Why FA attention over Oli McBurnie was wrong

Going to support your football team is one of the most joyous events for any fan. So, why should a professional footballer be treated any differently?

That's the question that has been asked consistently ever since Sheffield United's Oli McBurnie was "reminded" of his responsibilities by the FA following his appearance on camera allegedly making an obscene gesture whilst watching Swansea City. McBurnie, of course, spent four years with the Swans before moving to Premier League promoted side Sheffield United.

Oli McBurnie pictured here in the Swansea crowd against Cardiff.

Hardly an anomaly

It was derby day for the Swans against their bitterest rivals Cardiff City on January 12 and the 23-year-old striker was in the crowd following Sheffield United's 1-0 victory over West Ham the previous Friday. The Leeds-born forward had scored that game and was clearly just wanting to stand and support his team.

It's hardly an aberration for the Scottish international to be pictured amongst the Swansea crowd, having also been pictured watching the Swans against QPR earlier in the season. Plus, the gesture which McBurnie was seen to be making is commonplace around football grounds up and down the country.

So, why has the FA moved to warn him?

Well, of course, the FA needs to always appear above-board and McBurnie's responsibilities as a professional footballer means he is constantly in the public eye. That, in itself, almost forces footballers to be on their best behaviour, especially when there are cameras watching their every move.

But, critics consistently bemoan footballers as living their own lives and that they are far too detached from ordinary fans. McBurnie proved that footballers are, on the whole, just normal people wanting to support their teams. Is that such a crime?

What we like to see (minus the gesture)

Naturally, the gesture cannot be defended, but the fact that McBurnie had travelled to South Wales on his weekend off shows just how much the Swansea club means to him. If every footballer that supported a side did that then football may well be a happier place altogether.

McBurnie's gesture isn't exactly pretty.

The footballer loves it and the fans next to him love it even more. The chance to mingle with one of their former heroes cannot be underestimated and it's this kind of interaction that spectators love to see. Everyone gets carried away with gestures, but punishing players in this regard just shows how out of touch those at the top really are.

Big Match Preview: Stoke City vs Swansea City

Swansea City travel to Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium in this round 29 Championship clash.

Previous form and league position
Both sides go into this one in reasonable runs of form with Stoke not having lost in three games and Swansea with no loss in four. Their league positions, however, could not be more different as the Welsh side sit just one place and one point outside the top six whilst the Potters lie four points above the drop zone in 21st.

Previous head-to-head
Swansea do not have a good record against Stoke with just one win in their last five meetings. The Swans also failed to beat Stoke at home earlier on in the season, going down 2-1.

Scott Hogan was the hero for Stoke in the two sides' last meeting in October 2019.

Odds and Best Bet
Surprisingly, despite both sides' positions in the Championship table, Stoke are 11/10 favourites on Unibet with a draw at 13/5 on William Hill. A Swansea victory, meanwhile, is 14/5 on William Hill which will surely attract a number of flutters.

Joint top-scorer for Stoke with six, Sam Vokes, is 5/1 to score first on Unibet as is fellow striker Scott Hogan. Sam Clucas also has six goals for the Potters this season and is 21/2 on the same site to break the deadlock. Tyrese Campbell at 13/5 to score anytime and 13/2 to score first on Unibet looks inviting too given his five goals in nine games have helped Stoke move out of the relegation zone.

Swansea's starlet Rhian Brewster already has one goal to his name and he has odds of a remarkable 21/2 to score first and an even more impressive 19/4 to score anytime with Andre Ayew at 10/1 to net first and 7/2 to score anytime on Bet365.

Surely, a Swansea victory at 14/5 on William Hill and Rhian Brewster to score first at 21/2 on Unibet are bargains waiting to happen.

Rhian Brewster celebrates scoring on his debut for Swansea.

Where the Game Will Be Won
For Swansea, it will be whether they can repeat the free-flowing football produced against Wigan last weekend. Their two goals - scored by Brewster and Ayew - were down to extremely exciting and skilful football and boss Steve Cooper will certainly be hoping for more of the same.

Campbell is Stoke's dangerman, but also look out for midfielder and ex-Swansea man Clucas who can certainly ping a pass or two as well finish expertly.

It's remarkable really that both sides have scored the same amount of goals (34) despite their respective positions in the league, but a goal may be enough for either side - especially as Stoke hunt for their third consecutive clean sheet under Michael O'Neill.

