#FlashbackFour - Everton vs Swansea

Nathan Lewis returns with his weekly look back at the last four fixtures versus our upcoming opponents. This week, it's Everton's turn...

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Every club has a bogey team. I would argue that Roberto Martinez’s Everton are as close as we have to such a team. Under David Moyes, they seemed to have perfected the high pressing and solid defending that prevented us from playing our game, and under Martinez, Everton never seem an easy game. What does the #FlashbackFour reveal about our supposed bogey team? Let’s have a look...

22nd December 2013 - Premier League

Swansea 1-2 Everton

From the moment he stepped up, you just knew it wasn’t going to end well for us. Before Ross Barkley’s impressive free-kick from 25 yards curled neatly into the top corner past the outstretched hand of Gerhard Tremmel, the scorelines were surprisingly still level. Every now and then, it seems Swansea have a match where they can’t maintain possession or control of a game, but manage to stay within reach (see Tuesday’s game at Anfield for an example). 

Everton certainly were deserved winners in the end, having originally taken the lead through a powerful 20-yard strike from Seamus Coleman on the right, for which Tremmel would have been left wondering whether he could have been better, but it was swerving a fair amount. The Swans equaliser came from that most unlikely of sources: Dwight Tiendalli (via Brian Oviedo, but still…), and for a little while, it seemed that we would gain a valuable point. It wasn’t to be however, and Ross Barkley pinged a lovely free-kick into the top corner to steal all three for Everton.

16th February 2014 - F.A. Cup

Everton 3-1 Swansea

In just his third game as manager, Garry Monk was faced with an important decision to make. Field a strong eleven following three games in seven days, and risk tiring our big stars ahead of Liverpool in the league, or field a second eleven and risk sacrificing a cup run. In what was possibly a decent decision, given our poor Premier League form, Monk picked a side containing the likes of Vazquez, Lamah and Jazz Richards. His players certainly put in the effort, impressing in the early stages, and only conceding due to a defensive lapse which allowed Lacina Traore to open the scoring. 

It could have been one-nil Swansea before the Everton goal, with Alvaro Vazquez through on goal, before panicking, stopping and eventually passing to Lamah, who wasted the chance. The Swans continued to impress, equalising in the 15th minute through a Jon De Guzman header. Unfortunately, their hard work was undone by two mistakes at the back. First, Neil Taylor misjudged his backpass, allowing Steven Naismith to slot it past Tremmel. This was followed by Jazz Richards – who had mostly impressed – bringing down Naismith to give away a penalty, which was of course put away by Leighton Baines.

22nd March 2014 - Premier League

Everton 3-2 Swansea

"Welcome back to the side, Chico - now just don’t do anything silly like fouling Barkley in the bo- Oh, never mind." Giving away a penalty is hardly the best way to start a game against a notoriously tough opponent, and this gave Everton the early momentum. They were unable to make the most of it however, with Bony scoring in the 33rd minute to level the scores and gain us a foothold in the match. We had the better of the chances before half-time, but couldn’t find the final pass. 

Two goals early in the second-half secured the points for Martinez and his side, with Lukaku scoring his 11th goal of the season, before a header from Ross Barkley made it three. The Swans fought hard to get back into the match, with Bony stinging the hands of Tim Howard, who also denied Pablo from close range. We eventually got a goal from the head of Ashley Williams, but it was no more than a consolation, and we fell to another loss at Goodison Park.

23rd September 2014 - Capital One Cup

Swansea 3-0 Everton

Around the same time as this match from a month ago, the film “Jack to a King” was released, charting our rise from financial ruin to the Premier League, and this match certainly felt like another step up in the rise of Swansea City Football Club, regardless of the line-ups or the competition in which it was played. For the first time in our history, we beat Everton, meaning we progressed to the Fourth Round of the Capital One Cup (the less we talk about that the better, I feel…). I imagine Tony Hibbert is still haunted by all things Ecuador, after the torrid time he endured at the hands (or rather feet) of Jefferson Montero. 

Montero, as always, looked very lively and was always willing to take his man on. This direct running from Jeff eventually led to our first goal, after he beat Hibbert and fired a low ball across the box for Nathan Dyer to sweep it in. Our second goal was one of the more strange goals you’ll see, Sylvain Distin heading the ball over Tim Howard and onto his own crossbar, before Gylfi raced onto the loose ball and guided it home. The victory seemed secure, with Everton not providing too much danger for our defenders, but the three points were truly secured when sub Marvin Emnes raced onto a through-ball before drilling a shot into the bottom corner of the net.

A victory. Finally!

Games Played: 4

Wins: 1

Draws: 0

Losses: 3

Goals scored: 7

Goals Conceded: 8

The last four matches between Everton and Swansea have been full of goals, with 15 goals being scored in just four games. Under Martinez, Everton have hardly been the epitomy of defensive solidity, so Wilf and Gylfi will be looking forward to Saturday’s game. The Swans, meanwhile, have one of the best defensive records in the league so far, and will hope that Ash (and whoever ends up being his central partner) can deal with the likes of Eto’o and Lukaku. I can’t see Tony Hibbert starting though, can you?

My prediction: Everton 2-1 Swansea

Thanks to Nathan for his weekly #FlashbackFour - you can follow him on Twitter @NathDavidLewis. Do you agree with his prediction? Can we get a second win over Everton? Get in touch using the comment section below.

SHOCKER! Refereeing decision again inspires Swansea defeat

Late drama at Anfield once again has Swansea counting the cost of poor officiating

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Emnes celebrates after opening the scoring for the Swans

Garry Monk must be wondering just what transgressions we committed in past lives, that we are continually blighted by absolutely astounding refereeing decisions. Sadly, yet another match involving the Swans was marred by a shockingly bad call from the man with the whistle, but in the interests of not just having a rant I'll talk about the game first before coming back to the late drama.

The team we put out, I thought, was always going to struggle to retain possession. A midfield of Jonjo, Jay Fulton & Marvin Emnes simply didn't retain possession in the first half - though I thought Shelvey in particular was excellent. He kept it simple and will have impressed a lot of Liverpool fans last night. That said we were poor in the first period, and it was amazing that we got into halftime level. Time and again we gave away possession, and it was obvious a change was needed - Emnes wasn't holding his position at the head of the midfield and as such, we kept being overrun in midfield, or finding ourselves with nothing but the long hoof downfield to rely on. Very un-Swansea. 

As mentioned though we somehow got in level at the break, and in the second half it was very much a different story. Emnes held his position at the head of the midfield much better, and this allowed us to go through the gears in midfield, retaining possession and building attacks. It was much more even after the break, and when Emnes opened the scoring I don't think there would have been too many complaints from Liverpool - other than that they hadn't capitalised on their first-half dominance - as we had been coming into the game more and more.

