Three common misconceptions dispelled

Eric Imhof has heard certain things oft-repeated of late. Things he doesn't necessarily agree with...

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Jonjo Shelvey gives away the penalty for Palace's equaliser yesterday

It’s difficult to be cheery after mustering only a draw at home to a team below you in the table, especially after the level of concentration that had been achieved over the past three outings, but I stand by what I wrote last week: the Swans have passed their first true test and have come out of November with a solid foundation to build on. I’m going to drink to that. (Okay, I was going to drink either way, because it’s the weekend after Thanksgiving and what else goes with leftover turkey sandwiches?).

Yes, Monk’s side should’ve won today against a plucky Palace, but much of the post-match reaction struck me as hyperbole - both the good kind (heightened expectations) and the bad (alarmism). Among the figurative torches and pitchforks, here are three statements I read today that warrant re-examination:

The points that Swansea are dropping from winning positions are a cause for serious concern.

We can look at the headline, “13 points dropped from winning positions,” and from that statement alone conclude that something is dreadfully wrong. Or, we can look just an inch deeper, and realize that six of those points were “dropped” away to Chelsea and City - games that Swansea were realistically not going to win, and games in which the Swans jumped out to surprise early leads - and still three more were the result of questionable refereeing (to put it mildly) at Stoke. 

Yes, letting Newcastle and now Palace claw back draws at home is frustrating, but since when is a poor showing automatically a crisis? Nine of the 13 dropped points were away from home, and three of them deserve an asterisk (not to mention that Swansea almost rescued a point at the Etihad). To me, this just sounds like a pedestrian (if not pleasantly surprising) run of 13 games for the Swans in the Premier League. 

Swansea need to win on Tuesday against QPR to remain on track for a top-10 finish. 

Huh? The last time I checked, the Swans are in 7th, so say whatever you want about the trends and extrapolations and form, but apparently the Swans are playing well enough, Palace-draw included, to be in the top half. I fail to see how even a loss to QPR (gasp!) throws them wildly off track. Granted, it won’t be exceptionally helpful to lose at home to a relegation candidate, but just like the points-dropped crisis mentioned above, it wouldn’t actually be a crisis, it would just be another game in the Premier League, where, as we’ve seen, anything can happen. 

For a comparison: last season, Newcastle came in 10th with 49 points. By my admittedly bad math (I went to art school - forgive me), the Swans would still have a good shot at 10th or above if they finish with 25 points in 19 matches. Assuming they lose on Tuesday, that still leaves them five matches to pick up six points, and they have Hull, Aston Villa, and a struggling Liverpool on the docket. It won’t be easy (it never is), but it’s entirely plausible to remain on track. What am I missing here? 

Jonjo cost the Swans the game / should be benched. 

Okay, there’s some merit to this kind of sentiment, with a few caveats: the penalty was another in a long line of soft, questionable calls against the Swans this season (this point has been belaboured, but ask yourself if any Swansea player would ever get that call in a million years); Jonjo was not the only player off his game yesterday; and the Swans had more than enough chances to make the penalty irrelevant to the result. Last week Monk reminded everyone that “we win as a team, we lose as a team, simple as that.” In this case they drew as a team, but a point’s a point. Onward, then. 

Still, a lot of people on twitter commented that Jonjo just doesn’t look like he belongs in Monk’s system anymore, and that much may be becoming more apparent. At the same time, Shelvey is capable of great things, is still young (he's not 23 until February, remember), and appears to care about Swansea, as opposed to many Premier-League soldiers of fortune. Also, Monk has two games in four days to plan for, so was Jonjo seriously not to be considered? 

Still, I think it’s time to give some other players a run (Carroll, Barrow, Leon, etc.), not so much as a punishment for Shelvey, but as reward for the others putting in excellent shifts, and as a way for Monk to hone his tactical options. So Jonjo didn’t cost the Swans the game, but should still be benched. Simple, right? 

Lastly, and on a personal note, at least people were debating Shelvey instead of Neil Taylor, who I think is playing well enough to escape the “weakest link” category. A victory for Tayls, who can hopefully push on now and show the form which saw him explode onto the Premier League when the Swans first gained promotion. 

