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Tuesday 17 December 2013
ForzaSwansea on Facebook
Just a very, very (very) quick post to tell you that ForzaSwansea is now on Facebook. Not sure why it's taken so long to make the page, but we finally have one!
If you are on Facebook and want to keep up-to-date with new blog posts, discussions and interesting/amusing Swans things we come across, just give our new page a like by clicking here then pressing the 'like' button.
Cheers!
If you are on Facebook and want to keep up-to-date with new blog posts, discussions and interesting/amusing Swans things we come across, just give our new page a like by clicking here then pressing the 'like' button.
Cheers!
Monday 16 December 2013
Reliving the Swansea City European tour... so far!
Although Swansea didn't take the expected route to qualification from the group, the main thing is we made it! Swansea City are through to the later stages of a European competition for the first time in our history!
The knockout stages await and the Swans have earned a mouthwatering tie against Italian giants Napoli. But how did we get to this stage? ForzaSwansea's newest contributor GAVIN TUCKER is giving us the chance to relive the high (and not-so-high) points of Swansea's Europa League campaign so far.
Drawing Napoli in the last 32 is a fixture that really marks the culmination of Swansea City’s progress over the last decade. The home leg will see Rafa Benitez’s side visit the Liberty on 20th February with the intimidating journey away to Stadio San Paolo on the 27th February.
Napoli is one of the toughest draws we could have had, with some top class players in Jose Callejon, Marek Hamsik and Valon Behrami; it will take a solid performance over two legs and maybe a little luck to see us through. Let's not forget it was not so long ago we beat Chelsea, then champions of Europe, over a two-legged knockout round and we all know how that ended. Just try to push the thought of Dwight Tiendalli facing Gonzalo Higuain to the back of your mind for now at least.
Here's a quick(ish) summary of our adventure so far in Europe and how we got to where we are:
After comfortable wins against Malmo and Petrolul Ploiesti, 4-0 and 6-3 on aggregate respectively, Swansea progressed to the group stage draw. Thanks to a couple of upsets elsewhere the Swans moved up the seeded rankings meaning, in theory at least, a slightly easier group than first expected.
Swansea were drawn straight out of Pot 2 and into Group A with Valencia of Spain (ranked the number one seeded team in the tournament at that stage), followed soon after by St Gallen of Switzerland and Kuban Krasnodar of Russia. The general consensus was that Valencia would be a tough one, but we could, maybe should, qualify from our group. First up a trip to the Mestalla...
As starts go, it really couldn't have come much better this. Over 2000 Swans supporters, including myself, made the journey for what was to become and will be remembered as one of THE results in our recent history. Valencia had been struggling with league form going into the game, and there was a feeling that with the right performance we could get a positive result from this fixture.
Valencia's Adil Rami was sent off for a ninth-minute professional foul when he hauled down Wilfried Bony - an incident that Swansea took full advantage of. Bony struck first when his right-footed opener went in via a deflection five minutes later. Half time came and the Swans were 1-0 up in the Mestalla.
As the second half resumed, attention was drawn to the home fans (or lack thereof) behind the goal - the Valencia ultras had refused to return to the stands for the second half in protest to the current and recent results from their team. They did eventually return however, just in time to see Michu fire in from eight yards to make it 2-0. Cue away-section mayhem. Jonathan de Guzman curled in a 30-yard free-kick for the third and, to the applause of Valencia fans at full time, Swansea left the field sitting at the top of Group A!
Our first group game at home saw visiting St Gallen bring with them a very respectably sized and noisy away support of around 1500 - oh, and a couple of flares. You can't even smuggle in a bottle of pop into the East stand but St Gallen brought with them a different flavour of European support that we never experience as supporters domestically.
The game will most probably be remembered for the completely inept refereeing of one Duarte Gomes. Having recently been banned from taking control of international matches, he gave bizarre decision after bizarre decision to the point that you stopped being surprised by them towards the end.
Not stopping play in the first half for Michu to receive treatment for a head injury that gushed blood and required stitches at the break was not even the half of it.
St Gallen closed us down well and were very physical in their approach; they were probably unlucky overall not to get something from the game.
Tiendalli was ruled to have handled the ball in the box after 14 minutes, but a weak penalty from Goran Karanovic resulted in a comfortable save by Tremmel. With a few chances early seeing Michu and Jordi Amat both hitting the post, it was not until the second half that Swansea got the breakthrough. In the 52nd minute Wayne Routledge grabbed what proved to be the winner.
Top of Group A, with two games, two wins. We're through already.... right?
Our third group game and second home tie brought visitors Kuban Krasnodar to the Liberty and around 50 away fans made the long journey from Russia.
Swansea seemed to lack their usual fluency but finally found a bit of rhythm in the second half with Michu bravely sliding home after latching on to a lovely chip from Alejandro Pozuelo on the 68th minute.
Deep into injury time and 1-0 up we only had to keep possession and see the game out. However, Jonjo Shelvey attempting to take on a Kuban player in injury time saw possession lost. Tremmel brought Balde down in the area and Cisse stepped up to score his sides first goal in the group.
A 93rd minute equaliser - tough to take.
A massive shout has to go to the 50 Swans followers who spent hours deciphering the visa requirements and made the long and expensive journey to support our team in this fixture.
Wilfried Bony's early, low strike looked set to give Swansea victory. Another Kuban escape seemed unlikely when Xandao was shown a second yellow card for clattering Alvaro Vazquez, but Ivelin Popov fed Balde to score and saw Kuban equalise in injury time, AGAIN.
