QPR and Birmingham City were both burned by player with ‘extreme quality’ | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City did not see the best of Taylor Richards.

Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City have both endured varying successes and failures in modern times.

Blues have enjoyed the ambitious ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, whose investment played a vital role in their 2024/25 League One title-winning success.

The St Andrew's outfit remained busy in the transfer market following their Championship return, making strong additions in both the summer and winter windows.

Meanwhile, QPR fell from the Premier League in 2015, and have often finished mid-table in the second tier since, but have also encountered the odd relegation scare.

Taylor Richards wasn't a success for either Queens Park Rangers or Birmingham City

Some players, including Scotland international striker Lyndon Dykes, have represented both the R's and Birmingham in recent seasons.

Dykes was a regular feature for the West London outfit from 2020 until 2024, when he completed his move from Loftus Road to St Andrew's.

However, the former Livingston man endured a lack of game time with Blues in both the Championship and League One, which prompted a permanent transfer to Charlton Athletic in January 2026.

Another player who has plied his trade for both the West Midlands side and QPR in recent memory is former Manchester City academy starlet Taylor Richards.

The midfielder left the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2019 to join Brighton, and spent time on loan with Doncaster Rovers, Birmingham, and the R's before agreeing permanent terms in West London ahead of the 2023/24 season.

However, neither QPR nor Blues witnessed the promise that a player with such a strong football education could have provided both clubs in the Championship.

Speaking about Richards in November 2023, former R's boss Marti Cifuentes told West London Sport: "We know about his quality. He is a player who has the capacity to change a game, as other players we have do, and it’s my job to get the best out of them.

"I’m not looking back at what happened before. What I see is a player that has the desire and has extreme quality on the ball. He is also taking a step to improve out of possession and his capacity to counter-press and work for the team.

"We know that when he has the ball, he has the dribbling capacity and extreme passing skills, I would say. If we can get the best of him, then he is definitely a player that can make a difference in a Championship game."

However, QPR never saw the sort of quality from Richards that Cifuentes referenced, as he made just five senior appearances for the West London club before having a loan spell with Cambridge United in 2024/25 and eventually joining Crawley Town permanently in January 2026.

The former Man City youngster endured a similar lack of game time with Birmingham, making just six outings and two starts during the second half of the 2021/22 Championship campaign, largely thanks to injury issues.

QPR would have been left particularly disappointed that Richards failed to make much of an impression beyond Cifuentes' comments after his permanent move to Loftus Road, as he managed to make 16 appearances while on loan with them in the 2022/23 campaign.

Both Blues and the R's will always be disappointed that the ex-Brighton man failed to make a goal contribution for either club, as he previously flourished in League One with Doncaster, showcasing his creativity and eye for goal.

Doncaster Rovers saw what QPR and Birmingham City never could from Taylor Richards

As previously mentioned, Richards proved his exciting potential in a 2020/21 League One stint with Rovers, and notched 11 goals and five assists across all competitions for the South Yorkshire club.

The playmaker was relatively quick to make a strong impression on the Doncaster faithful, scoring his first goal in a 4-1 victory over Bristol Rovers just a month after joining the Eco-Power Stadium outfit on loan.

His eventual return of 16 goal contributions for the South Yorkshire side, who finished just 14th in League One in 2021 despite his impressive efforts, understandably led both QPR and Birmingham to believe that Richards could produce the goods at Championship level.

However, such an eventuality never occurred, and both sides were left disappointed by a once promising youngster who ultimately failed to produce a goal or assist for either team.