Thetownend.com

QPR away.

I'm happy with that  :)

Not a bad draw.

This calls for a day out in Laaaaaaaaaaaandan on the piss.

Just watch Austin score 4.

Old Bill kept us locked in the Pride of Paddington last time - not falling for that one again

What date is the game?

It's the w/c 26th August.

Never been to Loftus Road and it's in London, great draw.

Decent draw. Could be a decent following there.

Not the biggest away end in the world mind you

Excellent - about a mile from my office !

Prepare yourself for a great away day.  In terms of the ground, the atmosphere, the numbers that will travel and the local pubs - QPR is right up there with the best of them.  I've been there several times over the years, but the Premier League fixture still stands out.

I remember Les Ferdinand knocking us out of one of the cups years ago.

Couldn't move in the away end - ah, standing

Well happy with that, never been to LR before.

That was the FA Cup 3rd round back in 93, I think that was our first ever game live on Sky TV, 3-0 defeat on a Monday night.

Wont make a load of dollar for the club, QPR will have about 4,000 fans, should create a good atmosphere though

We had Dave Mitchell playing centre half because Colin Calderwood was missing..last LC game against this lot was 08 under Malpas...we went in 2-1 up at half time, and things looked promising, but tailed off, a rare sighting of Yinka.

QPR. had Dani Parejo playing for them who's a proper sexy Valencia centrocampista

The last time we played QPR in the League Cup was when we overturned a 2-1 deficit from the first leg at the CG, and won 3-1 (AET) at LR...and drew Man U at OT in the next round !!

You can't move much nowdays I don't think, no legroom in the seating at all.

Was that the week when we had three consecutive fixtures all against the same club (mid week home and away games either side of a league fixture on the Saturday)?  Or am I misremembering?

Loftus Road is my favourite away ground that I have watched Swindon at.  Great old school ground with corners filled in.  Watched a 1-0 defeat when SSP was playing for us.  The noise created when the R's scored was impressive.

Just checked...and you are right. In between the two legs, we played them in the League and drew 1-1, back in '96.

Answering my own question...yes, it was.  The run of three games vs QPR took place in September 1996 (18th, 21st & 25th).

http://swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Results.asp?Season=1996-1997

I remember when we went in the prem season and seeing the wake procession 8)

I was only a nipper then

I remember a few years back when they were celebrating getting promoted, may have been last game of the season? I don't think I have ever heard 17'000 people make that much noise before.

Looking forward to meeting up with the Spurs fans who attend ;)

Loftus Road is an ace ground

I got racially abused last time I went there.  Bunch of cunts!

Must be getting old...could have sworn I saw us play them in the LC in 08.  :)

That's one of my favourite grounds. Can't remember any games there, but I do remember having a proper session last time we played them in the league.

The Bush Ranger was the pub of choice for us in the early 2000s.  I'm pretty sure one year we were there from about 12pm until closing time...with a small break somewhere in the middle to go and watch some football.

Hopefully they play the game on a Monday night so I can go!*

* I realise this is highly unlikely!

Springbok, mooney slap caps, sing-a-long, jumpers for goal posts, lost.

I'm on holiday. I'll take in the United game in the third round as compensation.

Faaaaaack. Too many people already have holiday booked for that week... Unless I can persuade someone to work a double shift, there is fuck all chance of me being able to make this.

Our only away win of the season if I remember, and their fans did not take too kindly to it!!

Should have a good following for this one :pint:

I was talking to a QPR-supporting friend a few years later (in the Bush Ranger, as it happened) and he told me that the first edition of the club fanzine the following season had a picture on the front cover of Gerry Francis in the dugout with his arm in the air as if trying to attract the attention of the ref.  The caption underneath read 'Hands up if you knew Swindon were going to do the double over us!'

what a fucker I work in Park Royal only 3 stops on the Central Line and I am on holiday in Devon that week

Loftus Road looks like a terrible place to watch football. What's so great about it?

Depends what floats your boat, but tight grounds with obscured views are my thing.  

The more horrible the toilets/food, generally the better the ground.

Loftus Rd passes the above test, and i believe they have shocking facilities for the ladies.  Another plus.

Location, character, superb atmosphere when full (wont apply to our game), never been to a ground where you feel so close to action.

Wish there were more like it.

Loftus Road is my favourite away ground. We should travel in numbers and make a great noise. Not expecting to win, but a cracking day out ahead!

This
With a good performance

It used to be mine until we were rounded up with the yobs and sent to the tube station.

Are you more of a Greenhouse Meadow / Westen Homes Community stadium type of man Sonic?

Yup (vigorous nodding)

Phoned me Mum, me Mum
To put the champagne on ice
cos we beat the Rangers twice
Beat the Rangers twice

And

We are Endsleigh League say, we are Endsleigh League.

What a fucking ace way we had of finishing the Prem campiagn :D

not been to either ground.

