QPR rivalries

the silver fox

Just browsing through forum and found this thread.

For those who say we have a rivalry with Chelsea.

They took over the ground every time we played at Loftus Road up to and including the 2 matches in 1996 to the extent that the programme acknowledged QPR fans would be in the minority at most games against them in the 1980s and we even raised the cost of a programme against them because 'the vast majority who attend will be used to Chelsea's higher programme cost' (1984/85)

We never took significant numbers to Stamford Bridge and even the famous match in 1986 only saw us take 3,000 when we were offered 8,000 tickets.

There has never been significant 2-way trouble at a match between the 2 sides either and this is not just down to numbers involved but because there were many friends/family relationships between the 2 sets of supporters.

In our entire history we have only finished above them in a league position on 15 occasions so it's not even a rivalry on the pitch either.

People hate/dislike Chelsea but that doesn't make it a rivalry and despite the songs most QPR fans will have strong friendships with Chelsea fans or even family ties.

They also made up a significant portion of the 40000 we took to Wembley in 1986.

Luton is a very different issue though and there was more trouble against them at the all ticket 'friendly' against them in 92 than the collective trouble at matches against Chelsea.

Rivalries surely change over time.

We may 'hate' Chelsea, but there's been no meaningful 'rivalry for decades.

Personally, I think rivalries are really only relevant year-on-year, and limited to whatever division we're in.

So good luck to Brentford who, frankly, have been a much better run club than us in the last 15 years or so.

Chelsea? Can't stand them, but they're not rivals. Fulham? Never cared enough about them to give a toss.

Think we look like we could be at the beginning of something of a 'comeback'. Hope so.

But at the end of the day, fuck everyone else, just care about what we do and the way we do it

By the end of the 1970s we had played Chelsea in 12 competive matches and 4 of those came in 73/74. By 1996 we had played each other 33 more times with 4 of those coming in 85/86.

There have been some great matches against them but in addition to how few we took to Stamford Bridge in January 1986, the famous 6-0 win 2 months later was poorly attended with the club begging people in the next home programme to explain why so few had attended.

I don't believe at any point between 1968 and 1996 we could seriously suggest there was a rivalry personally.

In the 70s there are certainly no references to them being 'rivals' in any home programmes against them but this more then likely that we were still incredibly proud that we were in the same division as our 'illustrious neighbours' after nearly 80+ years of existence. It is only in the early 80s that it becomes a 'thing' and more than likely because we were, for the first time ever, far better than them for a prolonged period of time and we had no natural rivals at that stage due to the traditional one - Brentford - someone we hadn't played for 13 years in a competitive match by 1980.

the cup defeat at theirs was big mobs of rangers out, but I tended to find it more at youth firm level, older heads pretty sweet on the whole

Anyone else remember when the tiny man use to bring a few Wall with him for quite a while in the Ellersie?