Bloggers Q&A: Swans' summer transfers

It's summer, it's sunny (for a change) and Swansea City have finally made some great (along with some "interesting") transfers.

So I decided to set myself and the bloggers three brief questions on Swansea City's recent signings and what is left to achieve in the transfer window. Have a read, share your thoughts, then get back outside to enjoy the weather!


Of all the new players, which one are you looking forward to seeing in action the most?

Alec Johnson: Shelvey - he brings something totally different and a degree of steel that is sometimes lacking in our middle third. Also it will be nice to see somebody having a shot from forty yards for a change - we have lacked this since Bodde.

Jules Price: Canas - I think he will be another great character on and off the pitch in Swansea. The YouTube videos Swansea City have uploaded this week are testament to that.

Jacob Cristobal: Jordi Amat - mostly the surprise that Swansea got him! A 21-year-old defender who could be on the rise for the national team if he has a good debut season. Also I can see a partnership forming with Ben Davies that could flourish!

Matt Jacob: Aside from Bony I think it has to be Shelvey - the man with a point to prove! Think he'll be an exciting edition for us and will prove the doubters wrong.

Chris Carra: I'm curious to see them all, but mostly Shelvey. It's a signing that confused me at first but - like Alec said - he will bring something different to the centre. Laudrup clearly has plans for him, so it'll be interesting to see how they unfold.


We've had a few good signings now, but what else is still needed?

AJ: A small, sharp forward - somebody that nobody has heard of, from a club that we've never watched.

JP: We need to trim the squad. Players like Lita need to go. Also is it time for Tate and Monk to depart?

JC: Another winger for depth purposes, but I don't have a particular name in mind.

MJ: I'd be looking at another centre forward, other than that I'd say we're covered all over the pitch. Vydra would be nice but Donnolly seems to be doing the business in pre-season so I hope we see more of him this year.

CC: Despite the signing of Bony, I'd say at least one more striker is needed, especially if Moore is leaving. Midfield is looking very healthy and there is enough cover for the wings at the moment. Maybe another centre-back, to relieve some of the pressure from Williams and Chico.


Money and realism aside, who would be your ideal summer signing?

AJ: Well, in April I wanted Bony and suggested him as a fantasy signing, so I better be careful what I wish for. Cesc Fabregas here we go!

JP: Fantasy signing would be Paul Gascoigne. I saw him play his first game for Spurs against the Swans in the Mike Hughes testimonial. He scored a 25 yard free kick. Pure talent. Of present players, David Luiz, for the same reason as Chico and Canas - strong characters that love the game, fans and team mates. Good players too.

JC: Thomas Muller (hey there's that winger!)

MJ: Falcao, had he not gone to Monaco. He's a goalscoring machine.

CC: It will have to be someone Italian... so let's say Emanuele Giaccherini. I didn't particularly rate him before this summer, but the Juve winger had a brilliant Confederations Cup with the Azzurri and would look good in a Swans shirt! Plus he's only £8m - bargain!

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This ends the first Q&A! Keep in touch with all of us on Twitter (our handles are on the contributors page). Feel free to leave a comment or question below!

Jack to a King: Turning Hafod into Hollywood!

We all love movies about the sporting underdog - Moneyball, The Mighty Ducks, Rocky - and we all like movies about Swansea (mainly just Twin Town I guess?).

But now Hollywood are coming to town to combine the two and share Swansea City's emotional story with the world!

Jack to a King is a collaboration between an array of top movie makers including BAFTA award-winning director Marc Evans, Oscar-winning co-producer James Marsh and Swansea legend Mal Pope, who is an executive producer.

The producers are calling on ForzaSwansea readers to help them out and become part of this exciting project. Whether you live in Mumbles or Mumbai this is your chance to share your Swans stories and see your name on the credits of a major movie.

They are looking for photos, video clips and digital film that you may have taken at Swans matches, in any format, no matter how ancient. They need fan footage from the old days at the Vetch to the Liberty days, up to and including the day that Swansea made it into the Premier League.

But it's not just on-pitch action they're after. Send in photos and videos of:

• banter and chanting in the crowd 
• yourself meeting players 
• you and your mates travelling to Swans games 
• the open-top bus celebrations 
• or recordings of old radio shows and phone-ins

Visit the official movie website to send in your pictures and footage, or (if you're in Swansea) drop items off in person at the main receptions of the Evening Post, the Liberty Stadium or Swansea Sound.

I'm sure you'll all agree this is a superb project so let's get behind it!

Angel Rangel and The Purple Jigsaw

I'm back from Portugal, full of port and cheese, and ready to share my views on the new Swansea City kit (from what we can make of it) and how it's been revealed!

While I was away I noticed a tweet with an attached photo of the new kit. When I clicked on it I believed my phone was playing up as I could only see Angel Rangel's head. However after reading the accompanying article I realised what was happening.

