The short-lived Fulham Park Rangers merger – the brainchild of Marler Estates property magnate David Bulstrode – was killed off on this day in 1987. Bulstrode, whose plan to merge Fulham and Queens Park Rangers in a secret deal brokered after he acquired the ownership of QPR from Jim Gregory was first uncovered by the national press, backed down after furious protests from Fulham and QPR fans.
The death knell to the merger, which would have seen luxury flats placed on Craven Cottage after Bulstrode had admitted wanting to close down Fulham in favour of what he described as a west London superclub, came when the Football League and the Football Association opposed the proposals. This ITN report from the day succinctly sums up the story – and features Fulham fans picketing the decisive FA meeting and celebrating. ‘Fulham 1, Bulstrode 0’.
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