Question For the Older QPR Fans

[Kit]

Just a touch older than you Pete at 44 and I stopped renewing my season ticket (which I had for 27 years) back in 2006, really for Financial reasons due to the birth of my first children. I do agree though that the relationship between fan and player has gone, solely really because of the disparity in money they now earn along with the arrogance being shown by the top level footballer.
For me it was when the England team threatened to strike when Rio Ferdinand was banned due to his drugs test fiasco, I have never felt the same about England since and having once gone as often as I could to see them, I haven't been since then.
Unfortunately the stealing of youngsters by the bigger clubs too means football just isn't the same anymore, why create a youth set up, then have Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Spurs come and nick the kid you have been developing.
I still love coming up to Rangers whenever I can but it isn't the same any more and hasn't been for the past decade or so. I as many use to love to see youth team players develope, Gillard, Francis, Clement, Waddock, Fereday, Gallen, Dichio, Langley but you won't see that anymore I fear, as if they are any good others will come in for them before they have developed.
Times change I know but it isn't for the better in football anymore.

[qpr48]

as a 55 years old i am one of the oldest supporters here,i ws fist took to qpr in 1959-60 season a man who does use this board brian bedford played for us in the middle sixties and he will probabaly agree with me
that the great king of loftus road before rodney was mark lazarus,he could use fantastic ball skills when dribbling down the wing,he could also score goals
he got around 80 goals for us .
but the reason why the crowd loved lazarus so much was he was just the most amazing character you could ever meet
he had this broken nose from his boxing days,and when the ref used to look the other way, if a full back had been giving mark some violent tackles.He would unleash a few fast jabs ith his fists,then as the ref turned around mark would be crouching down beside the player, as if mortified as to why hes
laying there spark out.
In my time as a ranger,only stanley and rodney really
got the fans really fanatically behind them,strangley enough bobby hazell was the closest,to superstar status at the bush.a lot of people didnt really give bobby credit for his ability.
It broke my heart,when we sold him.but to go back to the origional theme of this thread,rodney marsh was the greatest ever qpr superhero.seconded by stanley,and third would be lazarus:boss:

What about Cyril Hatton,Ivor Powell, Reg Allen Don Mills.I could go on and on.

[lymehoop]

It's not just Rangers, I reckon all 92 clubs would say its not the same, no one mentioned the shocking wages, even the average players, are getting, forcing clubs into administration, but it won't last, pubs are closing wholesale and others pulling out of showing the footie because of rising prices

[qblockoompah]

i miss the relegation battles. i miss when we were skint. supporters of other teams used to talk fondly of our club n fanbase, now they just find us a laughing stock. the bond i felt when olly was in charge with likes of rowly, big dan, ainsworth, gallen and birch i fear will never ever be matched. fellow r's felt like family back then, we were all in it together and it was bloooody fun, even during the hardest times.

[Quaz]

i miss the relegation battles. i miss when we were skint. supporters of other teams used to talk fondly of our club n fanbase, now they just find us a laughing stock. the bond i felt when olly was in charge with likes of rowly, big dan, ainsworth, gallen and birch i fear will never ever be matched. fellow r's felt like family back then, we were all in it together and it was bloooody fun, even during the hardest times.

don' miss the relegation battles or being skint...but the rest is spot on.

[RamseyR]

Not just losing touch with QPR. Falling out of love with football.

The match day experience isn't the same and the endless TV coverage with w*ankers like Jamie Rednapp repeatedly stating the bleeding obvious does my head in.

Also post match interviews, new signings interviews, boardroom plans, confidence in the manager, pre season expectation, players caring etc etc Take it all with a large piece of salt

45 years by the way

[stanistheman]

Pete, good post and very good points.

Football now whilst still enjoyable to watch (not currently at QPR), has lost its sparkle. Most fans feel so far detached from the players that it isn'y likev it was in days gone by.

These days they are like superstar Hollywood actors and we just don't live in the same world as them. You certainly wont see them often, if at all, on public transport, down the local pub, supermarket etc.

Their pay packets are way beyond reasonable and they are just like mercenaries selling their loyalties to the highest bidder.

Who of the current players are likely to stay on for years like Clement, Gillard. Francis Bowles, McDonald? I say none.