Doesn’t it seem like aaagggeeesss since the Derby match? Despite the obvious advantages of the International break (outlined in last week’s blog), I eagerly await the action from the Premier League, Serie A and, for Swans fans everywhere, Championship action kicking-off again this Saturday!
The Swans will be away to Reading this week, the place where Brendan Rodgers did a Paulo Sousa (i.e. winning only 1 in 11 matches before mutually leaving... okay, so not exactly a Sousa then). Rodgers will be keen to get a good away result for this fixture, not only for the satisfaction of the “I-told-you-it-wasn’t-my-fault-we-didn’t-win-many-but-you-wouldn’t-listen” moment to the Reading board at the end of the match, but also as Swansea need to build on their away success of the Watford game (another Rodgers hunting ground)
A win would be a great prize to both teams, with the victor (providing Burnley lose or draw against Sheffield Utd) launching into the top 6; a place that was home to the Swans for most of last season. Though both teams are on the same points (16), Reading are a place above them thanks to goal difference. With Sinclair and Pratley hopefully back from injury, there’s no reason why the Swans can’t grab at least one point away from home. The stigma of no away result has vanished, so the only thing players can blame for not getting any points is themselves. So here's to hoping nobody gets blamed because Swansea win!
After Reading, we entertain QPR at the Liberty on Tuesday, before (finally) a Saturday home game against Leicester on the 23rd. Interesting fact alert: From now until Christmas, there are only three Saturday home games - Leicester, Portsmouth and Millwall. Interesting fact over.
If you read last week’s blog, I found a new team with an obscurely great name in the Highland League. With no international breaks up there, my new favourite team 'Keith’, won 3 – 2 against Formartine Utd last Saturday. Well done Keith. Well done.
ROLL ON SATURDAY!!
Wednesday 13 October 2010
Monday 4 October 2010
Derby, Sousa and Internationals
Saturday, v Derby
Saturday was the first time this season that the Swans let anyone walk (or drive) away from the Liberty with a point. 0-0 against Derby and, in all fairness, not a bad game (unlike last year where the 0-0’s were tedious). Swansea were clearly missing Sinclair (as well as Pratley and Cotterill); despite what Monk says in this article, it does seem to be all about one person at the moment.
Actually, with regards to that article, Monk states “I thought we defended pretty well, to be fair”... Personally I think Monk had his worst game all season, with every ball he touched going out of play, and some very lazy passing and movement giving Derby ample opportunities on goal. Luckily the work rate of Williams, Rangel and Tate made up for Monk’s off-day, so the defending was ‘average’ in my view. Then again they didn’t concede a goal. Okay Monk, have it your way – “pretty well” it is...
Sousa
Paulo Sousa has been swiftly removed from Leicester, a removal that was expected by all. Maybe not so soon. Is nine games really enough time to judge a man? I suppose it probably is, considering what he did for them while he was there (nothing). I didn’t really have anything against the guy during his time at Swansea. He took the Swans to their highest league place in 27ish (is that right?) years, which is good going. He seemed to lose his touch at the end, so him buggering off was a blessing in disguise. We wouldn’t have had Rodgers, or Sinclair, if he’d stayed, or entertaining football for that matter. Or goals. Or... I could go on. I can’t really see him getting another job in the Championship or higher, and he probably thinks he is above the lower leagues, so I reckon he will head out of Britain. Good luck Sousa, you old fox!
Internationals
No Championship or Premiership action this weekend. I know a few fans are annoyed about the international breaks, but ultimately they have to happen! Wouldn’t you feel empty come 2012 if there was no European Cup! You can’t wait four years for the World Cup without a Euro in between! Just think – that’s a month of extra football at the end of the 2011/2012 season. Losing a couple of weekends at the Liberty throughout the season is an investment towards more footy in June 2012! Imagine the look on your girlfriend’s / wife’s / mate-who-hates-sport’s face when you tell them that the season is over but there's still three weeks of football left to play! I love that look. If you need some live football this Saturday though, the Scot-Ads Highland Football League fixture of ‘Formartine United v Keith’ kicks off at 3pm Saturday!
I never knew there was a team called Keith. That is fantastic.
