IF NEIL WARNOCK’S return to Queens Park Rangers has made Chris Ramsey, the QPR manager, nervous this result can hardly have helped. Warnock has been appointed in an advisory capacity to help the first team - apparently at Ramsey’s suggestion.
But more results and performances like this and the clamour will surely grow for the mastermind of 2011’s promotion campaign to return. The visiting support’s patience with Ramsey certainly appeared to be stretched thin. His decision to replace Jay Emmanuel-Thomas with Sebastian Polter was met with chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” from the away end.
Rangers did take the lead through Matt Phillips but Paul Robinson’s equaliser, his first League goal in eight years, and a second-half Paul Caddis penalty condemned them to defeat. The result leaves the Londoners four points away from the playoff places but miles away from expectations at the club.
Ramsey says those expectations are higher at QPR than anywhere else in the Championship, adding: “They are huge and always have been. At the moment whatever happens the brunt of it is going to hit me, which is what happens when you are a manager.”
When the visiting team did take the lead it came against the run of play and with a huge slice of luck. There seemed to be little danger when Nedum Onouha lofted a hopeful lob towards the Birmingham area. Phillips controlled the ball and turned neatly before firing at goal. The shot took a wicked deflection off Jonathan Grounds’ head, which wrong-footed Tomasz Kuszczak, the City goalkeeper, and sent it into the far corner.
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The lead only lasted seven minutes as Birmingham exacted the full punishment for James Perch’s crude late tackle on Jacques Maghoma, which earned the full-back a yellow card. Demarai Gray swung in an inviting dead ball and as the QPR defence stood watching, veteran defender Paul Robinson stole in unmarked and powered a header past Rob Green in the QPR goal.
Gray had earlier forced Green into action with a fierce low shot from Clayton Donaldson’s knock down. And he ended the first period by sending a chance wide from a promising position.
The home side were undoubtedly the better side after the break, though with Phillips making a vital intervention to divert Caddis’ cross just out of Clayton Donaldson’s path. The resulting corner saw a scramble from which Rangers were fortunate to escape unscathed. But when Onouha bundled over Donaldson, Carl Boyeson, the referee, had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Caddis, the Birmingham right back, stepped up and slammed a low kick past Green.
Gray threatened to extend Birmingham’s lead with a mazy run and shot that Perch did well to block, while the visiting team’s best chance of the half was Tjaronn Chery’s speculative effort from range.
Birmingham City: Kuszczak 6, Caddis 6, Robinson 8, Morrison 6, Grounds 5, Davis 6 (Shinnie 74min 7), Gleeson 6, Kieftenbeld 6, Gray 8 (Solomon-Otabor 87min 5), Maghoma 6, Donaldson 7
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Queens Park Rangers: Green 6, Perch 5, Hall 6, Onuoha, 5, Konchesky 6, Henry 6, Sandro 7 (Luongo 72min 6), Phillips 8, Fer 7 (Tozser 71min 6), Chery 6, Emmanuel-Thomas 6 (Polter 84min 5)