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Memories of 2002/3 season 13:56 - Nov 9 with 1257 viewsAntti_Heinola

Clive's article about Birch's goal v Brentford brings back memories of that incredible season - I honestly think it was the most intense few months of football I've ever experienced. Our run was incredible, but everyone else kept winning too, including Tranmere who just kept chasing us the whole time and we couldn't shake them off.

I remember at the time my whole life got engulfed with it, the games were unbelievably intense - the amount of times we scored late seemed crazy (Gallen v Hartlepool, Birch v Brentford etc) and any slip up felt like it would be fatal.

I really believe the insanity of that run caught all our fans at the time. The hardcore had remained after relegation and then Ollie made us all engage with the club again. We all felt like one - I suddenly had loads of friends who were Rangers from that season, whereas before I didn't really know anyone. And it all culminated in the Oldham game - months of pent up frustration and desperation poured out that night - if not years. In retrospect I'm amazed Oldham did as well as they did. Other teams would've been blown away.

Great times, cheers Clive.

Bare bones.

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Memories of 2002/3 season on 14:18 - Nov 9 with 1228 viewsflitwickhoop

So so many, definitely in my top three seasons ever.

I remember barely missing a game from Christmas onwards but one of my lasting memories bar the obvious (Bircham at Brentford, Oldham etc). However the one I did miss was Cardiff away as back then you used to still get a bit of trouble at games (a year later we had to run to Grimsby station after Sabin's only ever goal) so my old man decided to give it a miss and we'd watch it on Soccer Saturday instead. I remember when Langley scored the winner in about the 86th (?) minute and it popped up on the screen we went berserk rolling around on the living room floor and punching the ceiling, absolutely brilliant.

I was doing my a levels that year and the following season so was 16-18 over them, two of the best years following the club, glory days.
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Memories of 2002/3 season on 15:23 - Nov 9 with 1170 viewsterryb

That season I was the club secretaery for Ipswich Wanderers who played in the Eastern Countues League (now step 5) & so I didn't see many Rangers matches. It was also a time when Rangers were my team, but I hadn't seen them more than a couple of times a season since 1983.

Two great memories of that season, apart from the play offs, was the away match at Cardiff., I was at the Norwich United- Ipswich Wanderers match & completely f***** off when Cardiff equallised. This was followed by doing a lap of honour & screaming at the top of my voice when the news of our winning goal came through!

I then informed the club that I wouldn't be at the last match of the season as I had to be in Colcvheter that day!

Not a chance of getting a ticket in the away end, si I went to Layer Road in midweek & bought a ticket for as close to that as I could. There were the best part of a hundred of us in that section & we were ushered in to the away end. That probably accounted for the dangerous overcrowding in that area that day. It certainly wan't safe when paul Furlong scored!

That was the day that I knew that I still loved MY TEAM!

The next week I was at Loftus Road watching the beam back from Oldham & purchasing two tickets for the home leg. The other one was for my son who was at Lancaster University but made it back for me to collect him from Watford Junction.

Perhaps it would be better if that season hadn't happened. I certainly would have a lot more money to spend in my retirement than what I've "wasted" watching us since then!

I think Chris Day & Paul Furlong would both be selected in my team of favourites!
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Memories of 2002/3 season on 15:51 - Nov 9 with 1137 viewsToast_R

Went to lots that season, the dire run through the Autumn until the green shoots of recovery when Gallen got that last minute pen v Stockport was it?

Still wrangles with me til this day that Andy Hall made us miss out on an automatic promotion finish with his crass refereeing against Crewe when we probably would have won had he not sent off two of out players, harshly from what I remember. One of our fans ran on to chin him.
[Post edited 9 Nov 2018 15:52]
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Memories of 2002/3 season on 16:57 - Nov 9 with 1093 viewspaulparker

Lots of memories for me I recall the Colchester game just after Xmas I had moved away from London the year before and when I came back to see Rangers I would always pop into my Nans in Ealing for a cup of tea and a chat anyway this time she was plying me with sausage rolls this that and the other, anything to get me to stay at 2 ish I said I had to go or I would miss kick off , I went and we won 2-0 I would normally go back and have a quick cuppa with her and tell her about the game ( she my great auntie and grandad were all season ticket holders up until 1981 )
But being the Xmas holidays I thought I would stay with the lads and have a couple of pints
Anyway I didn’t drop in, next day she died in her sleep , gutted doesn’t do it justice tbh
I should have stayed I think she knew what was going to happen but In those days I wouldn’t miss a game for anything, silly really

