In 1990 a QPR team on a bad run of form welcomed fellow strugglers Sunderland to Loftus Road and won 3-2. How the present day Rangers team could do with the same result in similar circumstances on Wednesday night.

Recent Meetings

Sunderland 2 QPR 1, Saturday April 14, 2007, Championship

The last time these sides met they were heading in opposite directions. Sunderland, in their first season under Roy Keane, had recovered from a desperately bad start to the campaign and topped the table heading into our April encounter at the Stadium of Light. QPR had spent most of the season struggling against the drop but had put together a run of form at just the right time under John Gregory and were just about safe going into this game. You could tell as well, with Sunderland looking nervous and QPR much more relaxed the visitors fought back to equalise Dean Whitehead’s early goal for the hosts with a Martin Rowlands penalty midway through the first half. In the end, as he had done at Loftus Road earlier in the season. Grant Leadbitter struck the killer goal with 13 minutes left to play. Sunderland won the title and have been in the Premiership ever since, QPR avoided relegation and were bought out by Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone in August that year.

Sunderland: Ward 6, Simpson 6, Evans 7, Edwards 7, Whitehead 8, Murphy 6 (Stokes 77, -), Nosworthy 7, Collins 7, Connolly 8, Wallace 7 (John 46, 5), Yorke 6 (Leadbitter 61, 8)

Subs not used: Fulop, Elliott.

Scorers: Whitehead 7, Leadbitter 76

Bookings: Simpson 80 (foul)

QPR: Camp 6, Bignot 5, Cullip 5 (Kanyuka 43, 4), Stewart 6, Timoska 6, Rowlands 7, Bolder 6, Lomas 6 (Idiakez 83, -), Smith 6, Moore 5 (Furlong 69, 5), Blackstock 6

Subs: Cole, Nygaard.

Scorers: Rowlands 22 (pen)

Bookings: Cullip 41 (foul), Bolder 42 (foul), Furlong 76 (foul)

QPR 1 Sunderland 2, Tuesday November 28, 2006, Championship

Gregory hadn’t long been in the QPR hot seat when the sides last met at Loftus Road on a wet November night in November 2006. Sunderland had started the season with five straight defeats with Niall Quinn in caretaker charge but were flying up the table by the time they arrived at Loftus Road. Sunderland took the lead after 17 minutes in controversial circumstances when Leadbitter’s shot from a partially cleared corner was deflected into the net by Darryl Murphy who appeared to be several yards offside. Referee Uriah Rennie was having one of his eccentric nights and after discussion with the linesman awarded the goal – a decision that resulted in both being pelted with missiles on the Ellerslie Road side of the ground. The mood only turned uglier when Cook crossed for Blackstock to equalise but he was flagged offside. Right at the end of the half Leadbitter made it two. Gregory changed thins at half time, bringing on Ray Jones for Lee Cook, and the young striker rewarded his manager for the decision and his team mates for an improved second half performance with a goal but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.

QPR: Royce 6, Mancienne 5, Rehman 5, Stewart 7, Bignot 6, Ward 6, Rowlands 6, Smith 6, Cook 7 (Ray Jones 46, 7), Gallen 6, Blackstock 6 (Furlong 82, 6).

Subs Not Used: Cole, Bailey, Nygaard.

Booked: Ray Jones.

Goals: Ray Jones 73.

Sunderland: Ward, Nosworthy, Caldwell, Varga, Collins, Miller (Connolly 57), Kavanagh, Leadbitter (Whitehead 63), Wallace, Stephen Elliott, Murphy.

Subs Not Used: Fulop, Hysen, Robbie Elliott.

Booked: Wallace.

Goals: Murphy 17, Leadbitter 45.

