As QPR head to Newcastle this weekend LFW recalls a relegation six-pointer from 1989 that became more about events off the field than on it.

Recent Meetings

Newcastle 1 QPR 0, Sunday January 15, 2012, Premier League

The Mark Hughes era got underway in earnest at St James Park in January with his first league game in charge. Rangers started brightly with Shaun Wright-Phillips hitting the top of the bar and Jay Bothroyd the outside of the post, and Hughes certainly had the team looking more organised and in a solid shape with a basic two banks of four in front of the defence. But when Leon Best was given the benefit of the doubt by the linesman and waved onside to curl in the opening goal a dire game was already heading the way of the hosts. Shaun Derry was fortunate to stay on the field after a late tackle on Yohan Cabaye that brought the Frenchman’s afternoon to an end and Jay Bothroyd further endeared himself to the travelling faithful by spurning two decent chances for an equaliser in the second half.

Newcastle: Krul 7, Simpson 6, Coloccini 7, Williamson 6, Santon 6, Ryan Taylor 6 (Gosling 81. -), Guthrie 6, Cabaye 6 (Ben Arfa 25, 7), Gutierrez 7, Best 7 (Perch 76, 6), Shola Ameobi 5

Subs Not Used: Elliot, Abeid, Obertan, Ferguson

Goals: Best 37 (assisted Ameobi)

QPR: Kenny 7, Young 6, Gabbidon 6, Ferdinand 7, Hill 6, Wright-Phillips 5, Derry 6, Buzsaky 6 (Macheda 76, 6), Mackie 5, Helguson 6 (Smith 64, 6), Bothroyd 6

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Orr, Hall, Campbell, Ephraim

Booked: Derry (foul), Hill (foul), Bothroyd (foul), Macheda (foul)

QPR 0 Newcastle 0, Monday September 12, 2011, Premier League

It’s amazing to think how optimistic everybody was, and how well the QPR team played, when these sides last met at Loftus Road less than 18 months ago. Tony Fernandes takeover complete and six new signings hurried through the doors, QPR took to the field for a Sky Monday Night Football match against Newcastle. The game finished 0-0, although quite how it finished 0-0 nobody was could be sure. QPR were excellent, dominant throughout, and denied a victory only by stubborn, and often last ditch, defending from the visiting team. Shaun Wright-Phillips was man of the match on his debut and had a first half lob kicked off the goalline after beating Tim Krul. It all seems such a long time ago.

QPR: Kenny 7, Young 8, Ferdinand 7, Gabbidon 6, Traore 7 (Connolly 51, 6), Derry 7, Faurlin 8, Wright-Phillips 8 (Puncheon 88, -) Barton 7, Taarabt 8, Bothroyd 7 (Campbell 80, -)

Subs Not Used: Murphy, Hall, Buzsaky, Smith

Booked: Derry (foul)

Newcastle: Krul 6, Simpson 7, Steven Taylor 6, Coloccini 7, Ryan Taylor 6, Cabaye 6,Tiote 7, Obertan 6 (Sammy Ameobi 88, -), Gutierrez 6, Best 6 (Marveaux 82, -),Shola Ameobi 5 (Ba 64, 6)

Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Guthrie, Lovenkrands

Booked: Shola Ameobi (dissent),Tiote (repetitive fouling),Steven Taylor (foul)

Newcastle 1 QPR 1, Wednesday September 30, 2009, Championship

QPR were at the height of their Jim Magilton form back in 2009 when they travelled to St James’ Park for the first time since 1996. Newcastle were top but QPR were flying up the table amid a host of free scoring thrashings and took an early lead when Ben Watson’s speculative shot was deflected past Steve Harper to send a sizeable midweek travelling support wild. Rangers had good cause to be angry with referee Rob Shoebridge thereafter, the Derbyshire based official seemed hugely intimidated by the large home crowd and awarded a ridiculously harsh penalty against Damion Stewart midway through the first half which Danny Guthrie took and the superb Radek Cerny saved. The Magpies did get their equaliser in the second half when Marlon Harewood climbed off the bench to bundle home his annual goal against QPR and although Cerny was the QPR man of the match the visitors had more than their fair share of the game and were thoroughly good value for their point.

