Stan Bowles was quite a character. My dad said he went into the crowd during a match and had a sandwich and cuppa tea from a flask. An old dear gave it to him. Football was different then. Real working class
If only time could turn back. I'm a red devil since '71. Will never forget this 75-76 QPR wonder team that season. Givens, Thomas, Bowles, Francis. When the late Dave Sexton moved to Old Trafford I could not ask for more. Football nowadays you have to wait average 90 seconds for a goal to be decided. Bollocks.
I followed Rangers as a kid every home game 75/76 season , watched him dozens of times one of the best most gifted naturally brilliant player I have seen.
I was a Highbury faithful at that time, but had huge admiration for Stan and co and really looked forward to the QPR v Arsenal fixtures. QPR was a brilliant side to watch and I always loved Stan's antics. I was so disappointed when they didn't quite manage to win the Div 1 championship.
@eaglewlish, nice comment. It's rare for anyone to care about anybody other than their own side. It's a shame, in a way, that smaller clubs like QPR can no longer compete on a level playing field with the bigger clubs.
As a GOONER I wanted QPR to win the league in 76. Dave Thomas flying down the wing, Stan and Gerry waiting for the cross or cut back. Arsenal just escaped relegation in 76 and 77 but still raised their game when certain teams like QPR came to Highbury.
I recall Stan Bowles scoring a penalty at the North Bank during a 2-2 draw. He had been booed throughout and gave a double V sign to the North Bank after scoring. Didn’t even get a booking….
That is an uplifting comment from an Arsenal fan. Every dog they say has his day Arsenal had theirs in 1971. We never (quite) had our finest hour but League Cup in 1967 was a 'Dog Day' indeed.
Was a QPR fan as a kid and just chuckled after hearing Stan say he painted his boots. My old man spent most of Christmas Day painting white stripes on my boots as it was raining and kept washing it off. The good old days.
Magnificent player from my childhood years.Im a West Bromwich Albion fan and we had Willie Johnston,such characters.Stan Bowles was my favourite player from the opponents.
Such a breath of fresh air! God I miss those days. I'm Chelsea, but that 75/76 season I was hoping QPR would win the league...the football they played was brilliant. As Stan says, they were the best team in the league that season.
Lots of people loved Stan because he was fearless. "Don't worry about the crowd, the crowd can't do anyrhing,' and this is true to a great extent. He had all the skills, courage and confidence and he didn't give a damn and this is why he was so good. Stan Bowles and Terry Cooper and all the guys that Stan talks about would do great today's game!
I actually played against Stan Bowles when i was at Brunel University in 1974 (I think). Rangers used to use our pitch for training and our groundsman - Alan Hook used to mingle with the Rangers players before & after training - and he struck a deal whereby before Rangers went on their summer tour and wanted an 11 aside to limber up - he agreed to prepare the pitch (it was summer and out of our football season) if they would play the Brunel 1st team. The deal was done.The Brunel Football Club Chairman was a Maths lecturer - Dave Smalley - who always bragged about his own interactions with Stan (mainly at the White City dog track) - they were both career gamblers - of course we - the Brunel 1st team players took all that with a pinch of salt - until the day of the game when Dave turned up in our dressing room before the game - as the Rangers players passed by our dressing room - Stan caught a glimpse of Dave and shouted out "''hey Shanksy - look who's here'' - Stan and his big mate Don Shanks had a bit of cht with Dave and Dave Smalley instant legend. As for the game - we were fit lads who got through to national universites semi-final and won London Commercial League 1st Division the previous season. Ok it was after our season had ended - the Rangers boys played in tracksuit tops - I lasted 10 minutes before I did a hamstring.....happy days
One charismatic footballer the likes that lit up games his antics on and off the field how he played the game he was never out the limelight RIP Stanley bowles
What a brilliant, brilliant player he was - he would be worth £50 million these days, no question. Always played with a smile on his face, like it was all so easy for him. I particularly remember a QPR game in the mid 70s against Man Utd, when big Jim Holton crunched him from behind early on . Stan spent the rest of the game going out of his way to humiliate Holton - nutmegging him again and again, turning him inside out, stopping the ball and letting Holton lunge at it before dragging it away at the last second...it was hilarious and just sheer skill.
@@stanogden4574 He certainly won the love of every QPR fan for ever, and that's priceless! He was also an addicted gambler - not "an idiot", he had a real psychological problem.