The other memory is the play off final I had gone to Cardiff and we know what happened , I was distraught so much raw emotion was around our club at the time I really did think this was the end of QPR I got dropped off in Watford and met a few mates to get truly on it , I proceeded to go on a bender of Keith Richards standards I never returned home for 3 days and had more narcotics in me than Tony Montana we had in our strategy picked up a random girl who spent 2 days getting fcuked with us ( nothing happened btw) I eventually came home on the Wednesday where my 1st wife was going ape Sh1t , she thought I was dead and had been calling everyone I knew to no avail
She left me that month and I was divorced by the end of the year

Not the greatest of seasons for yours truly

And Bowles is onside, Swinburne has come rushing out of his goal , what can Bowles do here , onto the left foot no, on to the right foot That’s there that’s two, and that’s Bowles Brian Moore

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Memories of 2002/3 season on 17:50 - Nov 9 with 1050 viewsDiscodroids

Memories of 2002/3 season on 16:57 - Nov 9 by paulparker

Lots of memories for me I recall the Colchester game just after Xmas I had moved away from London the year before and when I came back to see Rangers I would always pop into my Nans in Ealing for a cup of tea and a chat anyway this time she was plying me with sausage rolls this that and the other, anything to get me to stay at 2 ish I said I had to go or I would miss kick off , I went and we won 2-0 I would normally go back and have a quick cuppa with her and tell her about the game ( she my great auntie and grandad were all season ticket holders up until 1981 )
But being the Xmas holidays I thought I would stay with the lads and have a couple of pints
Anyway I didn’t drop in, next day she died in her sleep , gutted doesn’t do it justice tbh
I should have stayed I think she knew what was going to happen but In those days I wouldn’t miss a game for anything, silly really

The other memory is the play off final I had gone to Cardiff and we know what happened , I was distraught so much raw emotion was around our club at the time I really did think this was the end of QPR I got dropped off in Watford and met a few mates to get truly on it , I proceeded to go on a bender of Keith Richards standards I never returned home for 3 days and had more narcotics in me than Tony Montana we had in our strategy picked up a random girl who spent 2 days getting fcuked with us ( nothing happened btw) I eventually came home on the Wednesday where my 1st wife was going ape Sh1t , she thought I was dead and had been calling everyone I knew to no avail
She left me that month and I was divorced by the end of the year

Not the greatest of seasons for yours truly


Great Post PP.

"...The monkey is never dead, Dealer. The monkey never dies. When you kick him off, he just hides in a corner, waiting his turn."

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Memories of 2002/3 season on 21:17 - Nov 9 with 927 viewsPadulas_Shampoo

This season really was a bit of a turning point for me. I grew up near Bristol and went to 5-10 games per season with my Dad as a kid. This season I enjoyed watching Rangers so much that I got semi-addicted to it. I didn’t pass my driving test until the summer of 2003 so I used to get a brutal 4 hour National Express coach to Victoria for every home game, then get the tube to the Goldhawk Road and wander through the market on my way to LR. I absolutely adored those Saturdays. I loved the pace of London. I loved the independence. And I loved getting to know the people in the seats around mine. I’d leave my house around 7am and get back about 11pm, but I couldn’t not go. I passed my driving test in the summer, got a season ticket and the rest is history.

In many ways that team that year was perfect. It had enough characters to fall in love with. Just enough quality to be entertaining. Was never quite good enough to achieve anything, but good enough to make you dream of success. After so many futile years and getting beat becoming utterly routine, just to have a team that you thought might be able to spring a surprise was about as a thrilling a journey as I’d ever experienced.

Day, Forbes, Shittu, Carlisle, Langers, Padula, Palmer, Rose, Thompson, Pacquette, Doudou, Karl Connolly. Furlong turning from the boo-boy’s favourite into the silky talisman he became. Cookie on loan. Birch and Kev. Marcus Bean. Dennis Oli. Wes Daly. They were all so loveable.

Probably the year I really fell in love with football, QPR and London. Just a magical time in my life.
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Memories of 2002/3 season on 00:30 - Nov 10 with 860 viewsNorthernr

Memories of 2002/3 season on 15:51 - Nov 9 by Toast_R

Went to lots that season, the dire run through the Autumn until the green shoots of recovery when Gallen got that last minute pen v Stockport was it?

Still wrangles with me til this day that Andy Hall made us miss out on an automatic promotion finish with his crass refereeing against Crewe when we probably would have won had he not sent off two of out players, harshly from what I remember. One of our fans ran on to chin him.
[Post edited 9 Nov 2018 15:52]


Yeh and Gradi came out afterwards and was very sanctimonious about how we’d lost our discipline, been unprofessional, no way to behave etc which is v, v, v ironic in hindsight considering what it transpired was going on at his club.
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