Newcastle: Harper 7, Enrique 7, Taylor 7, Khizanishvili 6, Simpson 6, Smith 7, Butt 4 (Gutierrez 46, 8), Nolan 6, Guthrie 4 (Lovenkrands 88, -), Carroll 8, Ranger 6 (Harewood 61, 7)

Subs: Geremi, Krul, Kadar, Donaldson

Goals: Harewood 70 (assisted Carroll)

Bookings: Smith (foul)

QPR: Cerny 9, Leigertwood 7, Stewart 8, Gorkss 7, Borrowdale 7, Routledge 7, Rowlands 8, Watson 9, Buzaky 7, Vine 6 (Faurlin 87, -), Simpson 8 (Taarabt 73, 7)

Subs not used: Ramage, Agyemang, Pellicori, Heaton, Ephraim

Goals: Watson 7 (unassisted)

Bookings: Stewart (foul), Leigertwood (foul), Buzsaky (failing to retreat)

Previous Results

2011/12 Newcastle 1 QPR 0

2011/12 QPR 0 Newcastle 0

2009/10 QPR 0 Newcastle 1

2009/10 Newcastle 1 QPR 1 (Watson)

1995/96 Newcastle 2 QPR 1 (Holloway)

1995/96 QPR 2 Newcastle 3 (Dichio 2)

1994/95 QPR 3 Newcastle 0 (Ferdinand 2, Barker)

1994/95 Newcastle 2 QPR 1 (Dichio)

1993/94 QPR 1 Newcastle 2 (Penrice)

1993/94 Newcastle 1 QPR 2 (Ferdinand, B Allen)

1988/89 Newcastle 1 QPR 2 (Stein, Clarke)

1988/89 QPR 3 Newcastle 0 (Maddix, M Allen, Falco)

1987/88 Newcastle 1 QPR 1 (Kerslake)

1987/88 QPR 1 Newcastle 1 (Wharton og)

1986/87 QPR 2 Newcastle 1 (Byrne, Fillery)

1986/87 Newcastle 0 QPR 2 (Byrne, Bannister)

1985/86 QPR 3 Newcastle 1 (Fenwick 2, Robinson)

1985/86 Newcastle 3 QPR 1 (Fenwick)

1984/85 Newcastle 1 QPR 0

1984/85 QPR 5 Newcastle 5 (Bannister, Stainrod, Gregory, Wicks, Mickelwhite)

1982/83 QPR 2 Newcastle 0 (Gregory 2)

1982/83 Newcastle 1 QPR 0

1981/82 Newcastle 0 QPR 4 (Gregory, C Allen, Flanagan, Stainrod)

1981/82 QPR 3 Newcastle 0 (King, Roeder, Stainrod)

1979/80 QPR 2 Newcastle 1 (Roeder, McCreery)

1979/80 Newcastle 4 QPR 2 (Goddard, Roeder)

1977/78 Newcastle 0 QPR 3 (Givens, McGee, Hollins)

1977/78 QPR 0 Newcastle 1

1976/77 QPR 1 Newcastle 2 (Givens)

1976/77 Newcastle 2 QPR 0

1975/76 Newcastle 1 QPR 2 (McLintock, Bowles)

1975/76 Newcastle 2 QPR 1* (Masson)

1975/76 QPR 0 Newcastle 0*

1975/76 QPR 1 Newcastle 3** (Leach)

1975/76 QPR 1 Newcastle 0 (Leach)

1974/75 Newcastle 2 QPR 2 (Francis, Gillard)

1974/75 QPR 0 Newcastle 4**

1974/75 QPR 1 Newcastle 2 (Keeley og)

1973/74 Newcastle 2 QPR 3 (Thomas, Francis, Leach)

1973/74 QPR 3 Newcastle 2 (Clement, Givens, Bowles)

1968/69 QPR 1 Newcastle 1 (Bridges)

1968/69 Newcastle 3 QPR 2 (Wilks, Moncur og)

* - FA Cup

** - League Cup

Memorable Meeting

Newcastle 1 QPR 2, Saturday March 11, 1989, First Division

Some football matches are remembered more for incidents off the pitch than on it, and QPR’s victory at Newcastle in March 1989 was one such occasion.