My first footballing hero- used to go to Loftus Road regularly up to 1982 simply to see Stan Bowles. His sublime skills were on a different planet at a time when defenders regularly took players out. Premiership players may be faster, but they play on better pitches and are now protected from the strong arm stuff. Always remember the game after Ronald Reagan got the US presidency, when a banner was unfurled in the Loft stating, 'Reagan may be President, but Stan Bowles is God'.
My uncle had the fortune to play with Stan at QPR and after training and Games he would tell me what a great player he was, unbelievable skill in abundance
Fantastic posting, thank you. Stan will always be the King of QPR. He was so good, because his Managers accepted his "strange" habits, and let him blossom on the pitch. So sad that his memory is now dim, but we will always remember you Stan.
At Highbury v QPR Stan sat on the ball to show his complete domination of Arsenal. Later in the game Alan Ball tried the same and got kicked of the ball. Good laughs in those days......right characters ho were working class lads mixing with the fans. No gated props, no lambos, no headphones but birds and booze galore 😊😊😊😊😊
Absolutely destroyed us (Arsenal) both home and away , it was an ageing Arsenal side, but QPR was a fresh young side, just promoted and ready to give out a few bloody noses in footballing terms 😂
A true Legend of the Game, along with the likes of the late Frank Worthington, Tony Currie, Charlie George & Rodney Marsh; between them only 40 England caps - no wonder we win fuck all!
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Proper football man when football was football. Im a 46 yr old Celtic fan and had heard of Stan but had never seen him, after seeing this I'll not forget him. Hail Hail and rest easy Stan Bowles 🍀👏
Seen him make his debut for Man City came on has a sub v Leicester in the League cup and scored 2 goals,kept in the side for next game v Sheffield United and scored 2 goals in the league in 1967
My first experience of watching professional football ⚽️ when I was 12 was at Loftus Rd in 76. I went to about 15 games that season and Arsenal away.Stan the Man was the best player I've ever seen. QPR were Sensational.The skill was sublime and Loftus road had a very urban cosmopolitan feel about it.Cool club.Very happy days.🏐🙏⚽️
I can honestly say this is the funniest thing I have ever seen on RU-vid and we have all seen thousands of these things - I was in hysterics laughing - the guy is so insouciant and just tells it like it is unlike so many boring, bland cliche ridden interviews that footballers give - as he says at one point in the interview - he is still remembered all these years later and that says it all
As an East German who was 16 in 1977, I remember the splendid UEFA-Cup campaign of QPR. The reached the quarter final, only losing because of the away goal versus AEK Athens, and, of course, I remember Stan Bowles. We young East Germans loved the English teams in the 70ties and could not stand the teams from the eastern european Commie countries.
Back in the late 70's I was going to a match it was about 2.30 pm and all of a sudden Stan Bowles came out of the bookies on the Uxbridge Road and I said,"Staaaaannnn, not playing today?" "Yeah, I am just going to the ground, " he said, off course I walked with him all the way to Loftus Road! I was about 13 at the time...... I was talk of the town at school that Monday. Great Memories of my childhood!!!!!
What a player stan was, learnt a lot about him watching this , could have said hello to.him.once but be was with My mate Terry hurlock, but he was a talented player, world class on his day.
Love Stan's thinly veiled contempt for virtually every other player and team mentioned. Never trust a man who doesn't bear a grudge! One of Rs! Gawd rest you Mr Bowles X
Stan Bowles - amazing player and a 'bit of a lad' to be honest - another Legend lost from the best era of English football. RIP Stan from a Chelsea fan who had the privilege to watch you play🥰
I remember seeing a video of a fundraising do for Stan a few years back. When it came to the auction Gerry put a couple of ridiculously high bids in and asked for the items to be re-auctioned. Decent man is Gerry.
Stan was an inspiration but you find no matter how good and entertaining a player you are a lot managers and coaches have no respect for talented players like Stan ❤
What a charactor Stan was. Fell.out with most of the managers he played under. When he was with the England squad no one talked to him lol as he asked for more money. Also he took 300 off Adidas in the morning and took 250 from Gola in the afternoon to wear there boots. He then painted a pair of boots that looked the part but it started raining and the paint washed.off. He was sacked by both parties lol. Didnt warm up ever just turned up at 2.50 and got his kit on lol.Great player but a comic for sure.
Such a great player. Those were the days when football had characters, so much better than today! I remember him breaking his leg at my club Bristol City, he was on a stretcher stuck in the car park as the game ended having banter with the city supporters as they all came out, everyone loved him as a player!
Really enjoyable doco, interviewer let Stan speak otherwise if he'd been talked at he'd be round the corner at The Springbok by the sounds of it. Pretty sad when he said he doesn't laugh so much now...
