I feel that writing about 'the importance of winning at Burnley' is a waste of time. You all know. There is no reason to “big it up” - it's already massive. This game, like the remaining four Swansea will play, will define the season.
Problems
Swansea regularly start with the likes of Pratley and Britton on the bench and it gives the illusion of squad depth. While this does show that there are plenty of options for the three midfielders, a change in attack seems to stump everyone.
Brendan Rodgers appeared desperate for a second goal against Hull, and ended up throwing on Priskin, Moore and Beattie. Three strikers. Swansea can't function with three strikers. What he really needed was a solid, speedy winger to replace Sinclair or Dyer, and then a man-for-man swap of Borini with either Beattie or Priskin (...or Moore). However, there is nobody to replace Dyer or Sinclair. If one of them does get fatigued or injured during a game, there is no replacement. Van der Gun? He can do a wingers job, but he isn't as creative or fast.
It may be a little late to get a winger on loan, but that is what the team needs. Even if they aren't used they'll be there just in case the worst happens or, like we saw against Hull, something needs to change.
What results mean:
A win could see the Swans end the day in 3rd, providing Cardiff lose. 2nd place is just out of reach after Norwich beat Nottingham Forest. More than likely, a win for the Swans would see them hold onto the 4th place spot. If Cardiff slip up then all the better, but a win is vital to keep the pressure at bay.
A draw wouldn't be the end of the world, though it's certainly not what Rodgers and his men should be aiming for. If Reading (5th) lose or draw, Swansea would remain in 4th. If, however, Reading win, the Swans would slip down to 5th.
A loss is, needless to say, not worth thinking about. It would probably impact the table in the same way as a draw: Swansea would fall to 5th if Reading win. A loss would be crippling to confidence levels for the following game.
Betting on the game?
I feel confident that Swansea will hold it together under immense away pressure and get a victory. They wasted a chance on Tuesday against Hull. As Rodgers has said, the team need to be more aggressive away from home. They can't buckle and concede an early goal as this would destroy any team spirit.
I will say a 1-0 win to the Swans looks promising. Burnley have lost their last four games (and haven't won for six) and do concede plenty of goals, but Swansea's away form isn't the best. Still, I feel the travelling Jacks will have the edge. It may be worth covering 1-1... just in case.
Friday 15 April 2011
Friday 8 April 2011
Bite-size Blog: Swansea vs Norwich
Swansea cannot lose against Norwich. Not if they want to battle for the automatic promotion spot. A win is vital.
With a full strength squad, this would usually be an easy outing, with three points almost certain on a smooth Liberty surface with a sell-out crowd spurring them on. However the loss against bottom of the league side Preston last week has asked some questions of the Swansea defence (“how could you let such a weak team pressurise you?”) and attack (“why could you not put away your chances?”). These questions must be answered by a convincing win over fellow promotion contenders Norwich.
Norwich, on good form, will be full of confidence after thrashing Scunthorpe 6-0 on Saturday. Can Swansea stop their decent run?
What results mean:
A win would probably see the Swans retain their 4th place spot, which is still a great place to be in considering a slightly bad run recently. If Cardiff lose or draw a win against Norwich would see the Swans leapfrog them to 3rd!
A draw would be better than a loss (duh!). If Cardiff lose Swansea would jump into third.
A loss would be terrible. Technically a loss could see the Swans drop to 6th place (if both Leeds and Reading win, thanks to goal difference), which would be one spot away from dropping out the play-offs. Not a good position to be in considering what happened last year.
So you can see: a good result against Norwich now means everything.
Betting on the game?
I honestly don't know these days. Swansea aren't the most predictable of teams at the moment. You don't know who will score at any point! As for score prediction, a 1-1 draw seems likely, though if Swansea really go for it 2-1 is also a high possibility.
This is the time to prove you have what it takes to get into the top tier once again. Don't let us down.
With a full strength squad, this would usually be an easy outing, with three points almost certain on a smooth Liberty surface with a sell-out crowd spurring them on. However the loss against bottom of the league side Preston last week has asked some questions of the Swansea defence (“how could you let such a weak team pressurise you?”) and attack (“why could you not put away your chances?”). These questions must be answered by a convincing win over fellow promotion contenders Norwich.
Norwich, on good form, will be full of confidence after thrashing Scunthorpe 6-0 on Saturday. Can Swansea stop their decent run?
What results mean:
A win would probably see the Swans retain their 4th place spot, which is still a great place to be in considering a slightly bad run recently. If Cardiff lose or draw a win against Norwich would see the Swans leapfrog them to 3rd!
A draw would be better than a loss (duh!). If Cardiff lose Swansea would jump into third.
A loss would be terrible. Technically a loss could see the Swans drop to 6th place (if both Leeds and Reading win, thanks to goal difference), which would be one spot away from dropping out the play-offs. Not a good position to be in considering what happened last year.
So you can see: a good result against Norwich now means everything.
Betting on the game?
I honestly don't know these days. Swansea aren't the most predictable of teams at the moment. You don't know who will score at any point! As for score prediction, a 1-1 draw seems likely, though if Swansea really go for it 2-1 is also a high possibility.
This is the time to prove you have what it takes to get into the top tier once again. Don't let us down.
Monday 4 April 2011
Blaming the pitch!
I know all too well how annoying a bad pitch can be, being a keen 'Sunday kick-about on a muddy field' kind of guy, but blaming the pitch quality is no excuse for the way Swansea mentally approached Saturday's disastrous loss against Preston.
I'm not having a go at Brendan Rodgers; after all he has made the club fantastic to support and watch over the last few months, but I did cringe when listening to his hints of groundsman conspiracies after the match. The pitch wasn't the problem I feel. Swansea go into these bottom-of-the-league fixtures seeing the win as 'one in the bag'. I guess with fantastic performances such as the one against Leeds, nobody can blame the Swans for being expected to win. But there is 'expecting to win' by playing good football (no matter how bad the pitch), and then there is turning up with an air of arrogance and expecting the opposition to be terrible, only to find that they are up for a win themselves!
So what happened on Saturday? It seems Swansea did show up with a little arrogance and then paid for it. The media (myself included), the players and the management are all to blame, giving a little too much hype and almost casting Swansea as invincible (with predictions such as 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0 from some). Yes, it was unlucky giving away a penalty in the first few minutes, but you only give away penalties when you let the attacking team get well into your box, something a promotion contender shouldn't be doing against a bottom placed side. As commentators then said “it's only early; there is plenty of time for Swansea to win this”, but the Swans looked increasingly harassed as Preston looked to score a consecutive second and third very soon after.
It is odd that Swansea can literally ruin rival promotion contenders such as Leeds, but then consistently slip up against the likes of Derby, Scunthorpe and Preston. In theory this should be great news for the Norwich game on Saturday. Norwich ruined Scunthorpe 6-0, so the way things are going Swansea will step up their game and beat them 3-0! But winning only the home games in style against big teams and “hoping for the best” while on the road is not a strategy that will get them to the play-offs, let alone the automatic promotion spots. They need to up their away game and go into the smaller games with confidence (not arrogance) if they have any hope of getting to, and surviving in, the Premier League.
So, is now the time to panic? Of course not, there are still 7 games to go. The season is far from over. A win on Saturday against Norwich won't see the Swans back in second – they are just out of reach – but would see them hold onto their auto-promotion dreams. A loss would probably see them drop to fifth, and that's when it would be time to start panicking. Swansea can buckle under pressure, as we've seen, so the pressure of being dangerously close to dropping out of the play-offs may be too much. Look what happened this time last season.
Despite not always showing it on the field, all the players do want to win every game and do want to get promoted, just like the fans, so now is the time to really get behind the team and be the 12th man. The word 'believe' is being throw around quite a bit, and I think it is something we all have to do, though the words 'hope' 'they' 'don't' 'throw' 'it' 'away' are all starting to float around.
It is up to the players now, both old and new, to prove Swansea are a Premier League side.
I'm not having a go at Brendan Rodgers; after all he has made the club fantastic to support and watch over the last few months, but I did cringe when listening to his hints of groundsman conspiracies after the match. The pitch wasn't the problem I feel. Swansea go into these bottom-of-the-league fixtures seeing the win as 'one in the bag'. I guess with fantastic performances such as the one against Leeds, nobody can blame the Swans for being expected to win. But there is 'expecting to win' by playing good football (no matter how bad the pitch), and then there is turning up with an air of arrogance and expecting the opposition to be terrible, only to find that they are up for a win themselves!
So what happened on Saturday? It seems Swansea did show up with a little arrogance and then paid for it. The media (myself included), the players and the management are all to blame, giving a little too much hype and almost casting Swansea as invincible (with predictions such as 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0 from some). Yes, it was unlucky giving away a penalty in the first few minutes, but you only give away penalties when you let the attacking team get well into your box, something a promotion contender shouldn't be doing against a bottom placed side. As commentators then said “it's only early; there is plenty of time for Swansea to win this”, but the Swans looked increasingly harassed as Preston looked to score a consecutive second and third very soon after.
It is odd that Swansea can literally ruin rival promotion contenders such as Leeds, but then consistently slip up against the likes of Derby, Scunthorpe and Preston. In theory this should be great news for the Norwich game on Saturday. Norwich ruined Scunthorpe 6-0, so the way things are going Swansea will step up their game and beat them 3-0! But winning only the home games in style against big teams and “hoping for the best” while on the road is not a strategy that will get them to the play-offs, let alone the automatic promotion spots. They need to up their away game and go into the smaller games with confidence (not arrogance) if they have any hope of getting to, and surviving in, the Premier League.
So, is now the time to panic? Of course not, there are still 7 games to go. The season is far from over. A win on Saturday against Norwich won't see the Swans back in second – they are just out of reach – but would see them hold onto their auto-promotion dreams. A loss would probably see them drop to fifth, and that's when it would be time to start panicking. Swansea can buckle under pressure, as we've seen, so the pressure of being dangerously close to dropping out of the play-offs may be too much. Look what happened this time last season.
Despite not always showing it on the field, all the players do want to win every game and do want to get promoted, just like the fans, so now is the time to really get behind the team and be the 12th man. The word 'believe' is being throw around quite a bit, and I think it is something we all have to do, though the words 'hope' 'they' 'don't' 'throw' 'it' 'away' are all starting to float around.
It is up to the players now, both old and new, to prove Swansea are a Premier League side.
Friday 1 April 2011
We all dream of a team of...?
It's been a little while since I last wrote, mainly thanks to the time I spent working on the podcast and the international teams selfishly having a kick-about, however I'm back on the eve of Swansea's final leg of their run to the Premier League. Here's some new sketchy thoughts!
What's been happening?
The slightly underwhelming signing of Tamas Priskin from Ipswich almost went undetected by me, considering the mass euphoria of Borini's arrival and his stunning debut. I can't see Priskin making the starting line-up; not with Borini available. In fact there are now four strikers ready to play, all fighting for that one striker position. Unless Rodgers decides to change a winning formation and add a second striker, three men will unhappily be sitting on the bench. Yeah, signing Priskin was an odd move, which was probably no more than Rodgers using him to strengthen the squad. Much like Newcastle did with our friend Kuqi.
Danny Rose was another, more sensible, option. Not that Priskin is a bad player, just more sensible in the sense that Rose would offer relief and options to the wingers if Dyer or Sinclair fall ill, injured or fatigued during a match. The wing play is the core of the team at the moment – Swansea's attack is built from the wings, and I wouldn't be too far wrong by saying well over 50 percent of goals scored have been from Dyer or Sinclairs darting runs. At the moment, without a loanee, Cedric van der Gun is the only real winger replacement, which isn't perfect considering the strength and depth in the rest of the midfield. Danny Rose would have been perfect, though it looks like that isn't happening... or is it? You never know with Rodgers – you think the chance is gone, then suddenly there is a new debutee (debutant?) scoring goals for fun!
While I am on the subject of strength and depth in the midfield, I notice rumours that Ferrie Bodde is on his way back! This is, of course, great news for the team as he has been missed over the last few seasons. But will he fit in is the new question? In a squad where Darren Pratley and Leon Britton regularly start on the bench, will the newly recovered Bodde actually make the starting team? How much has the team changed since he last played? Who will have to make way for him?
