Where is qpr from

Also, I suppose those busy London types just haven't got the time to say the name in full. And for some mega busy types, even QPR isn't enough of an abbreviation as they refer to the club as the "Rs"! Careful how you pronounce that. I understand in the past there have been some suggestions that QPR could be renamed as London Rangers.

Why on earth would they want to do that? They have one of the most iconic, unique and recognisable names in world football. It would be like a team known as the Bluebirds starting to play in red for Heaven's sake. Oh, hang on. I may not have the answer as to why they are so regularly known as QPR, but the reason for the full names is fairly well established. The story began in in a newly-built residential estate of West London, with the formation of two local youth teams, St Jude's Institute and Christchurch Rangers.

The stewards were hot on the security checks. We found at the entrance lines of security stewards who scanned people and searched bags. Once admitted into the stadium, we were shown some steps to the concourse which was very narrow to say the least. Greeted by many Yeovil fans, it was difficult to get through the crowd of supporters due to the shortage of room in the concourse.

Our tickets were then checked for the third time yes, third time! To be fair, taking away the positive optimism amongst the fans, we knew that this would be a very tough fixture, taking into account the league positions of the two teams. The game was fairly even really, but QPR took their chances when they came, hence the score-line. I think Yeovil started the game the better side and made the Hoops and their fans nervous but we lacked that cutting edge.

Once QPR got their first goal, thanks to a Ravel Morrison brace, we always knew it would be an uphill battle. We did hit the post early in the second half — and gave ourselves hope of getting back in the game — but a header from substitute Bobby Zamora and another strike from Ravel Morrison got QPR home and dry, the score probably flattered the hosts.

The atmosphere was pretty poor if I must say. We Yeovil fans were fantastic and made noise throughout the game, even when we were down! One comical man sat in the South Africa Road end, was in full spirit making noises with instruments, and to be honest, Yeovil fans hurled banter-intended abuse in his direction!

But once again, he was the only QPR fan making noise and took it on the chin. Even though there were many security checks, the stewards were very friendly and humorous, which is what you want when going to an away game. The return of that narrow concourse was daunting. Trying to squeeze nearly 2, fans through it, into one exit was always going to be difficult. I suppose this was due to slowing down the flow of away fans on the street. The road towards White City station was closed which was good because it allowed more rooms for fans to walk, as the pavements were quite congested.

Due to the famous Westfield Shopping Centre on the doorstep of the ground, we decided to pop in there for a look around, to avoid the rush of fans getting on the tube.

I thought that despite not getting the result that we quite wanted, the day was very good and a fun experience! As I said, it was a fixture I was very much looking forward to when the fixture list came out in June last year.

The day did not disappoint, and the view from our seats was very clear. However, if Yeovil and QPR cross paths again, I will certainly make sure that we make it a day out again! I was looking forward to visiting Loftus Road as it is one of the older grounds in the Premier League.

However, I was put off a bit by having only a restricted view ticket and I wasn't sure how bad this might be. I took a National Express coach to Victoria as it worked out cheaper than the club travel. The journey was straight along the M4 into London.

Then a short walk from the coach station to Victoria underground then taking 2 trains to Shepherds Bush. Finding the ground was easy enough. It is located in a residential area, called Batman oddly enough. I didn't have much contact with the home fans, as before the game I went into Central London for food and drink, before heading to the stadium.

Generally the area around Loftus Road, looked good. The home fans do seem to like a bit of 'Banter' but be wary what you say! Now for the restricted view ticket. To be honest after taking my seat, I sat there wondering what the restricted view was, as the sight of the pitch that I had was fine. I was seated right next to a staircase with a barrier in front, so may be that was the restriction?.

On the whole a good ground. Away fans had to walk up a small flight of stairs and along a long corridor to get into the away section. Game finished after Bony scored his last Swansea goal to cancel out Leroy Fer's early goal.