Via the official website, the club have been releasing the image of the new 2013/14 kit piece-by-piece in an attempt to build interest and create a buzz. The club announced on its website that they will be "revealing a section of both kits each day for the next week" with the full unveiling on Friday morning.

I could see this teaser method working to an extent, maybe over a day or two, but by Friday surely everyone will have figured out what the kit looks like? As one tweeter correctly pointed out, the patch on the arm suggests it is likely to be nothing but a slight variation on the new Stoke City away kit. This is because these days, unfortunately, kit designers tend to create a template and use it for a few clubs. (It's hard to criticise Adidas too much after they delivered the superb centenary kit last season).

I could be very wrong and the final square of the picture could shock us all (maybe a watermark of Alan Tate and the F**k Off Cardiff flag), but chances are it will be pretty much as expected.

Whatever happens this is unlikely to deter the army of Jacks from purchasing the new kit. Regardless of the way it's been revealed it is still likely to be well received and will probably sell out much like it did last year.

It just seems it would've been better to reveal the new kit as one massive firework instead of letting off loads of those little ones which everyone eventually gets bored with.

On the subject of kits - and as I've said before I'm no Gok Wan - I'm not sure about a purple Swans away kit. I'd still prefer a classic black kit, or even red like last year. However the purple move does hint that Infiniti, who use purple as their marketing colour, are more than likely the new sponsors. Whatever happens purple has got to be better than orange!

If blog posts were Nathan Dyer...

Probably the shortest blog post you will ever see on ForzaSwansea...

I'm away on holiday until Sunday (June 23) so won't be uploading any posts until I'm back.

See you soon!

Swansea's severed ties with Tutu... and Laudrup?

In this short blog post ForzaSwansea editor CHRIS CARRA takes an unsure look at the issues surrounding the ongoing Michael Laudrup saga (...he comes to no concrete conclusions).


Will he won't he? Will he... won't... he...? Yes I'm talking about Michael Laudrup.

Swans fans tried to shrug off the rumours as the post-season began, but things are now sticking and with the ties between the club and Bayram Tutumlu finally severed, it seems Swansea City's managerial future is once again uncertain.

But despite reports of these problems, Laudrup has come out and said, via the Evening Post: "...my intention is to stay."

Now, in football, those words don't mean that much. Just look at Brendan Rogers and his "Swansea is where my heart is" poetry and you'll know what I mean, but Laudrup seems a little more straight talking. He's made it clear he would leave the club in a few years, but seemed set on staying for a while.

Naturally he is going to be more loyal to his agent of 25 years than a Welsh football club, but he would know he has a lot left to achieve in Swansea.

But what if he does go? Let's take a step back. As Swansea fans we are probably looking at the Dane through glossy eyes - and who can blame us. He took the club to their highest finish since 1982 and won the Capital One Cup in great style. And he's a cool character who we all love to be associated with.

On the "flip-side" as I'm sure the cool kids say, is it the end of the world?

While I've just outlined what a sterling job he has done, the board would look to bring in a manager with a similar philosophy which would suit the players already at the club.

And he wasn't perfect - some could say his epic first half of the season was cancelled out by the concerning second half. I mean, it wasn't cancelled out, but the performances after the Wembley trip left a lot to be desired.

I've started this blog post with no conclusion in mind, so sorry if you were looking for answers - they will be hard to come by and, in this situation, only time will tell. He will either go in the next week or he'll stay for another season.

Stay tuned because we'll bring you all the gossip and speculation (and maybe even a few concrete facts) throughout this interesting summer.

Swansea City's not-so-merry-managerial-go-round!

THE unrest that shrouds Swansea City over the summer is now almost a tradition. In this article ForzaSwansea blogger ALEC JOHNSON takes a look at the current situation and outlines potential Laudrup replacements, should the worst happen.


It’s summer and that means another media assault on Swansea City. Let’s have a look at the facts surrounding the uncertainty within our club.

It is impossible to criticise Huw Jenkins and his team - they have collectively transformed the fortunes of the Swans, risking so much yet remaining private in their ambitions with the beautiful line "it is our duty to the people of the city". You’ve got to love this.

However we do need a summer of love not this perennial challenge of departures and mayhem.

Firstly, I find it strange that the people responsible for player recruitment at the club take holidays the second the season ends. During my days as a football agent I found that May is the second busiest month of the year and requires constant attention. Taking a holiday in late July seems like a sensible option as we always seem to be playing catch up, even though we do it very well.

The statement from Huw Jenkins last week was again very polished and honest, in the face of the media he gets better and better and deserves huge credit. However as a leader of people, running a business with revenues exceeding £70m, surely there is a feeling that relationships should be stronger internally. Successive managers have run for the exit at the first option with Wigan and Leicester hardly being the greatest attractions - deeper relationships create stronger bonds.