To miss out on a win and a valuable three points to a last gasp goal once is bad enough, but for it to happen twice, within two weeks, against the same team was frustrating to say the least.
A strange night at the Liberty saw Valencia take the victory and secure top place in Group A. Valencia dominated possession and the match had very sedate pace all evening. You could easily be forgiven for thinking you were watching a pre-season friendly.
Fewer than 100 of the Valencia faithful made the trip from Spain to Swansea, and saw their side take the lead as Tremmel's tame punch fell to Juan Barnat outside the box. His shot was deflected into the path of Daniel Parejo.
Swans were left frustrated as Wilfried Bony limped off with an injury only for his replacement Alvaro Vasquez to have a perfectly legitimate equaliser ruled out for offside.
Meanwhile St Gallen were officially out of the competition after losing 4-0 to Kuban Krasnodar. The Russians, however, were mathematically in with a chance of qualification should they beat Valencia at the Mestalla in the final game and Swansea lose to St Gallen while overcoming a goal difference of three.
Flight disruption due to fog left the team delayed at Cardiff. When it finally cleared, a further delay due to a technical fault on the place resulted in the team waking up a sleepy Chico from his airport terminal slumber and scheduling a flight from Southend. The team finally arrived in Switzerland, although the training session scheduled for Wednesday evening was cancelled. Not ideal preparation.
The journeys of some supporters were also badly affected and, after numerous flight delays and cancellations, some were forced to abandon their travel plans. A massively frustrating and stressful experience for all involved.
It appeared the fog had followed the team and supporters out to St Gallen. Swans supporters tucked in the corner of the AFG Arena, unable to see the far end of the pitch as play commenced. St Gallen fans were in fine voice again seemingly fuelled by giant pretzels.
The game itself was probably one to forget. The very attack-orientated line up from Laudrup and lack of a holding midfielder saw us ultimately struggle in the centre of the park. Tremmel gave a good performance and were it not for a few superb saves we could have easily seen a bigger loss.
Whether it was complacency after getting six points from the initial two games, the sheer number of team changes game to game, a touch of arrogance or a general lack of effort, we undoubtedly limped over the line into the knockout stages. Still, if you had offered us second in this group before a ball was kicked then I'm sure most would have happily taken it.
Onwards into the knockout rounds once again and a big-time draw against Napoli. No chance for mistakes at this stage and should we progress from this behemoth of a fixture, Swansea will face the winner of Eintacht Frankfurt vs Porto.
The break from Europe between now and February will give the team a chance to narrow their focus back to the Premier League and hopefully improve their form. It's a popular opinion that the Europa League in general disrupts a team’s league performances, with the players being exhausted from the travel, extra games, etc. It's hard to say really with the Swans as we are still in a reasonable league position and have a decent points total.
One thing I believe has impacted us though is the (necessary) heavy rotation of the squad game to game. Two seasons ago it was pretty much the same eleven week in, week out. You knew the line up before it came out. That consistency helped understanding between players. Having to rotate so heavily being in Europe is completely foreign to Swansea (pun intended) but so far I think it's been managed fairly well.
In summary it's a fantastic achievement for Swansea to have qualified for the Europa League and we can be proud of how far we have progressed. It's been an exciting journey and who knows when we may be in European competition again. Whatever happens from here on in we can all be even prouder than usual to be a Jack.
Thanks for reading, feel free to follow me on Twitter: @gavint_
The knockout stages await and the Swans have earned a mouthwatering tie against Italian giants Napoli. But how did we get to this stage? ForzaSwansea's newest contributor GAVIN TUCKER is giving us the chance to relive the high (and not-so-high) points of Swansea's Europa League campaign so far.
---
Drawing Napoli in the last 32 is a fixture that really marks the culmination of Swansea City’s progress over the last decade. The home leg will see Rafa Benitez’s side visit the Liberty on 20th February with the intimidating journey away to Stadio San Paolo on the 27th February.
Napoli is one of the toughest draws we could have had, with some top class players in Jose Callejon, Marek Hamsik and Valon Behrami; it will take a solid performance over two legs and maybe a little luck to see us through. Let's not forget it was not so long ago we beat Chelsea, then champions of Europe, over a two-legged knockout round and we all know how that ended. Just try to push the thought of Dwight Tiendalli facing Gonzalo Higuain to the back of your mind for now at least.
Here's a quick(ish) summary of our adventure so far in Europe and how we got to where we are:
Qualification
After comfortable wins against Malmo and Petrolul Ploiesti, 4-0 and 6-3 on aggregate respectively, Swansea progressed to the group stage draw. Thanks to a couple of upsets elsewhere the Swans moved up the seeded rankings meaning, in theory at least, a slightly easier group than first expected.
Swansea were drawn straight out of Pot 2 and into Group A with Valencia of Spain (ranked the number one seeded team in the tournament at that stage), followed soon after by St Gallen of Switzerland and Kuban Krasnodar of Russia. The general consensus was that Valencia would be a tough one, but we could, maybe should, qualify from our group. First up a trip to the Mestalla...
Valencia 0-3 Swansea
As starts go, it really couldn't have come much better this. Over 2000 Swans supporters, including myself, made the journey for what was to become and will be remembered as one of THE results in our recent history. Valencia had been struggling with league form going into the game, and there was a feeling that with the right performance we could get a positive result from this fixture.