Only a small section of the QPR fans actually sang, the rest just sat there. Toilets are just brick walls with facilities inside, understandable for an old ground. Didn't have food inside. Stewards relaxed, only time I saw a bit of bother was when a swans fan had an E-cig. After the game there was only one exit, and it takes you out the opposite side of the stand to which you entered.

The corridor with all the fans leaving at once seemed rather tight. On exiting the stadium it was an easy five minute walk to the White City tube. Overall it was a great ground, with plenty of nostalgia. Please note that all away fans are searched on entry into Loftus Road. I mentioned this to the wife last fall and she said "why not do it? Besides, I once was a real life Park Ranger! The hardest part was getting a ticket, it's not easy from miles away.

But this website turned me on to Viagogo and I was able to secure a ticket. Getting to the stadium from my hotel was easy, the Gloucester tube station was a block from my hotel, change to the Central line at Notting Hill Gate, and get off at White City, then a short walk to the stadium.

I went to the club shop store to buy a few souvenirs, then walked around a bit to see the surroundings. I was somewhat familiar with the stadium from looking at the Loftus Road photos on this site, but it's one thing to look at a website and another thing to be there in person. I was located at the bottom of the upper level of the South Africa Road Stand. This stadium is quite different than our stadiums in the States: the close, covered stands give quite an intimate feel, it almost seems you are part of the game.

After my visit to the store, I noticed a sign listing prohibited items. Big panic! I saw that cameras were not allowed. But I asked some of the staff on duty outside the stadium and was directed to an office where I could leave my camera until after the match.

All the staff I encountered were very friendly and helpful. The game ended after the R's missing a penalty and had an apparent goal disallowed, but I thought it was entertaining. The Rs are fighting to avoid relagation and for a while at least, West Ham was doing their best to send them down. But it seemed that in the later stages of the game, the Hammers were content with the one point, while the Rs fought to the final whistle.

Comment on getting away from the ground after the game: Getting out of the stadium was about what I would expect at the end of any sporting event. There was a good crowd outside, but the police had closed the street down and no problem getting back to the tube station. No crowd there, a train came a few minutes and I got on it right away. I was back at my hotel in a little over 30 minutes.

Summary of overall thoughts of the day out: I had a blast! Why were you looking forward to visiting the Loftus Road Stadium? With QPR being my best mate's team and having never visited the ground it seemed a good way to spend Saturday afternoon. We had already eaten but got a drink at the ground — nothing out of the ordinary.

We went to the Club Shop to buy a warm hat for my aforementioned mate who is now an exiled Londoner. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Loftus Road Stadium?

I like "old school" grounds and thought Loftus Road was very atmospheric on a chilly autumn day. It reminded me of watching "Match of the Day" in the 80's when I was a lad. We were in the School End behind the goal with the MK Dons fans above us, which created a lively atmosphere. The game was fairly dull for the first 70 minutes. MK were clearly playing for the draw and were quite negative. QPR's quality came through as they scored three goals in the last 20 minutes all of which were goal of the month contenders.

We walked to the Westfield Shopping Centre as we needed to pick up a couple of items and then got back on the tube at Wood Lane.

We walked past the old BBC studios which added to the nostalgic feel of the day. My wife and I spend a fair bit of time in London and are working our way through the non-premier league clubs can't afford a second mortgage for Premier match tickets!

We both enjoy our football and use this as a way of exploring parts of the city we might not otherwise visit. Before this game Charlton had been my favourite London ground up to now, but we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Loftus Road.

Despite our polite representations that we were far from intent on causing trouble, we were less than politely told firmly to go away, which considering we had a young lad with us was perhaps unfortunate. This was where it nearly got a bit silly, as several QPR fans then intervened and berated the security for their over zealousness, pointing out quite correctly that quite a number of Preston supporters were already in the pub peacefully happily drinking and that their conduct towards us seemed unwarranted.

