QPR fans will be keeping a close eye on Swansea City this year with new manager Paulo Sousa and our former midfielder Jordi Lopez both in place and giving us a glimpse of what we may have seen at Loftus Road this season.

Last Season: 8th in Championship In their first season back at this level Swansea won plaudits and friends in huge numbers thanks to a uniquely attractive style of play. Where most Championship sides use a long, straight ball into the channels behind opposition full backs as a ‘get out’ ball or, in many cases, their primary tactic Swansea chose instead to play a single striker with two wingers right out on the touchline at all times so the ball could be switched from extreme right to extreme left with one sweep of the boot. This is a style that served manager Roberto Martinez well when he took them to the championship in League One, and then threatened the play offs for some time last term in their first season back in the Championship. They were helped by the goals of Jason Scotland – he followed up a 29 goal season in League One by scoring 24 last season, although only five of them came in the first five months of the season with the majority flying in after Christmas. Swansea rather ran out of steam at the end with just three wins from the final nine matches, and they looked a shadow of their former selves in defeat at Loftus Road in March. Come May they probably felt they were well placed for a second crack at the Championship in 2009/10 – of course there has been significant upheaval since then.

Head to Head: QPR drew 0-0 at Swansea in Iain Dowie’s last match in charge. On the face of it, considering Swansea’s home record over the course of the season, a goalless draw was not a bad result however the manner of the QPR performance left a sour taste in the mouth. Martin Rowlands was lucky not to be sent off for a horrendous challenge on Swansea keeper Dorus De Vries which fractured his cheekbone however having survived that the R’s really should have been in the driving seat with centre half Alan Tate forced to take up the gloves. Rangers did not manage a shot on target in the entire match, and were ultimately lucky not to lose after a dire performance. By the time the Swans came to Loftus Road Rangers were on a run of nine games without a win, but broke their duck with a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Mikele Leigertwood and a sparkling performance from Hogan Eohraim and Adel Taarabt.
Swansea 0 QPR 0
QPR 1 Swansea 0

Odds: Very much middle of the road with 33/1 title odds on offer from Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and Bet Fred, and 22/1 from Blue Sq and 888Sport.

Manager: Paulo Sousa Sousa’s time at QPR last season divides opinion with some, including new manager Jim Magilton, saying he should have done better with the players available at his disposal and others, including LFW, saying he really did all he could with a squad so light on attacking talent. Undoubtedly Sousa made mistakes at Loftus Road – he seemed unable to settle on his best team, or even a formation he liked to use, consistently and made unnecessary team changes after good performances. You could sort of see what he wanted to do, but with only the likes of Di Carmine and Blackstock to select up front the team was always toothless and ultimately the football was very dull most of the time. Personally I felt he should have been given more time, with his own players, to build something at Loftus Road and to appoint him mid-season with an inherited squad, sign a load more tat in January and then terminate his contract for such pathetic, lousy reasons before the end of the season was completely pointless from the QPR board and reaffirmed my belief that they are really not sure what they are doing. Normally in such arguments you never get to find out who was right but in taking over a team similarly placed to QPR last season we may now get a unique insight into what Sousa would have done at Rangers given more time. He has the pedigree after years of success at the top of the European club and international game but he has big shoes to fill at Swansea after Martinez’s departure, has already lost his top striker and his best player is angling after a move to the top flight. This is a tough job for him, make no mistake.
Survival Chances: 6/10

Players:The headline departure this summer, apart from Martinez, is top scorer Jason Scotland who has followed his former manager into the Premiership with Wigan. The Swans have dipped into the lower leagues of Scottish football, where they picked up Scotland initially, to bring Stephen Dobbie from Queen of the South to, more than likely, play as a lone striker. They have also lost Jordi Gomez, on of the stars of the division last season but only on loan from Espanyol and another to since join Martinez at Wigan. They have back, albeit seemingly only briefly, Ferrie Bodde who was in superb form with seven goals in 17 games from midfield at the start of last season before suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury that ended the campaign early for him. Bodde is fit again now but having repelled interest from Derby b12 months ago Swansea are now trying to fight off Bolton wanderers who can offer the Dutchman Premiership football. If he returns from injury fully recovered, and stays at the Liberty Stadium, he will be the top midfielder in the league this season without a shadow of a doubt and could form a very attractive and productive partnership with Jordi Lopez who joined on a free transfer from QPR this summer. Loftus Road boo boy target Nathan Dyer has made his loan from Southampton permanent and will provide a tricky presence wide on the flanks and Swansea are in the market for another striker with Ipswich’s Pablo Counago top of the shopping list. Full back Angel Rangel is another of the foreign legion attracting interest from elsewhere. With Scotland gone, Martinez gone, Gomez gone and potentially Bodde going as well it is hard not to conclude that Swansea are weaker than they were last season ahead of what is always a tricky second campaign for newly promoted sides.
Likely Star Player – Ferrie Bodde, if they can keep him.

Transfers
In:
Nathan Dyer from Southampton - £400k
Stephen Dobbie from Queen of the South – Free
Jordi López from QPR – Free
Out:
Jason Scotland to Wigan Athletic - £2m
Owain Tudur Jones to Norwich City – Free
Dion Chambers – Released
Kyle Graves – Released

Prediction: With the best will in the world it is unlikely that Dobbie is going to come in and score with the freedom and frequency that Scotland did, especially with the impressive if somewhat un-balanced (or prone to cheating) Jordi Gomez no longer with the. Nevertheless with Bodde, Lopez and Dyer Swansea will be an attractive and threatening side again. Second seasons after promotions are always tough and I cannot see Swansea repeating their success of last term with their current squad – if Bodde does leave I cannot see them even making the top half.
Verdict: Mid table mediocrity.

Photo: Action Images

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