9 December 2009 - Using Your Head Isn't Always The Best Decision

On 9 December 2009, Queens Park Rangers suspended manager Jim Magilton for allegedly head-butting one of his own players.

The incident occurred in the tunnel after QPR's away loss to Watford two days earlier. It was their third loss in four games, dropping the team into tenth place and putting pressure on Magilton (pictured), who was in his first season as QPR boss. According to reports, the manager got into an altercation with Rangers midfielder Ákos Buzsáky, then head-butted him. (Coincidentally, he was the second manager in England to be accused of head-butting a player, with the other being Stoke's Tony Pulis).

The club announced the suspension on 9 December with immediate effect and promised an internal investigation. Magilton admitted to having a disagreement with Buzsáky, but denied head-butting him, saying that the reports were incorrect and that he looked forward to reinstatement upon the completion of the club's investigation.

One week later, on 16 December, Magilton left his post as QPR manager. 

7 August 2010 - QPR Stake Their Claim

On 7 August 2010, Queens Park Rangers established their credibility as Championship title contenders by crushing Barnsley 4-0 on the season's opening day.

They had stumbled to a thirteenth-place finish the season before, due in part to a prolific shuffling of managers before settling on Neil Warnock in March 2010. Under Warnock's leadership, many in the media tipped the London club to challenge for promotion in 2011.

Their season opener, played at home against Barnsley, was close for a half, with Rangers taking a 1-0 lead into the break after a 41st-minute penalty from Heidar Helguson. Barnsley missed chances on either side of half time for an equalizer, twice hitting the post, before Jamie Mackie doubled QPR's lead with a 53rd-minute tap-in.

QPR benefited from the presence of midfielder Adel Taarabt (pictured), who had just signed a permanent deal after spending the previous season with them on loan from Tottenham. The Moroccan international worked tirelessly and was rewarded with a goal from the spot in the 63rd minute. Captain Fitz Hall added a fourth goal in the 81st minute to complete the rout.

The win sent QPR to the top of the table, where they remained for all but two weeks of the season (they dropped to second once in October and once in November). They finished the season with 88 points, four clear of runners-up Norwich City, to claim automatic promotion to the Premier League for 2011-12.

11 January 2007 - Birmingham Plucks The Vine

On 11 January 2007, Birmingham City signed striker Rowan Vine from Luton Town. It turned out to be a bad decision for both of them.

At the time Vine made the switch, Birmingham were on the top of the Championship table, but had suffered injuries to their strike force of Cameron Jerome, Nicklas Bendtner, and Mikael Forsell, prompting manager Steve Bruce to look to the transfer window. Vine, then 24 years old, had gotten Bruce's attention by scoring three goals against Birmingham that season, helping Luton taking four points from the teams' two meetings. And he had a scorer's pedigree with 31 league goals for the Hatters from 2004 to 2007. He also sat near the top of the club's assist charts for those seasons.

Luton, who had paid close to £250,000 for Vine, made a generous profit on the move, receiving £3 million from Birmingham, including a £500,000 bonus when Birmingham were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season. Vine, however, did not share the club's good fortune.

He scored only 1 goal in 17 league appearances for Birmingham and went on loan to QPR in October 2007, then signed for them permanently in 2008. Since then, he has moved around England and Scotland and currently plays for semi-professional side Gosport Borough in the National League South, which is in the sixth tier of England's football pyramid.

30 April 2006 - Reading Makes A Few Points

On 30 April 2006, Reading concluded the Championship season by beating QPR 2-1 at the Madejski Stadium before a crowd of 23,156. The win gave Reading a total of 106 points for the season, setting an English Football League record.

It was a fitting end to an amazing season for the Royals, who suffered only two League losses all year - at home to Plymouth Argyle in the season opener and away to Luton Town on 17 February. The remainder of their matches consisted of 28 wins and 16 draws, setting a record pace that saw them take the table's top spot on 22 November and keep it through the end of the season.