Initially the match was billed as a relegation six pointer, and a chance for Rangers to twist the knife in on former manager Jim Smith. The Bald Eagle had led Rangers to a 3-0 home win against struggling Newcastle earlier in the campaign but then accepted the chance to go and save the Magpies from relegation instead. This was to be the first meeting between the club since Smith left W12, and took midfielder Kevin Brock with him to Tyneside.

The QPR board had decided to replace him with Trevor Francis, still a prolific goal scorer for the Super Hoops at that time despite his advancing years. That hadn’t proved to be an overwhelming success and the R’s went into the clash in the North East still searching for their first win in 1989, lying sixteenth having drawn the previous three games 0-0. To cure the goal scoring issues and strengthen the midfield Francis paid a club record £500,000 for Nigel Spackman from Liverpool, and then broke the record again just weeks later by shelling out £800,000 for Northern Ireland international Colin Clarke who made his debut at St James Park. He’d also brought in Peter Reid on a free transfer. Newcastle meanwhile had won just one of the previous eight.

But events took a dramatic turn in the QPR team hotel before the match. Midfielder Martin Allen, a well liked and tenacious graduate of the club’s youth system who’d actually made his Rangers debut at Newcastle in 1985, had travelled and was due to play after sitting out seven matches since January with injury. At 2am on the morning of the game his room mate David Seaman answered a phone call from Allen’s father to say that Martin’s wife Gabriella had gone into labour.

Allen takes up the story, in an interview with the club’s official website. He said: "I found out there was a flight back to London at 7.30am and I told our assistant manager Peter Shreeves. He said 'Before you leave, check that she's still in labour. And if you are going to go, then get on the plane and good luck. But check first.' I rang from the hotel at 6am and Gabriella was settling in at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. So I got the plane from Newcastle Airport and arrived at Heathrow about 8.30am. From there, I was in the hospital at 9.30am and our baby George was born at 12.15pm.

"I'll never forget the following Monday. I was just leaving for home after training when Trevor Francis handed me an envelope while I was getting in my car. I thought it was going to be a note of congratulations for having the baby but it was a two week wages fine. It was quite shocking and disappointing. After that, my working relationship with Trevor broke down. I was eventually sold to West Ham a few months later.

"But I have no regrets about what happened. It was only human that I wanted to see the birth of my first child. Everyone has the right if they wish to do that - whether you are a footballer or whether you are a banker or a politician. It doesn't matter what you work as. You have that right.”

Ultimately Rangers didn’t need Allen. They took the lead after half time when Colin Clarke, a frequent scorer against Newcastle during his Southampton days, whipped a low free kick around the wall and into the bottom corner. That lead was doubled when a short corner routine instigated by Peter Reid went hopelessly wrong, fell to the feet of Andy Gray who smacked a shot off towards the corner flag, and in the ensuing scramble Mark Stein won the ball back and settled the argument with a crisp finish into the bottom corner.

Newcastle substitute Mirandinha ensured a nervy finish by completing a one two on the edge of the box and hitting a shot that Seaman saved well but could only palm into the path of Ran Ranson who hammered in from close range with 17 minutes left to play. But the R’s hung on for a much needed win.

After the Newcastle game Francis said: “I was really angry after the first half because we could not string passes together. But in the second half we were so much better and I thought we deserved the points. Peter Reid played very well as he has done since the day I signed him from Everton and David Seaman again showed what a good goalkeeper he is. But Mark Dennis was possibly the best player on the field. He gets a lot of criticism for his disciplinary record but people tend to forget what a good player he is.”