More odd thoughts on the Swans (and maybe ‘Keith’) in a few days!
Saturday was the first time this season that the Swans let anyone walk (or drive) away from the Liberty with a point. 0-0 against Derby and, in all fairness, not a bad game (unlike last year where the 0-0’s were tedious). Swansea were clearly missing Sinclair (as well as Pratley and Cotterill); despite what Monk says in this article, it does seem to be all about one person at the moment.
Actually, with regards to that article, Monk states “I thought we defended pretty well, to be fair”... Personally I think Monk had his worst game all season, with every ball he touched going out of play, and some very lazy passing and movement giving Derby ample opportunities on goal. Luckily the work rate of Williams, Rangel and Tate made up for Monk’s off-day, so the defending was ‘average’ in my view. Then again they didn’t concede a goal. Okay Monk, have it your way – “pretty well” it is...
Sousa
Paulo Sousa has been swiftly removed from Leicester, a removal that was expected by all. Maybe not so soon. Is nine games really enough time to judge a man? I suppose it probably is, considering what he did for them while he was there (nothing). I didn’t really have anything against the guy during his time at Swansea. He took the Swans to their highest league place in 27ish (is that right?) years, which is good going. He seemed to lose his touch at the end, so him buggering off was a blessing in disguise. We wouldn’t have had Rodgers, or Sinclair, if he’d stayed, or entertaining football for that matter. Or goals. Or... I could go on. I can’t really see him getting another job in the Championship or higher, and he probably thinks he is above the lower leagues, so I reckon he will head out of Britain. Good luck Sousa, you old fox!
Internationals
No Championship or Premiership action this weekend. I know a few fans are annoyed about the international breaks, but ultimately they have to happen! Wouldn’t you feel empty come 2012 if there was no European Cup! You can’t wait four years for the World Cup without a Euro in between! Just think – that’s a month of extra football at the end of the 2011/2012 season. Losing a couple of weekends at the Liberty throughout the season is an investment towards more footy in June 2012! Imagine the look on your girlfriend’s / wife’s / mate-who-hates-sport’s face when you tell them that the season is over but there's still three weeks of football left to play! I love that look. If you need some live football this Saturday though, the Scot-Ads Highland Football League fixture of ‘Formartine United v Keith’ kicks off at 3pm Saturday!
I never knew there was a team called Keith. That is fantastic.
More odd thoughts on the Swans (and maybe ‘Keith’) in a few days!
Friday 1 October 2010
The Swans and FIFA 11
FIFA. A man’s best mate on a long winter night, short winter night, long winter day, short summer evening, long… you get the picture. Perfect game for every occasion. The sworn enemy to wives and girlfriends worldwide. Love it or hate it, FIFA 11 was finally released today! If you are slightly mental / up at that time, you could’ve headed into town to pick up your copy at midnight. Me? I’m a definite enthusiast, but too lazy for a midnight shop. Instead I headed out first thing this morning, grabbed it and went home to fire up the PS3. After playing a few games, I’m ready to share a couple of thoughts.
My first game was Italy v Germany, where I drew 0 – 0 against the Germans, before rightly losing on penalties. Then, my international career looking bleak, I headed to the npower Championship and took the reins at Swansea. I found it was too early to start a career mode; I wanted to get a feel for the new game without being too concerned over long term careers of players / injuries and so on. Instead I cracked on with some random exhibition matches. Firstly, I am pleased to say I didn’t lose a game… admittedly I didn’t win a game either (0-0 v Cardiff, 0-0 v Chelsea, 0-0 v Real Madrid, followed by a 1-1 draw v England, with none other than Sinclair netting my only goal). I’m not a goal scoring machine as you can tell…
The squads have been updated completely (apart from the loans – Kuqi is in the Swans squad and Nouble is still with West Ham). Real life injuries are overlooked, meaning Pintado, Beattie and Bodde are all fit and available to play. No sign of Makabu-Makalambay, but he was a late signing in all fairness; if he performs well for the Swans in real life, I’ll sign him to my FIFA team!