Reading's Dave Kitson gave his side the lead against QPR, tapping the ball into the net in the 40th minute. The visitors found a late equalizer from Paul Furlong in the 72nd minute, before Reading captain Graeme Murty clinched the victory with an 84th-minute penalty kick. It was the first goal of the season and only his second ever in 280 appearances for the Royals.

The win pushed Reading to 106 points, one past the previous points record of 105 set by Sunderland in the 1998-99 season. Reading moved into the Premier League for the following season, where they finished in eighth place - their highest finish ever - before getting relegated back to the Championship at the end of the 2007-08 season.

10 November 2007 - Morrison Makes His Milestone

On 10 November 2007, Crystal Palace drew at home, 1-1, in a league match against London rivals Queens Park Rangers before a crowd of over 17,000. The draw came courtesy of a late equalizer from Palace forward Clinton Morrison (pictured), whose 88th-minute strike was his 100th goal for the club.

The England-born Irish international originally joined the Championship side's youth academy in 1996 and signed with the senior team in 1997. After an impressive five seasons, he moved to the Premier League with Birmingham City in 2002, but found it difficult to break into the first team and moved back to Palace in 2005.

He got off to a good start in the 2007-08 season, scoring twice in his first three matches to bring his career Palace total to 99. He struggled to score thereafter, however, and was dropped from the starting line-up for several matches.

Morrison returned to the starting eleven for the match against QPR and looked ready to hit the century mark. He sent a 25th-minute shot just over the bar, then had a 50th-minute shot ruled offside. In the meantime, QPR had gone up 0-1 with a 45th-minute goal from Scott Sinclair.

The Palace forward's historic 100th goal finally arrived in the 88th minute, as he headed home the equalizer from a Palace free kick. Morrison celebrated the goal by running the length of the pitch. He was only the eighth player in the history of the club to reach the century mark.

Morrison left Palace at the end of the season with a club, having scored a total of 113 goals. 

9 December 2009 - Using Your Head Isn't Always The Best Decision

On 9 December 2009, Queens Park Rangers suspended manager Jim Magilton for allegedly head-butting one of his own players.

The incident occurred in the tunnel after QPR's away loss to Watford two days earlier. It was their third loss in four games, dropping the team into tenth place and putting pressure on Magilton (pictured), who was in his first season as QPR boss. According to reports, the manager got into an altercation with Rangers midfielder Ákos Buzsáky, then head-butted him. (Coincidentally, he was the second manager in England to be accused of head-butting a player, with the other being Stoke's Tony Pulis).

The club announced the suspension on 9 December with immediate effect and promised an internal investigation. Magilton admitted to having a disagreement with Buzsáky, but denied head-butting him, saying that the reports were incorrect and that he looked forward to reinstatement upon the completion of the club's investigation.

One week later, on 16 December, Magilton left his post as QPR manager. While he continued to deny any wrong-doing, he and the club mutually agreed to part ways. Magilton moved on to serve as an assistant manager for Shamrock Rovers in 2011, then took charge of the Melbourne Victory in 2012.

7 August 2010 - QPR Stake Their Claim

On 7 August 2010, Queens Park Rangers established their credibility as Championship title contenders by crushing Barnsley 4-0 on the season's opening day.

They had stumbled to a thirteenth-place finish the season before, due in part to a prolific shuffling of managers before settling on Neil Warnock in March 2010. Under Warnock's leadership, many in the media tipped the London club to challenge for promotion in 2011.

Their season opener, played at home against Barnsley, was close for a half, with Rangers taking a 1-0 lead into the break after a 41st-minute penalty from Heidar Helguson. Barnsley missed chances on either side of half time for an equalizer, twice hitting the post, before Jamie Mackie doubled QPR's lead with a 53rd-minute tap-in.

QPR benefited from the presence of midfielder Adel Taarabt (pictured), who had just signed a permanent deal after spending the previous season with them on loan from Tottenham. The Moroccan international worked tirelessly and was rewarded with a goal from the spot in the 63rd minute. Captain Fitz Hall added a fourth goal in the 81st minute to complete the rout.

