Holloway or Birmingham boss Rowett for QPR job

Ian Holloway is set to return as QPR manager unless the club are able to persuade Gary Rowett to leave Birmingham City.

Rangers want Rowett, 42, to take over at Loftus Road following the club’s recent sacking of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Rowett, a former Blues player, returned to St Andrews as manager in 2014 after a spell in charge at Burton Albion, where he was succeeded by Hasselbaink.

Holloway, who made more than 150 appearances for QPR as a player and later had a five-year spell as manager, is waiting in the wings and could be back at Loftus Road within the next 24 hours.

His eventful time at the helm included a play-off final defeat in 2003 and promotion from the second tier the following year, before he was replaced by Gary Waddock in 2006.

Holloway has since managed Plymouth, Leicester, Blackpool, Crystal Palace and Millwall.

He would be joined back at the club by the popular Marc Bircham, who played under him at Rangers and coached there before leaving to become Holloway’s right-hand man at Millwall in 2014.

QPR have also interviewed Karl Robinson, who recently left MK Dons, and former Palace and Nottingham Forest manager Dougie Freedman.