Obviously a lot of money has gone into rendering the big names (Rooney, Kaka, Chiellini) as accurate as possible. Most of the players in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, all look and move basically identical to real life. However when we jump to the Swans squad, up-close the players look bugger all like their real life counterparts. From a distance though you can easily tell who’s who. Even though the facial detail isn’t accurate, the smaller details seem to have been picked up and included: Scott Sinclair’s yellow boots and strapped wrists, Dyer and his bright red boots (does he actually wear these anymore?) and the bullish running that is (was?) Kuqi. The body types have had, like advertised, a complete revamp. You wouldn’t confuse Williams with Dyer if they stood next to each other in real life and this has been mimicked in the game.
Game play is immaculate, with EA totally revamping passing style and control. As I’ve said, this isn’t a full review as I haven’t had time to play until my fingers bleed (yet), but I’ve already noticed subtle changes, such as controlling the ball and the way the ball bounces off the keepers – much more realistic this time around. Passes won’t always go to who you want; it all depends on the power and angle you hit the ball – which makes the game less ‘ping-pongy’ and therefore harder to score (well, that’s my excuse anyway)!
Other features within the game have been created. For example, before playing an exhibition match, you’re able to select which referee you want. They differ in the strictness over cards and fouls, which can totally change a game (as you know if you’ve seen some of the refs down the Liberty over the last year). During the game, stats appear at the top of the screen: passing, possession, shots which make for a more realistic experience. At the end of the game, you can select different highlights to watch – the computer will pick up any good shots, saves or misses and files them for your convenience. If you missed a sitter during the match, it will be waiting for you at the end! Another feature I’m yet to try is the option to set your own personalised themes for when your team walks out onto the pitch and scores a goal. I just need to find an MP3 of the souped-up theme from Gladiator and that’ll be the Swans entrance sorted!
So there we go. A little summary of what I’ve experienced so far. To be honest, I’ve barely scratched the surface, but am sure I will over the next few months. Look out for a more in-depth review later in the year. If I can still type through the blood.
My first game was Italy v Germany, where I drew 0 – 0 against the Germans, before rightly losing on penalties. Then, my international career looking bleak, I headed to the npower Championship and took the reins at Swansea. I found it was too early to start a career mode; I wanted to get a feel for the new game without being too concerned over long term careers of players / injuries and so on. Instead I cracked on with some random exhibition matches. Firstly, I am pleased to say I didn’t lose a game… admittedly I didn’t win a game either (0-0 v Cardiff, 0-0 v Chelsea, 0-0 v Real Madrid, followed by a 1-1 draw v England, with none other than Sinclair netting my only goal). I’m not a goal scoring machine as you can tell…
The squads have been updated completely (apart from the loans – Kuqi is in the Swans squad and Nouble is still with West Ham). Real life injuries are overlooked, meaning Pintado, Beattie and Bodde are all fit and available to play. No sign of Makabu-Makalambay, but he was a late signing in all fairness; if he performs well for the Swans in real life, I’ll sign him to my FIFA team!
Obviously a lot of money has gone into rendering the big names (Rooney, Kaka, Chiellini) as accurate as possible. Most of the players in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, all look and move basically identical to real life. However when we jump to the Swans squad, up-close the players look bugger all like their real life counterparts. From a distance though you can easily tell who’s who. Even though the facial detail isn’t accurate, the smaller details seem to have been picked up and included: Scott Sinclair’s yellow boots and strapped wrists, Dyer and his bright red boots (does he actually wear these anymore?) and the bullish running that is (was?) Kuqi. The body types have had, like advertised, a complete revamp. You wouldn’t confuse Williams with Dyer if they stood next to each other in real life and this has been mimicked in the game.
Game play is immaculate, with EA totally revamping passing style and control. As I’ve said, this isn’t a full review as I haven’t had time to play until my fingers bleed (yet), but I’ve already noticed subtle changes, such as controlling the ball and the way the ball bounces off the keepers – much more realistic this time around. Passes won’t always go to who you want; it all depends on the power and angle you hit the ball – which makes the game less ‘ping-pongy’ and therefore harder to score (well, that’s my excuse anyway)!
