game to a close instead. The after match discussion was dominated by an alleged racist remark made by Chelsea captain John Terry to QPR’s Anton Ferdinand – the subsequent court case will be heard in July.

QPR: Kenny 7, Young 7, Ferdinand 9, Hall 8, Hill 8, Derry 7 (Mackie 81, -), Faurlin 7, Wright-Phillips 7, Barton 7, Taarabt 7 (Smith 61, 6), Helguson 8

Subs Not Used: Murphy, Orr, Bothroyd, Buzsaky, Puncheon

Booked: Derry (foul), Barton (foul)

Goals: Helguson 10 (penalty, won Helguson)

Chelsea: Cech 6, Bosingwa 5, Terry 6, Luiz 5, Cole 6, Mikel 6, Meireles 7 (Malouda 72, 6), Lampard 7, Sturridge 6 (Ivanovic 36, 6), Drogba 5, Mata 6 (Anelka 45, 7)

Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Romeu, McEachran, Kalou

Sent Off: Bosingwa (33), Drogba (41)

Booked: Mikel (foul), Lampard (foul), Ivanovic (foul), Luiz (repetitive fouling), Meireles (dissent), Cole (foul), Terry (ungentlemanly conduct)

Chelsea 1 QPR 0, League Cup, Wednesday September 23, 2009

The FA Cup meeting with Chelsea in 2008 came right at the start of the new money laced era at Loftus Road and six brand new signings were included in the QPR squad that day. By the time they returned to Stamford Bridge 18 months later they’d worked their way through three managers and were under the guidance of Jim Magilton. His appointment had not been met with any great deal of enthusiasm in W12 and Rangers had made a drab start to the year with a succession of draws against Blackpool, Plymouth, Peterborough and Nottingham Forest. But the R’s were about to click into form that would see them score 17 goals in four matches in a fortnight and that was preceded by a confident display at Stamford Bridge in the League Cup. Ultimately the game was decided by a scrappy Kalou goal but Wayne Routledge had clearly been fouled in the build up and Rangers were unfortunate not to take more from the game.

Chelsea: Hilario 7, Ivanovic 7, Ferreira 6, Hutchinson 7 (Terry 77, 7), Belletti 7, Malouda 6 (Lampard 46, 8),Zhirkov 7( A Cole 69, 7), Mikel 8, J Cole 7, Borini 7, Kalou 7

Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Essien, Matic, Bruma

Goals: Kalou 52 (assisted Cole)

QPR: Heaton 8, Leigertwood 8, Stewart 8, Gorkss 8, Borrowdale 7, Routledge 7, Rowlands 9 (Ephraim 73, 7), Faurlin 8, Buzsaky 7, Vine 7 (Taarabt 66, 7), Simpson 7 (Pellicori 73, 6)

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Ramage, Mahon, Agyemang

Previous Results

2012/13 QPR 0 Chelsea 0

2011/12 QPR 0 Chelsea 1**

2011/12 QPR 1 Chelsea 0 (Helguson)

2009/10 Chelsea 1 QPR 0*

2007/08 Chelsea 1 QPR 0**

1995/96 Chelsea 1 QPR 1 (Barker)

1995/96 QPR 1 Chelsea 2** (Quashie)

1995/96 QPR 1 Chelsea 2 (Allen)

1994/95 Chelsea 1 QPR 0

1994/95 QPR 1 Chelsea 0 (Gallen)

1993/94 QPR 1 Chelsea 1 (Ferdinand)

1993/94 Chelsea 2 QPR 0

1992/93 QPR 1 Chelsea 1 (Allen)

1992/93 Chelsea 1 QPR 0

1991/92 Chelsea 2 QPR 1 (Allen)

1991/92 QPR 2 Chelsea 2 (Wilson, Peacock)

1990/91 Chelsea 2 QPR 0

1990/91 QPR 1 Chelsea 0 (Wegerle)

1989/90 QPR 4 Chelsea 2 (Ferdinand 2, Falco, Clarke)

1989/90 Chelsea 1 QPR 1 (Clarke)

1987/88 Chelsea 1 QPR 1 (Kerslake)

1987/88 QPR 3 Chelsea 1 (Bannister 3)

1986/87 QPR 1 Chelsea 1 (Bannister)

1986/87 Chelsea 3 QPR 1 (Byrne)

1985/86 QPR 6 Chelsea 0 (Bannister 3, Byrne 2, Rosenior)

1985/86 Chelsea 1 QPR 0

1985/86 Chelsea 0 QPR 2* (McDonald, Robinson)

1985/86 QPR 1 Chelsea 1* (Byrne)

1984/85 Chelsea 1 QPR 0

1984/85 QPR 2 Chelsea 2 (Bannister, McDonald)