And what a goal it was. A cheeky lobbed pass over the defence from Neil Taylor fell over Emnes' right shoulder across his body, and he met it on the volley with his left, spanking a finish across Brad Jones and into the Liverpool goal. Marvelous Marvin Emnes. After our goal we even pressed for a second, Bony coming on for the sadly ineffectual Bafetimbi Gomis, but it wasn't to be. This most definitely would not be Swansea's night. 

Five minutes from time Mario Balotelli - on as a 78th minute sub for Rickie Lambert - met a great Fabio Borini cross and steered his header into the corner of Gerhard Tremmel's net. It was understandably met with jubilation from the Liverpool crowd, but the drama was far from over. And this is the point where it's going to become hard to not write angrily about the remainder of the match. 

With ninety minutes on the clock, and the game seemingly set for extra time, Federico Fernandez was sent off for this challenge:

Never a foul. Never. https://t.co/w5HaSmZf5g

— The Swansea Way (@TheSwanseaWay) October 28, 2014

Now, I know it's not the best footage so here's a still of the moment before impact. 

Never a red card. #swans #swansfc #LIVvSWA pic.twitter.com/NhBIAqAmaz

— The Swansea Way (@TheSwanseaWay) October 28, 2014

In my opinion it's not even a foul. Coutinho overran the ball and Fernandez got there first. It's a full-blooded challenge but what's he supposed to do there to make his challenge any more safe? The crowd reacted angrily to the tackle and I firmly believe that's what got Fernandez sent off . 

That's not the crowd or Liverpool's fault, but the referee's fault for allowing himself to be influenced by the atmosphere and the occasion. We saw the same with Victor Moses' penalty - Fernandez had made a big (perfect) tackle moments before so when Moses went down the crowd were incensed. Both incidents resulted in decisions being made which drastically altered the outcome of the match. 

What the sending off didn't effect though, was Gerhard Tremmel's judgement. Or maybe it did. But it shouldn't have. Whatever the reasoning, in the 94th minute Tremmel came to claim a free-kick he never looked like getting near, and Dejan Lovren was at the back post to steer the ball into an empty net. A dramatic victory for Liverpool, but for any Swansea fans who'd paid to make the trip to Anfield that goal must have been a real kick in the teeth. It's hard to see how the red card wasn't a turning point which gave Liverpool more impetus to push for a winner, but sadly the goal which won it for the Reds was easily avoidable. We can't complain about the goal, but we can justifiably feel very disappointed - again - about the standard of officiating.

One more thing I'll mention, because all of the "Mario Balotelli inspires Liverpool to win" headlines are winding me up right now, is Balotelli trying to get a reaction out of Jonjo Shelvey. Have a look at this:

I think Balotelli has tried to get Jonjo Shelvey sent off there, and not since Steven Taylor's epic Platoon-esque goal-line dramatics for Newcastle have I seen a better reaction to supposed contact. Jonjo did very well - given his tendencies to display a short temper - to not react, and Balotelli needs to take a look at himself. There's a reason people are getting fed up of him, and it's not particularly to do with his ability as a footballer. 

And so we move on. Monk is meeting referee's boss Mike Riley on Friday to discuss decisions which he feels have gone against us so far this season, though what we'll achieve from this I don't know. The sooner technology exists for aiding referees decisions in real-time the better, as until then referees will continue to be swayed by all manner of distractions which shouldn't ever come into the equation. We've got another trip to Merseyside this weekend as we travel to Everton, and with Bony & Sigurdsson back in the team we've plenty of reasons to be hopeful of a positive result.

Plus, statistically speaking, we're due a couple of favourable refereeing decisions...

When Leon is back, possession will be back

Tactics, and the absence of Leon Britton 

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It's been a while since I had the chance to put anything up myself about our beloved Swansea City, but yesterday whilst having a stroll along the front one main thing kept coming back to me. 

Swansea City currently have the joint third-best defence in the league, having conceded ten goals in nine games. The only sides to have conceded less at this juncture are Chelsea (9) and Southampton (5). Personally, this is both something I'm immensely proud of and also that I'm fairly amazed by, given some of the football we've played so far this season. I've thought on numerous occasions that we've looked very vulnerable at the back, but despite some misgivings I've had about Neil Taylor & Angel Rangel's diminishing turn of pace I don't really think it's our defence's fault.

When we've got Leon Britton in the team, he is the rock around which our midfield is built. This allows our midfield three to have a "staggered" look, as Leon would sit deep, Gylfi would be at number ten and one of Ki or Jonjo would serve as the link between the two. Playing with one deep midfielder is only possible for us when that midfielder is Leon, as he is far and away our best option in that position. During his absence, we've seen Ki & Jonjo both sitting deep, with Gylfi alternaerting between his number ten role (in possession) and alongside Wilf (when not in possession). 

This has been working well, but I don't think it gives us the ability to retain possession as we've become used to. Indeed, the proof is in the statistics - so far this season we've averaged just 51% possession, as opposed to 55% last season and 54% the season prior to that. It might not sound much of a swing, but when you've got 55% possession your opponent has the ball 10% less than you, and I think the lack of Leon at the base of our midfield is directly responsible for our more attacking leanings this season. 

What Leon offers the team is so much more than just a base to build off though. He relieves so much pressure from the defence by having an innate ability to take a pass in a tight situation, already knowing where he's going to play a short first-time pass out of trouble. He drops in between defenders, and the main thing I've noticed is how much we lack his natural instincts when the opposition are attacking down the flanks. 

Angel Rangel & Neil Taylor have both looked more exposed this season than I can remember since we arrived in the Premiership, and I feel that without Leon's spotting and snuffing out opposition attacks through drifting out wide to cover, it's left us short at the back on more than one occasion.This isn't a slight on either Jonjo or Ki as I think both have been generally excellent this season, and I think both are improving into players who'll be very important for us, but Leon gives us the option of resting in possession through his positioning and awareness, something which would - at present - give us another option. 

I've got nothing against scoring lots of goals, but if we can retain possession as well as offering a threat in attack (which, let's be honest, we will if Wilf & Gylfi are in the team) we will be very, very hard team to beat. According to the ever reliable Ben Dinnery we're probably looking at a minimum of another three weeks before Leon will be available for selection, and while we have looked more than capable without him, I for one can't wait to have him back. When he's once again prowling around the base of our midfield, you watch our possession statistics jump up. 

As we've (correctly) heard repeated so often in the past: "when we've got the ball, the opposition can't hurt us".

Garry Monk learning on the job

Eric Imhof gives us his weekly take on all things monastic

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I feel like I’ve become something of Garry Monk’s unofficial biographer. Every week, before I put fingers to keys, I let all manner of marginalia swim through my head, from sales of jerseys in America to Sweyn Forkbeard, and every time I end up writing almost exclusively about Garry Monk. Although I’m often critical of his decisions, I’m fascinated by his existence, relative to the other types of managers currently occupying such coveted positions in the Premier League. It’s not just that Monk is anachronistic (in a good way), he’s sincere in a climate of cynical irony: a working-man’s coach in a league of conspicuous luxury.

