Swans v Southampton Preview

Paul Clement will be ruing the fact that the Swans didn’t play at the weekend to try and maintain the positivity drawn from the win over Liverpool but plenty of rest will no doubt see his side in better shape than tonight’s opponents Southampton who have been in cup action throughout the last week.

Mixed fortunes for the visitors tonight; a nail biting two leg tie with Liverpool ending in victory and a place in the EFL Cup final and then total collapse as Arsenal romped to a 5-0 win over the Saints – Ouch!

Where does that leave us? Well, I’d say in pole position frankly. Our defensive frailties are still cause for concern but Clement has instilled a classic managerial belief into the team: if they score, we’ll just score more.

Great news as Fernando Llorente looks set to stay, at least until the summer, and Luciano Narsingh stands a good chance of making his debut – albeit from the bench most likely. Ki Sung-Yueng is back after a calf problem but both Leon Britton and the exciting Oli McBurnie both miss out.

Plenty of injury worries for Southampton but one key name is still absent for the Saints. Virgil Van Dijk, the highly rated and much talked about centre back, is set to miss out yet again with an ankle injury meaning Llorente might find a bit more space in the air than he might’ve been expecting.

Claude Puel clearly wasn’t interested in an FA Cup run this season as he made 10 changes to the side that beat Liverpool in the EFL Cup for the trip to the Emirates – does that mean he’s pushing for a decent finish in the league? Does that mean his side are good enough to beat us? Who knows!

Last time out, in the reverse fixture, Southampton won by a single goal that seems to be a regular occurrence between us and the Saints. The last three meetings at the Liberty have ended 1-0 to Southampton but tonight’s the night that changes surely?

My favourite fact for today? Paul Clement has already equalled Bradley’s tally of wins and it’s taken him just three games to do it – stick that in your pipe Bradders; we’ll never know quite why you were ever appointed!

I’m thinking 2-1 tonight. I can’t see us keeping a clean sheet because frankly Shane Long is a lethal forward on his day but I don’t believe Southampton are playing well enough to stop us scoring more than they manage – I’ve been wrong before but I’m feel good about this one.

Transfer Watch: Four Days to Go

With the Transfer Window closing fast; I thought it best to take a look at who could be coming, going or staying in the next few days for Swansea City. There are a few stories doing the rounds in the papers that are of particular interest; but how true they are remains to be seen:

Wayne Routledge

Birmingham City might’ve speculatively approached one of our more senior players but Wayne Routledge has committed himself to Swansea by signing a new two and a half year deal that will see him through to 2019.

20 goals in 204 games for Swansea might not seem like a great return but, as a player who’s been with us since 2011, it was vital to Clement’s cause that he secure Routledge’s services moving forwards.

Modou Barrow

A player who tends to be something of a forgotten man despite appearing 14 times to date this season; winger Modou Barrow is on the radar of Newcastle United according to their manager Rafa Benitez.

I doubt Barrow will make the move given he has been labelled a back up option if Newcastle fail to tempt Andros Townsend back to the club and he is currently plying his trade in the Premier League not the Championship.

Newcastle may be favourites to secure promotion this season but that probably won’t be enough to convince Barrow to make the move to St James’ Park.

John Terry

Not necessarily a transfer rumour; instead the opinion of former Swansea winger Leighton James. Alfie Mawson has impressed since coming to Swansea but he needs someone with Terry’s level of experience to give him the knowledge to compete at the highest.

Wages would no doubt be a concern as our pay structure wouldn’t allow for us to pay anywhere near all of Terry’s exorbitant salary but if Antonio Conte is serious about allowing Terry to leave the club on loan then we should definitely lodge a bid – we do miss the commanding presence of Ashley Williams something rotten.

Gylfi Sigurdsson

Obviously, our talismanic midfielder will be linked with a raft of clubs repeatedly during any transfer window and this January has been no different.

The story has broken thanks to Dimitri Payet’s stubborn attitude towards his current employers: West Ham United. The Hammers are set to sign Robert Snodgrass from Hull City this week and Sigurdsson has been identified as the ideal creative partner for the Scottish midfielder.

I can’t see it happening personally. Even if we do get relegated this season, Sigurdsson has learned his lesson about playing for other clubs in England – his dismal spell at Tottenham will live long in his memory for certain.

The Future's Bright: Under 23's to Watch

With the Checkatrade Trophy out of our younger stars’ minds; they will no doubt be looking to impress Paul Clement in the hopes of gaining regular first team football. Some have already made their Premier League bows but who should you be keeping an eye out for in the coming weeks?

Mark Birighitti

Anyone who’s ever watch the Australian A-League will be more than familiar with one of our leading reserve ‘keepers. Five appearances thus far for the Under 23’s has seen Birighitti keep two clean sheets and the 25 year old stands a good chance of usurping Kristoffer Nordfeldt of his place on the bench in the near future.

Aaron Lewis

A very cultured defender with a knack for getting forward; Aaron Lewis reminds me very much of Luke Shaw in his early first team years at Southampton. Lewis is a big fan of Roberto Carlos and has clearly modelled much of his playing style on the legendary Brazilian. His overlapping runs and incredibly accurate crossing make him perfect back up for the recently arrived Martin Olsson.

Lewis even has family ties to the Busby Babes. His uncle is Kenny Morgans; the last survivor rescued from the plane wreckage in 1958 – clearly the 18 year old comes with strong pedigree.

George Byers

Formerly of Watford, Scottish midfielder George Byers has been a star turned in Swansea City’s Under 23 squad. Five goals in eleven appearances from midfield this season will no doubt have Paul Clement interested in giving Byers his debut for the club – he has made his professional debut for Watford in the past but only as a substitute against Charlton.

A free transfer with an eye for goal and superb distribution make George Byers a great option moving forward – it only takes one injury to a first team midfielder and Byers will be included without doubt.

Oli McBurnie

Probably the pick of the bunch in the Under 23’s – Oli McBurnie has had a busy career already and he’s only 20 years old. Starting out at Bradford City; McBurnie has had loan spells at Chester, Newport County and Bristol Rovers but has been retained by the club this season and made his debut in the EFL Cup game against Peterborough; scoring twice in the game.

McBurnie has scored 10 in 10 appearances for the Under 23’s and is knocking hard on the door of Paul Clement’s Premier league squad – it won’t be long before we’re all singing his name and hoping the club can keep hold of such a prolific talent.

CheckaTrade Trophy: Brave Swans Out on Penalties

Since the start of the season; the newly formatted Checkatrade Trophy has seen development squads included for the first time in the competitions history – for those who’ve been keeping an eye out – you’ll be more than aware of just how well our Under 21’s squad have done in the competition.

A tense quarter final against Coventry saw our younger lads tumble out of the Checkatrade Trophy on penalties but it has to be noted just how well they’ve performed throughout the course of the cup. The last 16 was a nail biter of a contest as the Swansea Under 21’s hosted Wolverhampton Wanderers development squad and eased past them to set up a quarter final tie with League One Coventry City.

3,300 fans were in attendance at the Liberty Stadium as a strong Coventry XI took to the field in the hope of beating Gary Richards and Cameron Toshack’s young squad. The Swans team included Jay Fulton, who has made 10 Premier League appearances this season so far, along with highly rated midfielder trio Alex Bray, Owain Jones and Ryan Blair.

Swansea also included Gerhard Tremmel as the only overage player in the team; the German goalkeeper is finding his chances limited in the first team despite his advancing years; he’s 38 now but has provided a solid base for the team in the Checkatrade Trophy.

It was a nervy game against Coventry despite them taking advantage of the competition’s ruling that they need only field five first team players. Four changes from the side that faced Fleetwood at the weekend meant some younger players were afforded their opportunity to shine but it wasn’t a stellar performance by any stretch of the imagination.

Chances were few and far between for both sides but the young Swans had the better of the play for the most part. Tyler Reid swung a dangerous cross in not long after kick off but Coventry’s ‘keeper cut it out before any harm could be done. Owain Jones dropped an equally threatening cross after 20 minutes but Coventry withstood the pressure.

