Vital QPR assesses Saturday’s opponents – Birmingham City
Gary Rowett has started to build a solid unit at St Andrews following several years of instability in the second city. The Carson Yeung / Peter Pannu / BIHL saga is now drawing to a close with the wonderfully named Chinese consortium ‘Trillion Trophy Asia’ poised to take over next month.
Stability on the pitch matched by stability in the boardroom would be quite an achievement for a club that seems to have lurched from one disaster to another while commendably retaining its Championship status throughout.
Another tilt at the Premier League will be the ambition for the new owners and Rowett himself looks to have assembled a solid foundation to build from. If they find themselves in front on Saturday, it will be an uphill struggle to Rangers to over-turn an organised outfit.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink inherited and improved upon Rowett’s already accomplished Burton Albion side and it will be interested to see how the two former Brewers managers compete tactically this weekend.
Founded: 1875 as Small Heath Alliance
Nickname: Blues
Ground: St Andrews – 30016
Manager: Gary Rowett
HONOURS
Second Tier
Second Division – Champions: 1892-93, 1920-21, 1947-48, 1954-55
Second Division – Runners-up: 1893-94, 1900-01, 1902-03, 1971-72, 1984-85,
Championship – Runners-up: 2006-07, 2008-09
Championship – Play-off winners: 2001-02
Third Tier
Division Two – Champions: 1994-95
Third Division – Runners-up: 1991-92
Cups
FA Cup – Runners-up: 1931, 1956
League Cup – Winners: 1963, 2011
League Cup – Runners-up: 2001
RECORDS
Record Attendance: 51801 v Burnley (May 1979)
Record league victory: 12-0 v Doncaster Rovers (Second Division, April 1903)
Record league defeat 1-9 v Sheffield Wednesday (Football Alliance, December 1889)
Record Buy: £6,000,000 – Nicola Zigic from Valencia (May 2010)
Record Sale: £6,700,000 – Jermaine Pennant to Liverpool (July 2006)
Record Appearances: Gill Merrick – 551 (1946-1959)
Record Goals: Joe Bradford – 267 (1920-1935)
GOALS: Clayton Donaldson – 4; David Davis – 2; Michael Morrison – 1; Lukas Jutkiewicz
CARDS: David Davis – 4Y; Jonathan Grounds – 3Y; Stephen Gleeson – 2Y; Clayton Donaldson – 2Y; Jack Storer 1R.
1 – Adam Legzdins
3 – Jonathan Grounds
4 – Paul Robinson
5 – Ryan Shotton
6 – Maikel Kieftenbeld
7 – Robert Tesche
8 – Stephen Gleeson
9 – Clayton Donaldson
10 – Diego Fabbrini
11 – David Cotterill
12 – Rhoys Wiggins (on loan from AFC Bournemouth)
14 – Che Adams
15 – Lukas Jutkiewicz (on loan from Burnley)
17 – Viv Solomon-Otabor
18 – Reece Brown
19 – Jacques Maghoma
20 – Greg Stewart
23 – Jonathan Spector
25 – Josh Cogley
26 – David Davis
27 – Connal Trueman
28 – Michael Morrison
29 – Tomasz Kuszczak
31 – Paul Caddis
38 – Jack Storer
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