Ash claims Bony is "better than ever"

Swansea skipper made comment in public plea for Wilf to commit to another season in SA1

 

You have to love this. Just in case Wilfried Bony was unaware how importantly he's viewed in Swansea, our club captain has given a nice interview where the players' feelings on the matter have been made perfectly clear - they want him here:

 

"It is very important he stays because he is a very good player, he has come back very focused, the best we have seen him. He is sharp in training and it would be a big boost to keep him. It would be bigger than getting a new signing - when you bring a new person in you are not sure how it is going to go. I don't make any decisions at the club, but as players we want him to stay and we have told him that.

"We have lost players every summer, that is the nature of it football and you have to move on when things happen. I don't know what will happen but we want him to stay and he knows we feel that way. He is very popular here.

"He looks sharp and he is so hungry, he wants to score every day and win every game. I am sure that will serve him well. Ash Williams

Bony better than ever? Scary stuff for opposition defences. I get the distinct impression that The Monk may have asked Ash to speak to the press about Wilf, in order to make a bit of a power-play for Wilf to stay. It does now look fairly likely he'll be here come the start of the season, but anything we can do to enhance that possibility is time well spent, in my book.

Ash went on to talk about Bafetimbi Gomis, and how he's settling into the squad:

"It is massive thing for Bafi - we are all pleased for him and it must be great for him to see the back of the net move. He has come in and done well. He is a nice guy and he has learnt English to a good level really quickly. He did not speak any English when he joined and he cost me a fortune on my internet bill translating everything in America, but he is working hard, there is more to be done which he knows and he is doing specific work to get up to speed.

"He is not the same as Wilf, but I am not sure we'll see anything like Bony again, he is such a phenomenal athlete. Bafi has come in and you can see his quality. I have not come up against him much but he is physical too, he has a good first touch, he can roll you and his finishing has been very good. If you give him half a yard he scores.

"He needs to get a bit sharper and get up to speed with the English game. I was speaking to Bony and he says it is a bit different, which is fair, but he has time before the first game to get to the level

"If they can get firing together it is something we can really look forward to. Opposing defenders will definitely pick up some bumps and bruises. If you look at the team sheet before a game and they are on it you will not be looking forward to it." Ash Williams
 
http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Ashley-Williams-Swansea-City-players-desperate/story-22044163-detail/story.html#ExrFzcUmIqcBgreq.99

Hard to disagree with that really - if we can get both our powerhouse strikers firing we'll be a serious, serious force to reckon with. It's also more confirmation that we're looking to play with two strikers at times this season, and I await with eagerness the first lineup of the season. Do we dare go with two strikers at Old Trafford? Monk changed it up bravely at the Emirates by debuting the diamond midfield - I wouldn't bet against him doing it again, especially with Van Gaal seemingly set to play three at the back.

Until then we've got a few more friendlies to get out of the way, and I'm sure we'll see a bit more coming and coming in the near future in terms of the makeup of the squad. Everyone can be agreed on one thing though - we want Wilf in SA1.

Why Swansea City will finish eighth this season

Are the Swans set to be the best of the rest in 2014/15?

The Swansea Way's London correspondent Andrew McGlashan returns to explain why, in his opinion, the Swans could be in line for a very fine season indeed

It’s been a fairly lively summer so far down at SA1 with the club saying goodbye to some big players, welcoming back an old fan favourite, signing some exciting new talent (including new floodlights) and keeping hold of our influential captain. I think it is reasonable to say Garry Monk and the Board must be given at least an A- grade for their summer activity thus far, and I am presuming that the remaining “to do list” would currently look something like this:
 

1. Sign up Ki to a new contract
2. Get De Guzman back in a Swans shirt
3. Bring in another full back
4. Do whatever it takes to stop that beast of an Ivorian from leaving!

Should all of the above be ticked off the list, I for one would be a very happy Jack come August 16th when we rock up to the gates of Old Trafford. This then leads me to ask the question, how good can Swansea be this season? Well I’m going to stick my neck out and say we are going to have a belter.

Last year we managed to finish in 12th swapping managers half way through the season. With just the league and domestic cups to focus on, together with a manager who would give his life for this club, can the Swans top the previous three seasons so far in the Premier League?

Well let’s start by looking at the top of the table. Any realistic football fan would say that the top seven in the Premier League picks itself. Although the order of these top seven can’t be predicted, it is fair to say that last year’s top seven will be the same again. So that leaves the “best of the rest” from the remaining 13 teams. 

Southampton, Newcastle, Stoke and Palace all finished above us last term, but I don't think any of these teams have strengthened like we have. The unprecedented mass exodus at Southampton, the likes of which have only been seen when David Moyes tried to join in the United lads’ big night out, means that I can’t see them finishing above us. Newcastle had an absolutely dreadful end to the season last year and although they do have some class in their squad, all is not well up North with Pardew and Ashley at the helm. Looking at our current squads, I think finishing ahead of the Geordie’s is very do-able. 

Palace had an incredible finish to the end of last season and Tony Pulis worked his magic once again. However, Palace only scored 33 goals last year, compared to our 54, and we have added firepower by signing Siggy and Gomis. Palace are yet to do the same and will struggle again for goals so, for this reason, I see Palace finishing below us. And Stoke? Well I must say I don’t have much time for Stoke, especially after their last minute penalty last year. I’m convinced we’ll finish ahead of those rugby lads.

Looking at the teams who finished below us, I cannot see that West Ham, Sunderland, Villa, Hull or WBA have strengthened enough to make me feel that we cannot finish above them. In fact, I would expect all of these teams to be in and around the relegation zone again as only 4 points separated them last year.

Finally, we come to the newly promoted teams. No disrespect to Burnley or Leicester but I just cannot see them finishing above us. I like their managers but they will do well just to finish 17th. QPR I think will stay up but again I can’t see them finishing in the top 10. I can see ‘Arry leading them to a 15th place finish or so.

Now admittedly you may not be convinced by my whistle-stop tour of the teams in and around us and
to be honest I don’t blame you! However, I will leave you with this final point. Every one of the bottom 12 teams last year had a negative goal difference, the best being Newcastle at -7. Except us. Our goal difference was zero and suggests we were unlucky to only finish on 42 points - Southampton finished with a goal difference of +8 but they are very unlikely to repeat that again given their summer antics.

In light of the added firepower and creativity we’ve added this summer, I think the Swans finishing eighth and taking the "best of the rest" crown is a more than fair argument to make. Bring on 16th August!

Thanks to Andrew for this latest piece - you can follow him on Twitter @AJMcGlashan

 

VIDEO: New signing Jeff scoring an incredible hat-trick in Liga MX Final!

...and he still ends up on the losing side

This video was brought to my attention by a mate, and it's changed my opinion on Jeff somewhat. I had him down as a stick-to-the-line winger , but it appears there's more to him than that. A lot more.

This video is from the Liga MX Final - check out Jeff's goals! He scores first, and all three of his his former teams' goals, as his side Morelia go down 4-3 to Toluca. Some game!

If he plays like that for the Swans, I'm sure there'll be plenty of "Jeff" shirts flying out of the club shop in no time at all. Bienvenido Jeff! Bueno suerte!

Is it time to give the bargain bucket the boot?

With the Swans continuing to grow in stature, should we be looking to sign one big-name player per summer?

