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.
Showing posts with label Premier League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Premier League. Show all posts
Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Friday, 5 June 2015
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.)
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:
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.
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.
Thursday, 28 May 2015
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
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
Tuesday, 28 April 2015
The Only Way From Here Is Down
How high can we go? That's the question everyone is asking now that Swansea City have broken the 50 point mark in the Premier League. However, former Swans player and football agent ALEC JOHNSON explains why the ambitions of Swans fans should now actually turn away from the top of the table...
By Alec Johnson
Ignore the negative title - readers of my previous Forza Swansea blogs and those that engage with me on Twitter understand that in over 10k tweets to date you would struggle to find a single negative message.
However, looking at our perennial and lofty position suggests small steps of progress since our arrival in the Premier League, and a realistic acceptance that this is as far as it goes for us.
It's certainly not the end of the road, but the vision and ambition must now switch to consolidation and cup runs, not attacking the big fellas occupying the spaces above us. Rolling that dice is the recipe for Portsmouth, or even our nasty neighbours.
While it's a privilege going into the final matches without any pressure, there is a feeling of complacency in the club - not on the pitch but among so many fans.
Last weekend we won at St James Park. No, this wasn't against Exeter in the bottom division, but the Premier League version and so called 'Giant of the North', Newcastle. Yet so many fans were moaning like a bad mother in law. Our gang of international heavyweights were getting slaughtered by the East Stand's loonie brigade.
Back in the real world, a recent report showed that in our past 100 seasons we average a league finish in the mid thirties out of the 92 clubs. I was surprised that it was that high after our past fifty years which realigns our place at an ugly 57th - that's League One as we know it.
Also currently looking at the seven clubs above us, only 11 seasons in that period has one of them not won the league, so we're in great company up there.
Yet some still aren't satisfied.
The ambition within the club remains in tact, capable of satisfying a modern day Caesar; adjusting the goals year on year to recruit better players, attract more commercial partners, build the Swans brand globally and invest in the club infrastructure.
All of this will secure our status as the stable and efficient top half club in the Premier League, slowly helping us to lose the 'over achievers' tag often bolted onto our brand. We can expect exciting news through the close season relating to more lucrative deals for pre-season tours, merchandise, expansion and commercial partnerships.
It's an advantage that our board sees no limit to the possibilities and won't settle for mid table in any facet of the Premier League. Collectively they don't accept the realism of our position and that ambition has no bounds.
So, given the fifty points racked up this season with two winnable and two dodgy games left, a mid fifties total is on the cards. That exceeds my optimistic pre-season forecast of 49 by some so it's difficult to see how much further we can go than what we've achieved this season, perhaps other than adding a big fat FA Cup title to our cabinet.
This record breaking season deserves some real fanfare to sign it off as it may not get better than this. The only way is down; but please resist from singing 'the Jacks are staying up'! That pain relieving song is unwelcome in these parts, despite many predicting that we would be singing it for the past four seasons.
The Jacks are here to stay.
---
By Alec Johnson
Ignore the negative title - readers of my previous Forza Swansea blogs and those that engage with me on Twitter understand that in over 10k tweets to date you would struggle to find a single negative message.
However, looking at our perennial and lofty position suggests small steps of progress since our arrival in the Premier League, and a realistic acceptance that this is as far as it goes for us.
It's certainly not the end of the road, but the vision and ambition must now switch to consolidation and cup runs, not attacking the big fellas occupying the spaces above us. Rolling that dice is the recipe for Portsmouth, or even our nasty neighbours.
While it's a privilege going into the final matches without any pressure, there is a feeling of complacency in the club - not on the pitch but among so many fans.
Last weekend we won at St James Park. No, this wasn't against Exeter in the bottom division, but the Premier League version and so called 'Giant of the North', Newcastle. Yet so many fans were moaning like a bad mother in law. Our gang of international heavyweights were getting slaughtered by the East Stand's loonie brigade.
 |
| Cups: Where Swansea's ambitions should lie in the relatively near future |
Back in the real world, a recent report showed that in our past 100 seasons we average a league finish in the mid thirties out of the 92 clubs. I was surprised that it was that high after our past fifty years which realigns our place at an ugly 57th - that's League One as we know it.
Also currently looking at the seven clubs above us, only 11 seasons in that period has one of them not won the league, so we're in great company up there.
Yet some still aren't satisfied.
The ambition within the club remains in tact, capable of satisfying a modern day Caesar; adjusting the goals year on year to recruit better players, attract more commercial partners, build the Swans brand globally and invest in the club infrastructure.
All of this will secure our status as the stable and efficient top half club in the Premier League, slowly helping us to lose the 'over achievers' tag often bolted onto our brand. We can expect exciting news through the close season relating to more lucrative deals for pre-season tours, merchandise, expansion and commercial partnerships.
It's an advantage that our board sees no limit to the possibilities and won't settle for mid table in any facet of the Premier League. Collectively they don't accept the realism of our position and that ambition has no bounds.
So, given the fifty points racked up this season with two winnable and two dodgy games left, a mid fifties total is on the cards. That exceeds my optimistic pre-season forecast of 49 by some so it's difficult to see how much further we can go than what we've achieved this season, perhaps other than adding a big fat FA Cup title to our cabinet.
This record breaking season deserves some real fanfare to sign it off as it may not get better than this. The only way is down; but please resist from singing 'the Jacks are staying up'! That pain relieving song is unwelcome in these parts, despite many predicting that we would be singing it for the past four seasons.
The Jacks are here to stay.
Tuesday, 30 December 2014
Why losing to Liverpool really wasn't that bad.
Swansea were embarrassed last night by Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool at Anfield, deservedly losing 4-1 after a scrappy first half and a lacklustre second.
A couple of defensive mix-ups, a bizarre mistake from Lukasz Fabianski and an unfortunate own-goal from Jonjo Shelvey (who had an overall dreadful evening) saw the Swans pretty much dead and buried with over 20 minutes left to play.
It's annoying, but is it that bad?
In a 'grand scheme of things' kind of way, no - it's not that bad at all. Garry Monk - still only half-way through his first full season in charge - has navigated his team through a tough few months of fixtures and injuries, and is ending the year ninth in the Premier League.
And having already played teams like Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea, Man City and West Ham away from home, the second half of the season should be a little smoother, fixtures-wise at least.