What other manager publicly declares that he punishes players for diving in practice? Or answers press-conference questions honestly? Or, for that matter, answers directly to his team’s fans?

And then, on the other side of the coin: what other manager puts in substitutes while behind with ten minutes remaining and hopes it’ll make an impact?

But in my view, any naïveté is more than made up for with earnestness - so long, of course, as Monk learns from his mistakes. And in this past match against the Foxes (who currently enjoy my second-favorite logo), it was evident that Monk is indeed learning. Just the fact that he started Jefferson Montero shows some promise that the Swans will not become, as they did for long spells last season, a Swiss army knife with every piece removed but the bottle opener: a predictable side with only one option.

And without conceding right before half-time, as was so common this season, the Swans could actually play with a lead in the second half, absolving Monk from the decision of when and how to substitute to climb back into the match. Of course, having Shelvey back, and with no strange calls going against his squad, Monk could actually carry out his initially-planned gameplan. Such signs of progress came as no small relief to both players and fans alike.

But making good adjustments against Leicester is one thing; the real test comes during the next five matches. What has been described as a “brutal” Premier-League fixture list for November, not to mention a trip to Anfield in two days for an FA Cup fourth-round draw, will provide the trial by fire that will—I don’t want to say “show if Monk has what it takes”—but show how far Monk has come since taking over in tumultuous (and tempestuous) circumstances near the end of last season.

With only two wins needed by the end of December to stay on track for safety, and with expectations slightly lowered considering the quality of his opponents during this stretch, I think Monk should take some risks. For one, he should definitely prioritize the Liverpool match, meaning he should start Bony and Montero together once again, and should look to attack and press until a two-goal lead is achieved. Sounds easy enough, right?

Then, against Everton, why not start Gomis again, since it worked well last time, and maybe even throw Emnes in the mix earlier than normal, just to see what happens? I’ll leave speculation over other possible tactics and player combinations to the people who know such things way better than I do. But the point remains: I’d like to see Monk grow as a manager over this November gauntlet—both by shoring up old mistakes and by taking new risks.

Honestly, they could (and might) lose to Everton, Arsenal, and City, and I won’t be even the slightest bit disappointed if the Swans do the little things right—meaning no lapses in concentration right before the half, no silly cards, and at least one goal in the second half of one of the games. If a string of mentally strong games can be put together by Monk, then he’ll go from being merely an endearing Serpico to being a major contender for architect of the future of Swansea City. I for one am rooting for him.

Thanks as usual to Eric for this great piece. He runs @AustinJackArmy - give them a follow on Twitter or if you're a Jack in Texas get in touch with him! 

Three points at last!

Josh Kilmister's thoughts on yesterday's win over Leicester City

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After four games without a win, it was a pleasant change to be looking forward to Match of The Day again!

So, where do I start? Apparently, our goals are too big. Yep, you read that right. The goals that (I assume) have been used game after game in the Premier League had Kasper Schmeichel concerned about the size of our goalposts. Of course after the referee had done measurements of both goalposts, there was nothing wrong. When asked about it after the game, Leicester manager Nigel Pearson simply said that he didn’t want Monk to come under any more controversy than he already has,

“The goalkeepers felt they looked a bit big. I think Garry Monk’s had enough controversy in the last seven days, so I thought it was prudent to check it out.” Nigel Pearson

Moving on from the thrilling story about our goalposts, and I thought Bony was superb; especially after his first goal. He looked back in the form of last season, winning everything both in the air and on the ground. He even managed to pull of a few flicks well worthy of a place in next week’s Soccer AM skill montage! Comfortable as ever on the ball, the big Ivorian put through Gylfi with one of his trademark back-heels before finishing off what for me, was  a certain winner of October's "Goal Of The Month" gong.

It wasn’t long before the ever noisy Swans fans voiced their support for Garry Monk, with chants of ‘He says what he wants, he says what he wants! Garry Monk, he says what he wants!’ echoing around the Liberty Stadium and on a week where referees have taken centre stage, I think that Mike Jones ran the game superbly. Hopefully we can see more refereeing performances like his in the future.

A slow start to the second half for Monk’s men was forgiven when Bony slotted home his second of the night. Sigurdsson played through Montero who outwitted the Leicester defence with a ball in to ‘daddy cool’, who scored his fourth goal in five games with power and precision. He then went off to dance alone, with no other Swans players in sight. Quite a comical sight if you ask me!

Gylfi was replaced with Tom Carroll immediately after the goal (the substitute wasn’t down to the goal, Carroll was ready to come on beforehand) and played really well. After struggling to get hold of the game in midfield, I think it was a stroke of genius from the gaffer to introduce the England Under 21 international into the game. His comparisons to Real Madrid maestro Luka Modric (perhaps more realistically Joe Allen!) were evident throughout as he grabbed the game with two hands and with the help of Ki, gave us a level of control that we’re more used to.

Now, if you follow me on Twitter you’ll know that I’m not the biggest fan of Neil Taylor. I want him to do well, I really do, but today’s game didn’t fill me with confidence. Sure, he made a good tackle every now and again, but overall I feel he was poor, and I know I’m not the only one who feels the same. Too often he was wrong-footed by Leicester players who aren’t necessarily of a superb standard, and his first touch was one of someone who had just returned from injury; not someone who has been fit for well over a year. Should Stephen Kingsley be given a chance at Anfield on Tuesday night? I think it’s definitely an option. Should we look into a possible replacement for Tayls in January? I think it’d be wise.

Apart from that, I don’t think anyone will be worried about a poor performance. Ash bounced back from being a little shaky last week to being as solid as he’s ever been. Fede is getting better every game, with his ability to pick out a pass becoming more evident as well as his defensive abilities, and Fabianski is showing the world what a great piece of business it was to bring him to South-Wales on a free. You’ll hear it over and over again that a good goalkeeper can go eighty-nine minutes without breaking a sweat, and then spring into action when called upon. That’s exactly what Lukasz did, pulling off an incredible double save to prevent Leicester substitute Esteban Cambiasso grabbing a consolation goal for the Tigers.

It would help if I attached the vine... - Fabianski save: http://t.co/hnmKuqLglD

— The Swansea Way (@TheSwanseaWay) October 26, 2014

When Gylfi was taken off, Jonjo Shelvey stepped up to the role that he impressed us all in last season. Playing just behind Bony, Jonjo rattled the bar with one of his trademark thirty-yard efforts before almost setting up Routledge for a third, with Leicester now struggling to keep up with our counter-attacks whilst trying to get back into the game themselves.

The last ten minutes of the game saw Routledge replaced by Nathan Dyer and a seemingly frustrated Wilfried Bony taken off for Bafe Gomis. There’s a few rumours going around that Bony wasn’t best impressed with Monk’s choice to deny him of a possible hat-trick, but after the best eighty minutes of his season so far I assume that Wilf was back to his happy self not long after.