Final Thoughts
Swansea will surely be too good for a Stoke side that is clinging on to Championship life by the skin of its teeth. Both sides have been in reasonable form, but if the Welsh side want to earn promotion, games like this need to end up in victories. Though a resurgent Stoke will have something to say about that.

How Swansea's January transfer window has been shaping up so far

Wind the clock back to this time last year and Swansea were in a pickle; the loss of Wilfried Bony, Tom Carroll and Jefferson Montero without replacements hit the club hard, and, it could have been even worse had Daniel James and Leroy Fer completed their respective would-be moves.

Yet, 2020 has seen the Swans resurge; Rhian Brewster, Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi have added some much-needed impetus to the Welsh side. Hopeful of achieving promotion in his first season with the Swans, Steve Cooper has acted rather than reacted to what could have been a problem.

Marc Guehi celebrating his loan move.

Promotion a real possibility

After losing sight of the play-offs for a spell in November, Swansea sit just one point and one place outside the top six - and they have a game in hand on sixth-placed Preston. And, with the new additions as well as the playing and coaching staff and the fans, all talking about promotion, there is a real feel-good attitude around the Liberty Stadium at present. That mid-season blip has long gone and the Welsh side look in good shape to mount another assault on the Premier League.

Though there is still time until the January transfer window ends, Cooper, chairman Trevor Birch and head of recruitment Andy Scott, must be given a pat on the back for the way they have identified the issues within the squad and rectified them in a short space of time.

It was Cooper's relationship with Brewster that influenced the latter to join and he has already scored on his Swansea debut whilst on-loan Chelsea duo Gallagher and Guehi have added some steel to the midfield and defence respectively.

Rhian Brewster celebrates his debut goal.

Are the Swans finished there for their recruitment?

It's unlikely that Cooper will add any more loan signings to his squad with six already in the Swansea ranks - one more than the limit that can be included on match days. But, that still hasn't stopped the rumour mill from ticking over.

Lorient starlet Julien Ponceau continues to be linked with the Swans with the Welsh club having held discussions with the youngster. That's as far as it has gone so far though. Meanwhile, non-league striker Ronald Sobowale - cousin of Bayern Munich's David Alaba - has been rumoured also, but the chances of Swansea doing any last-minute business seems unlikely.

What about outgoings?

Well, that seems to be where the action is likely to be in the remaining days. Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Genclerbirligi - Turkey) and Kristoffer Peterson (Utrecht - the Netherlands) have already departed the Liberty Stadium. Though Peterson's exit led to a chorus of groans, the Swede had scored just once in 11 appearances.

Kristoffer Nordfeldt has moved to Turkish side Genclerbirligi.

Bersant Celina continues to be linked to a move away with Brighton said to be on his radar as does Andre Ayew, but neither have been the subject of bids and keeping hold of the duo could well be the difference between earning promotion and enduring another year in the second tier.

Post-Match Review - Swansea City vs Blackburn Rovers

Ben Cabango made his full league debut

Swansea still haven't won in six games, but they came close against Blackburn as Danny Graham's opener was cancelled out by Andre Ayew as the two sides fought hard for a 1-1 draw.

Switching things up
Swans head coach Steve Cooper made four changes from the side that was comprehensively beaten by West Brom last weekend with Ben Cabango making his full league debut alongside Tom Carroll, Bersant Celina and Jake Bidwell.


The Welsh side, however, seemed to pick up where they left off against the Baggies, conceding in the fourth minute to a Danny Graham effort. The tension around the Liberty Stadium was palpable as Cooper's men looked to be staring defeat in the face yet again. But, an Andre Ayew header from a Matt Grimes cross in the tenth minute settled the team and the crowd.

Major improvement
In fact, Swansea showed a vast improvement from their demolition at West Brom, with Ayew in particular causing the visitors all sorts of problems. Carroll's red card 12 minutes into the second-half stemmed the Swans' momentum, but Bradley Dack soon followed Carroll for an early bath ten minutes later.

Cooper's men ended the game with 57% possession and 14 shots to Blackburn's 8. This must have given the former England youth boss confidence that his side can turn things around in the Championship.

Controversy
But, what didn't please Cooper was the performance of referee Jeremy Simpson. Incandescent, Cooper blasted Simpson, stating that he should be dropped to the conference. The Swansea boss labelled Simpson's decision not to award a second-half penalty for handball by Rovers' Dack as a "massive error."