The win sent QPR to the top of the table, where they remained for all but two weeks of the season (they dropped to second once in October and once in November). They finished the season with 88 points, four clear of runners-up Norwich City, to claim automatic promotion to the Premier League for 2011-12.

11 January 2007 - Birmingham Plucks The Vine

On 11 January 2007, Birmingham City signed striker Rowan Vine from Luton Town. It turned out to be a bad decision for both of them.

At the time Vine made the switch, Birmingham were on the top of the Championship table, but had suffered injuries to their strike force of Cameron Jerome, Nicklas Bendtner, and Mikael Forsell, prompting manager Steve Bruce to look to the transfer window. Vine, then 24 years old, had gotten Bruce's attention by scoring three goals against Birmingham that season, helping Luton taking four points from the teams' two meetings. And he had a scorer's pedigree with 31 league goals for the Hatters from 2004 to 2007. He also sat near the top of the club's assist charts for those seasons.

Luton, who had paid close to £250,000 for Vine, made a generous profit on the move, receiving £3 million from Birmingham, including a £500,000 bonus when Birmingham were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season. Vine, however, did not share the club's good fortune.

He scored only 1 goal in 17 league appearances for Birmingham and went on loan to QPR in October 2007. The loan became permanent in 2008, but after contrubuting only 9 goals in 69 league appearances for the Londoners, he went on further loans to Hull City and Brentford in 2010. His loan spell at Brentford ended in January 2011, so Vine is back at QPR, though it remains to be seen for how long.

30 April 2006 - Reading Makes A Few Points

On 30 April 2006, Reading concluded the Championship season by beating QPR 2-1 at the Madejski Stadium before a crowd of 23,156. The win gave Reading a total of 106 points for the season, setting an English Football League record.

It was a fitting end to an amazing season for the Royals, who suffered only two League losses all year - at home to Plymouth Argyle in the season opener and away to Luton Town on 17 February. The remainder of their matches consisted of 28 wins and 16 draws, setting a record pace that saw them take the table's top spot on 22 November and keep it through the end of the season.

Reading's Dave Kitson gave his side the lead against QPR, tapping the ball into the net in the 40th minute. The visitors found a late equalizer from Paul Furlong in the 72nd minute, before Reading captain Graeme Murty clinched the victory with an 84th-minute penalty kick. It was the first goal of the season and only his second ever in 280 appearances for the Royals.

The win pushed Reading to 106 points, one past the previous points record of 105 set by Sunderland in the 1998-99 season. Reading moved into the Premier League for the following season, where they finished in eighth place - their highest finish ever - before getting relegated back to the Championship at the end of the 2007-08 season.

10 November 2007 - Morrison Makes His Milestone

On 10 November 2007, Crystal Palace drew at home, 1-1, in a league match against London rivals Queens Park Rangers before a crowd of over 17,000. The draw came courtesy of a late equalizer from Palace forward Clinton Morrison (pictured), whose 88th-minute strike was his 100th goal for the club.

The England-born Irish international originally joined the Championship side's youth academy in 1996 and signed with the senior team in 1997. After an impressive five seasons, he moved to the Premier League with Birmingham City in 2002, but found it difficult to break into the first team and moved back to Palace in 2005.

He got off to a good start in the 2007-08 season, scoring twice in his first three matches to bring his career Palace total to 99. He struggled to score thereafter, however, and was dropped from the starting line-up for several matches.

Morrison returned to the starting eleven for the match against QPR and looked ready to hit the century mark. He sent a 25th-minute shot just over the bar, then had a 50th-minute shot ruled offside. In the meantime, QPR had gone up 0-1 with a 45th-minute goal from Scott Sinclair.

The Palace forward's historic 100th goal finally arrived in the 88th minute, as he headed home the equalizer from a Palace free kick. Morrison celebrated the goal by running the length of the pitch. He was only the eighth player in the history of the club to reach the century mark.

Morrison left Palace at the end of the season with a club, having scored a total of 113 goals. He currently plays for Coventry City.