1880s 1970s[edit]

The club was formed in 1886,[3] when a team known as St Jude's (formed in 1884)
merged with Christchurch Rangers (formed in 1882). The resulting team was called
Queens Park Rangers, because most of the players came from the Queen's Park area of
North-West London. QPR became a professional team in 1889 and played their home
games in nearly 20 different stadia (a league record), before permanently settling at Loftus
Road in 1917 (although the team would briefly attempt to attract larger crowds by playing
at the White City Stadiumfor two short spells: 1931 to 1933 and the 196263 season).[4]

Chart showing the progress of QPR's league finishes from 192021 season to present.

QPR were promoted as champions of Division 3 South in the 194748 season. Dave
Mangnall was the manager as Rangers enjoyedFOUR SEASONS
in the Second Division,
being relegated in 195152. Tony Ingham was signed from Leeds United and went on to
make most ever league appearances for QPR (519). Prior to the start of the 1959
60 season saw the arrival of arguably the club's greatest ever manager,[5] Alec Stock.
The 196061 season saw QPR achieve their biggest win to date: 92 vs Tranmere
Rovers in a Division 3 match. In time, Stock, with the advent as Chairman in the mid-60s
of Jim Gregory helped to achieve a total transformation of the club and its surroundings.
In 196667, QPR won the Division Three championship and became the first Third Division
club to win the League Cup on Saturday, 4 March 1967, beating West Bromwich Albion 3
2, (coming back from a two goal deficit). 42 years on, it is still the only major trophy that
QPR have won. The final was also the first League Cup Final to be held at Wembley
Stadium. After winning promotion in 1968 to the top flight for the first time in their history,
Rangers were relegated after just one season and spent the next four years in Division
2. Terry Venables joined from Spurs at the beginning of the 196970 season and Rodney
Marsh was sold to Manchester City. During this time, new QPR heroes emerged
including Phil Parkes, Don Givens, Dave Thomas and Stan Bowles. These new signings
were in addition to home-grown talent such as Dave Clement, Ian Gillard, Mick
Leach and Gerry Francis.
In 1974 Dave Sexton joined as manager and, in 197576 led QPR to the runners-up spot in
the First Division, missing out on the Championship by a single point with a squad
containing seven England internationals and internationals from the home nations. After
completing their 42-game season, QPR sat at the top of the league, one point ahead
of Liverpool who went on to defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers to clinch the title. Wolves
were relegated to the Second Division that same season. The late 1970s also saw some
cup success with Rangers reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup and in their first
entry into European football reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup losing to AEK
Athens on penalties. Following Sexton's departure in 1977 the club eventually slipped into
the Second Division in 1979.

1980s 1990s[edit]
In 1980 Terry Venables took over as manager and the club installed a 'plastic pitch'. In
1982 QPR, still playing in the Second Division, reached the FA Cup Final for the only time in
the club's history, facing holders Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham won 10 in a replay. The
following season 198283 QPR went on to win the Second Division championship and
returned to English football's top division. After a respectable fifth place finish, and UEFA
Cup qualification, the following year, Venables departed to become manager of Barcelona.
In 1988 the club had a new chairman, Richard Thompson. who at 24 was the Premier
League's youngest ever chairman. Over the next seven years, various managers came and
went from Loftus Road and the club spent many seasons finishing mid table but avoided
relegation. The most successful season during this period was the 198788 season in
which QPR finished fifth, missing out on a UEFA Cup campaign due to the ban on English
clubs in European competition as a result of the Heysel Stadium disaster. They were also
runners up in the 1986 League Cup, losing to Oxford United.

Old crest used from the 1980s until 2008

Gerry Francis, a key player in the 1970s QPR side who had proved himself as a successful
manager with Bristol Rovers, was appointed manager in the summer of 1991. In the 1991
92 First Division campaign they finished mid-table in the league and were founder
members of the new Premier League, finishing 5th, as top London club, in the 199293
inaugural season. Francis oversaw one of QPR's most famous victories, the 41 win at Old
Trafford in front of live TV on New Years Day 1992. Midway through the 199495 season
Francis resigned and very quickly became manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Ray
Wilkins was installed as player-manager. Wilkins led QPR to an eighth place finish in the
Premiership. In July 1995 the club's top goalscorer, Les Ferdinand, was sold for a club
record fee of 6 million to Newcastle United.
QPR struggled throughout the following season and were relegated at the end of the 1995
96 season. QPR then competed in Division 1 until 2001 under a succession of
managers. Gerry Francis returned in 1998, however the 20002001 season proved to be a
disaster, and Francis resigned in early 2001.

