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First off, I can never think about Stan without smiling (except when I think of the alzheimers, obviously). The sht he pulled off was hysterical -- both good and bad (or should I say, good and better?)
I sat in the Ellerslie Rd stand at the time, near to the corner, and I remember him wandering over to take a corner and stopping to chat with a fan at the front of the terrace and check his paper (we all assumed he was looking up races for a bit of half time betting).
When I think of Stan and football, the word "gliding" always comes to mind. I always think of gliding into the middle from out wide, gliding past players like they were stuck in the mud. And then slotting the ball into the net under the outstretched arms of a hapless seeming goalie. He always made it look easy.
I remember that game at Upton Park (played in a quagmire) which we lost (1—0 I think.) Stan left everything he had in the mud that day, played his heart out to no avail. He was subbed late on and could barely walk to the touchline. He was applauded off by Rs and Spam fans alike, then flashed that V sign to the bench as he went to dressing room. He never wanted to be subbed, not ever. Even if he had to crawl off.
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 20:33 - Feb 4 with 4526 views
Picture ​ What: Newcastle v QPR First Division clash in April, 1976 Where: St James' Park
There were five games left of a thrilling season where Liverpool and QPR were battling it out for the crown. Rangers travelled north to take on Newcastle in a game the players thought would be one of their most difficult.
The west Londoners, though, had one of the finest sides around with Gerry Francis, Frank McLintock and the exceptionally gifted Stan Bowles.
"There had always been a lot of needle between me and Malcolm Macdonald," the QPR no.10 explained in his book, 'Stan Bowles, the Autobiography'.
"He said in the press that they were going to beat us and stop us winning the league, etc., etc. On the day it was 1-1 until literally the last 10 seconds from the end. The ball was played to me in the box and I hit in through the legs of three players and the ball wound up in the back of the net.
"The first thing I did was run up to Malcolm Macdonald and shout, 'What do you think of that, then?'"
A 2-1 win meant it was all looking rosy for Rangers and the club were on course for that title, and actually won eight of their final 10 games. However, a loss to Norwich three games from the end damaged them and Liverpool won it by a point.
When he received the ball the whole ground either, if you were sitting, shifted forward to the edge of their seats. If standing, tensing up, and shifting on to the front foot, all in anticipation of what was this unpredictable genius was going to do next. It was like every rangers fan took a collective intake of breath and held it.
Never experienced anything like it at a football match to this day.
My footballing hero.
[Post edited 4 Feb 2019 21:22]
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 21:01 - Feb 4 with 4492 views
Imagine Stan playing now on today's pitches with today's protection. Disgraceful that he won so few caps. Most modern players are not fit to lace his boots
I've said it before and I'll say it again they should have made a film (or better still 10 part series) about Stan... He was so larger than life and had so many brilliantly funny stories as well as being a legendary footballer... They simply don’t make 'em like Stan the Man anymore!
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 07:53 - Feb 5 with 4202 views
Three of my first games at LR all morph into one Stan-fest memory.
FA Cup night match vs Notts Co (on a Friday as us, and the two down the road were all drawn at home). I was in the Paddock. They couldn't live with us, especially Stan. Bloke behind me spent most of the match yelling in the vague direction of the Notts dug out, "you must be 'avin' a nightmare down there Sirrel."
2-1 win v Sunderland. Classic Stanley goal, immortalised on TV by Brian Moore's words, "that's in, that's two, that's Bowles."
3-0 win v Boro. My first game in Ellerslie. Stan tormented them, then got sent off, causing the whole stand to erupt.
Also makes me think of my late mum, who was from Dublin & liked taking me to LR due to the number of Irish voices she'd always hear. She smiled every time Stan got the ball.
My first game at Loftus Road, last game of the season vs Fulham in 1973. Him and Dave Clement scored in a 2-0 win on a day of celebration. We had secured promotion two weeks before. For the next 5 seasons watching him was so exciting. Not only him of course but the team as a whole. But for me THE greatest memory I have is 'theres Bowles....THATS the record !' as we trounced FC Koln at home. He had set a new goal scoring record in one season in European football. Think of all the so called football legends in the late 60s and early 70s. Best, Charlton, Law, Keegan, Cryuff, Muller, Eusebio ??? Pah!!!! Koln at the time were known as 'the crack German team'........sit back and enjoy.
[Post edited 5 Feb 2019 8:39]
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 08:49 - Feb 5 with 4165 views
What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 07:53 - Feb 5 by ngbqpr
Three of my first games at LR all morph into one Stan-fest memory.
FA Cup night match vs Notts Co (on a Friday as us, and the two down the road were all drawn at home). I was in the Paddock. They couldn't live with us, especially Stan. Bloke behind me spent most of the match yelling in the vague direction of the Notts dug out, "you must be 'avin' a nightmare down there Sirrel."
2-1 win v Sunderland. Classic Stanley goal, immortalised on TV by Brian Moore's words, "that's in, that's two, that's Bowles."