So overall, I sit here watching The X Factor a very happy Swans fan, and finishing off this piece with twenty minutes to spare before Match of The Day (on which we are on second to last, just before Liverpool-Hull, no surprises there). With our next league games being Everton, Arsenal and Man City, maybe we can make our way up Mr. Lineker’s pecking order in the next few weeks.

Thanks to Josh for this piece - as you can tell he got it to me yesterday but I only managed to get around to putting it up now. Give him a follow on Twitter @JoshKilmister

Swansea vs Leicester - Expert Team News

Our resident injury guru Ben Dinnery gives us all the latest team news ahead of today's match

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Swansea will be looking to capitalise on Leicester’s recent dip in form after last weekends’ controversial loss at the Britannia Stadium. Jonjo Shelvey returns from a one game domestic ban & his appearance will add steel to the midfield while Angel Rangel is in line to make his 300th appearance for the Jacks with Jazz Richards [knee] and Dwight Tiendalli [groin] both ruled out. Rory Donnelly and Jordi Amat are progressing however the pair are still around two weeks away. Leon Britton has stepped up his recovery from a bruised patella but we may have to wait until after the international break before we see a return to first team action. 

Leicester have been unfortunate since their win over Manchester United - results have not reflected their performance - but goals win games & the Foxes have failed to score in 50% of their matches so far this season. Jamie Vardy was a late introduction at St James’ Park last weekend with Nigel Pearson preferring to go with a 4-5-1 formation – a change to try & accommodate winger Marc Albrighton - however I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Leicester revert back to their more familiar 4-4-2 set-up. No fresh injury concerns with long-term absentees Matthew Upson [foot] and Zoumana Bakayoko [ACL] still out.  

Thanks as usual to Ben for providing us with up-to-date team news. You can follow him on Twitter @BenDinnery, and you can also find him on Talksport, ESPN & PremierInjuries.com

#FlashbackFour - Swansea vs Leicester

Nathan Lewis takes his weekly look back at the last four fixtures against this weekend's opponents

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This week’s #FlashbackFour contains four matches in the space of 366 days, with three matches in the Championship, and one in the FA Cup. Saturday’s match-up at the Liberty will be the first meeting between the Swans and the Foxes to take place in the Premiership, with Nigel Pearson’s side winning the Championship at a canter last season. They have made an impressive start to life in the top league, playing with confidence and abandon. Think of them as a more direct Swansea, if you will. 

2nd January 2010 - FA Cup Third Round

Leicester 2-1 Swansea

Same teams, same place, same score. Swansea fans were left feeling a slight sense of déjà vu, after we lost in the same manner as our visit to the Walkers Stadium the previous August. A flu bug restricted the selection choices of Manager Paulo Sousa, with the likes of Albert Serran and Marcus Painter getting a chance to make an impact on the first team. The Swans did get off to a decent start, with David Cotterill scoring from 30 yards to give his side the lead after 10 minutes. For the most part, Swansea dominated the first 30 minutes, certainly looking the more likely to score. 

A failure to put away chances however, allowed Andy King to score from the edge of the area, and the scores were level as half-time came. From then on, Leicester were undoubtedly the better side, and Swansea were unable to add to their first goal. It was a substitute that would provide the winning goal, as Danny N’Guessan – who had scored against the Swans on his competitive debut in August – headed in from close-range with just minutes left on the clock.  

16th January 2010 - Championship

Swansea 1-0 Leicester

It had been 54 years since the Swans had beaten Leicester. But, two weeks after losing in the FA cup, Paulo Sousa’s Swans found a way past the Midlands side. Sousa was able to select a much stronger line-up this time, with Rangel, Britton and Nathan Dyer all featuring. It was Dyer that caused headache after headache for the Leicester defence, and his pace and sharpness provided a spark to the customary control that Swansea held over the game. Nath was the creator for the only goal of the game, sprinting to the byline before cutting the ball back for Pintado(!) to score his first goal in nine months. It’s scary, maybe a little worrying that Gorka Pintado started both of these games. Maybe that says something about our defensive mindset under Sousa…

23rd October 2010 - Championship

Swansea 2-0 Leicester

Paulo Sousa must have liked Leicester so much on our three visits in 2009/10, that he decided it would be a nice place to ply his managerial trade. This was a big match-up against a former boss, then right? Nope. After just three months, the Champions League winner was sacked, and replaced with Sven-Goran Eriksson. Unlucky Paulo. 

So, back to the match. Marvin Emnes, what a man. Just four minutes into his Swans debut, having replaced Stephen Dobbie at half-time, Emnes outmuscled Curtis Davies and fired past the Leicester keeper to bring the Liberty Stadium to life. But he wasn’t finished there, sprinting right up to the last minute to square the ball for Scott Sinclair, who sealed the three points by poking the ball past the keeper. Welcome to Swansea, Marvin. 

3rd January 2011 - Championship

Leicester 2-1 Swansea City

While we broke a 56-year winless streak against the Foxes, a loss in this match meant that our search for a win in Leicester now stretches back 64 years. The first-half contained plenty of action, with three goals from two sides both playing at a very high tempo. As seems to be a constant throughout Swans history, we conceded two goals from corners, meaning that the take-away from this game was not Scott Sinclair’s fantastic finish to a lovely passing move, but our inability to defend from corners. 

The first came after six minutes, with Bruno Berner (who?) nodding past De Vries from close range. Leicester’s lead did not last very long though, with Sinclair curling a lovely finish into the net from 20 yards. The rest of the first-half was end-to-end, with the Foxes grabbing their winner through an almost exact replica of the first goal. The second half failed to live up to the high expectations set by the first, and the Swans only had one real chance to equalise, which Scott Sinclair fired wide. The wait for an away win against Leicester continues. 

Games Played: 4

Wins: 2

Draws: 0

Losses: 2

Goals scored: 5

Goals Conceded: 4

It seems that clashes between the Swans and the Foxes have been tight affairs in recent years, often being decided by just one goal. How these Championship results affect the score on Sunday remains to be seen, but we are infinitely stronger as a team than we were three years ago, and I feel that we will just be too much for Nigel Pearson’s side on Saturday. But then, I’d have said that about Sunderland, Newcastle and Stoke… We’ll see! 

My prediction: Swansea 2-1 Leicester

Thanks as usual to Nathan for his weekly #FlashbackFour. Do you agree with his prediction?

"We score one, now we must step on neck"

A big TSW welcome for debutant Jonathan Weaver. With the dust now somewhat settled after a very disappointing result on the weekend, He felt like putting down some of his thoughts. 

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Before carrying on, there has been some excellent analysis from other bloggers including www.wearepremierleague.com and www.comeonyouswans.com, and also on this site, so I won’t go deep into tactical analysis or talk too much about Monk and Cheatgate.  Yes Moses went down easily, but that's far from the first and last time we will see that in the Premier League unfortunately.

My viewpoint basically comes from the stance that, we have in general equipped ourselves rather well over our three and a bit seasons in the Premier League now, and generally we've made strides along the way.  We have now been in this league long enough to consider ourselves a solid mid table team, and we have the players to back that up, but we - at times - still seem a little naive.  If you look at any of the games over the last few weeks, they all follow a similar pattern.  Play like Germany for the first 20 minutes and steam roller teams, either to not score, or if we do, be pegged back by half time.

