Queens Park Rangers v Norwich City

hoops
Memory Lane
AS THE EALING GAZETTE SPORTS EDITOR, MIKE DONOVAN WAS A
MAINSTAY OF THE LOFTUS ROAD PRESS BOX IN THE 1970S AND 1980S AND
WROTE ‘QPR’S GREATEST GAMES’. IN A REGULAR SERIES, HE LOOKS BACK
ON UNFORGETTABLE TIMES FOR RANGERS.
“Hello, Mike. Would you like a
cup of tea?”
“Yes, please.”
“Can you get us a couple of
cups of tea please, Budgie?”
It is a couple of days before
QPR took on Norwich City at
Loftus Road in October 1981.
Allan Harris, then assistant
manager to Terry Venables,
is asking the questions as he
welcomes me into the club
offices, while Budgie – the firstteam
goalkeeper John Burridge
– was happy to prioritise finding
a couple of cups, tea bags and
a kettle over preparations for
the upcoming fixture against
the Canaries, which ended in a
2-0 Rangers victory.
Perhaps they were trying to
keep the sports editor of the
Ealing Gazette happy. But almost
certainly, it was just a reflection
of the friendly atmosphere
running through the club.
Harris, who sadly passed in
November 2017 and was
the elder brother of Chelsea
legend Ron, and the custodian
clearly shared a generous
nature rather than the need to
garner positive press.
The jovial Burridge returned
all smiles with the steaming
beverages and, in between sips,
insights and opinions poured
out from Harris’ tongue.
And what became increasingly
clear was the amiable righthand
man to Venables, a
genuine Mr Nice Guy, was no
yes man.
Of course, he had developed
a friendship with Venables
when they were team-mates
at Chelsea.
But his mate’s decision to bring
Harris with him from Crystal
Palace, where they had been
the management team, to
Loftus Road the previous year,
had nothing to do with the Old
Pals’ Act.
Harris said to me that day: “If
I wasn’t good at my job as a
coach or an assistant manager,
there is no way he (Venables)
would have me at the club
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