Much as I admired the solidarity of the QPR fans, it was clearly potentially going to become a flashpoint that I did not wish to be the focal point of so I keenly suggested to my pal that we scarper promptly.

I thanked the QPR fans for their support though before we left. All that was soon forgotten though as we saw the floodlights in between some of the houses and discussed the match in prospect. So, maximum points to the steward for being fan friendly! Once inside the ground, one gets a stark reminder of the negative side of being at an older undeveloped ground; the concourse is small and not well lit, the seating area is cramped even for folk of average height such as myself.

Some older grounds fare better than others in this regard, and in my experience Loftus Road is indeed one of the most cramped. We enjoyed a pie and a beer before heading in to choose seats that would accommodate the long legs of my friend and yet still afford the young chap with us a decent view of the match. Once again, the stewards came to the rescue, not only allowing fans to choose where they sat, but in our case actually taking us to a block where some seats were irregularly arranged and afforded the one on the end extra legroom.

As kick-off approached the away contingent found their voice and the atmosphere, certainly for us, started to crank up. However, a minutes silence was impeccably observed in honour of remembrance weekend, and moody grey leaden skies of West London behind the elegant slender floodlight pylons added to the occasion.

Once the match kicked off, the noise level cranked back up for a while but subsided as the match wore on towards half-time as the fayre on offer was a dour if determined midfield battle. Yet again, it was stewards to the rescue, as one joker spotted that a female steward had a hairstyle almost identical to our star midfielder Daniel Johnson, and she happily played along with the prank at the front of our stand as she danced in time with our chanting.

The stewarding it must be said, in stark contrast to the pubs in the vicinity, was very genial, friendly and relaxed.

During the second half, 2 of the stewards actually engaged in debate with fans near us about the tactical weaknesses and strengths of both of the teams on the park, so Loftus Road gets maximum points for their stewards.

To be honest, I was almost glad when the final whistle blew. Although I suspect the home fans would have been more disappointed with the point than ourselves, it had been a poor match from an entertainment perspective. Whereas some supporters in our midst were pleased with another clean sheet, we had rarely been threatened and QPRs caretaker manager Neil Warnock clearly had problems to address on the goalscoring front, Charlie Austin in particular looking anything but a hot prospect for a return to the premier league, I still felt we could and should have tried more in the final third of the pitch.

With a prompt departure from the ground, and lucky connections on public transport, we were just in time to get back to Chatham for a brisk walk up to the Great Lines for the annual free firework display. We could have done with some fireworks at Loftus Road earlier. My best tip for any-one doing Loftus Road for the first time is to have your pre-match beers much further away from the ground than we did. Minus Points for Loftus Road 1 Pubs in the area are mainly very unwelcoming 2 Very cramped concourse 3 Very tight on legroom.

When the fixtures for the new season came out, this is one of the games that jumped out at me. I had never been to Loftus Road before, so I was looking forward to seeing what the ground was like in person. I left Worthing at pm on the supporters coach, and it proceeded to do a number of pick ups along the way to Loftus Road.

There was talk about how our season had gone so far, and a certain Portuguese too. We arrived with plenty of time before kick off, and were dropped off only a minutes walk away from the ground. Also in the immediate vicinity was Westfield Shopping Centre, of which I'll go into more detail later, and the BBC Television Centre, which is still mightily impressive, even with all the building work going on at the moment.

I met up with my friend and his dad and we decided to go and get something to eat at Westfield Shopping Centre. I tell you what, Westfield is impressive, and its Christmas lights even more so. They were fantastic and had the wow factor about them. Apparently you can see Premiership footballers and celebrities there sometimes, which doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

We decided to go to the Nando's there. The service was fast and the food was pretty good. I didn't really notice the home fans much, apart from noting their presence. Very small indeed. I suppose though that it's to be expected with a capacity of under 20, The away end felt cramped when I finally entered the ground, the concourse was tight and you didn't get much leg room once you took your seats. That said, it made for a better atmosphere and it felt more intimate than cramped once the game started and meant that you could make out what was being sung really clearly.

