Why Financial Fair Play is perfect for Swansea City

While each transfer window is getting less entertaining thanks to UEFA's Financial Fair Play Regulations, it's good news for Swansea City! Our blogger ALEC JOHNSON gives us an in-depth look at the positive impact Financial Fair Play has had on teams like the Swans.

---

By Alec Johnson

"Should I stay or should I go..."

I sang this Clash classic a few weeks ago at a party - very badly - and it relates to the mindset of the players through the madness that is January...

It’s been a boring month. The transfer windows are becoming less and less exciting as each window delivers less drama than the previous. Our lot at the Liberty don’t get poached anymore, so we don’t brace ourselves for the big boys to come calling with the sole aim of dismantling us to put our stars on their bench.

What’s happened? Has 'the Swansea way’ influenced Mansour and Abramovich? Not a chance.

A few years back, Blatter and his merry men introduced this Financial Fair Play concept. Initially it was perceived as an anti-Premier League initiative to control the spend levels that were directly linked to domestic dominance of the Champions League.

The sceptics considered it merely a headline act as the bully boys with the thick chequebooks manoeuvred around it through inflated commercial deals. But the reality is that this 90-page book is actually having a very direct and positive effect on the beautiful game.

This gruelling monster of a document basically comes down to two things: the club’s responsibility to pay tax and salary commitments, plus controlling the losses within a period covering a few seasons.

Is this just a bark from UEFA? The early action to ban Malaga from 2014 tournaments suggests that this is serious and there is a bite to go with the bark.

The initial objective was to drive parity across European football, to counteract the surge of foreign investors in the Premier League, plus the massive imbalance of the media revenues. However, it has since extended into the domestic leagues and the clubs are policed into running prudently.

In real terms the figure of £15m of losses cannot be exceeded over a three season stay in the Premier League - if this is breached and the owner doesn’t invest real capital (not loans) in the club then points are deducted.

Should we be concerned at Swansea City?

Absolutely not. This represents the only chance for us to grow and prosper. We have been operating this way for 12 years and the profits delivered in the last two seasons allow us to over invest and gamble if we wished to do so. Although that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

Should our neighbours up the M4 be concerned? Of course not. They won’t be in the Premier League for three years so they can take their debt into the lower leagues and have their points deduction elsewhere.

Other clubs are responding in a variety of ways: Liverpool aren’t overspending anymore, Man City are in selling mode (look at Tevez, Adebayor, Barry and even Sinclair) reducing their losses by half, Newcastle sell more than they buy which is also the case with most clubs.

Chelsea’s response to the regulations has been to throw out expensive fringe players like De Bruyne, Mata and Essien. This trade sale is unheard of at Chelsea. They cannot afford to invest in new players without selling - it’s all changed!

Few have the cash to splash. However Arsenal fall into that category after years of prudence. Their strategy to build stability and add a wordie per season is mirroring the Bayern approach for the past decade and just look what has happened to that lot. Arsenal’s goal is to finally compete at the top table and the Financial Fair Play model should allow them to do so, while reducing the ticket cost for their fans being a direct benefit.

I am sure that Financial Fair Play will evolve through the years as its merits are challenged by the club’s legal teams. However one weakness in the system is that the purchase price of a player can be spread across the duration of a contract, so a £30m acquisition on a three-year contract shows as £10m within the financial accounts - watch out for those ten year contracts!

So the new era is here, together with a whole new world of opportunity for little Swansea City and the few proper football clubs to pick up the trophies.

Let’s enjoy it.

You can follow Alec on Twitter, and join us on our new Facebook page.

Underwhelming but understandable: Swansea City's transfer round-up!

While no Swansea City fan is going to be scrambling to get a new club shirt with N'Gog on the back, let's face it - we are all relieved that we signed a few players.

A week or so back we were panicking over the fact that most of our first team players were injured and no-one had come in to replace them.

Thankfully we are now in a position where many of our stars are returning from injury and the new transfers are just here to reinforce the squad or to develop for the future.

Let's a have a very quick run through of the Swans' transfer window activity:

For the bench:
These are potential first team players, but probably won't see much action with others coming back from injury.

David N'Gog (Striker)
We won't dwell on this too much, but it's safe to say N'Gog from Bolton wasn't anyone's first choice. But, while uninspired, he is a Premier League player and has some talent (if not many goals to back it up). As I've said before, if we get just one goal from the ex-Liverpool man it'll be worth it. Jonjo Shelvey wasn't an ideal choice in the summer but he's turned out alright!

Marvin Emnes (Winger)
At first I thought this was a joke. In fact I'd been joking with a friend last week about resigning old players like Emnes and Kuqi and... well it happened! Our old Championship loanee has rejoined the club on-loan from Middlesbrough again, to mixed reaction from Swans fans. He's not Premier League quality as far as we can tell, but he did score against Cardiff in 2010 and it's destined for him to score against them again next week!


