Hoop Dreams - QPR FC

A look back at a manager's playing career will not always provide a telling insight into their talents in the dug-out.

If a distinguished playing history was a marker of a great manager to be, then Arsene Wenger should be managing at Conference level and Jose Mourinho would be unemployable. Wenger only played professionally for one club, RC Strasbourg, for whom he made just 11 appearances whereas Mourinho had given up on a playing career by the age of 22 to study sports science.

Bobby Moore on the other hand captained England to the World Cup but the peak of his managerial ambition was spells with Oxford City and Southend United.

Can anything really be gauged from a manager's playing days then?

QPR's new boss Mick Harford could be placed firmly between these two camps. A respectable and lengthy playing career, without a large share of honours or international recognition, has led to a stop-start managerial career, unable to stay at a club long enough or to benefit from enough financial support to really make a difference.

Below is a more in-depth look at Harford the player (no double meaning intended) which might give QPR's squad a few hints of what to expect over the coming weeks.

Early Days

Harford was born in Sunderland in 1959 and progressed through the local Lambton Street Boys Club to join his first professional side, Lincoln City in July 1977. Initially employed as a midfielder, he was soon pushed further forward, using his imposing physical presence (he stands at 6 ft 4in) to become a feared lower-league striker, finishing the 1979/80 season as Lincoln's top scorer, with 16 goals from 35 games.

His fine form stretched into the next season, placing him on the radar of scouts from the top two divisions and he soon made the move back to the North-East with Newcastle United.

The jump of two divisions (from fourth to second, placing Harford in the then equivalent of the Championship) didn't work out though and in eight months with Newcastle he made just 19 appearances.

A £160,000 deal took him back down a division to join Bristol City in August 1981 but a rolling stone gathers no moss - by the following March Harford was off again with top-flight side Birmingham City picking him up for £100,000.

Battling With The Brum

Birmingham were scrapping around at the bottom end of the First Division on Harford's arrival but goals in his first two seasons helped to stave off relegation, before they succumbed to the drop at the end of the 1983/4 season (watch the first two minutes of the video below to see Harford in action for the Blues).



An indication of Harford's no-nonsense character could be a rumour dating to his Birmingham days. After a particularly niggly game with Portsmouth, Harford and some other Birmingham players supposedly arranged a fight with their opposing numbers in a nearby pub to settle the on-field disputes.

Halfway through the following campaign, it was time for Harford to move on again to start the most memorable association of his playing career. After 92 games and 25 goals for the west Midlanders, the club were able to make a substantial profit on the player when David Pleat decided to bring him to Luton Town for £250,000.

Mad As A Hatter

Harford soon found his spiritual home at Kenilworth Road (even if he later complained that their plastic pitch damaged his knees) and would remain at the club until 1990 (and later return for a second playing spell and turn as manager).


Pleat acknowledged at the time that Harford's transfer fee was a considerable risk for a club such as Luton but it was soon repaid with 15 league goals in just 22 games that season. He also helped the club on a run to the FA Cup semi-final where they faced Everton.

One of Everton's centre-backs on that day, Derek Mountfield, remembered playing against Harford with less than glowing fondness after the centre-forward gave him a black eye (pictured below).

"He bust my nose and splattered my eye that day and he's probably the nastiest centre forward I played against.

"He was an honest, hard, committed player but he wasn't afraid to use his elbows.

"I can't remember the actual incident but I remember my eye was rather big and shut by the Sunday morning."


Harford couldn't prevent Luton losing 2-1 though.

He would taste further FA Cup disappointment when the Hatters again missed out at the semi-final stage to eventual winners Wimbledon in 1988 but in that same season, he finally shared in Luton cup glory when they defeated Arsenal 3-2 in the League Cup Final.

It was also during this first spell at Luton that Harford made his England debut, coming on as a sub against Israel in 1988 though he would earn only one further cap.

A brief spell at Derby County arrived in the early 90s but even then Harford was able to help Luton, scoring an own goal when the two sides met on the final day of the 1990-1 season, thereby helping Luton to avoid relegation.

With the club hoping to avoid another relegation battle the following season, Luton turned to Harford and he rejoined the Hatters for £325,000 in September 1991 despite reported interest from Alex Ferguson (this blog on The Daily Telegraph argues that a similar player, such as Emile Heskey, would help Man United win the league this season).

Harford was teaming up once again with David Pleat in the hope of recreating the magic of the 1980s, but despite promising early signs (including Harford scoring an overhead kick on his 'second debut' for the club) and 12 league goals in 29 games for Harford, the club failed to pull off their annual escape act. Watch below to see Harford's memorable 'second debut'.



Life Without Luton and The Crazy Gang

Harford's career could be summarised as a strange mix of loyalty and itchy feet. Clearly when settled in the right club there were few more committed servants to the cause as his two spells at Luton testify. But at other times, he would quickly up sticks when a new manager saw him as the missing piece of the jigsaw.

So it largely proved after his playing days with Luton were over. After their relegation, he moved to Chelsea in August 1992 for £300,000 but wouldn't last the season, choosing to join his hometown club, Sunderland, the following March. In four months though, he made just eleven appearances and performed a similar disappearing act at his next club, Coventry, with one appearance in 13 months.

Only at his final club, Wimbledon, did Harford again find the team spirit and friendship which he had at Luton. Wimbledon were a club with an even greater reputation for fierce, no-nonsense football but Harford was unlikely to be phased by the physical side to their game and another old wives' tale suggests that he was the only player to avoid the infamous Crazy Gang initiations. He went on to make 60 appearances for the club before taking up a coaching role with them.


Any Conclusions?

Harford's playing days certainly bare the hallmarks of a tough character. His placing near the top of any football hard man list probably does him a disservice as you don't spend most of your career in the top flight just by kicking people (well, maybe Vinnie Jones), but Harford undoubtedly used his physique and strength to his advantage.

So, if man creates team in his own image, some Championship clubs should now be shaking in their boots. Again, the idea of Harford's teams as bruisers is an over-simplified one though. Luton were often commended for their style of football under David Pleat and Harford has already spoken about his desire to return to the QPR traditions of attacking football.

He's also spent most of his time at clubs with modest budgets and though the public image of QPR is one of cash-happy millionaires, the reality for the rest of this season is likely to be far more humble so Harford should feel at home.

He also never played at clubs with star players but instead, particularly at Luton and Wimbledon, ones where any success was built on an "all for one" spirit and hard-working ethic. That may be the biggest anomaly for Harford at QPR as over the last few months, Rangers have ventured as far from the 'Crazy Gang' model of team building as you can go. Settling a few egos and bringing some harmony to the dressing room could be his number one task.

Finally, as mentioned previously, if he finds the right club, Harford is clearly a very loyal man. There must be some well of affection for QPR within him as he returns for a second spell with the club, so if his new bosses can tap into that, they could have found the man to bring an end to the constant managerial switches.