2000 present[edit]
Charismatic former player Ian Holloway became manager but was unable to stop Rangers
from being relegated to England's third tier for the first time for more than thirty years.
Following the 20032004 season QPR returned to Division 1 and struggled for consistent
form over the next two campaigns before Holloway was suspended amidst rumours of his

departure forLeicester City. A poor series of results and lack of progress at the club saw
Holloway's successors Gary Waddock and later John Gregory (both former players) fail to
hold on to the manager's job.
During this same period, QPR became embroiled in financial and boardroom controversy.
Although the club had floated on the Alternative Investment Market in 1991, in 2001 it
enteredadministration (receivership). A period of financial hardship followed and the club
left administration after receiving a 10m high-interest emergency loan which continued to
burden the club.[6] Scandals involving the directors, shareholders and others emerged
in 200506 season and included allegations of blackmail and threats of violence against
the club's chairmanGianni Paladini.[7] In an unrelated incident QPR were further rocked by
the murder of Youth Team footballer Kiyan Prince on 18 May 2006[8] and, in August 2007,
the death of promising teenager and first-team player Ray Jones in a car crash.[9] Following
this low point in the club's history as Rangers also faced mounting financial pressure, in
the same month it was announced that the club had been bought by wealthy Formula
One businessmen Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone (see Ownership and
finances below). During the 200708 season, Rangers competed in the Football League
Championship (see also: Queens Park Rangers F.C. season 2007-08). John Gregory's reign
as manager came to an end in October 2007 after a string of poor results left QPR at the
bottom of the Championship and he was replaced by Luigi De Canio until the end of the
200708 season. Further investment followed in early 2008 as the club looked to push for
promotion to the Premier League within four years, on the back of greater financial
stability.[10] On 14 May 2008 Iain Dowie was announced as the manager to begin the
campaign to return Rangers to the top flight.[11][12] However, on 24 October 2008 Iain
Dowie was sacked after just fifteen games in charge of the club. [13]
On 19 November 2008, QPR named former Portugal midfielder Paulo Sousa as their new
first team coach.[14] However, on 9 April 2009, his contract was terminated after he
allegedly divulged confidential information without authority. [15] On the same day as
Sousa's sacking as QPR manager, Player/Coach Gareth Ainsworth was appointed as
Player/Caretaker Manager of QPR for a second time. In June 2009 Jim Magilton was named
as new manager of QPR. Despite leading QPR to a good start to the 200910 season, a loss
of form combined with an alleged head-butting incident[citation needed] with Hungarian
midfielder kos Buzsky saw the club further embroiled in controversy. Jim Magilton left
the club by mutual consent on 16 December 2009, along with his assistant John Gorman.
They were replaced by Paul Hart and Mick Harford on the next day. Less than a month and
only 5 games after becoming manager at QPR, Paul Hart parted with the club on 14
January 2010. The reasons for his leaving the club were unstated.
On 30 April 2011, QPR secured promotion to the Premier League by winning the
Championship with a 20 win over Watford.[16] A subsequent FA investigation involving
QPR's acquisition ofAlejandro Faurln threatened to deduct points from the side and put
their promotion into jeopardy. The investigation concluded on 7 May 2011, with QPR found
to be at fault in two of the seven charges, and received a 875,000 fine. However, there
were no points deducted by the FA, and QPR's promotion to the Premier League was
secured.[17]
In January 2012, club chairman Tony Fernandes appointed Mark Hughes as
team manager 36 hours after the previous incumbent Neil Warnock was sacked. Following
a tough start to his Loftus Road career and after a run of 5 straight home wins, Hughes and
QPR escaped relegation despite a dramatic 32 defeat at Manchester City on the last day
of the season.[18]
On 23 November 2012, Mark Hughes was sacked on the back of a poor start to the 2012
13 season,[19] having amassed only 4 points in 12 games and with the club languishing at
the bottom of the Premier League despite significant financial investment in new players in
the 11 months of Hughes' tenure. A day later, Harry Redknapp was confirmed as the new
manager.[20]On 28 April 2013, in a 00 draw against fellow relegation rivals Reading and
with 3 games of the season to play, QPR were relegated from the Premier League down to
the Championship after two seasons in the top flight. [21]

During the 201314 season, QPR finished 4th in the Championship, and qualified for the
play-offs where they defeated Wigan Athletic in the semi-finals. In the final against
favourites Derby County on 24 May 2014, QPR won 10 with a goal by Bobby Zamora in
the 90th minute to return to the Premier League. [22]