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 - 3rd May 2015)

**UPDATE FOR SUNDAY 10 MAY**  Sorry, there's no catch-up today as I've been busy this week finalising my second Swansea City book, which will be out in September! However, I promise to have a nostalgia piece up next week. Enjoy your Sunday and see you soon, Chris

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I've missed the last two weeks of Sunday catch-ups, but I hope you were still drinking your coffee without me. I did post a couple of other articles during the week, including a nice one from Alec Johnson on why Swansea need to set their sights on cups instead of top of the league next season.

But now let's see what we can catch-up with this week:


Swansea City 2 - 0 Stoke City

So we're into May - that season went quite quickly! And kicking off the final month, Swansea beat Stoke 2-0 in their penultimate home game.

After a pretty forgettable first half, the game livened up soon after the break, as did the crowd at the Liberty. And although more chances were being created, a 0-0 still seemed on the cards - until 15 minutes remaining when, after some hard work to get to Nathan Dyer's poorly placed pass, Jonjo Shelvey chipped in a cross for Jefferson Montero to head home - his first Swansea City goal.

Stoke were reduced to ten men when Marc Wilson was rightly shown a second yellow for blatantly hacking down the breakaway Montero, before second-half sub Ki Sung Yueng slotted in his eighth goal for the club in the first minute of injury time.

The two goal win takes the Swans to 53 points and extends their lead in eighth place (with Stoke now six points behind in ninth). A great start to the final month of the season.



Pre-season tour announced

Heading back to the States!

This summer, the Swans will once again head off to America as part of their pre-season tour, where they will take part in a mini tournament in Texas in mid-July. I know there are many Texas-based Swans fans who will be celebrating this news, having the chance to see the club play on their doorstep.

It seems Swansea will take on both Malaga and Mexican top flight side Pachuca in their 'group' games, before playing either Newcastle, Lyon or Moroccan outfit Raja Casablanca afterwards. The first two Swans' games are currently scheduled for July 14th and 16th, although stay tuned for changes.


Loan watch

Let's briefly look at those players out on loan and how they are doing now the season is coming to an end.

Firstly - as you've probably guessed considering he made a late appearance for Swansea yesterday - young Modou Barrow is back from his time with Nottingham Forest, having made four appearances for the mid-table Championship side.

After his poor debut, Dwight Tiendalli remained with Middlesbrough and played just one more game, bringing his total to two. He didn't impress fans with his shaky performances, and I can't see Boro trying to keep hold of him somehow.

Elsewhere Swansea's young Irish striker Rory Donnelly made quite an impact with Tranmere Rovers, scoring five goals in 20 games and was even named Sky Bet League Two Player of the Month back in January.

Michu is still with Napoli, but rumours suggest he'd be happy to return to Swansea having had an awful time with the Serie A giants. Jazz Richards' one month loan at Fulham was extended to the end of the season - he made 14 appearances for the Championship club since joining at the end of January.

And finally club stalwart Alan Tate is still with Crewe Alexandra, having made 26 appearances with the League One Railwaymen since joining at the start of the season.

Brazil 2014 - A final look at who is making the plane!

Quite a bit has changed with Swansea City since my last blog post on the players who may be making the World Cup in Brazil this year.

We've had training ground bust-ups, unexplained player absences, heavy losses and even heavier wins! Some players have been prolific - keeping the Swansea spirit alive - while others have been mere shells of their former selves.

With Swansea safe for another Premier League season, attentions are starting to turn to the World Cup which starts next month. And, for the last time, let's see who may be joining the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Pirlo and Rooney from the Swansea squad!

Michu

Spain

Michu has shot himself in the foot this season. He rightly earned his international debut last year, but since then he has been injured (not really his fault I guess...), moody and lacking the form that made him such a star last season. He has barely featured in Swansea's squad and I honestly don't believe he has done enough to warrant a place in Spain's World Cup squad - and I'm pretty sure most Swans fans would agree with me.

Likelihood: 3/10

Wilfried Bony

Ivory Coast

Wilfried Bony was a bit of a slow starter and initially split the Swans fans into two camps - those who liked him and those who weren't sure he was worth the money. However after the season he has had, he has more than proved his worth - in fact he's proved to be a bit of a bargain at £12million, having almost single-handedly kept Swansea in the Premier League. There is no reason in my eyes that he will miss out on the World Cup.