For Swansea, financial prudence must almost be fun. It's easy to imagine Huw smirking while he tries to gain a few more million for one of his charges, or debating just how low we can start the bidding for a prospective new signing, but there surely comes a time for a club growing in stature in the Premier League where spending bigger sums become almost necessary, in order that you continue to attract players who would be able to improve the overall calibre of the squad.

I'm not saying it's impossible to sign players on the cheap who'll turn into absolute bargains - Michu did alright, for example, while we have signed numerous players for low transfer fees who've gone on to do excellent things for us, but as we grow in stature it's only natural that the fees involved in these kinds of transfers will increase. We signed Bony for £12million, and this is the kind of fee I'm talking about - for this kind of money you can attract genuine quality, and what's more generally players in this price bracket hold their value.

We don't need to be ridiculous, but if we can get the youth system producing regular prospects, then we could soon be, or even are in the position now where signing one player around this kind of fee per summer could be all we need. The squad will improve year on year, and we'll be building a squad of players who, if they do depart, will go for big fees.

Swansea's bargain bucket signings 
had a distinctly Spanish flavour

What's more; it's a damn sight easier to get rid of one player if he doesn't fit in than it is to get rid of three or four who you signed for free (Canas, Pozuelo...). I'm saying this because I can't help but think that Gary Medel would be a really, really good addition to our squad. Whether Cardiff would sell to us, or he fancies it, is up for debate - as is whether the Swans would be interested - but I don't think we should be scared off by fees of £10million if the player in question will obviously improve the squad dramatically. As I say, you need to be careful and do your research but if it's that obvious - which in my opinion it is with Medel - it's definitely worth investing. Again - just look at Wilfried Bony's success since the turn of the year. 

I'm not saying it's time to abandon our financial scrupulousness - far from it. We should still drive a hard bargain - but if we get a £15million player for £10million we'll have done a lot better than getting a £6million player for £4million. In terms of improving the squad anyway. Surely after a few years in the Premier League, where your squad has improved as it's evolved, it's only natural you'll be spending bigger transfer sums? 

We'd reportedly agreed a fee of £6.7million for Dmitri Payet, but I'd say we should be targeting a higher class of player. Why not? We've been in the Europa League, we've won a major cup in the last two years and we're about to embark on a fourth season in the biggest league in the world. Oh, and we've been putting money away more successfully than almost any other club. Why wouldn't we be an attractive proposition to the "next big thing" coming out of any European league? We should definitely be throwing our hat in the ring, anyway.

Is it time to kick the bargain bucket in the bin? Possibly not. That's not to say we can't afford the occasional deluxe boneless feast, though.

Should Swansea gazump Inter Milan for Cardiff's Gary Medel?

Inter are rumoured to be stalling over an £8million fee for the Chilean, and the Swans need a defensive midfielder...

Four and a half years ago Huw Jenkins made a seemingly tongue-in-cheek enquiry about Jay Bothroyd (then Cardiff's top scorer - he's now playing in Thailand! Mad!). The response? Bothroyd himself had a pop at Huw in the press, and chairman Peter Ridsdale said he "wouldn't expect any of his players to go 'down the road' ", adding that he thought Huw had done it simply for the publicity. For his part, our dear chairman wasn't to be drawn on the matter - only commenting that "Bothroyd isn't a player who'd be in our price range".

How times have changed. The Swans are about to embark on a fourth straight season in the Premier League and Cardiff, predictably, came up, spent loads of money, and promptly got relegated. Buying success is a lottery, and sadly for Cardiff fans spending big wasn't enough to keep them up. The danger of signing big is that if you get relegated it's going to be almost impossible to hold onto your star players - Steven Caulker, for example, has already departed for QPR in order to return to the Premier League but it's another of their signings, Gary Medel, who would suit the Swans down to the ground.

We're obviously in the market for a central midfielder, and as yesterday's blog showed (link) we've probably spent about £2.5million net in the transfer market this summer. If my Premier League revenue maths is correct we should have at least ten million pound left in the transfer kitty - and that's without even worrying about how much we're spending. The amount of money you now receive for TV rights means that pretty much all Premier League clubs are able to spend upwards of ten million every transfer window, and considering the Swans' general financial prudence it's hard to imagine we aren't considerably better off than most.

This is an opportunity to make a statement. It doesn't matter if Medel fancies Inter and doesn't fancy moving down the M4 - it's a statement of intent. Cardiff's chairman has said Medel won't be leaving for any less than £10million - surely we could afford that? It's not even like it's a risk in my opinion - Medel is quality. Real quality. He bossed the first derby against us last season, was excellent in general for Cardiff, and would really suit our style of play. He's shown for Chile the short-passing game comes naturally to him, and on top of that we are in the market for a defensive midfielder - as our bid for Muhammed Besic showed. Medel is surely currently a better player than Besic, and £10million isn't really that much for a defensive midfielder of Medel's calibre. Hell, if Inter Milan are interested...

On top of this, it's an opportunity to step up a notch in the eyes of the football world. Last week we saw French winger Dmitri Payet turn down the Swans - essentially saying we're not a big enough club. Even if we didn't end up getting Medel, the fact that we tried to gazump a major, major club would still make a point that we're a force to be reckoned with - we signed Bony for twelve last summer so why should this be any different?

The obvious sticking point would be whether Cardiff would be prepared to sell to Swansea. I've racked my brain to try and think of the last time a player turned down a move to a club based on his allegiance to their rival, or a club turned down a bid from a rival for nothing other than historic reasons. I'm struggling to come up with any! A sign of the times, perhaps. Either way, it'd be interesting to see what Cardiff's reaction to a bid from their nearest and dearest was this time around.

One thing is for sure - we won't have to worry about Cardiff pricing us out of a move. We could probably even afford to give them a tip...

Monk: "All Bony wants to concentrate on is Swansea"

Swansea boss seemingly rules out Bony sale - barring an "astronomical bid"

With Liverpool's bid for Remy seemingly dead in the water due to a failed medical (or Borini's desire to stay, depending who you believe) there has been talk the Scouse are due to turn their attention back to Bony. Thankfully, it seems they're more interested in Jay Rodriguez (you have to feel for Southampton) and as for Spurs... their lack of Champions League football seems set to scupper their pursuit of the Ivorian. 

That hasn't stopped The Monk from coming out all defensive though...

“Wilfried remains a Swansea City player and we have had no contact from anyone about him. Everything that has been said about him this summer has been in the papers. We are not a newspaper company. We just deal with realism. At the moment nothing has come in and Wilfried remains a Swansea City player, but the situation can’t drag on for the whole summer. 

"You don’t want one of those scenarios where it goes all the way up to the last day. It has to be made loud and clear, the fact is he is not for sale, unless someone comes in with an astronomical offer which does happen. Unless they want to pay an astronomical fee, then he is going nowhere.

“The plan is for him to play against Exeter. With some of the World Cup boys you have to monitor them as an individual. They have their own individual programmes within the group. We have to make sure they are right before we risk them out on the pitch. He should be involved at some point in the Exeter game.

“I spoke to him, he’s a good guy, a top professional. Fortunately I get on well with him. Every player has ambitions and aspirations and it would be silly for any player to say, ‘Oh no, I only want to stay at this club’. If a bigger or better so-called club comes along, and there’s a higher level of football there, then every player is going to do it. 