Of course, losing Wilfried Bony and Ki Sung Yeung to their nations for respective national competitions is a big blow considering the impact both those players have had; Bony with his creativity and goals, and Ki with his strength and composure in the middle of the pitch.
But their absence will allow Bafetimbi Gomis - who looked pretty good against Liverpool - some time in the spotlight, while midfield is deep enough to cope without Ki for a month (providing Shelvey pulls his finger out a bit). And of course we'll finally be able to see Nelson Oliveira in action.
So it's been a good year; certainly ending better than it started (I need not remind any Swansea fan of the way 2014 began, with Michael Laudrup slowly guiding the team towards relegation). In reflection, losing to Liverpool - and Brendan Rodgers - was in no way desirable, but it's not the end of the world.
All that's left to do is say Happy New Year and see you all in 2015! (And don't waste those Christmas vouchers on something boring - instead, buy your copy of Swansea City's Greatest Games today!).
A couple of defensive mix-ups, a bizarre mistake from Lukasz Fabianski and an unfortunate own-goal from Jonjo Shelvey (who had an overall dreadful evening) saw the Swans pretty much dead and buried with over 20 minutes left to play.
It's annoying, but is it that bad?
In a 'grand scheme of things' kind of way, no - it's not that bad at all. Garry Monk - still only half-way through his first full season in charge - has navigated his team through a tough few months of fixtures and injuries, and is ending the year ninth in the Premier League.
 |
| Right on cue: Shelvey played his part in an awful game. |
And having already played teams like Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea, Man City and West Ham away from home, the second half of the season should be a little smoother, fixtures-wise at least.
Of course, losing Wilfried Bony and Ki Sung Yeung to their nations for respective national competitions is a big blow considering the impact both those players have had; Bony with his creativity and goals, and Ki with his strength and composure in the middle of the pitch.
But their absence will allow Bafetimbi Gomis - who looked pretty good against Liverpool - some time in the spotlight, while midfield is deep enough to cope without Ki for a month (providing Shelvey pulls his finger out a bit). And of course we'll finally be able to see Nelson Oliveira in action.
So it's been a good year; certainly ending better than it started (I need not remind any Swansea fan of the way 2014 began, with Michael Laudrup slowly guiding the team towards relegation). In reflection, losing to Liverpool - and Brendan Rodgers - was in no way desirable, but it's not the end of the world.
All that's left to do is say Happy New Year and see you all in 2015! (And don't waste those Christmas vouchers on something boring - instead, buy your copy of Swansea City's Greatest Games today!).
Saturday, 13 September 2014
Swansea City 2 - 4 Chelsea: "We are the Swans and the Swans sometimes lose."
...and we are back down to earth!
It's good to get a bit of a reality check now and again and it happened today when Swansea lost 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
In fairness the Swans began superbly, passing it around with comfort and playing with speed, power and flair. They rightly scored the first goal (even though it was an own goal from John Terry) but then allowed Chelsea into the game.
And into the game they came, with Diego Costa scoring one goal a few moments before the half-time whistle before grabbing another two, with Loic Remy scoring the last. Swansea's defence fell apart and Chelsea were clinical with their finishing, deservedly winning and showing why they are top of the league (as their Premiership odds suggest, they are likely to win the league come May anyway!).
It tastes a little sour after the last day or so. After the hype and praise over the Jack to a King film and Garry Monk winning the Manager of the Month award, it would have been a bit too perfect for Swansea to go on and win the game against Chelsea and become outright leaders of the Premier League! It just would have been... well, it wouldn't have been very Swansea.
So a pretty crushing defeat, but no-one can really complain.
In general it wasn't a terrible performance by the Swans. There was a time in the first half pretty much 99 percent of Swans fans would have believed a win was imminent.
The Swans are still sitting second in the Premier League table with nine points. The team is full of solid players, with no-one really just there for the ride. The manager is working hard and clearly working for the team. And there are few complaints among Swans fans.
All in all this makes for pretty good reading. Just avoid the rest of the match reports and enjoy the remainder of your weekend!
It's good to get a bit of a reality check now and again and it happened today when Swansea lost 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
In fairness the Swans began superbly, passing it around with comfort and playing with speed, power and flair. They rightly scored the first goal (even though it was an own goal from John Terry) but then allowed Chelsea into the game.
And into the game they came, with Diego Costa scoring one goal a few moments before the half-time whistle before grabbing another two, with Loic Remy scoring the last. Swansea's defence fell apart and Chelsea were clinical with their finishing, deservedly winning and showing why they are top of the league (as their Premiership odds suggest, they are likely to win the league come May anyway!).
It tastes a little sour after the last day or so. After the hype and praise over the Jack to a King film and Garry Monk winning the Manager of the Month award, it would have been a bit too perfect for Swansea to go on and win the game against Chelsea and become outright leaders of the Premier League! It just would have been... well, it wouldn't have been very Swansea.
So a pretty crushing defeat, but no-one can really complain.
In general it wasn't a terrible performance by the Swans. There was a time in the first half pretty much 99 percent of Swans fans would have believed a win was imminent.
The Swans are still sitting second in the Premier League table with nine points. The team is full of solid players, with no-one really just there for the ride. The manager is working hard and clearly working for the team. And there are few complaints among Swans fans.
All in all this makes for pretty good reading. Just avoid the rest of the match reports and enjoy the remainder of your weekend!
Monday, 11 August 2014
Swansea City: The Season Preview
Is it just me or was that a short summer?
In less than a week Swansea City will be back up and running, kicking off their fourth Premier League campaign with an away trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United (Saturday, 12.45pm).
We've seen / heard / read about the Swans pre-season friendlies (make sure to read my full round-up) - some of them were pretty convincing wins, but other games made for much less comfortable watching.
Unfortunately when Swansea played Villarreal on Saturday at the Liberty they looked to pick up where they left off last season - a little clueless and disorganised. What is worrying is that the players on the pitch were essentially Garry Monk's first team (excluding the injured Leon Britton and Wayne Routledge).
However, despite looking very uninspiring, the 3-0 loss perhaps proved to Monk that whatever he was trying out didn't work. Set up the same way against Man United and it's pretty much the first loss of the season guaranteed.
What went wrong in that game? Well the formation seemed non-existent. Were they playing a 4-4-2? Or a 3-5-2? Or a 4-5-1? Whatever they were trying it wasn't working and they looked very unbalanced. Naturally without Britton soaking up the pressure in the middle and another dedicated winger out wide there was always going to be some unbalance.