This leads me onto another 'dropping' question - the dropping of a defender. As I've discussed with a few fans recently (and also on the most recent podcast... *cough*), one of either Williams, Tate, Rangel or Taylor will have to make themselves comfortable on the bench to accommodate the return of Captain Monk. But who? Originally, I thought everyone would say “Taylor”, though it seems Tate is the popular choice. I hate to admit it, but I can see this. Alan Tate is the one who is most likely to make a mistake (though Ashley Williams has had his fair share recently) during the last part of this season. He is still pretty solid as defenders go though. And very loyal. If Swansea don't get into the Premier League, chances are Williams and even Rangel may leave, but Tate will stay put (and that's not because nobody else wants him). Nobody can sing “we all dream of a team of Alan Tates” if he is left out. I don't know... it's a hard one. But then again it's a good situation to be in. Five defenders competing for four spots – depth again. Thankfully Edgar's loan didn't work out or we'd have a real dilemma on our hands!
So, onto Preston then Swansea! It's another (like they all will be from here on) must win game, especially as Preston are sitting right at the bottom of the table. I know it's an away game, but if you can't win an away game against a bottom of the table side, you have no hope in the Premier League.
All together now: “We all dream of a team of Borinis, Sinclairs, Williamseseses, Monks, Rangels, Gowers, Dobbies, De Vrieseses, Dyers, Pratleys, Taylors... and Alan Tates!”
What's been happening?
The slightly underwhelming signing of Tamas Priskin from Ipswich almost went undetected by me, considering the mass euphoria of Borini's arrival and his stunning debut. I can't see Priskin making the starting line-up; not with Borini available. In fact there are now four strikers ready to play, all fighting for that one striker position. Unless Rodgers decides to change a winning formation and add a second striker, three men will unhappily be sitting on the bench. Yeah, signing Priskin was an odd move, which was probably no more than Rodgers using him to strengthen the squad. Much like Newcastle did with our friend Kuqi.
Danny Rose was another, more sensible, option. Not that Priskin is a bad player, just more sensible in the sense that Rose would offer relief and options to the wingers if Dyer or Sinclair fall ill, injured or fatigued during a match. The wing play is the core of the team at the moment – Swansea's attack is built from the wings, and I wouldn't be too far wrong by saying well over 50 percent of goals scored have been from Dyer or Sinclairs darting runs. At the moment, without a loanee, Cedric van der Gun is the only real winger replacement, which isn't perfect considering the strength and depth in the rest of the midfield. Danny Rose would have been perfect, though it looks like that isn't happening... or is it? You never know with Rodgers – you think the chance is gone, then suddenly there is a new debutee (debutant?) scoring goals for fun!
While I am on the subject of strength and depth in the midfield, I notice rumours that Ferrie Bodde is on his way back! This is, of course, great news for the team as he has been missed over the last few seasons. But will he fit in is the new question? In a squad where Darren Pratley and Leon Britton regularly start on the bench, will the newly recovered Bodde actually make the starting team? How much has the team changed since he last played? Who will have to make way for him?
This leads me onto another 'dropping' question - the dropping of a defender. As I've discussed with a few fans recently (and also on the most recent podcast... *cough*), one of either Williams, Tate, Rangel or Taylor will have to make themselves comfortable on the bench to accommodate the return of Captain Monk. But who? Originally, I thought everyone would say “Taylor”, though it seems Tate is the popular choice. I hate to admit it, but I can see this. Alan Tate is the one who is most likely to make a mistake (though Ashley Williams has had his fair share recently) during the last part of this season. He is still pretty solid as defenders go though. And very loyal. If Swansea don't get into the Premier League, chances are Williams and even Rangel may leave, but Tate will stay put (and that's not because nobody else wants him). Nobody can sing “we all dream of a team of Alan Tates” if he is left out. I don't know... it's a hard one. But then again it's a good situation to be in. Five defenders competing for four spots – depth again. Thankfully Edgar's loan didn't work out or we'd have a real dilemma on our hands!
So, onto Preston then Swansea! It's another (like they all will be from here on) must win game, especially as Preston are sitting right at the bottom of the table. I know it's an away game, but if you can't win an away game against a bottom of the table side, you have no hope in the Premier League.
All together now: “We all dream of a team of Borinis, Sinclairs, Williamseseses, Monks, Rangels, Gowers, Dobbies, De Vrieseses, Dyers, Pratleys, Taylors... and Alan Tates!”
Monday 21 March 2011
NEW PODCAST! - "It wouldn't happen in Swansea..." Episode 2
Below you'll find the second episode of It wouldn't happen in Swansea..., the podcast for Swans fans, by Swans fans!
This episode contains a discussion of Swansea's game against Nottingham Forest, the question of who should be dropped now Monk is back, a profile of an ex-Swan, Matt's weekly rant, some non-Swans related stories and, of course, Challenge Matt!
As always your feedback and comments are very much appreciated, we are still pretty new to this and a little rough around the edges, but can only get better (hopefully)!
Thanks to everybody who has contributed with questions and comments!
Enjoy!
It wouldn't happen in Swansea - Podcast - Episode 2 by ChrisCarra
This episode contains a discussion of Swansea's game against Nottingham Forest, the question of who should be dropped now Monk is back, a profile of an ex-Swan, Matt's weekly rant, some non-Swans related stories and, of course, Challenge Matt!
As always your feedback and comments are very much appreciated, we are still pretty new to this and a little rough around the edges, but can only get better (hopefully)!
Thanks to everybody who has contributed with questions and comments!
Enjoy!
It wouldn't happen in Swansea - Podcast - Episode 2 by ChrisCarra
Saturday 19 March 2011
Forza Borini, Forza Swansea!
Despite Italy being unable to pick up back-to-back Six Nations wins, today was a still a great day to be an Italian sports fan, thanks to Fabio Borini who put in the performance every Swans fan has been craving from a striker for so, so long!
Fast, skilful and goal-capable. He promised goals and delivered! A breath of fresh air. Now I could go on and make comparisons between him and Luke Moore, who has put in some good performances recently, but I'm leaving that topic for now. Feel free to make your own comparisons.
It was by no means a solo performance though. Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer tore through Forest's defence, though Dyer can be frustrating when he does 95% of the work, but consistently misses his shots. Thankfully though, Swansea don't need Dyer to do the scoring – that's for Dobbie, Sinclair and, now, Borini, to do! The attack was brilliant and at times so was the defence, but this could've been a totally different blog had Forest's stoppage time strike hit the back of the net instead of the post!
In the first half, when the score was 2-0, I had visions of a 5-0 scoreline at full time – it seemed like it could be Leeds all over again, only better! However, as all of you who read this will be aware, Swansea don't always like to make things easy on themselves, and gave an easy goal away as Williams let Boyd turn in the box.
After the interval, Borini scored his second and Swansea's third and it seemed like there was no way back for Forest. Then a goal in the 92nd minute gave Forest a new hope that an away point was still in reach. Suddenly Swansea were on the back-foot in momentum and had two minutes to cling onto their lead! How things changed from a certain win to a shaky last-gasp ending. When McGoldrick's header hit the post in the 93rd minute I think 18,000 hearts stopped! Thankfully Swansea won 3-2 and, ultimately, deserved it. It's three points that sees them keep their 3rd place spot in the Championship.
Elsewhere it was great to see Garry Monk back on the field, he will be needed in the next few weeks as the Swans look to push themselves back into top tier football!
Fast, skilful and goal-capable. He promised goals and delivered! A breath of fresh air. Now I could go on and make comparisons between him and Luke Moore, who has put in some good performances recently, but I'm leaving that topic for now. Feel free to make your own comparisons.
It was by no means a solo performance though. Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer tore through Forest's defence, though Dyer can be frustrating when he does 95% of the work, but consistently misses his shots. Thankfully though, Swansea don't need Dyer to do the scoring – that's for Dobbie, Sinclair and, now, Borini, to do! The attack was brilliant and at times so was the defence, but this could've been a totally different blog had Forest's stoppage time strike hit the back of the net instead of the post!
In the first half, when the score was 2-0, I had visions of a 5-0 scoreline at full time – it seemed like it could be Leeds all over again, only better! However, as all of you who read this will be aware, Swansea don't always like to make things easy on themselves, and gave an easy goal away as Williams let Boyd turn in the box.
After the interval, Borini scored his second and Swansea's third and it seemed like there was no way back for Forest. Then a goal in the 92nd minute gave Forest a new hope that an away point was still in reach. Suddenly Swansea were on the back-foot in momentum and had two minutes to cling onto their lead! How things changed from a certain win to a shaky last-gasp ending. When McGoldrick's header hit the post in the 93rd minute I think 18,000 hearts stopped! Thankfully Swansea won 3-2 and, ultimately, deserved it. It's three points that sees them keep their 3rd place spot in the Championship.
Elsewhere it was great to see Garry Monk back on the field, he will be needed in the next few weeks as the Swans look to push themselves back into top tier football!
Monday 14 March 2011
NEW PODCAST! - "It wouldn't happen in Swansea..."
It's finally here! (Please read this before you listen!)
As promised for the last few weeks, you can now listen to the new podcast: "It wouldn't happen in Swansea..." by Chris Carra and Matt Barroccu.
The name may seem a little irrelevant at the moment, but it will make much more sense in the next few podcasts.
This first (pilot, if you like) podcast is mainly to test what you all think of us! We have a few sections where we discuss the game against Derby, whether Ashley Williams was wrong to have a go at fans, and the highly anticipated (well... by me) "Challenge Matt", where we see how much of a Swans expert Matt really is. There is also a little off-topic rant about people at the theatre towards the end.
Listen to the whole thing to get the full impact of what we are trying to achieve! Then give me a comment, either below or on Twitter to let me know what you think! If you love it, tell us. Equally, if you hate it, tell us (but make sure it's constructive so we can improve next time).
We know it's not perfect due to limited time in the studio (and the fact that we are generally inarticulate slobs), but next time we will have more flexibility, and can record some of the features you sent in!
As always thanks for reading and, more importantly, enjoy!
NOTE: If the bar below isn't loading, keep trying as sometimes SoundCloud can stop working occassionally!)
It wouldn't happen in Swansea - Podcast - Number 1 by ChrisCarra
As promised for the last few weeks, you can now listen to the new podcast: "It wouldn't happen in Swansea..." by Chris Carra and Matt Barroccu.
The name may seem a little irrelevant at the moment, but it will make much more sense in the next few podcasts.
This first (pilot, if you like) podcast is mainly to test what you all think of us! We have a few sections where we discuss the game against Derby, whether Ashley Williams was wrong to have a go at fans, and the highly anticipated (well... by me) "Challenge Matt", where we see how much of a Swans expert Matt really is. There is also a little off-topic rant about people at the theatre towards the end.
Listen to the whole thing to get the full impact of what we are trying to achieve! Then give me a comment, either below or on Twitter to let me know what you think! If you love it, tell us. Equally, if you hate it, tell us (but make sure it's constructive so we can improve next time).
We know it's not perfect due to limited time in the studio (and the fact that we are generally inarticulate slobs), but next time we will have more flexibility, and can record some of the features you sent in!
As always thanks for reading and, more importantly, enjoy!
NOTE: If the bar below isn't loading, keep trying as sometimes SoundCloud can stop working occassionally!)
It wouldn't happen in Swansea - Podcast - Number 1 by ChrisCarra
My Team and I: Swansea City
You may look at this and quickly think "hey, this isn't a blog post - I've been cheated!", but you've jumped to conclusions too soon my friends.
Check out this link, where you will find a new blog post I wrote for thefootyblog.net, all about the Swans!
As always all your comments are welcomed!
Check out this link, where you will find a new blog post I wrote for thefootyblog.net, all about the Swans!
As always all your comments are welcomed!
Monday 7 March 2011
Bite-size Blog: Swansea vs Watford
Summing up the Scunthorpe match
On a pitch that looked very unplayable, it was the poorer side that got the luck. I guess, like many Swans fans have admitted, Alan Tate was due to give away a penalty after a couple of recent lucky escapes. Things even themselves out I guess! Definitely a blow to their confidence, but not to their promotion hopes. Many are talking about “bouncbackability” but I don't feel the Swans really need to “bounce back”. It's not like they have had a torrid run and need a big swing in luck to win tomorrow; it was just our old friend 'the blip'.
vs. Watford
I'm going to be careful here because whenever I say “I can't see the Swans walking away with less than three points”, I almost certainly get it wrong! But, as discussed, the Scunthorpe game was played on a poor pitch and away, so getting back to a beautifully kept Liberty Stadium, in front of a home crowd, the Swans will certainly be favourites to win the game against Watford.
