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