Rangers embarked on a Swedish tour in the summer of 1982 which commenced with a match against IS Halmia on 25th July. The R’s won the game 3-2 with goals from Simon Stainrod, Terry Fenwick and Steve Wicks. Two days later the opponents were Myresjo IF, Clive Allen scored the only goal of the game.
The R’s were then defeated 0-1 by Kalmar FF the following day. Three days later, QPR ran out 5-0 winners against Veberods AIf with two goals from Clive Allen, two more from Tony Sealy and one from Warren Neill.
I haven’t been able to ascertain the Rangers line-up, but the programme lists 19 club personnel including the manager Terry Venables, Allan Harris, David Butler the club physio and Jock Skinner.
The remaining 15 named are; Gorrn Francis? (Gerry had been transferred to Coventry City earlier in the year), Ian Gillard, Peter Hucker, Bob Hazell, John Burridge, Tony Currie, Mike Flanagan, Clive Allen, Andy King? (who had left the club the previous September),Tony Sealy, Gary Waddock, Glenn Roeder, Terry Fenwick, Gary Micklewhite and Simon Stainrod.
Simon Staal, one of the Swedish R’s, managed to get in touch with Truls Mansson who is one of the guys behind the Wolverhampton Wanderers Swedish Supporters Club. Although being a Wolves fan, Truls attended the game and passed on the following memories:
‘My friend is a QPR fan, but he was not able to attend the match. To pour some salt in his wounds I decided to go anyway. Neither one of us had seen our favourite team live before. So when the opportunity to watch “his” team before him I jumped at the chance.
There was a connection to Wolves as well. Big defender Bob Hazell used to play for Wolves before joining QPR. He was one of my idols so I wanted to see him play and this was another reason to go. My dad drove me to the game as I was only 16 at the time.
My father had no interest in English football and went only because of the half-time entertainment. Ricky Bruch (1946-2011), a former discus world record holder and bronze medal winner in the 1972 Olympics, had promised to set a world record in throwing a wellie as long as possible. Bruch was an outspoken and odd character who also went on to try his luck as an actor.
I don’t remember much from the game as I spent most of the time studying Bob Hazell. QPR won 5-0 after goals from Allen (2), Sealy (2) and Neill.
I bought a QPR flag at the ground and after the match I got it signed by many of the players; Simon Stainrod, Clive Allen, Terry Fenwick and Glenn Roeder to mention a few. I also got Ricky Bruch’s autograph, but the tired looking former Olympian missed out on his attempted world record.
I recall the QPR players being very friendly and keen to make a good impression. They took their time to sign a lot of autographs and really seemed to enjoy the warm Swedish summer. As the team bus left the ground, they waved happily at all the young autograph hunters that had surrounded them, minutes earlier.
I kept the QPR flag and the autographs for thirty years before I could get myself to give them to a Swedish QPR fan. The influence that English football had on young lads in Sweden in the 1980’s was really that strong’.
The final match of the tour followed on the 2nd August against Hjaernarp GIF. The R’s won the game 8-0 with goals from Mike Flanagan (3), Bobby Hazell (2) and one apiece from Tony Sealy, Ian Dawes and Ian Stewart.
Steve Russell
(My thanks to Truls Mansson and Simon Staal for their help with this article)