The stage is set for a horror show...
How embarrassing it is to type that scoreline out. Yes, it still hurts over a week on...
This match was meant to be the dawning of a new era at QPR. After surviving on the last day of last season, Mark Hughes promised there would be no repeat of that relegation dogfight this season and eight new 'quality' signings showed real intent by the club. The pre-season interviews and noises being made by the people that put the PR in QPR ensured that there was an air of optimism pre kick-off. A hysteria about the club and a genuine belief, or should I say expectation, that this season QPR would establish themselves as a force in the Premier League. Today they turned up thinking three points were in the bag (I, too, found myself believing for the first time in ages that QPR would win comfortably here, something I never allow myself to do because I am of the opinion that in football you should always expect the worst and then go home happy should anything different happen). But it's easy to see why I felt confident: QPR were unbeaten against the Swans throughout their league history and had beaten them comfortably towards the back end of last season. Surely a home banker here? Nobody in blue and white hoops around the stadium considered that Swansea had made some shrewd signings and got a new manager with a new approach compared with that side that lost 3-0 at Loftus Road in April. Unfortunately, Mark Hughes and his QPR players must be included in that number...What followed the impeccably observed tribute pre kick-off and in the 5th minute to QPR's greatest number 5 (the late Alan McDonald) was completely unscripted. A defensive collapse completely atypical of the displays QPR fans used to see by the late McDonald. After a quiet but positive enough opening from the home side, Swansea were a goal up with their first proper attempt on goal - a real blunder from Green who ended up palming a shot from Michu into the net which he should really have saved. You could sense the shock that followed that goal around the ground but for around fifteen minutes QPR fans were determined to roar the ball into Vorm's net. Jamie Mackie missed an absolute sitter which, to be fair to him, he normally puts away. And I just sensed after that miss that it wasn't going to be QPR's day.
QPR bossed possession and huffed and puffed until half time but, with me being the negative soul that I am, I just couldn't see the Superhoops getting back into it. Hughes had gone with a 4-5-1 formation with Cisse up front as a lone striker. Playing this formation at home always disappoints me, it seems so negative and needless when we had a fully fit strike partner in Bobby Zamora or Andy Johnson to play alongside him. Cisse looked completely isolated throughout the game and lacked the required support from Taarabt, Hoilett and Mackie who should have been around the box to apply more pressure on the Swans defence and latch on to rebounds from anything not cleared by them or parried by Vorm. There were a couple of occasions where the keeper spilled but nobody in Hoops was there to gobble up the loose ball.
No sooner had the game restarted than it was 2-0. Apparently the goal went in in the 53rd minute, but it really didn't feel like that. After some classic Swanselona build up Michu was a yard ahead of the last defender and Green was off his line. I thought he would fluff it but to my amazement he kept his cool and produced an absolutely outstanding finish with a brush of the boot. A terrific goal. Game over. The QPR fans grew frustrated and players looked at each other. Alarmingly, no shouts from Green could be heard like I used to hear from Paddy Kenny; there was no post-mortem by the defenders or goalkeeper.
The usual 60 minute substitution mark came and went without a change by Hughes. The players appeared lethargic and disinterested, and sure enough on 63 minutes it was 3-0. Non-existent defensive play from Onuoha allowed for Dyer to ghost towards goal and finish. This was getting ugly. Nathan Dyer, the player who everyone tells me is good but I tell them he dives, he's a thief and never shows up against QPR, then helped himself to another goal thanks to the generosity of QPR's defenders. Scott Sinclair even came off the bench to bid farewell to Swansea fans by scoring and not celebrating - a clear sign that his future lay elsewhere. But even after shipping a 5th the QPR players still continued to show less emotion than even him - except for Jamie Mackie, who, turning to the fans shaking his head and clearly hurting, acknowledged the shout from the Loft to keep his chin up.
Maybe the weight of expectation showed here, but to me it seemed Hughes and co. clearly underestimated the Jacks and turned up expecting to win.
Anyway, enough criticising QPR; as I left the ground, I felt a sense of déjà-vu (QPR lost 4-0 to Bolton on the opening day of last season, too) but strangely this result, despite being worse, didn't leave me half as worried as that day. On the positive side, Fabio looked good going forward (not so great in his primary role as a defender, mind!) and Park enjoyed a good debut.
Everything that QPR did wrong, Swansea countered by doing right. Chico Flores and Michu shone on their debuts whilst every De Guzman delivery had me worried (not only because our defence was abysmal but also because he had a bloody good delivery!). Laudrup got his tactics as party pooper spot on, which, together with the displays of the new signings, must bode well for the Swans who feared that Rodgers' departure would be the beginning of the end of their Premiership days. On this evidence (yes I know it's only one game!), the Swans could replicate that 11th place finish of last year.
Perhaps the people that put the PR in QPR have got to me too - for me this was just not our day. The press will no doubt tell everyone how we are doomed after this game and going to be the next Portsmouth, Leeds or whoever else spent big and went down saddled with huge debt, but I'm convinced this was a blip. An embarrassing blip at that though. Furthermore, having had a week to reflect, I feel a little less bad about it, especially after watching the same Swans team brush West Ham aside by a margin that could equally have been five. With this comforting result in mind, I shall keep calm and carry on...
Man of the match: Hard to look beyond Michu for this one: what an introduction to English football! Looks an absolute steal.