So how will Swansea fare this season? It's really hard to predict! To many pundits, the Swans are relegation fodder, but I still can't see it. If they keep hold of Wilfried Bony and he links up well with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jefferson Montero, Jonjo Shelvey and Bafetimbi Gomis, the attack could be one of the best outside the top four.
With midfield possibly the strongest it has ever been, the main area of worry seems to be in defence - an area that has not been much of an issue in recent years. With the departure of Ben Davies and Chico Flores, this crucial part of the team is looking a little threadbare.
Angel Rangel - though still one of my favourite players - is not as sharp as he once was, while Kyle Bartley looks a little suspect at times. However the club are making a move for Napoli's Argentinian centre-back Federico Fernandez, while Nice's left/centre-back Timothee Kolodziejczak (looking forward to Kevin Johns saying that over the Liberty loudspeakers!) has also been linked with the club.
Whatever happens, fans and the board will be more sympathetic of Monk than they would another manager. But he's not invincible and if we start to see poor results there will certainly be unrest among those who wanted Monk as permanent manager and those who thought it was too soon.
The fixtures are pretty balanced throughout the season, with two highly winnable games to begin (after United of course) - Burnley and West Brom at the Liberty Stadium. I guess it would be worth reassessing after those games. Pick up six points by the end of the month and everything is fine. Anything less and questions will be asked.
But let's end this on a positive - Swansea are an established top flight side entering their fourth year in probably the greatest league in the world. With solid goalscorers, electric pace, longstanding stalwarts and a midfield with plenty of depth there's no reason we should be worried.
(Unless Bony leaves...)
In less than a week Swansea City will be back up and running, kicking off their fourth Premier League campaign with an away trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United (Saturday, 12.45pm).
We've seen / heard / read about the Swans pre-season friendlies (make sure to read my full round-up) - some of them were pretty convincing wins, but other games made for much less comfortable watching.
Unfortunately when Swansea played Villarreal on Saturday at the Liberty they looked to pick up where they left off last season - a little clueless and disorganised. What is worrying is that the players on the pitch were essentially Garry Monk's first team (excluding the injured Leon Britton and Wayne Routledge).
However, despite looking very uninspiring, the 3-0 loss perhaps proved to Monk that whatever he was trying out didn't work. Set up the same way against Man United and it's pretty much the first loss of the season guaranteed.
What went wrong in that game? Well the formation seemed non-existent. Were they playing a 4-4-2? Or a 3-5-2? Or a 4-5-1? Whatever they were trying it wasn't working and they looked very unbalanced. Naturally without Britton soaking up the pressure in the middle and another dedicated winger out wide there was always going to be some unbalance.
 |
| Hopefully a key player again this season |
So how will Swansea fare this season? It's really hard to predict! To many pundits, the Swans are relegation fodder, but I still can't see it. If they keep hold of Wilfried Bony and he links up well with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Jefferson Montero, Jonjo Shelvey and Bafetimbi Gomis, the attack could be one of the best outside the top four.
With midfield possibly the strongest it has ever been, the main area of worry seems to be in defence - an area that has not been much of an issue in recent years. With the departure of Ben Davies and Chico Flores, this crucial part of the team is looking a little threadbare.
Angel Rangel - though still one of my favourite players - is not as sharp as he once was, while Kyle Bartley looks a little suspect at times. However the club are making a move for Napoli's Argentinian centre-back Federico Fernandez, while Nice's left/centre-back Timothee Kolodziejczak (looking forward to Kevin Johns saying that over the Liberty loudspeakers!) has also been linked with the club.
Whatever happens, fans and the board will be more sympathetic of Monk than they would another manager. But he's not invincible and if we start to see poor results there will certainly be unrest among those who wanted Monk as permanent manager and those who thought it was too soon.
The fixtures are pretty balanced throughout the season, with two highly winnable games to begin (after United of course) - Burnley and West Brom at the Liberty Stadium. I guess it would be worth reassessing after those games. Pick up six points by the end of the month and everything is fine. Anything less and questions will be asked.
But let's end this on a positive - Swansea are an established top flight side entering their fourth year in probably the greatest league in the world. With solid goalscorers, electric pace, longstanding stalwarts and a midfield with plenty of depth there's no reason we should be worried.
(Unless Bony leaves...)
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
2013/14 - The final four predictions!
It's almost over - and not a moment too soon! With just four important games left to secure survival for a faltering Swansea City, our former Swan ALEC JOHNSON takes one last look at what we can expect, and shares his score predictions.
By Alec Johnson
Before we look forward to the final four crucial matches, let's briefly take one last glance at last Sunday’s encounter - the 1-0 loss to Chelsea.
After starting so brightly and competing for possession, our tempo and movement gave us real hope of picking something up from the ‘bonus’ game that nobody expected anything from. We won every challenge for the first 15 minutes, except the two that Chico lost. How cheap they were and how expensive they could be.
The Terry and Jose anger tactics played the part necessary to see our pantomime villain sent off once again. What happened next was a mistake in my opinion - hauling off Pablo (who had started with real purpose) and leaving Dyer on (who had started poorly) was an own goal in itself. The logic I get - keep the pace and hard-working runner on - but I felt we needed the form player to sit in the middle and hurt when necessary. We lost, but not without heart and spirit.
So where does that leave us? A strange bag of results threw my ‘super six’ predictions off course and the blew the bottom wide open. We are now a game away from level points in the trap door.
Newcastle United (away) - Sat, 19 April
First up, a trip to Newcastle. St James Park isn’t what it used to be. The Geordies have turned on Pardew showing their lack of appreciation for the punchy cockney with a set of banners last weekend. Their form is poor having lost the last four, while their record of lowest goals scored and most conceded in the top half isn’t a proud medal to carry.
Therefore it’s all about the start. If we get at them early on and unsettle the crowd, breaking the confidence, we can get a grip and win by a couple as we did last season. I do feel that there will be a reaction and a fight, but I cannot see us getting beat, so I will throw in a nervy 1-1 draw. Probably something that both clubs would take before of the game.