Other features within the game have been created. For example, before playing an exhibition match, you’re able to select which referee you want. They differ in the strictness over cards and fouls, which can totally change a game (as you know if you’ve seen some of the refs down the Liberty over the last year). During the game, stats appear at the top of the screen: passing, possession, shots which make for a more realistic experience. At the end of the game, you can select different highlights to watch – the computer will pick up any good shots, saves or misses and files them for your convenience. If you missed a sitter during the match, it will be waiting for you at the end! Another feature I’m yet to try is the option to set your own personalised themes for when your team walks out onto the pitch and scores a goal. I just need to find an MP3 of the souped-up theme from Gladiator and that’ll be the Swans entrance sorted!
So there we go. A little summary of what I’ve experienced so far. To be honest, I’ve barely scratched the surface, but am sure I will over the next few months. Look out for a more in-depth review later in the year. If I can still type through the blood.
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Ambulance please... I've been watching the Swans!
I was half ready to type a “what the hell happened?!” blog after last night’s game. Only based on the second half, of course, as the first half seemed close to perfection! Sinclair really showing what an amazing addition he is to the squad with a great performance and goal to match, along with fellow forward Dobbie getting the second. The first half euphoria seemed to be flowing into the second half, with Nouble bagging his first goal for the travelling Jacks. 3 – 0! Away from home! Who are we? Who are... oh wait... it's all turning a bit mental.
The Swans weren’t used to being that far ahead in an away league match. They were almost scared of losing it, scared of what would be said if they returned home from another away game with no points. But that seemed unlikely? Winning 3 – 0, you aren’t going to give away that sort of lead! Well, on a night that produced 40 goals across the Championship, a night where Preston came from 4 – 2 behind to win 4 – 6 at Leeds, it seemed that Watford could well turn things around.
Suddenly Swansea were on the back foot with De Vries forced to make some fine saves and Tate making goal saving clearances from the line with his chest! Watford wanted a goal. And a goal they got, in the 76th minute courtesy of Troy Deeney. A few nervous laughs as Swans fans shrugged off a possible comeback from Watford. There was only 15 minutes left. No chance.
However, conceding that goal shook the remaining confidence and from then on it was defend, defend, defend, giving Watford a new enthusiasm for a late comeback. This led to another Watford goal and, with 5 minutes left, Swansea looked like a different team, struggling to contend with the unexpected might of the home attack.
If you had a heart condition it was probably best to leave the stadium around this point, or turn off the commentary, as things got crazier. Attack, attack, attack from Watford. The home crowd cheered as another goal went in. It was 3 – 3! Watford deserved the draw! But no! The offside flag had been raised. It didn’t count! We could all breathe again and put the defibrillators away as the game finally ended!
Very close in the end. I mean, a draw wouldn’t have been a bad result. Actually, it would have been a good result if Watford had taken the first goal and Swans battled back for the draw and came away with a point. But when you go 3 goals up, a win is the only thing good enough, and Swansea were close to letting that slip. Luckily they didn’t and claimed the 3 points, taking them to a respectable 8th in the table with 15 points (remember 2nd place Cardiff only have 17 points, showing that this is still a very open league... apart from bloody QPR who seem to be destined for the Premiere once again).
So Derby at the Liberty on Saturday, and hopefully a simpler win! Things are never easy with the Swans.
The Swans weren’t used to being that far ahead in an away league match. They were almost scared of losing it, scared of what would be said if they returned home from another away game with no points. But that seemed unlikely? Winning 3 – 0, you aren’t going to give away that sort of lead! Well, on a night that produced 40 goals across the Championship, a night where Preston came from 4 – 2 behind to win 4 – 6 at Leeds, it seemed that Watford could well turn things around.
Suddenly Swansea were on the back foot with De Vries forced to make some fine saves and Tate making goal saving clearances from the line with his chest! Watford wanted a goal. And a goal they got, in the 76th minute courtesy of Troy Deeney. A few nervous laughs as Swans fans shrugged off a possible comeback from Watford. There was only 15 minutes left. No chance.
However, conceding that goal shook the remaining confidence and from then on it was defend, defend, defend, giving Watford a new enthusiasm for a late comeback. This led to another Watford goal and, with 5 minutes left, Swansea looked like a different team, struggling to contend with the unexpected might of the home attack.
