View from a Potter
The fifteenth installment in our series of interviews with opposing fans, this effort has Marc Espley from Stoke Loud & Proud giving his views on the Swans
Q1. Who are you and what do you do? How did you become attached to your club?
Hi - my name is Marc Espley and I help run the social media platform Stoke Loud and Proud. We are found on Facebook and twitter and have an App in the process of been built. I am what is known as a backward glory hunter - I was a season ticket owner for ten consecutive season right up until we made the premier league then work dictated the games I can attend, so I watched every rubbish game we played and now we half decent I am not there, go figure [having lived in Ibiza while the Swans were marching towards the Premier League I completely empathise! - Ed].
Q2. What is your favourite memory of a match involving your team and the Swans?
Q2. What is your favourite memory of a match involving your team and the Swans?
I wouldn't say it was my favourite memory but it's the one that stands out, and that's the 3-3 draw in November 2013. Stoke started the game well and deservedly went into half time 2-0 in the lead, but like most times when Pulis took the lead he reverted to "hold on mode", and Swansea took control and went 3-2 up. Luckily for us the referee decided we did enough for a draw and have us a very contentious penalty five minutes into injury time, to allow Adam to make it 3-3 from the spot.
Q3. Ahead of this season, what are your thoughts on the Swans? Do you think we'll be a better team than last season?
Q3. Ahead of this season, what are your thoughts on the Swans? Do you think we'll be a better team than last season?
Swansea have made some decent signings and got rid of the dirty Chico Flores. Keeping hold of Bony will determine where Swansea finish in the table - if he stays and Monk gets the players to do something other than the six-hundred inconsequential passes per match you played under Laudrup, then Swansea could finish a respectable 10th
Q4. What do you make of our transfer activity thus far? Do you think we need to make any more signings?
Q4. What do you make of our transfer activity thus far? Do you think we need to make any more signings?
Now Chico has left Swansea will need to fill the void he has left, I have no idea if you have any players in the wings already to do so, but on paper you have a decent side, but tend to over play.
Q5. Have you visited the Liberty Staidum before? If so, what did you think? Are you planning on visiting this year?
Q5. Have you visited the Liberty Staidum before? If so, what did you think? Are you planning on visiting this year?
Only once and that was the 3-3 draw. The stadium is good, and what envy I have for filled in corners, as the Brit is a wind tunnel straight through. This years visit depends on my work commitments.
Q6. If you had to pick, who would be your favourite Swansea player? And your least favourite?
Sigurdsson is a fantastic player and I would love him in Stoke Colours if we had somewhere to fit him in. Least favourite has just left and don't have much beef with any of your other players to be honest.
Q7. Which Swansea manager (in the Premier League era - Rodgers, Laudrup or Monk) have you been most impressed with? What do you think of Garry Monk's chances with a full pre-season behind him?
Q7. Which Swansea manager (in the Premier League era - Rodgers, Laudrup or Monk) have you been most impressed with? What do you think of Garry Monk's chances with a full pre-season behind him?
Rodgers was your best manager and laid the foundations for Laudrup to work with. Laudrup's philosophy of passing football had to be admired as you out passed every team you played, but it tended to be to slow and teams began to find ways of crowding Swansea to make it less affective. Monk, if he has the backing of the dressing room, will make 10th unless players are sold from underneath him. Especially Bony.
Q8. Finally, at this moment in time how confident would you be if your "first eleven" went up against ours, and how do you think your team will do in general this season?
Q8. Finally, at this moment in time how confident would you be if your "first eleven" went up against ours, and how do you think your team will do in general this season?
At this moment in time I am confident that stoke would beat Swansea. We finished last season as strong as any team in the league, and would have done even better with a top draw striker in the team. This season that has been solved and the addition of Bojan is a major coup for the club and a statement of intent for what we want to achieve. In my opinion Stoke will finish 8th this season, we are not quite good enough to break the top seven regularly and would need one of those teams to have a poor season to finish higher than eighth. Stoke are the best of the rest in the league.
Thanks to Marc for answering our questions! You can follow Stoke Loud & Proud on Twitter @StokeLoudProud