Likelihood: 10/10

Michel Vorm

Holland

Vorm hasn't had the best of seasons. He has looked tired and much less sharp than previous years - letting in goals that Angel Rangel would probably have saved. He has had his share of injury and his morale obviously dropped, but on his day he's still one of the best goalkeepers Holland has to offer and should be on the plane to Brazil, even if he doesn't make an appearance.

Likelihood: 7/10

Jonjo Shelvey

England

Jonjo Shelvey has proved to be a brilliant addition to Swansea this season. He's had his off days (as have the rest of the squad), but you can rarely question his effort and drive to succeed. He can score goals (just look at his jaw-dropping long-range shot from last weekend), he can pass and he will happily battle for the ball in the centre of the park. However, with the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and Milner in the running for the central midfielders, Shelvey still won't be a frontrunner. He hasn't featured in recent England squads, but he has played well at the Under-21 level and there is still time to change Hodgeson's mind!

Likelihood: 5/10

Roland Lamah

Belgium

Not much has changed with Lamah since we last discussed him. He made his senior international debut in 2009 but has played only 11 times since. The 26-year-old impressed earlier in the season (especially in the Europa League), but hasn't had much of a look in during Garry Monk's tenure. With Belgium definitely taking wingers such as Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Napoli's Dries Mertens and VfL Wolfsburg's Kevin De Bruyne it's unlikely Lamah will be on the plane for Brazil.

Likelihood: 2/10


If you're in the mood for a bet, check out a fine array of World Cup betting offers and enjoy the tournament!

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Mamma Mia! The Swansea City vs Napoli preview

After a much-needed break from European competition, Swansea will face Napoli in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 32 this Thursday. A place in the last 16 against either Eintracht Frankfurt or Porto awaits. Our blogger GAVIN TUCKER runs us through how the Swans may get there...

By Gavin Tucker 

Swansea City, having rested the vast majority of the first team in Sunday's FA Cup defeat, should be at pretty much full strength going into this landmark game.

The squad has looked revitalised under Garry Monk's stewardship, pressing higher up the field while looking to regain possession and playing with the width we have missed going forward lately.

Shelvey played against Napoli while at Liverpool

Jonjo Shelvey may be available after suffering a hamstring strain in the West Ham game. Interestingly, it was now Napoli boss Benitez who signed Shelvey for Liverpool towards the end of his time there, stating he was looking for "British players with passion".

Stranger still is that Jonjo's first start for Liverpool was actually against Napoli in the Europa League aged 18 in 2010. Also, perhaps most strange was his teammate for that fixture was Swans new boy David N'Gog... football has a funny way of throwing coincidences like this up!

Being at home first leg is not ideal and it will be important to get a positive result at the Liberty, a clean sheet would be a massive plus and a goal (or three) should give us a solid base in the difficult second leg on 27th February at the Stadio San Paolo.

There's also a chance we could see the long-awaited return of marvellous Michu, although it may only be a cameo appearance as it's unlikely he will be able to dive straight into a full 90 minutes.

Rafa Benitez's Napoli will make their first appearance in the Europa League this season after being harshly dumped out of their Champions League group despite impressive performances and results.

The Azzurri have been in good form of late - three straight wins including a 3-1 league victory over AC Milan and eliminating Roma 5-3 on aggregate in the two-legged Copa Italia semi-final. They currently occupy third place in Serie A, the final Champions League qualifying position.

Napoli have no major injury concerns or suspensions in their ranks going into the clash. Although top scorer Gonzalo Higuain may not make Thursday's clash after taking a knock to the back in his previous game.

You tend to know to a certain degree what to expect when facing a Benitez side. When taking over at Napoli he moved them away from the more traditional Italian formation of 3-4-3 to his favoured 4-2-3-1 set up that he has used consistently throughout his managerial career. Implementing his zonal marking system and a pretty solid defensive set up that concede few goals to good effect.

Pepe Reina is likely to feature in goal on loan from Liverpool and expect Marek Hamsik to be pulling the strings in midfield. Should Higuain miss the game, Rafa will probably opt to play Jose Callejon up top who has made a strong start since his move to Napoli from Real Madrid.

With approximately 1,700 Napoli supporters making the journey from Italy it should be a lively atmosphere. European competition under the floodlights is a special occasion and should be cherished.

After over 20 years since Swansea's last continental adventures, who knows when we could be tackling an Italian giant again. Savour it!