Highly rated Swans forward Oli McBurnie saw a golden opportunity deflected over the bar just before half time as neither side could break the deadlock.

The second half got underway and almost sent the Swans fans into a frenzy as McBurnie thrashed a shot from close range but Charles-Cook in the Coventry goal denied him yet again. Finally, the breakthrough came as Alex Bray worked his way into the box only to be toppled by Coventry’s Ryan Haynes – Oli McBurnie confidently dispatched the resulting penalty: 1-0 Swans.

In true Swans style; the young lads continued to press as they looked to extend their advantage but the excitement seemed to get to them five minutes before the final whistle. A dubious foul saw Coventry in a glorious position and George Thomas’ lofted delivery found striker Jordan Willis: 1-1 and penalties followed.

Disappointingly, only Aaron Lewis and George Byers were able to convert their penalties with Botti Biabi and Ryan Blair both giving the ‘keeper too much of an indication of where they were aiming their spot kicks. Tremmel failed to save any of Coventry’s penalties and the young Swans crashed out of the Checkatrade Trophy 4-2.

Despite a disappointing result, the Swans development squad can hold their heads high as Quarter Finalists and the last remaining Under 21’s squad in the competition. The future is bright for Swansea and it’s arriving at precisely the right moment as Paul Clement seeks fresh talent from the development squad to bolster his team for the Premier League relegation battle.

Thank God I Was Wrong - VICTORY!

Who says that pessimism doesn’t help a club succeed? Well, Paul Clement for one! An unbelievable reversal of fortunes saw the Swans triumph over Liverpool at Anfield for the first time ever in the league and give the new manager his first Premier League win since taking over – what a way to do it eh?

There are a lot of talking points to discuss but one key factor, for me, was the performance of Fernando Llorente. The Spaniard has been linked all month with a move away from Swansea but put on a show that made it clear that his future lies with us – a massive relief!

The first half was typically casual by both sides and there was little to shout about save for Tom Carroll’s 20^th minute effort crashing against the post; it would’ve been some debut if his shot had avoided Dejan Lovren. Not long before Carroll’s effort, Jordan Henderson picked out Emre Can and the German was given far too much space to pick his header; thankfully it was an atrocious effort that spun over the bar.

And, of course, let’s not forget Adam Lallana firmly believing he’s a better footballer than his overall performances suggest. Lallana’s overhead effort ended up so far into the stands I’d be surprised if the ball made it back onto the pitch…

The first half defensive display was actually very promising overall. Far less errors to mention and the back line looked organised – I can’t help but think Martin Olsson’s experience has given structure to the back four.

The second half really kicked into life when Dejan Lovren handed us a corner under very little pressure and Fernandez’ unchallenged header dropped the ball nicely for Llorente to, quite literally, poke home. It might not be the best goal Fernando ever scores but it might end up being one of his favourites.

Two minutes passed and Liverpool looked all over the place. I can’t believe how easily Olsson’s deft touch managed to set Tom Carroll off down the left and how superb the young midfielder’s cross was for Llorente to power home – a flash of sheer brilliance from the Swans and proof of Carroll’s quality.

Sadly, the wave of excitement caused us to lose our heads about 60 seconds after Llorente’s second as Roberto Firmino got the better of Olsson to head past Fabianski. A glimmer of hope for the hosts saw Klopp replace the largely ineffective Coutinho with the fragile Daniel Sturridge and it was game on again as we rawked up to the other end only for Mawson to head Gylfi’s cross narrowly wide.

Irritatingly, Wijnaldum remembered briefly how to play football and delivered a cross of world class standards for Firmino to pluck out of the air before hammering the ball home. Pundits are hailing it as a contender for goal of the season but I prefer a half volley to hit top bins rather than scythe into the bottom corner – not fantastic control but a goal nonetheless.

The goal of the game came for Swansea to be honest (no bias!) as Tom Carroll played a huge part in another goal. His pass might’ve deflected into Sigurdsson’s path but it still reached its intended target and Gylfi made a mockery of Simon Mingolet by lifting the ball straight over the on-rushing Belgian.

In summary? Liverpool never led the game and never looked capable of doing so. Fernando Llorente looks content and rejuvenated and Clement’s new signings look like just the class of player we need in the race for Premier League survival – great day all round.

Liverpool v Swans: Clement's Second Bite

Paul Clement will no doubt be suffering with a hangover from his first game in charge; a senseless 4-0 defeat, and he’s probably cursing the people responsible for arranging the fixtures as his second game in charge is set to be equally as difficult – we’re off to Anfield to take on Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

Ordinarily, there would be a great sense of optimism around a squad with a new manager and new signings but I just don’t feel there is at the moment. Martin Olsson is a great signing, I’ve always been a fan of his, and Tom Carroll has a very bright future but there’s just a ‘So What’ vibe about them both – I’m not saying I expected a bid for Cristiano Ronaldo but something more inspiring please?

Personal feeling aside, both the new boys are available for the trip to Liverpool and Olsson’s arrival couldn’t have been better timed. Neil Taylor’s fractured cheekbone is going to keep him out for at least three weeks and possibly more – the new boy is virtually guaranteed a starting place this weekend and what a test for your first game!

We still don’t have any details on Leon Britton’s mystery injury but as and when the grapevine starts shaking we’ll let you know. Realistically, it doesn’t look good for Britts getting a game tomorrow so there’s every chance that Carroll may make his debut from the start in his place – Clement has bought quite intelligently when you think about it.

The bad news is we’ve never beaten Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League and the only victory we’ve recorded against them in the last five attempts was in 2015/16 at the Liberty. It would be nice if that streak was broken but Liverpool are unbeaten in 25 at home and looking for 26 when our lads come knocking; I can’t see us getting much from this.

We still need to invest, if there’s money left over, in an experienced striker and a solid defender. I can’t believe that Jose Fonte is on his way to West Ham for a measly £8 million – surely we should’ve chucked our name in the hat? And as for a striker, Dimitar Berbatov is still without a club and is probably worth taking a risk on!

For me, this game has loss written all over it purely because I’m a realist. I think even the die-hards are saying draw as far as I’ve heard so not a great mood around the city but I reckon we should just get this one over with and look on to the rest of the season.

The Week That Was

Apologies for the lack of updates this week chaps; it’s not been an easy one at Forza Towers and unsurprisingly it hasn’t been the easiest week for the club either. Our new manager, Paul Clement, hasn’t enjoyed the best start to his Swansea career but this weekend did see him facing up against one of the toughest tests the Premier League has to offer: Arsenal.

I can accept that games against Arsenal are going to be difficult but did we have to make it so much easier for them? Own goals from Cork and Naughton basically handed Arsenal a win by a much greater margin than they actually deserved; it was hard work to watch overall. In fact, the first half an hour drifted along without much incident save for Naughton’s decent effort that forced Cech into making a save early on.

Of course we went on to concede a few minutes later and no it wasn’t a penalty; Ki went down so easily you’d imagine a gust of wind would give him problems. Alex Iwobi might feel hard done by not to have two more goals on his tally for the season but Cork and Naughton were forced into finishing off his efforts to hand Arsenal an unassailable lead.

Alexis Sanchez naturally found his way onto the scoresheet after Routledge’s challenge on Ramsey gifted the Chilean the ball – not good.

I’m pleased to say it isn’t all doom and gloom as Norwich City have gifted us Martin Olsson for around £4 million. The left back will add a lot of stability to our back four given his wealth of experience and his arrival is right on time after it was confirmed Neil Taylor is out for at least three weeks with a broken cheekbone.

It looks all but certain we’ll be focussing on width in the second half of the season as winger Luciano Narsingh has joined from PSV – hopefully he’s more effective in the Premier League than his former PSV team mate Memphis Depay…

Finally, Marvin Emnes has returned from his loan spell at Blackburn which has added fuel to the Llorente departure fire. It’s by no means guaranteeing that Fernando will leave the club that brought him to the Premier League but the issues at Chelsea regarding Diego Costa might force their hand into making a bid for the Spaniard.

