SOCCER:FOR A moment Swansea City knew where they stood. Half an hour before lunchtime kick-off, they and fellow play-off clubs learned that Queens Park Rangers' automatic promotion place was not going west with a points deduction. By three o'clock the line-up was fixed. Swansea, beating relegated Sheffield United, took Cardiff's third place and face Nottingham Forest, leaving their Welsh rivals to play Reading. Then Swansea's chairman hinted at a challenge of the Football Association's decision merely to fine QPR. Murk returned.
“Everybody is keen to see what the decision is based on, considering they took so long to come up with it,” Huw Jenkins said. “When you look at the financial implications and what the Premier League brings, we have to look at the detail. Right now, though, we have to look forward to the games in front of us.”
Brendan Rodgers, his manager, said as much beforehand: “It’s a ridiculous situation to be in, going into the final game. All we can do is concentrate and look to finish with a win.” Later he said: “We focused on what we wanted to achieve. We passed, probed and were patient. United came with 4-5-1, trying to contain a team who can be unplayable at home, frightening.”
The Swans were serene, passing United’s young Blades to despair. Though Rodgers graduated under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, his team are the Arsenal of the Championship. They will grace any league.
Like Swansea, Rodgers has found his feet, after false starts at Watford and Reading. Nine seasons ago the club changed hands twice for £1. At half-time they presented James Thomas, whose hat-trick in the last game of 2002-03 against Hull spared them from the Conference. Eight years on they are happy to be alive and proud of their new home since 2005.
They finished eighth and seventh in the last two seasons but Rodgers, new this season, was not getting carried away by the progress he has managed. “I still have to prove I’m the right man to be here,” he said. “Part of the job is developing players, not just winning games”, though they have won more than the other three play-off clubs. From matches between them Swansea have 12 points, Forest 10, Reading six and Cardiff five. Each of the others had long unbeaten runs that threatened to seize the second place that Norwich claimed. Swansea’s best was five.
Rodgers, careful in the “mental preparation” of his team, was equally so in his thoughts on QPR and the FA. “The process was a shambles, disgraceful. The timing of the decision by those making it was disrespectful to the clubs.” Bernie Ecclestone, introducer of degradable tyres to Formula One – an insult to drivers and Pirelli – and coincidentally QPR co-owner, could not have come up with anything better.
There was no evidence of lottery on Saturday, just superiority. Micky Adams included five players from Sheffield United’s youth set-up, whose present lot are in the FA Youth Cup final against Manchester United. “I’m not sure if it was the right thing to do,” Adams said later. Swansea took half an hour to score but by the hour, when United had only 10 men, it was 3-0 and, encouragingly, they looked all of two divisions better than their opponents. Only one loanee was involved, Fabio Borini from Chelsea. Scott Sinclair and others have found a good home there.
“We’ll be underdogs,” Rodgers said, “as Forest have the experience.” It was not a good one a year ago. Stephen Dobbie, who scored for Blackpool then, scored twice on Saturday. “With three wins we have the same momentum,” he said, though Forest have four. “If we can become the first Welsh team in the Premier League, we might get a few statues out in front.”