Valencia's Adil Rami was sent off for a ninth-minute professional foul when he hauled down Wilfried Bony - an incident that Swansea took full advantage of. Bony struck first when his right-footed opener went in via a deflection five minutes later. Half time came and the Swans were 1-0 up in the Mestalla.
As the second half resumed, attention was drawn to the home fans (or lack thereof) behind the goal - the Valencia ultras had refused to return to the stands for the second half in protest to the current and recent results from their team. They did eventually return however, just in time to see Michu fire in from eight yards to make it 2-0. Cue away-section mayhem. Jonathan de Guzman curled in a 30-yard free-kick for the third and, to the applause of Valencia fans at full time, Swansea left the field sitting at the top of Group A!
Swansea 1-0 St Gallen
The game will most probably be remembered for the completely inept refereeing of one Duarte Gomes. Having recently been banned from taking control of international matches, he gave bizarre decision after bizarre decision to the point that you stopped being surprised by them towards the end.
Not stopping play in the first half for Michu to receive treatment for a head injury that gushed blood and required stitches at the break was not even the half of it.
St Gallen closed us down well and were very physical in their approach; they were probably unlucky overall not to get something from the game.
Tiendalli was ruled to have handled the ball in the box after 14 minutes, but a weak penalty from Goran Karanovic resulted in a comfortable save by Tremmel. With a few chances early seeing Michu and Jordi Amat both hitting the post, it was not until the second half that Swansea got the breakthrough. In the 52nd minute Wayne Routledge grabbed what proved to be the winner.
Top of Group A, with two games, two wins. We're through already.... right?
Swansea 1-1 Kuban Krasnodar
Swansea seemed to lack their usual fluency but finally found a bit of rhythm in the second half with Michu bravely sliding home after latching on to a lovely chip from Alejandro Pozuelo on the 68th minute.
Deep into injury time and 1-0 up we only had to keep possession and see the game out. However, Jonjo Shelvey attempting to take on a Kuban player in injury time saw possession lost. Tremmel brought Balde down in the area and Cisse stepped up to score his sides first goal in the group.
A 93rd minute equaliser - tough to take.
Kuban Krasnodar 1-1 Swansea
 |
| Picture courtesy of Tom (Twitter: @Glos_Jack) |
Wilfried Bony's early, low strike looked set to give Swansea victory. Another Kuban escape seemed unlikely when Xandao was shown a second yellow card for clattering Alvaro Vazquez, but Ivelin Popov fed Balde to score and saw Kuban equalise in injury time, AGAIN.
To miss out on a win and a valuable three points to a last gasp goal once is bad enough, but for it to happen twice, within two weeks, against the same team was frustrating to say the least.
Swansea 0-1 Valencia
Fewer than 100 of the Valencia faithful made the trip from Spain to Swansea, and saw their side take the lead as Tremmel's tame punch fell to Juan Barnat outside the box. His shot was deflected into the path of Daniel Parejo.
Swans were left frustrated as Wilfried Bony limped off with an injury only for his replacement Alvaro Vasquez to have a perfectly legitimate equaliser ruled out for offside.
Meanwhile St Gallen were officially out of the competition after losing 4-0 to Kuban Krasnodar. The Russians, however, were mathematically in with a chance of qualification should they beat Valencia at the Mestalla in the final game and Swansea lose to St Gallen while overcoming a goal difference of three.
St Gallen 1-0 Swansea
(The Fog Derby)
Flight disruption due to fog left the team delayed at Cardiff. When it finally cleared, a further delay due to a technical fault on the place resulted in the team waking up a sleepy Chico from his airport terminal slumber and scheduling a flight from Southend. The team finally arrived in Switzerland, although the training session scheduled for Wednesday evening was cancelled. Not ideal preparation.
The journeys of some supporters were also badly affected and, after numerous flight delays and cancellations, some were forced to abandon their travel plans. A massively frustrating and stressful experience for all involved.
It appeared the fog had followed the team and supporters out to St Gallen. Swans supporters tucked in the corner of the AFG Arena, unable to see the far end of the pitch as play commenced. St Gallen fans were in fine voice again seemingly fuelled by giant pretzels.
 |
| One massive pretzel too many... |
The game itself was probably one to forget. The very attack-orientated line up from Laudrup and lack of a holding midfielder saw us ultimately struggle in the centre of the park. Tremmel gave a good performance and were it not for a few superb saves we could have easily seen a bigger loss.
Whether it was complacency after getting six points from the initial two games, the sheer number of team changes game to game, a touch of arrogance or a general lack of effort, we undoubtedly limped over the line into the knockout stages. Still, if you had offered us second in this group before a ball was kicked then I'm sure most would have happily taken it.
The next step...
Onwards into the knockout rounds once again and a big-time draw against Napoli. No chance for mistakes at this stage and should we progress from this behemoth of a fixture, Swansea will face the winner of Eintacht Frankfurt vs Porto.
The break from Europe between now and February will give the team a chance to narrow their focus back to the Premier League and hopefully improve their form. It's a popular opinion that the Europa League in general disrupts a team’s league performances, with the players being exhausted from the travel, extra games, etc. It's hard to say really with the Swans as we are still in a reasonable league position and have a decent points total.
One thing I believe has impacted us though is the (necessary) heavy rotation of the squad game to game. Two seasons ago it was pretty much the same eleven week in, week out. You knew the line up before it came out. That consistency helped understanding between players. Having to rotate so heavily being in Europe is completely foreign to Swansea (pun intended) but so far I think it's been managed fairly well.