Thanks as usual to Eric for his ongoing contribution to the site. Give him a follow on Twitter @AustinJackArmy

#FlashbackFour - Swansea v Crystal Palace

Nathan Lewis takes his weekly look at the last four fixtures against our upcoming opponents. This week it's Crystal Palace's turn for the Flashback treatment

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30th October 2012 - Championship

Crystal Palace 0-3 Swansea

The Swans ran out easy victors in this match, extending their unbeaten league run to six and reaching 7 hours and 35 minutes without conceding a goal. It was a dominant performance from Brendan Rodgers’ side, with Scott Sinclair, Darren Pratley and Joe Allen scoring the goals. Palace barely looked threatening, even with footballing legend Edgar Davids playing in midfield. A cracking effort from Swansea on the way to the playoffs.

15th January 2011 - Championship

Swansea 3 – 0 Crystal Palace

Dougie Freedman would have hoped for a better debut match as full time manager of Palace. Swansea’s star of the season Scott Sinclair smashed home 2 penalties to give the home crowd plenty to shout about, after Darren Pratley scored his second goal against Palace in 2 games to open the scoring. An easy double for the Swans, while Palace slipped towards the relegation zone.

22nd September 2013 - Premier League

Crystal Palace 0 – 2 Swansea

There aren’t many occasions in our #FlashbackFour where we can celebrate 3 successive wins for the Swans over their rivals, but this is one. Having beaten Valencia 3-0 at the Mestalla, the Swans could have been forgiven for letting complacency creep in. Not so, as Michu scored after just 80 seconds to send Swansea towards their second league victory of the season. It won’t have been pleasing to watch for Ian Holloway from his touchline-ban-inspired vantage point in the stands, as Michu teed up Nathan Dyer to smash home Swansea’s second goal.

2nd March 2014 - Premier League

Swansea 1 -1 Crystal Palace

First-half: solid, job done, no real worries, one goal up.

Second-half: What on Earth is happening?!

This was a real “game of 2 halves”, with Crystal Palace completely in control, even without threatening the Swansea goal, and it just felt like something was going to ruin the day. And it did. 8 minutes left, Michael Vorm comes rushing out, Glenn Murray pokes it past him and Chico clumsily drags him down. Straight red card, obviously a free-kick…or, as it turned out, a penalty. Somehow. This series of unfortunate events conspired to allow Pulis’ Palace [Crystal Pulis? - Ed] to steal a point and add more worry to Swansea’s end of season run-in.

Thanks to Nathan as usual. Give him a follow on Twitter @NathDavidLewis. Hopefully we can continue our recent good form against Palace and pick up the three points!

Monk eyeing Europa League - providing next 9 games go well!

While comment was fairly innocuous, the mention of Europa League qualification through the league is surely a first for a Swansea manager

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Once upon a time there was talk of a "league within a league" in the Premiership, and while that's a line of thinking which has now been firmly put to bed at the Swans it's something which often gets brought up whenever a team's chances of breaking into the established "top four/five/six/seven" are discussed. Few have managed to break the monopoly of the established teams who regularly gain European qualification through league position, and it's almost understandable if some teams didn't view progress to that high a position in the league as possible. 

Garry Monk was speaking about how the next nine games will be a defining factor in our target for the season, but for me the little bit at the end of his quotes is very telling. While he may accept it's unrealistic, and you can't plan that far ahead, that Monk even mentioned the Europa League shows how well he feels we've been playing this season, and how - next few results dependent - we could be in a position to build on our great start. 

"When we come out of that nine-game period we will know where we are in the league and if we can push on. Or, if there's something we need to quickly address, make sure we don't get dragged down into a relegation fight. 

"Of course, the main focus will always be to get to 40 points as soon as possible, hopefully throughout that period we can get to somewhere near... sooner rather than later. Our focus is on now and Crystal Palace, and if we can get three points then great. You can't look too far ahead although obviously I plan ahead for the team and what we're going to do. 

"I'd love to get into the Europa League but that's not my focus... our focus is on trying to win the next game." Garry Monk

As I say, the Europa League comment is obviously a throwaway remark, but it's the fact that it was even mentioned that pleases me. If we win our next two games (Palace & QPR at home) we'll have twenty-four points from fourteen games, which if extrapolated over a season adds up to 65 points (near as damnit) - which would obviously be a record points return for the Swans and would almost definitely put us in a good position for European qualification.