As you may have gathered by now, I rarely comment on speculation but Paul Clement has told the press (apparently) that paperwork is set to be completed on a deal for Tom Carroll from Spurs but it remains to be seen if it’s a loan or a permanent deal – I suspect the latter.

Updates will be more frequent from now folks; stay safe!

Back on Track

Well, I hate to say I told you so but I definitely did. Renewed optimism thanks to Paul Clement's arrival not only brought a more confident performance out of the players but it also brought three vital points that drags us off the bottom of the Premier League table.

Granted, three points only moves us up one place to 19th but we are now only one point behind Sam Allardyce's Crystal Palace who gifted us the win. What kind of side sits back having equalised? Zaha's goal should've encouraged Palace to attack our back line but they let us in at the death!

However we win, I'm just glad that we do.

There's still a lot to be done but Alan Curtis praised Paul Clement in his post match interview for his support ahead of the game. He didn't interfere with Curtis' team selection and he didn't interrupt the gameplan in anyway - he was happy to watch on as the boys did the business.

I'm really pleased to see Alfie Mawson getting himself on the scoresheet and picking up man of the match - at 22 years old he's got a bright future but he's already looking the real deal. It was a shame that we had to rely on two defenders for our goals but they all count no matter who gets them.

Did Fernando Llorente's mind look elsewhere? Not as far as I could tell. He seems focused on the job at hand and doesn't seem unsettled in the side - we just need to supply the right balls for Llorente to capitalise on!

Are we going to survive? Time will tell. There's nothing to say we will and nothing to say we wont so I think its best to give Clement a few games to settle in and we'll assess his progress over time.

Palace Swansea Preview

Who doesn’t remember the reverse of this fixture from November? It was a key moment for Bob Bradley as he somehow coached the side into a 5-4 victory over tonight’s hosts Crystal Palace. If anything, it was the beginning of the end for Alan Pardew and now we’ll be travelling to meet Sam Allardyce with Paul Clement no doubt in the stands watching on.

Palace were a very different side in November and injuries have taken their toll since then. There are potentially eight first team players out tonight for the Eagles but that doesn’t stop them fielding a pretty intimidating starting XI that will include Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend.

Closer to home, only Jefferson Montero is injured and will be until next month unfortunately but Jordi Amat is suspended thanks to his antics against Bournemouth. Most media outlets are reporting that Fernando Llorente is doubtful for tonight’s game but no-one can confirm as to why – it is possible that the rumours surrounding his Swansea future are true but it remains to be seen.

SkySports have suggested Llorente picked up a knock against Bournemouth but he didn’t look in too much pain when he was substituted. I could be wrong but I would’ve thought he’d have shaken any complaints off having only played an hour.

To say this game is over before it’s started is cruel and the pundits are doing us a great disservice at the moment. Alan Curtis will likely take charge of the game tonight before Clement takes over formally but that doesn’t mean Palace will walk all over us. Let’s not forget that we beat them earlier in the season and there will be renewed optimism thanks to the confirmed appointment.

I just think pundits are too quick to judge these days, especially when they have no idea what they’re talking about. Bear in mind these are the same group of ‘experts’ who said Zlatan was too old for the Premier League, Aston Villa would be at the top of the Championship by now and that tonight’s opposing manager, Sam Allardyce, would never work again!

Don’t get me wrong, I can predict the future but tonight’s game will be well worth watching if you’re attending or even if you know how to stream the footage. It was a brilliant game last time around and I’m confident it will be this time too.

Introducing: Paul Clement

It’s about time a decision was made but it’s something of a surprise name given the initial media coverage. Even I didn’t consider the prospect of Paul Clement leaving Bayern Munich to manage the Swans but a four and a half year contract is on the table for him to sign when he arrives at some point on Tuesday morning.

So Pardew is still without a job. Ryan Giggs has once again been ignored for a Premier League job (surprise surprise!) and both Steve Clarke and Gary Rowett must wait their turn for a place in the top flight – but there are some concerns.

The length of the contract offered to Clement worries me. It’s almost as though the club have conceded to relegation and want Paul to come in and coach the existing squad without spending in January. Very brave considering we are all expecting results and survival this season never mind heading back to the Championship for god knows how long.

Equally, Paul Clement has just one full time manager’s position on his CV and he lasted 33 games – that’s it! He has worked very closely with Carlo Ancelotti at some of Europe’s biggest clubs but as an assistant or as a coach; not exactly what we were after if I’m honest.

I think that most of the fanbase will be happy enough with Clement for the timebeing but things could go sour very quickly if he doesn’t get some points on the board by March. He doesn’t stand too much chance of securing funds for this transfer window but might be awarded some money in the summer if he manages to keep the club in the Premier League.

Time will tell but at least we have a manager to take us into 2017!

Swansea v Bournemouth Preview

Heading into the New Year’s Eve game against Bournemouth without a manager is a strange thing for Huw Jenkins to permit as far as I’m concerned. Who exactly is going to lead the side to victory and three points we desperately need? Can you ask Britts to take on the responsibility? Not while he’s sat on the bench you can’t!

Bradders’ sacking came early enough in the week that we now know the club’s first choices are both ignoring the chance to take over at the Liberty. Ryan Giggs and Chris Coleman are obviously looking elsewhere for their employment future – perhaps Giggs believes Mourinho will cock up enough that United will give him the job and Coleman would’ve been foolish to leave the Welsh national side!

So that leaves us with Paul Clement, currently assistant manager at Bayern Munich under Carlo Ancelotti and Gary Rowett who was recently dismissed from Birmingham City thanks to their new owners disliking him for no reason whatsoever – brilliant.

Even more from the media, APPARENTLY Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are interested in signing Fernando Llorente in January as back up to Diego Costa. Given Llorente’s seemingly permanent position on the bench for us; he could do worse than making the switch for a bit more pocket money but it remains to be seen how much truth there is to the rumours – Chelsea are also linked to former Man Utd striker Javier Hernandez so you can’t believe everything you read.

In brief, Ki and Taylor might be available for the game but there’s no information coming from the club at present to confirm their availability and Montero is definitely unavailable thanks to a hamstring injury that’ll keep him out until the end of January at least – better than usual on the injury front!

Are we in the midst of turning a corner? Can we see off Bournemouth to start 2017 on the right foot? Or are we destined to slump to defeat yet again at the hands of a side we are more than capable of defeating?

I can’t give any answers right now because I just don’t know – all I do know is we need a manager ASAP to save a sinking ship.

Who's Next?

It’s unlikely we’ll see a replacement appointed before Saturday’s game with Bournemouth but the bookies already have some ideas as to who will be replacing Bob Bradley – here’s an assessment of who’s in the running and my opinion on whether or not they’re right for the job.

Ryan Giggs

We’re all very aware of Giggsy’s talents as a footballer; on his day he was unstoppable right up to his slightly premature retirement thanks to David Moyes’ failings as Man United manager but does that make him a good choice?

Sadly not. Even though he’s Huw Jenkin’s preferred choice to fill the vacancy, he hasn’t actually got any experience of managing in the Premier League nor any other league. A few games at the end of a season that yielded little success is not enough. 6/4 to take over according to SkyBet but the wrong choice as far as I can see.

Chris Coleman

The only way Coleman will take over Swansea City is if he can maintain his role with the Welsh national team – spinning plates whilst juggling balls if you ask me; basically it’s too much for him to do.

8/1 say SkyBet but I don’t think there’s any chance of this Swansea lad dividing his time between Premier League strugglers and International successes.

Alan Pardew

The only real candidate as far as I can tell. Plenty of experience and the charismatic character we’ve been lacking since Rodgers/Laudrup – I see no reason why we shouldn’t offer him a contract this second to save our season.

11/4 makes for a tempting bet too. Pardew all the way for me.

Gary Rowett

It was sad to see Birmingham City sack Rowett but it was more infuriating that it wasn’t even his 

fault. The new owners wanted Gianfranco Zola and made it so.