In summary it's a fantastic achievement for Swansea to have qualified for the Europa League and we can be proud of how far we have progressed. It's been an exciting journey and who knows when we may be in European competition again. Whatever happens from here on in we can all be even prouder than usual to be a Jack.
Thanks for reading, feel free to follow me on Twitter: @gavint_
Flying High / Clipped Wings - Week #1
We don't have many regular features as such on ForzaSwansea, so I've decided to remedy this problem by - you guessed it - introducing a feature or two!
The first one, which will be written every Monday, is called "Flying High / Clipped Wings", which is essentially a hero/zero of the week. A hot or not. You get the idea.
So, without further babbling...
After another "game of two halves" yesterday against Norwich, not many Swans players were worthy of rapturous applause. However, thanks to his effort, flair and - of course - his determined goal, Nathan Dyer impressed me (up until his unfortunate injury). Thankfully it seems his ankle isn't fractured, as we first thought. While still painful for the little man, it means he should be back much sooner.
Elsewhere Jordi Amat had a good game. He's getting more and more assured with each match he plays and soon it'll be him instead of Chico who is one of the first names on the team sheet. He seems a lot more calm than Mr Flores. Not as good an actor, but you can't win them all...
Even the best have bad games, but Ashley Williams has had a few blips recently, whether it's giving the ball away or... giving the ball away. As he's usually one of the last men, when he loses the ball it often results in a goal for the opposition or, at the very least, a good chance for them to take a shot, as we saw yesterday when he was out-muscled by Gary Hooper just outside the box. We must commend him on the superb pass to Dyer which set-up the Swans goal, but otherwise Williams isn't on top form at the moment.
And our usual super-keeper Michel Vorm looked a little flustered yesterday. While he made a cracking save to deny Hooper a winner later in the game, he gave Norwich a good chance to take the lead when his unnecessary punch went askew. Let's put it down to his knee injury.
The first one, which will be written every Monday, is called "Flying High / Clipped Wings", which is essentially a hero/zero of the week. A hot or not. You get the idea.
So, without further babbling...
Flying High
After another "game of two halves" yesterday against Norwich, not many Swans players were worthy of rapturous applause. However, thanks to his effort, flair and - of course - his determined goal, Nathan Dyer impressed me (up until his unfortunate injury). Thankfully it seems his ankle isn't fractured, as we first thought. While still painful for the little man, it means he should be back much sooner.
Elsewhere Jordi Amat had a good game. He's getting more and more assured with each match he plays and soon it'll be him instead of Chico who is one of the first names on the team sheet. He seems a lot more calm than Mr Flores. Not as good an actor, but you can't win them all...
Clipped Wings
Even the best have bad games, but Ashley Williams has had a few blips recently, whether it's giving the ball away or... giving the ball away. As he's usually one of the last men, when he loses the ball it often results in a goal for the opposition or, at the very least, a good chance for them to take a shot, as we saw yesterday when he was out-muscled by Gary Hooper just outside the box. We must commend him on the superb pass to Dyer which set-up the Swans goal, but otherwise Williams isn't on top form at the moment.
And our usual super-keeper Michel Vorm looked a little flustered yesterday. While he made a cracking save to deny Hooper a winner later in the game, he gave Norwich a good chance to take the lead when his unnecessary punch went askew. Let's put it down to his knee injury.
Thursday 5 December 2013
Swansea City 3-0 Newcastle: What we've all been missing!
I've not written a match report for a while, but will give a few thoughts on last night's superb game at the Liberty Stadium, where Swansea comfortably beat Newcastle 3-0.
In a nutshell, we saw something that had been lacking from a Swansea City match for a few weeks - sheer enjoyment!
Swansea went into the game off the back of a deflating 3-0 loss to Man City and a previous loss against Valencia. Things were looking a little bland for the team and some of the Premier League/European gloss looked to have finally worn off. Newcastle on the other hand were in brilliant away form, and on a four-game winning streak. So it was inevitable that Swansea would turn everything around and win in impressive style!
The first half was filled with heavy possession and slick passing from Swansea, with chances at both ends - a hint of the game to come. However things looked bleak when Alvaro Vazquez - Swansea's third and final striker - limped off with a groin injury in the 28th minute. Talk about bad luck. It was difficult enough to score with strikers, so what would happen now? Thankfully we had nothing to worry about as we watched three slide past Krul!
Jonjo Shelvey had arguably his best game ever in a Swans shirt. Despite some immaturity and fortune, he showed strength, determination and goalscoring capability with his superb goal from outside the box, Swansea's third. What's more, he made the second goal (though it went down as a Debuchy own goal) with a well-timed run, and passed the ball around well all game. (Meanwhile keep an eye out for a Shelvey-dedicated blog post from Alec coming up later this week)
We also saw great performances from Pozuelo and Dyer especially (with his good first half goal), with a top-class save from Vorm in the first half. In fact every Swansea player put in a performance worthy of applause - yes, even Tiendalli and de Guzman.
Another thing I noticed was that the Liberty Stadium had some atmosphere! We've always lauded the Liberty as probably the best home support in the Premier League, but recently things have been uncharacteristically quiet. I'm not sure if it's been the chilly weather or, more likely, the lacklustre performances, but things haven't been as noisy for a few weeks. Thankfully the team gave us something to shout about and things were back to normal.