Previous Results

Head to Head >>> QPR wins 10 >>> Draws 6 >>> Sunderland wins 11

2006/07 Sunderland 2 QPR 1 (Rowlands)

2006/07 QPR 1 Sunderland 2 (Jones)

2004/05 QPR 1 Sunderland 3 (Shittu)

2004/05 Sunderland 2 QPR 2 (Furlong, Rowlands)

1998/99 QPR 2 Sunderland 2 (Maddix, Gallen)

1998/99 Sunderland 1 QPR 0

1997/98 Sunderland 2 QPR 2 (Sheron 2)

1997/98 QPR 0 Sunderland 1

1990/91 Sunderland 0 QPR 1 (Tilson)

1990/91 QPR 3 Sunderland 2 (Maddix, Wegerle, Falco)

1984/85 QPR 1 Sunderland 0 (Byrne)

1984/85 Sunderland 3 QPR 0

1983/84 Sunderland 1 QPR 0

1983/84 QPR 3 Sunderland 0 (Fenwick, Stainrod, C Allen)

1979/80 QPR 0 Sunderland 0

1979/80 Sunderland 3 QPR 0

1976/77 Sunderland 1 QPR 0

1976/77 QPR 2 Sunderland 0 (Bowles, McLintock)

1972/73 Sunderland 0 QPR 3 (Bowles 2, Thomas)

1972/73 QPR 3 Sunderland 2 (Bowles 2, Givens)

1971/72 Sunderland 0 QPR 1 (Busby)

1971/72 QPR 2 Sunderland 1 (Marsh, O’Rourke)

1970/71 QPR 2 Sunderland 0 (Leach, Venables)

1970/71 Sunderland 3 QPR 1 (Leach)

1968/69 Sunderland 0 QPR 0

1968/69 QPR 2 Sunderland 2 (L Allen, Clarke)

1956/57 Sunderland 4 QPR 0*

* - FA Cup

Connections

Richard Ord >>> Sunderland 1987-1988 >>> QPR 1998-2000

The Memorable Match section of this article looks back to a game at Christmas in 1990 when QPR had gone ten games without a win owing largely to an injury crisis at centre half. How ironic it is therefore to glance down the Sunderland team opposing us that day and find the name of Richard Ord at the heart of their defence.

Ord was ostensibly a one club man. He signed forms at Roker Park in 1986 fresh out of school and made 284 appearances for the Mackems over the next 12 years. Having grown up playing in the centre of midfield he found more opportunities at Sunderland as a centre back, and made his debut in a 7-0 home win against Southend in the Third Division in November 1987.

When Dennis Smith’s team arrived at Loftus Road in December 1990 it was their first season in the First Division after a memorable promotion the year before, one of two that Ord won during his time at the club. He also played in the 1992 FA Cup semi final. But having played regularly in his first two seasons as a pro Ord found Smith’s faith in him wavering and he played mostly reserve team football in his early 20s before Peter Reid took over as boss in 1995. He was a key member of Reid’s 1996 promotion winning team.

Sunderland only stayed in the Premiership for one year initially despite amassing 40 points. Reid stayed and took them through to a memorable play off final against Charlton a season later but Ord began having trouble with his back and didn’t even make the bench for the Wembley final.

Ord told the Sunderland Echo in 2007 what happened next when Ray Harford made a bid to bring him to Loftus Road.

“I didn't even make the bench for Wembley and I was gutted,” he said. "I spat the dummy a bit, to be honest, and I made a decision that I've always regretted. "Ray had been my England Under-21 coach and was a fantastic bloke and great coach. He got in touch and asked about me. I don't think Reidy wanted me to leave and I know that Bobby Saxton didn't, but they were fair and said it was up to me. I went to see Ray and he wanted me in his side and was going to make me captain, so I made the decision to go. I still had four years on my deal at Sunderland and time to turn things round, which I think I could, but I was upset about not being involved in the side and I made the hardest decision of my life, to go."

He waved goodbye to the north east which had been his home for his entire life and signed for Queens Park Rangers for the thick end of £1m. Harford had made a centre back signing his top priority that summer with Alan McDonald pensioned off to Swindon by Stuart Houston who made subsequent unsuccessful attempts to replace the legendary Northern Irish international with first Matthew Rose and then Steve Morrow. Houston had been sacked midway through the 1997/98 season and QPR had survived relegation by the skin of their teeth with Liverpool’s Neil Ruddock playing at the heart of the defence on loan.

