Meet the opposition | Queens Park Rangers

24th December
First team
Queens Park Rangers

As Swansea City prepare to face Queens Park Rangers on Boxing Day, we take a closer look at the R's.

 

What's their story?

Founded in 1886, the R's played at 20 different grounds before settling down at Loftus Road in 1917. 

They joined the Football League three years later in 1920, and their highest-ever league position coming in the 1975-76 season when Dave Sexton led the club to the runners-up position in Division One as they narrowly missed out on the title by one point. 

They went on to reach the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup the following season, losing out to AEK Athens on penalties.

They won their only major honour courtesy of a League Cup triumph in 1967 when they beat top-flight West Bromwich Albion whilst playing in the Third Division.

Rangers were in the Premier League at its formation in 1992, and their most recent top-flight campaign came during the 2014-15 season.

 

How's their form?

Paul Smyth

Improving. Rangers won just one of their opening 17 league fixtures this season, but following their weekend victory over Preston North End they are unbeaten in seven, winning four and drawing three of those games.

Two of their five league wins this season have come on their travels.

 

Who’s the gaffer?

Marti Cifuentes

Spaniard Marti Cifuentes started his coaching career with short spells in the youth set-ups of Ajax and Millwall.

His first senior management role came back in 2014, when he took over Segunda Division B club Sant Andreu, he then moved to fellow Division B club Hospitalet ahead of the 2015-16 season.

He joined Norwegian club Sandefjord in May 2018. He was unable to prevent them being relegated despite losing just six of his 18 games in charge after taking over midway through the campaign, but guided them to promotion in his first full season in charge.

A year in Denmark with Aalborg BK followed ahead of a switch to Sweden with Hammarby IF in 2022.

He guided the latter to the final of the Swedish Cup, where they lost on penalties to Malmo that same year. They finished third in the Allsvenskan last year to qualify for the Europa Conference League before Cifuentes joined the R's in October 2023.

He went on to guide them clear of danger and secure their Championship status.

 

Who’s the captain?

Steve Cook

Steve Cook. The experienced defender joined QPR on a free transfer during the summer of 2023 after leaving Nottingham Forest.

The 33-year-old is best known for his decade at Bournemouth, where he helped the club rise through the leagues to reach and establish themselves in the Premier League.

He made 388 appearances in all competitions for the Cherries, having originally come through the ranks at Brighton as a trainee.

Cook had loan spells with Eastbourne and Mansfield prior to his time at Bournemouth, and his nous and knowledge have proven to be a big asset to Rangers since his arrival.

 

Who are the key men?

Sam Field

Sam Field is an important figure in the middle of the park for the west London club.

The West Brom product came through the ranks with the Baggies, and went on to make 45 first-team appearances, with his debut coming in a Premier League draw against Liverpool in 2016.

Field - who stands at 6ft 3in - spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Charlton, and then enjoyed a positive loan spell with QPR over the closing stages of the 2020-21 season.

A permanent move followed that summer and he has been an integral part of the squad since. He already has more than 150 appearances to his name for the club.

Defender Jimmy Dunne, a Manchester United academy product, joined Burnley’s youth set-up in 2016. 

He progressed to the senior team a year later and enjoyed successful loans at a series of clubs – including Hearts and Sunderland - before moving to QPR permanently in 2021.

The centre-back earned plenty of plaudits during his first season at Loftus Road and has been a key figure ever since, making just shy of 140 appearances.

He is effective aerially in both boxes, and has eight goals to his name for the west London side.

Lively forward Paul Smyth’s pace and trickery make him an awkward proposition for opposing defences.

The Northern Irishman has two goals and two assists so far this term, with his goal recently securing the R’s a point at Bristol City.

Smyth first emerged at Linfield as a teenager, and helped the Northern Irish club to a domestic treble before making the move to Loftus Road.

He enjoyed a dream debut, netting the winner against Cardiff City in January 2018 and he was named the club’s young player of the season by supporters at the end of the campaign.

Smyth went on to have loan spells with Accrington Stanley, Wycombe Wanderers and Charlton Athletic and left Rangers for Leyton Orient in 2021.

He had a fine two years with Orient, playing alongside Lawrence Vigouroux and Darren Pratley and helped them to the League Two title in 2023.

From there he returned to QPR and has been a regular in the first team for the majority of the time during his second stint with the Hoops.