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Stan Bowles

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For the song by the Others, see Stan Bowles (song).

Stan Bowles
Personal information
Full name Stanley Bowles[1]
Date of birth (1948-12-24)24 December 1948
Place of birth Collyhurst, England
Date of death 24 February 2024(2024-02-24) (aged 75)
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward, midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1967–1970 Manchester City 17 (2)
1970 Bury 5 (0)
1970–1971 Crewe Alexandra 51 (18)
1971–1972 Carlisle United 33 (12)
1972–1979 Queens Park Rangers 255 (70)
1979–1980 Nottingham Forest 19 (2)
1980–1981 Leyton Orient 46 (7)
1981–1983 Brentford 73 (16)
1983–1984 Brentford 8 (0)
Epping Town
Total 507 (127)
International career
1974–1977 England 5 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stanley Bowles (24 December 1948 – 24 February 2024) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. Known for his skills as a player in the 1970s and 1980s, he also gained a reputation as one of the game's great non-conformists and mavericks. He played over 250 league games for Queens Park Rangers, and earned five England caps.

Club career

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Early career

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Born in Collyhurst, Manchester, Lancashire,[3][4] he began his career as an apprentice at Manchester City,[3] scoring twice in each of his first two games.[4] He was then left out of the side for the next game and reinstated for the following two games without scoring. Bowles was then kept out of the side following the arrival of Francis Lee. He played only one more game during the 1967–68 season, as City won the league title under manager Joe Mercer. He had off-field problems and was considered to have a lax attitude to training, Bowles then had a disagreement with coach Malcolm Allison in a Manchester nightclub. Subsequently, he only played one full League match during the 1968–69 season. He played for 11 more times in League and cup for City in his final season, the 1969–70 season, without scoring and was then released by City after a series of off-field incidents.[5][6]

After a brief and unsuccessful stay at Bury, he was signed by Ernie Tagg, manager of Crewe Alexandra, then in the Fourth Division.[4][7] Signed by Tagg on a month's trial, Bowles agreed a two-year contract less than two weeks later; Bowles later said Tagg was a "father figure" who helped him rediscover his touch and appetite for the game.[8]

Tagg is often quoted in respect of Bowles' gambling problems; he used to give the player's wages direct to his wife, saying: "If he could pass a bookie's as well as he passes a football, he'd be a very rich man."[9] Tagg managed a Crewe pub, The Vine. Stan Bowles said:

It was Ernie Tagg who made that crack about my ability to pass a betting shop. It was a bit rich, coming from him. Ernie had a pub [The Vine], and I remember him staying there for a darts match instead of watching a game once. At least I used to turn up![10]

With 18 goals in 51 league games for Crewe, Bowles' skill caught the eye of a number of bigger clubs. In October 1971, he was signed by Carlisle United, at the time a Second Division club, for a fee of £12,000, well under Crewe's £25,000 valuation.[11] He scored 12 goals in 33 league appearances for the club, including a hat-trick in a 3–0 win over league leaders Norwich City at Brunton Park.[12] He was in the Carlisle side that beat Italian giants AS Roma 3–2 victory in the Stadio Olimpico in 1972, infuriating the home side by performing keepie uppies on the halfway line.[12]

Queens Park Rangers

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Bowles was sold to Queens Park Rangers for £112,000 in September 1972, after impressing manager Gordon Jago in QPR's penultimate home game of the 1971–72 season, a 3–0 home defeat of Carlisle United.[4][13] He replaced Rodney Marsh, who had been transferred to Bowles' first club Manchester City six months before.[14] Bowles took over Marsh's number 10 shirt, which other players had been reluctant to wear in fear of being compared unfavourably to the mercurial Marsh. Bowles had no such qualms about taking the shirt, and joked that, coming from the North, he had never really heard of Marsh.[4][14]

Bowles was often regarded as something of a character both on and off the pitch. Bowles had been known to cite a notable incident in his playing days involving the FA Cup trophy. Having won the FA Cup final four days prior, Sunderland were parading the trophy at Roker Park on 9 May 1973, when they met QPR in the Second Division.[15] The trophy had been placed on a table at the side of the pitch when Bowles tore straight across the park and claims to have kicked the ball at it full speed, sending the Cup flying through the air.[15] According to Bowles' own account, the crowd predictably went ballistic, but he had the last laugh by scoring two goals in the match which ended in a pitch invasion;[15] Bowles said: "There were a couple of us who had a bet on who could knock it off the table with the ball first".[15] However, his version of events has been disputed; according to Jago (QPR's manager at the time), it was Bowles' teammate, defender Tony Hazell, who struck the cup with an accidental clearance.[16]

Bowles spent just over seven years at QPR, playing a central role in arguably the club's greatest ever team, that which finished as league runners-up in 1975–76 season under Dave Sexton.[17]

