Swans On Film: "Alan Tate scores a stunner"

He scores when he wants! He scores when he waaaaants... Alan Tate, he scores when he wants!

This one's a real blast from the past - Swansea City legend Alan Tate scores a superb volley in the 1-1 draw against Tranmere Rovers in March 2008, when the Swans were back in League One.

Take note Vazquez!

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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AGREE? DISAGREE? Your comments are appreciated! You can quickly leave your opinion below, or on our new Facebook page.

Swans On Film: "Goals from the Beast"

We've always been fans of Wilfried Bony on this blog, despite his slow start for Swansea City.

Well, I call it a 'slow start' but he's already knocked-in 10 goals in all competitions, and has taken the most shots this season. He's now looking strong, fit and growing in confidence with each passing game.

So I dug out a video which features an array of his goals for past clubs (and a healthy dose of dancing in between the football!)

Check it out and leave a comment if you think there's a better Bony video out there.

Like us on our new Facebook page... go on. It's free and you get updates when new blog posts, videos and competitions are released. And we'll like you forever. Win win.

ForzaSwansea Exclusive: Alan Curtis interview!

From time to time we have some great interviews on ForzaSwansea, and today we have a true Swansea City legend grace the pages of this fine blog.

I've interviewed former Swans player and now club coach Alan Curtis over topics such as the Cardiff game, his favourite memories and this season's expectations, along with some fun quick-fire questions. Enjoy!

Chris: You've been a player and a coach, but which have you enjoyed more?
Alan: Coaching is a close second but nothing beats playing. That's why I tell everybody to play as long as they can.

What is your favourite memory as a player for Swansea?
My two favourite games were playing against Preston and Leeds - both great occasions.

And what has been your favourite Swans game as a coach?
It would be both Wembley appearances (play-off final and league cup final) and wins at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge. A special mention goes for the first 45 minutes against West Brom last season!
 

Alan playing for Swansea City back in the day

In the current squad, who do you enjoy working with the most?
I can't pick anyone out individually, but I enjoy working with all the forwards and the attacking players.

Who's usually the first and last out on the training field?
Both first and last are Ben Davies and Jazz Richards - they're always practising.

What are the main differences between Michael Laudrup's coaching style compared to Brendan Rodgers?
Both managers are very similar in footballing principles - lots of possession drills and small sided games.

We've had a tough winter but have got through it intact - in May, where would you be happy to see Swansea finish the league?
I'd be happy to try and finish in the top ten again, and hopefully we can have another good cup run in both competitions.

If we survive Napoli, can we go all the way in the Europa League?
Absolutely - if we play to the top of our game we can beat anyone.

What went wrong in the last South Wales derby?
We underperformed badly and talked too much about the occasion, rather than concentrating on the game itself.

So, despite Solskjaer's intentions, do you see us finishing above Cardiff?
Yes.

Some fun ones to finish - if Swansea could sign any dream player (from today or anytime in history), who would you choose?
Diego Maradona - he was an unbelievably good player.

Who's going to win the World Cup this year?
Playing at home will give Brazil a massive advantage but I wouldn't discount Germany.

We have readers from countries across the world - but can you speak any foreign languages?
Not really... but I can order a round of drinks in six languages!

Okay so you're at the bar - what are you drinking?
I'm a beer and lager man.

And, finally, what's your favourite blog?
Forza Swansea!

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A massive thanks to Alan for taking the time to answer our questions - it's proved a very enjoyable read!

To read more about Alan and his brilliant career, you can buy his book Curt: The Alan Curtis Story in good bookshops or online.

In case you missed them first time around...

We're all busy people and some articles are easy to miss. So here are some highlights from ForzaSwansea over the past few weeks:

(The links will take you to the relevant blog post)

• To complement the season of copious booze and football, our American writer Jacob Cristobal gave us the rules to The Jonjo Shelvey Drinking Game (enjoy at your peril)!


• Our newest contributor, Gavin Tucker, put together a brilliant game-by-game recap of Swansea City's Europa League adventures so far.


• Former Swans player, football agent and now ForzaSwansea writer Alec Johnson gave us his expert opinion on the Swans at the half-way stage this season.


• I spent ages setting up a vote and collating the results to bring you the Swansea City Team of the Season so far, as voted for by you the Swans fans.


• And to finish it all off, the contributors and myself collaborated our opinions on the upcoming January transfer window with an always popular Blogger Q&A (titled "Vazquez is this season's Shechter").

Save them, read them, share them and - as always - let us know your thoughts via the comment form below or the Facebook page.

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If you have a small business and don't already have a free blog, check out this new blog which offers free small business blogging advice.

Swans On Film: Pratley... 60 yards

I bet the majority of you knew exactly what this video was before you even clicked on it!

In 2011, when Swansea were battling a last minute effort from Nottingham Forest in a game that would decide who would be heading to the Championship play-off final at Wembley, something mental happened. Forest pushed their keeper up for a corner that was punched away by De Vries and the ball eventually found its way to Darren Pratley. The midfielder ran to the halfway line then hit it as far as he could...

Seconds later Swansea City were on their way to Wembley! Just watch the crowd in the background!

If this doesn't give you goosebumps...

Exclusive Sunderland POV: "Ki has been a revelation"

The transfer window is open and Swansea City are desperate for something to freshen up a tired squad. But who exactly are we looking for?

Apart from a goalscoring striker to take the pressure off Bony, we are after someone strong, someone with good feet and someone who can pass the ball. But who?

The answer is actually pretty obvious - Ki Sung Yeung! He's already a Swansea City player, but he's currently on a season-long loan to Sunderland (with a mid-season re-call option, which may prove to be important).

So how has Ki been doing up north? By all accounts very well. But who wants to hear all accounts? We want a concrete answer! So I've recruited David Boyle from the popular Sunderland website The Roker Report to give us the Sunderland perspective on Ki and how effective he's been for the Black Cats:

Ki has, quite simply, been a revelation on Wearside, especially under Gus Poyet. That may that sound like a ridiculous thing to say given Sunderland’s current predicament but Poyet has pretty much set his side up around your man and has given Ki licence to dictate play from the middle of the park with basically every attacking move we make going through the South Korean’s feet first.

It is no secret how Gus Poyet likes his teams to play - very much a style which is especially reminiscent to that of your own which won Swansea many plaudits over recent seasons and given the freedom to play in a central midfield of three, Ki has flourished.

Obviously transfers are a hot topic up and down the country at this time of year and I would not be exaggerating when I say that Ki would be top of my shopping list such is his importance to the side.

Quite whether or not a deal can be agreed either now or in the summer remains to be seen and would ultimately hinge on whether or not the club can beat the drop come May, but either way, we look incapable of playing possession football without Ki in the middle of the park.

Ultimately I fear the Ki situation on Wearside may well play out just like Danny Rose’s loan stint last year where he too caught the eye and won the admiration of the home fans for his superb performances at left-back only to play his way back into contention at White Hart Lane.

Selfishly, I’m desperate to see Ki make his spell with Sunderland a more permanent arrangement, although I could perfectly understand if Swansea were to give their man a second chance given the level of performance he has put in of late.

That's some praise! Perhaps we at Swansea didn't see the potential of Ki when he was sent out on loan, but it seems he's one loan player who would be in our best interests to get back as soon as we can.

A big thanks to David for taking the time to give us his opinions on Ki. You can follow David on Twitter.