It’s with a heavy coronary heart now we have realized that QPR icon Stan Bowles sadly handed away this night (Saturday), aged 75. All our ideas are together with his household and associates at this extremely troublesome time. Could he relaxation in peace.The membership might be confirming how we might be paying a becoming tribute to Stan in the end.A darling of the Loftus Street terraces, Stanley Bowles is undoubtedly one of many best gamers to have ever pulled on the well-known blue and white hoops. Many would argue that he’s the very best.Regardless, Stan was a particular expertise – a Nineteen Seventies footballing maverick – who was fashionable for his antics each on and off the sector, with team-mate and shut good friend Don Shanks by no means removed from the motion. He was additionally one of the crucial naturally-gifted gamers of his era.A part of our First Division title-challenge aspect of 1975/76 underneath Dave Sexton, Bowles made 315 appearances for QPR, scoring 97 targets. He performed a starring function as Rangers completed runners-up to Liverpool within the mid-seventies, earlier than reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-finals the next marketing campaign.’Stan the Man’ was a legendary quantity 10 – one of many causes that this specific shirt quantity is so particular to R’s followers – and an amazing ambassador for our membership.He additionally performed for Manchester Metropolis, Bury, Crewe Alexandra, Carlisle United, Nottingham Forest, Leyton Orient and Brentford, and gained 5 full England caps as a Rangers man.Bowles signed for QPR from Carlisle United on Friday eighth September 1972. Then-R’s boss Gordon Jago was bold to achieve promotion from the previous Second Division (now the Championship) – and he noticed Stan as an vital a part of these plans, a aptitude participant to excite the Loftus Street trustworthy after the sale of fellow crowd-pleaser Rodney Marsh to Man Metropolis six months earlier than. Stan marked his debut in some model.His glowing introduction got here in our 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in Division Two on Saturday sixteenth September 1972 at Loftus Street. He made the opening purpose for Don Givens, then scored himself and had a hand within the third by Andy McCulloch.After QPR gained promotion to the top-flight on the finish of the 1972/73 season, Bowles grew in stature and gained his first England cap away to Portugal on April third 1974. Stan virtually scored on two events within the worldwide pleasant at Estádio da Luz, Lisbon. It was a match that completed goalless. Bowles was one in every of QPR’s star males throughout our ‘75/76 marketing campaign, once we finally misplaced the league title by some extent. The R’s completed their fixtures on prime of the desk by beating guests Leeds United 2-0 on April twenty fourth. However, 10 days later, Liverpool clinched pole place courtesy of a 3-1 win away to Wolves.An unforgettable evening at Loftus Street noticed Bowles break the document for targets scored in European competitors by a British participant in a single season. This got here when Rangers beat FC Cologne 3-0 in a UEFA Cup third spherical, first leg tie on Wednesday twenty fourth November 1976.In August 2004, Bowles was voted QPR’s all-time cult hero by the membership’s followers in a BBC ballot. He gained with 56 % of the vote, forward of fellow legends Rodney Marsh and Les Ferdinand. An everyday customer to W12 after hanging up his boots, in mid-2015 it was introduced that Stan had sadly been recognized with Alzheimer’s illness. Two years later, the membership hosted a profit match in his honour, versus AFC Bournemouth, to lift important funds for Stan’s ongoing care.His reputation was underlined when a stand was named after him at Loftus Street. The Ellerslie Street Stand turned The Stanley Bowles Stand in the summertime of 2022 – exhibiting simply how extremely thought-of he’ll all the time be right here.Gone however by no means, ever to be forgotten – the final word Loft legend.Sleep tight, Stan.
Read more on dailymail
QPR legend and ex-Man Metropolis star Stan Bowles – one of many sport’s best skills – dies aged 75 after battling Alzheimer’s