In the 1976–77 season, having finished as league runners-up, QPR played in European competition for the first time. During this campaign, Bowles broke the record for goals scored by a British player in a European campaign with 11 goals including two hat-tricks against Brann Bergen from Norway and two goals against Slovan Bratislava, a side which featured many of the Czech team that had won the European Championships in Yugoslavia only months earlier. The 3–3 draw against Bratislava on 20 October 1976, is regarded by many as the club's greatest away performance.[13][18]

In 1979, Bowles fell out with QPR's new manager, Tommy Docherty.[4] Bowles responded to Docherty's plea of "You can trust me, Stan" with "I'd rather trust my chickens with Colonel Sanders".[19] Docherty made Bowles train with the reserves for nearly six months, before selling Bowles to Nottingham Forest in December 1979.[20]

A 2014 fans poll saw Bowles voted the club's all-time greatest player.[21] In 2022, the Ellerslie Road Stand at QPR's ground, Loftus Road was renamed the Stanley Bowles Stand.[4][22]

Nottingham Forest

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Part of the side which won the two-legged, 1979 European Super Cup against Barcelona in February 1980,[23] Bowles failed to settle at Nottingham Forest under the management of Brian Clough, and he ruled himself out of the 1980 European Cup final, after Clough refused to allow Bowles to play in John Robertson's testimonial.[24] Bowles was essentially understudy to the UK's first £1 million signing Trevor Francis during his one season at the City Ground.[20]

Leyton Orient

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Bowles was then sold to Leyton Orient for £90,000 after making only 23 appearances in all competitions.[20] As part of ambitious plans by manager Jimmy Bloomfield, Bowles was signed alongside record signing Peter Taylor bought for a club record fee of £150,000 from Tottenham Hotspur.[25] Neither were a success and once John Chiedozie was sold, Bloomfield resigned and Bowles was sold.[26]

Brentford

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He joined Brentford the following year. Persuaded to sign following a cash payment of £4,000, Bowles took the money to White City Greyhounds losing most of it to the bookmakers at the track.[27] Picked regularly by manager, Fred Callaghan, he featured throughout the 1981–82 and 1982–83 seasons in a midfield trio alongside Chris Kamara and Terry Hurlock. He chose to retire at the end of the 1982–83 season after the club finished 18 points short of automatic promotion.[28][29] Bowles came out of retirement to briefly rejoin the club on a non-contract basis during 1983–84 season, before retiring again in February 1984.[30] He received a testimonial in 1987, earning £17,000.[31]

After retirement from the professional game, he continued to play at non-league level for Epping Town.[32]

International career

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Bowles made his international debut against Portugal in Lisbon in April 1974 in Alf Ramsey's last match in charge. He won five caps for England, all while playing for Queens Park Rangers (playing for three managers: Ramsey, Joe Mercer and Don Revie) and scored his only international goal in a 2–0 win over Wales at Ninian Park in 1974. He made his final England appearance in February 1977, in a friendly against the Netherlands at Wembley.[33][34]

Personal life

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Bowles was a prolific gambler and ended his career with significant gambling debts. It is estimated that he lost an estimated £750,000 to gambling in the course of his career.[35] Bowles' 1996 autobiography revealed the extent of his drinking, womanising and gambling during his playing days, and also helped to secure a role as a pundit on Sky Sports. He was also the life chairman of the Queens Park Rangers LSA (Loyal Supporters Association).[36]

A cult icon,[37] a song bearing his name was released as a single by the group The Others.[38] Bowles also written betting columns in the national press and a column in lads' mag Loaded,[20] and also appeared on the after-dinner-speaker circuit.

On 20 June 2015, Bowles was reported to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease.[39] On 22 August, Queens Park Rangers honoured Bowles as he was presented to the crowd at Loftus Road before their game against Rotherham United.[40] In July 2017, QPR arranged a testimonial game for Bowles, this time against AFC Bournemouth. Additionally, the club retired the number 10 for the season, the number worn by Bowles during his time with QPR.[41]

Bowles died on 24 February 2024, at the age of 75.[42][22][43] He was survived by his second wife, Diane Bushell, and by children Andria, Carl and Tracy, from his first marriage, to Ann.[4] Bowles was a cousin of footballer Paul Bowles (also a Crewe player,[44] though Stan said he'd never met him).[8]