For the future:
These are all lined up for the development squad. If injuries occur, they may well feature, but it's unlikely we'll see much first team action from any of these.

Adam King (Midfielder)
18-year-old Adam King agreed a three-and-a-half year deal from Hearts.

Raheem Hanley (Left back)
The 19-year-old signed for Swansea following his release from Blackburn.

Jay Fulton (Midfielder)
The 19-year-old Falkirk midfielder has been on Swansea's radar for a while now. He has finally made the move to the Liberty for an undisclosed fee.


Leaving the club:
Even though we want to, we can't keep them all!

Alan Tate 
It was inevitable that Tatey would leave us once again. He's joined Aberdeen for the rest of the season on loan.

a loan move to Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen for the rest of the season.
Read more at http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/transfer-day-live-1330189.aspx#tXW9UXcj2IFBPQQY.99

a loan move to Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen for the rest of the season.
Read more at http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/transfer-day-live-1330189.aspx#tXW9UXcj2IFBPQQY.99

a loan move to Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen for the rest of the season.
Read more at http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/transfer-day-live-1330189.aspx#tXW9UXcj2IFBPQQY.99

Rory Donnelly
The young striker hasn't has a look in with Bony and (for some reason) Vazquez on the team, so he's joined Coventry City on loan until the end of the season for some much needed game time.

Lee Lucas
Swansea City's 21-year-old midfielder has joined Cheltenham Town on a one-month loan.

Why not like us on Facebook?

ForzaSwansea - January Highlights

YES! January - the most depressing month - is finally over!

The first month of 2014 has been pretty busy on ForzaSwansea - the busiest in the history of the site in fact!

Below are a few of the articles I've singled out as highlights, in case you missed them the first time around:

• My favourite piece of the month is our exclusive interview with Alan Curtis, where the Swansea City legend answered questions about the squad, expectations and what he likes to drink on his night off!


• Matt wrote a brilliant tribute to our legendary captain Ashley Williams.


• Gavin summed up the now infamous #Brickgate saga and profiled Chico as a player.


• I gathered expert Sunderland opinion on how Ki Sung Yeung has been performing for the Black Cats - he's been doing brilliantly it seems, which may make for depressing reading knowing we won't get him back until the summer!


• And, finally, I tried to beat the other Swansea City media by getting in my early predictions for who may be heading to the World Cup from the Swans squad this summer!

Check them out, leave some comments or have a chat by joining us on Twitter or Facebook. See you soon!

It's in our hands! (Part 2): The next six games

In Part 1 Matt gave us his opinions on why Swansea City were wallowing in the relegation zone and what was needed to get us out of the rut.

He now runs us through the crucial next six games and gives us his predictions on how many points we can (and should!) get from each. Take it away Matt...

---

By Matthew Jacob

With players beginning to return from injury we now face the biggest run of games since promotion was secured. It's time for Swansea to rise and fight back.

There are 16 league games left to play, each one very significant. The next six, however, have the potential to make or break this season:


FULHAM - HOME (Tues, Jan 28th, 7:45pm) 
The perfect opportunity to get on the front foot in this sequence of games. Fulham were held to a draw on Sunday at Sheffield United and a replay is no good for them. When Berbatov doesn't play Fulham don't play, and the Bulgarian has been off form of late.

From a Swansea perspective De Guzman and Rangel should return to give the squad a timely refresher and with Bony firing I think we'll have too much for them. Our comeback against Birmingham was also a timely confidence boost.

Prediction: WIN


WEST HAM - AWAY (Sat, Feb 1st, 12:45pm)
As the Six Nations kicks off the Swans travel to East London to clash with Sam Allardyce's West Ham. The Hammers have been on the receiving end of some terrible results of late (although they have faced Manchester City's goal machines twice in that period).

Swansea lost at Upton Park last season thanks to a goal from Andy Carroll and they held us to a credible draw in October last year at the Liberty. Allardyce has added to his squad at a crucial period including the classy Italian pair Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello from Serie A. It'll be a tough place to go - I'd take a draw but I think they'll have the edge.

Prediction: LOSE


CARDIFF CITY - HOME (Sat, Feb 8th, 5:30pm) 
Boy to we owe them one. Malky Mackay finally made way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the Norwegian wasted no time in proclaiming his desire to finish above Swansea and that they were the capital and therefore should be bigger than Swansea. Solskjaer hasn't impressed the Jack Army with his comments but he continues to say the things Cardiff fans want to hear, and he's making great strides in the transfer market signing a clutch of players from his former club Molde and making bold moves for Zaha and Fabio from Manchester United. He has also secured the services of former Swansea target Kenwynne Jones.