You were also quite close to the pitch, so you could make out what the players were saying too, and this made it feel as though you are part of the game. As for the rest of the ground, the main stand was the most impressive of the other three stands and when the whole ground is full, you could imagine that it would be quite intimidating for away supporters and players. There were a lot of police and stewards outside of the ground, as I had read there would be, and I had my ticket checked three times, but once inside, the steward presence was minimal and they stayed anonymous in the block I was sat in.

QPR were by far the better team for most of the game and always looked like they could score. If Stockdale hadn't been in good form, and Ranger's finishing had been better, we could have been down by half time easily. We came out with some purpose after half time and courtesy of two fabulous goals we were up after 55 minutes and should have had another, if only Wilson had shot with his left foot rather than trying to move it on to his right allowing the defender to recover.

After that QPR re-asserted control and got the goal they deserved after 65 minutes with Charlie Austin scoring on the second attempt with a thunderous shot which gave Stockdale no chance.

Then Dunk hit the self destruct button and got a silly second yellow for a horrible lunge after a poor touch. After that QPR really did look like winning it, especially after they scored their second. Phillips should have scored the winner, but it hit the outside of the post with Stockdale stranded.

Until they scored however, the home fans were pretty quiet. Once they started singing though, they acted as a 12th man to their team, pushing them on for the winner. After the game it was easy to get away from the ground to the coach, and once everyone was on board, we left straight away, and got out of London fairly quickly.

I got home just after midnight. I had worried beforehand that I wouldn't get back till 2am or later based on the time we were due to leave on the way up to Loftus Road, but thankfully that didn't come to pass. A disappointing result in the end, considering we had a 2 goal lead, but overall It was a very enjoyable day out indeed and I look forward my next away day in January for the FA Cup game at the KC Stadium, Hull City.

As it was my birthday in February and this game was just two weeks later, I was being treated to this match, my first ever away game as a birthday treat. I was very much looking forward to it, especially as we had won our previous match against Bolton Wanderers. I went on one of the official club coaches so it was a straightforward journey.

We stopped off at an M40 services on the way and encountered a load of Bristol Rovers fans who were playing against Wycombe. On arrival at the stadium we were dropped off outside a nearby school.

We didn't see any shops near to the stadium other than the club shop. So we got a burger from a mobile catering unit, which was tasty. After meeting up with some friends we tried to find a pub.

But again we couldn't find any. After asking some locals we did eventually locate one, but they weren't letting away fans in. What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Loftus Stadium?

As we bought over 3, fans it should have been a good atmosphere. It was at the start but after going down the Blues fans became rather muted, whilst the home fans found their voice. The facilities inside the stadium weren't particularly great and they creaked with a sold out away following. The result was disappointing. Getting away from the ground was easy. On back onto the coach, we left the stadium about pm.

I got home about pm. A disappointing result but good day out for my first away day. I can't wait till next season for more away games like rivals Villa! In spite of the Euros, it had been a very long Summer, and I was looking forward to getting back to some matches, so I jumped the chance at this local game. Also Loftus Road is a ground that I had yet to visit. The ground itself is a little tucked-away amongst some residential roads, and my friends and I had to look at a map a couple of times to figure out where we were going.

There is a small handful of nearby tube and railway stations, but none of them seems to have a straight route to the ground. There was a little confusion as to where we were supposed to enter the stadium which we eventually found was via South Africa Road.

We travelled into Shepherd's Bush Overground station, so that we could grab a bite to eat in the Westfield Shopping Centre, and walked to the stadium afterwards. There was a plentiful amount of places to eat there, as you can imagine. As a result, we didn't really check out any chippies or takeaways on the way to the ground, although Uxbridge Road the main road to the south of the ground seems to have a few eateries.