I should mention Howard Webb - I never praise referees but he let the game flow well. He also overlooked the Shelvey incident, and didn't penalise Newcastle's penalty appeals (Williams' push and Davies' handball) which we thank him for (we needed some luck for a change!)
So, although the Europa League has taken its toll on the squad, contributing to the injuries and recent sluggish form, Swansea really showed once again that they can deliver in the face of adversity. The win gives all Swans fans a little boost going into a hectic winter!
In a nutshell, we saw something that had been lacking from a Swansea City match for a few weeks - sheer enjoyment!
Swansea went into the game off the back of a deflating 3-0 loss to Man City and a previous loss against Valencia. Things were looking a little bland for the team and some of the Premier League/European gloss looked to have finally worn off. Newcastle on the other hand were in brilliant away form, and on a four-game winning streak. So it was inevitable that Swansea would turn everything around and win in impressive style!
The first half was filled with heavy possession and slick passing from Swansea, with chances at both ends - a hint of the game to come. However things looked bleak when Alvaro Vazquez - Swansea's third and final striker - limped off with a groin injury in the 28th minute. Talk about bad luck. It was difficult enough to score with strikers, so what would happen now? Thankfully we had nothing to worry about as we watched three slide past Krul!
Jonjo Shelvey had arguably his best game ever in a Swans shirt. Despite some immaturity and fortune, he showed strength, determination and goalscoring capability with his superb goal from outside the box, Swansea's third. What's more, he made the second goal (though it went down as a Debuchy own goal) with a well-timed run, and passed the ball around well all game. (Meanwhile keep an eye out for a Shelvey-dedicated blog post from Alec coming up later this week)
We also saw great performances from Pozuelo and Dyer especially (with his good first half goal), with a top-class save from Vorm in the first half. In fact every Swansea player put in a performance worthy of applause - yes, even Tiendalli and de Guzman.
Another thing I noticed was that the Liberty Stadium had some atmosphere! We've always lauded the Liberty as probably the best home support in the Premier League, but recently things have been uncharacteristically quiet. I'm not sure if it's been the chilly weather or, more likely, the lacklustre performances, but things haven't been as noisy for a few weeks. Thankfully the team gave us something to shout about and things were back to normal.
I should mention Howard Webb - I never praise referees but he let the game flow well. He also overlooked the Shelvey incident, and didn't penalise Newcastle's penalty appeals (Williams' push and Davies' handball) which we thank him for (we needed some luck for a change!)
So, although the Europa League has taken its toll on the squad, contributing to the injuries and recent sluggish form, Swansea really showed once again that they can deliver in the face of adversity. The win gives all Swans fans a little boost going into a hectic winter!
Monday 11 November 2013
The 93rd minute
I rarely write a match report these days because... well, there are so many out there and most people see the match live or recorded it seems a little pointless.
However I am going to share a few of my thoughts about Swansea's frustrating match against Stoke, which ended 3-3 thanks to another injury time penalty!
Conceding in injury time to the detriment of points is an unfortunate habit that the current Swansea side seem to have fallen into. Swansea fans usually have a lot of patience, but nobody would blame even the most docile fan for getting irate, considering it's happened three times in as many weeks (twice with Kuban Krasnodar and once with Stoke).
Twice it has been a penalty - the one against the Russians was justified, however the one given to Stoke by Robert "The Twat" Madley was little more than a guess on his part and replays show very little to suggest otherwise. He cost Swansea the game. Referees make mistakes, but that really was a tough mistake to swallow.
However - even though he is fully to blame for his stupid decision - we have to look at why Swansea aren't able to close a game out. There must be an underlying reason why concentration lapses and the opposition score and there must be a solution! I'm not saying they need to take the ball to the corner flag at the end of every game, but whatever happened to the easy passing that would ensure the team would keep possession until the final whistle? I guess this is a discussion for another blog post though.
Anyway, if we put the annoying ending aside it was definitely a cliched "game of two halves", with the first a complete shambles, similar to many other Swans games we've seen recently, and the second half a perfect representation of what Swansea should play like week-in week-out.
So - were some Swans fans within their right to boo the team off at half-time after that dismal 45 minutes? It's completely understandable that they were frustrated and I believe all fans have a right to voice their opinion. However a muted clap or just silence is probably a more dignified way to let the world know you were not keen on the performance. Boos - while a good way to make yourself heard - are more for clubs who are in a really bad place, like those who want to get rid of a manager or those who are in the relegation places (think of Sunderland recently). Boos aren't really Swansea City.
Finally I will touch upon Chico Flores and his play acting. When the team are doing well nobody seems to mind it (or at least nobody speaks up about it), but yesterday when the team were looking like a Championship side, Chico hamming it up was quite embarrassing. Like boos, play acting and deliberate diving is not really what Swansea are about. Yes, it can be amusing occasionally and was an oddly refreshing change when we first saw it, but ultimately there is no need for it in football and it's becoming a little cringe-worthy. I feel he will stop this - if only from the amount of abuse he got on Twitter yesterday.
The international breaks always seem to come at a bad time for Swansea, but let's hope the team can regroup and rethink what is going wrong - and what is going right - before the away match at Fulham on Saturday 23rd November.
However I am going to share a few of my thoughts about Swansea's frustrating match against Stoke, which ended 3-3 thanks to another injury time penalty!
