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Captain Birch puzzled over Rs future
 | | Marc Bircham |
By Tom Harvey
MARC Bircham admits he is still in the dark about his future at QPR, despite reclaiming his first-team place in recent weeks.
Bircham was one of eight players surprisingly transfer listed by then-manager Gary Waddock towards the end of last season.
An Rs fan born and bred, the 28-year-old believed at the time he had played his last game for the club.
However, after proposed moves to Leeds and Leicester fell through, Bircham remained at Loftus Road and earned a recall to QPR's starting XI against Ipswich on August 25.
The midfielder, who has since started the last four matches, even captained Rangers in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Hull as John Gregory took charge of his first game as the club's new boss.
But, while being keen to stay in W12, former Millwall man Bircham believes he is still available for transfer.
He told the Times: "I must be one of the few players to be captain and on the transfer list at the same time but I haven't been told otherwise so I suppose I still am.
"You'd have to ask the powers that be but for all intents and purposes, I think I still am on the list."
Bircham was substituted just after the hour during the Hull victory but insisted he had no qualms with the decision.
He said: "I wasn't disappointed at all. I was one of the few who played 90 minutes in the Carling Cup in midweek and because I didn't have much of a pre-season I was a bit tired so I was fine with coming off in the second half."
Bircham also believes the arrival of Gregory can give the Rs a real boost for the remainder of the season.
Gregory was appointed as manager last week, three-and-a-half years after leaving the Derby County hotseat.
The defeat of the Tigers moved QPR off the bottom of the table and out of the relegation places and a delighted Bircham stated: "The new manager lifted the place, lifted the crowd and it's worked for this week.
"It was exactly what he needed - a good win and a clean sheet. We took a while to get going but we knew what to expect with Hull - that we would have to win the battle before we could start playing."
GOALKEEPER Simon Royce made his comeback from a groin injury in the reserves' 3-0 defeat against a strong Southampton side on Tuesday.
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