Then he dropped the Allen bombshell – a decision which would quickly see the player leave for West Ham, and always hung over Francis until he was replaced by Don Howe midway through the following season as QPR struggled once again. However Allen was initially named in the starting line up for the next game at home to Luton when another Clarke free kick sealed a 1-1 draw. Then, after Rangers had sold Dean Coney to Norwich for £350,000 and used the money to buy Andy Sinton from Brentford, Allen scored one of the two goals in a victory at Sheff Wed. Mark Falco got the other. Rangers ultimately survived, winning a further seven of their remaining 11 games to climb the table and finish ninth. Newcastle finished last and were relegated with West Ham and Middlesbrough.

To round the story off, Allen continued: “Since I've been a football manager I've had several occasions when players' wives have been expecting babies. So I sat the player down and asked him what he would like to do. He said he would prefer to be at the birth and I replied 'Well, you deserve that right.' “Several years later, I played for West Ham away to Sheffield Wednesday - when Trevor Francis was manager at Hillsborough. I got badly injured in the game, with cracked ribs and a punctured lung. I was rushed away in an ambulance as I was struggling to breathe and in a pretty bad way. About 10.30pm that night, there was a phone call to my ward at the hospital in Sheffield. The nurse came over and said 'Trevor Francis from Sheffield Wednesday just rang. He enquired how you are and if you are healthy.' Well at that point, I had to pinch myself to see if I was still alive. Because it was the first time that Trevor had communicated with me since I left the QPR team hotel at Newcastle!"

Francis, who suffered a mild heart attack during the summer but has recently been back on Sky Sports commentary duty, has since expressed his regret about his actions.

QPR: Seaman, Pizanti, McDonald, Parker, Dennis, Fereday, Spackman, Reid (Maddix), Gray (Coney), Clarke, Stein Newcastle: Wright, Ranson, Roeder, Scott, Sanson, McGreerie, Brock, O’Brien (Mirandinha), Hendrie (O’Neill), Pingel, Brazil

Attendance 21,665

Highlights >>> QPR 0 Newcastle 1, 2010 >>> Newcastle 1 QPR 2, 1993 >>> QPR 5 Newcastle 5 Part 1 >>> Part 2 >>> Part 3 >>> Part 4 >>> Part 5 >>> Newcastle 1 QPR 0, 1982, part 1 >>> Newcastle 1 QPR 0, 1982, part 2 >>> Newcastle 2 QPR 1 1980 >>> Newcastle 2 QPR 1 1976 >>> QPR 1 Newcastle 2 1974

Connections

Les Ferdinand is still the best known export from Loftus Road to St James’ Park, but two years before his £6m move the R’s also sold centre back Darren Peacock to Kevin Keegan’s side for a fee in the region of £2.7m.

Peacock was originally taken from lower league Hereford by QPR in 1990 at a time of great crisis at Loftus Road. Danny Maddix, Paul Parker and Alan McDonald all suffered long term injuries at the same time and manager Don Howe had run so low on centre halves he’d been reduced to loaning the terminally useless Gus Caesar from his former club Arsenal.

Without a win in ten matches and in the bottom three of the old First Division Howe brought Bobby Gould in as his new assistant manager and Gould’s little black book immediately turned up two prospects from the lower divisions who could come in and solve the centre half crisis. Andy Tilson from Grimsby Town was one, Darren Peacock from Hereford for £200,000 was the other.

Peacock was, it’s fair to say, an unconventional looking player with a long straggly barnet draped across his shoulders throughout his time with Rangers and Newcastle. He was also fairly accident prone, often falling over inexplicably at the worst possible moment and costing his team a goal. But as the Premier League era dawned and Gerry Francis made Rangers the top London club in the country Peacock blossomed into a very fine top flight centre back.

He was the Player of the Year elect in 1994 when chairman Richard Thompson - as he did with Paul Parker, Andy Sinton and so many QPR stars at the time – authorised his sale to Newcastle for £2.7m. Gerry Francis was forced to muddle through with youth team centre half Karl Ready as his replacement and QPR endured a torrid run of just two wins from their final ten matches of the season as a result. That run included big defeats against Oldham (4-1), Leeds (4-0), Sheff Wed (3-1) and Swindon Town who only won five matches all season but picked up their only away success of the campaign, and completed a humiliating double over QPR, when they won 3-1 at Loftus Road. Francis resigned midway through the following season, tired of Thompson’s methods.