"That’s the way it is, that’s the football world, but having spoken to Wilfried, he knows he’s a Swansea City player and he knows nothing has happened so far. All he wants to concentrate on is what is happening at Swansea City. That’s why he has travelled with the squad, if he was thinking about going he would not be here, would he?”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-fc-target-wilfried-bony-7519330

Now that's an inteview. No beating around the bush, or giving out ifs, buts and maybe's - Garry "Straight to the point" Monk, as he could easily be known. He acknowledges that, were a ridiculous bid to come in, we'd be helpless to stop him but importantly, he's put drawn a line in the sand and indicated we are not going to be bullied into selling short of, I'd imagine, £25million. For the Swans, that truly is an "astronomical figure" as Monk points out.

I'm more confident than ever that Bony will be a Swansea City player come kickoff on the first day of the season. There aren't many clubs that could afford him, and those that can... the face doesn't seem to fit - for whatever reason. This, combined with Monk's comments, mean this has been a very positive Monday for Swansea City. 

Big Wilf is staying! We love you Wilf!

HIGHLIGHTS: Plymouth Argyle 0 - 4 Swansea City

Relive yesterday's action

Finally! I was starting to think a camera ban had been imposed on Home Park, but at last we're able to check out the action! About time too. As per usual, I haven't had time to watch these yet - I'll catch up later on, but here you go:

Nice to be back to winning ways! Go on the boys. I saw the goals on Twitter last night and it's great to see Sigurdsson back in the swing of things. The Gylf could well have a key role to play this season.

The Gylf, Fabianski, Bafi, Jeff, Marv & Kingsley for £2.5million? Not bad at all!

Huw's summer of wheeling and dealing continues

Prynhawn da, buenos dias and good morning! It's Monday morning, the sun is still (remarkably) shining on our corner of South Wales and we've got our first win of pre-season under our belt (I'll post highlights of the 4-0 win over Plymouth if and when they become available). 

With the new season now fast approaching, our summer transfer business must surely be nearing completion and after I've had some time to ruminate on the Ben Davies/Michel Vorm/The Gylf super-swap deal I'm starting to think Huw has played an absolute blinder - and not just with regards to this transfer.

So far this summer we've probably spent a net total of about £2.5million, if my maths are correct. There's rumoured to be a loan fee of about one million for Michu, I'd imagine we got, say, £500k for Pozuelo, plus another £2.5million for Vorm. That's us around four million up. Take away a million for Kingsley, £1.5million for Emnes and four for Jeff and we're looking at a spend of about two and a half - and of course you then have The Gylf, Fabianski & Gomis who all arrived ostensibly without transfer fees. 

Ok, Gomis undoubtedly got a serious, serious signing on fee, and Ben Davies left, but we're definitely stronger as a result. It's hard to imagine Sigurdsson isn't a better player than the last time he was here, and if his 25 minute, two-goals-and-an-assist cameo yesterday is anything to go by he's set to make a mark. 

For a total outlay in terms of transfer fees of around two and a half million pound so far, we've definitely improved our squad in this transfer window. It seems we're not done shopping yet either, and rumours of a new right-back (Carl Jenkinson is being heavily rumoured as well as Nigerian international Ramon Azziz) will be music to Swansea fans' ears. We're also seemingly still in the market for another winger, but Payet's snub means we'll have to look elsewhere if we're to sign someone before September 1st.

Once again, Swansea are showing you don't need to break the bank to compete. This is the Swansea way. This is what we do. 

I wouldn't change it for the world.

Podcast: The EPL RoundTable S02 E01 - West Ham play like Brazil

The EPL RoundTable is back!

It must be podcast season! This week also saw the return of the EPL podcast, and it was good to renew acquaintances with all the other regulars who made this such a fun podcast to contribute to last season. I look forward to another season of debates, statistics and general bickering! Check it out below.

Podcast: The JackCast EP 18 - The return of The Gylf

The JackCast crew return to run the rule over our recent transfer activity and more

You can tell the new season is almost here. Anticipation is palpable, there's a tension in the air, and speculation of all varieties is being cranked up a notch as fans up and down the country listen out for any news which could affect their side's chances.

Thankfully, for Swansea fans at least, you can listen to the three JackCast regulars (myself, Steven Carroll of sosfanzine.com & host Matt Harrison of lostboyos.wordpress.com) debating all the latest news and gossip for you, to save you having to filter the wheat from the chaff.

Check out the latest episode below, and don't forget to subscribe and give us a rating on iTunes (if you're that way inclined).

Shake your booty! Why a big posterior is an ass-et for a footballer

Why a big arse is a big bonus

When I was about nineteen or twenty I had a revelation. I've never been the most slim-line of chaps, and at this point my waistline had balooned to a point where I wasn't physically able to perform as a central midfielder. I was, at worst, twenty-three stone and a brief cameo as a substitute goalkeeper for Killay FC aside, my only footballing outlet was Pro Evolution Soccer. Weirdly though, this helped me understand football a lot better, and helped me become a much better player - before injury cruelly curtailed a career which would surely have ended up with me banging thirty-yarders in for the Swans. Maybe.

Anyway. My point. I realised that if you're a player with more strength than your average opponent, this can be used to your advantage massively. This will be basics to anyone who's been involved in football but when you take your first touch, get your body between the ball and the man who's trying to get it off you - and this is where the ass comes in. As the owner of a fairly healthily-sized derriere, I realised that if I stuck my arse out, and kept my body between my opponent and the ball, I was damn near impossible to move. 

Scale that up to professional football. Jason Scotland is a brilliant example. Massive arse - massive goal return. How did he do it? I'd imagine if you asked him he'd say he did it fairly easily - hold off your man, spin one way or the other then bang it in the net. The most beautiful things are often the most simple, and if you have a skill set (and physical attributes) which allow you to simplify how you do things - why wouldn't you? 

The ass is a huge weapon. Wilfried Bony is the inspiration behind this article, as he uses his strength more effectively than any other player I've ever seen. Ok, he probably is the strongest player I've ever seen, but his ability to hold a man off whilst taking a first touch really is something special to watch. By crouching slightly, bracing and using his bodyweight carefully, he is able to retain possession - literally - at will.

It's not just players with massive arses who are able to harness the power of the arse though - look at Nathan Dyer. I'd wager he spends about 20% of any given game with his legs braced wide apart, arse stuck out, spinning to keep his back between the ball and his man. Through doing this, he is able to regularly retain possession way, way better than someone of his stature should be able to when under pressure from multiple defenders.

Brendan Rodgers was instrumental in getting Dyer to do this, I think, and the similarities in how Raheem Sterling is now playing are evidence that Rodgers is big on getting his players to use their bodyweight to their advantage. A combination of balance, poise, timing and a big arse can, as Wilf has on occasion shown, make you literally unplayable.

I've written this because, like Wilf, players have been criticised for "not working hard enough" or "not putting the yards in" on many an occasion, when they obviously aren't built for it. The growing use of the 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 means that, for centre-forwards especially, these attributes could well be growingly important. Sergio Aguero is excellent in this regard, as is Luis Suarez (though obviously both are vastly different players to Bony), and I could list players who are excellent at using their bodyweight to hold the ball up all day, but when you have someone with the nous to know when to put his body in front of the ball, plus an ass which allows them to create an impenetrable barrier, you simply have to play to his strengths. 

Quite simply, his strengths will more often than not be enough.

With Swansea's new signings, how will we line up this season?