1982/83 Chelsea 0 QPR 2 (Sealy, Gregory)

1982/83 QPR 1 Chelsea 2 (Sealy)

1981/82 Chelsea 2 QPR 1 (Gregory)

1981/82 QPR 0 Chelsea 2

1980/81 QPR 1 Chelsea 0 (Langley)

1980/81 Chelsea 1 QPR 1 (Langley)

1979/80 Chelsea 0 QPR 2 (Busby, Burke)

1979/80 QPR 2 Chelsea 2 (C Allen 2)

1978/79 Chelsea 1 QPR 3 (Busby, Goddard, Roeder)

1978/79 QPR 0 Chelsea 0

1977/78 Chelsea 3 QPR 1 (James)

1977/78 QPR 1 Chelsea 1 (Masson)

1974/75 QPR 1 Chelsea 0 (Thomas)

1974/75 Chelsea 0 QPR 3 (Givens 2, Francis)

1973/74 Chelsea 3 QPR 3 (Bowles 2, Givens)

1973/74 QPR 1 Chelsea 0**(Bowles)

1973/74 Chelsea 0 QPR 0**

1973/74 QPR 1 Chelsea 1 (Bowles)

1969/70 QPR 2 Chelsea 4** (Bridges, Venables)

1968/69 Chelsea 2 QPR 1 (Bridges)

1968/69 QPR 0 Chelsea 4

* - League Cup

** - FA Cup

Memorable Match

Chelsea 1 QPR 3, Saturday March 17, 1979, First Division

The 1978/79 season was almost as miserable for QPR as the 2012/13 one is turning out to be. Just three campaigns after almost winning the league title the collapse of Dave Sexton’s wonderful team was completed by a twentieth placed finish and relegation. However the trip to Stamford Bridge in March proved to be a rare highlight and Rangers fans everywhere will no doubt be hoping that this Wednesday’s game goes the same way.

The R’s came into the match on a run of five straight defeats, and no wins from their previous ten league matches. Chelsea weren’t a great deal better though and would finish the campaign dead last, six points below even the beleaguered QPR team. Prior to the March meeting they had lost four and drawn one of the previous five, won only two of the previous 20 and suffered some humiliating defeats including a 7-2 set back at Middlesbrough and 5-1 thrashing at Ipswich. The teams had drawn 0-0 at Loftus Road in the previous meeting in November.

Chelsea were caught out for the first goal by the poor quality of both their play, and their pitch. On a surface comprised almost entirely of sand, Clive Walker was caught in possession on halfway and when the ball then broke loose to Michael Nutton he allowed it to bounce on the treacherous surface and once he’d done so he was always in trouble under heavy pressure from R’s youth team graduate Paul Goddard. Having harried the Chelsea man out of possession Goddard withheld his attempts to recover the situation, carried the ball into the area and then produced a deft finish from an awkward angle over Petar Borota and into the far side netting for the opening goal.

Chelsea equalised early in the second half when a purposeful run by Garry Stanley down the Chelsea right ended with a low cross that Don Shanks inadvertently deflected past his own goalkeeper Derek Richardson – in for Phil Parkes following his sale to West Ham at the end of February – for an own goal.

But with former Chelsea man John Hollins and QPR stalwart Gerry Francis pulling the strings in midfield Rangers were always the better side in the game, and the erratic performance of Chelsea’s eccentric Serbian goalkeeper Petar Borota – signed that summer from Partizan Belgrade – meant they were always in with a chance of winning the match. When Borota dropped a corner at the feet of substitute Martyn Busby he was fortunate to see the resulting shot deflected over the bar. But that only meant another set piece – the fourth QPR corner in quick succession – and this time Rangers weren’t to be denied. Francis’ inswinging delivery was met by Busby once more and although his near post headline was blocked on the line young Glenn Roeder was on hand to poke home from a yard out.

A cross from the same side of the field helped seal the victory as Stan Bowles tricked his way into space and teed up a crossing opportunity for Hollins. Graham Wilkins – elder brother of Ray who played in midfield for Chelsea that day – swung and missed the low delivery and Busby was on hand to control the ball with his first touch and dispatch the third goal with his second.

That was Busby’s fourth goal of the season but the victory couldn’t revive the fortunes of Steve Burtenshaw’s side which lost four of its next five matches and actually only won one further game – 5-1 at home to Coventry with a hat trick from young Clive Allen – out of the final 12 league fixtures.

