Kevin Gallen is a real legend down at Loftus Road and supporters will get the opportunity to pay their respects on Saturday. The 29-year-old has spent most of his career with the O's apart from a one-year stint at Huddersfield and Barnsley and has been rewarded with a testimonial game this Saturday.
Premiership side Birmingham are the visitors and Gallen deserves a big turnout after spending 12 years at the club he has supported all his life. He is fast approaching the milestone of 100 league goals with Rangers and will be hoping that Ian Holloway's men can be at the business end of the Championship this season.
Gallen played under Birmingham boss Steve Bruce at the McAlpine Stadium and, as he tells givemefootball's Ian Clarkson in an exclusive interview, he is happy that his former boss doesn't bear a grudge!
IT SHOULD BE A GREAT OCCASION ON SATURDAY SHOULDN'T IT??
I am delighted that Birmingham are bringing a team to Loftus Road and I want to thank Steve Bruce. Especially as when I played under him at Huddersfield he ended up getting the sack! He signed me at Huddersfield but I got injured in only my second game there, which was unfortunate. I was coming back and he was sacked and I felt devastated for him. It was the players' fault not his and he was a decent man.
IN HINDSIGHT THINGS HAVEN'T WORKED OUT TOO BADLY FOR HIM THOUGH HAVE THEY?
I suppose he might not be at Birmingham now if that hadn't happened so every cloud has a silver lining. I appreciate the fact he is bringing his first team down and I get on well with him. I hope a few Birmingham supporters will come down and watch as well as they will be made to feel very welcome.
IT HAS WORKED OUT VERY WELL FOR YOU AS WELL HASN'T IT?
There have been plenty of ups and downs during my 12-year stint at Loftus Road but the good far outweigh the bad, especially over the last few years. I was a big QPR fan as a kid and I wouldn't have expected to be here for this length of time. If you had said to me that I was going to play only one game I would have been happy. But as you get older you start to become greedier and want to keep playing for as long as you can.
YOU ARE STILL RELATIVELY YOUNG THOUGH AREN'T YOU?
I am only 29 so I have got a few years left in me yet. I am sure my body will let me know when it is time to call it a day; although when I wake up some mornings it is dropping a few hints!
ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE SEASON AHEAD?
The gaffer has already signed some players and he is looking to sign a few more before the end of the transfer window as well. We need to make the numbers up so we don't get caught short with injuries. The players the manager has brought in over the summer have certainly raised the standard of our squad.
IAN HOLLOWAY CERTAINLY HAS A REPUTATION FOR BEING OFF THE WALL AT TIMES – WHAT IS HE LIKE?
Ian Holloway is very unique – and a little bit mad - but in a really nice way and not a bad way at all. He likes to laugh and as a player you should expect the unexpected. He is very passionate about football though and very serious when it comes down to training and games. I think every player who has played under him at all the clubs he has worked at really like him.
IS IT AN AMBITION OF YOURS TO REACH 100 GOALS FOR QPR THIS SEASON?
I think I scored my 100th league goal overall last season but if I can reach 100 goals for QPR then that would be great. I hadn't really though about it before you mentioned it but with two years to go on my contract I would hope I can reach that target and beyond.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BEST MEMORY?
My best recent memory was winning promotion at Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the 2003-04 season. We won 3-1 and I was lucky enough to score and the scenes with the fans afterwards were incredible.
WHO HAS BEEN THE BEST PLAYER YOU HAVE PLAYED WITH DURING YOUR TIME AT LOFTUS ROAD?
I think it would be Ray Wilkins with Les Ferdinand a very close second. Ray won 84 caps for England and was a legend. Not only was he a great player but he was also a really top bloke. His attitude and commitment to training and games meant that he was really someone you could look up to – and he was always willing to have a chat with the younger players too.