Which system - if any - will Swansea use week-in, week-out in 2014/15?

The arrival of Jefferson Montero, plus the Swan's continued interest in Dmitri Payet of Marseille (another winger, who the Swans have already agreed a fee for) would seem to indicate that, for large portions of the season at least, we're going to be operating in a standard Swansea 4-2-3-1 formation...but wait! Where does that leave new signing Bafetimbi Gomis?

Gomis' arrival, which at the time coincided with a distinct lack of wingers (only Dyer & Routledge were on the books at this point - plus Emnes if you count him as a winger), seemed to me to imply we'd spend a large portion of this coming season playing a 4-4-2 diamond. The arrival of Jeff and possibly Payet too would seem to put paid to that theory, though it doesn't mean we're not going to switch between formations throughout the season.

Here's how a team based on a diamond midfield could look this season:

As you can see, in this formation it's very easy to switch into a 3-5-2,
with Leon Britton becoming essentially a third centre-back

Does that look seriously strong to anyone else? There would be two areas of concern for me, all tied in the same kind of position, and remarkably I'm going to single out the area of the pitch around Leon Britton. Left on his own to cover that amount of the pitch he'll always struggle, and that's not a slight on his ability.

He just can't cover that much ground on his own - he hasn't got the necessary physical attributes. That makes defensive midfield a weakness in my opinion (unless whichever two midfielders play ahead get back to help out), and secondly this puts extra pressure on the fullbacks, as without a traditional winger ahead of them -  and only one defensive midfielder to track over and cover - they are very exposed. This was particularly evident, I thought, when we played in this fashion at the end of the season - though this could well be something The Monk has worked on addressing over the summer.

It could easily be argued Ki would be a better fulcrum, with Leon operating in a more Xavi-esque role alongside Jonjo, and I can see that working. I think though that given Leon's experience in front of the back four he'll be preferred, and this leaves us needing to make sure we cover both him, and the full-backs with more vigour.

Now let's have a look at how we'd shape up (potentially) with our traditional 4-2-3-1:

That's a bit more familiar, isn't it? The big question mark around this formation, for me, is how/if Gomis fits into the picture. Surely we can't be set to play him out on the wing? That leaves a very expensive option sitting on the bench. Obviously Wilf is off to the African Cup of Nations so that'll give Gomis a chance, and competition for places is never a bad thing, and if he keeps Wilf out of the team on merit then that's hardly a negative for Swansea City.

As for the wingers, that'd be good competition. If there's truth to the rumour of Payet talks continuing we'd have four for two positions, and I can't see why we'd be signing a fourth (arguably fifth if you count Emnes) winger if we planned to play a 4-4-2 diamond. Surely not? Even if Monk plans to use a winger in the "number ten" position behind two strikers, the abundance of wing men seems superfluous if we're playing a diamond more often than not.

There is the possibility we're looking at a three-at-the-back system, but I think the ease with which you can switch from a diamond to a 3-5-2 makes that the more obvious utlisation of that formation - ie. having your defensive midfielder playing between centre-backs in-match as opposed to playing with three dedicated central defenders. It is hard to say how we'll line up more often than not next season, but if you ask me I'd say it could be the good ol' 4-2-3-1 we know so well. Old faithful, as it were.

That's not to say we won't see the Swans try a few different things this season. Monk has shown he's not afraid to make bold changes, and I firmly expect us, on occasion, to play with a different system this season. The proof is in the pudding, but we're rapidly assembling a squad of players who will allow us to do this. I've said on many an occasion that if you don't look to evolve, you run the risk of stagnating.

However we play, the overall calilbre of the squad is now surely the best we've ever seen in South Wales, and 2014/15 looks set to be another exciting season for Swansea City Football Club. I can't bloody wait. 

I love it when a plan comes together

Swansea have lost two first teamers, but is the first team now stronger than it was a few weeks ago?

With the confirmation of Ben Davies & Michel Vorm departing for Tottenham (and Gylfi Sigurdsson coming the other way) we're slowly starting to see our first team for the coming season take shape. 

The other day I wrote an article entitled "Has Levy got one over on Huw" (link), looking at whether, financially, Spurs had got the better of us in this one. This was based on the amount of money coming our way - it now appears we're going to receive about £2.5million for Michel Vorm while Davies and Sigurdsson is a straight swap, with both players reportedly valued at £10million.

This was the part I didn't understand - Davies is young, British, and everything would point to him being worth a couple of million more. Sigurdsson, on the other hand, cost Spurs around £8.5million and has been in and out of the team - it's hard to see where they got that extra £1.5million from. 

It was then pointed out there's a distinct possibility that Spurs will be subsidising The Gylf's wages - which were probably around the £60,000 mark - as I doubt he fancied taking a £20,000 (or even bigger) pay cut. With the Swans' strict wage structure I can't see us paying him more than £40kpw - if Spurs are subsidising wages that makes trying to work out a relative transfer fee a lot more complex. 

Wages aside though, Sigurdsson's arrival makes our first-team a LOT stronger. Having him behind Wilf, or Wilf & Bafi, gives us so many more options - I'm starting to get really excited about this coming season. What's more, with Fabianski lined up to come straight in for Vorm, and Taylor coming straight in for Davies, I'd argue that in terms of a first eleven at least, we're a fair bit stronger than we were a few weeks ago. A couple more signings to improve the depth and overall calibre of the squad, and we're going to be looking good.

It's still hard to tell how we'll line up week in, week out. I'm basing my "first team stronger" theory around a diamond mifield with two up top. Leon at the base of the diamond, Ki & Shelvey (with Fulton coming in I'm sure) ahead and Sigurdsson at attacking midfield. That's a quality four man midfield, and I think Ki & Jonjo would be able to support Leon in defence enough that he wouldn't get exposed. Especially with Sigurdsson ahead - it would take pressure to create off Jonjo and allow him to play a more disciplined, patient game.

There is still talk that the signing of Jefferson Montero is imminent, and with Nathan Dyer & Wayne Routledge already on the books another winger coming in would surely indicate that, for portions of the season at least, Monk intends to operate in a more traditional Swans' formation, with three in midfield. There is also a growing appreciation in football of the 3-5-2/5-3-2 formation, and I'll be surprised if the Swans aren't working on a way of utilising this - especially as you can switch between that and the diamond in-play with relative ease (for more on this, check this article out - link). 

Whatever formation we play, I'm growingly confident about our fortunes ahead of this season. We've made good moves so far in the transfer market (Gomis, Fabianski & Sigurdsson all - depending how you look at it - coming in for free), and it seems we're not done shopping yet. The future's bright. The future's black and white. 

TOKEN SENSATIONALIST HEADLINE....

Tokan sub-headline retracting almost everything sensationalist headline claims

Today I read a headline in a London newspaper that stated "Michel Vorm confirms Spurs switch". "Here we go", I thought, "Maybe one part of this protracted triple transfer is actually done and dusted". But oh no! What was the next (and first) line in the article?

"Michel Vorm has appeared to confirm his switch to Tottenham"

Now, I know it's obviously done and dusted and that makes this not the best example, but the point is that it's becoming increasingly evident that, online especially, websites and newspapers are using shock headlines and capital letters to drag viewers to their site. I've seen it referred to as "clickbait", and the term is very apt.

