HDU Members Spotlight: Steve Kotaidis (VIC)

Mark Davis
Jun 17
3 min read

Updated: Jul 2

Next up in our Hoops Down Under Member Spotlights, we head over to Melbourne, Victoria where we get to meet Steve, who too has been a QPR fan for over half a decade....

Q: Gidday Steve! So how long have you been a QPR fan?

A: 51 years! I started following QPR in 1974, after watching a regular weekly program that was focused on weekly highlights of English football. I chose QPR based on the quality of players and to be honest the name of the club was different from other club names. I hope to visit London soon and visit Loftus Road to watch a game live, soak in the atmosphere and strike that off my bucket list once and for all!

Q: What is your most favourite QPR memory to date? A: The most recent would be the Play Off Final in 2014 @ Wembley. I watching the game live via Foxtel (I think) & that goal from Bobby Zamora at the 90th minute (considering we were down to 10 men) was as good as it gets!

Q: Who is your all time favourite QPR Player? And Why?

A: Gerry Francis - Great player to watch and as an added bonus captained arguably our greatest-ever side in the 1975/76 team that finished runners-up in the top-flight. An achievement which gave the club our first taste of European football the following season. His 12 England caps, eight of them as captain all occurred whilst playing for QPR.

OH SO CLOSE IN 1976: After beating Leeds 2–0 on the final Saturday of the season, 24 April 1976, QPR were left with an agonising wait as Liverpool did not complete their fixtures until 10 days later on 4 May, at relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers. Liverpool's superior goal average meant they only needed just a draw to become champions, but when Wolverhampton's Steve Kindon fired the home side into a 1st half lead after 15 minutes, Rangers' dream was very much alive. The score remained 1–0 until the final quarter of an hour, but Liverpool's Kevin Keegan scored a dramatic equaliser and two further Liverpool goals handed them the title by a margin of just one point. — *OH SO CLOSE IN 1976:* After beating Leeds 2–0 on the final Saturday of the season, 24 April 1976, QPR were left with an agonising wait as Liverpool did not complete their fixtures until 10 days later on 4 May, at relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers. Liverpool's superior goal average meant they only needed just a draw to become champions, but when Wolverhampton's Steve Kindon fired the home side into a 1st half lead after 15 minutes, Rangers' dream was very much alive. The score remained 1–0 until the final quarter of an hour, but Liverpool's Kevin Keegan scored a dramatic equaliser and two further Liverpool goals handed them the title by a margin of just one point.

Q: Who is your all time favourite QPR Manager? And Why?

A: Neil Warnock. He helped QPR avoid relegation in 2009–10 season. Using a new 4–2–3–1 formation built around playmaker Adel Taarabt (who went on to win the Football League Championship Player of the Year 2011), QPR topped the table for the majority of the 2010–11 season and on 30 April 2011 were promoted as Championship League Champions! The football we played under Neil Warnock was the most exciting spectacle in the modern era!

Adel Taarabt (right) had a total of 19 goals and 21 assists in 44 league games: that was the Moroccan's direct goal contributions in the league in the 2010-11 campaign, which is just astonishing, given the career that he'd had prior to Neil Warnock (left) arriving at Loftus Road. Of the 71 goals that the side scored that season, over 56% of them involved the attacking midfielder either finding the back of the net, or passing to someone that did.

Q: Who is your current favourite QPR Player? And Why?

A: Ilias Chair. This exciting attacking midfielder is explosive and impressive in attack, possessing exceptional dribbling skills and gifted in creating goal-scoring opportunities!

Ilias Chair went on trial at QPR in January 2017. During the trial period, he scored in a 3–1 friendly win for the U23s against Bournemouth. He subsequently signed for QPR on a permanent basis on 31 January 2017. Chair recently extended his stay at QPR, agreeing a new long-term deal in Jan 2025.

Q: Where would you like to see QPR in say, 5 years time (2030-31)? How do QPR reach this achievement? A: Where would I like them to be as opposed to reality? I would love QPR to be in the Premier league however that depends on how much the club is willing to invest/spend to bring in players to take the club to the next level. Alternatively, if the club is adamant on focusing on player development, then the process to achieve that goal will take a while longer.