Currently 12th in the Championship, The Hornets current form isn't spectacular. Though they beat Millwall on the weekend, they lost / drew the last five before that. Now being 12th in the table isn't much for them to get excited about, but in this very close league a win would take them to 53 points which is where Burnley are now, in 7th. With 12 games left to play, there is still plenty time for Watford to climb into the play-off places, so they will not want to lose this. I expect a low scoring game, with Watford defending as much as possible.
Then again, last time these two met was a thrilling (for all the wrong reasons) game (my report is worth reading again!), with the Swans claiming a 3-2 victory after almost gifting Watford a draw. However, Swansea have developed so much as a team since then, a repeat is unlikely.
Betting on the match?
If you have been following my predictions... sorry. I haven't been extremely reliable in the last few games have I? As I said, a low scoring game is what I am expecting so maybe a “under 2.5 goals” bet is worth while. Score? I am going for 1-0 to the Swans, with Moore or Sinclair to get the winner.
On a pitch that looked very unplayable, it was the poorer side that got the luck. I guess, like many Swans fans have admitted, Alan Tate was due to give away a penalty after a couple of recent lucky escapes. Things even themselves out I guess! Definitely a blow to their confidence, but not to their promotion hopes. Many are talking about “bouncbackability” but I don't feel the Swans really need to “bounce back”. It's not like they have had a torrid run and need a big swing in luck to win tomorrow; it was just our old friend 'the blip'.
vs. Watford
I'm going to be careful here because whenever I say “I can't see the Swans walking away with less than three points”, I almost certainly get it wrong! But, as discussed, the Scunthorpe game was played on a poor pitch and away, so getting back to a beautifully kept Liberty Stadium, in front of a home crowd, the Swans will certainly be favourites to win the game against Watford.
Currently 12th in the Championship, The Hornets current form isn't spectacular. Though they beat Millwall on the weekend, they lost / drew the last five before that. Now being 12th in the table isn't much for them to get excited about, but in this very close league a win would take them to 53 points which is where Burnley are now, in 7th. With 12 games left to play, there is still plenty time for Watford to climb into the play-off places, so they will not want to lose this. I expect a low scoring game, with Watford defending as much as possible.
Then again, last time these two met was a thrilling (for all the wrong reasons) game (my report is worth reading again!), with the Swans claiming a 3-2 victory after almost gifting Watford a draw. However, Swansea have developed so much as a team since then, a repeat is unlikely.
Betting on the match?
If you have been following my predictions... sorry. I haven't been extremely reliable in the last few games have I? As I said, a low scoring game is what I am expecting so maybe a “under 2.5 goals” bet is worth while. Score? I am going for 1-0 to the Swans, with Moore or Sinclair to get the winner.
Friday 4 March 2011
Swansea vs. Scunthorpe - I can't think of a better title...
Firstly, thanks to those who contributed to the podcast idea. Despite some complications resulting in the podcast having to come offline, a new one will be up soon! Definitely stay tuned.
Tomorrow we'll see Swansea on stage up in the sunny Scunthorpe! Like the majority of supporters (and non-supporters alike), I think I am not too forward in saying “I can't see Swansea losing”. They're in great form, great spirit and a great table position, so if we can't be confident now, when can we be?
Brendan Rodgers has made manager of the month, a superb achievement. It's a feat I can't even achieve in FIFA 11's Manager Mode, so to win it for real just shows how far he has come in his short time with the Swans! With such a confident squad and manager, it is impossible for Swansea to lose tomorrow.
But I've said this before and have been very wrong!
We know all too well that the Swans can shoot themselves in the foot eleven times over by going into a match looking too far ahead of the game in front of them. Scunthorpe is another must win game and it'll be no good imagining the Premier League if they can't beat a poor Scunthorpe side. These days even a draw isn't that reassuring in an ever changing top 6 of the table. In fact a loss tomorrow could see Swansea, theoretically at least, drop back down to fourth (this is a worst case scenario by the way). A win though, would keep them in the automatic promotion spot, where they, lets face it, deserve to be.
Betting on the game?
I seem to have started offering betting tips in my blogs recently, which is odd considering I am usually way off! But I'm predicting a 2-0 victory to the Swans. I know its an away game and who knows, Scunthorpe may well grab a home goal for the fans to cheer at, but they are struggling in 22nd at the moment and have lost more Championship matches than any other club (20) and failed to score in the most (16) (thanks to the BBC for those wonderful stats!).
But who will score? Well thankfully many are sticking their hand up for the Swans and even Luke Moore now has two goals. I'd say Moore, Sinclair and Dobbie all have another goal in them this match, though with Dyer and Pratley around and with Williams capable of getting decent contact on the ball from corners, a “first goalscorer bet” may be a bit pointless – it's hard to predict these days!
I'm actually in Rugby tomorrow (the place, not at the rugby, like I've had to explain to my dad twenty times this week), which is closer to Scunthorpe than Swansea, but I'm unable to travel further to make the game. I'll be checking in on my numerous iPhone apps to see how the Swans are playing minute-by-minute, though I have no major worries that all three points will be coming home with them.
Tomorrow we'll see Swansea on stage up in the sunny Scunthorpe! Like the majority of supporters (and non-supporters alike), I think I am not too forward in saying “I can't see Swansea losing”. They're in great form, great spirit and a great table position, so if we can't be confident now, when can we be?
Brendan Rodgers has made manager of the month, a superb achievement. It's a feat I can't even achieve in FIFA 11's Manager Mode, so to win it for real just shows how far he has come in his short time with the Swans! With such a confident squad and manager, it is impossible for Swansea to lose tomorrow.
But I've said this before and have been very wrong!
We know all too well that the Swans can shoot themselves in the foot eleven times over by going into a match looking too far ahead of the game in front of them. Scunthorpe is another must win game and it'll be no good imagining the Premier League if they can't beat a poor Scunthorpe side. These days even a draw isn't that reassuring in an ever changing top 6 of the table. In fact a loss tomorrow could see Swansea, theoretically at least, drop back down to fourth (this is a worst case scenario by the way). A win though, would keep them in the automatic promotion spot, where they, lets face it, deserve to be.
Betting on the game?
I seem to have started offering betting tips in my blogs recently, which is odd considering I am usually way off! But I'm predicting a 2-0 victory to the Swans. I know its an away game and who knows, Scunthorpe may well grab a home goal for the fans to cheer at, but they are struggling in 22nd at the moment and have lost more Championship matches than any other club (20) and failed to score in the most (16) (thanks to the BBC for those wonderful stats!).
But who will score? Well thankfully many are sticking their hand up for the Swans and even Luke Moore now has two goals. I'd say Moore, Sinclair and Dobbie all have another goal in them this match, though with Dyer and Pratley around and with Williams capable of getting decent contact on the ball from corners, a “first goalscorer bet” may be a bit pointless – it's hard to predict these days!
I'm actually in Rugby tomorrow (the place, not at the rugby, like I've had to explain to my dad twenty times this week), which is closer to Scunthorpe than Swansea, but I'm unable to travel further to make the game. I'll be checking in on my numerous iPhone apps to see how the Swans are playing minute-by-minute, though I have no major worries that all three points will be coming home with them.
Sunday 27 February 2011
In the studio (as far from Hollywood as you can get)!
I've been in the studio today. That makes me sound like some sort of successful actor / producer doesn't it? Maybe, but it is far from the truth! Re-imagine me in Singleton Hospital's radio station studio and you'll realise it's not as glamorous as I first made it sound!
Having been a radio broadcaster for a little while, myself and Matt Barroccu (layabout with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Swans) decided it may be a good idea to create a podcast, loosely focussing on Swansea City FC.
We've tried a couple of test podcasts over the last few weeks, but we haven't been fully satisfied with them. However, we believe this has been a great learning curve and have a feeling our next format will be the one that works. So, before I say “watch this space”, I would like to ask for some suggestions from my blog readers before we record the next one!
Any ideas you may have for features we could try out on our show, before turning the highlights into a downloadable podcast, would be greatly received. We have a few ourselves, but would love to actually try features that you, the possible listeners, would like to hear. Anything, no matter how obscure! It can be Swans based or not.
Just write them in the comments section below or, if you'd prefer to Tweet them to me, go right ahead and I'll transfer them to the comments section myself - I'm nice like that.
Thanks in advance, from me and Chubs Barroccu!
Having been a radio broadcaster for a little while, myself and Matt Barroccu (layabout with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Swans) decided it may be a good idea to create a podcast, loosely focussing on Swansea City FC.
We've tried a couple of test podcasts over the last few weeks, but we haven't been fully satisfied with them. However, we believe this has been a great learning curve and have a feeling our next format will be the one that works. So, before I say “watch this space”, I would like to ask for some suggestions from my blog readers before we record the next one!
Any ideas you may have for features we could try out on our show, before turning the highlights into a downloadable podcast, would be greatly received. We have a few ourselves, but would love to actually try features that you, the possible listeners, would like to hear. Anything, no matter how obscure! It can be Swans based or not.
Just write them in the comments section below or, if you'd prefer to Tweet them to me, go right ahead and I'll transfer them to the comments section myself - I'm nice like that.
Thanks in advance, from me and Chubs Barroccu!
Friday 25 February 2011
Bite-size Blog: Swansea vs Leeds
Welcome to the second in the series of Bite-Size Blogs; for when you have no time to read a full length rambling.
The game against Leeds is massive. The Swans, poised beautifully in second after the 1-0 victory over Coventry on Tuesday, are just out of reach of the top spot, but if QPR lose and Swansea win, there would only be two points in it! If things go badly and Swansea drop points they could well fall back down to fourth.
Leeds are dangerous, sitting 6th in the table, but only five points below Swansea. They are undefeated in their last 7 games, though have recently produced quite a few draws: something the Swans would prefer to avoid tomorrow.
Despite the game being live on Sky Sports, United will bring down around 3,000 fans, which is a great incentive for Leeds, if they needed one, to really fight tomorrow. Expect a better atmosphere than the 'three men and a drum' that came with Doncaster.
Betting on the match?
My usual bet of '1-0 to Swansea with Pratley scoring' (45/1) looks good again as this should be quite a tight match, but a pound or two on 2-1 to Swansea (7/1) could also be worthwhile. Leeds have produced score-draws in their last two games, so 1-1 (11/2) may be worth considering as well. Swansea to win 10-0 at 500/1 is not worth considering by the way.
Team
I can't see much being changed from last week's 3-0 home win, and why not – it was an effective goal-scoring line up. Leeds, however, will pose more of an attacking threat than Doncaster, so maybe Britton instead of Dobbie, but things should remain pretty similar to last week.
My team to face Leeds would be: De Vries, Taylor, Tate, Williams, Rangel; Pratley, Allen, Dobbie, Sinclair, Dyer; Moore (with Beattie being used as an impact sub in the second half).
The game against Leeds is massive. The Swans, poised beautifully in second after the 1-0 victory over Coventry on Tuesday, are just out of reach of the top spot, but if QPR lose and Swansea win, there would only be two points in it! If things go badly and Swansea drop points they could well fall back down to fourth.
Leeds are dangerous, sitting 6th in the table, but only five points below Swansea. They are undefeated in their last 7 games, though have recently produced quite a few draws: something the Swans would prefer to avoid tomorrow.
Despite the game being live on Sky Sports, United will bring down around 3,000 fans, which is a great incentive for Leeds, if they needed one, to really fight tomorrow. Expect a better atmosphere than the 'three men and a drum' that came with Doncaster.
Betting on the match?
My usual bet of '1-0 to Swansea with Pratley scoring' (45/1) looks good again as this should be quite a tight match, but a pound or two on 2-1 to Swansea (7/1) could also be worthwhile. Leeds have produced score-draws in their last two games, so 1-1 (11/2) may be worth considering as well. Swansea to win 10-0 at 500/1 is not worth considering by the way.
Team
I can't see much being changed from last week's 3-0 home win, and why not – it was an effective goal-scoring line up. Leeds, however, will pose more of an attacking threat than Doncaster, so maybe Britton instead of Dobbie, but things should remain pretty similar to last week.
My team to face Leeds would be: De Vries, Taylor, Tate, Williams, Rangel; Pratley, Allen, Dobbie, Sinclair, Dyer; Moore (with Beattie being used as an impact sub in the second half).
