26 Feb 2024 - Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland) BY PAUL BYRNE  Paul.byrne@mirror.co.uk @Paulbyrnemirror Seventies sporting maverick who was touched by genius "He was a delightful footballer & a hugely charismatic man"     - GARY LINEKER SINGS PRAISES OF STAR STAN While tens of thousands of football fans were buzzing with excitement at the prospect of seeing more of Stan Bowles’ brilliance, the man himself seemed much less focused on the match. His warm-up often consisted of hastily getting to the ground from a betting shop, where he would frequently be seen 20 minutes before kick-off. At other times, he wouldn’t even have his kit on with just 10 minutes to go before the game started, choosing instead to be reading a paper. But when he did get on the pitch, he graced it like few others ever have. Stan, who has died aged 75, was one of the great entertainers of a generation. The maverick was a supremely gifted player who helped to define an era. Former England strike...

Fist fights and gambling could not disguise Bowles’ mastery of the game Maverick was part of the QPR team that shone in the mid-1970s but he would win only five England caps Paul Hayward 26 Feb 2024 - The Guardian A veteran Fleet Street football writer once shared a story about running into Stan Bowles in a Nottingham betting shop shortly after his move in 1979 to Forest. Bowles was disconsolate, but not because he had backed another loser. “What’s up, Stan?” the reporter asked. “This manager,” Bowles replied, and proceeded to tell a story about Brian Clough. The first time Bowles had sat down in the Forest dressing room, Clough had fixed him with a stare and said: “You. What’s your name?” “What do you mean, what’s my name?” Bowles replied. “What’s your fucking name,” Clough persisted. “I’m Stan Bowles. You’ve just signed me from QPR.” Clough considered the response and said: “I want you to get the ball and give it to that fat fellah over there [pointing to the great John Robertson].” ...

25 Feb 2024 - Manchester Evening News By ANDY SIMS STANLEY Bowles raised his arms into the air and took the acclaim of the Loftus Road crowd.Stan Bowles waves to the fans on the pitch at QPR It was a familiar sight throughout the 1970s, but this was August 2015 and was to be the last time Bowles graced the pitch he once ruled. He looked in good physical shape as he was presented to the crowd on ‘Stan Bowles Day,’ QPR’s home fixture against Rotherham, but his condition had already taken its toll. Nevertheless Don Shanks, Bowles’ best friend and former Rangers team-mate who accompanied him out on to the pitch, said: “When Stan walked out at Loftus Road he knew exactly where he was, for some reason. A moment of knowing who he was.” The epitome of the 1970s football maverick, there was a time when pretty much everyone knew who Bowles was. Born in Collyhurst on Christmas Eve 1948, Bowles began his career as an apprentice at Manchester City. A brief stint at Bury followed before Bowles joine...

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 ...

https://www.amazon.it/Football-Portraits-Ritratti-calcio-Agbonlahor-ebook/dp/B01KI1XRO6 SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/episode/09gSrvEahgJjYMQzjYzkdq di CHRISTIAN GIORDANO ©, Guerin Sportivo © © Rainbow Sports Books Un aneddoto e una "sentenza". Per descriverlo, specie a chi mai l'ha visto giocare, non serve altro. L'aneddoto. Sunderland-QPR, ultima di Second Division 1972/73. Stanley Bowles è la talentuosa mezzala sinistra dei biancoblù londinesi, da un mese già promossi in First (arriveranno un punto dietro il Burnley, primo a 62). I Black Cats, a sorpresa, hanno appena vinto la FA Cup battendo 1-0 il Leeds United. Al vecchio Roker Park si radunano in 43.265 per ammirare in casa il trofeo, lasciato in bella mostra su un tavolinetto oltre la linea laterale. Bowles & C., però, hanno altri progetti. O perlomeno così narra la leggenda, spesso riportata – con dovizia di particolari, ma sempre diversi – dal diretto protagonista: «Un paio di noi avevano ...