This was a friendly, so the atmosphere was a bit more relaxed than it probably is normally. The home crowd appeared to consist mostly of families. Loftus Road is one of the only grounds I have been to where the concourse in the away end seemed to be larger than the actual seating area! From memory, the lower tier of the stand which was the only section open on the day seemed to only be about eight or so rows deep, with a very low ceiling, so I certainly felt rather cramped in my seat, and the design of the stadium made me feel a little boxed-in.

Plenty of legroom, on the other hand. Again, the atmosphere was more relaxed as it was a friendly, as were the stewards I encountered. The Watford team on the day still seemed to be focusing on gelling together, rather than the game itself, which was probably what allowed QPR to dominate and ultimately win. The away and has usual fayre; drinks, snacks, TVs and a betting window. It was slightly easier to get away from the ground as we just needed to return to Uxbridge Road, but still involved a winding walk down residential streets.

An away game at QPR is ideally situated for pre-and-post-game eating, drinking, and even shopping, plus being within easy reach of Central London only serves to considerably increase those options. Just make sure you know exactly how to get to the Loftus Road ground, and allow a bit of time so that you can make the most of the rest of the day.

I was looking forward to this game partly because I have a friend who is a QPR fan, and he said Loftus Road is a lovely stadium. Given the game was on a Sunday as well, I thought it would be a good opportunity to tick off my first new ground of the season. The train journey up was relatively easy. The Loftus Road Stadium was around about a ten minute walk from the tube station. I went into a cafe on Bloemfontein Road which was a very welcoming place.

A nice little cafe with a lot of food to offer, including some kind of build-your-own fry up, which was lovely. My first impression of Loftus Road were that it was a traditional ground, which meant I was a little bit skeptical about what it would look like on the inside.

Upon going into the stadium, it was relatively easy to find my seat, and the seats were a lovely shade of blue. I was pleasantly surprised in a way. The game exploded into life after a few minutes when Nedum Onouha bundled in from a corner. Not much else happened in the first half, but in the second half, chances began to come at some pace. Leeds missed a couple of good chances including a Marcus Antonsson sitter before Tjaron Chery effectively sealed the win from the spot.

Sebastian Polter then put the icing on the cake with a brilliant finish to make the final score to QPR. Getting away from the ground and heading back to White City station was relatively easy. I only had to follow the path straight up and turn right.

There was minimal traffic both on the road and on the pavement, making it so much easier. I thought that Loftus Road was a good day out. Other QPR fans seemed friendly enough, and the match was quite entertaining. In conclusion, Loftus Road is definitely a ground I would consider visiting again. Loftus Road was always a ground I wanted to check out because of how intimate it appears and the atmosphere it can create. As luck would have it on our travels from USA this Friday night fixture fitted perfectly with our schedule.

We were staying in Kensington. It was only about a 15 minute tube ride to Shepherd's Bush and then another walk to the ground. Loftus Road is tucked away and surprisingly most locals were not much help in finding the ground but alas we did manage to find it. We ate at Belushi's Burger restaurant before the match.

We arrived in Shepherd's Bush around 5pm, so we had a lot of time to kill before the match. Me and my wife got a burger and the food was okay, nothing too great but it did the trick. We then were on a mission to find a pub with some QPR fans in. I was told the Crown and Sceptre was a popular spot for QPR fans but was a bit of a walk to the ground.

We ended up going to the Queen's Tavern which is located just outside of Loftus Road. It was exactly what I was looking for. There was a an old projection tv showing old QPR highlights and was fun to mingle and have a chat with the R's fans.

I managed to put away a few pints and a few shots and was ready to head into the match in good spirits. Whilst walking through the mostly residential streets, the ground just seemed to appear out of nowhere!

It was much smaller than I had remembered from seeing on television. Since it was a local derby with Brentford there was quite a large Police presence outside of Loftus Road. Brentford fans were really up for this one and made some serious noise immediately upon arrival. We had seats in the South Africa Road Stand.