Harford spent the majority of the summer pursuing Bolton’s no-nonsense centre half Gerry Taggert. He would become a figure of hate at Loftus Road later in his career after a high profile on-field spat with Marc Bircham during his Stoke days, but he would have been an excellent signing for Harford and Rangers at the time. In the end they lost out to Leicester who went onto win the League Cup, upset the Premiership big boys and qualify for Europe under Martin O’Neill who based his team on a fearsome defence of Taggert, Matt Elliott and Steve Walsh.

Rangers meanwhile went for Ord who, on paper at least, was also a very sound signing. Except, in true QPR style, disaster struck. Within 15 minutes of his first ever appearance in a QPR shirt in a pre-season friendly at Aylesbury Ord badly ruptured his cruciate knee ligaments. Several attempts to return to training were made over the next two seasons but he never managed it and eventually retired two years after joining Rangers, aged 30, without a single competitive QPR appearance to his name.

"To be honest, it was a miracle I passed the medical with QPR because my back wasn't good; I had a prolapsed disc,” said Ord. "But I went down to QPR really fired up for something new, and it was all finished before I'd played a game for them. I gave it two years down there and had six operations, but it was never going to be right and I was finished. I came home and had a couple of years with Durham, but I couldn't train between games and the knee went again, so that was it."

The worse news for Rangers was that the outlay on Ord represented the last big spend of chairman Chris Wright’s illfated reign at Loftus Road. The purse strings were tightened thereafter as the club plummeted into debt and, eventually administration and relegation. Harford, and then Gerry Francis who succeeded him midway through the 1998/99 season after a disastrous start, were left to coax performances out of a back four made up more often than not of Morrow, Rose, and the ever accident prone Karl Ready.

A disaster for both club and player. He’s now the manager of Evo-Stik North Division side Durham City.

Others >>> Anton Ferdinand, Sunderland 2008-2011, QPR 2011-present >>> Tommy Smith, Sunderland 2003-2004, QPR 2010-present >>> Pascal Chimbonda, Sunderland 2008-2009, QPR 2010 >>> Liam Miller, Sunderland 2006-2009, QPR 2009 >>> Danny Dichio, QPR 1993-1997, Sunderland 1998-2001 >>> Peter Reid, QPR 1989-1990, Sunderland (manager) 1995-2002 >>> John Byrne, QPR 1984-1988, Sunderland 1991-1992 >>> Clive Walker, Sunderland 1984-1986, QPR 1986-1987 >>> Chris Woods, QPR 1979-1981, Sunderland 1997 >>> Leighton James, QPR 1977-1978, Sunderland 1983-1984

Memorable Match

QPR 3 Sunderland 2, Saturday December 29, 1990, First Division

After a run of seven fixture that have included matches with Man Utd, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Man City it’s hardly surprising that QPR have found results a little hard to come by of late. The panic that seems to be setting in because of that seems over the top to me, especially when you consider our plight back in 1990 when Sunderland were again the Christmas week visitors to Loftus Road.

Don Howe had found his team cursed by a series of injuries to central defenders. First choice pair Alan McDonald and Paul Parker had been ruled out for the rest of the season with injuries picked up in the same game with Crystal Palace. New assistant manager Bobby Gould opened his little black book of lower league gems to bring in Andy Tilson from Grimsby and Darren Peacock from Hereford but the latter was almost immediately sidelined himelf along with Danny Maddix. Howe returned to his former club Arsenal for a loan of Gus Caeser but as he is now remembered by fans of both clubs as one of their worst every players you can guess that this wasn’t a particularly successful move either.

Howe and Gould desperately needed a result. The decimated defence had been leaking goals at a frightening rate and as Sunderland arrived in the Bush for the final match of the calendar year they found a QPR team without a win in ten matches dating back to October when Roy Wegerle’s famous goal had contributed to a stunning 3-2 win at Leeds. Sunderland, under Dennis Smith, had been promoted to the First Division the year before and were struggling themselves – without star striker Marco Gabbiadini for this one and destined to finish second bottom of the table and return to the second tier at the first time of asking.

