Best and worst opening days

Best: 1st half vs West Ham, 1997
Worst: 2nd half vs West Ham, 1997

 

a good opening day sets the tone for the season. A tonking can be hard to recover from. But some can also be misleading. Fulham a couple of years ago was an example of creating false optimism. I remember being at QPR for 08-09 with a packed away end chanting Davey's name. First 20 mins were perfect. Howard setting up Hume to go 1-0 up. After that we were gash. Utter gash. and you knew it would be a long hard season. Davey was lucky to survive the season and he was gone 12 months later.

that game is notable for QPR's centre half scoring two goals. and then when they were awarded a penalty to go potentially go 3-1 up the same centre back decided to take it to get his hatrick. Ludicrous decision. If i'd have been QPR boss I'd have been fuming. Luke Steele saved it, or he missed. Can't remember. it mattered not in the end.

 

Fitz Hall.

 

Fitz Hall ("One Size" to his mates) was the defender. He scored 3 goals for QPR... Yup, you've guessed it all against Barnsley lol

 

yes that's the one. A mountain of a man. Can't take penalties.

 

Worst that I've attended was Crawley in 2014/15. I was optimistic after all the signings we made that we'd easily get promoted. That defeat knocked the wind out of everyone's sails.

Best was Oxford in 2018. I knew that day we'd be promoted.

 

Good shout forgot about the fulham game

 

a comfortable home win, your big name signing (Hayes) scores on his debut, a nice day, a real sense of a good season ahead. You can't beat that. So 2-0 against Swindon under Ritchie's first (and only) full season ticked all the boxes.

 

Yeah there was alot of optimism we would walk the league and go straight back up players like lita, treacy, turnbull Crawley could only dream of having a big home crowd and it went downhill from the 1 nil flattered us and when jennings was sent off late on it was the que for many disappointed fans to exit.

 

It Wasn’t that game I don’t think but I can remember the tannoy asking for the seller then I think in the chronicle there was a story of the vendor going to Blackpool with the Money if I’m not mistaken , think it were a cup match midweek seems to ring a bell .

 

I wouldn't say best, but one of the opening days I enjoyed most was in 1990 when we were at home to Brighton.

It was Machins first full season after he'd helped us avoid relegation the previous year. Sunny day, a 2-1 win with 2 bullet diving headers (Cooper was one, think the other may have been Mark Smith) and Baker made a stunning save from close range to tip it over the bar.

 

Didn’t we get battered 5-0 home to Wigan a few years back?
West Brom away 96 was memorable. Then did Man City at theirs. Clint scored in both, if I remember reight?

 

Mads & Bambo were awesome that day, on their Reds debuts. Can’t remember who got our goal? Cauley against his old club? .

 

Thomas.

 

Luke Thomas.

 

Sibbick looked good at right back too.

 

That’s right. Cutting in off right wing. I think..

 

Aye. I genuinely think we still have a good player in that lad..

 

Quality performance. Ian Banks set up one, maybe even both goals.

 

I'm with this on the best. Certainly the WBA game. Was there and its a complete a performance as I've ever seen. Awesome we were.

The worst or most deflating one for me was the opener when davey was in charge. Felt optimistic and hit the ground very hard when we got thumped 4 nil I think it was at home home Coventry?