Sunday 20 February 2011
Setting the record straight!
As I settled down with my beer and film last night, my phone buzzed to inform me of a new Twitter message. With horror I noticed a few more messages all asking me the same question: why I thought Swansea had performed so badly?
So, to instantly set the record straight, I didn't think they performed badly at all, in fact quite the opposite. I had Tweeted:
Great result for Swansea, 3-0! Goal for Luke Moore, glossed another poor performance, but hopefully this is a confidence booster!
I think I should have said: "Goal for Luke Moore, glossed another poor performance from him." It seemed to annoy a few people that I was being so negative about the Swans, when, in fact, I wasn't at all. I guess that's what I get for Tweeting while trying to edge my way through traffic on Neath Road!
With my name cleared, I can move onto yesterday's game, and I might as well start with Luke Moore. He isn't a bad player. I very much doubt Brendan Rodgers would spend that much money on a bad player. What he currently is, though, is a mediocre player. He scored his long-awaited first goal yesterday, which I am thrilled about, but it did gloss another average performance. It's his lack of effort that I find brings him down in my eyes. A couple of times in yesterday's game he could have been through on goal if he chased a slightly loose ball or looked up more to see what was going on around him. In other clubs maybe he was given shooting opportunities on a plate, but with Swansea it seems like goals need to be fought for! Hopefully the whole Luke Moore saga is put to bed now, as I hope he will get a couple more goals (as a striker should!) in the next few games due to a higher confidence level.
Elsewhere, as I've said, Swansea were pretty flawless. I noticed some amazing linking up from Dyer, Rangel and Dobbie, creating havoc on the right wing. If Dyer was running up the wing, Rangel was his option ahead, though he also had Dobbie running inside him. It was a perfect attacking triangle, and one which Doncaster didn't have a clue how to defend.
The re-inclusion of Neil Taylor added speed and support to Scott Sinclair on the left wing, giving another platform for goal-scoring opportunities to be made. Richards and, to a lesser extent, Alfei, made some great progress in the first team, but Taylor is the player who will suit Swansea's style more in the remainder of the season.
Tactically, I have to talk about the cross field passes from Williams and Tate. Dyer, who was rarely marked it appeared, could slip in behind the defence while Williams hammered a long ball up to him, cutting out any midfield play and creating an instant crossing opportunity from nothing! Tate also managed to successfully do the same to his opposite wing, Sinclair, where similar chances were created.
A mention for Man of the Match, Stephen Dobbie – a great performance by the creative midfielder, giving options to Dyer and Sinclair in the centre of the park and fighting for the win. He hasn't been played enough this season, so hopefully yesterday's performance shows the management that he is worth fitting in!
And finally, kudos to Mr Miller, who refereed the game well for a change. Used common sense to let the game flow. An example of this was when both Dyer and a Doncaster defender went down injured. Both physios came on to treat the players, but, instead of having the players leave the pitch to be later called back on, Miller let them both stay on. No yellow cards either, though that is also down to the players, from both clubs, playing some good, fair football. For a team that had zero shots on or off-target, Doncaster didn't get frustrated and start hacking away. I applaud them for that. And the drummer who kept it up all game.
It's all coming together now, isn't it Swansea! Another few games like that...
So, to instantly set the record straight, I didn't think they performed badly at all, in fact quite the opposite. I had Tweeted:
Great result for Swansea, 3-0! Goal for Luke Moore, glossed another poor performance, but hopefully this is a confidence booster!
I think I should have said: "Goal for Luke Moore, glossed another poor performance from him." It seemed to annoy a few people that I was being so negative about the Swans, when, in fact, I wasn't at all. I guess that's what I get for Tweeting while trying to edge my way through traffic on Neath Road!
With my name cleared, I can move onto yesterday's game, and I might as well start with Luke Moore. He isn't a bad player. I very much doubt Brendan Rodgers would spend that much money on a bad player. What he currently is, though, is a mediocre player. He scored his long-awaited first goal yesterday, which I am thrilled about, but it did gloss another average performance. It's his lack of effort that I find brings him down in my eyes. A couple of times in yesterday's game he could have been through on goal if he chased a slightly loose ball or looked up more to see what was going on around him. In other clubs maybe he was given shooting opportunities on a plate, but with Swansea it seems like goals need to be fought for! Hopefully the whole Luke Moore saga is put to bed now, as I hope he will get a couple more goals (as a striker should!) in the next few games due to a higher confidence level.
Elsewhere, as I've said, Swansea were pretty flawless. I noticed some amazing linking up from Dyer, Rangel and Dobbie, creating havoc on the right wing. If Dyer was running up the wing, Rangel was his option ahead, though he also had Dobbie running inside him. It was a perfect attacking triangle, and one which Doncaster didn't have a clue how to defend.
The re-inclusion of Neil Taylor added speed and support to Scott Sinclair on the left wing, giving another platform for goal-scoring opportunities to be made. Richards and, to a lesser extent, Alfei, made some great progress in the first team, but Taylor is the player who will suit Swansea's style more in the remainder of the season.
Tactically, I have to talk about the cross field passes from Williams and Tate. Dyer, who was rarely marked it appeared, could slip in behind the defence while Williams hammered a long ball up to him, cutting out any midfield play and creating an instant crossing opportunity from nothing! Tate also managed to successfully do the same to his opposite wing, Sinclair, where similar chances were created.
A mention for Man of the Match, Stephen Dobbie – a great performance by the creative midfielder, giving options to Dyer and Sinclair in the centre of the park and fighting for the win. He hasn't been played enough this season, so hopefully yesterday's performance shows the management that he is worth fitting in!
And finally, kudos to Mr Miller, who refereed the game well for a change. Used common sense to let the game flow. An example of this was when both Dyer and a Doncaster defender went down injured. Both physios came on to treat the players, but, instead of having the players leave the pitch to be later called back on, Miller let them both stay on. No yellow cards either, though that is also down to the players, from both clubs, playing some good, fair football. For a team that had zero shots on or off-target, Doncaster didn't get frustrated and start hacking away. I applaud them for that. And the drummer who kept it up all game.
It's all coming together now, isn't it Swansea! Another few games like that...
Thursday 17 February 2011
Adopting the Swans!
In my quest to get into an American sport, I've stumbled across the notion of club adoption, where you chose a club to support with no solid ties to the city that the club is based.
Swansea City have been adopted by many people who live far, far away (that's right - even further than Carmarthen) and they all have their reasons for selecting the Swans. But this got me thinking that there may be many more out there searching for their own team to adopt.
Foreign football fans could end up choosing to adopt Barnsley or Preston or (*shudder*) Cardiff, instead of Swansea. So, I've put together a couple of reasons to help persuade potential fans that they should adopt Swansea as their football club!
1) The kit
As a supporter of whatever team you choose to adopt, you will naturally want to get your hands on a replica jersey to show where your loyalties lie and what better kit than that of Swansea City? The joy of the Swansea kit is that it's simple. You just can't go wrong with white (unless you spill Chicken Korma down the front). It's clean, stylish and bold. The away kit is similarly simple, just in black.
If you opt to support a different club, you could end up wearing a disgusting supporters kit. Everton's garish pink away jersey anyone? Fancy slipping on the Arsenal away top, reminiscent of a Girl Guide uniform? Thought not. With Swansea at least you'll look good.
Though in previous years there have been some kit blips (I didn't think much of last season's over complicated design), the current look is hard to dislike. It's a jersey to be proud of!
2) The place
When picking a team to adopt, you have to bare in mind that you might want to, one day, go to watch a live game in the city. Now if you pick Coventry or Hull, you'd have to stay in one of those cities, which can't be good for your well-being. By choosing Swansea City FC you'll have the joy of staying in Wales' best city!
I was about to reel off some reasons why you might want to visit Swansea, but I found that visitswanseabay.com has done a better job than I'd be able to:
Wales' city by the sea has Viking roots and a long, eventful history. Home to innovative visitor attractions and renowned for its awesome night-life, it's a vibrant cultural centre, and a regional shopping hub. Just a stone's throw away, the charismatic seaside village of Mumbles offers galleries and boutiques, snug cafés and fine dining. The Gower Peninsula extends west of Mumbles, in miles of unspoilt coastal panoramas, award-winning golden beaches, and lush, rolling countryside.
See, that was a great description wasn't it? I was just going to mention that we have a Nandos!
3) The rivalries
It's not unheard of for a team to have a rival. The Manchester derby, Merseyside derby, Birmingham derby... all famous in their own rights, but none of these come close to the raw hatred involved when Swansea City play Cardiff City!
Being the only two major league teams in Wales, you'd think the clubs would support one another and try to put Welsh football on the map together wouldn't you? Wrong! The supporters generally can't stand each other, which ensures the South Wales derby is always a highly charged affair!
With Swansea and Cardiff both in the Championship, this derby is played at least twice a season, with added possibility of the teams facing each other in cup matches too. And, with both teams in a position to be promoted to the Premier League, this rivalry could soon be played out on one of the biggest footballing stages in the world!
(By the way, I'm aware that if you choose to adopt Cardiff as your team you would also get the joys of this celebrated derby. But you don't really want to support Cardiff...)
4) The football
Naturally the football is the main reason you are selecting a team to adopt. I could go on and on about the ins and outs of Swansea's footballing philosophy, but I guess you have to watch a couple of games first, to see if the style really suits you!
However I will say this. Swansea play exciting football, which has led to recent comparisons to giants like Arsenal and Chelsea. With up-and-coming youngsters such as Scott Sinclair, speedy wingmen like Nathan Dyer and solid defending from the likes of Tate, Monk and co., Swansea has a lot to offer the football connoisseur! Boredom is rarely a word you associate with the Swans these days.
Of course the club has had their blips and fair share of average matches in the past, but some of the games from this season alone are worth following the Swans for! Recent games such as the 4-3 win away against Middlesbrough after being 3-1 down really shows the fighting spirit the team have. If you love 94th minute winning goals, you'll love watching the Swans!
5) The future
As you read this, things could have changed, but Swansea are currently 5th in a very tight nPower Championship table, just seven points off the top spot. The Swans have been in with a great chance of topping the table over the past weeks, though a few slip-ups have cost them a place or two. However, they're still in a fantastic position to end the season in the automatic promotion places and, with 15 games to go, it wouldn't be impossible to actually win the league (I'll get scorned by many fans now for jinxing it).
Some may call it optimistic, but blips aside, Swansea can play fantastic football and can win most games put in front of them if they keep focused and take things game-by-game. We are in the later stages of the 2010/11 season at the moment and the Swans are looking to gain momentum for the final push to promotion glory. Exciting time to start supporting your new team!
6) Alan Tate
By supporting Swansea City, you have Alan Tate on your side. That should be enough to persuade anyone!
So there we go! 6 good reason to adopt the Swans. We look forward to seeing you at the Liberty Stadium some time in the near future!
Swansea City have been adopted by many people who live far, far away (that's right - even further than Carmarthen) and they all have their reasons for selecting the Swans. But this got me thinking that there may be many more out there searching for their own team to adopt.
Foreign football fans could end up choosing to adopt Barnsley or Preston or (*shudder*) Cardiff, instead of Swansea. So, I've put together a couple of reasons to help persuade potential fans that they should adopt Swansea as their football club!
1) The kit
As a supporter of whatever team you choose to adopt, you will naturally want to get your hands on a replica jersey to show where your loyalties lie and what better kit than that of Swansea City? The joy of the Swansea kit is that it's simple. You just can't go wrong with white (unless you spill Chicken Korma down the front). It's clean, stylish and bold. The away kit is similarly simple, just in black.
If you opt to support a different club, you could end up wearing a disgusting supporters kit. Everton's garish pink away jersey anyone? Fancy slipping on the Arsenal away top, reminiscent of a Girl Guide uniform? Thought not. With Swansea at least you'll look good.
Though in previous years there have been some kit blips (I didn't think much of last season's over complicated design), the current look is hard to dislike. It's a jersey to be proud of!
2) The place
When picking a team to adopt, you have to bare in mind that you might want to, one day, go to watch a live game in the city. Now if you pick Coventry or Hull, you'd have to stay in one of those cities, which can't be good for your well-being. By choosing Swansea City FC you'll have the joy of staying in Wales' best city!