Aston Villa (home) - Sat, 26 April
Next up is Villa at home. The away fixture over Christmas ranks as one of my most frustrating in recent years. We battered them for 80 minutes, keeping almost 99% of the ball and the Jack Army were awesome from start to finish. We deserved better, but took a point. This is payback and I believe we can boss this and hurt them at home, hopefully through our three winger approach, which is so effective at the Liberty. I will go for a 2-0 win, edging us towards safety on 37 points with two games to go.
Southampton (home) - Sat, 3 May
Are they on the beach yet? Some are already at the World Cup and going through the motions. On their day they can be devastating and I do feel that they will be up for it on their last away game of the season. Assuming we have collected the four points from the previous two fixtures, I can see us losing this one as they play with freedom and flair. So it’s a 2-1 defeat in my eyes, leaving a nail-biting finish.
Sunderland (away) - Sun, 11 May
The finale! I haven’t considered the other results going on around us but I assume the bottom three will consist of Sunderland, Norwich and either Cardiff or Fulham on the final day. Wouldn’t it have been great to go to the Riverside leaving Sunderland win to send Cardiff down? I would have celebrated each goal flying in past Vorm.
However, given their run of games and shocking form I think they will be down before kick-off. That can only help us, so I see the Swans picking up something and celebrating survival - an ugly point or three will do nicely sitting on 38 points, or even the targeted 40. I'm going for a 2-2 draw.
Then we can all breathe and regroup, before a summer that will undoubtedly see considerable change at our beloved football club.
Agree with Alec? Or dare you disagree? Leave your own score predictions below! And make sure to follow Alec on Twitter.
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By Alec Johnson
Before we look forward to the final four crucial matches, let's briefly take one last glance at last Sunday’s encounter - the 1-0 loss to Chelsea.
After starting so brightly and competing for possession, our tempo and movement gave us real hope of picking something up from the ‘bonus’ game that nobody expected anything from. We won every challenge for the first 15 minutes, except the two that Chico lost. How cheap they were and how expensive they could be.
The Terry and Jose anger tactics played the part necessary to see our pantomime villain sent off once again. What happened next was a mistake in my opinion - hauling off Pablo (who had started with real purpose) and leaving Dyer on (who had started poorly) was an own goal in itself. The logic I get - keep the pace and hard-working runner on - but I felt we needed the form player to sit in the middle and hurt when necessary. We lost, but not without heart and spirit.
So where does that leave us? A strange bag of results threw my ‘super six’ predictions off course and the blew the bottom wide open. We are now a game away from level points in the trap door.
Newcastle United (away) - Sat, 19 April
First up, a trip to Newcastle. St James Park isn’t what it used to be. The Geordies have turned on Pardew showing their lack of appreciation for the punchy cockney with a set of banners last weekend. Their form is poor having lost the last four, while their record of lowest goals scored and most conceded in the top half isn’t a proud medal to carry.
Therefore it’s all about the start. If we get at them early on and unsettle the crowd, breaking the confidence, we can get a grip and win by a couple as we did last season. I do feel that there will be a reaction and a fight, but I cannot see us getting beat, so I will throw in a nervy 1-1 draw. Probably something that both clubs would take before of the game.
Aston Villa (home) - Sat, 26 April
Next up is Villa at home. The away fixture over Christmas ranks as one of my most frustrating in recent years. We battered them for 80 minutes, keeping almost 99% of the ball and the Jack Army were awesome from start to finish. We deserved better, but took a point. This is payback and I believe we can boss this and hurt them at home, hopefully through our three winger approach, which is so effective at the Liberty. I will go for a 2-0 win, edging us towards safety on 37 points with two games to go.
Southampton (home) - Sat, 3 May
Are they on the beach yet? Some are already at the World Cup and going through the motions. On their day they can be devastating and I do feel that they will be up for it on their last away game of the season. Assuming we have collected the four points from the previous two fixtures, I can see us losing this one as they play with freedom and flair. So it’s a 2-1 defeat in my eyes, leaving a nail-biting finish.
Sunderland (away) - Sun, 11 May
The finale! I haven’t considered the other results going on around us but I assume the bottom three will consist of Sunderland, Norwich and either Cardiff or Fulham on the final day. Wouldn’t it have been great to go to the Riverside leaving Sunderland win to send Cardiff down? I would have celebrated each goal flying in past Vorm.
However, given their run of games and shocking form I think they will be down before kick-off. That can only help us, so I see the Swans picking up something and celebrating survival - an ugly point or three will do nicely sitting on 38 points, or even the targeted 40. I'm going for a 2-2 draw.
Then we can all breathe and regroup, before a summer that will undoubtedly see considerable change at our beloved football club.
Agree with Alec? Or dare you disagree? Leave your own score predictions below! And make sure to follow Alec on Twitter.
Thursday, 1 August 2013
Swansea City: Hope and expectation
Premier League, Europe and progression! In this packed blog post, ForzaSwansea's resident ex-Swan ALEC JOHNSON has outlined why he believes this will be a season of both hope and expectation for Swansea City.
I have never wanted summer to end so quickly! For the first time in living memory, expectation exceeds hope in my mind, and winter replaces summer as my season of choice.
The opposition may consider the previous Everton or Norwich method of dominating us in our third as the best way to bully us into giving the ball away, and subsequent submission. I expect each of the newly promoted clubs together with most outside the top six to squeeze us as high as possible.
Despite losing to both Everton and Norwich with this tactic, I believe that we will be more adaptable this season with better players in the middle and more height up front. We are also more streetwise and alive to this high intensity.
Starting
this week in Europe - yes, Europe! - I anticipate a fast start to the season and a two
legged victory in the Europa League. I am old enough to remember
European games at the Vetch and you almost watched through gaps in your
fingers - hope didn’t even play a part. It was damage limitation. Barring a few games it was embarrassing.
However we are now Premier League and serious players within it. I’ll go for a comfortable home win and a draw away. Then onto the group stage and a real European tour.
The suggestion that we need to invest a few hundred million to reach the next level is accurate, but we won’t be doing that anytime soon under the prudent guidance of our brilliant board.
So have we peaked? Is this the best we can hope for?
I sense a slight progression this year. We are better equipped and should break the 50 point mark, taking us into the top eight. The only thing to top that would be winning the FA Cup, or maybe a successful defence of our League Cup. Laudrup certainly does enjoy a good cup run and takes the competitions very seriously. We certainly won’t be challenging the top four so I will take a few points more and a Wembley cup final, or even a Turin final. Why not? Fulham did it!