Conceding in injury time to the detriment of points is an unfortunate habit that the current Swansea side seem to have fallen into. Swansea fans usually have a lot of patience, but nobody would blame even the most docile fan for getting irate, considering it's happened three times in as many weeks (twice with Kuban Krasnodar and once with Stoke).
Twice it has been a penalty - the one against the Russians was justified, however the one given to Stoke by Robert "The Twat" Madley was little more than a guess on his part and replays show very little to suggest otherwise. He cost Swansea the game. Referees make mistakes, but that really was a tough mistake to swallow.
However - even though he is fully to blame for his stupid decision - we have to look at why Swansea aren't able to close a game out. There must be an underlying reason why concentration lapses and the opposition score and there must be a solution! I'm not saying they need to take the ball to the corner flag at the end of every game, but whatever happened to the easy passing that would ensure the team would keep possession until the final whistle? I guess this is a discussion for another blog post though.
Anyway, if we put the annoying ending aside it was definitely a cliched "game of two halves", with the first a complete shambles, similar to many other Swans games we've seen recently, and the second half a perfect representation of what Swansea should play like week-in week-out.
So - were some Swans fans within their right to boo the team off at half-time after that dismal 45 minutes? It's completely understandable that they were frustrated and I believe all fans have a right to voice their opinion. However a muted clap or just silence is probably a more dignified way to let the world know you were not keen on the performance. Boos - while a good way to make yourself heard - are more for clubs who are in a really bad place, like those who want to get rid of a manager or those who are in the relegation places (think of Sunderland recently). Boos aren't really Swansea City.
Finally I will touch upon Chico Flores and his play acting. When the team are doing well nobody seems to mind it (or at least nobody speaks up about it), but yesterday when the team were looking like a Championship side, Chico hamming it up was quite embarrassing. Like boos, play acting and deliberate diving is not really what Swansea are about. Yes, it can be amusing occasionally and was an oddly refreshing change when we first saw it, but ultimately there is no need for it in football and it's becoming a little cringe-worthy. I feel he will stop this - if only from the amount of abuse he got on Twitter yesterday.
The international breaks always seem to come at a bad time for Swansea, but let's hope the team can regroup and rethink what is going wrong - and what is going right - before the away match at Fulham on Saturday 23rd November.
Wednesday 6 November 2013
Raising awareness: "I'm Swansea and I Know It" - Charity Single
Very often I am emailed asking to help promote something. More often than not it's from a big company who have more than enough money to spend on advertising but would prefer to try to get their message on my blog for free. These messages I usually ignore, or ask them for money - an email which they usually ignore.
However I'm usually happy to help good causes, so this blog post has been written to help raise awareness of the new charity single "I'm Swansea and I Know It (feat. Kevin Johns MBE and Smithy)" which has been made to raise money for Llanelli four-year-old Eva Rose, who has cerebral palsy and is going through procedures to help her walk.
Many of the people living in Swansea will have heard about this single through the usual media channels, but a large chunk of my readers come from America, Australia and Asia and probably don't read the South Wales Evening Post that often, so this may be the first time they have heard of it.
You can download the single - based on the LMFAO hit, "Sexy and I Know It" - for 79p via iTunes or Amazon, knowing that all the proceeds will be going to help little Eva and her dream to walk. Go on, what's 79p these days?
Cheers!
However I'm usually happy to help good causes, so this blog post has been written to help raise awareness of the new charity single "I'm Swansea and I Know It (feat. Kevin Johns MBE and Smithy)" which has been made to raise money for Llanelli four-year-old Eva Rose, who has cerebral palsy and is going through procedures to help her walk.
Many of the people living in Swansea will have heard about this single through the usual media channels, but a large chunk of my readers come from America, Australia and Asia and probably don't read the South Wales Evening Post that often, so this may be the first time they have heard of it.
You can download the single - based on the LMFAO hit, "Sexy and I Know It" - for 79p via iTunes or Amazon, knowing that all the proceeds will be going to help little Eva and her dream to walk. Go on, what's 79p these days?
Cheers!
Saturday 2 November 2013
The return of the South Wales Derby!!
It's almost here - Swansea City vs Cardiff City: the South Wales derby!
Things have certainly changed since the last time the teams met (where Cardiff won 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium, thanks to a goal from Craig Bellamy).
For starters Swansea are in the Premier League! Where last time the Swans had Gower, Moore and Beattie we now have Michu, Vorm and Bony. Swansea have Michael Laudrup, Swansea are league cup winners and Swansea are in Europe! And Cardiff are in the Premier League.
I was planning to write a comprehensive match preview, but realised there are probably about 40,000 others out there at the moment so, instead, myself and the other ForzaSwansea bloggers are sharing with you a few thoughts ahead of the match in an easy to digest Q&A format!
What's the best thing about the South Wales Derby? Have you missed it?
Jules Price: I've missed the build up! It's great seeing the local papers like the Evening Post and Western Mail competing for the best headlines and interviews for this game. It's almost reaching fever pitch. I don't feel the national media has quite picked up on it yet though. Part of the build up has been looking-back at old games and memorabilia and that is something I really enjoy.
Alec Johnson: The pure intensity of the occasion - it is unrivalled and no other fixture comes close. It’s all about the adrenaline which runs in overdrive for 24 hours either side of the match. It’s never changed and never will.