This led to me having a bit of a moan about this practice on Twitter, but boy am I glad I did! First of all, the ever-excellent Hazelton Wang (who I still can't work out if he's a real person or not) replied with this beauty - perfectly demonstrating the kind of thing I was on about:

@TheSwanseaWay WILF KEEN ON SUMMER MOVE He want bigger garden in Swansea
— Hazelton Wang (@Wang10official) July 23, 2014

Next up was @D8nnyJ with this beauty:

@TheSwanseaWay @valleyboy999 @Wang10official BRITTON IN BIG MONEY MOVE! puts 500k in savings account.
— Dan (@D8nnyJ) July 23, 2014

This led to a stream of excellent replies, all of which I tried to retweet - sorry if I didn't! Here are some of the best.

@TheSwanseaWay @valleyboy999 @Wang10official MONK IN MANAGERIAL MERRY GO ROUND! Monk visits local fairground with premier league colleagues
— Dan (@D8nnyJ) July 23, 2014

@D8nnyJ @TheSwanseaWay @valleyboy999 @Wang10official CRACKS APPEAR IN SWANSEA CAMP As training shorts are deemed to be loose & revealing
— Liam Crook (@Crookyy96) July 23, 2014

@Wang10official @thexhangman @TheSwanseaWay @D8nnyJ @valleyboy999 DYER IN ITALIAN SWITCH Buys a new Maserati
— Liam Crook (@Crookyy96) July 23, 2014

@D8nnyJ @TheSwanseaWay @valleyboy999 @Wang10official JENKINS DOES A TAN. Chairman can't believe the shade of brown that Piz Buin provides.
— ForeverJACK (@ForeverJACK) July 23, 2014

@Wang10official @d8nnyj @theswanseaway @valleyboy999 ENTIRE SWANS BOARD RESIGNED!!! To being only premier league club in Wales
— Hazelton Wang (@Wang10official) July 23, 2014

@TheSwanseaWay STAR TRIO MOVING IN THIS WINDOW! pic.twitter.com/r55up4RQnO
— Clare (@thatclaregirl) July 23, 2014

@valleyboy999 @wang10official @theswanseaway BLOW FOR SWANS! As entire team learn to play the trumpet.
— Dan (@D8nnyJ) July 23, 2014

@TheSwanseaWay JENKINS MAKES SHARP EXIT FROM SWANSEA at J48 of the M4 on his way to Neath
— Huw Mellor (@marchamjack) July 23, 2014

As you can see, I had a great morning on Twitter - I particular liked the last one from Huw Mellor!

Jokes aside though, the point is a real one. I can't be alone in being fed up of clicking on titles like "Former Man Utd, Liverpool & Arsenal target in SHOCK move to leading Premier League club for CRAZY wages", only to find out that some random youth kid has reportedly been linked with a move to West Ham.

Sadly it seems there's little we'll be able to do about this. It's only going to get worse, and avoiding the practice puts you at a massive financial disadvantage - this website could easily have five or six times as many views if I tried to "Tabloidify" every headline. After a year and a half of blogging on this site almost always daily, I still make no money through advertising, but if I'd have been sensationalist from day one I would probably be earning a tidy packet by now. 

Where's the fun in that though? Anyone can type in capitals and jump on a bandwagon - I like the idea this website gives Swansea (and other) fans something a bit different to read. Something which isn't driven by the amount of hits we're receiving on a daily basis. 

Well, not entirely anyway...

"Davies' sale to Tottenham took the shirt off my back"

TSW's newest contributor Josh Denk returns with a wistful look at why, for Swansea City, patience is most definitely a virtue

Rookie Mistake

 
The offseason makes me restless. I miss the football so much that I do things many of you long-time football fans would consider poor choices. The World Cup this year only made it worse. It only made me want to be at the start of the Premier League season that much more. I look for any occasion that signals we're ready to go again and this year, it was the kit launch.

When the Jacks released the new kit on the eighteenth of June, there really wasn't any stopping me getting an away kit, with the classy half-and-half red-black design. Yes, that logo is massive and atrocious, but it's not THAT much worse than last year's. And yes, it's a little slimmer than last year's design, but that's just another incentive to get back on the bike and shed some pounds this summer and fall.

But I went one step too far. Can you spot the mistake? I should have checked with the experts before getting Ben Davies' name and number on the kit. I should have known there'd be this kind of interest in Davies after his first-team work the past couple of years. Now I know better. And I'm stuck with a shirt Davies will never wear.

I was naively hoping for some sort of collector's-item cred, but a quick conversation over Twitter with The JackCast's Matt Harrison ("that's not how it works, mate") set me straight. He did suggest I could pass it off as my last name; unfortunately, in the U.S., Davies becomes Davis. Perhaps I could pass it off as a Kinks tribute, but they're not even a little Welsh, so that doesn't make a lot of sense either.

So what to do? Well, it's not like my neighbors will know anything about the team or where Ben Davies will end up playing in 2014-2015, so there's no reason to be publicly ashamed. But how do I reconcile wearing the shirt personally if he goes? Transfer windows gossip columns are hilarious reading. I mean, where else can you read about an agent trying to create distance between a superstar and his team over a birthday cake? The speculation drives clicks and newspaper sales. It's way more fun than reading actual news as well.

There's such authority in those pages, though, that it can easily fool you, especially if you're new to the Premier League. Sometimes the pages say "Liverpool are looking to swoop for Davies for £8 milliion" and that sounds reasonable. Then sometimes they say "Liverpool have agreed an £8 million fee for Davies" and that also sounds reasonable, even though it's total crap. Big Wilf definitely has a £19 million release clause! Someone's seen it! No, you can't see it. Does it exist? Definitely maybe. Ooh, Gus Poyet is going to make Ash a Black Cat with a £4 million offer. Yes, that definitely happened.

Speculation about potential destinations is a universal sports phenomenon; what's less present on American soil is the interminable wait for some deals, specifically for teams like ours who don't have seemingly infinite resources. Last year, I started posting updates about the Wilfried Bony signing on my Facebook page under the header "BONY WATCH." Bony Watch (it's usually all caps but I'll spare you that) lasted a very long time before he actually signed. What's fascinating is that the "watch" terminology could apply to pretty much every speculative deal.

There could actually be (and probably should be) a DAVIES WATCH as well as a Bony Watch this year, and I could also add a Montero Watch, given the predictably protracted nature of his supposedly imminent transfer this summer. For teams like Swansea City, the negotiation is a slog. By the time the speculation is over, I've had time to create a starting XI with the desired player in the lineup. It's like he's already here and playing for us. So if he doesn't arrive, I end up wondering what we're going to do without him. 

The answer is "what we've always done; keep building a team around a philosophy." But when even Huw Jenkins goes public with his frustration at the slow pace of the transfer market, it's hard to stay focused on the long term plan, which has a lot more to do with the structure and playing philosophy of the team than it does with any individual players - either those present or those on their way to South Wales. 

See? Even Huw forgets that sometimes. (Can I call you Huw, sir? I like to think he reads this). Patience is ever the watchword. Get comfortable; there will be no sudden moves. Wait for official word from the club or an official report; don't get carried away with the gossip. I mean, by all means, read it, and have a laugh, but don't trust anything.

So in the end, having a 2014/15 Davies kit is a reminder to practice patience. It's a reminder to wait for resolution. It's a reminder that the only thing that matters after the breathless speculation is who's around on September first, and whether the team's creating and finishing chances. I'll wear the shirt with pride - chastened pride but pride nonetheless - and a healthy dose of skepticism.
 