3-0 win v Boro. My first game in Ellerslie. Stan tormented them, then got sent off, causing the whole stand to erupt.
Also makes me think of my late mum, who was from Dublin & liked taking me to LR due to the number of Irish voices she'd always hear. She smiled every time Stan got the ball.
Lovely anecdotes that my fat thumbs marked down instead of up. I vaguely remember the Notts County game. Fingers crossed we get another Friday night cup game soon.
A mate a shade too young to see him play asked me recently how good Bowles was. I replied he had it all. He went past players with ease, he could ping a pass with the outside of his boot from one side of the pitch to the other, he'd score from inside the box, and he'd score from distance. And like all great artists he made it look easy, done with an effortless swagger, panache and mischief. The Man Utd photo above says it all.
Stan was the blue and white hoops and the red number ten. When I played footy back in those huge 25-a-side games that lasted all day long it was always Stan I was trying to be. To a young kid in the 70s he was a footballer and a pop star rolled into one. And he signed the FC Cologne programme for me!
[Post edited 5 Feb 2019 9:09]
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 10:11 - Feb 5 with 4101 views
- The picture of Stanley at Newcastle that has already been mentioned. I'm not sure i would be so keen on this if I'd been in the crowd!
- The free kick in the last minute of the FA Cup 5th round replay against Coventry. Would Stan have really moved the ball sideways from where the referee had placed it? Just ebough to give him a scoring angle!
- Easter Monday 1976 at home to Arsenal. 1-1 with a few minutes left & Stan is on a run in their area. Suddenly he's on the ground. Penalty! We just burst out laughing. Yes Stan was tripped. By himself! And what a wink he gave to the crowd!
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 10:14 - Feb 5 with 4095 views
I started watching QPR regularly in 1976/77 so missed most of his best years at the club. I do remember a goal he scored at home to Spurs that season although unfortunately there's no video of it anywhere. I saw a few European games that season and the team as a whole unit was what I remember most. When they slipped up a gear they really were a machine.
'Stanley Stanley where's your wife?' was a regular chant from opposition fans. I remember going to West Ham where he received loads of stick and he was even giving them some back. I think that he was substituted that day and the hammers actually gave him an ovation. He played for Orient against us at their place and we gave him that 'Stanley Stanley where's your wife' song as a joke. Happy days of course.
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 10:34 - Feb 5 with 4083 views
I don’t remember him as a player but there was one piece of footage that stuck with me. I’m not sure of the game but he’s taking a corner over by R block and he pulls down one of the seats there and sits down. He then has a laugh with the fans before taking a corner, may have even led to a goal. He probably did this sort of thing all the time but one of the only times I’ve seen it on film.
I was aged 14/15 in THAT season, so thinking of Stan takes me back to that era - going a whole season at home unbeaten - beating Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal, them down the road - and not only that - being miles better than them as well!
The thrill, and it was THEN, of playing 'In Europe' and being better than them as well!
My personal favourite memory of Stan was him turning 3 or 4 Arsenal defenders inside out in the penalty area right in front of me (I used to sit in R block) and then he curled the shot just over the bar - still remember it and it would have been the greatest goal I ever saw if it had gone in.
3 more 'quickies'
1) The last minute winner v Coventry in the FA Cup 2) The midweek afternoon cup replay win over Chelsea - last min Ron Harris runs over from left back just to ikck Stan up in the air in front of R block. Pandemonium - wall in the loft s, ref blows full time whistle and Stan gets up grinning 3) Last goal v Birmingham (I think) Brian Moore commentary 'Its there, that's 3 and that's Bowles'
Magical, magical times!
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 13:53 - Feb 5 with 3911 views
"Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1."
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 17:17 - Feb 5 with 3810 views
What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 10:34 - Feb 5 by johncharles
“Stan Bowles shoots the table on TV Superstars”
I think he might have put more than 1 pellet into the table !
It used to be filmed over 2 days, the night between, he went out on the town with James Hunt. Champagne & Girls flowed long into the night. Stan went to bed about 5am for a couple of hours kip before day 2’s events and finished in last plave overall. James Hunt didn’t make it to bed at all but ended up winning overall !
Fair play to JH, probably the only man to go toe to toe with Stan and come out on top.
The boots deal on his England debut and his comment to Captain Emlyn Hughes about appearance money spring to mind.
Oh and all those moments ON the pitch. Too many to list here.
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What is the First Thing That Comes Into Your Head When You Think of Stan Bowles? on 18:26 - Feb 5 with 3769 views
Not the first thing I think of, but a very good anecdote that sums up Bowles to a tee. Told by Dave Thomas. The Rs were playing Arsenal on a Tuesday night, after training in the morning ,Stan invited Thomas Givens and Parkes to his house to watch the racing before returning to HQ to go to Highbury. A knock at the door and two men came in with a court order to repossess the tele due to non payment of the rental. This resulted in his wife contacting the club to get his wages paid to her.That is Stan.
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