I'm not expecting us to get sixty-five points, but as Monk says if we get the right results in our next nine games then we can reassess and push on. To where, it remains to be seen - I for one though am glad that given our great start to the season Monk does at least acknowledge that European qualification is a possibility.

As Monk said, we aim to compete in every game. Do that over the rest of the season and who knows where we'll end up, but I wouldn't bet against a record points return. 

Would you?

Bony top PL goalscorer in 2014 = £30mil plus?

With our Ivorian powerhouse's stock flying up, and the ink on his new contract still drying, how much is Wilf worth right now? Lots, I'd say...

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"Scoring goals? That's the easy part - it's running around with these thighs that tires me out!"

"He's too big to play in the Premiership", "he doesn't look natural enough", "his first touch is rubbish" and "he doesn't run the channels enough" were all things heard routinely (and sadly) in Bony's early days at the Liberty. I doubt you'll find a single dissenter now. After taking a little while to get scoring in the league Wilfried Bony thoroughly deserves all the praise that's currently being lavished on him, and he's become an absolutely integral part of the Swansea City team. 

What's more, he's obviously still improving. Signing Big Wilf for £12million from Vitesse is looking now like an absolutely brilliant piece of business on the Swans' part - you only have to look at Shane Long costing the same for Southampton - and this week the main story doing the rounds is that Bony is the top scoring player in the Premier League for the calendar year to date. If that is still true come midnight on 31st of December, that will be - simply - an incredible achievement. 

When you factor in the fact that he's just signed a new contract, it really does become anyone's guess just how much Bony's market value is, but with potential suitors always circling overhead let's have a rough guess, just to see what we could expect to receive if a substantial bit was to come in. Firstly, here's the list of top PL scorers in 2014, with the players' ages & most recent transfer fees in brackets. 

• Wilfried Bony             - 17 goals - Age 25 - £12million
• Sergio Aguero             - 16 goals - Age 26 - £35million
• Edin Dzeko                 - 14 goals - Age 28 - £27million
• Yaya Touré                 - 13 goals - Age 31 - £24million
• Daniel Sturridge          - 13 goals - Age 25 - £12million
• Steven Gerrard            - 12 goals - Age 34 - N/A
• Luis Suárez                 - 12 goals - Age 27 - £75million
• Wayne Rooney           - 12 goals - Age 29 - £24.6million
• Romelu Lukaku          - 11 goals - Age 21 - £28million
• Emmanuel Adebayor  - 11 goals - Age 30 - £5million*
• Diego Costa                - 11 goals - Age 26 - £32million

Now, aside from how nice it is to see Wilf on top of that list what else do you notice? Firstly, only Lukaku is younger. Secondly, only Daniel Sturridge & Adebayor cost less (* with Adebayor's loan deal the prior season bringing his fee right down), and I'd argue that Adebayor has been a flop (despite appearing in this list), while Sturridge is - great last season aside - not as proven a goalscorer as Bony now is. Bony has scored goals wherever he's been, and in abundance. Ok, Sturridge started at the top, and I do feel he's an excellent player, but as an out and out goalscorer I'd say Bony is the better option. 

This leads me to then look at players who've been bought "in their prime", as it were, and who have scored lots of goals. Aguero? £35million. Dzeko? £27million, and that was going back a while now. Diego Costa cost £32million, while Romelu Lukaku cost a remarkable £28million, the majority of which must surely be viewed as an investment on his potential as opposed to his current ability. 

This all leads me to believe that, should a team come knocking, £30million for Wilfried Bony would be a completely fair price. He's going to improve for a few years yet. he hasn't got pace to lose, he's a handful for any defence in the world and he's now a proven goalscorer in the Premier League. 

Oh, and he plays for Swansea City. For the Swans, £30million is still like winning the lottery and we will (and should) sell all day. Hell, I can't think of one asset the club own that couldn't be bought for £30million! Take the Liberty if you want, we'll build a stadium with decent concourse space somewhere in SA1! 

No one wants to see Wilf leave, but in signing a new contract and continuing his excellent form he's now ensured that if and when he does leave, the Swans will most definitely get a fair price for him, and once again break their record for "transfer fee received". 

£15million for Joey? Small change that was, mun...

Modou Barrow - To start, or not to start?