One area that would be richly deserved this season is for our players to be internationally recognised. There are several waving the flag and having the first Dutch internationals represent us raises the hope that both Spain and England could follow suit. Step up Chico, Michu, Routledge, Jonjo and even Nathan Dyer. Cups and caps are what makes history for a club so this would be a massive achievement to get our lads into these two squads.
As a prediction, I see the biggest oil fight since JR left Dallas at the top of the league with Man City and Chelsea taking it all the way to the title-deciding final games. A Chelsea win on the last day against Cardiff would be poetic to send them down, unless they are down by Christmas which is possible. At the bottom, I see the three promoted clubs going straight back down, this is expectation not hope as they are each absolutely average, at best.
After all that, May will return quicker than a Bony left footer, and we will face another summer of disharmony with the media, scraps with agents, construction of a new tier in the East and possibly a departure or two to help pay for it.
Whatever happens, with Swansea City we have a club to be proud of in every way. Our reputation will grow with our expectation as we start to feel at home at this level. Our third season should be our most enjoyable. Last year takes some beating but this season will see us turn more dominance into points, killing teams off and becoming more ruthless, therefore taking more points and prize money come May - we hope!
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By Alec Johnson
I have never wanted summer to end so quickly! For the first time in living memory, expectation exceeds hope in my mind, and winter replaces summer as my season of choice.
Premier League
Kicking off with the most important point - I expect us to survive in the Premier League, and comfortably so. Once the league shakes out in the autumn we
should be happily sitting in the top half.
But there will be difficult moments. We could suffer a losing streak
that may turn a handful of deluded newcomers to boo or criticise, but
the incredible consistency that got us where we are should be
maintained. Laudrup will not tolerate anything less and he has the squad
to shake things up.
Despite losing to both Everton and Norwich with this tactic, I believe that we will be more adaptable this season with better players in the middle and more height up front. We are also more streetwise and alive to this high intensity.
Europe
However we are now Premier League and serious players within it. I’ll go for a comfortable home win and a draw away. Then onto the group stage and a real European tour.
Progression
So have we peaked? Is this the best we can hope for?
I sense a slight progression this year. We are better equipped and should break the 50 point mark, taking us into the top eight. The only thing to top that would be winning the FA Cup, or maybe a successful defence of our League Cup. Laudrup certainly does enjoy a good cup run and takes the competitions very seriously. We certainly won’t be challenging the top four so I will take a few points more and a Wembley cup final, or even a Turin final. Why not? Fulham did it!
One area that would be richly deserved this season is for our players to be internationally recognised. There are several waving the flag and having the first Dutch internationals represent us raises the hope that both Spain and England could follow suit. Step up Chico, Michu, Routledge, Jonjo and even Nathan Dyer. Cups and caps are what makes history for a club so this would be a massive achievement to get our lads into these two squads.
Season prediction
After all that, May will return quicker than a Bony left footer, and we will face another summer of disharmony with the media, scraps with agents, construction of a new tier in the East and possibly a departure or two to help pay for it.
Whatever happens, with Swansea City we have a club to be proud of in every way. Our reputation will grow with our expectation as we start to feel at home at this level. Our third season should be our most enjoyable. Last year takes some beating but this season will see us turn more dominance into points, killing teams off and becoming more ruthless, therefore taking more points and prize money come May - we hope!
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Swansea City: Capital One Cup, Man United and Villa (David, not Aston)!
It's been an eventful week for Swansea City, so let's sum it up in a best bits blog!
Swansea City vs Chelsea - Capital One Cup semi-final
After Chelsea eventually bettered (and battered) Leeds 5-1 in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night, they seemed destined to be Swansea's semi-final opponents.
From what I can see, reaction from Swans fans is mixed. Some would have preferred to play Aston Villa or Bradford, while some are happy to get Chelsea out of the way first.
I agree that it may be less daunting for the Swans to play Chelsea over two legs. As long as Swansea keep themselves in it during the first leg at Stamford Bridge, they will have a brilliant advantage with the home crowd for the second game.
Then it is just the case of brushing Bradford or Aston Villa aside in another Wembley final! Or, as one tweeter wrote this week - @NeathJack1 said: "We'll probably beat Chelsea and then lose to Bradford in the final!!
The first leg at Stamford Bridge kicks-off at 7:45pm on Wednesday, January 9th.
Welcome to Swansea, David Villa?
In my last post I said Swansea needed a new striker, but I didn't expect Barcelona's David Villa to be the first (or anywhere) on the list. However it seems to be quite a solid rumour at the moment and, with odds being slashed from 40/1 to 8/11 on Wednesday, everyone has gone mental!
We all know that bookies slash odds all the time and it comes to nothing. They panic and lower odds when they notice a big surge of bets on one particular outcome. Or perhaps they know something that we don't. Either way it is very interesting and enjoyable to hear these rumours.
Would he really give up the beauty of Barcelona for the sobering sight of Hafod? I guess if the money is right and regular football is on offer, he may consider it.
This is where it becomes unrealistic though - can Swansea City afford Villa's wages? At probably £100,000+ a week it's unlikely, unless he fancies a severe pay cut.
However it's certainly one for Huw Jenkins to mull over - we know Villa is a more accomplished goal scorer than, say, Shefki Kuqi was. He would be the goalscorer the club are in need of to take the strain off Michu. With Villa leading the way, Swansea could actually set their sights on a top four finish!
Either way, at least now these crazy rumours have some element of believability to them, which is always good news for Swans fans.
Swansea City vs Man United
With so much going on, it's easy to forget the fact that Man United will visit the Liberty on Sunday for just the second time. Last time round Swansea were on the verge of sharing a point with United, but a Michel Vorm mistake gave Chicharito his first goal in Wales.
This time Man United will pose the same threat. Sitting comfortably at the top of the Premier League table, Man United don't seem to have wowed much this year, but are capable of winning game after game, as everyone expects of them.
It's safe to say United are favourites for Sunday's festive football, but Swansea always have a chance to take something at the Liberty Stadium, regardless of who they play.
The unfortunate factor for Swansea are the injuries - Taylor is still out, while Vorm and Rangel are fighting to be fit ahead of the game. Meanwhile, Michu says he's willing to get hurt again against Man United. I like the commitment but hopefully Ferdinand doesn't see this as an excuse to break his leg.