If you had a heart condition it was probably best to leave the stadium around this point, or turn off the commentary, as things got crazier. Attack, attack, attack from Watford. The home crowd cheered as another goal went in. It was 3 – 3! Watford deserved the draw! But no! The offside flag had been raised. It didn’t count! We could all breathe again and put the defibrillators away as the game finally ended!
Very close in the end. I mean, a draw wouldn’t have been a bad result. Actually, it would have been a good result if Watford had taken the first goal and Swans battled back for the draw and came away with a point. But when you go 3 goals up, a win is the only thing good enough, and Swansea were close to letting that slip. Luckily they didn’t and claimed the 3 points, taking them to a respectable 8th in the table with 15 points (remember 2nd place Cardiff only have 17 points, showing that this is still a very open league... apart from bloody QPR who seem to be destined for the Premiere once again).
So Derby at the Liberty on Saturday, and hopefully a simpler win! Things are never easy with the Swans.
Saturday 25 September 2010
Swans unable to produce in Nottingham (Forest 3 - 1 Swans)
Hmm. The pundits and the bookies (...okay, and myself) got it all wrong. The draw specialists changed into a winning machine up at The City Ground today, prolonging Swansea’s poor away form and snatching three points that would have seen the Swans sitting higher in the table. Oh well. The biggest defeat under Brendan Rodgers does have a positive. It shows how lucky we are to have Scott Sinclair, as he really was missed today. Positives over!
It seems that the Swans’ strengths really lie in the midfield and this showed with the amount of homework Forest did. They totally snuffed out any fire that Pratley tried to start and, by rendering him useless, they ruled the midfield. Gower and Cotterill struggled to contain their men, which quickly led to constant attack and goals (the first courtesy of a penalty given away by DeVries). Despite a consolation goal by substitute Van der Gun, Swansea had no chance of coming back. It ended 3 – 1.
It was a shame that Dobbie was injured during the warm up and therefore unable to play as we needed him – again Nouble failed to really impress. At 19 (oh yeah, happy birthday for yesterday Nouble) he is fast and eager, but hasn’t managed to get into the Championship mindset yet. He needs another game maybe, but then he will have to perform or the rumours of a permanent signing after the loan period will come to nothing. Even with one little injury to Dobbie, it shows how much Swansea are in need of a permanent striker who can consistently produce. In related news, Kuqi scored for Derby today. He is a good guy to have on the bench – a bench that was missing striking force today. Lucky Derby.
All credit to Forest though. They fought well for the victory; allowing Swansea no room to manoeuvre and running back to defence every time they lost it up front. Their win takes them within a point of Swansea and two places below (Swans currently at 9th and Forest at 11th in the table).
So those were my thoughts on today’s match. I’m sure you will have some similar and some different opinions. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think of Swansea’s inability to produce away results and the lack of striking numbers.
Roll on Tuesday, where another away game (v Watford) looms. An away game that we need to win (... a draw would be acceptable) to get back on track for Championship glory!
It seems that the Swans’ strengths really lie in the midfield and this showed with the amount of homework Forest did. They totally snuffed out any fire that Pratley tried to start and, by rendering him useless, they ruled the midfield. Gower and Cotterill struggled to contain their men, which quickly led to constant attack and goals (the first courtesy of a penalty given away by DeVries). Despite a consolation goal by substitute Van der Gun, Swansea had no chance of coming back. It ended 3 – 1.
It was a shame that Dobbie was injured during the warm up and therefore unable to play as we needed him – again Nouble failed to really impress. At 19 (oh yeah, happy birthday for yesterday Nouble) he is fast and eager, but hasn’t managed to get into the Championship mindset yet. He needs another game maybe, but then he will have to perform or the rumours of a permanent signing after the loan period will come to nothing. Even with one little injury to Dobbie, it shows how much Swansea are in need of a permanent striker who can consistently produce. In related news, Kuqi scored for Derby today. He is a good guy to have on the bench – a bench that was missing striking force today. Lucky Derby.
All credit to Forest though. They fought well for the victory; allowing Swansea no room to manoeuvre and running back to defence every time they lost it up front. Their win takes them within a point of Swansea and two places below (Swans currently at 9th and Forest at 11th in the table).
So those were my thoughts on today’s match. I’m sure you will have some similar and some different opinions. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think of Swansea’s inability to produce away results and the lack of striking numbers.