The Premier League relegation battle might be too much for Rowett to handle but 5/1 with SkyBet is rather intriguing – he stands a chance.

The No Hopers

Klinsmann and Hodgson – two managers who’ve left international roles this year. Would either of 

them have the ability to drag us out of the nosedive?

No.

My Opinion?

Giggsy is the frontrunner but he isn’t good enough to keep us up so I’d back Pardew – even on a short term deal.

Bob Gone, Next Please!

We knew it was coming. An entry was posted earlier today detailing how little we would trust Bradders with funds and how Alan Pardew is waiting in the wings to assume the role. This isn’t confirmed, of course, but it seems the most likely outcome.

It can hardly be a surprise to us all that, yet again, we are without a manager.

Are we so incapable of finding a suitable character that we are destined to invite a former player again? Someone no-one has ever heard of? Or a person who only understands football on an international level aside of domestic football in a country that believes a watered down version of rugby should be given such a name?

We are better than this. Brendan Rodgers is not the greatest manager of all time but we desperately miss his influence. He is currently showing Scotland that Celtic aren’t just the biggest fish in a disappointingly small pond – they can also contend with bloody Barcelona!

Laudrup? Raking money into his account somewhere in Qatar.

Garry Monk? Currently managing Leeds and leading them quite capably towards AT LEAST the playoff places.

Guidolin? Who cares! We’d have been relegated already!

In brief. Bob Bradley is no longer managing our club and we are glad for it. However, if Pardew or someone else suitable isn’t appointed within the next 48 hours we will go into January without a manager nor any money to reinforce an ailing squad.

Essentially, we would take Pardew, accept Ryan Giggs and permit Gary Rowett an interview. Just appoint before January 1^st.

Bradley Out, Pardew In?

A hefty 4-1 defeat against a side who have been struggling for most of the season really isn’t good enough. There were flashes of brilliance when Bradders finally allowed Fernando Llorente some game time but it just wasn’t enough – when you consider how utterly useless Andy Carroll is as a footballer; you start to see just how bad we actually were.

It’s small wonder Bob Bradley has shot to the top of the odds for ‘Next Manager Sacked’ given Crystal Palace have freed up the services of Alan Pardew. Pards has been heavily linked with the Swans job this morning and the story will break across the newspapers later today or early tomorrow morning – it looks like the Star Spangled Banner is heading back home.

Since Guidolin departed; we’ve looked a sorry state and there are a few excuses that keep doing the rounds. Yes, we miss Ashley Williams and we probably should never have let Michael Laudrup go but we did and we have invested poorly since then as a generalisation.

Bradley can’t be trusted with what funds we have to spend in January but then again neither can Pardew really. He’s a typical English manager who has his favourites that always seem to follow him from club to club – get ready for Yohan Cabaye to arrive in Swansea folks!

Our American manager looked stunned when the chants rang out around the Liberty. ‘We Want Bradley Out’ couldn’t have been a clearer message and there is now an alternative that will meet with the board’s expectations for experience and most of the fans will accept.

I say bring it on. Pardew needs a job, we need a manager who understands English football and perhaps we’ll finally see some cohesive football that produces the results we need to maintain our Premier League status.

The last thing we need is a return to the Championship – look at Villa and tell me that we’d romp that league. I don’t think we would somehow – Newcastle had to invest heavily to top that league and Brighton are breathing down their necks! We need to survive relegation this season and Bradders is not the man for the job.

Swansea v West Ham Preview

This was supposed to be a turning point for the Swans. Games against teams in and around the lower end of the table have so far resulted in back to back away defeats and a dire 19^th place thanks only to superior goal difference over Hull City – COME ON! What’s going so wrong?

West Ham haven’t come to Swansea and won since 1983 – I’ll be honest, I wasn’t even born the last time West Ham took us down in our back yard – but they are looking for a third successive Premier League win as they make the trip on Boxing Day.

This isn’t great news overall as we’re on a run of consecutive losses and they’re on a run of consecutive wins – the form guide clearly suggests we’re up against it here no matter how history paints the fixture out to be.

We have won our last two Boxing Day games against Villa in 2014 and West Brom 2015 but they were both narrow 1-0 wins. A repeat performance would be good but it would be nice to see a bit more than a single goal – it’s meant to be the season of goodwill not crap shooting.

Good news! Fernandez and Ki are both back having recovered from broken toes – how they both managed to suffer the same fate is beyond me but never mind. Naughton and Cork are probably going to get the nod to start as Bradders finally admitted that change was needed if we’re to develop any semblance of form over the winter period.

There’s a fair few West Ham players set to miss out including Zaza, Sakho, Tore, Obiang and Oxford all out of the running for a spot in the squad. Sadly, Payet remains available and in form so it’ll probably be up to Fernandez to keep him under wraps – he’s going to need to work hard!

The last time we faced West Ham we thumped them 4-1 in one of our most confident performances of the previous campaign but we’ve only won that one game in the last seven against the Hammers. Three draws and three losses make up the rest of the numbers – not good.

January needs to bring three things to Swansea. Confidence, Victories and signings – I’m not sure Bradders is the man to entrust with a transfer budget but it’s better than nothing. Fingers crossed we focus on defence and pace – you can’t buy confidence but a faster, more solid side will go a long way to developing belief!

Christmas in Swansea

Christmas for Swansea City could be a real turning point. Let’s face it, the two fixtures between the big day and the New Year are against West Ham and Bournemouth – a couple of sides who have been very hit and miss in the league but some how sit higher in the table than ourselves; time for change Bradders.

West Ham might’ve claimed two wins in their last two league games but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the woods just yet. According to pretty much every newspaper you buy; the club are terrified of losing their star players and Slaven Bilic will have to make do with his existing contract as the club have no plans to offer him a new deal – makes for a bad atmosphere around the Olympic Park.

Bournemouth are in the top half of the Premier League and no-one saw this coming. Three wins and three losses in their last six may leave them nine places above us but Christmas isn’t a great time for clubs struggling to maintain lofty positions. The constant fear of failure will bite hard on Eddie Howe’s team – good news for the Swans no doubt.

Seven points from six games isn’t good enough no matter how you try and convince yourself otherwise but there are glimmers of talent coming from the squad. Bradley isn’t going to be given much money to spend in January but he has to consider some defenders – even loan players will do!

If you take Man Utd as an example; they’re clearly going to buy defenders in January and that’ll leave some of their players available either on the cheap or for loan and it’s here that Bradders should be looking to reinforce. If Lindelof does join United; you have to imagine their graduating academy players will want competitive minutes on the pitch.

It’s not just England that Bradders can look at. Low cost options are available in the French Ligue 2 if you know where to look. You can scoff all you want that these players won’t be good enough but, then again, Riyad Mahrez joined Leicester from Ligue 2 and he was nominated for the Balon D’Or.

The club need to release some funds to Bradders and if they don’t trust him with their money then he shouldn’t be in charge at all. 

Boro v Swans Preview

Things will go from bad to worse if we fail to beat Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon. Three points separate us from them and this is without the most important game of the season so far. We can make up ground on both Boro and Palace even if we can’t escape the relegation zone just yet. Defeat is not an option.

13 minutes was all it took for all our good work in the first half to be utterly ruined on Wednesday night – I can’t imagine what Bradders might’ve said to the boys at half time but it can’t have been all that much; they looked totally lost and confused.

We could’ve picked up so much momentum from last weekend; we were imperious! And yet we’re still scrabbling around for points like blind beggars.

It’s safe to say that Middlesbrough are not a better side than us so all that’s in their favour is home field advantage. If you’re travelling to the game, make sure you get there early because parking near to the Riverside is in short supply and really quite expensive for the afternoon!

We have the better of the head to head having won three to their two (two draws) and the last time we played each other we nicked the game 1-0 in the League Cup, 13^th December 2012. On paper they look a decent side but an experienced ‘keeper and a big name striker aren’t enough to do well in the Premier League as Karanka is finding out.