After just two appearances off the bench, Modou Barrow has already got Swans fans calling for him to get a start in Monk’s starting eleven. Do they have a point? Josh Kilmister examines the evidence

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There’s no doubt that Modou Barrow has been superb in both of his cameo appearances from the bench so far, with ‘fearless’ a word I've seen on many an occasion already when people are describing his style of play. His ability to take on a player with such confidence is just one factor to his game, though we are yet to see what he can do in front of goal or even in terms of delivery. Obviously that’s not his fault and I’m sure with more game time his ability will become more and more evident.

The big question if he was to start would be who he would replace. The Gambian forward can play on the left, and even through the middle though his preferred position is on the right. That means that it would be Dyer or Routledge he would replace as Jeff has looked to have made the left wing position his own in the past few games.

With Routledge still injured (though he should be back for Crystal Palace on the weekend), Barrow has no doubt got his eyes set on Dyer’s position. Is he quite good enough to make his first Premier League start? In all fairness, I think he probably is. However, that’s not to say that he will.

Personally I think at this stage in his career, Barrow is a great player to have on the bench; I think that’s how Monk sees him too. There’s no doubt in my mind that he will make a start at some point this season, if not in the league then certainly in the FA Cup, but to start him after just two good performances off the bench, I think would be wrong.

Dyer didn’t have the best of games against Man City on the weekend, even if he did grab himself a magnificent assist in Bony’s opener, but I think Monk will stick with him. I mean, why wouldn’t he? And with Routledge set to be back from injury soon, Barrow may have some time until he can mark his name in our squad; but that’s one thing he has over the likes of Routledge - time. Routledge is twenty-nine edging on thirty, Barrow is yet to turn twenty-two. If he keeps at it, I’m sure it won’t be too long before he finds himself in amongst the starting team.

While we’re on the topic of wingers, a certain Lee Trundle mentioned in the Evening Post the other day that the re-signing of Scott Sinclair would be good business for The Swans. He’s no fool, he knows he didn’t exactly leave on good terms with the fans, or even the club in general, but given the chance I think he’d jump at the opportunity to make up for what can only be described as lost time in his career. 

Personally I’d love to see Scotty back in a Swans shirt. I think he’s got a lot to prove, and I'd be happy for him to do it in SA1.

What do you think of Trunds’ comments? Would you welcome Scotty back into the club, or has he had his time? Who should be starting out wide for the Swans? All very good questions which are very much up for debate. Thanks to Josh for his latest piece, you can follow him on Twitter @TheJoshKilmister

Infectious positivity

Swansea City have displayed many positive characteristics over the last month, says Eric Imhof

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I must admit that I was fearful heading into November. The Liverpool-Everton-Arsenal-City gauntlet (interjected with international duty) posed the real possibility of four straight defeats, and although the Leicester win put everyone at ease, a slump heading into December could’ve put the Swans back in the frustrating position they found themselves in last season: struggling even for a very basic level of confidence. 

Instead, November has been a banner month for Garry Monk and the Swans - a month that has not only serendipitously brightened the season but perhaps has also given new light to the near future for the South-Wales outfit. 

In short, it’s exciting to be a Swans fan again. It may come as terse to some for me to write that, especially considering the rocketing out of the gate we saw in August, but I really, really didn’t want to slog through another lugubrious season like the last one. The silly mistakes that marked September and October were, to put it generously, slightly troubling. I was starting to wonder if August was merely a fluke. But no more: yesterday’s loss to City had me grinning (and I know I wasn’t alone), a true indicator that things really are looking up for little Swansea City. 

Why was I grinning, even in a narrow defeat? Well for starters, precisely because the defeat was narrow. Last season, City would’ve won this game by three or four goals, and Laudrup would be spending the post-match interview talking about how much better City are in every position. To have Pellegrini praising his side for a one-goal win at home to the Swans shows the level of confidence, intensity, and devotion that Monk has inspired in his players; they went there to win, and expected to get a result. Why shouldn’t they? When the interviewer commented post-match that Monk's side had “competed for 90 minutes” Monk replied, “Yes, that’s the minimum requirement.” What’s not to love about this man? 