This game needs no introduction. I believe man for man we're a better side than them. It will take more grit and determination than was shown in the first derby, but I think a partisan Liberty Stadium crowd can see us to victory this time.

Prediction: WIN


STOKE CITY - AWAY (Wed, Feb 12th, 7:45pm)
To the Britannia, a ground where Swansea have previously struggled to cope with the aerial bombardment that Tony Pulis championed in the Potteries for a number of years - a style of play often criticised, yet it saw Stoke into the Europa League and has helped them become an established Premier League club.

However Stoke have a very different appearance now in the shape of Mark Hughes, who has made efforts to alter the style in favour of more passing, attractive play, which may have contributed to their league position. Having never been asked to play that way, Stoke have struggled to make the Britannia the fortress it has been in previous seasons. I expect us to go there and be positive, hopefully with an almost fit squad, and come away with a draw.

Prediction: DRAW


LIVERPOOL - AWAY (Sun, Feb 23rd, 1:30pm)
It will take a special effort to prise something away from Anfield as the business end of the season approaches, with the red men chasing a top four spot and Suarez and co playing some spectacular free flowing football. Swansea were demolished 5-0 at Anfield before the Capital One Cup final, so it's fair to say we owe them one.

Were it not for our own mistakes in the home fixture we could well have taken the spoils then and I expect us to put in a much better performance than last year. However I also expect us to get nothing from the game, but I am a natural pessimist. Perhaps Swansea will surprise me once again. Of the next six games this is the 'free' if you will, one where we will not be expected to get a result and many will have written off already.

Prediction: LOSE


CRYSTAL PALACE - HOME (Sun, March 2nd, 4:30pm) 
The last game of the next six that I've earmarked as crucial. I have a hunch we'll know what we have to do between this point and the end of the season. A few months ago I was saying we'd be the club to relegate Palace yet Tony Pulis, to his immense credit, has turned them around. However, struggling to add to a weak squad, they may slip into the bottom three again by the time we meet. I'm confident we'll put them to the sword.

Prediction: WIN


There you have it. 10 points from the next 15 on offer would see us up to 31 points and, with our bottom half rivals facing tough opposition in the coming games, this would make a massive difference.

Our FA Cup tie with Everton comes the weekend of February 15th and there's also the small matter of a Europa League tie in the middle of those games with Napoli coming to the Liberty Stadium on February 20th (not to mention the return leg in Italy on February 27th), but the league must be our focus now.

I still believe it's in our hands - win our games and we'll pull clear. We've got a good squad and a strong identity, so let's get behind the boys. Back the new arrivals (whoever they are), lift the players and let's make the Liberty a fortress again, together!

Swans On Film: N'gog's N'skills

David N'gog is now officially an N'Swansea City N'player!

I had a browse to see if we should be getting excited and... well, there does seem to be some skill level there (more so than Vazquez I guess). Whether or not it will pay off for Swansea will need to be seen, but at least there has finally been some transfer window activity.

Below is a video which highlights an array of N'Gog's skills and a few goals. It's worth checking out if you haven't seen much of him before.

(Please note: I highly recommend you MUTE THE VIDEO - the soundtrack is absolutely terrible!)

Remember to like ForzaSwansea on Facebook for occasional updates. If you do I will think you are pretty cool!

It's in our hands! (Part 1)

In this special two-part article, ForzaSwansea blogger MATTHEW JACOB gives us his opinions on why Swansea City are wallowing in the relegation zone and what is needed to get us out of the rut. Then in Part 2 (scheduled for tomorrow morning) he'll give us a run down of the next six Swans games and how many points we can expect to take!

---

By Matthew Jacob

I think it's safe to say that there was a feeling throughout the summer among the Jack Army that this season always promised to push our club to the limit like never before.

As Michael Laudrup prepared to steer the Swansea City ship into the uncharted waters of the Europa League I admit to a having a strong feeling of trepidation - would the squad be strong enough to battle on four fronts? Will being in Europe take the focus away from the Premier League?

You could argue that we are suffering a similar fate to that of Newcastle United and Stoke City when faced with playing Sunday and Thursday and travelling all over the continent. It was never going to be a breeze for a club like Swansea.

Let's tackle one issue first of all. We're in a relegation battle, no question about it.

The Premier League is a cruel and unforgiving place for a team low on confidence, yet the way this season has taken shape every club from Cardiff in 20th to Aston Villa in 10th is battling to survive, and will be from now until May.

That's how tight it is, where a mere six points separates the bottom club from mid-table 'safety'. And good performances count for nothing. It's all about results now, and Swansea need to start getting them (though I do not believe it should come at the expense of our style, as Alan Hansen suggested a few weeks ago).

The tactical genius himself.