I was about to reel off some reasons why you might want to visit Swansea, but I found that visitswanseabay.com has done a better job than I'd be able to:
Wales' city by the sea has Viking roots and a long, eventful history. Home to innovative visitor attractions and renowned for its awesome night-life, it's a vibrant cultural centre, and a regional shopping hub. Just a stone's throw away, the charismatic seaside village of Mumbles offers galleries and boutiques, snug cafés and fine dining. The Gower Peninsula extends west of Mumbles, in miles of unspoilt coastal panoramas, award-winning golden beaches, and lush, rolling countryside.
See, that was a great description wasn't it? I was just going to mention that we have a Nandos!
3) The rivalries
It's not unheard of for a team to have a rival. The Manchester derby, Merseyside derby, Birmingham derby... all famous in their own rights, but none of these come close to the raw hatred involved when Swansea City play Cardiff City!
Being the only two major league teams in Wales, you'd think the clubs would support one another and try to put Welsh football on the map together wouldn't you? Wrong! The supporters generally can't stand each other, which ensures the South Wales derby is always a highly charged affair!
With Swansea and Cardiff both in the Championship, this derby is played at least twice a season, with added possibility of the teams facing each other in cup matches too. And, with both teams in a position to be promoted to the Premier League, this rivalry could soon be played out on one of the biggest footballing stages in the world!
(By the way, I'm aware that if you choose to adopt Cardiff as your team you would also get the joys of this celebrated derby. But you don't really want to support Cardiff...)
4) The football
Naturally the football is the main reason you are selecting a team to adopt. I could go on and on about the ins and outs of Swansea's footballing philosophy, but I guess you have to watch a couple of games first, to see if the style really suits you!
However I will say this. Swansea play exciting football, which has led to recent comparisons to giants like Arsenal and Chelsea. With up-and-coming youngsters such as Scott Sinclair, speedy wingmen like Nathan Dyer and solid defending from the likes of Tate, Monk and co., Swansea has a lot to offer the football connoisseur! Boredom is rarely a word you associate with the Swans these days.
Of course the club has had their blips and fair share of average matches in the past, but some of the games from this season alone are worth following the Swans for! Recent games such as the 4-3 win away against Middlesbrough after being 3-1 down really shows the fighting spirit the team have. If you love 94th minute winning goals, you'll love watching the Swans!
5) The future
As you read this, things could have changed, but Swansea are currently 5th in a very tight nPower Championship table, just seven points off the top spot. The Swans have been in with a great chance of topping the table over the past weeks, though a few slip-ups have cost them a place or two. However, they're still in a fantastic position to end the season in the automatic promotion places and, with 15 games to go, it wouldn't be impossible to actually win the league (I'll get scorned by many fans now for jinxing it).
Some may call it optimistic, but blips aside, Swansea can play fantastic football and can win most games put in front of them if they keep focused and take things game-by-game. We are in the later stages of the 2010/11 season at the moment and the Swans are looking to gain momentum for the final push to promotion glory. Exciting time to start supporting your new team!
6) Alan Tate
By supporting Swansea City, you have Alan Tate on your side. That should be enough to persuade anyone!
So there we go! 6 good reason to adopt the Swans. We look forward to seeing you at the Liberty Stadium some time in the near future!
Friday 11 February 2011
Bite-size Blog: Swansea vs. Middlesbrough
Even though the Cardiff game may still hurt a little, the Swans know a win tomorrow against Middlesbrough (3pm, Riverside Stadium) would cure any remaining derby hangover.
Boro are sitting in 19th position in the Championship table and are a team the Swans should beat if they plan to go on and achieve promotion glory. They may not be able to do the double over Cardiff, but Middlesbrough should prove an easier test. Doing the double over Middlesbrough, much like the South Wales derby last week, would also be making history as neither side has ever done the double over each other since they first met in 1925. It just doesn't have the same ring to it as "double over Cardiff" does. Never mind.
The starting eleven should pretty much be the same as that of the Cardiff match, but with Edgar replacing Richards in the back four. Elsewhere, Luke Moore needs a break. Not because he has worked too hard, but because he has done nothing for the squad recently. He is now officially a striker who does not score goals. This isn't unheard of with Swansea as most goals come from midfielders, but at least with Dobbie and Beattie they work hard and look like they want to score. Moore has recently looked lazy and slow, always two moves behind everyone else. I think a game where he isn't played would be wise, just to remind him that he will not always make the starting eleven unless he starts putting a little more effort in. Trust me, now I've said this he will go on to score three tomorrow!
Betting on the match?
Here are some odds for you to check out. Firstly, I was just joking with the Luke Moore hat-trick – I can't see him scoring that many this season, let alone in one game. The odds for this occurrence are 80/1, so I wouldn't waste your money. If you like big odds, I feel the usual “1-0 win to Swansea, with Pratley scoring the goal” is worth a pound, at 50/1. Ex-Swans loanee Marvin Emnes to score first is 13/2 and, knowing Swansea's luck, would also be worth putting a pound on (just in case)!
So this ends my first bite-size blog. Very brief wasn't it? Enjoy tomorrow's match, whether you're travelling up or sitting on the sofa avoiding the rugby. Swansea need this victory to get back in the race for automatic promotion, and maybe just a little to give the fans something to cheer for! So here's to three points (... to the Swans. Obviously)!
Boro are sitting in 19th position in the Championship table and are a team the Swans should beat if they plan to go on and achieve promotion glory. They may not be able to do the double over Cardiff, but Middlesbrough should prove an easier test. Doing the double over Middlesbrough, much like the South Wales derby last week, would also be making history as neither side has ever done the double over each other since they first met in 1925. It just doesn't have the same ring to it as "double over Cardiff" does. Never mind.
The starting eleven should pretty much be the same as that of the Cardiff match, but with Edgar replacing Richards in the back four. Elsewhere, Luke Moore needs a break. Not because he has worked too hard, but because he has done nothing for the squad recently. He is now officially a striker who does not score goals. This isn't unheard of with Swansea as most goals come from midfielders, but at least with Dobbie and Beattie they work hard and look like they want to score. Moore has recently looked lazy and slow, always two moves behind everyone else. I think a game where he isn't played would be wise, just to remind him that he will not always make the starting eleven unless he starts putting a little more effort in. Trust me, now I've said this he will go on to score three tomorrow!
Betting on the match?
Here are some odds for you to check out. Firstly, I was just joking with the Luke Moore hat-trick – I can't see him scoring that many this season, let alone in one game. The odds for this occurrence are 80/1, so I wouldn't waste your money. If you like big odds, I feel the usual “1-0 win to Swansea, with Pratley scoring the goal” is worth a pound, at 50/1. Ex-Swans loanee Marvin Emnes to score first is 13/2 and, knowing Swansea's luck, would also be worth putting a pound on (just in case)!
So this ends my first bite-size blog. Very brief wasn't it? Enjoy tomorrow's match, whether you're travelling up or sitting on the sofa avoiding the rugby. Swansea need this victory to get back in the race for automatic promotion, and maybe just a little to give the fans something to cheer for! So here's to three points (... to the Swans. Obviously)!
Sunday 6 February 2011
Swansea 0 – 1 Cardiff: Just another game...
Well that didn't go as planned, did it!? No sir. In case you didn't see the match, there are plenty of neutral reports out there, so I won't go through it word for word, instead I'll share a couple of my thoughts about the game.
Firstly, Swansea and Cardiff both had the exact same amount of shots on target (3) and off target (6), so the chances were there, it was just finishing them off that Swansea couldn't get right again. Generally the Swans were much better in the second half after a poor start (almost an abysmal start, had Bothroyd's 30 second strike gone in). The truth is Cardiff looked a lot more hungry for this win. It wasn't until Allen and Beattie came on that Swansea started fighting for it.
Luke Moore looked, as he has done since he first pulled on the white shirt, limp and unlikely to score. Some say the occasion got to him, but he didn't look like he wanted a goal. In contrast, Beattie came on and battled for every ball, doing more for the team with his first touch than Moore did all game. I'm not sure why Rodgers insists on playing Moore as a first team player. He has yet to score a goal and goals are what Swansea need. As I mentioned in my previous blog, it almost seems like Swansea are playing with 10 men as the amount of work Moore does is nominal. Maybe Rodgers starts with Moore so often because he bought him and doesn't want to look like he wasted money. I can almost sympathise: I've bought books in the past that looked great in Waterstones, but when I get home and start reading I quickly realise it's not what the cover promised. However I'll keep reading because I don't want to admit I wasted money on a bad judgement. I'm not saying Moore isn't good, but he needs to find his feet soon and start doing what he is paid so handsomely to do; work hard for the team and score some goals!
After the damp start by the Swans and as the first half of a tight game ended, everyone knew the next goal would win the game. It's such a shame that the goal wasn't one of the Scott Sinclair near misses. After his dazzling run up the wing, passing three defenders, two shots went wide. Cardiff responded with a superb strike by Craig Bellamy, one which would win the game. Some may put the goal down to luck, but Cardiff had hit the post twice in the match already, so one was bound to go in! No, Bellamy took a great shot and got a deserved goal for Cardiff. Swansea eventually threw everyone forward, with Ashley Williams playing as a striker for the last five minutes, but to no avail. I guess in a neutrally perfect world, both teams should have walked away with a point – Swansea for their second half display and Cardiff for their desire throughout the match.
A word on the referee. He started out fine, letting the game flow well, however he was unable to stamp his authority as time went on and Cardiff players ran riot. Chopra should have had three yellow cards, but he escaped with little more than a light talking to. A poor display today Mr Halsey – you technically ruined a South Wales derby.
Moving my attention to the supporters who caused the commotion near the halfway line in the East Stand: shame on you. You embarrassed your fellow supporters and caused unnecessary trouble, just because you had a few too many pints. The stewards aren't there to have frustration taken out on them, that is not their job. Taking a swing at a steward (who might well have been a Swansea fan too) is shameful. Cardiff supporters must have loved your tantrum. Stupid.
So to all you true supporters, the ones who hold season tickets or attend whatever games they can, not just because Cardiff are playing “the scum”... I am sorry with the way things turned out today. Just remember: it is only one game. Swansea got the away win in Cardiff last November, so this has just cancelled it out. Disappointing, but it is just one loss. Plenty of the season left to bounce back.
Looking ahead to next week and an away win in Middlesbrough would take some of the sickening sting out of today. But for now, that sting will remain through the night and into a drizzly Monday morning.
Firstly, Swansea and Cardiff both had the exact same amount of shots on target (3) and off target (6), so the chances were there, it was just finishing them off that Swansea couldn't get right again. Generally the Swans were much better in the second half after a poor start (almost an abysmal start, had Bothroyd's 30 second strike gone in). The truth is Cardiff looked a lot more hungry for this win. It wasn't until Allen and Beattie came on that Swansea started fighting for it.
Luke Moore looked, as he has done since he first pulled on the white shirt, limp and unlikely to score. Some say the occasion got to him, but he didn't look like he wanted a goal. In contrast, Beattie came on and battled for every ball, doing more for the team with his first touch than Moore did all game. I'm not sure why Rodgers insists on playing Moore as a first team player. He has yet to score a goal and goals are what Swansea need. As I mentioned in my previous blog, it almost seems like Swansea are playing with 10 men as the amount of work Moore does is nominal. Maybe Rodgers starts with Moore so often because he bought him and doesn't want to look like he wasted money. I can almost sympathise: I've bought books in the past that looked great in Waterstones, but when I get home and start reading I quickly realise it's not what the cover promised. However I'll keep reading because I don't want to admit I wasted money on a bad judgement. I'm not saying Moore isn't good, but he needs to find his feet soon and start doing what he is paid so handsomely to do; work hard for the team and score some goals!
After the damp start by the Swans and as the first half of a tight game ended, everyone knew the next goal would win the game. It's such a shame that the goal wasn't one of the Scott Sinclair near misses. After his dazzling run up the wing, passing three defenders, two shots went wide. Cardiff responded with a superb strike by Craig Bellamy, one which would win the game. Some may put the goal down to luck, but Cardiff had hit the post twice in the match already, so one was bound to go in! No, Bellamy took a great shot and got a deserved goal for Cardiff. Swansea eventually threw everyone forward, with Ashley Williams playing as a striker for the last five minutes, but to no avail. I guess in a neutrally perfect world, both teams should have walked away with a point – Swansea for their second half display and Cardiff for their desire throughout the match.
