When QPR’s ‘nonsense’ tactics resulted in European humiliation

November 7 marks the 38th anniversary of the day QPR made history for all the wrong reasons, becoming the first-ever side to surrender a four-goal lead in a European competition.

Drawn in the second round of the Uefa Cup, now the Europa League, against Partizan Belgrade – a powerful side from the former Yugoslavia – Rangers were beaten 4-0 in the now Serbian capital to crash out on away goals, having won the first leg 6-2.

Managed by Alan Mullery, who had succeeded new Barcelona boss Terry Venables in the summer of 1984, hopes were high of another strong campaign for a side who’d enjoyed three of the best seasons in the club’s history.

Under Venables, Rangers reached the FA Cup final in 1982 and followed that up by winning the Second Division title 12 months later.

European qualification was then secured in 1983/84 by virtue of a top-five finish in the club’s first season back in the top flight for five years.

It was QPR’s second Uefa Cup foray following the heart-breaking loss on penalties to AEK Athens in the Greek capital in 1977 – a campaign that saw Stan Bowles score a then European record 11 goals en route to the quarter-finals.

But the surprise departure of Venables to the Catalan giants had rocked the club and his exit was compounded by the sale of star striker Clive Allen to Spurs.

Despite the exit of Allen, Gary Bannister, who joined from Sheffield Wednesday, proved to be more than capable replacement, netting 28 goals in all competitions in his first season.

But former England midfielder Mullery, whose managerial record at both Brighton and Crystal Palace was at best modest, alienated a talented squad in his very first meeting in the players’ lounge at Loftus Road.

“He sat us down and the first thing he said was: ‘Forget what you have done under Terry, we’re going to rip all that up and do it my way,'” goalkeeper Peter Hucker recalled.

Simon Stainrod, who turned down Chelsea to join QPR from Oldham in 1980 because of Venables, felt Mullery was always going to find it difficult to follow the man who went on to become England manager 10 years later.

“It was a bit like when David Moyes went in at Manchester United to replace Alex Ferguson,” Stainrod said.

“They were huge shoes to fill.”

Despite the players’ initial reservations, the First Division campaign started in positive fashion, with comprehensive home wins over Nottingham Forest and West Brom along with a respectable draws at Liverpool and a decent Watford side at Vicarage Road.

But any feel-good factor from a promising start quickly dissipated at White Hart Lane in September when Allen scored twice as Spurs ran out 5-0 winners just two days before the team jetted to Iceland to face Reykjavik in the opening round of the Uefa Cup.

Despite that heavy defeat at White Hart Lane, Rangers bounced back to win 3-0, with Bannister scoring twice and Stainrod also finding the net.

Because of the artificial pitch at Loftus Road, Uefa banned Rangers from hosting  European matches there, with the team forced to play home matches at Arsenal’s Highbury.

But it proved to not be a distraction as Bannister bagged a hat-trick in a 4-0 second-leg win.

However, behind the scenes there was an unhappy group of players who had become increasingly disillusioned with Mullery’s methods. which were in complete contrast to the meticulous planning of Venables.

“Under Terry we had a manager who was thorough, a brilliant man-manager and so tactically aware,” Hucker said.

“Mullery was none of those things.”

Partizan arrived in London with a strong side but were put to the sword 6-2 in a bad-tempered affair that saw young right-back Warren Neill sent off after Bannister scored twice to help Rangers come from 2-1 down for an impressive first-leg victory.

But despite the emphatic scoreline, Stainrod admitted to being concerned about the second leg.

“We won the game well, but they had no luck and everything we hit just went in,” Stainrod said.

“But they had some great footballers and the scoreline flattered us a bit.

“I remember turning around to John Gregory during the game and saying: ‘These lot are a very good side, we need to be ready for them in the second leg’.”

Stainrod’s fears were ultimately well founded but the mood of the 100 or so Rangers fans who made the trip was one of confidence.

“Me and my mate were a bit annoyed really as we’d already paid for our tickets to go to Belgrade and having won the first leg we’d wished we’d kept our money and paid to go somewhere else for the next round,” said QPR fan Martin Percival.

“We were on the same plane with the players and club officials and everyone just assumed we’d be in the draw for the next round.

