"A League One club" - QPR: Claim made concerning Brentford rivalry | OneFootball

Football League World's QPR fan pundit claims the R's are still a bigger club than Premier League Brentford

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Queens Park Rangers have resided in the Championship ever since relegation from the Premier League back in 2015, but a dismal start to the current season has left R's fans fearful for their club's second tier status.

The R's survived relegation to League One last term by six points, and with a game to spare, despite the fact that boss Marti Cifuentes inherited a side who sat 23rd in the Championship table when he was appointed in October 2023.

But the Loftus Road outfit are marooned in a relegation battle for a second consecutive season, and supporters will be concerned that their club could end up in the third tier.

The fact that west London rivals Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford are all plying their trade in the Premier League makes the R's current trajectory all the more miserable for their fans.

QPR fan pundit claims R's are still a bigger club than Brentford

Football League World asked our R's fan pundit, Louis Moir, who he thought the club's biggest rivals are, and who he thought the bigger club are.

Louis said: "If you look at it, then Chelsea's obviously a big one (rival), a massive one, arguably the biggest.

"But, then, you could say we haven't played them for a while, it hasn't really counted for a good few years.

"Then obviously you've got Fulham and Brentford but, in more recent years, Brentford is probably the one we've played the most, so you'd have to probably say Brentford, I think.

"If you look back years, Brentford, they're still punching well above their weight, and fair play to them purely because they've been run so well as a club.

"But you look at it, years ago, they were League Two, League One.

"Look at what they're doing now, and look at the position we're in.

"It's a total sort of change around, really.

"But in terms of the bigger club, it's pretty obvious.

"Brentford are, on size, probably, arguably a League One club.

"Obviously, we're the miles bigger club, by far, and I don't think you get a lot of people disagreeing with that, to be honest.

"Hopefully, we do get to sort of play your Brentford, your Fulham, and your Chelseas again, because you can't beat those London derbies.

"But you'd have to say, on the more recent sort of scale, Brentford would be our biggest rivals in recent years."

QPR still hold Brentford bragging rights

While the R's and the Bees are close to each other in terms of proximity as West London rivals, the two clubs have often plied their trade in different divisions.

Right now, it is the Bees who hold the upper hand, as they have resided in the Premier League ever since winning the Championship play-off final in 2021, whereas the men from Loftus Road have remained in the second tier.

But when the R's lifted the Championship title in 2011, and subsequently enjoyed two consecutive top-flight seasons in the Premier League, Brentford were in League One all the while, so it is clear to see the change in respective positions Louis alluded to.

But in terms of head-to-head meetings, it is the R's who hold the latest bragging rights, as they defeated Thomas Frank's men 2-1 during their last meeting back in February 2021.

However, the Bees faithful will take some heart from not only their current Premier League status but also the fact that their side have won four of the last five meetings between the two clubs.