Assuming the spine of our team remains solid (Gylfi, Britts and Rangel), we should be able to control the game for the most part. Boro can’t outpace our widemen and there’s no chance their getting past the depth of our midfield – it’s tough to see where goals might come from for them to be honest.

SkyBet don’t fancy us all that much here: Boro 1/1, Draw 12/5, Swans 14/5. Harsh odds but it makes it all the easier to break with convention and back our own team – it’s okay to do it every now and then!

Swans to win and under 2.5 goals in the game is 6/1 and I think that’ll be my bet for the day – it’s got 1-0 written all over it.

West Brom - Swansea Match Report

It’s not fair to say that we underperformed against West Brom; they are one of the Premier League’s most in form sides having only lost to Chelsea in their last six. What is safe to say is that we should’ve contained Salomon Rondon with more care across the course of his 13 minute hat trick.

I, like many, was very happy with the first half performance. It was quite a defensive display and we probably could’ve attacked West Brom with a bit more voracity but there was a clear intention to protect the 0-0 scoreline going into half time – something Bob Bradley will probably regret instructing the side to do.

We aren’t exactly solid at the back right now, in fact January can’t come soon enough to afford the chance to bring in at least one more experienced centre back, but neither were West Brom on the night. Dawson and Evans were both missing for the hosts; surely we could’ve exposed the inexperience of their back four?

Jefferson Montero should’ve done more against Allan Nyom – there was a bit too much showboating and not enough product for me. We should’ve been building from the left hand side as Nyom was pushed into the wide right area; somewhere he’s not usually comfortable.

It was good to see Wayne Routledge getting himself on the scoresheet, even if it was obviously consolation. The heads were down and there was no drive to try and level the game at least – there ought to have been more concentration on moving the ball fluidly in the middle of the park as we did against Sunderland and Crystal Palace.

The capability is there but another disappointing result has dropped us back into the relegation places ahead of the trip to Middlesbrough tomorrow. A win is vital on Saturday afternoon – it may not take us above Boro but at least it will level the points up going into Christmas week; the staff party might be put on hold for now however.

Vital Points Revive Super Swans

If you'd told me at the start of the day that we'd be out of the relegation zone by Monday afternoon on Saturday morning; you can be fairly certain my response would relate to going forth and multiplying and yet... Bradders actually pulled off a victory worthy of some serious praise.

As I mentioned in my Match Preview; Bob Bradley needed to inject some life into the attack and focus on the most talented members of the squad - who went on to secure the win? Messrs Sigurdsson and Llorente. Please, keep your applause until the end folks!

Don't get me wrong; the first half was like watching paint dry in the rain but when the lads trotted out for the second half they looked a totally different prospect. The attacking moves were brilliantly well thought out and it looked as though everyone had a particular part to play - playing to players strengths at last!

Even the referee, Craig Pawson, had a great game. Every decision he made was fair and correct, the penalty was correctly awarded and Angel Rangel can have no complaints about his booking - great to see the officials getting it right for a change.

We couldn't have asked for a better penalty taker than Sigurdsson in all honesty. I feel that Llorente wasn't quite set into the game until we took the lead then the big man settled right in and dispatched Gylfi's genius corner with aplomb.

I'm also glad to see 'Nando quite literally using his head - that second goal was very well taken and should give him the confidence boost he's needed. Between Llorente, Gylfi and Britt's we actually looked composed and threatening - we need more of this Bob and lots more of it.

Bring on West Brom on Wednesday night - if anyone's going to the game and has spare seats in the car etc; please let us know in the comments and we'll see if we can't get as many as we can to The Hawthorns.

Bob's Bad Banter

Well thanks a lot Bob. A day after Bradley vowed we would ‘fight on’, he’s come out to the press and said he can’t defend our defending! That’s exactly what we wanted to hear the day before a crucial tie with Sunderland isn’t it!?

I’m not sure what was going through Bradder’s head if I’m honest. Yes, the club haven’t replaced Ashley Williams with any great success – Amat and van der Hoorn aren’t bad options at the back, they just lack a bit of solidarity and this is their first season in the Premier League – everyone takes time to adapt to a totally different league!

It was such a bad time to speak out on the defending given the visit of Sunderland this weekend and then West Brom, Boro, West Ham, Bournemouth and Palace – all games we should be winning with a positive attitude except maybe West Brom but Tony Pulis is on a hot streak; we could bring it to an end!

I can’t help but feel Bradley’s a bit out of his depth at the minute. When you look at who else was interested in the job (not you Giggsy), I’m still coming to terms with the fact we’ve got the Premier League’s first American manager – WHY!? He keeps saying the wrong things to the press and still hasn’t got a clue who his best team are.

He’s actually making the dodgy one, Jose Mourinho, look like he’s doing a good job at Man Utd. Small wonder he’s bookie’s favourite to lose his job – 6/5 for Bradley to be sacked next on SkyBet. We all know moving a manager on isn’t always the answer but unless he beats Sunderland he’ll have a worse record than Alan Curtis had when he looked after us after Monk messed it up.

There aren’t that many managers out of work but who’d turn down a crack at the Premier League? I mean Steve Clarke’s been available for ages and it bugs me that he wasn’t even given a look in for the Swans job – he doesn’t have the best record but at least he’s managed in England before and has some kind of scouting network!

Last week was embarrassing and shipping four goals against Palace was just as bad. I don’t think Bradders will see the new year in with us if I’m honest – he hasn’t got what we need right now.

Swansea v Sunderland Preview

The game against Sunderland couldn’t be much more important to the Swans right now. Victory will take us above David Moyes’ side in the table – possibly West Ham too if results go the right way. Not quite safety but it’s better than where we are ahead of kick off!

Looking up at the rest of the table isn’t quite what Bob Bradley had in mind when he came in to replace Francesco Guidolin and – in all fairness – he has only taken five points from seven league games; more than Francesco managed though which is positive.

It’s tough to say what’s going wrong right now; look at the squad and say it’s not capable of making it to mid-table. I mean between Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente alone we have two class players leading the attack but we can’t seem to balance decent attack with any kind of solid defence.

Are the team still missing Ashley Williams? Well yes and he probably shouldn’t have left frankly but we need to be pro-active and accept suitable replacement wasn’t brought in – thanks Guidolin! We’re totally exposed at the back as proven in the Spurs game last weekend and, even though we beat Palace, it was proven in the game before as it took five goals before Pardew’s side stopped responding!

Bad news ahead of the Sunderland game; Ki Sung-Yeung and Federico Fernandez are both out with broken toes. It has to be said, we’re missing Ki’s influence in the middle of the park – he’s got that brilliant skill of disappearing and always being available; we’re limited on passing options without him.

Happily; Britton, Routledge and Llorente are all available for the visit of Sunderland. A bit of experience, pace and flair will no doubt boost the lads – I just hope Llorente doesn’t get marked out of the game like he has in a few this year.

Sunderland won’t be bringing Duncan Watmore, Lee Cattermole, Jack Rodwell or Paddy McNair with them to the Liberty thanks to injury but it looks like Fabio Borini will be playing some part along with either Seb Larsson or Adnan Januzaj. Mixed news on the opponent front but the stats look good.

We’ve only lost one of the last eight Premier League games against Sunderland but Moyes has never lost a Premier League game against the Swans – he likes breaking records so now might just be the time David!

Happy to see SkyBet have put some decent odds on for once: Swans are 21/20 to win, a draw is 5/2 and Sunderland to win is 5/2. I’m really liking the look of the home odds; finally the bookies have some faith in us! It doesn’t matter that Sunderland will probably be heavily backed at those odds – let them lose their money.

I’m backing: Swans to win, BTTS, 11+ match corners and 60+ match booking points at 22/1. I can’t see it being a tame affair; let’s be honest Leon Britton has his moments and will be looking forward to letting Borini know who’s in charge – should be a good ‘un this!

All change at ForzaSwansea!

Good evening Swans fans!

I bring you news of some changes! Firstly, rest assured ForzaSwansea is staying put - it's just me that's going away.

It's been an absolute pleasure to create, edit and write for this website over the past six years (that's right, SIX years!).