“But it proved to be the last time QPR played in a European competition.”

Rangers were greeted by a ferociously hostile atmosphere when they took the field at the aptly-named Partizan Stadium, as ball bearings and batteries descended from the terraces during the team warm-up.

As part of a reciprocal agreement stemming from the first-leg at Highbury, QPR fans were given free tickets for the game, but all was not what it seemed when the contingent from W12 arrived at the ground.

“We had these free tickets, but they were all in one row, which meant there were 100 of stretched out across the main stand either side of the Partizan fans so it was impossible to make any kind of atmosphere,” Percival said.

The shell-shocked visitors were 1-0 down after just four minutes before Partizan doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time from the spot after Steve Wicks gave away a penalty.

Rangers were dominated, with Mullery’s decision to play Stainrod as a lone striker and Bannister on the left wing backfired spectacularly.

“Mullery’s game plan was nonsense,” Hucker said.

“Before the game we didn’t work on corners, set-plays or nothing.

“He just told us to sit back, soak up pressure and defend the lead.”

Matters went from bad to worse a minute into the second half when Miodrag Jesic made it 3-0 with a speculative effort that Hucker should have saved, before Zvonko Zivkovic headed home in the 64th minute to complete the historic comeback – much to the delight of the packed stadium.

Rangers did manage to stem the bleeding further by not conceding a fifth goal but the damage was already done as Mullery’s side went out on away goals – something the manager was unaware of as he tried to urge his chastened players back from down the tunnel for extra time.

Stainrod admitted the result left him crestfallen but said the whole build-up to the match had been wrong from start to finish.

“When we got to Belgrade it was a very lackadaisical attitude from everybody,” Stainrod said.

“If we had gone with Venners he would have said ‘We need to press them, keep the ball and play like an Italian team, be professional, play for fouls and hurt them with set-plays’.

“We did none of that, and I got annoyed about that.

“I was annoyed about our preparation. Even in the hotel it was too laid back.

“Before the game when we went out on the pitch there were too many of our young lads who were terrified.

“Their crowd willed their team to beat a very good side 4-0 – although I maintain we were unlucky not score a couple of goals.”

The fall-out from the defeat proved to be seismic, with Mullery sacked a month later following a player mutiny.

The dark mood on the flight back to London was also not helped by the well-meaning but ill-informed staff who assumed the team had won.

“Everyone was so confident on the way out that for the return journey the Monarch Airlines staff decided to deck out the inside of the plane with blue and white ribbons and rosettes,” Percival explained.

“That didn’t help anyone feel any better as we had to explain to these people, who were obviously not football fans, we had managed to lose – it was probably the most QPR thing ever!”

Then in front of the whole plane a furious Stainrod had a blazing row with Mullery.

“I guess I can be a bit of a t**t when I want to be,” Stainrod said.

“But I was really upset, to go out like we did was bitterly disappointing.

“What happened was that Mullers was picking on the young lads after the game, calling them every name under the sun, and this continued on the plane on the way back.

“So I started winding him up and sang to him: “Maybe it’s because I am Londoner and I am a …. with the rest of the verse being very derogatory towards him.

“Needless to say it invited a response. He got the right hump with me and after that it was difficult for me at QPR.

“He then got sacked then I got sent off in two successive games against Everton and Ipswich and got suspended by the club for being suspended.

“It was then that Sheffield Wednesday came in for me and it was bit of an easy decision to make as that was my home city and they were doing well at the time.”

Following his dismissal by Rangers chairman Jim Gregory, Mullery accused the Rangers players of killing his love for the game and treating him and their profession with contempt.

Stainrod, now based in France and working as an agent, concedes the players could have been more receptive to Mullery, but maintains he didn’t do enough to win the squad over.

“I regret now not being more helpful to him, but when you are 25-26, been doing well and flying, you think the world revolves around you,” he said.

“You think everyone wants your opinion, but on reflection, I would have done things differently, but I don’t think he would have probably accepted it.

“He was quite egotistical and wasn’t open to talking to players about what they thought and Venners was.

“He (Venables) used to ask us questions all the time. We’d have meetings and he’d take players out for lunch to get their thoughts on the game.

“Training with him every day made me a better player.”