I was warned the leg room wasn't the best, so I managed to get an aisle seat which helped in saving my knees! The view from our seats was very good.

As I expected Loftus Road is very compact and intimate and made for a great view of the pitch. We also sat near the Brentford away support which helped contribute to the atmosphere. The facilities seemed a bit dated but alas I think I liked the nostalgic feel of the ground. Stewards were helpful in finding our seats and even took a picture for me and my wife. As for the game it was one to forget for R's fans. Brentford were all over the hosts from the start. The R's fans tried to rally their home team but Brentford just seemed to want it more on the pitch.

After a fairly dominant first half Brentford went deservedly ahead through Josh Clarke as he turned and coolly slotted home in the 41st minute. Pure elation in the away end as flares were lit and the travelling support made themselves heard. In the second half QPR improved and a had a few half chances to equalise. However, against the run of play Brentford put the match to bed in the 74th minute. After some sloppy passing from the back, Maxime Colin intercepted a pass and squared a ball for Romaine Sawyers who smashed a lovely finish in the top corner from the edge of the box.

There was mounted Police lined up outside the ground and they made it clear to make it a quick exit to the tube station. We found it much easier on our way out of the ground than our way in. It was an awesome day out at Loftus Road. It is such a great ground where you cannot help but be buzzing with the atmosphere it creates.

Unfortunately the R's weren't at their best, so the home crowd were not as vocal as usual. The R's fans were all very friendly and accommodating. I would love to go back again. I was looking forward to this match as Ipswich were taking over 2, fans to the match, so I knew it would be a good atmosphere.

Also we had won our last match so we were hopeful of three points. I got a tube from Victoria to Notting Hill Gate and then another to Shepherds Bush, which is a ten minute walk from the ground. You can get off at White City which is closer to Loftus Road, but there are more pubs and eating places at Shepherds Bush.

L Lost 0 - 1 against Millwall on November 2nd W Won 2 - 1 against Birmingham City on November 6th L Lost 0 - 2 against Blackpool on October 23rd W Won 2 - 0 against Luton Town on October 30th L Lost 0 - 3 against Nottingham Forest on November 6th W Won 3 - 2 against Barnsley on October 24th L Lost 0 - 1 against Blackpool on October 30th D Drew 1 - 1 against Nottingham Forest on November 2nd L Lost 1 - 3 against Blackburn Rovers on November 6th W Won 2 - 1 against Barnsley on October 30th L Lost 0 - 3 against Birmingham City on November 2nd L Lost 2 - 3 against Coventry City on November 6th L Lost 0 - 2 against Middlesbrough on October 23rd D Drew 3 - 3 against Stoke City on October 30th W Won 2 - 1 against Huddersfield Town on November 6th L Lost 0 - 3 against Swansea City on October 30th D Drew 1 - 1 against Huddersfield Town on November 2nd L Lost 0 - 1 against Fulham on November 6th L Lost 0 - 1 against Luton Town on October 23rd L Lost 0 - 1 against Coventry City on October 30th W Won 2 - 0 against Barnsley on November 6th L Lost 2 - 3 against Sheffield United on October 24th L Lost 1 - 2 against Bristol City on October 30th W Won 2 - 1 against Derby County on November 3rd L Lost 0 - 2 against Hull City on November 6th D Drew 1 - 1 against Coventry City on October 23rd L Lost 1 - 2 against Blackburn Rovers on October 30th Four years later, they merged with Christ Church Rangers and subsequently changed their name to Queens Park Rangers, due to most of their players hailing from the Queen's Park district.

The club became a member of the expanding Football League in , but was not particularly successful during the decades that followed, spending most of their time in the lower ranks of English football. Their luck finally changed with the arrival of Alec Stock in Now regarded as the club's greatest manager of all time, Stock made his presence known from the get-go; in the season that followed, QPR achieved their record victory by routing Tranmere Rovers But it was not until that Queens Park Rangers really made a name for itself.