I started this blog back in 2010 to chart the activity of Swansea City, just as Brendan Rodgers was settling in. Little did I know that it was to become the season the club would dramatically rise to the top flight! I followed the Swans as they took their first steps in the Premier League, their brief but exciting European tour, charted the rise and fall of both Michael Laudrup and Garry Monk, and a lot more in between.

I even won the title of Best Sports Blog in Wales at the Wales Blog Awards 2012, and wrote two books about the Swans (in 2014 and 2015). A fantastic journey that wouldn't have been possible if I was writing about a boring club.

However in the last year or two I haven't been able to dedicate the time this website deserves, thanks to other projects eating up my waking day. So I've made the decision to pass the reigns to a new group of bloggers, who have assured me that the blog will remain focused on the Swans.

The change will take place over the next few days, but make sure you keep coming back for the usual Swans news and check out the archive from the last six years.

I'm still writing about the Swans for Yahoo! Sport and am sure I have another book in me somewhere... For now, you can keep in touch with me on Twitter.

Keep visiting ForzaSwansea and keep following the Swans!

Forza Swansea!

Chris Carra
2 October, 2016

Swansea Till I Die - Old Radio Show, New Home!

It's been a long time since I posted on Forza Swansea, but it's only because the majority of my Swans writing now takes place on Yahoo! Sport these days. Make sure to follow me on Twitter for updates on my newest articles.

But I also wanted to mention that the well-loved radio show Swansea Till I Die is back after a brief absence. The show is currently live on Monday evenings at 6pm on 1386AM, although is podcasted soon after and available for download.

It features myself, Matt Barroccu, Mark Beevers and Ben Charles, as well as the usual callers from across the globe. Good old fashioned Swans chat - perfect for venting frustrations on the Swans (and there certainly seem to be a few around at the moment!).

Make sure to check out the official #STiD Facebook and Twitter pages for more updates and episode news. The first episode can be found here.

Cheers!

Chris

Swansea City vs Southampton: Preview

Right - let's make sure we win this one.

I say that because in the last two Swansea City matches, points have been thrown away due to bad defending. As I outlined in my post earlier this week, we need to ensure we defend corners properly (i.e. no sticking Leon Britton on Graziano Pelle) and score more than one goal (because one is rarely enough).

The Swans take on Southampton at the Liberty this Saturday (3pm) - looking for a little redemption after the 3-1 thrashing at St Mary's back in September.

The good news for Swansea is Ki Sung Yueng is likely to play after recovering from the concussion he suffered in the 1-1 draw against West Brom. While he's not been in the best form this season, it's always handy to have him as an option.

In fact, it's as strong a team as we've had for a while with no injury worries - Francesco Guidolin has a good selection of players to choose from in all areas. I don't think any Swans fan is worrying about Guidolin's choices regardless. He seems to be on the ball, and going for another unbeaten game (although hopefully a win this time).

Thankfully Gylfi Sigurdsson is finally back in form and will look for a third goal in three consecutive games, while new boy Alberto Paloschi will be desperate to get on the scoresheet. With Ayew also fit and available, it's unlikely we'll see much more of Bafetimbi Gomis.

Meanwhile, Southampton will probably wear their away kit which looks surprisingly similar to Swansea's this season. Let's hope it brings them as bad luck as it has done Swansea tomorrow!

Unfortunately Soton keeper Fraser Forster is in top form, and looking for a sixth consecutive clean sheet in tomorrow's game. They will miss Victor Wanyama though, who is suspended for five matches after his third red card of the season!

Despite their clean-sheet heroes, I still feel either Sigurdsson or Paloschi will find a way through. But so too may Pelle or Long... So my prediction - I feel this could well be another 1-1!

Swansea City 1-1 [The Other Team]: Twice

Even though we have finally seen some respite from the bleak results we witnessed back in December and January - mainly thanks to the arrival of Francesco Guidolin - Swansea have managed to throw away four important points in the last two matches.

In the game against West Brom at the start of February we saw the Swans take the deserved lead through the quick feet of Gylfi Sigurdsson in the 64th minute. They then held on for 25 tough minutes until injury time when Saloman Rondon fired in from close range after a chaotic corner. 1-1.

In the end, a disappointing draw - but at least one point and some confidence to take into the next game.

This was against Crystal Palace at the Liberty the following week, when we saw Sigurdsson once again score the deserved opener in the first half, only for Scott Dann to equalise after the Swans failed to defend a corner... again. Another 1-1.

When you look at both games it's definitely a case of four points dropped.

More annoyingly for me, I had Swansea to win on my Saturday accumulator both times - the West Brom game in particular would have seen me win a couple of hundred quid! I should have cashed out when they were ahead - taken my money and run.

(I'm aware I have broken my main rule this season - never bet on Swansea).

But I guess we can't dwell too much. Both games extended the run of unbeaten matches to four, and both showed a drastically improved Swansea City.

However there are two lessons we can take from this. Firstly, the players have to work on defending set pieces. How many times this season have we seen a goalmouth scramble following a corner? Or the tallest opposition player being marked by Leon Britton? Too many. It's a fundamental flaw, and needs to be addressed.

Secondly - one goal is not enough! This should be obvious, but these days nursing a 1-0 lead is a dangerous game to play. I mean, look at Liverpool on the weekend - 2-0 to 2-2 within a few minutes. Swansea have to start scoring a couple of early goals, then holding onto them.

That's where the points will come from.

Waterstones Signing - Saturday, 28th November

Hello all you slightly glum Swans fans,

I hope you've managed to catch some of my recent ForzaSwansea posts on Yahoo! Sport (follow me on Twitter as I announce all the new posts there).

Just a quick note to say I'm signing copies of both the Swansea City Miscellany and Swansea City's Greatest Games in Swansea Waterstones this Saturday morning. If you're looking for a Christmas gift for your Swans-loving dad, mum, brother, sister, uncle or best mate, the Miscellany is a great stocking filler!

And if you have bought a copy beforehand and want me to sign it, just bring it down and say hello.

I'll be there from 11am - hope to see you there!

Cheers, Chris

Chris on 'Swansea Till I Die' - Friday 6th November

Just a quick note to say that I will be presenting Swansea Sound's 'Swansea Till I Die' show between 6-7pm tonight (GMT). With me in the studio will be Ben Charles and Mark Beevers.

If you're in the Swansea area, tune in via 1170MW, or - for those of you around the world - you can catch it live online.

It should be a great show! We'll be discussing the Arsenal match, looking forward to the game against Norwich tomorrow, and talking everything else to do with the Swans.

I'd love to hear from YOU, so get in touch this evening with your views on 01792 893031 or tweet @SwanseaSound.

Forza Swansea - New Posts (October)

You may recall my last blog post I told you that I would be blogging mainly for Yahoo! Sport this season.

So here's a quick round up of what I've been up to, in case you missed them...

In my most recent article I argue why the season is actually going to plan despite the lack of wins.

An earlier article saw me ask the intriguing question: was Brendan Rodgers Swansea City's greatest ever manager?

Then I wrote another piece about the managers of Swansea - looking at whether the gaffers of the last five years have all suffered the Swansea City curse after leaving the club.

Keep checking back for new posts or follow me on Twitter, where I will announce the new articles as they arrive.

Cheers!

Where have all the blog posts gone?

It's the question on everybody's lips (I am assuming...) - where are all the Forza Swansea blog posts this season?

You may recall a few weeks back I said that this season I would be blogging about Swansea City for Yahoo! Sport. And I have been.

Here are my first three posts, in case you missed them:

Five Swans who should have played for England - At the start of September, Jonjo Shelvey was about to become the first Swansea City player to play for England while at the club. I wrote a piece on five previous Swans legends who should have worn the Three Lions.

League Cup Misery - Swansea were dumped out of the Capital One Cup by Hull City a couple of weeks back. I took a look at the club's poor history in the competition, as well as a few times we really enjoyed ourselves.