Armchairs forever.

Yobs.

What a cracking old-fashioned word!

Is it derived from just spelling boy backwards?

I know hooligan derived from an Irish family of rabble-rousers of the same name

It's the feeling of enclosure.  The upper tiers of the stands feel as if they're practically over the pitch.  No one would ever design a stadium like that from scratch now...more's the pity.


I've been reliably informed by some of the London Reds that the Bush Ranger went rapidly downhill and then closed.  It is now a branch of Costa Coffee.   :(

I'm off that week and will be driving back from Fance. Sooooo unless I can persuade Mrs Fatbasher to take a detour and swing round to the right at jct 15 of the M25 on Tuesday then no chance. Unless they play it on Wednesday then game on!

I enjoyed that match, had gone with some QPR mates, they were not happy when Wayne O'Sullivan beat their goalie (juergen Sommer) to the ball from a cross by Scott Leitch just before half time to put us one up, their goalie was a good foot taller at least

And Peter Thorne scored a cracking third that night, i believe he had also played a reserve match earlier that day.

My abiding memory of Loftus Road is of not being able to see the goal/ first few yards of the pitch.

There is a cracking pie and mash shop in Shepards bush, proper old skool joint. Well, there used to be.

My favorite away ground.

Should be a cracker.

Go....and then you will find out.

Great atmosphere,great pubs and a great ground with the floodlights on.

The distance is a slight hindrance at present...

Not being able to see properly doesn't sell it very well though. Sounds like Kenilworth Road which was awful and charming at the same time.

You really need to go there.  It's not even close to being like Kenilworth Road.   :D

Now I feel like I'm being mocked for not having been to a match at Loftus Road.

No...you are being mocked for comparing it to Luton ;)

They were probably the 2 most high profile plastic pitch teams in the 80's

Yum yum brings tear to the eye of this old exiled Londoner

I don't understand football and football fans sometimes.

Kenilworth Road is a dump with a crap view, others have described Loftus Road as having equally crap facilities with an even worse view.

(http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad185/swindon123/giveup_zpsaf521c19.jpg) (http://s934.photobucket.com/user/swindon123/media/giveup_zpsaf521c19.jpg.html)

It works better if it's an animated image.

Well just turn round about twenty times at a rate of knot's then take a quick peek.

Shame the old man isn't here anymore. Could have took the piss if we had caused an upset.

I really didn't mean my comment as a piss take, honest!  Both old grounds that would never pass today's design standards.  But where as Luton is just crap, Loftus Road is in my limited experience (of just 3 or 4 games, the most recent of which was about 10 years ago) a great place to watch football.  You need to go there to understand why.  That's all I was trying to say.

Last time i went there was an FA Cup game i think :hmmm:

On a Saturday,maybe a league match.

cracking ground. Been once when we played them at the end of 03/04 season.

great atmosphere, great bunch of fans and a good pub (Springbok).

was a cracking day out, especially seeing the army of stfc coaches leaving from swindon

I remember the last league game we played at Loftus Road. Lee Camp was in goal for them! "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"  :gay:

Still my favourite away ground.

There'll always be a Manzies ...

Did Oldham have one as well?

That was the one...remember The Springbok.

Oldham, plastic pitch, Frankie Bunn's 6 goals, etc, etc.

Just make the effort to go and make your own mind up. It really is one of the best if you like 'old school' grounds.

Mind, it does help that I've seen us win there a few times over the years.

I think it was the penultimate game of the season, Bristol City were playing on the Sunday so QPR wanted to beat us so that they could go up if City didn't win their game on the Sunday.

Never forget Ian Holloway came over and applauded us away fans, we sold out that day I think.

Love Loftus Rd, you're basically on the pitch.

Another one for Loftus Rd as my favourite away ground. Absolutely love it. If we ever built a new ground I'd love it to be a modern version of LR.

Fair play to him.. he took the abuse well if I remember correctly. Even did a little limp wrist gesture in his bright pink shirt.

Tony Thorpe and Jamie Cureton on the bench for the R's that day.

+1 (in terms of the new ground thing)

Brentford still slightly edges it for me just for the terrace.

Looking forward to this one. Living in Maidenhead, I have a lot of QPR supporting mates (seems to be a split between QPR, Reading and Spurs here) who have already started giving me a load of stick. Should be a good game

I don’t understand football and football fans sometimes.  

That said, this thread has given me hope as I thought I was in an ever decreasing minority….. but it seems most of us do want a ground with charm, character, soul, grit….one that’s easily accessible by train and in shouting distance of numerous decent boozers .  

Or we could move to a motorway junction and have none of the above.

Oh, and I'd take Kenilworth road anyday over the majority of new builds.

When will we find out the date for the Game?

Acording to the QPR Website it's Tuesday 27th August 7:45pm

http://www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/090813-swindon-ticket-news-980700.aspx