QPR boss Mark Warburton has defended his decisions to take off Charlie Austin and not involve Ilias Chair in the defeat at Birmingham.
Austin was taken off in the second half with Rangers leading 1-0 through his opening goal.
The hosts hit back to win 2-1 at St Andrews, where Chair was an unused substitute.
Chair has been a stand-out performer for Rangers but Warburton felt it was right to give the youngster a rest.
Warbuton has also been careful about managing the fitness of Austin since the striker’s return to west London on loan from West Bromwich Albion.
“We have to look after them. Ilias is a young player who has had a lot of loading. We just have to take care of him, look after Charlie too,” Warburton told West London Sport.
“I wasn’t sure if we would get 45 out of him or 60. We got 55.
“Some of these are guys that have not played a full 90 minutes and we have another game midweek.
“It’s about getting them fit and also keeping them fresh.”
Chair, who was replaced by Chris Willock at Birmingham, is expected to return to the starting line-up for Wednesday’s home match against Barnsley.