Also: no more names on the back of kits. I'm not dancing with that devil again.

Thanks to Josh for this latest piece, which I'm sure everyone will enjoy. You can follow him on Twitter @TheJoshDenk

Gylfi Sigurdsson - Good value for money?

How does Gylfi compare to JDG or Michu at attacking midfield?

Nathan Lewis returns in statistical form as he runs an eye over the return of The Gylf, and whether we'd be better off throwing money at Jonathan De Guzman

It’s nearly over. Ben Davies and Michel Vorm seem to both be a signature away from moving to Spurs, with Gylfi Sigurdsson coming the other way. While the fairness and quality of this deal for the Swans is still to be debated, it is time for us to consider the qualities of the Icelandic international, and how he will slot back into the Swansea philosophy.

The mention of Sigurdsson returning to the Liberty is exciting, due to his impressive loan spell under Brendan Rodgers in our first Premier League season. A deal for him to re-join us for the next season seemed to be close to completion before Rodgers moved to Liverpool, and Spurs came in with what you would imagine were more impressive personal terms. Gazumped.

The hole left by Gylfi was immediately filled in impressive fashion by Michu, who scored 18 league goals in his debut season before suffering from niggling injury problems in 2013/14. Meanwhile, having joined Spurs, Sigurdsson struggled to force his way into the first team, and was largely used as a substitute or out on the left wing. 

Given his proven talent when playing through the middle, it’s easy to see Sigurdsson thriving when placed back into the Swansea line-up and at first glance, Gylfi and Michu would appear to be similar players. In their respective spells with Swansea, they were both the centre of attacking moves, and scored an impressive haul of goals. 

That being said, for the first time in what seems like forever the Swans have a genuine striker capable of leading the line. With Bony providing a focal point for attacks, it is no longer the primary purpose of the attacking midfielder to provide goals.  Whether Monk sets out his team in a 4-4-2 diamond, or in our more familiar 4-2-3-1, the main role of an attacking midfielder would surely be to slide passes through to the striker(s) and create chance after chance (see more on this here). Of course, if he can occasionally pop one in from long range, that wouldn’t hurt!

So how would Sigurdsson slot into this role? A comparison of Michu (2012/13), Sigurdsson (2012/13) and de Guzman (2013/14) makes for some interesting reading, especially when thinking about a more creative, assist-making attacking midfielder. Michu storms the ‘goals scored’ competition with eighteen, compared to three and four for The Gylf and Jono respectively, but he struggles to match the chance creation, pass completion and assists of the other two. 

Gylfi created 25 chances in just 1231 minutes (one every 49.24mins) of game time, compared to Michu’s 34 in 3004 (one every 88.35minutes) and made double the amount of assists (four to Michu's two). Clearly, this shows that Sigurdsson has the potential to be a more creative, team-focused attacking midfielder than the passionate Spaniard. An interesting development however, is de Guzman being more impressive than both Gylfi and Michu in terms of pass completion (88% as opposed to 84.4% and 80.5% respectively), chances created (50 in 2357mins - one every 40.74 minutes) and key passes (51 to Michu's 25 & Gylfi's 34). 

He is also marginally more impressive defensively than Sigurdsson and Michu, but this could be due to him playing alongside Leon or Jose Canas for large chunks of last season. There are whispers that Gylfi returning to the Liberty means that we will not see Jono in a Swansea shirt this season, but looking at the statistics, it’s difficult to argue that the Dutchman wouldn’t be better value for money than our impending new arrival.

Perhaps with more game time, and being played in his favourite position, The Gylf will storm next season, sliding passes through to the strikers and smashing in long-range efforts. The prospect of him setting up the likes of Bony and Gomis is very exciting, and the return of this impressive player can only be good news for the Swans as they try to maintain their status as an established Premier League side.

Statistics used in this article sourced from www.whoscored.com. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathdavidlewis

Swansea linked with Saviola? Championship Manager-esque!

Argentinian striker is a free agent following his exit from Olympiakos, and the Swans are rumoured to be interested...

You can keep your Lionel Messi's and your Cristiano Ronaldo's. Growing up as a misty-eyed (often plaster-casted) football fan, I spent a fair whack of time that I should have committed to revising for my GCSE's on building possibly the greatest Swansea City team Championship Manager (and subsequently Football Manager) has ever seen. I had Pablo Aimar, Ronaldinho I'm pretty sure... and up top I had one Javier Pedro Saviola Fernandez. Aka Javier Saviola. My Swansea team's greatness knew no bounds, and the lethal finishing of the little Argentinian had a lot to do with that.

I genuinely remember fantasising about what it would be like if we could one day sign someone of Saviola's ilk, and when I saw today that the Swans had been linked with him following his release from Olympiakos a massive grin broke out on my face. Before today I had completely forgotten how much I liked the wee man, and I genuinely think that if there's any truth in this it could be a really good bit of business.

He's 32, and his star has fallen somewhat meaning wages will be much less of an issue than some would think. This is a guy who has played for River Plate, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Monaco, Benfica... and he's still only thirty-two so you'd expect he'll still be able to do what he's best at - tuck the ball in the back of the net. Sure, his turn of pace is almost definitely to be found wherever he left it at one of his previous clubs, but he's a Michael Owen/Kevin Phillips type of player whose knack of being in the right place at the right time will always get him goals.

It would have been easy to write this off as pure speculation, but his agent has confirmed that a) he'd be very interested in a move to the UK and b) that UK clubs have been in touch. Whether one of those clubs is, as reported, the Swans remains to be seen:

"We have come to agreement over Javier's contract and he is now a free agent and available to talk to other clubs.

"He has always wanted to play in Britain and that ambition remains, and we are fielding a number of enquiries from the UK." Saviola's agent Christian Otero

http://www.teamtalk.com/swansea-city/9390421/-

I for one am all for this. We've got two big powerful strikers, and having a smaller nippier option to bring off the bench is so obvious it's painful. It gives us options, and his availability on a free is bound to attract the Swans, who do love a bargain.

Saviola to Swansea? Who next - Ronaldinho?!

Has Levy got one over on Huw?

Sigurdsson coming in is an undoubted boost, but has Levy got the best of the bargain on this occasion?

The impending transfer of Gylfi Sigurdsson to the Swans, with Ben Davies and Michel Vorm going the other way, sees two of football's canniest negotiators going head to head in a bid to barter the best deal. It could, at times, have resembled the scene at a Moroccan market stall as a vendor attempts to get the most for his prized possession - the difference is though with both hagglers attempting to drive the price up on their own merchandise there was always going to be one who came out on top, and one who was a little hard done by.

Swansea fans and Tottenham fans alike will have backed their chairmen to drive the better bargain, and I had full faith in Huw - not that the result of this bartering match affects my faith in him whatsoever. That being said, you can't help but feel that Levy has driven the price down to the point where it's hard to argue he hasn't had the better of the deal.

Ben Davies is young, British, and liable to improve. Let's say he's been valued at £10million (as per reports - the same as the reported fee put on Sigurdsson's head) - how does that work? Sigurdsson cost Spurs about £8.5million, and he's been in and out of the team since. I don't think many Spurs fans would argue he's enhanced his value during his time at White Hart Lane, and I think if the Swans had paid the same as Spurs originally did to acquire him I think that would have been fair.