Roll on Tuesday, where another away game (v Watford) looms. An away game that we need to win (... a draw would be acceptable) to get back on track for Championship glory!
Friday 24 September 2010
A different story...
We all remember what happened last season against Nottingham Forest. 1 – 0 to Forest, both home and away. It was the same old story.
At home the Swans were happily plodding towards another 0 – 0 draw (they were certainly the ‘draw specialists’ last season), until SUDDENLY Forest score and throw the Swans into disarray, resulting in a loss, instead of the one point that Sousa was hoping for. After the match Sousa said "We deserved much more, we created a lot of panic but we became anxious after they scored." And I think that’s how many fans will remember last season; creating too many unfinished chances.
When Swansea travelled to The City Ground, the same thing happened: 0 – 0, until a last gasp goal from Luke Chambers ended hopes of retribution and another handful of points slipped away. Too many unfinished chances.
Fast forward to this season and The Swans are all too aware that to have any hope of getting automatic promotion, home wins are not enough – they need away points, be it wins or draws. And I can see it happening against Forest tomorrow. I know a few pundits have tipped either the same score as last season (Forest win) or a 0 – 0 draw... 0 – 0? Those days have surely gone up to Leicester with Sousa? Haven’t they? Brendan Rodgers isn’t Sousa! He has shorter hair and a different accent for a start, but also has an attacking mind and a refreshed arsenal at hand, featuring Sinclair, Dobbie and new-boy Nouble, who are all capable of scoring.
So, with this in mind, I’m predicting... a 1 – 0 victory to the Swans. Okay, I may be completely off (I am ‘The man who knew too little’ after all), but I think with Sinclair on fire and Nouble looking to impress, I can’t see them not scoring. Nottingham Forest are struggling to get consistent wins, but, saying that, have not been beaten at home since last year. And they are the draw specialists this season. Hmm... maybe a 1 – 1 draw then? Okay, scrap my first prediction, I’m going for 1 – 1.
Swansea are the highest placed team in the Championship who have yet to draw or win away. That says a lot for the Liberty Stadium, and maybe their away confidence, but also says that this season is definitely not the same old story. Which is fine by me.
Forza Swansea!
At home the Swans were happily plodding towards another 0 – 0 draw (they were certainly the ‘draw specialists’ last season), until SUDDENLY Forest score and throw the Swans into disarray, resulting in a loss, instead of the one point that Sousa was hoping for. After the match Sousa said "We deserved much more, we created a lot of panic but we became anxious after they scored." And I think that’s how many fans will remember last season; creating too many unfinished chances.
When Swansea travelled to The City Ground, the same thing happened: 0 – 0, until a last gasp goal from Luke Chambers ended hopes of retribution and another handful of points slipped away. Too many unfinished chances.
Fast forward to this season and The Swans are all too aware that to have any hope of getting automatic promotion, home wins are not enough – they need away points, be it wins or draws. And I can see it happening against Forest tomorrow. I know a few pundits have tipped either the same score as last season (Forest win) or a 0 – 0 draw... 0 – 0? Those days have surely gone up to Leicester with Sousa? Haven’t they? Brendan Rodgers isn’t Sousa! He has shorter hair and a different accent for a start, but also has an attacking mind and a refreshed arsenal at hand, featuring Sinclair, Dobbie and new-boy Nouble, who are all capable of scoring.
So, with this in mind, I’m predicting... a 1 – 0 victory to the Swans. Okay, I may be completely off (I am ‘The man who knew too little’ after all), but I think with Sinclair on fire and Nouble looking to impress, I can’t see them not scoring. Nottingham Forest are struggling to get consistent wins, but, saying that, have not been beaten at home since last year. And they are the draw specialists this season. Hmm... maybe a 1 – 1 draw then? Okay, scrap my first prediction, I’m going for 1 – 1.
Swansea are the highest placed team in the Championship who have yet to draw or win away. That says a lot for the Liberty Stadium, and maybe their away confidence, but also says that this season is definitely not the same old story. Which is fine by me.
Forza Swansea!
