Queens Park Rangers Signed Memorabilia: 5 products

The 1970s was the golden decade for Queens Park Rangers fans. The hair was long and west London was the place to be to watch sexy soccer. In the 1975-76 season QPR came within a whisker of winning the First Division title and it seemed that the whole of the country was willing them to take top spot. At the time QPR were everyone's second team – an unheralded side who played the game the right way and had the temerity to challenge Liverpool's dominance of the English game.

No-one exemplified QPR's charm like Stan Bowles. The eccentric fans' favourite became Rangers' first six-figure signing in 1972 when he joined from Carlisle. To managers he was a headache, too much of a maverick for his own good, but to fans he was a genius with a character every bit as big as his soccering talent. Alongside Bowles that QPR side also made stars of the likes of Gerry Francis and Dave Thomas.

QPR's rise to prominence began in 1967 when they managed the unthinkable and won the League Cup as a Third Division club. No other team before or since has managed to repeat that giant-killing feat. In the first League Cup final ever to be played at Wembley, Rangers squared up to First Division side West Brom as massive underdogs.

The situation looked even more bleak as they headed into half-time 2-0 down. In the second-half the Superhoops roared back. Roger Morgan put them back in contention before a marvelous equalizer from Rodney Marsh. It was left to Mark Lazarus to seal the victory late on and win QPR's only major trophy to date. They secured promotion from the Third Division the same year and in 1968 got their first taste of the top flight.

Eight years later, under the guidance of Dave Sexton, QPR made it to within a point of being Division One champions. A frustrating defeat to Norwich ended their hopes of winning the league and despite winning their last game of the season it was Liverpool who took the crown, by a single point. The following year saw Rangers light up the UEFA Cup in their first appearance in the competition. They scored an amazing 26 goals on their way to the quarter-final where only a defeat to AEK Athens on penalties halted their progress.

Rangers have never come as close to League and European glory as they did in the 1970s, although the club has enjoyed entertaining spells under QPR old boys Terry Venables and Gerry Francis. The club's last experience of top flight soccer came when they were relegated from the Premiership in the 1995-96 season. The period since then has been characterized by inconsistency on the pitch and financial turmoil off it but in the last few seasons things appear to be looking up at Loftus Road.

In 2007, Formula One multi-millionaires Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone completed a takeover of the club. Lakshmi Mittal, one of the world's richest men, is also now a shareholder. Fans will be hoping this new found wealth can help Rangers recapture the glories of former years.