Jacob Cristobal: Well obviously I'm the newbie to the South Wales derby in the group so I approach it with the freshest of eyes. It just happened to be by the fates of the football gods that before Cardiff and Swansea face off, Seattle and Portland do battle in the MLS Cup playoffs over here. I expect the South Wales derby to be just as intense. I've read the story of Cardiff supporters being chased off into the water and that is just awesome!
Matthew Jacob: The incredible atmosphere created by two sets of fans that want nothing more than to get one over on the enemy. But this isn't just about the fans - this is about two cities, two clubs, and the whole world will be watching. I had to wait a long time for my first derby and I also know I'm included in the thousands of Jacks who will have had a knot in their stomach from last Sunday knowing this game is coming. Excitement, passion, nerves, aggression, all building to the crescendo at 4pm on Sunday when the game kicks off!
Chris Carra: I've definitely missed this fixture - so much rides on it. As Jules said, I don't think the national media know how important a match it is, but they will when it's over! Whether you are watching in the stadium, in the pub or at home, this is the match no-one wants to miss.
In a dream, how will Sunday afternoon pan out for you?
JP: A dream would be Swansea losing 1-0 or 2-0 at half time... Stay with me on this! Then in the second half, Swansea turn on the style (which is the case recently) and we pull level with 10 minutes to go. Finally in the dying minutes of the game the Swans score a winner. The Cardiff fans would feel like they have been robbed! Outstanding!
AJ: A win of course, but the manner is equally as important. We have an opportunity to turn on the style and embarrass them. I am dreaming of a three or four nil humiliation with us bossing from start to finish, with the Redbirds humping it up to our boys at the back. They hate Ashley, Leon, Michu and Routledge most so one goal each for them. The dream will be complete with a deafening boooo around Legoland before Malky gets the boot on Monday morning.
In a nightmare, how will Sunday afternoon pan out for you?
JP: Nightmare for me would be Cardiff City comprehensively beating us to produce a 3-0 or 4-1 type result. This would have major repercussions for me as I work in Cardiff and Monday morning would be dreadful. I could probably just about swallow a 1-0 defeat.
AJ: Don't go there!
MJ: We turn up and don't give 100% for 90 minutes. We need everyone pulling their weight and no lack of effort. I can accept defeat if we've given it everything, but to not do so, and lose, I wouldn't be able to accept that.
CC: As the others say, we could probably take a cruel 1-0 defeat, but being hammered by Cardiff would be terrible. It's a match full of emotion and a red card for someone like Ashley Williams would be horrific.
Who is going to be the key player for Swansea?
JP: Recent performance stats indicate that de Guzman and Chico have been the key players for the Swans so we would need them to maintain that high level of performance. Hernandez made a great impact during his return last week against West Ham so a big game from him could make a difference. Ultimately I feel our striker needs to step up and be counted. If Bony could score one or maybe two goals on Sunday it would go some way to justifying that record price tag.
AJ: People keep talking about the midfield, but like the West Ham game it’s all about the attack and defence for me. They will bypass the middle all game and it’s no coincidence that West ham and Cardiff have the two least completed passes in the league this season. Our back four have to be dominant and Vorm needs to boss the air, unlike last weekend. Our final ball needs to be better to take the chances that we will undoubtedly create.
JC: Battleship Bony. He'll be the difference with a brace as Swansea win 4-1!
MJ: They'll be aggressive, pressing, won't let us settle if they can help it and they'll give maximum effort you can be sure of it. Leon Britton will be key to nullify Mutch and keep the ball rolling for us. Having Williams back is massive for us too.
CC: Everyone has to bring their A game with them on Sunday, but I feel the passion and work-rate of the Spaniards, in particular Michu, will be key to winning it. Leon Britton and Ashley Williams will also know what rides on this game, so their experience will also be relied upon greatly.
Finally, what's the score going to be?
JP: 2-1 to the Swans, one of which will be a penalty!
AJ: I’m in for 2-0 and if we play our game I cannot see us losing.
JC: 4-1 Swansea!
MJ: It's gonna be tight. 1-1.
CC: It's a difficult away game, but Swansea definitely have the quality to win it. I'm going for 2-1 to the Swans!
Things have certainly changed since the last time the teams met (where Cardiff won 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium, thanks to a goal from Craig Bellamy).
For starters Swansea are in the Premier League! Where last time the Swans had Gower, Moore and Beattie we now have Michu, Vorm and Bony. Swansea have Michael Laudrup, Swansea are league cup winners and Swansea are in Europe! And Cardiff are in the Premier League.
I was planning to write a comprehensive match preview, but realised there are probably about 40,000 others out there at the moment so, instead, myself and the other ForzaSwansea bloggers are sharing with you a few thoughts ahead of the match in an easy to digest Q&A format!
---
What's the best thing about the South Wales Derby? Have you missed it?
Jules Price: I've missed the build up! It's great seeing the local papers like the Evening Post and Western Mail competing for the best headlines and interviews for this game. It's almost reaching fever pitch. I don't feel the national media has quite picked up on it yet though. Part of the build up has been looking-back at old games and memorabilia and that is something I really enjoy.
Alec Johnson: The pure intensity of the occasion - it is unrivalled and no other fixture comes close. It’s all about the adrenaline which runs in overdrive for 24 hours either side of the match. It’s never changed and never will.
Jacob Cristobal: Well obviously I'm the newbie to the South Wales derby in the group so I approach it with the freshest of eyes. It just happened to be by the fates of the football gods that before Cardiff and Swansea face off, Seattle and Portland do battle in the MLS Cup playoffs over here. I expect the South Wales derby to be just as intense. I've read the story of Cardiff supporters being chased off into the water and that is just awesome!