That kind of attitude is contagious. One can see from the players’ post-match interviews - all praising the togetherness of the team, all concentrating on the positives - that they really feel they have something special this year. That spirit will not only lead to better performances in the short term, but will allow Monk to recruit more effectively in the long term. People will want to come and play with this group. They’ll want to learn from their leaders. That draw, in turn, will result in more competition for each position, and better quality overall. This feedback loop, set in motion by Monk at the end of last season, is hugely encouraging. 

And speaking of Monk, most of my delight with yesterday’s match came from his decision to play Bony and Gomis together (finally), a risk that I felt he should take given the relatively low pressure the Swans were under at the Etihad. The formation worked well, and almost rescued a point. 

But that's not the only thing Monk has done right in November - in fact, I can’t think of anything he’s done wrong. Part of that feedback loop I just mentioned also stems from rewarding performances; if players know they can earn their time under a coach, they’re more likely to put in the effort and stay with a club. Barrow and Carroll stand out as players who Monk has brought in to the team ethos - simply by giving them chances and then allotting them time proportionately. The positive vibes generated by Monk in doing this cannot be overstated (cf. Spurs). 

At the beginning of the month I wrote that the indicators of Monk’s success in November would be goals in the second half (check), taking risks tactically (check), picking up less cards (check), and cementing a confidence that Swansea could take into the remainder of the year (double check). In a month that was supposed to be so difficult, Monk has picked up four points already, while building talent from within, giving the fans a delightful come-from-behind home win, and honing his own tactical prowess. 

All of this progress should leave Swans fans encouraged. The red-card riddled, dull-play-dominated blip of a few weeks ago now seems like it was months ago. Indeed, it feels like it was rightly left behind last season. I always want the Swans to win, but this group is a team you can really root for. 

That’s a huge difference. 

Thanks to Eric as always for his ongoing contribution. You can follow him on Twitter @AustinJackArmy

#FlashbackFour – Man City v Swansea

Nathan Lewis gives us his rundown of the last four games against Man City

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If you ask a Swansea fan to pick out some of their highlights from the last 10-12 years, you might find that a 4-0 loss sticks as one of the most memorable moments. Our first Premier League match, away at the Etihad, was both encouraging and heart-breaking. Sure, we lost 4-0 to a mightily impressive City side, but the Swans showed enough to indicate that we would have enough; that we would be alright. The following May we sprung a surprise at the Liberty, winning 1-0. Did our encouraging form continue into Michael Laudrup’s first season in charge? Let’s have a look:

27th October 2012 - Premier League

Man City 1-0 Swansea

A little pub quiz trivia to start this week’s Flashback: Which match holds the record for the longest match in Premier League history? That’s right, this one. 12 minutes were added onto this match due to the unfortunate injuries to Michel Vorm and Micah Richards, but it was not long enough for Swansea to score an equaliser which, given their general control of play, may have been deserved. It was undoubtedly a more impressive display from the Swans than their previous visit to the Etihad. -Laudrup’s men had the better of the game in general, looking the more likely to score for large spells. 

An impressive performance between the posts for Joe Hart, however, saw the Swans come away with only a creditable performance to write home about. Man City were always going to be tough opposition, and it took them 36 minutes for them to test Vorm in the Swansea goal, and another 25 to put an effort past him. Vorm unfortunately injured his groin in attempting to save Tevez’s swerving effort, with Tremmel replacing him for the last half an hour or so. All in all, another creditable performance against one of the top four, but unfortunately not anything in terms of points. Encouraging though, no doubt. 

4th May 2013 - Premier League

Swansea 0-0 Man City

What a journey it has been for Swansea City Football Club. 3rd May 2003, Swansea play Hull in a must-win match to save their league status. Almost exactly 10 years to the day and the Swans welcome an oil-rich, Champions League quality side to the Liberty Stadium. And what’s more, they keep a clean sheet, and earn a point. For once, it was Manchester City who were more wasteful with their efforts on goal, and an impressive Michel Vorm performance kept his side in it. Were it not for Vorm, or his captain in front of him Ashley Williams, Swansea would certainly have had more to worry about, but as it was Laudrup’s side were able to hold onto a vital point at home to the previous year’s champions.

1st December 2013 - Premier League

Man City 3-0 Swansea

I hate to sound like a broken record, but it is quite easy to pick up a pattern with these Flashbacks. Look at the second half of Michael Laudrup’s reign as Swansea manager and you see the following: Control of possession, a lack of a clinical edge and Alvaro Vazquez starting an alarming amount of matches. On this occasion, the Swans controlled the game, with 55 (FIFTY-FIVE)% possession AWAY at the Etihad. 