Referee Jeremy Simpson came in for some criticism in the 1-1 draw

The list of Cooper's issues didn't stop there though as he referred to Carroll's and Dack's second yellow cards as "mistakes" and also wanted a penalty for a foul on Sam Surridge as Swansea tried to force a winner late on.

Positives
Ghanian Ayew led from the front and seemed to be on a one-man mission to help his side get the three points at the Liberty Stadium. With the worst home record in the Championship's top 17, a loss would have been catastrophic, but the Swans plugged away with Ayew - who is currently looking far too impressive for the second tier - at the helm.

Connor Roberts enjoyed some great runs forward and was a rock at the back when necessary whilst captain Matt Grimes kept the Swans ticking - even after receiving a whack that saw Dack sent off.

Striker Surridge made some superb runs in-behind, but failed to hit the net.

What to Work On
Surridge could do with adding another few goals to his name if he wants to keep his place as does Celina. Again, defensive frailties were on show though with Mike van der Hoorn enduring a nervy first-half and Jake Bidwell getting caught out for Blackburn's goal.

However, it was a much improved performance and there were plenty of positives for Cooper to take into the weekend's game against Middlesbrough. A draw might not have been enough to stop the vultures circling at SA1, but it certainly lifted spirits.

Big Match Preview - Swansea City vs Blackburn Rovers

Swansea City host Blackburn Rovers at the Liberty Stadium in this round 21 Championship clash.

Previous form and league position
With Swansea's 100% away record coming to an end in a 5-1 thrashing by West Brom, the Welsh side will be aiming to get back on the horse after just two wins in ten games. Blackburn, meanwhile, are on a four-match winning run and now sit just above (10th) the Swans (11th) on points difference in the table.

Swansea appeared hapless against promotion hopefuls West Brom.

Whilst Tony Mowbray's men will be looking to add their fifth win in succession, Swansea are in a rut - they haven't won in five games - and are looking over their shoulder, just 13 points ahead of the relegation zone.

Previous head-to-head
Surprisingly, these two sides have met just twice in the league since 2012 and only four times since 1984. The last two meetings have seen the Swans come out 3-1 winners (October 2018) with a 2-2 draw in the most recent fixture (May 2019).

Predicted line-ups
Swansea
Formation - 4-2-3-1
Team - Woodman; Roberts, Wilmot, van der Hoorn, Naughton; Fulton, Grimes; Ayew, Byers, Dier; Surridge
Out - Celina (Doubtful), Garrick (Injured), John (Injured), Mulder (Injured), Rodon (Injured), Routledge (Injured).

Blackburn
Formation - 4-2-3-1
Team - Walton; Nyambe, Lenihan, Adarabioyo, Downing; Travis, Evans; Armstrong, Dack, Rothwell; Graham
Out - Butterworth (Injured), Cunningham (Injured), Davenport (Injured), Gladwin (Injured), Grayson (Injured), Hart (Injured), Samuel (Injured), Williams (Injured).

Odds and Best Bet
Swansea are well-placed to win at 1.25/1 on Unibet, whilst a draw is 2.5/1 and a Blackburn victory 2.25/1.

Andrew Ayew, Borja Baston and Sam Surridge all have six goals for the Swans in the 2019/20 Championship season so far with the trio 8.5/1, 4.5/1 and 6.5/1 to score first on Unibet and bet365 respectively.

Bradley Dack is quite clearly the threat for Rovers, with his 10 goals in the Championship six more than nearest Blackburn contender Adam Armstrong. Despite this, Dack is priced at an inviting 8/1 to score first on sportsbet with striker Danny Graham - who has scored just once in the league - at 7/1.

A draw and Bradley Dack to score first surely look the most tantalising offers.

Bradley Dack is a tremendous threat for Rovers.

Where the Game Will Be Won
If Tony Mowbray names an unchanged side for Rovers, it will see Lewis Travis partner Corry Evans in the heart of the Blackburn midfield. When that duo have played together, Rovers have won a remarkable 10 games from a possible 13.

Swansea need to watch out for Dack too; the Welsh side have failed to record a clean sheet in the league since late October whilst Blackburn are hunting for their second in succession with Dack having scored four in his last four.

The injury to Joe Rodon at the back for Swansea has derailed Steve Cooper's great start to the season and Rovers will be licking their lips at the frailties on show in Swansea's 5-1 reversal at West Brom last weekend.