A word on the referee. He started out fine, letting the game flow well, however he was unable to stamp his authority as time went on and Cardiff players ran riot. Chopra should have had three yellow cards, but he escaped with little more than a light talking to. A poor display today Mr Halsey – you technically ruined a South Wales derby.
Moving my attention to the supporters who caused the commotion near the halfway line in the East Stand: shame on you. You embarrassed your fellow supporters and caused unnecessary trouble, just because you had a few too many pints. The stewards aren't there to have frustration taken out on them, that is not their job. Taking a swing at a steward (who might well have been a Swansea fan too) is shameful. Cardiff supporters must have loved your tantrum. Stupid.
So to all you true supporters, the ones who hold season tickets or attend whatever games they can, not just because Cardiff are playing “the scum”... I am sorry with the way things turned out today. Just remember: it is only one game. Swansea got the away win in Cardiff last November, so this has just cancelled it out. Disappointing, but it is just one loss. Plenty of the season left to bounce back.
Looking ahead to next week and an away win in Middlesbrough would take some of the sickening sting out of today. But for now, that sting will remain through the night and into a drizzly Monday morning.
Friday 4 February 2011
Making history! (Swansea vs. Cardiff: Part II)
It's that time of year again. The egg-shaped balls are removed from their storage cupboard, the H-shaped goals are erected and the rhino-shaped players take to the field. It is, of course, Six Nations time. Some would argue the Wales vs. England game is the most important derby in this year's sporting calendar. Wrong.
November doesn't seem that long ago, when I was typing up a blog for the first Swansea vs. Cardiff game this season. Back then, nobody really knew what to expect. The Swans were doing well in the table, but were still unable to find a striker to score goals. Some Jacks were quietly confident of a Swansea win; some were loudly confident. It seems that the confidence paid off with Swansea taking home all three points. So is anyone confident with the Swans' chances of doing the double for the first time ever?
I guess we have to first ask what has changed since that match last year. If nothing has changed then, yes, Swansea will certainly do the double. But it seems things have changed slightly.
When the teams last met, the Swans sat just below Cardiff in the league table. Now, though, they are two places above their rivals and, with the home advantage, they'll go into the match as favourites. Is this a good thing? Being favourites is a mixed blessing. For confidence boosting it is a great title to have, but we've seen Swansea buckle under pressure already this season and there seems to be a little more riding on it this time around. It's the derby with their biggest rivals, there is less than half the season to go and a win is, again, vital. It also takes place in front of a loyal home crowd who will settle for nothing less than a win. Plus they have the chance to make history by doing the double! The expectation will be a heavy test of their coping abilities, but it is something they have to overcome if they stand any chance in the Premier League next season.
Naturally there is so much hype around this fixture, and rightly so, but if we strip this game down to a skeleton of itself, we see the Swans in third position in the table, with fourth and fifth place (Forest and Cardiff) having one or two games in hand. A win could see Swansea back into second, but a loss could take them down to fifth. The team, I'm sure, will all know how much this derby means emotionally, but they also need to remember it is just a game and a game they must win for points to propel them forward as the closing stages of the season approach. The wins are important. I can guarantee you that Cardiff fans won't care that Swansea beat them in November 2010 if they are in the Premier League next season while Swansea remain in the Championship.
So, pressure aside, what else has changed? Well, the squad has developed slightly, but for the better? The Swans have new signings such as Leon Britton and David Edgar to add a little solidity and familiarity, but they have lost Marvin Emnes, the one striker that could actually score! Replacing Emnes is Luke Moore, who is still goalless for the Swans. I know many fans are saying it'll be great for him to get his debut goal against Cardiff, but I can't see it happening. Currently it looks like a Swansea striker will never score again! Goals are coming, but only from midfielders like Pratley and Sinclair. Is this a bad thing? “As long as the goal go in” you may argue. But aren't we missing a trick here? Swansea have a problem if their striker isn't getting goals. He's basically not touching the ball all game, which could be seen as Swansea playing with a man less! Somehow something must change to supply the main striker, be it Moore or Beattie, with more goal-scoring opportunities. It's almost as if Swansea should play a 4-6-0 formation, with no striker, but all midfield players looking for goals.
Despite what I say about strategy, now is not the time to play around with mixing things up. It's best to stick with the tried and tested (4-5-1) for this match, then, if needs be, change things around afterwards. The most likely goals will come from a cross by Dyer or Sinclair, probably netted by Pratley. If I was a betting man (what am I saying? I AM a betting man!), I would put a few pounds on Swansea to win 1-0 with Pratley scoring the goal. At the moment that is a massive 45/1 (PaddyPower) and probably well worth at least a pound!
Cardiff won't be allowing this to happen easily though. They are hungry for this win. More so than Swansea I fear. They were embarrassed on their own turf back in November and now, sitting below the Swans, have less to lose. The problem Swansea face is that Cardiff have a great attack in Jay Bothroyd, Craig Bellamy, John Parkin and, of course, Michael “Dirty Bastard” Chopra. I'm almost jealous of the depth in attack Cardiff possess. Not to worry though: it's about the whole team on the day and if Swansea play like they did in November - keeping the ball and frustrating Cardiff - it's likely that the great attack will be quelled.
Defending will be trickier without Gary Monk, but the back four of Tate, Williams, Rangel and, probably, Edgar should be enough to stop most of the Cardiff attacking moves. If Cardiff are going to score it may come from a set piece like a corner, an area where the Swans have struggled in the past to defend. Stop corners going in and Swansea are probably the most solid defenders in the Championship! Oh, and let's not have any own goals either!
My team to face Cardiff: De Vries, Edgar, Tate, Williams, Rangel; Pratley, Allen, Dobbie, Sinclair, Dyer; Beattie. (Dobbie playing central attacking midfield role).
I am pretty positive that Swansea will go on to win this derby match in front of the home crowd. On the day, if they can supress nerves and emotions and deal with the immense pressure, Swansea are a better team than Cardiff. With both teams on the verge of getting into the Premier League, this could well be the most exciting derby match in history!
Let's do the double! Forza Swansea!
November doesn't seem that long ago, when I was typing up a blog for the first Swansea vs. Cardiff game this season. Back then, nobody really knew what to expect. The Swans were doing well in the table, but were still unable to find a striker to score goals. Some Jacks were quietly confident of a Swansea win; some were loudly confident. It seems that the confidence paid off with Swansea taking home all three points. So is anyone confident with the Swans' chances of doing the double for the first time ever?
I guess we have to first ask what has changed since that match last year. If nothing has changed then, yes, Swansea will certainly do the double. But it seems things have changed slightly.
When the teams last met, the Swans sat just below Cardiff in the league table. Now, though, they are two places above their rivals and, with the home advantage, they'll go into the match as favourites. Is this a good thing? Being favourites is a mixed blessing. For confidence boosting it is a great title to have, but we've seen Swansea buckle under pressure already this season and there seems to be a little more riding on it this time around. It's the derby with their biggest rivals, there is less than half the season to go and a win is, again, vital. It also takes place in front of a loyal home crowd who will settle for nothing less than a win. Plus they have the chance to make history by doing the double! The expectation will be a heavy test of their coping abilities, but it is something they have to overcome if they stand any chance in the Premier League next season.
Naturally there is so much hype around this fixture, and rightly so, but if we strip this game down to a skeleton of itself, we see the Swans in third position in the table, with fourth and fifth place (Forest and Cardiff) having one or two games in hand. A win could see Swansea back into second, but a loss could take them down to fifth. The team, I'm sure, will all know how much this derby means emotionally, but they also need to remember it is just a game and a game they must win for points to propel them forward as the closing stages of the season approach. The wins are important. I can guarantee you that Cardiff fans won't care that Swansea beat them in November 2010 if they are in the Premier League next season while Swansea remain in the Championship.
So, pressure aside, what else has changed? Well, the squad has developed slightly, but for the better? The Swans have new signings such as Leon Britton and David Edgar to add a little solidity and familiarity, but they have lost Marvin Emnes, the one striker that could actually score! Replacing Emnes is Luke Moore, who is still goalless for the Swans. I know many fans are saying it'll be great for him to get his debut goal against Cardiff, but I can't see it happening. Currently it looks like a Swansea striker will never score again! Goals are coming, but only from midfielders like Pratley and Sinclair. Is this a bad thing? “As long as the goal go in” you may argue. But aren't we missing a trick here? Swansea have a problem if their striker isn't getting goals. He's basically not touching the ball all game, which could be seen as Swansea playing with a man less! Somehow something must change to supply the main striker, be it Moore or Beattie, with more goal-scoring opportunities. It's almost as if Swansea should play a 4-6-0 formation, with no striker, but all midfield players looking for goals.
Despite what I say about strategy, now is not the time to play around with mixing things up. It's best to stick with the tried and tested (4-5-1) for this match, then, if needs be, change things around afterwards. The most likely goals will come from a cross by Dyer or Sinclair, probably netted by Pratley. If I was a betting man (what am I saying? I AM a betting man!), I would put a few pounds on Swansea to win 1-0 with Pratley scoring the goal. At the moment that is a massive 45/1 (PaddyPower) and probably well worth at least a pound!
Cardiff won't be allowing this to happen easily though. They are hungry for this win. More so than Swansea I fear. They were embarrassed on their own turf back in November and now, sitting below the Swans, have less to lose. The problem Swansea face is that Cardiff have a great attack in Jay Bothroyd, Craig Bellamy, John Parkin and, of course, Michael “Dirty Bastard” Chopra. I'm almost jealous of the depth in attack Cardiff possess. Not to worry though: it's about the whole team on the day and if Swansea play like they did in November - keeping the ball and frustrating Cardiff - it's likely that the great attack will be quelled.
Defending will be trickier without Gary Monk, but the back four of Tate, Williams, Rangel and, probably, Edgar should be enough to stop most of the Cardiff attacking moves. If Cardiff are going to score it may come from a set piece like a corner, an area where the Swans have struggled in the past to defend. Stop corners going in and Swansea are probably the most solid defenders in the Championship! Oh, and let's not have any own goals either!
My team to face Cardiff: De Vries, Edgar, Tate, Williams, Rangel; Pratley, Allen, Dobbie, Sinclair, Dyer; Beattie. (Dobbie playing central attacking midfield role).
I am pretty positive that Swansea will go on to win this derby match in front of the home crowd. On the day, if they can supress nerves and emotions and deal with the immense pressure, Swansea are a better team than Cardiff. With both teams on the verge of getting into the Premier League, this could well be the most exciting derby match in history!
Let's do the double! Forza Swansea!
Sunday 30 January 2011
With a bit of luck!
In case you somehow missed it, Swansea are out of the FA Cup after losing 2-1 to Leyton Orient. But what happened? I was at the match, throwing my hands into the air as Alan Tate's goal went in. It was an own goal though, and my hand throwing was not in celebration.
As has been the case for the last few games, optimism before the match was high, with my own prediction a comfortable 2-0 to the Swans, though many other fans had ideas of 4-0 or 5-0 victories. And why not? Swansea are around 30 or so places above Leyton Orient in the league (if the leagues all rolled into one), so it should be a straightforward victory. How wrong we were again.
Though many will argue the team Swansea played was essentially a second string side, it quite clearly wasn't. Williams, Tate, Allen, Moore, Sinclair, Orlandi – these are all first team players! The likes of Alfei, van der Gun and MaKalambay were the only real “second team” players on the pitch, with the rest making several league starts this season. Not reassuring.
Leyton Orient weren't that convincing either, and showed why they are a League One side, but they won because they were able to make something out of the few opportunities they had. Still, their counter-attack was slow and their defending allowed Swansea ample opportunity in front of goal. Unfortunately, as has been the running story, they couldn't do much with their time in the box. Swansea have been able to win games in the past, despite not taking all their opportunities, so what went so wrong on Saturday?
Orient's first goal was thanks to poor goalkeeping. MaKalambay doesn't ooze confidence, and this game showed why he will always be on the bench while De Vries is still capable. He looked nervous when it came to corners (the first goal proved this) and uncomfortable when dealing with some clearances. In my eyes he was the weakest link yesterday. Generally the rest of the team played fine for the most part, keeping possession and moving the ball well up the field.
So if they played well, why did they not win 4-0? Sadly, it's the same old story. They can string together fifty passes, but when it comes to shooting they just don't do it. Kemy Agustien tried to prove me wrong, with a number of shots, but when these are just drilled at the defence, there is little point to them. Luke Moore, again, didn't score, but its no wonder as he just seems so isolated at times. I don't think I clocked that he way playing until about half an hour into the match - very invisible.
