Swansea City 2012/13: One to remember!

It's that time of year again - a time for reflection, a time for celebration and a time to prepare for two months with no football. Still, there are plenty of memories to take us through to August - memories of a superb season for Swansea City, possibly the best yet.

Super-Dane Michael Laudrup joined us last year as the club were looking to avoid second-season syndrome. Despite some hesitation with his shaky track record, Laudrup was instantly loved and the cliched alliteration was never mentioned again. I'm sure FourFourTwo ate their words...

FourFourTwo's accurate pre-season prediction...

The 5-0 drubbing of QPR on the opening day set the tone for an exciting ten months of football, where we saw victories against Arsenal, Chelsea and Brendan Rodgers, while scaring Man United and Man City a couple of times.

As well as seeing the rise of homegrown talent - namely Ben Davies - this exciting season has seen some new names cement themselves in the Landore walk of fame. Michu, Ki, de Guzman, Chico, Hernandez and Tiendalli (and Shechter) all made their own impact on South Wales, bringing goals (Michu), passion (Chico), hoards of new fans (Ki) and, at times, frustration (Shechter). Whatever impact they made, they have all contributed to an eventful season and we thank them for their efforts.

That day in Wembley

One of the most eventful days saw around 40,000 of us head to Wembley again for the mental 5-0 smashing of Bradford in the Capital One Cup final, giving the club some much needed silverware and a ticket to European football next season.

What will this summer bring? Hopefully not another new manager - one thing the club could do without is another managerial change as stability is going to be key to establishing Swansea as a long term Premier League club. Another thing we hope the summer doesn't bring is the greedy hands of big clubs looking to poach players away - Michu and Williams in particular, though some seem resigned to the fact that Vorm will probably head off.

What we hope the summer will bring is more players. Swansea need about five or six new players in various areas, either to replace those who leave or bulk up the squad for the tiring European experience. Mainly a proven striker or two - if there is an area to spend money on it is certainly a goalscorer!

Elsewhere, I'm happy to have completed my third season as a Swansea City blogger. It's been an eventful year for me, winning the Best Sports Blog at the Wales Blog Awards in September, before opening the blogging doors to a few talented and passionate writers who have helped keep the blog afloat during a busy few months for me. Check them out on the contributors page.

Me claiming the Best Sports Blog in Wales title in September

I expect a nice (if rainy) summer of rumour and speculation, with a little bit of heartache, but plenty of anticipation ahead of the Swans' third season in the Premier League, a European tour (qualification permitting) and a South Wales derby or two to top it off.

Check back soon for regular posts over the summer. Forza Swansea!