Whatever happens, we will need a better, more enthusiastic performance than the game against Spurs. Swansea shouldn't give Man United the respect the deserve. If they are up for it on Sunday, I will go for a 1-1 draw!
Friday, 19 August 2011
Swansea v Wigan: the must win game!
Maybe it's too soon to declare the game against Wigan as “must win”, but isn't it just that? It's not the games against Man City, Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool that Swansea are expected to win; it's victory over the likes of Wigan that will see them survive come May. Games like this will define the season.
Wigan are, again, amongst the pundits and bookies favourites to face relegation this season and it's up to Swansea to help make that happen by taking all three points on Saturday. In the Liberty Stadium, with the twelfth man advantage, the Swans can't afford to miss out on this occasion.
Naturally the Roberto Martinez factor will also play a part on Saturday – his return to the place he once called home is significant and he is probably, quite rightly, expecting a frosty reception, but this match should be more than just getting one over on the man who dumped the club for better things.
Garry Monk and Neil Taylor are both likely to return to the squad, easing the pressure on defence – the weakest area in Swansea's opening fixture against Man City. I can assume Alan Tate will be dropped to the bench to allow Taylor and Sinclair to play their effective left wing game. Taylor will probably take part in his first competitive game since that heart-stopping evening back in May and will have to put in a good performance to impress those he offended with the Newcastle-gate scandal in the summer.
Again, Sinclair and Dyer are expected to start up front with Danny Graham, though I have a suspicion that Leroy Lita may take the starting striker position. Even if he doesn't, it could be a good move as his pace, combined with Dyer and Sinclair's, would make a dangerous front line. It also shakes things up a little and shows strikers like Graham that they have to work for their place, no matter how much was paid. Whoever takes that starting position will be looking to grab the club's first Premier League goal.
The middle three are, as usual, the only uncertain spots in the starting eleven. Leon Britton had a good game against Man City, as did Kemy Agustien. Stephen Dobbie was a little too quiet in the Eithad, though will have more space against the Latics and, with Swansea needing goals, may be the best to start. Joe Allen instead of Leon Britton? Or instead of Agustien? It's good to see Agustien is now more than just a bench warmer and his inclusion against Man City has added another incentive for all midfield players to perform well in training.
Vorm had a terrible game against Man City, stupidly letting in four goals - he should be dropped... I am, of course, joking. He was Swansea's stand-out player in Manchester and has surely sealed his place between the posts for the season.
My team to face Wigan?
So what about Wigan? They are an attacking team albeit without a consistent goalscorer to put chances away. Still, they've had six consecutive seasons in the Premier League and will pose a similar threat as the likes of QPR did last season.
Wigan's first three matches are against the three Premier League newcomers, all games they were expected to take all three points from. However, dropping points against Norwich means Wigan will be desperate for all three at the Liberty.
Still, this isn't enough for the bookies, who place Swansea as favourites to win in the 90 minutes. I'm predicting 2-0 to Swansea (9/1 PaddyPower). It's a realistic scoreline and one which they need to be achieving – they won't be favourites against many teams this season, so Saturday is about making it count!
Wigan are, again, amongst the pundits and bookies favourites to face relegation this season and it's up to Swansea to help make that happen by taking all three points on Saturday. In the Liberty Stadium, with the twelfth man advantage, the Swans can't afford to miss out on this occasion.
Naturally the Roberto Martinez factor will also play a part on Saturday – his return to the place he once called home is significant and he is probably, quite rightly, expecting a frosty reception, but this match should be more than just getting one over on the man who dumped the club for better things.
Garry Monk and Neil Taylor are both likely to return to the squad, easing the pressure on defence – the weakest area in Swansea's opening fixture against Man City. I can assume Alan Tate will be dropped to the bench to allow Taylor and Sinclair to play their effective left wing game. Taylor will probably take part in his first competitive game since that heart-stopping evening back in May and will have to put in a good performance to impress those he offended with the Newcastle-gate scandal in the summer.
Again, Sinclair and Dyer are expected to start up front with Danny Graham, though I have a suspicion that Leroy Lita may take the starting striker position. Even if he doesn't, it could be a good move as his pace, combined with Dyer and Sinclair's, would make a dangerous front line. It also shakes things up a little and shows strikers like Graham that they have to work for their place, no matter how much was paid. Whoever takes that starting position will be looking to grab the club's first Premier League goal.
The middle three are, as usual, the only uncertain spots in the starting eleven. Leon Britton had a good game against Man City, as did Kemy Agustien. Stephen Dobbie was a little too quiet in the Eithad, though will have more space against the Latics and, with Swansea needing goals, may be the best to start. Joe Allen instead of Leon Britton? Or instead of Agustien? It's good to see Agustien is now more than just a bench warmer and his inclusion against Man City has added another incentive for all midfield players to perform well in training.
Vorm had a terrible game against Man City, stupidly letting in four goals - he should be dropped... I am, of course, joking. He was Swansea's stand-out player in Manchester and has surely sealed his place between the posts for the season.
My team to face Wigan?
Vorm
Rangel Caulker Williams Taylor
Dyer Allen Dobbie Britton Sinclair
Lita
So what about Wigan? They are an attacking team albeit without a consistent goalscorer to put chances away. Still, they've had six consecutive seasons in the Premier League and will pose a similar threat as the likes of QPR did last season.
Wigan's first three matches are against the three Premier League newcomers, all games they were expected to take all three points from. However, dropping points against Norwich means Wigan will be desperate for all three at the Liberty.
Still, this isn't enough for the bookies, who place Swansea as favourites to win in the 90 minutes. I'm predicting 2-0 to Swansea (9/1 PaddyPower). It's a realistic scoreline and one which they need to be achieving – they won't be favourites against many teams this season, so Saturday is about making it count!
Friday, 12 August 2011
Swansea City Preview - Man City (away)
After two months of checking news feeds, watching friendlies, reading endless season previews and queuing at the Liberty Stadium for one reason or another, Swansea's Premier League debut is almost here! Thankfully the riots in Manchester haven't prolonged the wait, so there is nothing (apart from a few inconvenient hours) standing in the way of Premier League action.
The game on Monday is basically the big spenders against the little spenders. Both teams have very different Premier League aspirations this season. One team are aiming for their first Premier League title... and the other is Man City.