Teams can play as well as they can, but without a little luck the result won't always favour their performance. It seems luck was not of the side of the Swans on Saturday. Darren Pratley's 'goal' was unlucky not to be given after being deemed offside, though was that bad luck? Did he actually need to be there? The goal may have gone in without his interception, but I guess he wasn't to know that. If that had been a goal, Orient would have been hard pushed to find an equaliser, so it was an unlucky moment in the match, which could have seen the Swans in the next round.
On the subject of luck, I will, naturally, have to mention Swansea's gift to Orient of an own-goal hand-delivered by Alan Tate. I've always thought Tate deserves his place in the squad but after yesterday... I still do! You can't really blame him as, though he did ultimately lose the match for the team, it was clearly an unlucky slice that went wrong. He doesn't score own goals that often so we can forgive him. Those who are unable to forgive him need to look at what he has done for the team in the past.
So all credit to Leyton Orient who deserved to win, despite being the poorer side. Swansea had their opportunities and didn't take them. Orient will now play Arsenal at home in the next round. Some may think: “bugger, that could've been Arsenal down the Liberty”, although, as many have pointed out, with Swansea's luck they probably would have drawn Crawley Town. Away.
So the Swans bow out of the second cup this season. I guess it's good because they can now concentrate on the league? Still, wouldn't it have been nice to see the Swans lift the Championship trophy and the FA Cup? Other teams have done the double before, why not Swansea? I guess we won't find out until next year if this is possible. Swansea winning the Premier League and the FA Cup next season! Now I wonder what the odds of that happening are if the original odds for Swansea to win the FA Cup this year were 150/1!
I guess a bit of good luck and it could happen.
As has been the case for the last few games, optimism before the match was high, with my own prediction a comfortable 2-0 to the Swans, though many other fans had ideas of 4-0 or 5-0 victories. And why not? Swansea are around 30 or so places above Leyton Orient in the league (if the leagues all rolled into one), so it should be a straightforward victory. How wrong we were again.
Though many will argue the team Swansea played was essentially a second string side, it quite clearly wasn't. Williams, Tate, Allen, Moore, Sinclair, Orlandi – these are all first team players! The likes of Alfei, van der Gun and MaKalambay were the only real “second team” players on the pitch, with the rest making several league starts this season. Not reassuring.
Leyton Orient weren't that convincing either, and showed why they are a League One side, but they won because they were able to make something out of the few opportunities they had. Still, their counter-attack was slow and their defending allowed Swansea ample opportunity in front of goal. Unfortunately, as has been the running story, they couldn't do much with their time in the box. Swansea have been able to win games in the past, despite not taking all their opportunities, so what went so wrong on Saturday?
Orient's first goal was thanks to poor goalkeeping. MaKalambay doesn't ooze confidence, and this game showed why he will always be on the bench while De Vries is still capable. He looked nervous when it came to corners (the first goal proved this) and uncomfortable when dealing with some clearances. In my eyes he was the weakest link yesterday. Generally the rest of the team played fine for the most part, keeping possession and moving the ball well up the field.
So if they played well, why did they not win 4-0? Sadly, it's the same old story. They can string together fifty passes, but when it comes to shooting they just don't do it. Kemy Agustien tried to prove me wrong, with a number of shots, but when these are just drilled at the defence, there is little point to them. Luke Moore, again, didn't score, but its no wonder as he just seems so isolated at times. I don't think I clocked that he way playing until about half an hour into the match - very invisible.
Teams can play as well as they can, but without a little luck the result won't always favour their performance. It seems luck was not of the side of the Swans on Saturday. Darren Pratley's 'goal' was unlucky not to be given after being deemed offside, though was that bad luck? Did he actually need to be there? The goal may have gone in without his interception, but I guess he wasn't to know that. If that had been a goal, Orient would have been hard pushed to find an equaliser, so it was an unlucky moment in the match, which could have seen the Swans in the next round.
On the subject of luck, I will, naturally, have to mention Swansea's gift to Orient of an own-goal hand-delivered by Alan Tate. I've always thought Tate deserves his place in the squad but after yesterday... I still do! You can't really blame him as, though he did ultimately lose the match for the team, it was clearly an unlucky slice that went wrong. He doesn't score own goals that often so we can forgive him. Those who are unable to forgive him need to look at what he has done for the team in the past.
So all credit to Leyton Orient who deserved to win, despite being the poorer side. Swansea had their opportunities and didn't take them. Orient will now play Arsenal at home in the next round. Some may think: “bugger, that could've been Arsenal down the Liberty”, although, as many have pointed out, with Swansea's luck they probably would have drawn Crawley Town. Away.
So the Swans bow out of the second cup this season. I guess it's good because they can now concentrate on the league? Still, wouldn't it have been nice to see the Swans lift the Championship trophy and the FA Cup? Other teams have done the double before, why not Swansea? I guess we won't find out until next year if this is possible. Swansea winning the Premier League and the FA Cup next season! Now I wonder what the odds of that happening are if the original odds for Swansea to win the FA Cup this year were 150/1!
I guess a bit of good luck and it could happen.
Sunday 23 January 2011
Barnsley and Britton (a lazy title)
I hope the videos from my last blog were to everyone's liking, but now it's time to get some of my vague text-based thoughts back out there!
As many fans, I wasn't at the Barnsley game on Saturday, though I did listen online where it's sometimes hard to visualise the game. It was easy, though, to understand that Swansea were an immediate mess. I don't know if I am a jinx, but the moment I managed to finally tune into the radio coverage, Barnsley scored. I like to think this is a coincidence, but it's happened too many times for me to let it go unnoticed!
Anyway, Barnsley's early goal proved that the confidence of victory before the match was unrealistically high from the fans. Even I, a well known pessimist, predicted a comfortable 2-1 win to the Swans. Some were throwing 3 or 4 nil victories around, but were quickly realising their mistakes. We should all know by now: if Swansea have the chance to go joint top of the table, they won't take it!
This match was a good example of the games that they should be winning. Mid-table sides shouldn't really pose much of a threat to the potential champions of the league. Barnsley were 16th in the table where Swansea were just one from the top. Now the Swans have dropped back down to 4th. However I think it's safe to put this down to a one-off bad day. Alarm bells shouldn't be ringing because there's plenty of time to go until the final push, so 4th in the table is not that bad.
But it could have been so much better.
An inspired Stephen Dobbie was the saviour of Swansea, sparking some much needed creativity in that attacking midfield position, though it was Sinclair who eventually went down in the box and won the penalty. Though it did gloss the overall performance, the goal and the point were deserved of Swansea's last fifteen minute of football. I am speaking like the Swans lost, but it did feel like a bit of a loss, didn't it? As we've seen numerous times before they left it until the last few minutes to turn up the heat, where, had they done this twenty minutes earlier or, dare I say it, from the start of the game, it would have been a certain win. Disappointing, but true.
Putting that game aside, I haven't really commented on the Leon Britton situation. He obviously, as he admitted himself, made a mistake leaving the club, but the reasons were understandable (Sousa playing a big part). Britton is a fan favourite and a good midfielder, so the move isn't as odd as it first seemed. He did play on Saturday, but somehow I missed when he was subbed on and didn't hear much about him in the last fifteen minutes. He won't feature against Leyton Orient as he is cup tied, but it would be a good to see more of him against Bristol a few days later.
The only other issue to address is the signing of Ryan Harly. Initially I was dubious, thinking the signing of another midfielder was just adding unnecessary wage payouts to the side, but when I realised he was heading back to Exeter until the end of the season it seemed a better plan.
Though he doesn't have a great goal scoring record (22 in 118 appearances for Exeter) he is a creative play-maker, something Swansea always need plenty of. If he can create goals for the strikers that's all anyone should care about. I'd rather no midfielder ever score, but consistently set up goals for the strikers. Harley will be a good option if/when players like Pratley and Cotterill leave in the summer.
So a week off for the Swans before their home cup fixture against Leyton Orient on Saturday, before travelling to across the border for the Bristol City game the Tuesday after. Both important games, though victory in the League fixture is more vital than the cup match; that would just be a bonus. Neither games are as big as the one the week after: The South Wales derby Part II...
But that's another blog.
As many fans, I wasn't at the Barnsley game on Saturday, though I did listen online where it's sometimes hard to visualise the game. It was easy, though, to understand that Swansea were an immediate mess. I don't know if I am a jinx, but the moment I managed to finally tune into the radio coverage, Barnsley scored. I like to think this is a coincidence, but it's happened too many times for me to let it go unnoticed!
Anyway, Barnsley's early goal proved that the confidence of victory before the match was unrealistically high from the fans. Even I, a well known pessimist, predicted a comfortable 2-1 win to the Swans. Some were throwing 3 or 4 nil victories around, but were quickly realising their mistakes. We should all know by now: if Swansea have the chance to go joint top of the table, they won't take it!
This match was a good example of the games that they should be winning. Mid-table sides shouldn't really pose much of a threat to the potential champions of the league. Barnsley were 16th in the table where Swansea were just one from the top. Now the Swans have dropped back down to 4th. However I think it's safe to put this down to a one-off bad day. Alarm bells shouldn't be ringing because there's plenty of time to go until the final push, so 4th in the table is not that bad.
But it could have been so much better.
An inspired Stephen Dobbie was the saviour of Swansea, sparking some much needed creativity in that attacking midfield position, though it was Sinclair who eventually went down in the box and won the penalty. Though it did gloss the overall performance, the goal and the point were deserved of Swansea's last fifteen minute of football. I am speaking like the Swans lost, but it did feel like a bit of a loss, didn't it? As we've seen numerous times before they left it until the last few minutes to turn up the heat, where, had they done this twenty minutes earlier or, dare I say it, from the start of the game, it would have been a certain win. Disappointing, but true.
Putting that game aside, I haven't really commented on the Leon Britton situation. He obviously, as he admitted himself, made a mistake leaving the club, but the reasons were understandable (Sousa playing a big part). Britton is a fan favourite and a good midfielder, so the move isn't as odd as it first seemed. He did play on Saturday, but somehow I missed when he was subbed on and didn't hear much about him in the last fifteen minutes. He won't feature against Leyton Orient as he is cup tied, but it would be a good to see more of him against Bristol a few days later.
The only other issue to address is the signing of Ryan Harly. Initially I was dubious, thinking the signing of another midfielder was just adding unnecessary wage payouts to the side, but when I realised he was heading back to Exeter until the end of the season it seemed a better plan.
Though he doesn't have a great goal scoring record (22 in 118 appearances for Exeter) he is a creative play-maker, something Swansea always need plenty of. If he can create goals for the strikers that's all anyone should care about. I'd rather no midfielder ever score, but consistently set up goals for the strikers. Harley will be a good option if/when players like Pratley and Cotterill leave in the summer.
So a week off for the Swans before their home cup fixture against Leyton Orient on Saturday, before travelling to across the border for the Bristol City game the Tuesday after. Both important games, though victory in the League fixture is more vital than the cup match; that would just be a bonus. Neither games are as big as the one the week after: The South Wales derby Part II...
But that's another blog.
Monday 10 January 2011
Something different: Swans on film!
I'm taking a little break from the ordinary text-based blog to bring you some of the best Swansea City related videos on the net. Most of my weekend was spent drinking wine and sifting through YouTube.com, where I eventually narrowed down my favourites to the five you are about to watch. These are in no particular order (though, in my opinion, I have saved the best for last), so take a break from your day and enjoy!
(NB: I didn't film, edit or upload any of these videos and am not the owner, neither do I own any of the music - no copyright infringement intended!)
1) The South Wales derby - "A Tale of Two Cities"
I remembered this as soon as I decided to do a video based blog: the montage that started the BBC's coverage of the South Wales derby last November (you all remember that game surely). Sometimes these promo films can be a little cringe-worthy, but this really captures the rivalry between these two cities. Gives you goosebumps if you are in the right mood!
2) Last game at the Vetch
A tribute to the Vetch field couldn't be left out! There were, to my surprise, hundreds of Vetch videos, all with different themes, but I've decided to include this one: the final league game against Shrewsbury town in April 2005. Clear blue sky, everyone singing, football about to kick off - perfect! Not much happens in the video, but should evoke some feelings of nostalgia!