When I was 11 or 12, I was potty about football....Stan was someone who stood out. It was interesting that he mentioned Denis Law, because that was who I'd place Bowles amongst - Law, Best, Charlton etc. SB had style. Really captured my imagination at that age.
One of my all time favourite players and I was in the QPR youth team back in the day too then he left and went to Orient I think? I Read his autobiography years ago,what a class act,I really wish him well!
I know of Stan because I'm an 80's/90's kid but thankfully I heard of his stories and the QPR days. Liverpool didn't take A chance. He was just A maverick. He did it his way. Okay it didn't work out but that's life. Liked A bet did Stan. Me too.
watched him bag a couple on his debut at city, what a class player, they really must have been a bad crew if big mal said so, he was no angel himself ! i was gutted when he was elbowed from maine road and sorry to see his demise for a few years but delighted to see his rise to cult hero at qpr. i always anticipated his return to play against us and whenever they were on tv id try to watch. a true maverick and proper boys own stuff.
This bloke was an awesome player back in the day when men were men! I detect a Manchester accent in a cockney man,he reminds of Roy shaw bare knuckle man👊
Stan was from manchester lol. Brian clough fell out with Stan at forest, the club he joined QPR from, telling him "You bloody cockneys are all the same".
Great fun great characther , The last time I seen this man , I had a beer with him and a mutual good friend of us both , The New Inn , near Brentford old football ground , he comes across a bit big headed here , but in fact he is just being truthful and fun . That time around 91 or 1992 he told me that he was heading up to Manchester United and he's getting paid to talk to the young players, he laughed so much at that , that evening and he landed me in it with the strict landlord I won't even go there , just a funny prank , he loved the craic , in later years I thought back about that evening . Fergie was no fool , the young players then were Giggs and co , so Fergie was not stupid , he got a nice man to point them lads in the right direction, and hammer through the fact of life in and out of the game . it worked on them , through old style legends like him , more than likely he gave them a few tips for the horse's😂no I'd say he told them to enjoy it... your getting paid to entertain and they did , and I m sure Stan the man R.I.P would have told them do as I say and not as I do, on the quite , because deep down he loved people and football . He even knew about my cousin who had played for Fulham and captained Millwall , he knew my cousin had a gas accident and praised him and said he might have hit the big time, only for that set back. He was genuine and generous to all comers . He loved people, and fun playing tricks in and out of the game 😂knew all the young players. Great man😇 great days , club loyal players, they played their hearts out to win for the working class man, And these players were happy with that , they cared that supporters were not looked at as customers but one big family , and that people didn't need to spend half their wages to get in the gate , they went to support their team with their family every week, and did not need selfies to remember it . A Touch of old style quite class R.I.P Stan 😇
His Mrs had left him, late 70s, playing at Cardiff, Grangetown End singing Stanley, Stanley where's your wife, he turned and held his hands out, he got um all clapping him after that, proper geezer.
Stan Bowles one of the greats of the 70's, you don't get players like this now, if Stan was about today he would cost at least 200 million, and the guy was around when there was not a lot of money in wages, but it did not seem to matter to the old score, and the public never paid the ridiculous money either to watch a match. I think money has spoiled the game, to think we used to pay 2 to 3 shillings in the early 70,s to watch players like Stan, George Best, Tony Currie, he was a bit like Stan , Bobby Chalton and many more. At Villa now it is 48 to 64 pounds if you want a match ticket, i looked at Man Utd Jesus it is 103 pounds for an average ticket. Any way God Bless you Stan you never got much money, but you entertained millions of us, when the English football league, was the English football league. RIP Stan we will all remember you for ever..
Stan scored 12 goals for Carlisle United in 71/72, including one against AS Roma in the Olympic Stadium. He wad idolised here. Pity the ignorant interviewer had to be reminded by Stan that he played for us at all!
Great documentary and what a player and character. However his memory of the Aek penalty shoot out is flawed and the record should be set straight. Don Givens was one of the six QPR players who converted a spot kick.
Stan would play how he wanted total world class and character to go with it.managers would see his talent and in the end they would back down knowing this man literally could take a game by the scruff of its neck and make things happen.one of the lads and qpr legend always a joker no one could touch our no.10 for his presence and skills back then he still is and always will be along with gerry francis kings of W12.urrrrsssss
So, the bit about tripping himself up to get a penalty..I mean is that meant to be a joke, it doesn't seem like it when he says Dave Sexton told them to go down in the box any chance they got....so much for the 'honest' football of the 70's
