QPR boss: Swansea defeat more damaging than Man City and Spurs results

Friday, October 5, 2012
9:55 AM

Mark Hughes believes QPR’s crushing 5-0 defeat at home to Swansea City on the opening day of the season has had a lasting effect on his side.

Without a win in six games and rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, QPR boss Hughes finds himself under intense pressure to turn their season around.

QPR faced a tricky run of games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham in the first weeks of the season, and Hughes believes they have suffered a hangover from their opening day mauling by the Swans.

“The one result that really put us on the back foot was the opening fixture against Swansea, which no one anticipated,” he said.

“We all know that we’re judged on results and at this point we haven’t got as many points on the board as we would like.

“We know it was a difficult start to the season; Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham were always going to be difficult.”

As well as morale-damaging defeats and a hellish fixture list, Hughes pointed to injuries to defenders Anton Ferdinand, Jose Bosingwa, Fabio and Armand Traore, which have left them short of options at the back.

“You look at the teams who start well and have a good season and invariably they have a settled back four,” he said.

“We haven’t had that option at this point.”