Impressive, certainly, but without the ability to put away your chances, all that possession is worth nothing, and that was shown by a Manchester City side that clinically dispatched their chances to score three goals. Without Michu and Bony the Swans looked toothless in this game, and with Jonjo and Jon De Guzman missing gilt-edged chances to get on the scoresheet another match, indeed  - another match in which the Swans more than matched a top side in terms of quality, went by where we were unable to convert chances to goals and points.

1st January 2014 - Premier League

Swansea 2-3 Man City

Before this New Year’s Day clash at the Liberty, Manchester City had failed to score in either of their two previous visits. It goes without saying that the record no longer stood when the final whistle came. The Manchester side took the lead from a corner, the ball bouncing out to Fernandinho, who smashed it back past Gerhard Tremmel. For the rest of the first half, it seemed as if Swansea were never going to equalise, with Bony twice firing past the post, and De Guzman placing a shot straight down Joe Hart’s throat. 

The equaliser eventually came, with Wilfried Bony planting a header into the corner of the goal from a lovely Rangel cross. The Swans consistently pinned Man City into their own half in the first 45 minutes, and certainly deserved their equaliser, but a revitalised City came fighting back in the second-half and eventually regained the lead with an impressive Yaya Toure shot. Gerhard Tremmel will wonder how Toure’s shot squeezed inside the post, but will remember the third goal less fondly, letting Kolarov’s powerful shot push through his hands and into the net. Bony popped up in stoppage time with another reminder of his talent, hammering the ball into the net from 25 yards, but it wasn’t enough to secure a point for the Swans.

Games Played: 4

Games Won: 0

Games Drawn: 1

Games Lost: 3

Goals Scored: 2

Goals Conceded: 7

On first viewing, the stats don’t look great for a Swans fan, with no victories in the last two years. But there is certainly some encouragement to be found from this look back at previous fixtures. We have been able to match top sides for long spells in our meetings with them, and this is no less evident in our matches with Man City. Given our improved defensive record this season, maybe, just maybe we can walk away from the Etihad with our heads held high, as well as a point or three.

My prediction: A bold 1-0 win.

Bold from Nathan! Agree? Disagree? What are your predictions?

A win at the Etihad is far from impossible

With the Swans scoring goals against big teams, and Man City looking shaky at the back, an upset could well be on the cards

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One of the factors which which resulted in Michael Laudrup's departure last season was a supposed divide between ourselves and "top clubs", whereby you could essentially write off a proportion of games as dead rubbers, not expecting to get anything at all. 

This is something which Huw obviously had a problem with, and it's also something Garry Monk was keen to address from day one. A look at this season's results shows he's serious about it too. Two goals and a victory at United, two goals and a victory after going behind to Arsenal, two goals away to a Chelsea side who've been dominant this season (and who haven't conceded more than once to anybody since that game); these results tell their own story. Read between the lines of that story and an upset could be on the cards at the Etihad tomorrow.

I've already commented numerous times about our defence, but it really does deserve praise. Yes, I think we have looked shaky at full-back, but the proof is in the pudding and we've got the second best defence in the league, conceding just eleven goals in eleven games. Only Southampton boast a meaner defence, and when you consider Ashley Williams has had three defensive partners already this season it helps put into perspective how good we've been at the back. Against Everton we went down to ten men and still clung on for a point - in previous seasons (and at the same ground) we'd have wilted and got nothing.

There's more. Against Arsenal the Gunners rallied late, but time and time again the ball was cleared away. Ash & Kyle Bartley were imperious in the air, but what won us that game was defensive positioning, hard work and commitment. Arsenal were limited to half-chances for the entirety of the match, and by the end had reverted to launching balls into the box, which we dealt with comfortably time and again.

Against Man City tomorrow we'll need to show the same cohesion, discipline & graft, but if we do we can be confident of competing. Aguero is in a league of his own in the Premiership at the moment, having scored 12 in 11, but just because their star striker is on fire doesn't mean we can't get a result. As mentioned we've already scored twice against three of the "big four", so why not Man City? Especially with Kompany potentially unfit, the Swans could look to capitalise on the Champions' shaky back four. 