Issue two is expectation. Swansea City have had two heartily successful Premier League campaigns and secured the Capital One Cup while capturing the imagination of professional pundits who suggested we would be nothing but relegation fodder following our promotion. Our dip in form since that cup win is well documented and it has left journalists to suggest we're having a tragically poor season and that teams have 'found us out'.

"Found us out!"

That phrase always makes me smile - is it a major shock to teams now that we choose to pass the ball out from the back rather than hoof it forward? We've been doing it since 2007, so to those teams who have found us out, you took your time.

For the record, Southampton are only ten points ahead yet are being heralded as having a great season? They are, and I love the football they play, but three decent results for us and a couple of dodgy results for them would see us much closer. It's a tight league after all. What would the pundits say then?

Finally, the issue of reinforcements and adding to the side.

The squad needs new blood and the fans would welcome the lift. We've been linked with Anthony Pilkington who is a lovely footballer with a bit of grit about him and someone who would certainly add to our group. A centre forward to help Wilfried Bony in Michu's absence would certainly lift the mood (I'm not sure David N'gog would immediately settle nerves, but he does have a point to prove).

Meanwhile the bizarre issue of Ki Seung Yeung has everyone scratching their heads. Laudrup has been forced to utilise Jordi Amat in midfield yet the mercurial Korean is pulling up trees on Wearside! There were calls to get him back. Those calls were ignored, Ki stays with the Black Cats and we move on.

With the squad bare and a difficult run of games to come, we as fans need to get behind the boys more than ever, the time for moaning at not being mid-table is over. We're in a scrap and we need to pull together. Our destiny is still in our hands.

---

Check back tomorrow morning for Part 2, where Matt will profile the next six games and give his predictions on how many points we can hope for.

Ashley Williams: From Stockport to Stamford Bridge

He puts his body on the line for Swansea City week-in, week out: Ashley Williams. While the captain of Wales has suffered periods of poor form in recent months, there are few others that make it onto the team sheet before he does. To celebrate our captain, ForzaSwansea blogger MATTHEW JACOB brings us a passionate tribute.

---

By Matthew Jacob

"Well done Ash!" - a sentiment echoed by Jacks everywhere time and again over the last six years since Ashley Williams joined Swansea City from Stockport County.

And back then, when the Swans were in League One, even the most optimistic fan could not have anticipated the player we had just acquired. It took £400,000 to bring him to South Wales - a club record fee at the time - yet Williams has repaid that sum ten times over.

Ashley Williams was born and bred in the West Midlands and began his career at West Bromwich Albion in the youth set up at the Hawthorns. Yet like so many footballers his age Williams was released at sixteen having failed to convince the hierarchy at Albion that he was worth a senior contract.

The defender slipped into non-league football, plying his trade at Hednesford Town and working part time at Drayton Manor theme park to make ends meet - humble beginnings for a man who now proudly wears the captain's armband for club and country.

He eventually moved on to play for Stockport in 2003 and made his international debut while captain there, finally moving to Swansea City in 2008 initially on loan. Then on clinching promotion to the Championship under the leadership of Roberto Martinez the move was made permanent.

Williams is an imposing figure. At six foot tall, his broad shoulders carry the hefty expectations of the Jack Army. My first impression was how mobile would he be? He stood enormous, even at 24-years-old when he first joined the club. Thankfully that concern was driven from my mind as Williams conquered all who came against him as Swansea took the League One title and then stood firm in their first foray into the Championship.

It's hard to nail down Williams 'strength' because he's such a complete all round defender. A strong mental attitude and bravery, coupled with pace, physical strength and tactical nous - Williams possesses all of these traits. Most importantly he's an excellent footballer in defence, but he also has an attacking attitude towards the game, namely his ability to play superb cross field passes to the wingers and the obvious threat he poses from set pieces.

Williams has courted the attention of top clubs since our arrival into the Premier League and following the end of the 12-13 season it seemed Arsenal would make a move for the Welsh international. To the delight of the Jack Army no offer materialised and Williams remained a Jack.

But it's not just on the pitch where he shows dedication and selflessness for the cause. He uses his status as a professional footballer for the benefit of others and is often commended for doing so. One example is WillsWorld, the charity he started to benefit under-privileged children with his wife Vanessa, along with his community soccer schools which are very popular with children in Swansea.

He commands the respect of the crowd and his team mates. When Williams is absent you cannot help but feel our cause is weakened. But with him Swansea always have a chance. With the current rough patch we are going through, the Swans will need the influence of Williams more than ever if they are to remain a Premier League side come May.

The story of Ashley Williams is one of a man cast into the football wilderness, rising to lead a club that were faced with bankruptcy and relegation into non-league a little over ten years ago. He now battles for Swansea at grounds like Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge and typifies our bold playing style and bravery against the odds.

Let us hope he continues to lead the club for many years to come.

---

You can pick up Ashley Williams' book, charting his first year in the Premier League. It's available in all good book shops and online.