The number of goals we are conceding between 40-45 minutes is criminal.  I know this weekend was a penalty, but knowing our luck and seeing the way we invite pressure on ourselves at times, you just knew that Moses was going to do that.  Sometimes you just wish in those situations a couple of the senior players would realise our weaknesses and focus on shutting a team out, or better still just playing keep ball as we had been doing for the previous 40 minutes.

I suppose my biggest gripe in terms of the naivety thing is this.  We are playing with two of the quickest wingers in the league, with an even faster player on the bench.  Now within the first 20 minutes of these games, Dyer or Routledge will skin someone and draw a yellow card for them.  In the game against Stoke, it was Shawcross who got booked for his “challenge” on Bony but you get my point.  Bardsley followed later into the book. Against Newcastle it was Coloccini with half an hour left and in the game against Sunderland it was Cattermole within 20 minutes, and against Southampton 3 out of their back 4 had been booked within 48 minutes.

Now most of these players are defensive minded players most of whom have some history of rash challenges, so would someone please tell me why on earth we aren’t getting the ball to Dyer and Routledge and sending them one on one against these players.  Shift formation, move positions, anything.  We saw the exact happen with Rangel for us.  He got a silly yellow, and then they targeted him again.  

Now i know this sounds very cynical of me, but every one of the other teams in the league does it, and I’m in no way saying we need to start cheating like that Stoke lot, but honestly, your telling me that if you or I were playing against Shawcross or Bardsley or Colocinni you wouldn’t be thinking the same, “right give me the ball, I’m gonna sell him this time and this donkey will kick me up in the air”  Its bound to happen.  But instead we seem to get a goal up or look comfortable, get a couple of their players booked and then be content to playing the ball around without going for it.

Sometimes this is where I think at times we would almost be better off at times having a second gear or getting players to really go for it.  I for one was quite unexcited by the signing of Marvin Emnes. Despite Matt Harrison's man crush on him [Ha! - Ed] I thought we signed a journeyman from the lower leagues, but the thing I like with him, is that he comes on, runs at people, tries to shoot, create stuff and is intelligent in the way he wins free kicks and penalties. Montero is much the same.  He comes on, and runs at players and crosses balls in.  Some games our wingers seem to forget the ability to do that at times, and luckily we have two wingers on the bench to remind them to keep on their toes.

The man, the myth, the legend that is Hazelton Wang once said “we score one, now we must step on neck” and he was right.  We need to kill these teams off before they even know its 30 minutes gone. I would love to see us heed his advice and keep up the tempo.  Look at the Champions League victories in midweek - did the aggressors let up? No, and their coaches were urging them on to score more, like with Koeman and Southampton last weekend too.

This business of moaning about decisions from the ref, yes I agree we have been hard done by, but we shouldn’t even be allowing teams a chance to turn a whole 90 minutes of football with one decision.  Against Stoke yes it was a dive, but we still had 45 minutes to score, and we hardly created anything of note.  Too often we get to the end of a game and moan about one decision, when in essence we have only ourselves to blame that we haven't created more.  Until they bring in video refereeing, there will always be dubious calls - the key for us is to not have those decisions affect our results.  Margins are tight in this league yes, but I think we have more than enough quality to string together the wins.

I wrote another blog recently about the things we need to change to succeed this season (link), and one of the points I made was about taking our chances.  We saw it this weekend again.  You don’t get many clear cut chances in this league.  We have to take them.

Whilst this may sound negative,if we can just get a result or two in a row the confidence will come flooding back, and I am 100% sure we can have a great season.  We have an amazing team, an amazing manager ...I mean, anytime I see Sigurdsson and Bony in a Swans shirt I still rub my eyes in disbelief.

Onwards and upwards.  In Monk we trust.

Thanks to Jonathan for that great debut piece. Follow him on Twitter @Jonathan_Weaver. It's a sentiment I agree with - we need to be more streetwise, and go for the kill when on top. Agree? Disagree? Get in touch!

Three things we learned from Stoke away

Huw Richards returns to look at three things to take from our last league outing, before Leicester City come to town tomorrow

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1. Garry likes a rant

After the criminal 3-3 draw at the Liberty versus Stoke last year (Stoke again getting a dubious penalty), Laudrup said "Only one person in the stadium thought it was a penalty and that was the referee. It was a very bad decision." But Garry didn't hold back like Michael.

"The penalty against us is a disgrace. It's a disgraceful decision. Not in a million years is it a penalty" 

He certainly had a point. It is also quite refreshing to see a Swansea manager have a proper rant, in all honesty.

2. Tom Carroll can do a job

With England international Jonjo Shelvey suspended, a gaping hole was left in midfield, next to Ki Sung Yeung. Carroll was selected to fill the gap, and he didn't let anyone down.

3. Bony can still take penalties

After missing a penalty for Ivory Coast during the International break,and thumping the crossbar with one against Reading, he restored confidence in all Swans fan with an ice-cool penalty against the Potters.

@huwrichards21

Time for a Plan B?

The first of two TSW debuts today, first up is Lucy Carpenter looking at whether we should be looking to start games with an alternate formation

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Whilst watching the build up for the Stoke City vs Swansea City game on Sunday, something caught my attention. Although I typically don’t take too much notice in the views of the majority of sky pundits (particularly when it comes to their ill-informed views on Swansea City - and lets face it, they were talking about Peter Crouch before the match as if he were Ronaldinho), one passing comment sparked a train of thought.

Unfortunately I can’t exactly remember who in particular said it and do not wish to commit myself to guessing as it is not really relevant to the point… It was essentially said that we were predictable and everyone knows what to expect from Swansea. Now this point is an obvious one that didn’t really need to be said. We all know the famous ‘Swansea Way’ - heck any half decent football fan does nowadays. The fluid possession based 4-5-1. The merits of which I feel need no explanation here from me. However I do feel like it would be interesting to experiment occasionally with the formation in certain situations.

During pre-season Garry Monk stated that a plan B and C are necessary for success in the modern game. At the fans' forum he also suggested the possibility of using a different formation for some matches. Switching to a 4 4 2 with a diamond midfield and the promising new addition to our strike force in the form of Gomis makes this option look more attractive than in recent seasons as lets face it we have not exactly had the wealth of options up front to try this.

Now it is unclear when (if) we would use this system, obviously not making it a regular thing and only using it in certain situations. However, I think it could be argued that this past weekend's fixture at Stoke could have been the ideal match to give it a try. My main reasons being Jonjo’s one match suspension and Leon’s injury that left us with a space in midfield, Also Stokes infamous "style", especially at home can, based on past matches, be a particular hinderance to ours. Sort of an ‘Anti Swans’ if you will.

