‘Oh my god, what a question!’ Rock-loving QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth tells FourFourTwo what the greatest album of all-time is

QPR manager Gareth Ainsworth is proud to say he isn't like most people in football.

The Englishman is a long-haired, leather-jacket-sporting music lover, who even plays gigs with a band in his spare time.

So when FourFourTwo caught up with him – after he masterminded QPR's Championship survival, after a tough first six months in charge, we couldn't resist the opportunity to ask him about his favourite records.

It's fair to say, he wasn't disappointed to be asked either...

"Oh my god, what a question!" says Ainsworth. "Right, I have an all-time favourite band, so that needs mentioning before we get to the best album.

"I am such a massive fan of Jim Morrison and The Doors. I was a teenager when the 1991 documentary about The Doors came out and I was blown away. So, anything by The Doors is basically my idea of heaven."

Despite his love for Morrison & co., Ainsworth went for a band from across the pond when it came down to his favourite.

"But if I’m just choosing a single album and I’m in a real rock and roll mood, I’d actually have to go for a different band," he says. "In 1987, I went to my local record shop in Blackburn and picked up a vinyl copy of Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite For Destruction.

"Wow, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It’s still one I reach for to get the blood pumping, and I have to put that down as my all-time No.1 album."

Ainsworth enjoyed a tough start to life as QPR gaffer, but eventually helped lead the club away from the Championship relegation zone to safety. Helping the club climb to safety earlier next season is now the aim, and you can bet he'll get the rock albums out for some dressing-room motivation when required.

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