Napoli should hold no fear for Swansea and there is no doubt the Italians are a well drilled, tough opponent with some quality players. However we have outplayed and beaten better sides in our recent history. It was not so long ago we overcame Rafa Benitez's Chelsea side over a two-leg knockout format on route to Capital One Cup glory. Is this Napoli side any tougher than Chelsea last year?

Concentration, determination and a bit of luck and we can progress from one of the toughest draws we could have got. We are capable enough and, as cliched as it sounds, we can beat anyone on our day!

Prediction: Swansea 1-0 Napoli

Brazil 2014 - "You're only here to watch a Swan!"

While it's constantly pissing down in Swansea, the prospect of the summer is absolutely wonderful at the moment. And although it seems a world away, June - and with it the 2014 World Cup in Brazil - will swing around in no time at all.

The summer may mean no Swansea City footballing action, but this year we may still see our favourite Swans players take to the field as we have an array of fine international talent in the squad.

It may be a little premature, but who cares? The World Cup is a big deal and I'm getting my thoughts in before everyone else!

So, from the Swans squad, who is likely to be travelling to Brazil?

Michu

Spain

Spain are again one of the favourites going into this tournament and with good reason - look at their squad! We all know Swansea's beloved Michu made his international debut last year, but has he done enough to warrant a place in the World Cup squad? At this stage of the season... probably not. This is mainly thanks to his injury, although even before the injury he seemed less groundbreaking than last year. And with the likes of Torres, Negredo and Villa battling for spaces (not to mention Spain's attacking midfielders) Michu will have his work cut out to impress in the next five months.

Likelihood: 5/10

Wilfried Bony

Ivory Coast

There's plenty of attacking talent in the Ivory Coast squad for Brazil, including Didier Drogba (their captain) and Roma's Gervinho, but they'd be stupid to leave Wilfried Bony in South Wales this summer! While he's been slow starting for the Swans, he's now knocking them in on a more regular basis. His strength in holding up the ball and his shot power alone should see him on the plane.

Likelihood: 9/10

Michel Vorm

Holland

Vorm - like Michu - has been blighted with injury this season (hasn't everyone in the Swans squad?), so he's not had as many chances to shine as he would like. But he's still likely to be heading to Brazil in the summer as he's one of the best goalkeepers Holland has to offer (possibly after number one choice Maarten Stekelenburg). Providing he stays injury free in the next few months and gets some more first team action with Swansea until May he should be in the squad.

Likelihood: 7/10

Ki Sung-Yeung

South Korea

As it stands, Swans fans are desperate to get Ki back to the club. However it seems neither Michael Laudrup nor Ki are keen for this to happen. Regardless, Ki is still a Swansea City player and he will be going to the finals in Brazil this year. The 24-year-old already has 55 caps for his country and is very likely to add another few this summer. Hopefully he'll be picked ahead of Cardiff's Kim Bo-Kyung!

Likelihood:  9/10

Jonjo Shelvey

England

This is a tough one. Shelvey has been a revelation for Swansea compared to his time at Liverpool and surely it has caught the attention of Roy Hodgson. Then again we know the mentality of the England management over recent years and because Swansea are not a 'big' club, their players are often overlooked - Nathan Dyer and Leon Britton to name two. And, with the likes of old hands Gerrard, Lampard and Milner in the running for the central midfielders, Shelvey won't be the frontrunner. However Shelvey has played well at England's Under-21 level so you never know.

Likelihood: 5/10

Roland Lamah

Belgium

He made his senior international debut in 2009 but has played only 11 times since. The 26-year-old has impressed during the limited game time he's had for the Swans (mainly in the Europa League), but he hasn't played enough to warrant an assumed place in the Belgian squad. With other wingers such as Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne it's unlikely he'll be first on the plane. Still, as with all the players on this list, you never know!

Likelihood: 4/10


Fast forward to the World Cup Final... Spain vs Holland. Penalty shootout. "Michu steps up against his Swansea City teammate Michel Vorm for the chance to win the final..."

We'll see!

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The Official Jonjo Shelvey Drinking Game

'Tis the season to drink (in addition to all the other things you may do at Christmas), so what better way to take the edge off an awkward family gathering than to play a drinking game. And what better subject for a drinking game than the enjoyable, talented and totally unpredictable Swansea City midfielder, Jonjo Shelvey?

Our resident American Swans fan JACOB CRISTOBAL has jotted down the rules to the drinking game (with a few extras chucked in by me) for your enjoyment. So, when Auntie Maude suggests a fun game to play this Christmas, turn on the TV, open your tipple of choice and hope Jonjo Shelvey is starting the match!