Jokes aside, the bookmakers price Swansea at 12/1 to win the 90 minute match with the majority of football fans believing Swansea will leave the Eithad Stadium a broken team, being smashed 7-0.
But we know this will not be the case.
Swansea have had a comfortable pre-season, with highlights being wins over Celtic and Real Betis, and have strengthened an already solid team with the likes of Danny Graham, Wayne Routledge and Michael Vorm. The travelling Swans will go into the game confident that they can function as a slick unit, though will be aware that they are massive underdogs.
Swansea's defence is probably the weakest area as it stands going into the first match, with Garry Monk ruled out due to an ongoing foot injury and Neil Taylor still serving his three match ban thanks to the sending off against Nottingham Forest in May. Ferrie Bodde is another, almost permanent feature on the injured list, though this should come as no surprise.
With the exclusions in the squad outlined, my team to face Man City would be:
I'm sure this won't be much different to what many of you would want to see and very close to the actual team Brendan Rodgers will field, perhaps using Agustien or a third holding midfielder instead of Dobbie for added defensive strength. However, without Dobbie Swansea have sometimes struggled to create, so dropping him may not be wise if the Swans want to look for an opening win, or a draw should Man City score first.
It's certainly going to be Vorm between the posts; even though he has had little experience with the team, he is a highly capable keeper and will boost team confidence. The wings pick themselves and Danny Graham is the natural first choice striker, finally getting his first goal in a white shirt against Real Betis last week.
As Man City go, the influential goalscorer Carlos Tevez is not expected to play on Monday, though breathing a sigh of relief is not advisable with the likes of Balotelli, Silva, Santa Cruz, Dzeko, Clichy and other World Class talent ready to test Alan Tate's men. It's a high quality side which is finally looking more of a unit than a miscellaneous group of primadonnas. The FA Cup winners will accept nothing less than a win to kick off their potential Premier League winning campaign.
Despite a defensive blip in the Community Shield match against Man United last week, City are strong at the back. Led by midfielder-turned-defender Vincent Kompany, Man City conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League last season (joint with Chelsea) and, with the England number one, Joe Hart, in goals, scoring against City will not be easy.
With all this in mind, my prediction is a 3-1 win to Man City. Naturally, as a Swansea blogger, I hope I am drastically wrong, with Swansea grabbing a tight 1-0 victory, though the odds of this happening are 25/1 (PaddyPower). If you do want to bet on this game, it may be advisable to put something on Swansea, as the odds are generous and we all know the start of a new season can throw up many upsets. 1-0 to Swansea, with Scott Sinclair as the scorer is a huge 150/1! Being a realistic scoreline and a realistic scorer that's a bet certainly worth a pound!
Silly-odds-checked-so-you-don't-have-to: Alan Tate to score first and Swansea to win 9-0 is 4000/1. Don't.
From Wembley to the Manchester, Swansea City are about to prove there is one Premier League team in Wales!
The game on Monday is basically the big spenders against the little spenders. Both teams have very different Premier League aspirations this season. One team are aiming for their first Premier League title... and the other is Man City.
Jokes aside, the bookmakers price Swansea at 12/1 to win the 90 minute match with the majority of football fans believing Swansea will leave the Eithad Stadium a broken team, being smashed 7-0.
But we know this will not be the case.
Swansea have had a comfortable pre-season, with highlights being wins over Celtic and Real Betis, and have strengthened an already solid team with the likes of Danny Graham, Wayne Routledge and Michael Vorm. The travelling Swans will go into the game confident that they can function as a slick unit, though will be aware that they are massive underdogs.
Swansea's defence is probably the weakest area as it stands going into the first match, with Garry Monk ruled out due to an ongoing foot injury and Neil Taylor still serving his three match ban thanks to the sending off against Nottingham Forest in May. Ferrie Bodde is another, almost permanent feature on the injured list, though this should come as no surprise.
With the exclusions in the squad outlined, my team to face Man City would be:
Vorm
Rangel Caulker Williams Tate
Dyer Allen Dobbie Britton Sinclair
Graham
I'm sure this won't be much different to what many of you would want to see and very close to the actual team Brendan Rodgers will field, perhaps using Agustien or a third holding midfielder instead of Dobbie for added defensive strength. However, without Dobbie Swansea have sometimes struggled to create, so dropping him may not be wise if the Swans want to look for an opening win, or a draw should Man City score first.
It's certainly going to be Vorm between the posts; even though he has had little experience with the team, he is a highly capable keeper and will boost team confidence. The wings pick themselves and Danny Graham is the natural first choice striker, finally getting his first goal in a white shirt against Real Betis last week.
As Man City go, the influential goalscorer Carlos Tevez is not expected to play on Monday, though breathing a sigh of relief is not advisable with the likes of Balotelli, Silva, Santa Cruz, Dzeko, Clichy and other World Class talent ready to test Alan Tate's men. It's a high quality side which is finally looking more of a unit than a miscellaneous group of primadonnas. The FA Cup winners will accept nothing less than a win to kick off their potential Premier League winning campaign.
Despite a defensive blip in the Community Shield match against Man United last week, City are strong at the back. Led by midfielder-turned-defender Vincent Kompany, Man City conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League last season (joint with Chelsea) and, with the England number one, Joe Hart, in goals, scoring against City will not be easy.
With all this in mind, my prediction is a 3-1 win to Man City. Naturally, as a Swansea blogger, I hope I am drastically wrong, with Swansea grabbing a tight 1-0 victory, though the odds of this happening are 25/1 (PaddyPower). If you do want to bet on this game, it may be advisable to put something on Swansea, as the odds are generous and we all know the start of a new season can throw up many upsets. 1-0 to Swansea, with Scott Sinclair as the scorer is a huge 150/1! Being a realistic scoreline and a realistic scorer that's a bet certainly worth a pound!
Silly-odds-checked-so-you-don't-have-to: Alan Tate to score first and Swansea to win 9-0 is 4000/1. Don't.
From Wembley to the Manchester, Swansea City are about to prove there is one Premier League team in Wales!
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Loyalty: no longer playing for the badge
Dorus De Vries has left Swansea City.
For me this is a bigger shame than Darren Pratley and (possibly) Neil Taylor leaving, as it seems to have cropped up from nowhere. I know he was out of contract, but I must have just assumed he'd sign another one. Football lesson #1: Never assume anyone will be playing for your team next season.
