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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's where the points will come from.

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 - 29th March 2015)

Quick, you're late! The clocks went forward last night and you've missed all the fun stuff because you were sleeping!

Oh well, grab your latte with a shot of hazelnut syrup (if that's what floats your boat) and let's see what's been happening this week.


Three-match March

March hasn't been a good month for Swans fans, as the club have only played three matches over the four weeks. And there was no Swansea match again this weekend thanks to the international break.

However, on the bright side, Swansea are safe in the Premier League for another season and they will be playing next weekend - at home to Hull City on Saturday, 4 April at 3pm.


Swans players in action

One good thing about the international break was that we got to see at least some of the Swans stars in action in a different environment. And they were all winners!

Captain of Wales

Yesterday evening the Welsh team beat Israel 3-0 in their European Cup qualifier, with Swansea's Ashley Williams and Neil Taylor both in action.

Elsewhere in Europe, Gylfi Sigurdsson played the full 90 minutes for Iceland in their comfortable 3-0 win against Kazakhstan, although he failed to score. And not forgetting Lukasz Fabianski, who is likely to start for Poland in tonight's match against the Republic of Ireland (7.45pm kick off - the match is live on Sky Sports 5).


Tiendalli has gone

Don't worry - he'll be back (as if anyone was worrying...). Yes, earlier in the week it was announced that Dwight Tiendalli would be joining Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough on loan until the end of the season.

Tiendalli in action...

With Kyle Naughton in good shape and Rangel a fine back-up, the right-back position is pretty much sorted, so there's little for Tiendalli to do apart from rust up on the bench. So it's a good move for both the club and the player - who definitely needs game time.

In 2010 Swansea borrowed Marvin Emnes from Middlesbrough and he produced a very memorable goal against Cardiff. Let's hope Tiendalli can be of similar use to Boro in their quest for the Premier League.


Jack in Time

Earlier in the week I wrote a new Jack in Time post about Swansea City's Football League Trophy Final escapades at the Millennium Stadium in 2006, with a couple of videos - check it out here.

Swansea City: Hello Sigurdsson? Goodbye Tate? Stay there Dobbie?

It's been just under two weeks since Swansea City last took to the field. Brendan Rodgers has barely opened his bottle of SPF 30 and the summer rumours, links and signings are already in full flow.

Too many rumours begin and end on Twitter and, with no attribution, it's barely worth taking notice of most of them. However, some may have legs...

Let's briefly catch up with what's been going on:

Gylfi Sigurdsson
I began writing several posts on Sigurdsson, but as soon as I went to publish them we heard of another twist in the story. It seems Huw Jenkins is opening his wallet wide to grab the Icelandic midfielder, who played such a key role in the latter stages of the season. He filled the centre of the pitch nicely, netting many goals in style for the Swans, so it's no wonder everyone wants him to stay on.

The latest news seems to be that Swansea have agreed a £7.2million fee with Hoffenheim after Huw Jenkins flew to Germany. Sigurdsson must now agree personal terms and decide if he wants to make the switch permanently.

Let us hope it's all sorted soon and £7.2million is the limit. Though he is clearly a quality player, the whole budget shouldn't be spent on one man. You never know - he may have his own bout of 'second-season syndrome'! But I'm almost certain that won't happen. A decision is coming soon though; an announcement we all anticipate highly.

Tate and Monk Released?! 
No... at least I don't think so. But I bring this up as I recently overheard someone say 'I don't believe they've released Tate and Monk from their contracts!'. Thankfully a quick internet search proved it to be another nothing rumour, and rightly so.

While they are struggling in the Premier League they should never be forced out, for two reasons: one being Swansea are severely lacking defenders at the moment. If Taylor and Rangel take a knock, it's Tate who will step in. We don't even have the luxury of two fresh, young centre-backs at the moment with the departure of Caulker, so Monk is currently first choice along with Williams.

The other reason should be obvious - they are Swansea City. Despite being somewhat past their prime, both Monk and Tate are key figures to have on the bench, in the dressing room and, when it's called for, on the field. I'm sure they'd take pay cuts if needs be, but to be released just like that? No!

Stephen Dobbie
Still on the Swans books, but will he play again? Watching the play-off semi-finals it was clear to see why the Blackpool fans love him. His touch, his vision... he is the complete player. For the Championship. Yes, I fear Dobbie is a very good Championship player and that is his limit.

Is it worth keeping him? With the probable signing of Sigurdsson, Dobbie is even less likely to start for Swansea next season, so I think now is the time to let him go (for a nice lump sum of course - £1million is the current price tag). Naturally, he won't be forgotten easily, after what he did for the team in the promotion winning season, but I think most would be happier to see him make the switch to Blackpool permanently.