What's more, City's form has been far from impressive of late. Granted they won against United in the derby, but that's their only win in their last six so there'll definitely be a nervous air to the Etihad. If Newcastle & CSKA can win there, why not the Swans? Along with Chelsea, Swansea are the only team in the Premiership to not be trailing at half-time, and combine that with the fact we've scored first in seven of eleven matches (only conceding first to Southampton & Arsenal), and suddenly some kind of result starts sounding achievable. 

If we can score first, then all of a sudden Man City will be very nervous, and the crowd are liable to get on the team's back. From there on, who knows, but it's definitely worth flying out of the blocks in a bid to get ahead early doors. We've got the players to hurt any team now, and if we continue playing like we believe it we really could surprise lots of people this season.

Pleasingly, there's one thing you can be sure of from Garry Monk's Swansea City. If our opponents want the three points, they'll have to work hard for it. If you can say that before every game, you'll do well more often than not.

How do you fill a Wilf-shaped hole?

With Bony’s Ivory Coast qualifying for the African Cup of Nations, do we find ourselves with a striker crisis? Josh Kilmister takes a look...

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Ivory Coast international Wilfried Bony will, if all goes to plan for the Ivory Coast, miss all of our games from January 17th to February 8th - missing three league games against Chelsea, Southampton and Sunderland. One question on everybody’s mind is whether Monk has any plans to bring in someone to fill the huge gap that Wilf will leave; who will he bring in and what sort of contract will they be offered?

It’s always been inevitable that Bony would be travelling with The Elephants to the tournament. They really are a fantastic team, and it wouldn’t surprise me if come mid-February we have a African Cup of Nations winner spearheading our attack. I can almost guarantee that Monk has been looking at a possible stand-in for a number of months. So, what options does he have?

Firstly, there’s the possibility of bringing Michu back. If the Italian media are correct, then Napoli are keen to get Michu back to South-Wales as soon as possible. Failing to set the Serie A alight with the form he showed in his first season in Swansea, if we wanted him back I’m almost certain we could get him; but we won’t. 

The truth to the matter is that Michu is still very much struggling with the ankle injury that all but ended his goal scoring stint in the Premier League, so calling him back just to add to our outgoings in wages seems pointless; especially considering that Bony’s new contract almost certainly includes a pay rise! Monk has already made it blatantly clear that he has no intentions of bringing back the Spaniard, claiming that he hasn’t even read the terms of the loan deal. 

With all that in mind, don’t be expecting our now second all time Premier League top scorer to make a return. Then there’s the option of promoting someone from our Under 21 system. We’ve already seen the likes of Modou Barrow make an impact in the first team, but is he good enough to fill in? Personally, I think he is. It’s almost fact that Gomis will be our starting striker for the games that Bony will miss meaning that Barrow, along with Emnes, would be our backup options. Rory Donnelly is another option. 

Featuring in pre-season for a number of seasons now, the Irish born striker has struggled with injury of late but might be back for the time Bony will miss. Donnelly has little to no Premier League experience, but is very highly thought of by Monk and Co. Perhaps the most sensible and most likely option is to bring someone in on loan in the upcoming January transfer window. Monk has hinted that this is what will happen, and it might even be someone who we would look to bring in permanently in the summer. 

If this is the case, then I can only assume that we would go for someone a little bit different to what we currently have in our squad. Monk has already stressed that he wants his team to be able to go into a game with numerous styles of play available, and with two strikers with many similar attributes this could prove difficult. For me, a loan deal would be brilliant. As much as I very much doubt Gomis will be pushed out of a starting place with Bony absent, it’s always nice to have a backup option. 

However, I’m equally sure that someone like Modou Barrow has the ability to come off the bench and make an impact every week, as he did against Arsenal. One thing I am sure of though is that whatever happens in our latest transfer saga, for the month of January, I am a proud Ivory Coast fan!

Thanks as usual to Josh for this latest piece. Give him a follow on Twitter @JoshKilmister

Three key battles that will decide Man City v Swansea

Nathan Lewis takes a look at three potentially significant matchups ahead of Saturday's game at Man City

Wilfried Bony v Eliaquim Mangala

In terms of goalscoring exploits, Wilfried Bony started the season rather slowly. While his performances were solid, if unspectacular, the Ivorian couldn’t quite find his shooting boots. Importantly, he has found the net a few times, but is yet to hit the sparkling form in which he finished last season. It is against Mangala, who has struggled for fitness in the last week and hasn’t exactly shone in the Manchester defence, that Wilf has a chance to impose himself.

