This weeks player of the week wasn’t at QPR long but left a lasting impact on the club as both a player and a manager.

He began his career at Birmingham making his debut at just 16 years of age and spent 9 years at St Andrews scoring 118 goals for his hometown side.

In 1979 he became the first player to be transferred for one million pounds

As he moved to Nottingham Forest where he won the League Cup and he scored the winner in the European cup final that same year. Francis' glittering career continued as he went to Man City before a move abroad to play in Italy for Sampdoria. During this time he won 52 caps for England scoring 12 goals and played in both the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.

Jim Smith brought him to QPR on a free transfer looking to add some more experience to the forward line which had recently lost Gary Bannister. At 33 years old he was seen as a veteran and many felt he was past his best but Frabcis still had loads to offer. He made his debut for Rangers as a second half sub on the 26th March 1988 as we beat Portsmouth 1-0. Francis featured in the last 9 games of the season as we finished the season in 5th place 

We started the 1988/89 season slowly and didn;t score a goal in the first 4 games before Francis got his first QPR goals in a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. The goals continued for Francis in a 3-2 defeat at Millwall and arguably his best goal for QPR came in the League Cup win over Charlton as he scored a spectacular volley in a 2-1 win.

His goal in a 2-1 win over Coventry proved to be a big day at the club as it was Jim Smith’s last game in charge before he left to take over at Newcastle. Speculation began as to who would replace him and Francis emerged as a strong candidate. On the pitch he scored in a 1-1 draw at Charlton before being named the clubs first ever player/manager.

His first goal in the new role came against Aston Villa in a 2-1 defeat and he got his first win as manager days later with a thumping 4-1 win at Southampton which was his biggest win as manager.

A knee injury ended his season as a player and after being knocked out of both the FA Cup and League Cup in January followed by  Simod Cup exit in February the team were slipping towards the drop with 8 league games without a win.

Francis entered the transfer market and made some strong additions. Peter Reid, Andy Gray and Nigel Spackman arrived to bolster the midfield, Colin Clarke arrived up front and scored on his debut at Newcastle. He then brought in a young winger from Brentford called Andy Sinton who scored on his home debut and would go on to be a brilliant player at Loftus Road.

Rangers ended up staying up with a strong end to the season winning 8 of the last 12 games that season which included wins over Manchester United and Tottenham.

Hopes were high in his first full season as we started it off with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace before Francis returned from injury and was soon among the goals. He scored this unbelievable hat trick against Aston Villa, the 3rd goal summed him up as a player showing great skill, class and composure and even the Villa fans applauded.

His final goal for QPR came in a 4-1 home defeat to Southampton which was his biggest defeat as manager.

The pressure was on him as results were not good, we went 7 games without a win and fans were losing patience. He still had one special day in him as we beat Liverpool 3-2 at Loftus Road. He watched from the stands and celebrated that famous win with his wife Helen embracing him in the Directors Box.

A 3-0 defeat at Arsenal followed by a dour 0-0 draw with Millwall saw his time as manager come to an end as he was sacked and replaced by his coach Don Howe.

He did have one last transfer to make before he left agreeing a deal for Ray WIlkins to join the club which went through despite him leaving and was one of the best free transfer signings the club has ever made.

Francis went on to have a long managerial career at Sheffield Wednesday, Crystal Palace and Birmingham City and although his time at Loftus Road was short it was never dull.

He made 42 appearances for QPR scoring 15 goals which included one penalty, one hat trick and he scored twice on 2 separate occasions.

As a Manager he won 14 of his 47 games with a win percentage of 29%

His time as manager had some classic games and he made some key signings such as Andy Sinton and Ray Wilkins which would go on to form the backbone of the team which flourished in West London during the early 90’s.

Trevor Francis sadly passed away in the summer of 2023 and QPR fans paid tribute to him with a great flag which was on display when we faced Birmingham away in September 2023 as well as featuring at several home games.

He had a great career in football and should be remembered fondly by QPR fans as both a player and as a manager.