Despite this I was not in the least bit surprised by Monks decision to select Tom Carroll as a direct replacement for Jonjo. Nor am I saying it was the wrong choice. In fact I thought that Carroll looked pretty well in the role - especially considering Stoke away is not the easiest place for a youngster to make your inaugural premier league start. I thought combined with Ki they controlled the midfield well in the first half.

In the 64th minute we got the change, with Carroll being replaced by Gomis thus looking like a switch to the ‘plan B’ formation with the intention of going on and pushing for the win. However, this quite drastic change resulted in dwindling our level of control on the game taking away our dominance in the midfield and therefore it pains me to say eventually losing 2 -1, conceding the second after we had changed system. So maybe Plan B wouldn’t work after all? Maybe its that we're just too ingrained in our system for it to work properly? Or it could be something we would need to start with in order for it to work.

This particular point reminded me of how under Laudrup we would sometimes use the ‘Three wingers’, which would only work really well when we started that way, and not so much when we changed during the match.  It will be interesting going forward if we would see us start with our Plan B, although maybe giving it a trail run in an early stage FA cup game may be a sensible option.

Thank to Lucy for getting in touch with her first piece. It's good to finally have a female contributor to the site too! The more the merrier, and if you want to write for The Swansea Way get in touch. You can follow Lucy on Twitter @LucyMay18.

I have to say I agree about our "Plan B" needing to be employed from the start. We've had the same formation for so long now that I think offering up a different proposition for opponents from the off would definitely be a good idea, and being brutally honest switching to 4-4-2 against Stoke only made matters worse. Do you think we need a second formation? Or should we just get better at the same one we've used for years?

Victor Moses a cheat, but don't rumble with Sparky

Not a great weekend, was it? Josh Kilmister (predictably) is still reeling...

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Swansea's players react incredulously to Stoke's penalty

Instead of talking about the game in its entirety, I’m instead going to talk about something that Monk has brought up time and time again in his post-match interviews; referees.

It’ll be no secret to you by now that Stoke’s equaliser that turned the game on its head was quite blatantly a poor decision from referee Michael Oliver which left Monk, as you can imagine, feeling hard done by and not for the first time this season. He spoke after the game calling Victor Moses (the man who went down to win Stoke their penalty) a cheat and claiming that the decision to award the penalty was “disgusting”, claiming that “even their bench couldn’t believe it was a penalty”.

Now from what I’ve seen, Monk’s opposite number Mark Hughes took this relatively well, claiming that it’s “unacceptable” to accuse his player of being a cheat and suggesting that he can understand Monk’s frustration.

“He’s obviously upset. We have to come in here twenty minutes after the game and speak about what’s gone on and sometimes you just have to bite your tongue. Maybe that will come with experience” Mark Hughes

Monk went on to talk about the fact that he is yet to hear back from referee’s Chief Mike Riley, describing it as “poor leadership” from the former top flight ref.

“It’s happening week after week and it’s always against us. I contacted referee’s Chief Mike Riley but haven’t heard anything and I think that’s poor leadership from him.

“This is the highest level and if they can’t perform at this level then they shouldn’t be there” [Talking about Premier League referees] Garry Monk

I’ll back Monk every step of the way. I think his passion for the club is phenomenal, but speaking your mind isn’t always the right thing to do in these situations. As Mark Hughes said, it can be difficult to keep your mouth shut when speaking straight after the game, but for me I think Monk should focus on our poor second half performance (again!) rather than the referee.

Now what I find hilarious is that the morning after Monk brings up the fact that he has yet to hear from Mike Riley, it appears that the PGMOL (Professional Games Match Officials Board) have woken up. Less than 24 hours after Monk expressed his feelings about Riley and Co, it’s been confirmed that a letter and DVD have been received and they will be contacting Monk as soon as possible. The way things have gone so far, don’t be surprised if that’s not in the near future.

Of course as fans, we can say what we like about referees and Stoke’s players without upsetting Mike Riley or Mark Hughes. Victor Moses is a cheat and I can’t remember the last time I watched a Swans game where the referee hasn’t shown a dislike to us - don’t be shocked to see Monk fined for his words in the coming weeks. 

As for a feud with Mark Hughes, I think that’s one fight he should back out of...

Thanks to Josh for this, his latest piece - you can follow him on Twitter @JoshKilmister

Patterns, Monk right about refs & why we should all calm down

Eric Imhof takes a look at how spotting patterns is key in turning around your fortunes

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I remember it being said by I can’t remember who that all human problems ultimately stem from one of two mistakes: not recognizing a pattern when it exists, or thinking they recognize a pattern when in reality it doesn’t. With that said, I understand the tenuous nature of pointing out trends, especially over such short periods as four-game stretches (I’ll also comment on a longer pattern to even it out). However, with Monk’s recent comments about the refs and cheating in mind, I think there are some patterns he’s recognizing correctly and others he’s strangely omitting.

On the refs, I think (as I’ve written previously) that Garry Monk is technically correct: the Swans have gotten the short end of the stick, especially over the past four league games. Not only is this pattern concerning because the decisions have all turned out to be game changers in retrospect, but because it demonstrates for all other teams a very simple formula for beating the Swans: foul, early and often. Not only will you not be punished, but you’ll be rewarded—both by grinding the game to a halt and, as we’ve seen recently, winning penalties while the Swans are simultaneously reduced to 10 men.

Some stats to ponder: over the last four league games (L-D-D-L in form), the Swans have been out-fouled 60 to 44, while the Swans have seen 9 yellow cards, resulting in 3 sendings off. The opposition has only seen 13 yellow cards, and no reds, despite fouling at will (60 called fouls, it needs to be pointed out). Stoke alone fouled the Swans 17 times, accruing 4 yellows. But again, no reds, and a cheeky penalty bonus to boot. Frustrating.

But here’s a more worrying statistic: the Swans only scored 1 goal in the second half during those same four matches, and that was at home against Newcastle in a game they should’ve won 5-0. Now, the Sunderland and Southampton games could reasonably be chalked up to calls going against the Swans, rendering them limping through the last 45 minutes, but the last two games have been a replay of the same script - a reprise of so many games last season  - where the Swans miss early chances, get the short end of some “inconsistent” (I would say flabbergasting) calls, and ultimately wither away in the end, out of ideas and out of energy.

It’s actually such a common script for the Swans that it’s gone from frustrating to boring in my mind; so boring that I don’t even want to write any more about it.

In short, the Swans are getting screwed, and in a league of such tight scores and little room for mistakes, red cards and penalties can really manifest in the table. If not for the Bony & Rangel reds, and if not for opposing teams being allowed to hack away at Swans with relative impunity, Swansea might be looking down at the table from the top four.

But at the same time, one goal in four second-halves is not helping the matter. I’m not sure what Monk is telling the lads at half time, but at least one fan on Twitter speculated this morning that he’s not talking at all, but instead filling them all with morphine. I think the substitutions in the second halves of games have also been rocky, and I know I’m not alone in questioning some of the decisions as of late.