With just one point from the previous five matches the Mackems turned out to be ideal fodder for Rangers who managed to cobble together a less than inspiring back line that included Tilson, Caeser and Maddix for this match. Caeser immediately conceded a Loft End penalty by fouling Gabbiadini’s replacement David Rush but Paul Bracewell saw his spot kick brilliantly saved by Jan Stejskal diving full length to his right.

Eight minutes before half time Howe’s men made Sunderland pay for their profligacy when Wilkins chipped a partially cleared corner back into the area and Maddix rose well to nod home but they couldn’t hold out until half time and Caeser was once again culpable for the goal. Colin Pascoe tapped home from close range after Stejskal had parried an initial shot from distance, but it was Caeser’s fresh air kick under no pressure when the clearance seemed a straightforward one that set the moment up.

This was to be a game of three penalties and the second of the match went Sunderland’s way after half time. David Bardsley tripped Rush right under the nose of referee Roger Milford, and Bracwell allowed club veteran Kevin Ball to have a crack from the spot – he made no mistake infront of the Sunderland fans. It seemed the run of two points from a possible 30 was about to become two from 33 for QPR.

Sunderland though, as teams at the bottom of the table often do, found a way to let Rangers back into the game. Andy Sinton certainly made the most of John Kay’s nudge in his back in the penalty area but there were few complaints from the visitors about the spot kick award and Roy Wegerle confidently smashed in a fifteenth goal of the season – seven of them from the penalty spot.

Then 15 minutes from time Bardsley atoned for his earlier error with a measured ball to the back post where Mark Falco slid in with a trademark scissor kick to seal a much needed home win.

Rangers lost their next two games over the holiday period but with Darren Peacock returning to the defence to partner Tilson and Les Ferdinand starting to emerge as a genuine striking talent alongside Wegerle the second half of the campaign was a whole lot happier. A draw with Man Utd in the first weekend in January commenced a run of one defeat in 13 matches, eight of them victories, to lift the R’s to a comfortable final position of twelfth.

The need isn’t anywhere near as desperate, the situation not even close to being that grim, but QPR could do with a similar result at Loftus Road on Wednesday evening.

QPR: Stejskal, Bardsley, Sansom, Tilson, Caeser, Maddix, Wilkins, Barker, Falco, Wegerle, Sinton

Subs: Wilson, Meaker

Sunderland: Norman, Kay, Ord, Bennett, Ball, Owles, Bracewell, Armstrong, Davenport, Rush, Pascoe.

Subs: Hardyman, Hawkes

Highlights >>> Paul Furlong compilation, featuring amazing goal at Sunderland >>> QPR 3 Sunderland 2 1990/91 >>> QPR 2 Sunderland 0 75/76

Tweet @loftforwords

Pictures Action Images

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YorkRanger added 10:46 - Dec 20 Remember the memorable game well. For all their doubters at the time Tilson and Peacock proved very good signings given they were plucked from nowhere.
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elnombre added 11:54 - Dec 20 Murphy appeared to be several yards offside but replays proved the lino was spot on. I didn't actually throw anything but was guilty of some juicy language at the time, not realising the lino was a bloke I worked with. I did apologise the next day...
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themodfather added 13:26 - Dec 20 falco's goal was a cracker...didn't we play them with grobelaar in goal and the ball hit both posts and went in off him!?
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HamptonR added 13:41 - Dec 20 The bizarre thing about the 2006 match was that Uriah Rennie's signal for their goal and the later offside one were exactly the same. I was convinced that Murphy was offside (the lino was later proved right) but I was more convinced that Rennie had given a goal when we equalised. He was a very strange ref and I am sure he deliberately courted controversy.
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HamptonR added 15:37 - Dec 20 elnombre You worked with the lino? I am amazed he made it in the following day, he took an absolute battering and I thought he looked terrified. I felt slightly guilt later when I saw that he was in fact correct (only slightly guilty)
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