Swansea City: Time To Panic?! - Written just before the game against Spurs, when results hadn't been going our way, I took a look at whether it was time to panic (basically, it wasn't - and still isn't!)

From now on I will post a link to each new blog post - around one a week - on this site too. See you soon!

Swansea City Miscellany - Book signing at Liberty Stadium

My second book, the Swansea City Miscellany, is now available from all good bookshops, online, and direct from the club shop.

I will be at the Liberty Stadium club shop from 1-2pm tomorrow ahead of the Everton match, signing copies of the book which is £9.99 (a bargain for the hours of entertainment you'll receive!)

Visit the official Swans website for more details on the launch.

If you're around the stadium, please pop in and say hello!

NEW BOOK: The Swansea City Miscellany

Welcome to the long-awaited announcement of my new book, the Swansea City Miscellany!

 

After the success of Swansea City's Greatest Games last year, I decided it would be fun to tackle an equally challenging project, although in very different ways from the first book.

What the hell is a miscellany, you ask? Essentially it's a little encyclopedia of everything Swansea City; club history, player profiles, top ten lists and unique records, along with funny stories and memorable trivia, all rolled into one easy-to-pick-up read. The kind of book that would be a great friend on a long train journey or a short bathroom break.

Our genius chairman Huw Jenkins has contributed a foreword to the book, while there are some excellent nostalgic photos throughout.

The Miscellany will be available from the start of next week, although you can pre-order it on Amazon. However, as a Swansea City fan, I recommend you purchase it directly from the club shop as the club will benefit from the sales.

A signing at the Liberty Stadium club shop and Waterstones will be announced very soon.

Cheers!

Chris

Cup o' coffee and the Swans (Sunday Catch-up - 6th September 2015)

It's September - that means autumn is summer is pretty much over. However the sun is actually shining, and this is probably the only time you'll be able to enjoy an iced coffee all year.

You sort out the coffee, I'll sort out the writing, and we'll meet back here in five minutes... GO!


International Swans

There's been no Swansea City action this weekend, but a handful of first team Swans have been playing for their countries over the past few days.

Ashley Williams and Neil Taylor both featured in Wales' crucial 1-0 win against Cyprus on Thursday, with Williams putting in one hell of a shift - definitely the Dragons' star player.

Gylfi Sigurdsson scored from the spot in Iceland's surprise 1-0 victory against Holland, while Jonjo Shelvey featured for England in their predictable 6-0 blitz of San Marino last night - making him the very first player to feature for England while playing for Swansea City.

And it was a good performance, showing off the best of his passing game. Definitely one to show Roy he's not a one-cap wonder.


Dyer gone

One of the biggest surprises of the transfer window was Nathan Dyer making a loan move to Leicester City for the rest of the season.

It's not gone completely to plan for Dyer over the past few years. While he certainly made the step up to the Premier League - wowing in some games - he failed to consistently deliver, and has recently lost some pace and confidence.

And with an abundance of talent available on the wings these days including Montero, Ayew and Routledge, Dyer will be much more likely to pull on a Leicester City shirt than a Swansea one.

Who knows - he may find his Championship form again and be a big part of Swansea's future. We all hope so. But for now, thank you Nathan and see you next year!


20 more legends

The next 20 names are set to be added to Swansea City's Robbie James Wall of Fame, on the external wall of the Liberty Stadium ahead of the Everton game on Saturday, 19 September.

There are some huge names on there - players that made a great difference to Swansea as both Town and City, such as Harry Hanford, Reg Weston, Jimmy Rimmer and Leighton Phillips. If you don't recognise the names you need to do some reading - get yourself a copy of Swansea City's Greatest Games!

The following 20 players' names will be fixed to the wall: Jimmy Collins (1919-30), Alex Ferguson (1927-35), Harry Hanford (1927-36), SJ Lawrence (1930-39), TB Olsen (1930-39), Trevor Ford (1946-47), Reg Weston (1946-52), Frank Burns (1946-52), Tom Kiley (1947-57), Alan Williams (1968-72), Des Palmer (1950-59), Ray Daniel (1958-59), Mike Johnson (1958-66), Brian Purcell (1958-68), Brayley Reynolds (1959-64), Dai Davies (1969-70,1973, 1981-83), Jimmy Rimmer (1973-74, 1983-86), Leighton Phillips (1978-81), John Mahoney (1979-83), and Dave Stewart (1980-81).

Cup o' coffee and the Swans (Sunday Catch-up - 30th August 2015)

It's Sunday morning again, and I'm up early for a change!

As it's a Bank Holiday weekend, why not make your coffee a little Irish? Then, when you've sobered up, have a read of my quick round-up of Swansea City news.


Into the Third Round!

A very different looking Swansea City saw out a comfortable 3-0 Capital One Cup win against York City on Tuesday night.

Garry Monk made a host of changes to his team, with players like Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Leon Britton and Franck Tabanou making starts against the League Two side.

And even though York had a few moments of their own, the Premier League Swans made light work of the Minstermen. Nathan Dyer opened the scoring in the second minute, with Matt Grimes and Marvin Emnes adding a second and third in the second half.

A straightforward day at the Liberty Stadium, and Swansea move into the Third Round where they'll face Hull City at the KC Stadium on Tuesday, 22 September.


Swansea City vs Manchester United

Let's get all the 'giants' out of the way now shall we?

I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that it's the perfect time to take on Man United. We're unbeaten in the first three games, we've already seen a good draw against Chelsea, confidence is high, and we're at home - so what's to fear?

Of course United are looking pretty good themselves, sitting in 4th place in the early Premier League table, with wins against Spurs and Villa. Plus their squad looks a little more coherent than last season, with plenty of danger men. Perhaps read a more detailed preview here.

It's a tricky scoreline tricky to call, so I will go for a very acceptable 1-1.


New home of Forza Swansea

While this blog is going nowhere, I can tell you that during the 2015/16 season I will be blogging for Forza Swansea in association with Yahoo Sport.

It just means the content will have an even bigger audience than before, hopefully spurring me to write more than I do now! I will publish more details next week.

Cup o' coffee and the Swans (Sunday Catch-up - 23rd August 2015)

It's Sunday, I've woken up later than planned. Let's get a quick catch-up out while my filter coffee is being prepared by Jeeves.


Sunderland 1 - 1 Swansea City

We're already three games in to this new season and Swansea are yet to lose, earning a fair point against Sunderland yesterday.

Although this was the first match in which we as fans could be forgiven for getting a little frustrated. Swansea, after all their domination in the opening quarter, lacked that cutting edge in front of goal and could well have taken the win, through the likes of Ayew or Sigurdsson in the second half.

But Bafetimbi Gomis's enjoyable opener on the cusp of half time was enough to secure a precious point. A more in-depth look at the game and some photos here (don't click if you hate the Daily Mail, because that's where you are being sent today!)

But it can only be a positive, drawing away from home to stay sixth in the league with 5 points. Onto United at the Liberty next Sunday!


Britton stays put...

As the transfer window slowly closes, the moment we dreaded all summer is no longer imminent - Leon Britton is staying with Swansea!

The 32-year-old stalwart had toyed with leaving the club over the last few months, looking to go somewhere that could offer him more regular football - MLS in particular. However, after a chat with his pal and manager, Britton has decided to stay with the hope of playing more often.

In his own words:

"I've always said the first place I want to play is here at Swansea. Maybe things will change a bit and I can be involved a bit more, which would be great."

Whether or not we will actually see him on the pitch this season is now the question. But with the quality and depth already in that area of the field, that's not the prime reason Swans fans are so keen to see him stay.

We don't want to lose such a longstanding player, who offers club pride in bucket loads and is a boost to spirits both on and off the field.


...so does Montero (but not Michu)

Thankfully we are all on the same page - me, you, Garry Monk and Huw Jenkins: none of the Swans stars are for sale.

This comes after speculation over the immediate future of Jefferson Montero, who has been linked with Bayern Munich and most recently Man United, after Reds fans - including Rio Ferdinand - voiced their want over social media.

But as Monk said:

"No-one is for sale, we’re looking forward to the season, the players are looking forward to going forward with Swansea and this is the squad I want."