At Newcastle, Peacock was also part of the side that was pipped by Man Utd to the title in 1995/96. He moved on to Blackburn in 1998 and although he clocked up the thick end of 50 appearances there a chronic back problem forced him into early retirement after a brief loan spell with Wolves where he came close to paralysing himself in a clash with his own goalkeeper Michael Oakes.

Others >>> Joey Barton, Newcastle 2007-2011, QPR 2011-present >>> Peter Ramage, Newcastle 2004-2008, QPR 2008-present >>> Kieron Dyer, Newcastle 1999-2007, QPR 2011-present >>> Wayne Routledge, 2009-2010, 2011, Newcastle 2010-2011 >>> Fitz Hall, QPR 2008-present, Newcastle loan 2010 >>> Leon Best, QPR 2004-2005, Newcastle 2010-present >>> Warren Barton, Newcastle 1995-2001, QPR 2003-2004 >>> Les Ferdinand, QPR 1987-1995, Newcastle 1995-1997 >>> Gavin Peacock, QPR 1984-1987, 1996-2002, Newcastle 1990-1993 >>> Kenny Sansom, Newcastle 1988-1989, QPR 1989-1991 >>> Kevin Brock, QPR 1987-1989, Newcastle 1989-1994 >>> Ossie Ardiles, QPR 1988-1989, Newcastle manager 1991-1992 >>> Jim Smith, QPR manager 1985-198, Newcastle manager 1988-1991 >>> Glenn Roeder, QPR 1978-1983, Newcastle 1983-1989, manager 2006-2007 >>> Wayne Fereday, QPR 1980-1989, Newcastle 1989-1990 >>>John Burridge, QPR 1980-1982, Newcastle 1989-1991 >>> Ian Stewart, QPR 1980-1985 >>> Newcastle 1985-1987 >>> Dave McCreery, QPR 1979-1981, Newcastle 1982-1989 >>> Paul Goddard, QPR 1977-1980, Newcastle 1986-1988 >>> Gavin Maguire, QPR 1984-1989, Newcastle loan 1992

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Pictures – Action Images

Photo: Action Images

TacticalR added 19:09 - Dec 19 A footnote to babygate... If I remember correctly, the incident was discussed on one of the Open All R's podcast by another player (I can't remember who, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Martin Allen himself) who was there at the time. He said that someone had told Trevor Francis he was too weak, and so he wanted to appear strong, and unfortunately this was the incident he chose to appear strong over.

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Northernr added 19:38 - Dec 19 Think that was Wayne Fereday actually, it was one of the Podcasts I was on.
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Wokingham_r added 19:38 - Dec 19 I ask this question nervously:- Why is Fitz Hall listed as QPR 2008-present/
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Wokingham_r added 19:40 - Dec 19 it's meant to end with be a question mark, not/
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Sudbury_Hill_R added 19:49 - Dec 19 Another good read. Wasn't the Allen - Francis altercation raised in the House of Commons?
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TacticalR added 20:25 - Dec 19 Ah, Wayne Fereday. Thanks Northernr.
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PeterHucker added 21:21 - Dec 19 great report as always. that picture of Derry at the top looks like he's dancing Gangnam style.
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ozexile added 21:33 - Dec 19 Trevor Francis undoubtedly made a wrong decison on that one. I'm sure he was just trying to exert his authority early to the players. He should have waited for the dust to settle and then listened to a wise old saying " Sometimes it's best just to do nothing".
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probbo added 09:11 - Dec 20 I must say selling Dean Coney to Norwich for £350k and using the proceeds to buy Andy Sinton from Brentford was a superb bit of transfer dealing !
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CiderwithRsie added 09:50 - Dec 20 I'd forgotten the Sinton money came from Coney's sale. Possibly the best swap we've ever made - Trevor got some things right!
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