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By Jacob Cristobal

What's one thing we've learned so far this season? As well as needing a healthy Michu and Bony, and doing whatever it takes to keep Michael Laudrup our manager, it's that whenever Jonjo Shelvey is on the pitch you know you are in for an experience.

I AM SHELVEY!

I'll say this: an eight-hour time difference usually means that if I want to watch Swansea City matches live, it is in the morning. And it's a good thing they come in the morning when I'm sleep-deprived and drinking is very far from my mind, because when Jonjo's on the pitch, you'll damn well want to drink!

I've now realised that you will have more than enough scenarios within 90 minutes to create a drinking game based on his antics. So here are the official rules to The Jonjo Shelvey Drinking Game!

Remember, follow these rules at your own peril. I, nor ForzaSwansea.com, bear any responsibility for what happens. Besides, you Jacks are already a drunken lot by the time the ball is kicked - right? So, take another drink if:

• Jonjo influences play so that it results in the ball in the back of a net (that's one drink if it's the opponent's net, two if it's Swansea City's).


• Jonjo gets away with a foul that would normally warrant a booking (one drink if the commentators say it was worthy of a yellow, two if it was worthy of a red, and three if it was an arrestable offence).


• Jonjo scores a legitimate goal. (Typically this comes after the previous two conditions happen first: (i.e. in the Newcastle game).


• Jonjo gives the ball away in the Swans half in the 96th minute and it results in an equalising goal for the opposition.

Down your drink if:

• Jonjo makes a hand gesture that is considered a declaration of war in another part of the world.


• Jonjo scores an overhead kick from the Swans box in the 97th minute - reclaiming the lead and winning the game.


• Jonjo nuts the referee.

Any others we should include? Let us know via the usual channels - Facebook, Twitter or leaving a comment below.

COMING NEXT WEEK - The Dwight Tiendalli Hangover Cure (...not really).

Swansea City 3-0 Newcastle: What we've all been missing!

I've not written a match report for a while, but will give a few thoughts on last night's superb game at the Liberty Stadium, where Swansea comfortably beat Newcastle 3-0.

In a nutshell, we saw something that had been lacking from a Swansea City match for a few weeks - sheer enjoyment!

Swansea went into the game off the back of a deflating 3-0 loss to Man City and a previous loss against Valencia. Things were looking a little bland for the team and some of the Premier League/European gloss looked to have finally worn off. Newcastle on the other hand were in brilliant away form, and on a four-game winning streak. So it was inevitable that Swansea would turn everything around and win in impressive style!

The first half was filled with heavy possession and slick passing from Swansea, with chances at both ends - a hint of the game to come. However things looked bleak when Alvaro Vazquez - Swansea's third and final striker - limped off with a groin injury in the 28th minute. Talk about bad luck. It was difficult enough to score with strikers, so what would happen now? Thankfully we had nothing to worry about as we watched three slide past Krul!

Jonjo Shelvey had arguably his best game ever in a Swans shirt. Despite some immaturity and fortune, he showed strength, determination and goalscoring capability with his superb goal from outside the box, Swansea's third. What's more, he made the second goal (though it went down as a Debuchy own goal) with a well-timed run, and passed the ball around well all game. (Meanwhile keep an eye out for a Shelvey-dedicated blog post from Alec coming up later this week)

We also saw great performances from Pozuelo and Dyer especially (with his good first half goal), with a top-class save from Vorm in the first half. In fact every Swansea player put in a performance worthy of applause - yes, even Tiendalli and de Guzman.

Another thing I noticed was that the Liberty Stadium had some atmosphere! We've always lauded the Liberty as probably the best home support in the Premier League, but recently things have been uncharacteristically quiet. I'm not sure if it's been the chilly weather or, more likely, the lacklustre performances, but things haven't been as noisy for a few weeks. Thankfully the team gave us something to shout about and things were back to normal.

I should mention Howard Webb - I never praise referees but he let the game flow well. He also overlooked the Shelvey incident, and didn't penalise Newcastle's penalty appeals (Williams' push and Davies' handball) which we thank him for (we needed some luck for a change!)

So, although the Europa League has taken its toll on the squad, contributing to the injuries and recent sluggish form, Swansea really showed once again that they can deliver in the face of adversity. The win gives all Swans fans a little boost going into a hectic winter!