Nathan Lewis gives us his pre-match lowdown of the last four games against today's opponents QPR
There are few teams that draw the ire of a Swansea fan more than Queens Park Rangers. I don’t know what it is; there is just something about them. Perhaps it is due to them seemingly being at the opposite end of the spectrum of playing (and spending) style. Or maybe they are just frustrating to play against… Who knows? With Q.P.R. bouncing straight back up to the Premiership following their relegation, the sides meet for the first time in 21 months. How has it unfolded when the sides have met in the past? Let’s take a look at this week’s #FlashbackFour:
27th December 2011 - Premier League
Swansea 1-1 Q.P.R
There was no doubt that it had been an encouraging start to Swansea’s first Premier League campaign. There had been encouraging wins, and positive performances, but 2012 was approaching, and it was time for the Swans to kick on. Playing Q.P.R. over Christmas felt like the perfect game to kick-start some much-needed momentum.
Swans fans would be forgiven for thinking after the first 20 minutes that their side was capable of heavily beating Neil Warnock’s side. The men in white had a number of significant chances early on, and took the lead through a sumptuous strike from Danny Graham, working hard to prove himself at the top level.
Q.P.R. displayed significant fight however, and certainly made it an open, even game. Warnock’s men had a number of their own chances, and felt they only conceded through Danny Graham handballing to control, before he turned and placed the ball in the net. This end-to-end encounter probably ended with the result it deserved, Jamie Mackie pouncing on a rare Leon Britton mistake to get on the end of a Paddy Kenny clearance and firing past Michel Vorm. One last moment of controversy came in Danny Graham falling under the challenge of Armand Traore, although the referee was not convinced enough to give a penalty.
11th April 2012 - Premier League
Q.P.R. 3-0 Swansea
Every now and then, pundits and armchair pundits alike will say that the Swans, for all their beautiful passing and control of the ball, lacking a clinical cutting edge or strong spine. And in fairness, there are some matches where we give those pundits the opportunity to make said remarks. This was one of those matches.
With safety largely guaranteed, if not mathematically, Brendan Rodgers’ side showed signs of complacency, and allowed the game to be controlled by Joey Barton and his band of merry midfielders. Q.P.R. were the better side for large swathes of the match, dominating almost from start to finish, with Swansea struggling to match their usual high standards.
With the first-half drawing to a close as a goalless draw, everyone’s favourite philosopher Joey Barton struck from outside the area after the Swansea defence failed to clear a Taarabt free-kick. It looked like a long road back into the match from then on and Jamie Mackie continued his habit of scoring against us to make it two, before Akos Buzsaky capped his side’s fine performance.
18th August 2012 - Premier League
Q.P.R. 0-5 Swansea
I’m sure almost every Swans fan remembers where they were when they heard the news of goal after goal hitting the back of the net, whether it was on a campsite in Somerset or in the stands at Loftus Road. Expectations had been reasonably low, a new manager, a raft of new signings, and the sense that some of our best players had left, or were about to leave. The fact that one of those players - Scott Sinclair - came on to provide the last goal of five, showed that there were signs of optimism to be had under new manager Michael Laudrup.
Michu showed the first flashes of brilliance that set the Premier League alight, scoring his first two goals, and his first and only goal from outside the 18-yard box. The Swans never looked like losing, and Nathan Dyer also bagged a brace. Undoubtedly, this was the perfect start to a season, and certainly made it easier to wave goodbye to the mercurial talent that was Scott Sinclair. With Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge becoming the key wingers at Swansea, the future looked very bright indeed.
9th February 2013 - Premier League
Swansea 4-1 Q.P.R
Five months later, a different manager, a different location, and a one-time world class goalkeeper in goals. Still, Q.P.R. struggled against the same Spanish tormentor. Their defenders will, I imagine, still be having nightmares of Michu tearing them apart, with the Spaniard scoring four goals against the R’s while Laudrup’s side completed a double.
Q.P.R. showed very little sign of mustering the effort to lift themselves off the bottom of the table, with Michu and Rangel striking within 18 minutes to set the tone for the afternoon, before Bobby Zamora provided a reply early in the second half which was quickly cancelled out by Pablo. The Swans largely cruised through this match, remaining in almost complete control and not allowing Redknapp’s side an opportunity to influence the match. The mercurial Spaniard added a second to round off the victory as attention switched to the Liverpool away match and the cup final that would follow it. An easy league double for Michael Laudrup for Swansea over the R’s.
Played: 4
Won: 2
Drawn: 1
Lost: 1
Scored: 10
Conceded: 5
With an average of 3.75 goals per game, there has certainly been no shortage of goals in this fixture over the years. Both sides have had spells of leaking goals in the past, and both will hope they have improved their defence sufficiently to emerge the victor on Tuesday night.
Wilfried will undoubtedly be the key man for the Swans, while Charlie Austin has been impressive in his first Premier League season for the R’s. Redknapp’s side have been poor away from home this season, and hopefully we can place further misery upon the London side by dispatching them in this midweek fixture.
My prediction: Swansea 2-1 Q.P.R
Thanks to Nathan as usual for his pre-match thoughts. Do you agree with his prediction? Get in touch with him on Twitter @NathDavidLewis