I think I'm more confused than anything.
It might be more understandable had Swansea failed to achieve promotion last season, or were in a Cardiff-type state (complete disarray), but that's not the case. Swansea were promoted, have been gifted £90million, have a great team and management in place and have some of the best supporters in the land. Dorus will know this.
Maybe his departure was a lifestyle reason? Unlikely though; I've been to Wolverhampton and, despite what the Wolverhampton tourist board may claim, it has no charm or beauty. Well, none compared to that of Swansea. So we can rule out “change of scenery”.
Could it be the manager? I've never been managed by him personally, but Brendan Rodgers strikes me as an excellent boss, one who you'd struggle to dislike and one who let's the players play their own way. I can't see the appeal of Mick McCarthy over the Kilimanjaro conqueror, so it can't be a reason.
Maybe we don't have to look further than De Vries himself who said (speaking to Wolves club website): "Wolves are a club with all the fundamentals in place to grow and expectations are higher than at Swansea at this moment in time.”
This, again, is odd. I think expectations are very high in Swansea. Higher than they must be at Wolves. A team still flying on the promotion high (I know the crash will come soon enough) against a team who avoided relegation by a point on the final day. I may be a little disillusioned, but I predicted (before this news came to light) that Swansea would probably finish on par, if not higher than, Wolves. Maybe De Vries knows something I don't?
After discussing all these points, it should be clear by now that money is the reason De Vries left Swansea. (I would like to point out that while I am naturally focussing my attention on the Dutchman, it is generally the same story for Darren Pratley and any others that choose to leave now).
In football, money overtook loyalty years ago. Gone are the days where a player will spend his entire career with one club (bar a few exceptions – Giggs, Del Piero, Scholes) and it's such a shame for the sport.
As we all know, the joy of having 20,000 fans chanting your name is nothing compared to the sheer bliss of that extra few grand a week. Forget the kids who save up pocket money for a new kit and have your name sewn onto their shirts, only for you to leave the next week. Forget the fans in stands similar to the Tesco Stand all over the country who will now have to co-ordinate another chant for their star keeper.
Player loyalty (the lack of it) is almost enough to put you off football.
Why can't more players be like Alan Tate? Can anyone remember Alan Tate holding up his Swansea shirt for the camera's when he signed? No, because it was so long ago! One of those rare players that will probably stay with the club for his entire career (and it's not just because no-one else wants him).
So the departure of De Vries leaves a big space to fill. Swansea are currently being linked with Poland international Grzegorz Sandomierski (a lovely name for the commentators to get wrong). However, the 21-year old has impressed a number of top clubs, including Man City, Juventus and Chelsea, so don't hold your breath on this one.
I felt Swansea already needed another keeper before this happened; as a back up in case De Vries got injured. I don't feel Yves MaKalambay is Premier League material yet, though worth hanging on to as a third keeper.
Now Rodgers has another mountain to climb in getting two good quality goalkeepers into the squad; at least one of them with enough experience to face the likes of Rooney, Tevez and Drogba next season.
I guess Alan Tate could take the gloves again?
For me this is a bigger shame than Darren Pratley and (possibly) Neil Taylor leaving, as it seems to have cropped up from nowhere. I know he was out of contract, but I must have just assumed he'd sign another one. Football lesson #1: Never assume anyone will be playing for your team next season.
I think I'm more confused than anything.
It might be more understandable had Swansea failed to achieve promotion last season, or were in a Cardiff-type state (complete disarray), but that's not the case. Swansea were promoted, have been gifted £90million, have a great team and management in place and have some of the best supporters in the land. Dorus will know this.
Maybe his departure was a lifestyle reason? Unlikely though; I've been to Wolverhampton and, despite what the Wolverhampton tourist board may claim, it has no charm or beauty. Well, none compared to that of Swansea. So we can rule out “change of scenery”.
Could it be the manager? I've never been managed by him personally, but Brendan Rodgers strikes me as an excellent boss, one who you'd struggle to dislike and one who let's the players play their own way. I can't see the appeal of Mick McCarthy over the Kilimanjaro conqueror, so it can't be a reason.
Maybe we don't have to look further than De Vries himself who said (speaking to Wolves club website): "Wolves are a club with all the fundamentals in place to grow and expectations are higher than at Swansea at this moment in time.”
This, again, is odd. I think expectations are very high in Swansea. Higher than they must be at Wolves. A team still flying on the promotion high (I know the crash will come soon enough) against a team who avoided relegation by a point on the final day. I may be a little disillusioned, but I predicted (before this news came to light) that Swansea would probably finish on par, if not higher than, Wolves. Maybe De Vries knows something I don't?
After discussing all these points, it should be clear by now that money is the reason De Vries left Swansea. (I would like to point out that while I am naturally focussing my attention on the Dutchman, it is generally the same story for Darren Pratley and any others that choose to leave now).
In football, money overtook loyalty years ago. Gone are the days where a player will spend his entire career with one club (bar a few exceptions – Giggs, Del Piero, Scholes) and it's such a shame for the sport.
As we all know, the joy of having 20,000 fans chanting your name is nothing compared to the sheer bliss of that extra few grand a week. Forget the kids who save up pocket money for a new kit and have your name sewn onto their shirts, only for you to leave the next week. Forget the fans in stands similar to the Tesco Stand all over the country who will now have to co-ordinate another chant for their star keeper.
Player loyalty (the lack of it) is almost enough to put you off football.
Why can't more players be like Alan Tate? Can anyone remember Alan Tate holding up his Swansea shirt for the camera's when he signed? No, because it was so long ago! One of those rare players that will probably stay with the club for his entire career (and it's not just because no-one else wants him).
So the departure of De Vries leaves a big space to fill. Swansea are currently being linked with Poland international Grzegorz Sandomierski (a lovely name for the commentators to get wrong). However, the 21-year old has impressed a number of top clubs, including Man City, Juventus and Chelsea, so don't hold your breath on this one.
I felt Swansea already needed another keeper before this happened; as a back up in case De Vries got injured. I don't feel Yves MaKalambay is Premier League material yet, though worth hanging on to as a third keeper.
Now Rodgers has another mountain to climb in getting two good quality goalkeepers into the squad; at least one of them with enough experience to face the likes of Rooney, Tevez and Drogba next season.
I guess Alan Tate could take the gloves again?
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