Sports Poets Society

25 Feb 2024 - The Mail on Sunday By Jeff Powell MBE THERE was something of a tradition in days of yore for young football reporters to gather for a beer before Saturday matches at QPR’s Loftus Road ground. Stan The Man would breeze into the Queen’s Tavern in South Africa Road about half an hour before the 3pm kick-off, after popping into the corner shop to buy a packet of fags. He would smoke the first of those cigarettes for luck, down his pint, then stop at the adjacent betting shop to place his bets for the day’s races. He would make it to the home dressing room too late for the manager’s team talk but just in time to pull on his kit and boots and run last out of the tunnel. To roars of acclamation from the crowd. Whether or not there was a break in play he would drift towards the touchline shortly before half time and call out to a couple of regular fans close to the home dug-out, who would tell him which nag had won the 3.30 at somewhere like Haydock Park. That would be repeated ...