Matthew Jacob: The incredible atmosphere created by two sets of fans that want nothing more than to get one over on the enemy. But this isn't just about the fans - this is about two cities, two clubs, and the whole world will be watching. I had to wait a long time for my first derby and I also know I'm included in the thousands of Jacks who will have had a knot in their stomach from last Sunday knowing this game is coming. Excitement, passion, nerves, aggression, all building to the crescendo at 4pm on Sunday when the game kicks off!
Chris Carra: I've definitely missed this fixture - so much rides on it. As Jules said, I don't think the national media know how important a match it is, but they will when it's over! Whether you are watching in the stadium, in the pub or at home, this is the match no-one wants to miss.
In a dream, how will Sunday afternoon pan out for you?
JP: A dream would be Swansea losing 1-0 or 2-0 at half time... Stay with me on this! Then in the second half, Swansea turn on the style (which is the case recently) and we pull level with 10 minutes to go. Finally in the dying minutes of the game the Swans score a winner. The Cardiff fans would feel like they have been robbed! Outstanding!
AJ: A win of course, but the manner is equally as important. We have an opportunity to turn on the style and embarrass them. I am dreaming of a three or four nil humiliation with us bossing from start to finish, with the Redbirds humping it up to our boys at the back. They hate Ashley, Leon, Michu and Routledge most so one goal each for them. The dream will be complete with a deafening boooo around Legoland before Malky gets the boot on Monday morning.
JC: Dream scenario personally for me is Seattle stomps Portland, and across the pond, Swansea smashes Cardiff. Simple as that.
MJ: We humiliate them on their own patch, in front of their fans, with a worldwide television audience. That doesn't necessarily mean we beat them four or five nil, but let's have them chasing shadows all afternoon, silence their stadium because they can't cope with us (and win the game obviously) - that would be enough for me. The Sam Hamman comments about the 'little cousins' down the road will always stick with me, and passing them into submission while putting two or three on them would be a satisfying afternoon. Oh and a goal for Chico, that would be enjoyable.
CC: I'd say it's 0-0 until the last few minutes, then Michu uncorks a 30 yard strike into the back of the net. Swans fans go mental. Then moments from the end, Alan Tate abseils from the roof of the stadium, subs himself on then scores an overhead kick from his own penalty area. Perfect.
MJ: We humiliate them on their own patch, in front of their fans, with a worldwide television audience. That doesn't necessarily mean we beat them four or five nil, but let's have them chasing shadows all afternoon, silence their stadium because they can't cope with us (and win the game obviously) - that would be enough for me. The Sam Hamman comments about the 'little cousins' down the road will always stick with me, and passing them into submission while putting two or three on them would be a satisfying afternoon. Oh and a goal for Chico, that would be enjoyable.
CC: I'd say it's 0-0 until the last few minutes, then Michu uncorks a 30 yard strike into the back of the net. Swans fans go mental. Then moments from the end, Alan Tate abseils from the roof of the stadium, subs himself on then scores an overhead kick from his own penalty area. Perfect.
In a nightmare, how will Sunday afternoon pan out for you?
JP: Nightmare for me would be Cardiff City comprehensively beating us to produce a 3-0 or 4-1 type result. This would have major repercussions for me as I work in Cardiff and Monday morning would be dreadful. I could probably just about swallow a 1-0 defeat.
AJ: Don't go there!
JC: Nightmare is obviously the opposite of my dream
scenario. If my voice and liver are gonna be shot this weekend, it
better be because the two clubs I support handled their business!
MJ: We turn up and don't give 100% for 90 minutes. We need everyone pulling their weight and no lack of effort. I can accept defeat if we've given it everything, but to not do so, and lose, I wouldn't be able to accept that.
CC: As the others say, we could probably take a cruel 1-0 defeat, but being hammered by Cardiff would be terrible. It's a match full of emotion and a red card for someone like Ashley Williams would be horrific.
Who is going to be the key player for Swansea?
JP: Recent performance stats indicate that de Guzman and Chico have been the key players for the Swans so we would need them to maintain that high level of performance. Hernandez made a great impact during his return last week against West Ham so a big game from him could make a difference. Ultimately I feel our striker needs to step up and be counted. If Bony could score one or maybe two goals on Sunday it would go some way to justifying that record price tag.
AJ: People keep talking about the midfield, but like the West Ham game it’s all about the attack and defence for me. They will bypass the middle all game and it’s no coincidence that West ham and Cardiff have the two least completed passes in the league this season. Our back four have to be dominant and Vorm needs to boss the air, unlike last weekend. Our final ball needs to be better to take the chances that we will undoubtedly create.
JC: Battleship Bony. He'll be the difference with a brace as Swansea win 4-1!
MJ: They'll be aggressive, pressing, won't let us settle if they can help it and they'll give maximum effort you can be sure of it. Leon Britton will be key to nullify Mutch and keep the ball rolling for us. Having Williams back is massive for us too.
Finally, what's the score going to be?
JP: 2-1 to the Swans, one of which will be a penalty!
AJ: I’m in for 2-0 and if we play our game I cannot see us losing.
JC: 4-1 Swansea!
MJ: It's gonna be tight. 1-1.
CC: It's a difficult away game, but Swansea definitely have the quality to win it. I'm going for 2-1 to the Swans!
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