And yet, one final pattern to point out, in an attempt to pull everyone back from the ledge: you don’t win every game, and especially for a team at the level of Swansea, some groundedness will go a long way.

To put things in perspective, in the turbulent roller-coaster that ended up being A-okay that was the 2013/14 season, the Swans were 11-9-18. The previous year, in the 2012/13 season—the Best Season Ever because of the celebration of the centenary and the League Cup win—the Swans were (surprise!) 11-13-14, with a goal difference of negative 4, and with a 3-2-3 record over the first eight matches, including 2-nil losses at Aston Villa and Stoke. Sound familiar?

In conclusion: calm down, everyone, things will even out - providing Monk fixes some minor issues. The calls will probably almost certainly not start suddenly going in the Swans’ favour, but there’s not much Monk can do about that, despite his righteous (and right) public statements. What Monk can fix, however, is his team’s performance in the second half. He needs to help them concentrate, while making smart substitutions that play to their benefits and/or to the deficits of the other side.

Hopefully they can stay away from red cards, and get some confidence-boosting results (not necessarily wins) in November, a brutal part of the Swans’ early schedule. Also, Shelvey will be back. Britton will be back. Amat will be back. Ki is no longer looking lost. Fabianksi is a legend. As we usually say at the end of any disappointing performance: plenty of positives, plenty of positives...

Thanks to Eric for his latest piece - you can follow him on Twitter @AustinJackArmy

Stoke vs Swansea - Expert team news

Injury expert Ben Dinnery gives us his customary pre-match availability update

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Mark Hughes is confident his inform duo Mame Biram Diouf [hamstring] & Victor Moses [thigh] will be available to face Swansea on Sunday after the pair responded well to treatment over the international break. Geoff Cameron [hernia] is also back in contention after missing the past two months following surgery but Marko Arnautovic is rated as “touch & go” after the Austrian forward was forced off with a hip injury midweek. Glenn Whelan [knee] is expected to miss out after The Potters sent their midfielder for a scan [suspected knee ligament damage] with defender Robert Huth struggling to make the game because of a calf strain. Peter Odemwingie [ACL] will target a return this season. 

For Garry Monk, full-back Jazz Richards' brief foray into the first team after a three year Premier League absence could be over as Angel Rangel returns following his one game domestic ban – Dwight Tiendalli is back in contention having recovered from a minor groin problem. Leon Britton [bruised patella] is progressing but is still not training fully – the midfielder hopes to return in November. Jordi Amat [knee ligaments] remains sidelined but isn’t far away while youngster Rory Donnelly [ankle] is still out.

Thanks as usual to Ben for providing us with up-to-date team news. You can follow him on Twitter @BenDinnery, and you can also find him on Talksport, ESPN & PremierInjuries.com

#FlashbackFour - Stoke vs Swansea

Nathan Lewis returns to take his weekly look at the last four fixtures between the Swans and this weekend's opponents Stoke

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Stoke vs Swansea has, historically, been a match-up that represents a clash of footballing philosophies, between a Spanish-Welsh blend of pretty passing, and Tony Pulis-style Hoofball. Matches between Stoke and Swansea tend to provide plenty of entertainment, and we can expect more of the same in front of the Sky cameras on Sunday. How have we performed against the Midlands side previously? Let’s take a look: 

29th September 2012 - Premier League

Stoke City 2-0 Swansea

Michael Laudrup got off to an excellent start as Swansea manager, beginning the season with three games unbeaten. A 5-0 demolition of QPR on the opening day, and a 3-0 stroll against West Ham was followed by an entertaining 2-2 draw at home to Sunderland. This hot form was not continued in the following three games, with this 2-0 defeat in Stoke-on-Trent capping three losses in a row.

Tony Pulis’ side ended an 11-game streak without a win, and rarely looked troubled in winning. Poor defending from a corner allowed Peter Crouch to head home unchallenged, before scoring his side’s second goal from a speculative cross. The ease with which Pulis’ side won this game stood in stark contrast to the possession statistics. We had 74% possession, but unfortunately could not find any way past a resolute Stoke defence. One of those games, then. All the ball, no cutting edge, no goal. 

19th January 2013 - Premier League

Swansea 3-1 Stoke City

It was a very, very different story back home in the Liberty. Our favourite consistently inconsistent Jonathan De Guzman gave one of his more sparkling performances in a Swansea shirt. The first-half performances of both sides left little to get excited about - Swansea had the better of the chances, but seemed unable to find the final pass to cement their dominance. Ben Davies provided a moment of excellence to give us the lead, beating two men down the left and coolly slotting the ball past Begovic in the Stoke goal. 

The dominance of the Swans was in full-swing, and Jono scored our second with a beautiful curled free-kick, after Michu was brought down on the edge of the box. The best was saved for last, however. One of the nicest passing moves we've seen at the Liberty in recent years ended with Danny Graham playing de Guzman in, who slotted home to finish the move, secure all three points, and cap off a dominant performance. Michael Owen provided a consolation goal for Stoke, scoring his first goal in the red and white stripes. 

10th November 2013 - Premier League

Swansea 3-3 Stoke City

Oh Robert. Robert, Robert, Robert. Mr Madley the referee was unfortunately the most notable player in this six-goal thriller. The Swans seemed to continue their poor Autumn form by going 2-0 down in the first half an hour, and morale seemed to be on the floor following the South Wales Derby defeat and two last-minute draws with Kuban Krasnodar in Europe. 

The man who ended up as the Swans player of the season, Wilfried Bony, was the spark that ignited a comeback in the second half, nodding home from close range. Nath Dyer scored the second from a Routledge pull-back, and it seemed the comeback was complete when Big Wilf finished from a Jonjo Shelvey cross. A much-needed boost in confidence and points was ruined by a controversial last-minute penalty, cruelly given for a supposed Routledge handball. Everyone’s favourite man Charlie Adam converted the penalty and further ruined the morale in South West Wales. 

12th February 2014 - Premier League

Stoke City 1-1 Swansea

To say it was windy in Stoke-on-Trent is a massive understatement. The match was delayed due to high winds, eventually starting fifteen minutes late. Garry Monk’s second match as Swansea manager wasn’t as obviously pleasing as the South Wales Derby, but it was positive in a different kind of way. This had the feel of a game in which, under Laudrup, we may have crumpled and lost. Instead, under Super Garry Monk, we fought back to rescue a valuable point.

Peter Crouch (who has a habit of scoring against us, it seems) opened the scoring after he passed to Peter Odemwingie, whose shot rebounded off the post back to the lanky striker’s feet. Crouch’s shot then somehow made its way through 4 or 5 Swans defenders, bouncing up and over Angel Rangel’s outstretched foot. We played well, dominating possession, and were finally granted an equaliser when Chico met Pablo’s cross to head past Asmir Begovic. The only question is whether we could have claimed all three points, with Wilf going close a couple of times. But this was undoubtedly a well-earned point away in the Midlands for Garry Monk and his side, as well as a valuable point closer to Premier League safety.