Honours

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Nottingham Forest

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Stan Bowles". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Stan Bowles". 11v11.com. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b Coyle, Simon (24 February 2024). "Former footballer Stan Bowles dies aged 75 after Alzheimer's battle". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Welch, Julie (25 February 2024). "Stan Bowles obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  5. ^ Clayton, David (24 February 2024). "Stan Bowles: 1948–2024". Manchester City F.C. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  6. ^ Tossell, David (16 March 2012). Big Mal: The High Life and Hard Times of Malcolm Allison, Football Legend. Mainstream Publishing. p. 188 ff. ISBN 978-1-78057-465-3.
  7. ^ Steen, Rob (2020). The Mavericks: English Football When Flair Wore Flares. London: Bloomsbury. p. 192. ISBN 9781472974860.
  8. ^ a b Bowles, Stan (1975) Stan Bowles: The Autobiography, Orion Books, London. p.43.
  9. ^ Mitchell, Kevin (16 August 2009). "Stan Bowles explains the problem with modern football". The Observer. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  10. ^ "Great Stan Bowles Interview". We Are The Rangers Boys. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  11. ^ Bowles, Stan (1975) Stan Bowles: The Autobiography, Orion Books, London. p.45.
  12. ^ a b Coleman, Jon (24 February 2024). "Stan Bowles: Carlisle United and QPR legend dies at 75". News & Star. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  13. ^ a b Guy, Chris. "Stan Bowles: Putting QPR on the map". Queens Park Rangers F.C. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  14. ^ a b Andrew Smart; Garry Birtles (8 May 2014). Best, Pele and a Half-Time Bovril: A Nostalgic Look at the 1970s – Football's Last Great Decade. John Blake Publishing, Limited. p. 125 ff. ISBN 978-1-78418-069-0.
  15. ^ a b c d Pickup, Oliver; Bandini, Nicky (8 November 2006). "Did Stan Bowles take a pot shot at the FA Cup?". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  16. ^ Lutz, Tom; Bandini, Nicky; Dart, James (15 November 2006). "The most complicated league system in the world". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  17. ^ Pajaro, Indro (14 March 2018). "QPR and the great title race of 1975/76: the 10-day champions".
  18. ^ Admin, Site (21 October 2011). "The Greatest Ever Queen's Park Rangers Away Performance ? – Independent Rs". Independent Rs – News and views on Queens Park Rangers. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  19. ^ Collar, Mark (April 2013). Those Forest Men. Lulu.com. pp. 268–. ISBN 978-1-291-34733-3.
  20. ^ a b c d "Stan Bowles, brilliant maverick QPR and England footballer – obituary". Telegraph. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Stock and Bowles named QPR's greatest". Queens Park Rangers F.C. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Stan Bowles: Former England and QPR forward dies aged 75". BBC Sport. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  23. ^ "FC Barcelona – Nottingham Forest 1:1 (UEFA Super Cup 1979, Final)". worldfootball.net.
  24. ^ Mitchell, Kevin (16 August 2009). "Stan Bowles explains the problem with modern football". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  25. ^ Orient, Leyton. "Leyton Orient". Leyton Orient.
  26. ^ Tongue, S. (2016). Turf Wars. Pitch Publishing. p. 267. ISBN 978-1-78531-248-9. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  27. ^ Hayward, Paul (25 February 2024). "Stan Bowles' chaotic lifestyle could not disguise his brilliance on the pitch". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  28. ^ "Stan Bowles: Former Brentford team-mates share their memories". Brentford F.C. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  29. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, p. 93.
  30. ^ Croxford, Lane & Waterman, pp. 116–118.
  31. ^ Griffin Gazette: Brentford's Official Matchday Magazine versus Crewe Alexandra 06/04/96. Quay Design of Poole. 1996. p. 20.
  32. ^ "England Players – Stan Bowles". englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  33. ^ "Stan Bowles: QPR icon dies aged 75 after battle with Alzheimer's disease". Yahoo Sports. 24 February 2024.
  34. ^ "englandstats.com | 895 Stan Bowles (1974–1977)". www.englandstats.com.
  35. ^ Cox, R.; Russell, D.; Vamplew, W. (2020). Encyclopedia of British Football. Taylor & Francis. p. 498. ISBN 978-1-000-14414-7. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  36. ^ "Carlisle United star Stan Bowles dies aged 75". Cumbria Crack. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  37. ^ "QPR's cult heroes". 13 August 2004. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  38. ^ "Stan Bowled over by song". BBC Sport. 28 October 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  39. ^ "Stan Bowles: Former England player diagnosed with Alzheimer's". BBC Sport. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  40. ^ "Queens Park Rangers 4–2 Rotherham United". BBC Sport. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  41. ^ Wilmot, Lee (27 July 2017). "Hoops release squad numbers and there's a special number ten". My London. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  42. ^ "RIP Stanley Bowles: 1948–2024". Queens Park Rangers F.C. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  43. ^ "Stan Bowles, QPR legend and former England international, dies at 75". The Guardian. PA Media. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  44. ^ Sherwin, Phil (12 November 2011). "A virtuoso performance secured outstanding win". The Sentinel: The Way We Were.
  45. ^ "UEFA Super Cup 1980 Final". UEFA.com. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  46. ^ Croxford, Mark; Lane, David; Waterman, Greville (2011). The Big Brentford Book of the 80s. Legends Publishing. p. 383. ISBN 978-1906796716.
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