Laudrup is also known to be a quiet and infrequent communicator and this had led to recent comments being taken out of context. It is a statement of fact, not opinion, that we need to spend £200m to improve on our position. That is a fact and impossible to disagree with. What Laudrup wasn’t saying was "I need £200m or I’m off" which is the warped interpretation from certain sections of the media. His frustration lies in the pace of the activity to date with a provisional list of five players close to being closed off yet only Canas signing, not the budget.

It’s a risky game delaying closures at this level as little Swansea City cannot compete with three quarters of the clubs in the premier league. Our ‘home bargains’ happy shopper approach - which has served us well - can only go so far under the radar, the key to its success being getting business done early.

In spite of all of this, I do believe that Laudrup will stay for one more season. But, let’s consider plan B as there is deep level of uncertainty from within the club, not just the media onslaught.

Zola is a serious contender and fits the profile but had a rough ride at West Ham - can he cut it at the highest level? I believe so. Would he come here? He’d be mad not to as I cannot see another Premier League club giving him the opportunity anytime soon.

I had the privilege of speaking with Gus Poyet weeks after he was unsuccessful in his previous application at Swansea. His words: "I called my wife and said that I had found a perfect job for this stage in my career and that the Swansea chairman will be easy to work with, only to find out the next day that Sousa had the job". He was genuinely gutted. The reason then and the probable reason in future is that Poyet's family refuse to move outside London and this doesn’t go down well at Swansea. Nor should it.

I have always admired Roberto Di Matteo, a Champions League winner just twelve months ago and now scrapping around for media work. It is considered that a level of personal baggage is attached to this fella and I cannot see any legs in this.

So what about Morten Wieghorst? The second he arrived I tweeted that this is a ready-made replacement for the big man. The feeling is that he is a top class coach and is being groomed for a top job.

Anybody else? Certainly not in this country - previous contenders like Dean Saunders and Paul Tisdale have seen their stock plummet. The only other contender within profile is Eddie Howe, back at Bournemouth and doing magic for a second spell. Surely this is a step too big, too soon but his moment will come.

So, assuming the rottweiler named Bayram Tutumlu [Laudrup's agent] doesn’t get his way none of this will be necessary. Many will say that none of this should have happened if a few people had handled a few matters very differently.

Feel free to vent your feelings on this situation below or tweet @71_alec for a discussion!

Swansea City: Kitted Out

IT'S almost time for one of the summer's best moments - the launch of the new Swansea City kit! What will we be wearing next season? Who will we be wearing next season? In this blog post JULES PRICE takes a look at rumours surrounding the new kit and sponsor.


Now that the dust has began to settle on another successful season in the Premier League, attention now turns to the behind-the-scenes work at Swansea City.

While much has been and will be written about the potential new signings, players leaving and the ongoing saga of the relationship between Michael Laudrup and the Board of Directors, I’m equally intrigued by the design of the 2013/14 shirts and club sponsor.

The Swans and current shirt sponsor 32Red came to an amicable agreement to terminate the arrangement early. No doubt the Swans would have compensated the online gambling company, but they (32Red) surely had the agreement of the century!

Just consider the amount the company had paid to the Swans while the club was in the Championship, but of course had since been given global coverage on an unseen level at the Liberty Stadium. Thus, the Swans sought a new partnership that would reflect the level of exposure the club could promise any new suitor as they enter the Europa League

Rumours have circulated it could be Infiniti who are currently a club partner, while the Swansea City Wikipedia page states Nexon as the new sponsor. But Leigh Dineen confirmed to me that the new sponsor isn't a current club partner.

I have heard rumours of Samsung and Black & Decker. The latter seems a little strange to me. The Korean company Samsung would be a potential fit as Swansea’s midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng is worshipped in the country, but they already sponsor Chelsea. What about LG? They previously sponsored Fulham and are always looking to ‘troll’ Samsung.

It does seem the Swans were hoping to tie the shirt sponsor into a stadium naming rights exercise at the same time. This will not be the case. Not for the foreseeable future anyway. The extra naming rights fund would have been used to finance some of the stadium expansion that should have started this month with the creation of a fourth tier in the West Stand. This is not going ahead and the better use of spare communal space in the West Stand will house the media.

Of course, the club shop is being expanded into a ‘superstore’ that will accommodate a record-breaking amount of stock. 55,000 shirts will be available this year. A staggering amount! The lead-time for the club to order the shirt design is nine months from Adidas, and thus they are currently being printed with the new sponsor’s name at the time of writing this article. I believe the shirts should be available during the first two weeks of July.

Finally, I have heard rumours of the Swans considering a second superstore in Cwmdu industrial estate. I haven’t been able to substantiate this, so if you have heard this rumour too I would love to hear from you.