Chelsea: Borota, G Wilkins, Stride, Bannon, Sitton, Nutton, Docherty (Langley 62), R Wilkins, Harris, Stanley, Walker

QPR: Richardson, Clement, Howe, Roeder, Gillard, Shanks, Francis, Hollins, Eastoe, Bowles, Goddard (Busby 60)

Attendance: 25,971

Highlights >>> QPR 4 Chelsea 2, 1989 >>> QPR 6 Chelsea 0, 1986 >>> Chelsea 0 QPR 2, 1986 >>> Chelsea 1 QPR 3, 1979 >>> Paul Furlong QPR career highlights

Player Connections

Terry Venables >>> Chelsea 1960-1966 >>> QPR 1969-1974, (manager) 1980-1984

Terry Venables rose up through the ranks at Chelsea representing England at every level from schoolboy and amateur level through to the senior side where he won his first full cap in 1965. Venables was a League Cup winner with the Blues that season, scoring in a final win against Leicester, after initially joining them as a 15-year-old in 1958 and winning promotion from the Second Division in 1963.

The League Cup win and England call up was followed by an £80,000 move across town to Tottenham Hotspur after he, and several other players, fell out with manager Tommy Docherty over a breach of pre-match curfew rules . At White Hart Lane he haunted his former club by helping to beat them in the 1967 FA Cup final.

Which all made his decision to join newly relegated Queens Park Rangers for £70,000 in the summer of 1969 rather strange. It took four years for the R’s to regain their spot in the top division but Venables was captain when it finally happened in 1973. After helping Rangers to a creditable eighth place finish in their first season back, Venables decamped to Crystal Palace despite starting five of the first six games for Rangers at the beginning of the 1974/75 season – Don Rogers came the other way in part exchange.

Venables played infrequently for the Eagles but became the manager at Selhurst Park in 1976 after serving an apprenticeship under Malcolm Allison. Palace won promotion from the Third Division in Venables’ first season in charge, scoring two goals in injury time at Wrexham on the final day to secure the two goal margin required at the start of play. Rachid Harkouk, briefly a Ranger himself, scored one of the crucial goals. Three years later they were Second Division champions and dubbed the ‘team of the eighties’ because of the high number of young players forming the backbone of the side. The Eagles finished thirteenth in their first top flight season but became mired in financial difficulties at the start of the 1980/81 campaign and sat bottom of the table in October.

A friendship with the QPR chairman Jim Gregory saw Venables leave Palace and join QPR as their new manager in the division below. Using revolutionary training methods and a strictly drilled defence operating a sweeper system Venables took Second Division QPR to Wembley for an FA Cup final against Spurs which went to a replay before going the North London side’s way. A year later he promoted Rangers as champions of the Second Division and once back in the top tier they immediately recorded a fifth place finish and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Around this time Gregory offered Venables the chance to buy the club from him but funds could not be gathered by his consortium and the deal fell through. At the end of the campaign Gregory’s usual trick of laughing people out of his office when they came to him for more money, only to then have his secretary send them back in just as they were about to walk out the door, back fired when it turned out Venables’ outlandish claim that he was about to become the Barcelona manager was in fact true. This was all compounded by QPR’s decision to appoint the hapless Alan Mullery as his replacement.

In Spain Venables secured the 1985 La Liga title for Barcelona, their first since 1974, and won the domestic cup competition as well. They reached the 1986 European Cup final but lost to Steaua Bucharest on penalties. Venables was fired in September 1987 after failing to retain the league title, and crashing out of the UEFA Cup against Dundee United.

Venables returned to Spurs as manager, winning the FA Cup in 1991 and finishing third in the league in 1990 but he was ignored for the England job when it came up in 1990 when Graham Taylor was appointed instead. Venables became Spurs CEO alongside chairman Alan Sugar in the early 1990s but the arrangement was doomed to failure. He got the England job second time around following the failure to qualify for USA 1994 and led the team to a memorable semi-final appearance at Euro 96 on home soil. Sadly he left at the end of the tournament to concentrate on defending his name in court against allegations of fraudulent business dealings. In 1998 he was disqualified from acting as a company director for seven years for mismanaging four companies, including Tottenham.

His record since then has been mixed. He lost a World Cup qualifying play off to Iran while manager of Australia, and left Portsmouth bottom of the First Division and heavily in debt after an 11 month spell as chairman at Fratton Park. A return to Crystal Palace under Mark Goldberg in 1998 always looked doomed to failure, but he restored his reputation with a recue act at Middlesbrough in 2001 when he was appointed as head coach to assist beleaguered Bryan Robson and lead the team away from the Premiership relegation zone. He managed Leeds at the beginning of their financial crisis but was sacked before completing the 2002/03 season with the Whites facing relegation.

Venables has worked since as a singer, writer, pundit and figure head for various betting companies.

