Memories of the Terraces at QPR

[Kevin Mcleod]

What season did it all change?

[W12_Ranger]

Approx 1983-5 play Forest (I'm certain) I was not even 5, School End Dad carried my toilet step up to the ground so I could see over the advertising hoarding....we won 2-1 and that's it.

All memories there after were away days

[Hertford Hoop]

Loved the terrace era, walking up the steps from the turnstiles to the back of the loft was always special. Great atmosphere at nearly every game, a few poo my pants moments when away teams stormed the loft (I was young). Mingling with the same faces each game and as someone has already said, you tended to stand in the same spot each game, it was always your spot ha ha. Also stood a few times in the paddocks, had a season when we had the plastic pitch standing by the tunnel, loved that. Budgie coming out on his hands most of the time, players being so close and hearing all that went on in the dugouts was always great.

Wish we could have them back, it would increase the capacity without making it dangerous. Certainly the paddocks and the lower tiers behind the goals could be reverted back. Oddly enough I watched an episode of the Sweeney recently where Reagan chased a staff member through the loft, it was quite large and makes the current arrangement look very small.

[cross it Dave]

On Tuesday 14th Jan 1974 we played Chelsea in an FA Cup 3rd round replay.

The game was unusual in that is was a mid week game that kicked off in the afternoon due to the winter of discontent, power cuts etc, I think it was 2pm kick off, I bunked of school to go to the game.

As was usual in them days the scum took the Loft, Stanley scored a great headed goal, and we won 1-0, and the crowd, probably the best part of 30,000

At the final whistle the scum fans invaded the pitch from the Loft end, demolishing the kids section wall as the charged.

What I never understood, was why the kids section never rebuild.

We use to win cup games in those days, unlike today.

[Hitman34]

Remember playing Arsenal midweek when half the terrace had been demolished but half was still open. There were bits of the smashed up terrace you could lean through the fence and get and I still have a chunk of the terrace at home

Remember that night well. First half, myself and Patterson were in the paddock then made our way round to the loft in the second to give seaman stick.

[West Acton]

If loft terrace returned who would return to standing instead of sitting

[Gtleighsr3]

na standing not for me,even if u over 3ft and cant sit without ya knees by your ears and end up with piles these days.

[West Acton]

na standing not for me,even if u over 3ft and cant sit without ya knees by your ears and end up with piles these days.

Your seat is clearly same as mine

[BostonR]

Yes

Although I remember 2 occasions when Birmingham and Arsenal had taken over the loft, Rangers congregated down stairs then on mass piled up the central stairs as it was then and re took it, I expect I was at the back end of the charge.

My time on the terrace...

Millwall early '70's...totally taken, we were overrun inside and outside, my wake up call when train pulls into Hanger Lane, doors open and they stepped off having ridden the lines looking for us! Lucky I was so young they just kicked us up the ####.

West Ham, always took the Loft because Rangers didn't show up. Escaped a right hiding one game when a steward opened a gate to let 50 of us through when we'd been tumbled.

Chelsea, not there in '68, but they cleared us in minutes early '74, myself and my pals pegging across the pitch to the Paddock where the halfway line mob were not taken. Later in '74 an evening fixture produced fireworks. Eerie atmosphere, standing in Loft knowing the place was full of both firms, no singing, nobody sure who was who until this bloke in a leather coat about four feet away from me in front of the main stairs chirps up, "come on you blues", geezer next to me asks' "which blues are they then?" Mayhem ensues, brutal brawling for early part of the game, I got nicked. Chelsea virtually had their way with us from then on, until all ticket segregation became serious.

Arsenal....by far the biggest rows on the Loftus Rd terrace. Backwards and forwards, fights breaking out continually, very evenly matched though Gooners were lucky for police protection. Also noticed how many older (30's plus) gents they had, odd to us as nearly all involved were 15 - 20. Then Arsenal faded away, by the end of the decade they'd virtually disappeared.

Spurs. Not much inside, couple of horror stories on the streets.

Fulham, good start down the beer trailer in '79, but they were on their toes sharpish upstairs.

Charlton, caught us on the hop one year getting in early, but caved in quickly and were eventually led down to the School End after being pushed to the wall down by the Ellerslie.

Notable mentions...Birmingham, big surprise but routed after when everyone came in.

Newcastle...total shock. Walked in to drink at trailer and discovered hundreds of 'em up on the terrace. Wouldn't have been any trouble (until later anyway when the end started filling up), but the Geordies tried to push it and much to our delight came unstuck and were run over to the tea bar(balcony). The later arrivals were gobstruck when we told them of the nonsense.

Man Utd...don't recall '76 being a problem, do remember how badly we turned 'em over in '77 which I wouldn't believe if you told me, 'cept I was there.

[hal9thou]

I mentioned this a while back; there were a few geezers behind the goal about 20 rows up who would shout out "Die" at the opposing goalkeeper.

Check.

what about that bloke who used to sit in the upper loft in the eighties and shout, even when we were about on the half way line with gary waddock in possession "shoooooot" - he managed to shout it so loudly you cd hear it half way round the ground?

Remember it well. Ted claims responsibility.

OB was worse than the hoolies back then.

They loved getting stuck in, especially if they were mob handed. A few people were unlucky in the back of the van as well.......

West Ham, always took the Loft because Rangers didn't show up.

Chelsea......

Arsenal....by far the biggest rows on the Loftus Rd terrace.Then Arsenal faded away, by the end of the decade they'd virtually disappeared.

WHU and Chelsea, for sure, as many will testify. The Arsenal thing is a strange one, because they used to have numbers but like you say that seemed to change.

Never been the same buzz since the terraces went. Fingers crossed that the safe standing campaign makes it.

[wewillbeback]

Not sure if this has been mentioned as I haven't read all the thread,

From what I recall it all changed in our cup run of 1982, we all seemed to reach 18 at the same time,

The reply at Wembley against Spurs epitomises that as Rangers run riot during and after that game.

Spurs got a massive shock that night and even on the Saturday game,

After that in my opinion no one really took the ####.

[West Acton]

Anyone ever stood or watched game from away end. Think I have sat in every block of ground other then away end

[Jimmy Floyd Rabbit]

Anyone ever stood or watched game from away end. Think I have sat in every block of ground other then away end

Few times westy.

Distinctly remember a couple of boxing day matches against Liverpool and Arsenal where I managed to get a ticket in the away end.

Same, sat all over the ground in every stand and paddock.

[vespa]

Anyone ever stood or watched game from away end. Think I have sat in every block of ground other then away end

Yeah i have , against Spurs . We bought tickets off a tout , thinking we`d be able to get on the side of the pitch and into the paddock . Turned out ,we had allocated half the paddock to Tottenham too ,and the stewards wouldnt let us go all the way down the pitch to the Rangers side. Second half we ended up in the small gap of terracing that usually segregated the paddock from the away fans , two of us , with Spurs crammed in the School end to our right and the Paddock to our left . Needless to say we wern`t exactly going mental when we scored !

[vespa]

Not sure if this has been mentioned as I haven't read all the thread,

From what I recall it all changed in our cup run of 1982, we all seemed to reach 18 at the same time,

The reply at Wembley against Spurs epitomises that as Rangers run riot during and after that game.

Spurs got a massive shock that night and even on the Saturday game,

After that in my opinion no one really took the ####.

Chelsea took the p iss pretty much every time they came in the 80s and early 90s .