LEE – QPR – AWAY DAY RADIO

Hi Lee, How did you get into football and when?

My dad used to take me QPR from about 6 years old and loved it, I loved the whole day of hearing the singing, QPR scoring a goal and being lifted by my dad and other strangers high up when we scored! It’s a buzz that has never gone away.

What was your first memory of trouble at a football match?

First time I ever saw trouble was at Fulham away (I know funny who gets trouble at Fulham) but honestly it’s my first memory being about 10 years old and I remember coming out the away end with my dad and just seeing people being hit and men knocked out on the floor screaming and shouting. I was absolutely petrified! And never wanted to go back to football again as a 10-year-old bang in the middle of that was a scary experience (how times have changed now lol )

When did you become a football casual?

First time I was involved in any sort of trouble at football was when we played Cardiff in the division 2 playoff final at the millennium stadium this was in 2003… I was 15 at the time. I remember being in a queue at the burger van before the game and saw a group of about 30 lads walking down the road looking for trouble all dressed up then I saw 6 lads walk into the road and front this group of 30 lads (I didn’t know at this point who was who) I thought this is going to kick off and them 6 lads are going to get ruined) one of the 6 lads who was a big lump skinhead, dressed in stone island head to toe clapped his hands and said “come on Cardiff I’m QPR” the 6 lads then tore into this Cardiff lot, it then went into a full-scale battle and remember getting hit as it kicked right off in front of this burger van I didn’t want to but had no choice other than to try and fight back and join the other QPR fans and lads at attacking this Cardiff lot. The 6 QPR lads are my good pals now and I remind them of this story when I’m with them. All the way home all I could think about was this guy who fronted the Cardiff lot clapped his hands and offered it up, he was like a hero to me I loved him but didn’t know him at the time. And the buzz that I got from this day I couldn’t leave it there, I needed to be with this QPR lot and all I wanted was to be that guy who I now obviously know as MB.

Who are your main rivals?

Main rivals LUTON !! All-day long this has been passed down from older QPR lads. If you want to ever see two firms make an effort all day long and will do anything to make it happen then it’s QPR vs LUTON, never been to a Luton game where there hasn’t been major disorder.

What’s your biggest battle with them?

No one has ever been nicked for the one I would love to talk about but unfortunately, we know what the OB is like and don’t want to take a risk in talking about it. Luton and we both know what one is the best :).

Who else did you have a big battle with?

Who else did we have a battle with? Same as every lad ..they will have too many to mention! but will just pick one out that stands out to me being on a tram at Sheffield Wednesday away on route to the ground about 20 of us (no ob) next thing as the tram is pulling into the tram stop I could see a pub emptying (someone had told them we were on this tram) They had bottles glasses chairs and I was thinking if them tram doors open we are dead lol! Said to the lads (we was all young about 20 years old) Just stay together and tight! Of course the fucking tram doors open and it was on top straight away fighting in the doorway of this tram they were throwing chairs bottles everything they could threw the doors as I said this was coming right on top, all these big lumps not even moving from our punches, then one of ours put a key through his finger and started banging them, blood going everywhere they all started shouting we got blades etc, we didn’t it was a key! Thank god the OB turned up and we then were escorted to the ground. Now that sticks out for me coz there were women and children on this tram and all you could hear was kids screaming and crying and these Sheffield lads were throwing glasses and chairs in there (I was them, young kids once so I knew how scared they were) and felt so guilty on them that it happened and they saw all that. Sheffield lads Should of just come over to the tram and said get off lads and let’s have a roll around etc.

Who have you come unstuck against?

Being QPR and being with the game lads I go with we was always outnumbered and came unstuck a lot of the times .. but personally for me would be HULL away being used as a football in the car park. And as embarrassing as it is would be WATFORD away, now people can take the piss all they want but would they land 15 handed at a pub knowing the pub was full to the brim of lads and attack it. Attacking a pub is not easy when you have your best firm with you let alone with 15 (all youth btw) We come unstuck and got hammered. Win some lose some but for me, it’s the buzz standing outside a pub full of lads shouting come on QPR’s here and then seeing the pub empty on us. Great times 🙂

Name 5 firms you rate and why?

Firms I rate (in no order) and on my personal experience of actually seeing them.

West Brom – the firm I’ve seen them pull will match anyone on there day.

Luton – top firm and always up for it never ever let ya down turning up.

Tottenham – for me top firm in London, they are game as fuck and always up for it.

Stoke – hate them but on what I’ve seen of them coming to QPR they have always come to us with massive numbers and we always try and have a go but sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say what a firm, they also always come with no escort!

Birmingham- another firm I’ve been impressed with on a personal level definitely up there as top 5 in England.

I could have added another 30 but these are what I’ve personally seen and not what someone has told me.

Name 5 firms you don’t rate and why?

Firms I don’t rate;

Brentford – being our local rivals this derby is as one-sided as gang rape! they are embarrassing, we don’t even bother going to the games no more. I won’t mention any other firms because every firm has good and bad days at the office and I respect any lads that turn out and put their self on offer each week and do it for there club.

What clobber do you wear down the match?

Matchday clobber – Cp and stone island.

What was your music scene on your awayday?

Awayday music has to be oasis love all their songs. Favourite song Oasis live forever.

And lastly, tell us what you enjoyed about being a football casual?

What I enjoy firstly, there are around 12 teams in London! 4 teams just around the west London area QPR CHELSEA FULHAM AND BRENTFORD. So other firms can take the piss and say we don’t have a big firm etc, no, we don’t, but we can still pull 100 + lads when it matters, We will always have game lads out on a matchday home and away. But other lads around the country don’t understand we have 4 teams in a small area what if we only had 1 or 2 teams in west London instead of 4 teams we would have a massive firm like the firms that only have 1 or 2 teams in the areas, people don’t understand that and should give us a lot more credit than they do. I would rather be in a group of 30 than a group of 100 all day long.

What I love the most about being QPR is we have an active game mob who don’t care about numbers and are not scared of ever getting turned over. We all know each other and are all good pals and can call on each other away from football. I owe everything I am today to RC without him my life would’ve gone a different way. And that’s what I love about the being a casual we’re all cut from the same cloth.