Overall record (last four games)

Wins: 1

Draws: 2

Losses: 1

Goals scored: 7

Goals Conceded: 7

A decent, if unspectacular record for us against Stoke, it seems. The Britannia is not an easy place to go to, as our inability to win there shows. Stoke are a side that we would probably see ourselves on the same level as, if not higher. As seems to be case with any side outside the top seven, three points is well within our grasp. Whether we grab the win, is a completely different question, of course. 

My prediction: 1-1.

Thanks to Nathan for his latest #FlashbackFour - give him a follow on Twitter @NathDavidLewis

Six things I want from the Swans after the international break

Josh Denk returns to give us six things he'd like the Swans to aim for now that the international break is over

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Swansea's Ki, Jefferson Montero & Gylfi Sigurdsson celebrate Sigurdsson's winner at Old Trafford

So far this season we've had three wins on the trot followed by a four-game winless streak. We’ve had a different group of stars emerge in the midfield while the back four have shown a few signs of weakness. Super Garry has a Manager of the Month trophy to polish while he considers his shaky substitution decisions during the Newcastle match.

Folks tend to be overwhelmingly optimistic when looking at the Swans’ fifth-place start, at least if they are looking from the outside in. I tend to be less sanguine than most in even the most pleasant of circumstances (ask my wife), but I think in this case a general unease is warranted. After all, I’m counting probably four points dropped.

That said, this team seems solidly positioned to get the points it needs to stay in this league, so we should, as always, be thinking about ways we can burnish our reputation not just on but off the field. Here’s what I want to see from Wales’ only Premier League team: 

More Filth: MORE GYLF. 

You may have seen the numbers now: 12 games for club and country, 6 goals, 6 assists. Mr. Sigurðsson is tearing apart the opposition and keeping our Swans (and Iceland) near the top of the table with great vision, fantastic control, and incisive through-balls. Clearly he has this football thing sussed out; let’s expand his profile. Let’s put Gylfi’s ample resources to work where they are needed most. I think we need to give Gylfi a crack at the following:

• Speeding up service in the West stand at the Liberty.
• Revitalising Swansea’s city centre.
• Getting Ebola under control.
• Neutralizing Islamic State.
• Ridding the world of the scourge that is celery. (Beets, too, if he has time)

        

I mean, how serious are we about raising our global profile? This is Gylfi’s time. It could be the year of the Swan as well. Let’s put the Invincible Icelander to work.

Fewer #ohjonjo Moments

Again, here is a case where, from the outside looking in, Jonjo Shelvey is settling in nicely over in South Wales. But if you’re looking more closely, Jonjo Shelvey is making the big pass when the shorter pass might be better. And by making it, I mean he’s likely to be turning the ball over. He’s picking up bookings left and right, but I still feel some sympathy for Jonjo and think he should be given every opportunity to succeed while here. 

The example I'll give is the Liverpool game at the Liberty last season, which should probably be called The Jonjo Affair, where he was involved in all four goals in a 2-2 draw. He seemed honest and forthright after the game, apologizing for his part in giving up the two points that were within our grasp. I’ve been rooting for him since (and even before that), but my patience is running a bit thin. I need to see a more professional and disciplined Jonjo before I feel he’s worthy of a place in the starting XI when Leon Britton comes back -- because everyone else in midfield is holding his own. So come on, Voldemort; let’s pull it together.

Monk on the BBC

        

Help me with this: has the level of hysteria on the 5 Live Football Daily always been this high? We need a clear head in there. Between Steve Claridge’s general hysteria and the overall air of puffery around the Monday Night Club, I’d like a straightforward voice to cut through the cliche-ridden load of garbage I keep hearing. Smaller clubs also need more representation. Less Arsenal, more Swansea City; less Owen Coyle, more Garry Monk. (I mean, I know he’s busy, but this is Super Garry we’re talking about. He can make time.)

More Montero Starts

Dyer and Routledge have been FANTASTIC, don’t get me wrong. But I’d like to see a change of pace from the Swans from the get-go. This year, we have done a pretty great job of staying on a level footing or going ahead early, and I love that. But I’d like to see if some additional pace would help us get a greater jump on the competition. I understand that the strategy is currently to bring in Montero late when the opposition is tiring to see if we can squeeze in another goal or two. But let’s think about the Everton fixture in the Capital One Cup; Montero started and got us a pretty amazing opportunity within the first 20-25 minutes. I’d like to see that more often; an ability to bring pace to bear early and put the match out of reach.

Player Theme Music

Recent results of the Jack Cast’s Twitter survey on what should change at the Liberty focused primarily on goal music; nearly everyone said we need to be rid of that. As an American, I am a little more used to inappropriately placed music at sporting events, so that issue didn’t resonate as much with me, but I very much appreciate the point that folks make: the crowd makes the noise when the ball hits the net, so there’s no need for music.

If you follow American baseball, however, you may be familiar with the fact that when players come up to bat, they often get to choose the music that accompanies their walks to home plate. You get a certain sampling of current hip-hop as well as country, but you also get the rare, unusual treat, like when Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Boston Red Sox walks out to Rock Me Amadeus. So what if each starter got to choose theme music to walk out to? Or, better yet, what if the fans choose something for them? Yeah, probably a terrible idea. Or...is it? [Personally, I quite like this idea! Maybe for substitutions? - Ed].

Ticket Prices

Well, that was timely. The Price of Football BBC survey came out this week, and it appears Swansea City offer one of the most expensive matchday experiences around. The club disputes the numbers and says the methodology is flawed, and there are probably as many ways to calculate the experience as there are fans. Still, whatever the quibbles might be with our individual situation, this is the most extensive survey anyone undertakes, and it appears that the league is easily outstripping cost-of-living increases and inflationary percentages. Clubs claim that they have packed houses and use that as evidence of appropriate pricing. The economics say otherwise.

But let’s say they’re right. Let’s say that despite increases on this level, the fans keep turning out, keep dipping into their pockets, keep using more and more of their limited disposable income to turn out for their teams. Shouldn’t teams consider giving back - even more than they already do? I am always surprised when I see a team offering to pay travel costs for fans to travel to away games; that would never happen on this side of the Atlantic. (I hope every day that I’m proven wrong on that.), and it’s a sign that Premier League clubs recognize what their fans mean to them.

As a club with a large percentage of supporter ownership, I’d love to see Swansea City do more for its fans; reductions of ticket prices, pay for away travel costs, or a variety of other incentives beyond simply marketing efforts. We’re a leader in modeling how a community can be a part of moving a club toward the top tiers of club football. We should be a leader in supporter rewards too.

So that’s what I want to see, beyond a return to early-season form. Mostly I’d be happy with less white-knuckle time this year, but a man can dream, can’t he?

Thanks to Josh for his latest piece! Give him a follow on Twitter @TheJoshDenk. Personally - and even though I'm against goal music - the player theme music sounds like a winner to me! What would you like to see change if you had carte blanche? Get in touch using the comment section below.