Final Thoughts
Cooper's men need to desperately find some inspiration from somewhere; a losing mentality is incredibly difficult to get out of, and, with Rovers in a rampant mood recently, the visitors could well inflict further pain on the Welsh side with Cooper limping into the January transfer window.

Blackburn to at least get a draw.

Swansea's unbeaten away record ends in dismal fashion. What next?

Before last weekend, Swansea were the only side in the Championship boasting a 100% away record. Fast forward to Sunday evening and the Swans were licking their wounds after promotion-favourites West Brom heaped more misery on the Welsh side with a 5-1 drubbing.

Swansea have won just twice in ten games, falling out of the play-off spots and down to 11th in the process.

The contrast between the two sides could not have been starker as the Baggies taught Swansea a footballing lesson.

A Sam Surridge goal six minutes before half-time made it 2-1 before a Hal Robson-Kanu goal on 44 minutes restored West Brom's two-goal lead. Two further goals from the home side in the second-half, aided with some horrendous defensive lapses from the Swans, restored the Baggies' place at the top of the Championship.

That position could have been filled by Swansea a few months ago, but, after going on an eight-match winning run at the start of the season, Steve Cooper's men have failed to win in five games and with just three wins in 15 games, the pressure is on at the Liberty Stadium to pick up performances or risk dropping further down the table.

Of course, the injury to Joe Rodon hasn't helped at the back and that frailty was all too apparent at the Hawthorns with Ben Wilmot and Mike van der Hoorn experiencing horror shows. In fact, only Sam Surridge appeared to cause West Brom any trouble - a feature which Cooper will want to address ahead of the busy Christmas schedule.

Livewire Bersant Celina hasn't played in recent weeks with George Byers preferred to support lone striker Sam Surridge, but recent results may influence Cooper to change things.

Swansea host Blackburn Rovers tonight and it will be interesting to see if Cooper changes things or sticks with the same side that was battered by West Brom. Plus, with the January transfer window just round the corner, there may well be some new blood required.

What do Swansea need in January to reignite promotion hopes?

Swansea's recent run of results of two draws and one loss have highlighted just how competitive the second tier of British football is.

And, currently in danger of dropping out of the Championship play-offs, the Swans certainly need some new impetus in the New Year. But, in which positions?

Six time-capped England Under-21s international and loanee star Freddie Woodman is excelling in goal. No wonder then that his parent club Newcastle United did not allow the youngster to permanently leave and tied him to a contract until the end of 2021.

In defence it's another story; the injury to Mike van der Hoorn in Swansea's draw at Huddersfield affected the Swans greatly. And, despite youngster Ben Cabango coming in for some high praise on his first league appearance, the injury opened up a can of worms.

Joe Rodon has already been sidelined for months with an ankle injury and van der Hoorn's sidelining has highlighted the defensive frailties within the squad. Cabango has stepped in admirably, but being thrust into the limelight in a pivotal part of the season as the Christmas period approaches, is probably not what boss Steve Cooper had in mind.

Swansea have no issues on the right or left side of defence wiith Kyle Naughton and Connor Roberts rotating marvelously on the right and Jake Bidwell and Declan John performing admirably on the left.

Last year, the absence of Leroy Fer meant that Swansea lacked that engine-type player, the one that thrives playing in the gruelling Championship. And, since his transfer to Feyenoord, the Welsh club are perhaps missing the "hard man" in midfield.

One thing is certain, though, Cooper is blessed with wingers and strikers. Nathan Dyer, Wayne Routledge, Kristoffer Peterson, Jordon Garrick, Bersant Celina and even Andre Ayew have all tinkered in the wide positions in 2019. Plus, Celina, Yan Dhanda, George Byers and Aldo Kalulu have excelled in the "playmaker" role.

Ayew and Borja Baston have been superb up front too; the duo have been involved in 17 goals in the Championship so far with back-up Sam Surridge scoring five himself. Whilst Swansea have been linked with other forwards, it would not be a disaster if Cooper continued with the same frontmen.

So, the goalkeeper issue seems to have been sorted and with widemen and forwards in abundance, Swansea have a tremendous basis from which to mount their Premier League charge. A defender and midfielder are perhaps, however, imperative if the Swans want to reach the top tier, two seasons after falling into the Championship.