On Saturday, QPR’s greatest-ever player will be at Loftus Road for the last time.
There is no expectation that he will even know who his great friend Gerry Francis is, let alone the many other old pals and former team-mates who will be there.
Sadly, the rate of Stan Bowles’ deterioration with Alzheimer’s disease is such that the inevitable – and it is inevitable – stage when he can no longer be cared for at his daughter’s home is not far away. It looks like being very soon.
Despite Stan’s occasional reassurance of “I’m still here” to his loved ones, the legend is slipping away.
Those loved ones have been warned what to expect. It’s likely that Stan will soon reach the point where he recognises no-one, and nothing makes sense to him.
Most Alzheimer’s sufferers react to that terrifying situation in a way that is likely to scare family members, not least his great granddaughter, making it impossible for him to be cared for by them.
To think of the maverick Stan Bowles, of all people, like that is almost unimaginable.
But the awful reality is that the speed of Stan’s decline means that the greatest Ranger of them all will soon be in a care or nursing home, where his final months will, to put it mildly, be difficult.
It’s then that the money raised for Stan by QPR fans will most make a difference.
The more money raised, the more options Stan’s family will have to make the remainder of his life as bearable as possible for him and for them.
It will mean the difference between Stan being cared for at a home closer to his family rather than somewhere they have to travel further to. It will affect the quality of the home they can select for him.
Stan won’t know it, but in his darkest hours it’s largely going to be money raised by QPR fans in recognition of what he did for the club that will determine the quality of his care.
This is the stone-cold reality of the situation. It’s why Saturday’s benefit match was organised and why the turnout matters so much.
It matters both in terms of the much-needed boost to the morale of Stan and his family on Saturday, and what happens afterwards.
The path to the benefit match hasn’t been smooth. There have been disagreements, even all-out acrimony. Egos in some cases have taken over.
But all that won’t matter in the slightest when Stan most needs the proceeds of Saturday’s final visit to the ground he graced so spectacularly in his heyday. That’s the only thing that really matters.
Those unable to attend on Saturday can still help.
At www.justforstan.com you can purchase a virtual ticket and receive a .pdf version of the match programme and a letter of thanks from the Bowles family.
The family aren’t wealthy. Stan is currently being cared for by his daughter in a council house in New Moston.
It is the case that he has squandered a lot of money. His gambling addiction and generally wayward lifestyle have been well documented.
But Stan Bowles isn’t Gerry Francis. He’s no venture capitalist. He’s no Rodney Marsh either. Not for him the sound business investments or living it up in the sun. Everyone knows that’s never been Stan and that’s been part of his charm.
In this era of badge-kissing and choreographed platitudes about how important the fans are, it’s worth remembering that Stan Bowles – a genuine superstar in his era – has had a long, genuine affinity with Rangers fans and west London, where he stayed for many years after retiring and was well known in pubs and betting shops before moving to be with his family.
He loved being among QPR fans and it’s fitting that they are there for him now.
In many ways he is similar to Alan McDonald in that his immense popularity is based on not just the fact he was a great player, but because he was also a genuine man of the people who fans felt a real connection with.
That was underlined by the profound sense of sadness and shock when Macca, QPR’s most loved player since Stan, died suddenly in 2012, aged just 49.
Had there been one final chance to cheer Macca onto the pitch in what everyone knew would be his final appearance at Loftus Road, you can imagine the response; how loud his name would have been sung and how obvious it would have been to him how revered he was for the service he had given QPR. Sadly there wasn’t that chance.
But there is a chance to give a worthy send-off to another Rangers great, and that’s something to cherish. Because Saturday isn’t just about raising money, celebrating Stan and saying thank you, it’s about saying goodbye.
This post was last modified on 28/07/2017
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Stan kindly signed a picture for my son at an open day some 15 odd years back.It greats you as you enter his bedroom to the day. I told Stan then he would still get a game ! Like boss Ian I too had a tear in my eye on Sat. Met a West Ham fan on the way to the match - he had come to show is support and thanks for the fabulous footy Stan and his team mates offered back then.
God bless you Stanley -
Unfortunately me and my Dad who's 86 can't attend. For what it's worth we bought a virtual ticket but come 3pm our thoughts will be on the great man. We saw Stan play for Carlisle at the bush in 71\72 and both agreed on the way back to Kensal Rise that we should buy him to replace Marshy. How right we were and big thanks to Gordon Jago for doing the deal. Life long memories. Love ya Stan.
Remember my mum sewing a red number 10 on to a handkerchief, and then sewing that on to the back of my QPR shirt so it looked just like Stan's! Unfortunately she doesn't remember Stan either these days! Awful illness! Best of luck to all the Bowles family and hope the fundraiser goes well!
Lost my dad to this dreadful disease - so I am happy to be coming to the game to give to Stan who inspired so many of us in the seventies. The ball seemed stuck to his boot sometimes. Part of the greatest ever team that I have seen in almost 50 years of following Rangers. Come to the game for Stan's sake.
We've been on this same journey as Stans family when both of my partners late parents suffered from dementia at the same time. Our hearts go out to Stan and his family. I vaguely remember Stan playing for Man City his boyhood team. We will be coming down from Manchester this weekend with sadness in our hearts but with hope we can contribute along with everyone else towards the cost of the immediate care that Stan now desperately needs.
If you cannot join us on this day of celebration of Stans life and football career please purchase a virtual ticket to make a contribution.
I know what the family will be going through, as our family had the awful task of putting our mum in a caring home with this awful dispicable disease took hold a few years ago,she dose't know much of what is happening, but in many ways she is still our mum! Me @ my husband will be at Loftus Road on Saturday to support the Great man . I want to say now best of luck to the Bowled family!⚽
As a life long Chelsea supporter, i used to go to loftus road as a pre teen as qpr was the club of the majority of my friends, i lived in Hammersmith, i well remember stan bowles, gerry franices, don givens etc, when we'd play football in ravenscourt park it would be a toss up if i imagined i was stan bowles or peter osgood, i live in Nottingham now but I'll be back in the bush on saturday, standing up to salute stan bowles with some old friends.
Yes a shame the egos took over. All for Stan now ✊️ #AnnounceTheEllerslieNow. Who's David Macintyre?
Such a nice piece of writing by David McIntyre. I have had the unpleasant journey that Stan will face with my Mum. She sadly passed away in January of this year after a battle with vascular dementia for 6 years.
I walked to Loftus Road from Willesden to watch QPR for the first time in 1973. I saw Stan for the first time the following season. 35,000 of us watched his magic against Leeds in 1976 and I remember the happiness of watching his goal at the start of the "Big Match" every Sunday afternoon. We all remember the one, where he runs the length of Ellerslie Road, under the cameras, cuts in and with that magic touch, as if nothing had happened , he politely touches the ball out of reach of the keeper. I remember 20,000 of us screaming at Stan to "Dive"!! everytime he got in to the box. He often obliged us. I will be there on Saturday with my son to thank Stan in person. I cannot for the life of me understand why only 7000 tickets have been sold. I would urge the youth of Loftus Road in the 1970's to come back and say goodbye to our hero. As David says in his article it is going to be a long journey for Stan and his family and it starts on Saturday with his final visit to the Bush. Come on you R's x