View from a Black Cat
In the first of a new series, where fans of other teams give their opinion on our fine club, Gary from the excellent Sunderland website WeAreWearside.com gives us his tuppence worth on Swansea City.
Q1. Who are you and what do you do? How did you become attached to your club?
Hi! I’m Gary from Sunderland AFC website We Are Wearside. I spend most of my waking moments moaning about SAFC and getting grief from the wife about having my face in this laptop for most hours.
Sunderland were drilled into me from a very young age, my family are big ‘Lads’ fans and I’m from Sunderland so I had no chance in life really. Doomed to suffer the glorious failures this club so consistently offers.
Q2. What is your favourite memory of a match involving your team and the Swans?
Well, the game itself was absolutely lifeless in the main, but Stephane Sessegnon’s sublime opener in our 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light in 2012 is easily the standout memory for me against Swansea.
Q3. Ahead of this season, what are your thoughts on the Swans? Do you think we'll be a better team than last season?
Where I work we always have a competition to see who can call the Premier League table the best. I had to think for ages about Swansea because, from the outside, your season could literally go anywhere. In the end I plumped for ninth spot because I think you’re squad is quite balanced and has particularly impressive striking options which, for me, is the be-all-and-end-all of survival in the Premier League. Sunderland were a perfect example of that last season, useless when we played Jozy Altidore; inexplicably brilliant when we played Connor Wickham. Weird, isn’t it?
Q4. What do you make of our transfer activity thus far? Do you think we need to make any more signings?
Gylfi Sigurdsson is a great buy. I know we were linked with Bafetimbi Gomis before he signed for you lot though it’s very much up in the air just how good he will be in the league. Your best bit of transfer activity by far, should it happen, would be keeping a hold of Wilfried Bony.
I still can’t believe you got a canny wedge for Ben Davies - I cited him as the weak link in your defence before the final game of last season. Then again I’ve been accused of knowing nothing on plenty of occasions.
Q5. Have you visited the Liberty Stadium before? If so, what did you think? Are you planning on visiting this year?
I haven’t! Possibly, I’ve plans to go to a handful of away games next season but haven’t chosen any specific ones yet.
Q6. If you had to pick, who would be your favourite Swansea player? And your least favourite?
I’m a big fan of Jonathan de Guzman, he’s a proper footballer. Least favourite would have to be Wayne Routledge purely because of his Newcastle connections.
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?
I think, although the man grinds my gears big time, I’d have to say Brendan Rodgers. I’m not sure he was entirely responsible for the success he had at Swansea building on what Roberto Martinez had started, but he might have won the Premier League title last season if not for Steven Gerrard’s banana boots (particular non-SAFC highlight of the season for me that). Plus he is turning Jordan Henderson into the player we all knew he could be up here. A Mackem in an England shirt is a sight to behold for us believe me!
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?
If I remember correctly I think we have only beaten you once since the 1960s so I’d be pretty confident in saying we won’t take six points from you this season. Given that you put seven past us last season and the extent of our ‘strengthening’ so far revolves around Jordi Gomez I’d say we would probably get beat.
I think Sunderland are in for a dull, boring and otherwise superbly satisfying 12th or 11th place finish. After the season we had, which was easily the most eventful in my lifetime, it would be a welcome change! I really rate Gus Poyet, and it seems like he is the first manager we have had in decades who has a genuine identity and plan. We should be okay but nothing more.
Hi! I’m Gary from Sunderland AFC website We Are Wearside. I spend most of my waking moments moaning about SAFC and getting grief from the wife about having my face in this laptop for most hours.
Sunderland were drilled into me from a very young age, my family are big ‘Lads’ fans and I’m from Sunderland so I had no chance in life really. Doomed to suffer the glorious failures this club so consistently offers.
Q2. What is your favourite memory of a match involving your team and the Swans?
Well, the game itself was absolutely lifeless in the main, but Stephane Sessegnon’s sublime opener in our 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light in 2012 is easily the standout memory for me against Swansea.
Q3. Ahead of this season, what are your thoughts on the Swans? Do you think we'll be a better team than last season?
Where I work we always have a competition to see who can call the Premier League table the best. I had to think for ages about Swansea because, from the outside, your season could literally go anywhere. In the end I plumped for ninth spot because I think you’re squad is quite balanced and has particularly impressive striking options which, for me, is the be-all-and-end-all of survival in the Premier League. Sunderland were a perfect example of that last season, useless when we played Jozy Altidore; inexplicably brilliant when we played Connor Wickham. Weird, isn’t it?
Q4. What do you make of our transfer activity thus far? Do you think we need to make any more signings?
Gylfi Sigurdsson is a great buy. I know we were linked with Bafetimbi Gomis before he signed for you lot though it’s very much up in the air just how good he will be in the league. Your best bit of transfer activity by far, should it happen, would be keeping a hold of Wilfried Bony.
I still can’t believe you got a canny wedge for Ben Davies - I cited him as the weak link in your defence before the final game of last season. Then again I’ve been accused of knowing nothing on plenty of occasions.
Q5. Have you visited the Liberty Stadium before? If so, what did you think? Are you planning on visiting this year?
I haven’t! Possibly, I’ve plans to go to a handful of away games next season but haven’t chosen any specific ones yet.
Q6. If you had to pick, who would be your favourite Swansea player? And your least favourite?
I’m a big fan of Jonathan de Guzman, he’s a proper footballer. Least favourite would have to be Wayne Routledge purely because of his Newcastle connections.
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?
I think, although the man grinds my gears big time, I’d have to say Brendan Rodgers. I’m not sure he was entirely responsible for the success he had at Swansea building on what Roberto Martinez had started, but he might have won the Premier League title last season if not for Steven Gerrard’s banana boots (particular non-SAFC highlight of the season for me that). Plus he is turning Jordan Henderson into the player we all knew he could be up here. A Mackem in an England shirt is a sight to behold for us believe me!
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?
If I remember correctly I think we have only beaten you once since the 1960s so I’d be pretty confident in saying we won’t take six points from you this season. Given that you put seven past us last season and the extent of our ‘strengthening’ so far revolves around Jordi Gomez I’d say we would probably get beat.
I think Sunderland are in for a dull, boring and otherwise superbly satisfying 12th or 11th place finish. After the season we had, which was easily the most eventful in my lifetime, it would be a welcome change! I really rate Gus Poyet, and it seems like he is the first manager we have had in decades who has a genuine identity and plan. We should be okay but nothing more.
Thanks to Gary for answering these questions! Make sure to check out www.wearewearside.com for any Sunderland news, and keep your eyes peeled for the next opposition fan piece. There's another eighteen coming!