Others >>> Shaun Wright Phillips, Chelsea 2005-2008, QPR 2011-present >>> Scott Sinclair, Chelsea 2005-2010, QPR (loan) 2007 >>> Ben Sahar, Chelsea 2006-2009, QPR (loan) 2007 >>> Michael Mancienne, Chelsea 2006-2011, QPR (loan) 2006-2008 >>> Jimmy Smith, Chelsea 2005-2009, QPR (loan) 2006-2007 >>> Paul Furlong, Chelsea, 1994-1996, QPR (loan) 2000, (loan) 2002, 2002-2007 >>> Leon Knight, Chelsea 1999-2003, QPR (loan) 2001 >>> Gavin Peacock, QPR 1984-1987, 1996-2002, Chelsea 1993-1996 >>>John Spencer, Chelsea 1992-1997, QPR 1997-1998 >>> Ray Wilkins, Chelsea 1973-1979, (coach) 2000, (coach) 2009-2010, QPR 1989-1994, (player-manager) 1994-1996 >>> Clive Wilson, Chelsea 1987-1990, QPR 1990-1995 >>> Vinnie Jones, Chelsea 1991-1992, QPR 1998-1999 >>> Mick Harford, Chelsea 1992-1993, QPR (coach) 2006-2007, (manager) 2010 >>> Paul Parker, QPR 1987-1991, Chelsea 1997 >>> Mark Stein, QPR 1988-1989, Chelsea 1993-1998 >>> Nigel Spackman, Chelsea 1983-1987, 1992-1996, QPR 1989 >>> Roy Wegerle, Chelsea 1986-1988, QPR 1990-1992 >>> Steve Wicks, Chelsea 1974-1978, 1986-1988, QPR 1979-1981, 1981-1986 >>> Clive Walker, Chelsea 1976-1984 QPR 1986-1987 >>> Tommy Langley, Chelsea 1974-1980, QPR 1980-1981 >>> Derek Richardson, Chelsea 1974-1976, QPR 1976-1979 >>> Gary Chivers, Chelsea 1978-1983, QPR 1984-1987 >>> Mike Fillery, Chelsea 1978-1982, QPR 1983-1986 >>> Clive Allen, QPR 1978-1980, 1981-1984, Chelsea 1991-1992 >>> Tommy Cunningham, Chelsea 1973-1975, QPR 1975-1979 >>> Terry Venables, Chelsea 1960-1966, QPR 1969-1974, (manager) 1980-1984 >>> John Hollins, Chelsea 1963-1975, 1983-1984, (manager) 1985-1988, QPR 1975-1979, (coach) 1993-1997 >>> Dave Webb, Chelsea 1968-1974, (manager) 1993, QPR 1974-1977 >>> Dave Sexton, Chelsea (manager) 1967-1974, QPR (manager) 1974-1977 >>> Alan Mayes, QPR 1971-1974, Chelsea 1980-1983 >>> Tommy Docherty, Chelsea 1961-1962, (manager) 1962-1967, QPR (manager) 1968, (manager) 1979-1980 >>> Barry Bridges, Chelsea 1958-1966, QPR 1968-1970 >>> Allan Harris, Chelsea 1960-1964, QPR 1967-1971 >>> Les Allen, Chelsea 1954-1959, QPR 1965-1969, (manager) 1968-1971 >>> Allan Harris, Chelsea 1960-1964, 1966-67, QPR 1967-1971 >>> Alan Wilks, Chelsea 1963-1965, QPR 1965-1971

Tweet @loftforwords

Pictures – Action Images

Photo: Action Images

Imelda added 12:08 - Jan 1 1979/80 Chelsea 0 QPR 2 (Busby, Burke) I was at this match as a young gel in my first job working and living in London. My friends all supported Chelsea and I stood on the terraces with them at the old Stamford Bridge. They had to put their hands over my mouth when QPR scored because in those days, I probably would have got seriously injured by the ultra hard Chelsea fans Ah, happy days!

0

enfieldargh added 14:03 - Jan 1 sat in the new big stand level with the penalty area where we scored our winning goals. I did stand up a cheer every goal with my dad and never even got looked at. In fact the amount of rangers that also stood up and cheered dotted aound this stand surprised me. Great day, long lives in the memory
0

TacticalR added 15:55 - Jan 1 Like Imelda I was at the 1979/80 Chelsea 0 QPR 2 match in the Second Division (a year after the Memorable Match). Stamford Bridge was a crumbling mess, with parts of the ground permanently closed and covered in moss.
0

TeddRanger added 19:15 - Jan 1 Where do your match reports from the likes of the 1979 era come from Clive?
0

Northernr added 19:29 - Jan 1 Me sitting in the library at LFW Towers and going through old programmes, scrap books and videos.
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Rochdale Polls