One to Watch – Danny Graham

Name: Danny Graham
Date of Birth: 12.08.1985
Former Clubs Middlesbrough, Darlington (L), Derby County (L), Leeds United (L), Blackpool (L), Carlisle United (L), Carlisle United, Watford, Swansea City, Sunderland, Hull City (L), Middlesbrough (L), Wolverhampton Wanderers (L), Blackburn Rovers (L).
Apps (goals) 454 (134)

A former transfer target for QPR, Blackburn striker Danny Graham leads his club`s goalscoring charts with 11 league goals so far this term, alongside three assists, with nine of his strikes coming in his last 13 Championship outings, providing Rovers with a fighting chance of remaining in the second tier this season.

The Gateshead-born forward finally appears settled after a difficult few years since making his move from Swansea to Sunderland in 2013, where he struggled to establish himself, scoring just once for the Mackems, who sent him out on loan to Hull, Middlesbrough, Wolves and Blackburn before his release in the summer.

His signing has proved a good piece of business from Rovers boss Owen Coyle, bringing him in on a two-year deal following his seven goals in 18 league matches while at the club during the second half of last season.

Blackburn are the 12th different club Graham has turned out for since coming through the youth ranks at Middlesbrough, with his most successful period infront of goal coming during his two years at Watford, for whom he netted 38 times between 2011 and 2013, before his reported £3.5million move to Swansea.

In his second season at the Hornets, Graham bagged 27 goals in all competitions for the club, which saw him end as the division`s leading marksman and named in the 2010/2011 Championship Team of the Year, prompting newly-promoted Rangers to offer £2.5million for his services, which was knocked back by Watford.

Graham would eventually move to South Wales with the Swans, where he spent two-and-a-half years, scoring 15 Premier League goals, before heading back to the North East to sign for Sunderland in January 2013, who paid £5million to bring him to the Stadium of Light, a move that didn`t really work out well for the player.

In three-and-a-half seasons at the club, he would feature just 22 times from the start in the top-flight, finding the net just once, before leaving Sunderland at the end of his contract last year to join current club Blackburn.

Graham has netted three goals against Rangers, including a brace at Loftus Road while at Watford, helping end QPR`s unbeaten start to the 2010/2011 campaign that had stretched through to December, and with the Rangers defence keeping one clean sheet in 14, he will fancy his chances of increasing his tally at Ewood Park
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Sitting three points adrift of safety, Graham is key to Blackburn`s attempt to stave off relegation, and a win against Rangers, which they have already managed to achieve this season thanks to a 2-1 victory in the FA Cup third round last month, cold possibly see Rovers leapfrog Burton and Wigan and out of the bottom three.