Marc Bircham

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Personal information
Marc Bircham
Date of birth	May 11, 1978 (age 28)
Place of birth	Brent, UK
Position	Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club	Queens Park Rangers
Number	8
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
1996–2002 2002–	Millwall QPR	115 (4) 146 (7)
National team**
1999-present	Canada	17 (1)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13/11/2006. ** National team caps and goals correct as of 9 August 2006.

Marc Bircham (born 11 May 1978 in Wembley) is a Canadian football player who currently plays for Queens Park Rangers in the English Championship. He plays as a defensive midfielder.

Bircham currently lives near the Shendish estate in Hemel Hempstead.

He started his career in 1996 with Championship team Millwall. He enjoyed nearly 6 years for the club, making 115 appearances and scoring 4 goals. While he was there, Millwall won promotion to Division 1 in the 2000-2001 season.

On July 5, 2002, despite strong interest from then Premiership clubs Birmingham City and Charlton, he rejected their contract offers and instead decided to move on to his beloved then Division 2 side Queens Park Rangers. He has stayed at that club ever since, making 146 appearances and scoring 7 goals. While he has been there, QPR have won promotion to the Championship in the 2003-2004 season. Since then, they have had mid-table finishes.

Bircham is eligible to play for Canada, because one of his grandfathers was born in Winnipeg. His first cap came against Northern Ireland in Belfast, before he had even been to Canada. He has won 15 caps and scored 1 goal for his country.

Gamesmanship

Bircham was drawn into controversy following an incident in a match against Stoke City, which resulted in Gerry Taggart being sent off. Bircham alleged that he was pushed by Taggart, although video replays have since proved that no contact was made. Tony Pulis labelled Bircham a cheat [1]. Bircham was also involved in a similar incident with Leeds' David Healy in the following year, however the appeal to have Healy's ban overturned failed [2].