Wednesday 22 September 2010
Some thoughts on the new Swans iPhone app
After seeing a couple of adverts for the new Official Swans iPhone app, I decided to ‘pop into the app store’ and download it. It’s been out for a week or two now, but I wanted to have a proper play around before sharing my thoughts.
Firstly, the adverts are a little misleading. I went to the app store and searched for “Swansea City”, which produced results, but no sign of the “official app”. After a few more searches returned negative, I revisited the advert where I discovered that the app is actually called ‘FL Football’ (from The Football League), and you then have to select Swansea as your home team. I visited the app store for the fifth time that day and successfully downloaded it. Annoyingly I accidentally selected Stevenage as my home team and had to reinstall the app again, but was finally ready to see if my downloading ordeal had been worth it.
As with many iPhone apps these days, it’s free to download and use most features, with the option of upgrading for £4.99. Now, I’m just giving my thoughts on the free version, as I have no real interest in the bonus features, which, from what I can tell, are: advert free viewing (I don’t really notice the ads), the ability to view Match Highlights on your phone (I watch these for free on the internet / MOTD), a score predictor (probably quite fun, but I place a few bets myself, so don’t feel the need for this) and mapping to stadiums if you are travelling away (probably quite a useful feature).
The home screen is simply set out; basically a menu with: ‘Today’s Match’, Latest News headlines, Latest results, Next Fixtures and a couple of extras, like a shop and an npower link. It’s set in the Swansea colours (for all the diehard fans out there, who would accept nothing less)! The menu screen is great for viewing at a glance for instant info, but you can click these titbits for more details. Design, therefore, is well done and smooth.
The main feature, which I’ve downloaded many other apps for, and never been completely satisfied, is the Live Text Commentary feature. Now, I was in the Liberty for the Scunthorpe match and decided to test it compared to the live action; checking how accurate and quick the response was. I was a little disappointed. The time between things happening on the grass in front of me, to it being updated on the app was sometimes 4 or 5 minutes! I also found no ‘refresh’ button, which meant I had to press ‘back’ then re-enter the commentary section for new commentary! I feel the Sky Sports app is better in this respect.
Otherwise, it’s a nice little app and certainly worth downloading for free. I would be interested in seeing another official app though, made exclusively for the Swans, but until then this will do nicely.
Firstly, the adverts are a little misleading. I went to the app store and searched for “Swansea City”, which produced results, but no sign of the “official app”. After a few more searches returned negative, I revisited the advert where I discovered that the app is actually called ‘FL Football’ (from The Football League), and you then have to select Swansea as your home team. I visited the app store for the fifth time that day and successfully downloaded it. Annoyingly I accidentally selected Stevenage as my home team and had to reinstall the app again, but was finally ready to see if my downloading ordeal had been worth it.
As with many iPhone apps these days, it’s free to download and use most features, with the option of upgrading for £4.99. Now, I’m just giving my thoughts on the free version, as I have no real interest in the bonus features, which, from what I can tell, are: advert free viewing (I don’t really notice the ads), the ability to view Match Highlights on your phone (I watch these for free on the internet / MOTD), a score predictor (probably quite fun, but I place a few bets myself, so don’t feel the need for this) and mapping to stadiums if you are travelling away (probably quite a useful feature).
The home screen is simply set out; basically a menu with: ‘Today’s Match’, Latest News headlines, Latest results, Next Fixtures and a couple of extras, like a shop and an npower link. It’s set in the Swansea colours (for all the diehard fans out there, who would accept nothing less)! The menu screen is great for viewing at a glance for instant info, but you can click these titbits for more details. Design, therefore, is well done and smooth.
The main feature, which I’ve downloaded many other apps for, and never been completely satisfied, is the Live Text Commentary feature. Now, I was in the Liberty for the Scunthorpe match and decided to test it compared to the live action; checking how accurate and quick the response was. I was a little disappointed. The time between things happening on the grass in front of me, to it being updated on the app was sometimes 4 or 5 minutes! I also found no ‘refresh’ button, which meant I had to press ‘back’ then re-enter the commentary section for new commentary! I feel the Sky Sports app is better in this respect.
Otherwise, it’s a nice little app and certainly worth downloading for free. I would be interested in seeing another official app though, made exclusively for the Swans, but until then this will do nicely.
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