The tragedy of being a QPR fan

Normal families spend the Easter holidays by the seaside or in the Mediterranean. But not the Youngs. My three boys and I took advantage of the two-week break to criss-cross the country following Queens Park Rangers, going to Sheffield, Preston and Huddersfield. We lost 1-0 to Sheffield and 2-1 to Preston, but managed to draw 2-2 with Huddersfield, which made it a good day out by QPR’s recent standards.

I’ve always enjoyed going to the occasional away game, but this season my sons and I have tried to go to as many as possible to compensate for the closure of football grounds during the pandemic. Our original plan was to go to every single fixture, but that hasn’t been possible for a number of reasons, such as having to accompany my daughter to Mexico in February to help her find a job and a flat. That meant missing a trip to Barnsley on 12 February, where QPR lost 1-0. But we’ve been to 19 away games so far, as well as every home match.

A typical QPR away day starts with a mad dash to Euston or King’s Cross, often hampered by delays or cancellations. For instance, the London Overground train we needed to get from Willesden Junction to Euston to catch our train to Blackburn in time for kick off on 26 February was cancelled, forcing us to abandon the railway network. We managed to get to Euston in an Uber with seconds to spare, but the connecting train to take us from Preston to Blackburn was then delayed, forcing us to get another cab to the ground. That added to the already eye-watering expense – and to cap it all we lost 1-0.

Reading this, you probably think QPR never win away – and, indeed, the away fans have a chant they sing to the tune of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’: ‘We’re the Rangers, the mighty Rangers, we never win away… a win away, a win away, a win away, a win away…’ Witnessing moments of self-deprecating humour like this among the long-suffering QPR faithful is one of the things that makes following the club on the road such fun – although it’s a lot more fun when you actually win, obviously.

For the first half of this season that’s exactly what we did.