3) Lee Trundle: Magic Man
If I didn't include a Lee Trundle video in this blog, I'd be missing out on some entertaining stuff. Swansea's answer to Ronaldo (the Portuguese one, not the fat Brazilian), Trundle's trickery and show-boating made him a fan favourite. Fair enough, Trundle didn't have the greatest final season with the Swans - almost a shadow of his former self - but he will always be remembered for the kind of skill this video collates.
4) Swansea's first season back in the Championship
This is a selection of moments from Swansea's first season back in the Championship after being promoted from League One in 2008 and contains goals from Ferrie Bodde and Jason Scotland, as well as the Darren Pratley "Swim Away" celebration vs. Cardiff, all set to epic battle music. It's recent history and foundations to where we are now - on the brink of Premier League football once again: the only way is up!
5) Swans fan scores at Anfield
I've used this video in a previous blog, but still can't watch it without laughing. Taken during the 8-0 loss to Liverpool in 1990, a Swans fan, "Ciro", jumps over the barrier and proceeds to score a goal (I absolutely love the fans reaction as hammers the ball in). "Ciro" then runs around the pitch, avoiding pouncing stewards, much to the joy of travelling Jacks and Liverpool fans alike! A perfect video to show that, even when the Swans are 8-0 down, Jacks can still have a good time!
Naturally there are other videos out there that didn't make the top five, but if you have any suggestions for those that I may have missed, leave links below in the comments box (you no longer have to sign in - anonymous comments welcome) and I'll check them out. If I get enough I'll make another video based blog later in the year!
(NB: I didn't film, edit or upload any of these videos and am not the owner, neither do I own any of the music - no copyright infringement intended!)
1) The South Wales derby - "A Tale of Two Cities"
I remembered this as soon as I decided to do a video based blog: the montage that started the BBC's coverage of the South Wales derby last November (you all remember that game surely). Sometimes these promo films can be a little cringe-worthy, but this really captures the rivalry between these two cities. Gives you goosebumps if you are in the right mood!
2) Last game at the Vetch
A tribute to the Vetch field couldn't be left out! There were, to my surprise, hundreds of Vetch videos, all with different themes, but I've decided to include this one: the final league game against Shrewsbury town in April 2005. Clear blue sky, everyone singing, football about to kick off - perfect! Not much happens in the video, but should evoke some feelings of nostalgia!
3) Lee Trundle: Magic Man
If I didn't include a Lee Trundle video in this blog, I'd be missing out on some entertaining stuff. Swansea's answer to Ronaldo (the Portuguese one, not the fat Brazilian), Trundle's trickery and show-boating made him a fan favourite. Fair enough, Trundle didn't have the greatest final season with the Swans - almost a shadow of his former self - but he will always be remembered for the kind of skill this video collates.
4) Swansea's first season back in the Championship
This is a selection of moments from Swansea's first season back in the Championship after being promoted from League One in 2008 and contains goals from Ferrie Bodde and Jason Scotland, as well as the Darren Pratley "Swim Away" celebration vs. Cardiff, all set to epic battle music. It's recent history and foundations to where we are now - on the brink of Premier League football once again: the only way is up!
5) Swans fan scores at Anfield
I've used this video in a previous blog, but still can't watch it without laughing. Taken during the 8-0 loss to Liverpool in 1990, a Swans fan, "Ciro", jumps over the barrier and proceeds to score a goal (I absolutely love the fans reaction as hammers the ball in). "Ciro" then runs around the pitch, avoiding pouncing stewards, much to the joy of travelling Jacks and Liverpool fans alike! A perfect video to show that, even when the Swans are 8-0 down, Jacks can still have a good time!
Naturally there are other videos out there that didn't make the top five, but if you have any suggestions for those that I may have missed, leave links below in the comments box (you no longer have to sign in - anonymous comments welcome) and I'll check them out. If I get enough I'll make another video based blog later in the year!
Friday 7 January 2011
Transfer Window and the FA Cup
The Transfer Window
As we all finally emerge from our festive, sherry-soaked hangovers, the transfer window is fully open. Brendan Rodgers now needs to grab what new talent he can, before that window is slammed shut, jamming his little fingers.
It's not a new topic: The Swans are struggling with a lack of fire-power, so the main outcome of this transfer window has to be the acquisition of a new striker. Currently Stephen Dobbie seems better suited to the centre forward role as opposed to sole striker as he can create brilliant opportunities, but finds it hard to finish them. Craig Beattie has produced some great goals (vs. Ipswich a few weeks back – I likened it to Fabio Quagliarella's World Cup super chip), but again, isn't the 20-goal-a-season striker Swansea need. Jermaine Easter has finally scored, but doesn't look the complete package. Elsewhere Shefki Kuqi will probably go (a nice guy, as many seem to think, but no longer fits in with the speed of Swansea's game) and Gorka Pintado... well, I was never really a fan, but it seems that he is off to AEK Larnaca on loan anyway, and probably won't return (all the best Gorka, may goals come naturally to you in Cyprus).
So a striker is still needed, but who? Luke Moore is in Brendan's cross-hairs with an offer being placed for him to join on loan, but at £20,000 a week will he be able to do the job needed or will he be another “three-goals-a-season” striker? His track record isn't amazing for a front man; he scored a meagre 5 goals in 47 appearances for West Brom (thanks Wikipedia) and, more recently, 4 goals for Derby out of 13 games. If he turns out to be another Frank Nouble (“who?” you cry), which I suspect he might, it will be a backwards step for Rodgers and his men.
Meanwhile, other rumours include bringing Marvin Emnes back or trying out Leroy Lita (Middlesbrough), which both seem more feasible than the Sturridge, Vela and Gudjohnsen rumours at the moment.
A different option could well be to move Scott Sinclair to the striker position and look at buying / long-loaning a new winger. Sinclair is the current top goalscorer, who can create and (though not recently) finish what he makes. With Sinclair upfront and Dyer on the wing, along with a new, equally speedy winger on the field, the opposition won't know what is coming at them! Just an idea.
As I mentioned earlier, Pintado is leaving and Kuqi will probably join him. Ashley Williams is on the radar for a handful of big clubs, but despite his agent insisting he won't leave until the summer (that's only if Swansea don't achieve their promotion target), will Premier League interest in this transfer window prove too tempting? He seems committed enough to Swansea, so he will stay. I am sure. When have I ever been wrong?
The FA Cup
This Saturday will see the Swans play Colchester at the Liberty Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup. Taking a quick look at the odds (Paddypower.com) Swansea are 150/1 to win! Very generous. Worth a pound? To the betting man (much like myself) I would usually say go for it! I've wasted so much betting on Pintado to score in the past, a pound on Swansea to win the FA Cup at 150/1 is a pound worth gambling. Or is it?
Swansea have the power (especially if they get a new striker / winger) to win it. Chances are the "big name" clubs have the Premier League, Champions League and Carling Cup to concentrate on, so they won't field strong teams, giving the Swans prime opportunity to pounce! However, taking a step back, I see that this is probably the case for Swansea too. With such a big prize at stake, chasing promotion to the Premier League is, and rightly so, the priority, so all key players must be kept fit for the next twenty League matches, ready for the final push. The FA Cup is just a series of games where the B-team will get a much needed run around.
This isn't to say that the Swans won't get far. Despite putting out a weakened team on Saturday (its bound to happen), they should still beat Colchester with ease (3-0 to the Swans is 10/1, which IS worth a pound). Where next? Well it'll be round four and, if they draw another lower league or Championship team, there's nothing to say they can't proceed a further round. If, however, they find themselves up against a Premier League side - no matter if it's Wolves or Man United - Rodgers will probably field another weakened side and flop out. Disappointing? Slightly. It would be great to see the Swans perform well and go as far as they are actually capable of (beating Wigan could have happened back in October if they were at full strength).
Now the “supporters” who will probably boo the Swans off the park if they get knocked out of the FA Cup so early on have the argument that “we wanted to see a big name team down the Liberty for a change!” Although this may be true, if they glance ahead to next season, Swansea will be constantly playing the big name teams when they get to the Premier League. This is why the FA Cup isn't important this season. This is why patience, as Brendan Rodgers has called for many times, is so necessary. I'm saving my pound.
As we all finally emerge from our festive, sherry-soaked hangovers, the transfer window is fully open. Brendan Rodgers now needs to grab what new talent he can, before that window is slammed shut, jamming his little fingers.
It's not a new topic: The Swans are struggling with a lack of fire-power, so the main outcome of this transfer window has to be the acquisition of a new striker. Currently Stephen Dobbie seems better suited to the centre forward role as opposed to sole striker as he can create brilliant opportunities, but finds it hard to finish them. Craig Beattie has produced some great goals (vs. Ipswich a few weeks back – I likened it to Fabio Quagliarella's World Cup super chip), but again, isn't the 20-goal-a-season striker Swansea need. Jermaine Easter has finally scored, but doesn't look the complete package. Elsewhere Shefki Kuqi will probably go (a nice guy, as many seem to think, but no longer fits in with the speed of Swansea's game) and Gorka Pintado... well, I was never really a fan, but it seems that he is off to AEK Larnaca on loan anyway, and probably won't return (all the best Gorka, may goals come naturally to you in Cyprus).
So a striker is still needed, but who? Luke Moore is in Brendan's cross-hairs with an offer being placed for him to join on loan, but at £20,000 a week will he be able to do the job needed or will he be another “three-goals-a-season” striker? His track record isn't amazing for a front man; he scored a meagre 5 goals in 47 appearances for West Brom (thanks Wikipedia) and, more recently, 4 goals for Derby out of 13 games. If he turns out to be another Frank Nouble (“who?” you cry), which I suspect he might, it will be a backwards step for Rodgers and his men.
Meanwhile, other rumours include bringing Marvin Emnes back or trying out Leroy Lita (Middlesbrough), which both seem more feasible than the Sturridge, Vela and Gudjohnsen rumours at the moment.
A different option could well be to move Scott Sinclair to the striker position and look at buying / long-loaning a new winger. Sinclair is the current top goalscorer, who can create and (though not recently) finish what he makes. With Sinclair upfront and Dyer on the wing, along with a new, equally speedy winger on the field, the opposition won't know what is coming at them! Just an idea.
As I mentioned earlier, Pintado is leaving and Kuqi will probably join him. Ashley Williams is on the radar for a handful of big clubs, but despite his agent insisting he won't leave until the summer (that's only if Swansea don't achieve their promotion target), will Premier League interest in this transfer window prove too tempting? He seems committed enough to Swansea, so he will stay. I am sure. When have I ever been wrong?
The FA Cup
This Saturday will see the Swans play Colchester at the Liberty Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup. Taking a quick look at the odds (Paddypower.com) Swansea are 150/1 to win! Very generous. Worth a pound? To the betting man (much like myself) I would usually say go for it! I've wasted so much betting on Pintado to score in the past, a pound on Swansea to win the FA Cup at 150/1 is a pound worth gambling. Or is it?
Swansea have the power (especially if they get a new striker / winger) to win it. Chances are the "big name" clubs have the Premier League, Champions League and Carling Cup to concentrate on, so they won't field strong teams, giving the Swans prime opportunity to pounce! However, taking a step back, I see that this is probably the case for Swansea too. With such a big prize at stake, chasing promotion to the Premier League is, and rightly so, the priority, so all key players must be kept fit for the next twenty League matches, ready for the final push. The FA Cup is just a series of games where the B-team will get a much needed run around.
This isn't to say that the Swans won't get far. Despite putting out a weakened team on Saturday (its bound to happen), they should still beat Colchester with ease (3-0 to the Swans is 10/1, which IS worth a pound). Where next? Well it'll be round four and, if they draw another lower league or Championship team, there's nothing to say they can't proceed a further round. If, however, they find themselves up against a Premier League side - no matter if it's Wolves or Man United - Rodgers will probably field another weakened side and flop out. Disappointing? Slightly. It would be great to see the Swans perform well and go as far as they are actually capable of (beating Wigan could have happened back in October if they were at full strength).
Now the “supporters” who will probably boo the Swans off the park if they get knocked out of the FA Cup so early on have the argument that “we wanted to see a big name team down the Liberty for a change!” Although this may be true, if they glance ahead to next season, Swansea will be constantly playing the big name teams when they get to the Premier League. This is why the FA Cup isn't important this season. This is why patience, as Brendan Rodgers has called for many times, is so necessary. I'm saving my pound.
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