How Davies isn't worth more in today's market is beyond me. Danny Rose - the man he's billed to replace - is being touted as a £6million signing and if there's any truth to that Ben Davies is worth at least double. Positionally Davies is suspect, but he's twice the defender Danny Rose is. This is why I have this feeling Spurs have stung us for a couple of million here - especially as it seems Spurs are now looking to pay around £3.5million/£4million for Michel Vorm. If that's true, I'd say we're about three or four million short of what would have been a fair mark - even for a club like Spurs with a track record of hard bargaining.

You live and you learn, and at this level you're dealing with shrewd operators no matter who you're talking to. I'm sure if Huw does feel Spurs have got one over on us it'll only serve as incentive to bargain that much harder next time around. That is The Swansea Way, after all. Buy low, sell high. Let's not sell ourselves short.

Davies & Vorm to Spurs, The Gylf in? Sounds good to me!

Icelandic international looks set to move to SA1 as part of a deal which will also see the Swans receive around £5million

This has threatened to go on and on and on, and to be honest I'm sure I'm similar to most fans in that when transfers develop into a saga I quickly get bored and just want it to be over and done with. After seemingly being put on ice, it appears this was simply a delay caused by the Swans' departure to America for their pre-season expedition

It now seems that for Gylfi Sigurdsson plus £5million Spurs will acquire both Ben Davies and Michel Vorm, and it's hard to argue the deal is better for the Swans than it is the London club. I'd say another two or three million would have been fair cop - Huw seems to have met his match in the bargaining stakes. That being said if Gylfi kicks on and becomes even better than during his loan spell here in 2011/12 we'll have got ourselves a bargain.

I hadn't really given much thought to The Gylf coming back in, but after a quick watch of some videos of his time here I'm thoroughly convinced. I didn't really need persuading, but I was worrying that it would restrict service to Wilf - I'd honestly forgotten about his vision and range of passing. To an extent anyway. If we can get both him and Jonjo pinging passes to Wilf we could score a lot of goals next season.

As for Davies and Vorm departing - I think we're in the very strange position of losing two players who've been nailed on first-teamers for two and three years respectively, but actually improving the team in doing so. I think Taylor is a better defender and has been unlucky not to feature more in the last twelve months, while I've had doubts about Vorm for a while. There's a reported sell-on fee of around 30% to Utrecht but any profit made is still a good effort, and as with Davies I believe the player replacing him (Fabianski) is actually a better option. The proof is in the pudding though, so we'll have to wait and see whether I'm right.

It's anyone's guess when this deal will be completed. There's three medicals to consider, three contracts... it would be understandable if it dragged on and on but it's also possible these are the details that have been thrashed out over the last few weeks. To a point anyway. I would be surprised if, with Pochettino & The Monk both keen to assemble their squads for the coming season, they didn't now want to get this done and dusted as soon as possible. My guess would be that this will be wrapped up by Wednesday or Thursday if not sooner.

We should give thanks to both Vorm & Davies for excellent contributions during their time here. I hope that Ben gets regular first-team football, and it'll be good for Welsh football having another of our players playing at a "big" club. As for Vorm it's difficult to see him getting games. A case of preffering the bench at White Hart Lane, perhaps. Either way they've both been good servants and I'm sure everyone will join me in wishing them well. 

All the best, lads!

HIGHLIGHTS: Minnesota United FC 2 - 0 Swansea City

Relive last night's action

Just a quick one this morning. The Swans last night played their second pre-season fixture of the summer, going up against Minnesota United FC. Sadly they went down 2-0, but you can watch the highlights below to check out how we fared. It's not that good watching, to be honest!

Remy to Liverpool? That's Bony staying at Swansea!

Liverpool's impending signature of QPR's French striker means it's almost definite that Bony will start this season a Swan

 

There I was, thinking how quiet today was in terms of Swansea news, and then some news came about which actually made the day even more sedate. Loic Remy looks set to sign for Liverpool, and despite the Anfield club's undoubted current financial resources I can't see them taking on Remy AND Bony. Or trying to, anyway.

Bony and his agent have repeated the same line whenever they've been asked what the future holds; that he's happy at Swansea and unless it was a big, big club there isn't really any point in moving. Tottenham are such a club, but their lack of Champions League football, plus the likelihood Bony wouldn't enjoy such preference in terms of being "first choice striker", means I've never really been too worried about Spurs' interest in the Ivorian.

Liverpool were always the club I worried about, and now it seems I don't have to any more. Thank you Loic Remy! Bony was such an obvious addition to Rodgers' system, and is such a good spearhead for a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 attack that it did, sadly, make sense to me that he could end up going there, but the availability of Remy for less than £10million was always going to be hard to ignore. Bony would cost a lot more than that, and Remy will probably score as near as damnit the same amount of goals. It's a tidy bit of business by Liverpool.

Hopefully this will be the end of the Bony speculation, and he can concentrate on getting himself ready to smash loads of goals in for the Swans this season. 

Podcast: The JackCast EP 17 - 2014/15 - We're coming for you!

The tika-taka triumvirate return for a new season!

 

Have you missed us? The JackCast team (myself, Steven Carroll of sosfanzine.com & host Matt Harrison of Lostboyos fame) are back with our first podcast of the new season - discussing what we've been up to this summer, as well as of course getting our teeth into all the Swansea news from this summer.

We discuss how our boys got on at the World Cup, which World Cup stars we'd like to see brought in at the Liberty, as well as talking about the players who have left (and look set to be leaving) in the near future. There's only so long you can make a podcast, so incoming players have been left for the next installment.

Thanks for the continued support - if you could share, tweet, post to facebook and whatever else it is you cool young cats do these days in order to promote the podcast ahead of the new season it'd be much appreciated. It'd be excellent to get more listener interaction going!

Is Michu leaving the best transfer business of the summer yet?

Spaniard departs for Napoli on loan - will this have a positive effect on the squad?

Anybody who's a regular reader of the blog will know I'm not the biggest fan of Michu...and even if you haven't the title of this post will have given it away.

Firstly, I would like to say thanks to Michu for his first season here where, for the most part, he was excellent. His goals propelled us to safety in the league and went a long way in winning us the League Cup, and I will always be thankful for that, however I never felt that his style of play suited our game, and more often than not I thought his influence on our performance was destructive.

The Swans are built on a system, and adherence to that system is everything - as the old saying goes "you have to know the rules before you can break them". With the Swans this is especially true, as for your "key" players to be able to make a difference they need to first of all be carrying out the duties required of the player playing their role within that system.

For the first part of Michu's career here it wasn't that much of a problem, as everything he touched turned to gold. He was clearly the focal point, and whenever he got the ball he seemed to score. That's all well and good if he can keep that up forever, but the reason teams aren't built around one player is that if said player hits a bad patch of form, all of a sudden the team is blunt in attack and has no outlet. Sound familiar? Argentina have the best player in the world (Lionel Messi) and even they couldn't rely on one player to make the difference against Germany - nine times out of ten a good team will beat an average team with an exceptional player in their ranks.

Michu clearly has some issues if his on-field attitude is anything to go by, so maybe there's more to his loss of form than we'll ever know, but I do feel that playing with players who perform their role more traditionally is the way to go for a team like the Swans. Michu was just too much of a wildcard - his unpredictability in a passing team, for me, will only ever work as a regular option if he's played up front, but given his refusal to maintain a striker's position - instead picking up random positions all over the field - playing Bony (or any half-decent orthodox striker) will always be a better option in my opinion.