Meanwhile Michu - who we sometimes forget is still on Swansea's books - is now very likely to head off, maybe to Celtic as latest reports suggest. Let's face it, unless he completely returned to the form he displayed in his first season with the club (which seems nearly impossible) he will never get back into the current squad.

The Triumphant Return of 'Cup o' coffee and the Swans' (Sunday Catch-up)

Let's make it a decaff coffee - we're all still catching our breath after yesterday's blistering match at Stamford Bridge.

More on the game in a bit, but for now I formally announce my return to Forza Swansea, after a summer of... well, no blogging action.

(*Pause for applause*)

Of course, I am genuinely sorry for the lack of content on this blog over the summer. It's a combination of me focusing on other projects, while being a little lazy at the same time.

But let's face it - there's enough Swans speculation, rumours and filler without me further cluttering up the internet. Yes, I could have covered the good-looking (not in that way) acquisitions of Andre Ayew, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Franck Tabanou and Eder; the 'will he, won't he' surrounding Leon Britton; or the mild panic because Mark Lawrenson thinks we'll do well this season.

But, with so many other blogs, news sites and social media streams around, I decided to let others do the hard graft, while I sat back with a beer and watched the rain ruin everyone's summer.

However, for this new season, I'm back and will carry on with my Sunday morning catch-ups, and perhaps a few nostalgic articles here and there. On to the match...


Chelsea 2 - 2 Swansea City

What a great season opener for Swansea. Apart from a win, no-one could have asked for better.

It's standard now that the Swans produce something of note in the first game of the season, and they almost surpassed themselves yesterday.

The 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge gave us a chance to see the squad put together the things they were working on over the summer, in the most entertaining way possible.

Ayew was exciting - his goal in particular was thanks to a touch of quick thinking and plenty of talent. He'll undoubtedly be a pleasure to watch this year. Gomis had a good game, which peaked in the 55th minute when he both won and scored the penalty, reducing Chelsea to ten men in the process. Overall he looked much sharper and stronger than last season, even if he dragged his heels with a few chances.

Montero was part of every good Swansea move going forward, while Shelvey was up for it all match, scaring Courtois with some nifty attempts direct from his corners! Ashley Williams and his defensive team were solid enough, with the two goals the only blemish on a good game. Overall Fabianski probably came off the worst yesterday, but still produced some fine saves.

I guess the only disappointment was that Swansea didn't go on to win the match. Still, away to the champions, an opening day draw works pretty well... we'll take it!


The Swansea City Miscellany

Finally, I've written another Swansea City book, which is being released at the start of September (i.e. next month). It's called the Swansea City Miscellany, and is a hardback encyclopedia packed with stats, facts, trivia history and stories about the Swans.

It is officially endorsed by the club and the legendary Huw Jenkins has written the foreword. I will make a more detailed announcement on this in the next few days. But for now, you know why my Swans content on the blog was perhaps lacking over the last year!

2015/16 Premier League fixtures: "Nice easy start..."

What's this? It's summer and there's a new ForzaSwansea post? You aren't dreaming.

With the release of the Premier League fixtures for the 2015/16 season this morning, I thought it best to write a short post (a very short post) highlighting some of the ties we'll see next year.

Garry Monk's men will be kicking off the season on 8 August against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. What a tough game to open a campaign with! But then again that will be arguably the hardest match out of the way instantly. Plus, like last seasons' opening day victory at Old Trafford, Swansea may just pull off a shock against the champions!

And the Swans won't have to wait too long until facing United at the Liberty Stadium, which also takes place in the first month, on 29 August.

Christmas is looking busy as usual, with a festive trip to the blue side of Manchester on 12 December and a home match against West Brom occupying the Boxing Day spot.

Without going into too much detail (you can do that yourself by checking out the full listings on the BBC website), it's looking like a pretty balanced season.

With relegation worries no longer an issue (touch wood), Premier League safety will be secured early in 2016 and there won't be any cause for concern in the last few weeks. Which is good news, because Swansea's final match is against Man City at the Liberty on 15 May - a great way to end what will hopefully be another record breaking season.

Tate and Britton - Ending An Era

The summer is the season of change when it comes to football.

And watching two players leave Swansea City after over a decade of uninterrupted service is certainly change in its rawest form.

First, Alan Tate. Last week we saw the departure of the Swansea stalwart, who left the club in a move that seemed to be in the pipeline for quite some time.

Disappointing as it was, it came as no shock - Tate never really made the step up to the Premier League, not helped by his broken leg in the first season, and had spent more time out on loan than at Swansea in the past four years. (For more on Alan Tate, check out my tribute to him from October 2014.)

Things were different back in 2011 (Image: Action Images)

The biggest shock of the week came from a brutally honest interview with Leon Britton, in which the talismanic midfielder admitted he too was considering a move elsewhere if Swansea couldn't offer him first team football next season.

Of course, the reason why this grates more on fans is because, unlike Tate, Britton not only made the giant step up to the Premier League, he excelled in it. Remember January 2012, when statistics suggested that he was the best passer in Europe? But you don't even need statistics to see that he was one of the key men for Swansea.

Yes, Britton truly owned the centre of the pitch and was rightly one of the first names on the team sheet for so long.

However the recent 2014/15 season was hugely frustrating for the stalwart, who was forced to watch his talented team mates - Ki Sung Yueng, Jack Cork and Jonjo Shelvey - consistently picked before him, even when he was fully fit.

A few months ago Swans fans had a feeling that something wasn't right. And they were correct. No matter how much he loves the club, you could sense that Britton had probably had enough.

But we have to applaud his decision if he does decide to go. In his own words:

'I am not someone who will be happy to play every couple of months or whatever and then pick up my money.' 

Many players would be content to fester away on the bench; enjoying a large payday come the end of the month for doing absolutely nothing.

The right kind of footballer, Britton wants to play on a regular basis and if that means ending nearly 13 years at the club he loves, then we have to accept that.

If he does go - possibly to another Premier League side, the Championship or even America - we can always hope he'll return to Swansea as a coach later down the line. The other option, which hasn't been discussed much (at least not in public) is to loan him out. That way he technically never has to leave!

But whatever happens, even if this is the end of his playing career with Swansea, I'm sure that we haven't seen the last of Leon Britton.

Swansea City's 2014/15 season is over... What do we do now?!

What do we do now?

The 2014/15 Premier League season is finished, meaning there is no Swansea City action for a few months. And to rub salt into our footballing wounds, there are no summer competitions like the World Cup to give us our fix.

But in reality the football season never finishes. There's a fine line over when the post-season ends and the pre-season begins and - thankfully for football fans - both tend to overlap. (I love the below cartoon from the New York Times which captures the essence of the summer perfectly):

Although the next time the Swans kick a ball may seem ages away, the club will start their pre-season tour in July, which is essentially just a month from now.

Unfortunately, as reported on the club's website earlier this week, the original plan to play a mini tournament in Dallas, Texas has been cancelled. A great shame. Rest assured Swansea will definitely be arranging an alternative, but we're still waiting to hear what exactly.

For those of you yearning for a little live football action closer to home, there's always the SwansAid 'Sellebrity Soccer' match, which features a line-up of local and national celebrities such as Kevin Johns, Lee Trundle, Shane Williams and Dean Gaffney, along with an array of others (many of who are from soaps and shows I don't watch, like X Factor - I therefore don't know who they are. However, you probably do and can check out the full list here.)

The fun match will take place this Sunday, May 31st at the Liberty Stadium at 3pm. Proceeds go towards SwansAid - the club's charity, which helps local sport, health and educational projects and causes. Watch Lee Trundle and Kev Johns train for the match on the video below:

Finally, while I will temporarily stop the semi-regular Sunday morning catch-ups, I will bring some news of transfers, as well as a couple of nostalgia posts through the summer, although - as you know by now - for a great dose of Swans history you just have to check out Swansea City's Greatest Games!

Good luck keeping entertained in the post-/pre-season.

Chris