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In my All-Time Rangers XI. Incredible talent allied with deep knowledge, intelligence and experience. Controlled our team and controlled the opposition.
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
In my All-Time Rangers XI. Incredible talent allied with deep knowledge, intelligence and experience. Controlled our team and controlled the opposition.
Not all-time, but my best (or favourite, really) XI since I was watching (early 80s)
Stejskal Dawes Macca Parker Wilson Sinton Wilkins Waddock Sinclair Ferdinand Bannister
When we signed him, my Geordie father in law ripped the pis out of me for us signing The Crab. I suspected he was right, and struggled to come up with a retort.
Ray, of course, delivered the perfect retort in that famous 2-1 win at SJP. Les terrorised them so much Keegan decided on the spot he had to sign him...Bradley Allen was the perfect foil...Stejksal saved an injury time penno...but it was Ray who absolutely ran the show.
In my top 5 awaydays, especially post match in the pub with aforementioned F-in-L.
When we signed him, my Geordie father in law ripped the pis out of me for us signing The Crab. I suspected he was right, and struggled to come up with a retort.
Ray, of course, delivered the perfect retort in that famous 2-1 win at SJP. Les terrorised them so much Keegan decided on the spot he had to sign him...Bradley Allen was the perfect foil...Stejksal saved an injury time penno...but it was Ray who absolutely ran the show.
In my top 5 awaydays, especially post match in the pub with aforementioned F-in-L.
And we were a main game on Match of the Day, plus Keegan was incredibly generous towards us "gave us a footballing lesson" and the fans "fetched a fair few up here today".
And we were a main game on Match of the Day, plus Keegan was incredibly generous towards us "gave us a footballing lesson" and the fans "fetched a fair few up here today".
When we signed him, my Geordie father in law ripped the pis out of me for us signing The Crab. I suspected he was right, and struggled to come up with a retort.
Ray, of course, delivered the perfect retort in that famous 2-1 win at SJP. Les terrorised them so much Keegan decided on the spot he had to sign him...Bradley Allen was the perfect foil...Stejksal saved an injury time penno...but it was Ray who absolutely ran the show.
In my top 5 awaydays, especially post match in the pub with aforementioned F-in-L.
It was strange how his game evolved into that sideways passing style after he moved to Man U from North Battersea. For them he'd been this dynamic, box-to-box, creative leader that scored his share of goals from midfield and their captain at 18 years of age IIRC.
I don't know if this was instructions from Dave Sexton after he signed him to play that more defensive style but it become even more ingrained once Atkinson signed Robson and he was playing second fiddle to him.
The slightly negative, safe style transferred to his England play as well and I always feel that most England fans never saw the best of his game for England that we as fans of QPR later saw in the twilight of his career and often just think of him as this sideways passing player that never scored or created much.
It was strange how his game evolved into that sideways passing style after he moved to Man U from North Battersea. For them he'd been this dynamic, box-to-box, creative leader that scored his share of goals from midfield and their captain at 18 years of age IIRC.
I don't know if this was instructions from Dave Sexton after he signed him to play that more defensive style but it become even more ingrained once Atkinson signed Robson and he was playing second fiddle to him.
The slightly negative, safe style transferred to his England play as well and I always feel that most England fans never saw the best of his game for England that we as fans of QPR later saw in the twilight of his career and often just think of him as this sideways passing player that never scored or created much.
Was probably my favourite player in that great team of the early 90's.
Just oooooozed pure class.
Think he scored 9 or 10 goals for us in the time (including at least 3 headers bizarrely!), and every one of them was brilliant. A sprinkling of diving headers, long range efforts, acute angles and a couple of cheeky chips!! It doesn't get much better than that imo.
That connection he had with Ferdinand, some of the balls he would thread for him were sublime - the perfect combination those two. And if that didn't work get it wide to Sinton to cross for Ferdinand!
We were just so good then, great to watch and he was integral to all of it.
To young to have seen Bowles, so for me Wilkins was the best player I ever saw/seen in a Rangers shirt. People may say Tarabt or Eze, but Ray did it in the Premier League and he was head and shoulders above everyone else, Ranger or opposition. If you watch him he is always walking into space when he didnt have the ball, so when he did get it he had that extra split second. You cant coach that. A great player in a wonderful team.
I was really upset when he died, which surprised me, but he was the King and a really nice bloke.
Long before he joined us (he still had plenty of hair at the time), accompanied by his wife/girlfriend, Ray was a spectator in the South Africa Road stand, a few rows behind me. There were times when we were well worth watching!!
It was strange how his game evolved into that sideways passing style after he moved to Man U from North Battersea. For them he'd been this dynamic, box-to-box, creative leader that scored his share of goals from midfield and their captain at 18 years of age IIRC.
I don't know if this was instructions from Dave Sexton after he signed him to play that more defensive style but it become even more ingrained once Atkinson signed Robson and he was playing second fiddle to him.
The slightly negative, safe style transferred to his England play as well and I always feel that most England fans never saw the best of his game for England that we as fans of QPR later saw in the twilight of his career and often just think of him as this sideways passing player that never scored or created much.
I remember at one stage he was playing so well for us that there was quite a swell of opinion in the media that he should be getting an England recall.
When super Ray smashed that one in the Qtr final with Liverpool I honestly thought our name was on the cup
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
That connection he had with Ferdinand, some of the balls he would thread for him were sublime - the perfect combination those two. And if that didn't work get it wide to Sinton to cross for Ferdinand!
We were just so good then, great to watch and he was integral to all of it.
I was up there as well with my Dad. My Dad used to to sit there educacting me about why Ray was so good, every game. It was a great place to sit and watch Ray control the game. One game Ray played a ball out wide, over the top, for Sinclair, but Sinclair didnt move. Ray got pelters from some of the fans, but my dad turned to me and said 'that was the right ball, they're just not on the same wave length as him' And he was right. Ray made that team tick.
I think QPR fans loved Les at that time, but football fans loved Wilkins. We were so lucky to have him.
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