This is without considering the extra wages now available to strengthen the squad. Ok - any planning needs to be careful as we could well have to pay Michu his thirty-something grand a week next season but for this season at least, that's a hefty whack off the wage bill. Whether Gomis' wages were permitted because we knew Michu would be departing is something we'll never know, but either way the Spaniard heading to Napoli has given Monk and Huw a bit more room for manouvere in the wages department.

Who the Swans will look to spend that extra available money on between now and the beginning of the season remains to be seen, but it appears one player about to sign on is Jefferson Montero, fresh from the Brazilian World Cup. He's quick, he's got a good name, and that's about all I know. Let's hope he's quality! 

As for Michu, I truly wish him all the best. Hopefully he lights up Serie A, decides he wants to play as either an attacking midfielder or striker, and comes back with a point to prove. On his day there's few better, and I'd love for the Swans to have the problem of an in-form, chomping-at-the-bit Michu back in the squad and raring to go.

The good chomping-at-the-bit, that is.

Highlights: Chivas 1 - 1 Swansea

Your chance to see last night's action!

 

Finally! With no way of watching last night's game live, I won't have been alone in spending my night slightly uneasily knowing the Swans were going to be playing, and I couldn't watch it. As mentioned in a previous post, we're hoping to have an account from an American Swansea City fan in attendance soon, but until then we'll have to rely on these just-released highlights from the Swans' official Youtube channel:

I haven't even had a chance to watch these myself yet, so you'll be seeing them before me! Enjoy!

£55 per ticket? Manchester United are taking the p...rawn sandwiches!

Old Trafford club are charging up to £55 per adult away ticket for Swansea's opener - is this too much?

In a word - yes! Social media has been awash with Swans fans shocked at the price of tickets for our Premier League opener, and it's hard to argue with the outrage we've seen thus far as that was a pretty audacious one-off ticket price. It has, however, just been tempered slightly by the Swans' announcement (link) that they've taken an extra allocation from United, with this meaning there's now a two tiered pricing policy for away fans making the trip. Prices are as follows:

Adults £55 and £46

18-20 £43.25 and £36.50

16-17 and Over-65s £28 and £27

Under-16s £18

Whether this takes away from what is a very high starting price is debatable, but at least there's some tickets available for less than £55. To do a bit of a comparison, I had a scout around online and found this on the Guardian website from last season, showing matchday ticket prices:

As you can see, the hike to £55 makes it more expensive than United's most costly ticket last season, while it's only actually less expensive than the seven most expensive matchday tickets available last season. Ouch.

Are you planning on making the trip? Were you put off by ticket prices? What do you think of ticket pricing in the Premier League in general? Get in touch in the comment section below!

Davies plays as Swansea draw 1-1 with Chivas

Reports of Davies being pulled from the squad prove incorrect

Our pre-season is underway! Last night at 2am GMT the Swans played in the first ever football match to be held at the Miller Stadium, home of Milwaukee Brewers baseball team, and played out a 1-1 draw with esteemed Mexican side Chivas. 

Garry Monk understandably picked essentially a different side for each half, and contrary to Telegraph reports (which I was duped by - that's the last time I put more weight in a broadsheet's word than a tabloid's!) Ben Davies come on to play the second fourty-five minutes. Rumours he had been pulled owing to an advancement of negotiations with Tottenham were unfounded, so it's once again anyone's guess as to what will happen in the ever-elongating saga which is unfolding before us. 

There isn't much to go on online yet, but in the first half the official site notes that Jonjo Shelvey hit the bar and Wayne Routledge had a goal ruled out for offside, while both goalkeepers (with Fabianski between the sticks from the Swans) made a couple of decent saves. It took until the second half for Nathan Dyer to open the scoring, but the 31,000+ crowd, which apparently had a heavy Chivas leaning, will have gone home happy as the Mexican side equalised at the death through a dubious penalty conceded by Jazz Richards, and converted by Giovani Hernandez. Ten minutes before the equaliser there was an unsavoury moment as Neil Taylor and Jesus Sanchez were both dismissed after a set-to following a foul by the latter, but it wasn't enough to marr a great occasion for the Swans and neutrals alike.

Firstly, a note on the size of the crowd. That is EPIC. That's more than double can come to see us at home week in week out, and it was for a pre-season friendly with nothing riding on it. This underlines the potential growth of football in the US, and if we can nab ourselves just a portion of that fledgling fanbase it'll mean a massive increase in revenue from the commercial side of things. It seems Monk's decision to take the squad to the US is already looking like a good one.

Secondly, the teams Monk put out. In the first half we lined up with Lukasz Fabianski, Angel Rangel (capt), Kyle Bartley, Chico Flores, Stephen Kingsley, Jazz Richards, Jonjo Shelvey, Josh Sheehan, Wayne Routledge, Alex Bray and Bafetimbi Gomis. This, to me, would indicate that Jazz played in defensive midfield? Can anyone confirm this? He started there and only became a right-back through necessity, and it'd be interesting to see if Monk sees a future for him in midfield.

Also, Alex Bray started out wide, and Josh Sheehan was the only player not to be replaced at half-time (though he did make way around the seventieth minute for Alex Bray, who clearly fancied a bit more of a run around after coming off at half time). While this is obviously our first pre-season fixture, and whether Monk meant it or not, I think that's great for young players at the club in general. Sheehan will have derived a lot of confidence from being retained - meaningless friendly or not - for the second half and hopefully youth gets a chance throughout the pre-season. Monk has indicated this is the way he's going to go so it's easy to believe that this will be the case.

I'm sure soon enough we'll have some highlights to pore over, but until then we'll just have to go off online reports and quotes from those who were there. I'm hoping to get a piece up from some American Swansea fans who made the game, so that's something to look forward to too.

Did you go to the game? Was it your first time watching the Swans...or even a football (soccer) match? Get in touch in the comment section below.

 

Davies pulled from Chivas friendly as Tottenham have bid accepted

Telegraph reporting that Spurs have had a bid of £10million accepted, and that Liverpool are debating matching it

 

It turns out the relative peace and quiet we've enjoyed in the last week (in terms of people bidding on first-team players, at least) was simply the calm before the storm. It was always hopeful that Spurs and other potential suitors would drop their interest, and it appears that an improved bid for Davies has now been accepted from the London club, with Liverpool debating whether to throw their oar into the equation too. 

Whether Davies prefers Liverpool or Spurs is up in the air, though the opportunity to work with Brendan Rodgers may just swing it for him. Which seems weird as he didn't get a look in while Brendan was down here! Either way we'll know more of this in the near future, and with Davies reported to have been pulled from tonight's friendly with Chivas (2am kickoff GMT) if that is indeed the case it'd seemingly confirm what the Telegraph have been reporting - that Davies' transfer to one of Spurs or Liverpool is imminent.

As with Joey before him, I'd be sad to see him go but for the moment there's nothing we can do to stop this kind of transfer. Young highly rated British players are always going to attract the interest of big clubs, and unless we're competing for the top six places we'll always struggle to keep hold of our best young players. It's part and parcel of the modern game, and all we can do is ensure we get a fair price.

In driving the price up to £10million I think Huw has done that, although it seems a shame now that we can't get a bidding war going between the two clubs. I bet Liverpool have money burning holes in their pockets...