Marvin Emnes 
Swansea were linked with Marvin Emnes last week, but that little rumour did the rounds and died. Like Dobbie he seems to be a fantastic Championship player and will always be remembered for his goal against Cardiff, but I can't confidently say he'd make an impact on the Premier League.

Rodgers to Liverpool 
He wasn't first choice for the Liverpool job and didn't want to upset the Swans players and supporters, so his decision not to get involved with talks was clever and ultimately the correct choice.

And the rest...
Rodgers to Roma, Emile Heskey to Swansea, Allen to Liverpool for £3million - none of these are happening! I can't decide which one is the most absurd and which I dislike the sound of the most...

Swansea City vs Everton: Safety matches!

The notion of “safety” in the Premier League seems a little irrelevant when Swansea City comfortably hold eighth position in the table.

Even so, the mathematicians among you (which, I suspect, is not that many) will want the added feeling of security that 40 points will bring and a win in Saturday's game against Everton will push Swansea into the desired “safe” zone.

The current team is looking more and more comfortable each week. I can't see much being changed this Saturday - the old cliché reads 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. (Other clichés I enjoy include: 'stubborn as a mule', 'tip of the iceberg' and 'start from scratch' - all have probably featured heavily in this blog over the years.)

Nathan Dyer will be serving the last of his three-match ban for his red card at Wigan, leaving Wayne Routledge to once again fill in on the right wing. I guess “fill in” undermines him slightly as he's done so much more than just fill a hole. While arguably less skilful and certainly less speedy than Dyer, Routledge's delivery into the box has been superb and it's something that is definitely leading to goals.

Gylfi Sigurdsson is having an inspired few weeks and I wouldn't bet against him getting another goal or two in the game against Everton. He's certainly the player to permanently fill the Dobbie-role (now on loan to Blackpool until the end of the season) – if Swansea can raise the funds to sign him.

Ashley Williams is still not a certainty to start after missing out at Fulham due to sickness last weekend. We hope he returns, but I'm sure Monk would relish another starting appearance (and probably deserves it).

Before we get too caught up in getting the fourth win in a row, lest we forget Everton are still a “big” team. Despite now being below the Swans in the table (tenth), they're consistently a top-ten side and boast a number of impressive players and a good manager in Moyes.

Everton took all three points from Swansea in Goodison Park at Christmas time with a 1-0 win, but were unable to overtake the Swans in the table on Wednesday, when they lost 1-0 to Arsenal. In fact the Arsenal game marked the third in a row without a win, so they'll see Swansea as a route back to winning ways. I'm sure they'll be wary though – I don't think any team now feels Swansea is an easy three points, especially at the Liberty Stadium.

But who am I to analyse Everton? In a ForzaSwansea first, I've allowed another blogger to grace my blog. Here's some great analysis from Nic, writer at top Everton blog The Executioner's Bong:

Brendan Rodgers has rightly been lauded for the way Swansea have lightened up the top flight. The best thing about your style is that it shows you don’t have to play the direct, dour percentage football adopted by other sides that have come up.

Against a side who keeps the ball like you guys do there is perhaps a plan A and Plan B. ‘Plan A’ is to let you have the ball, conserve energy by only pressing when you approach 20 yards from our goal. Plan B is to stop you playing from the back. Given the small squad and the vital cup replay on Tuesday I’d doubt very much if Moyes would adopt an energy sapping tactic like Plan B and will instead adopt Plan A and look to stand off, narrow the passing angles to Swansea’s defenders and push them to play longer.

Moyes will certainly shuffle his pack for this one given the Arsenal game last night and the cup game next Tuesday. I’d expect Stracquilarsi, Anichebe and perhaps Gueye to get run outs given they all have good energy as we will probably spend a lot of time not in possession. Pienaar is cup tied for Tuesday so will probably start also. I’d imagine Cahill, Jelavic and possibly Drenthe will all be rested.

Our goal scoring record on the road is awful – less than one per game – so you probably only need the one goal to win it!

With that in mind, let's move to some bets! If you're planning to place a wager on the match, a few to cover are listed below:

Swansea are favourites at 5/4 so would be a good inclusion in any accumulator you have going this weekend. 'Sigurdsson to score first' is at 13/2 and probably worth covering as he is the man on fire at the moment.

My score prediction is 2-1 to Swansea, which is priced at 15/2. Nic says just one goal could win it for Swansea, and 1-0 to the home side is at 11/2 (all odds from PaddyPower)!

Thanks again to Nic and be sure to check out The Executioner's Bong for more analysis!