#456631150 / gettyimages.com

With Kompany unlikely to play on Saturday, Mangala is without his captain beside him, which could unnerve him in going up against the strength and physicality of Bony.

Sergio Aguero v Ashley Williams

Man City’s feisty Argentinian frontman has scored 12 goals in the league so far from just 9 starts, making him this season’s current top scorer. Swans fans will vividly remember his Man City debut, where he scored twice in our first Premier League match, condemning us to a 4-0 opening-day defeat. Aguero has hardly stopped scoring since and is vital to the way Man City play, acting as a target man as well as providing many clinical finishes.

Keeping Sergio under control will be the remit of Ashley Williams, who is not one to fear a physical battle. If Ash can match the physicality of Aguero, and prevent the Argentinian striker from finding himself through on goal, then Swansea will be a long way towards keeping a clean sheet.

Gylfi Sigurdsson v Fernando

Sigurdsson has been the main creative outlet of the Swans this season, providing Wilfried Bony with plenty of chances, as well as creating a few for himself. On a few occasions, Gylfi has been kept quiet, most notably in the Chelsea match. At Stamford Bridge, the Icelander’s creative spark was dampened largely by the pressure applied by Chelsea holding man Nemanja Matic.

The Serb seemed to pop up next to Gylfi whenever he got the ball, and was able to prevent his opponent from taking control in the Chelsea half. Brazilian defensive midfielder Fernando will most likely be the man tasked with keeping a lid on Sigurdsson. If Gylfi can escape the clutches of his marker, he has the ability to dictate play, and provide plenty of ammunition for the more attacking players in Swansea’s line-up.

Nathan provides a weekly look back at our last four fixtures versus upcoming opponents - make sure to check back ahead of the Man City game to see what he's got to say. Give him a follow on Twitter @NathDavidLewis

Bony signs contract extension! South Wales rejoices!

Well, South West Wales anyway...

#457841642 / gettyimages.com

Swansea have just announced that star striker Wilfried Bony has penned an extension to his contract, which now runs until 2018 - news which will undoubtedly have been well received by Swansea City fans in South Wales & beyond. 

Bony has become a cult figure at the club, and after announcing himself with a spectacular second half to last season he's looking like a player on the up. Four goals so far this season in nine starts (working out at about 0.5 goals per game when you look at minutes played) is as good a goal return as you'll get out of anyone who isn't Suarez, Messi, Ronaldo or Aguero in a top league in Europe, and the fact that he's obviously capable of performing better in front of goal than he has so far this season leaves you wondering just how good Wilf can be.

“It’s great news for the club. I’ve spoken a lot about what Bony has brought to the club not just on the pitch but off it as well.  These types of players are ones that we do our best to keep at the club for a long time, but it’s also important that we see commitment from that player towards the club, his team-mates and the fans.  

“Bony has shown that he is very committed to this club by signing an extension here. When we talk about the future and progressing it can’t be just talk – there has to be commitment from myself, the players and the club.  Bony has bought into the direction the club wants to take. He is a big player for us so to tie down his future is fantastic news for everyone connected with the club.  

“I’m sure the fans will be more than happy with the extension. For them to see a big player, who they have a lot of affection for, tie down his future with their club is something they will thoroughly enjoy hearing about.” Garry Monk

http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/bony-new-contract-2092368.aspx#zQJGQaRYAZhU45bs.99

Monk is most definitely right - I thoroughly enjoyed hearing this news. Wilf apparently completed the paperwork whilst away on international duty with Ivory Coast, and I can't wait for him to get back and start firing in the goals for us. While we're talking about international duty, Ivory Coast today qualified for the ACON by drawing against Cameroon, so we'll likely be without Wilf in the new year for a good spell, which means Gomis will definitely get a good run in the team too.

In the meantime, we've got Manchester City this weekend, and they're likely to be without their defensive talisman Vincent Kompany. Granted a win is unlikely, but we've already won in Manchester once this season and City are far from the imperious free-scoring side they previously were under Pellegrini.

One last note would be that Wilf's new contract surely doesn't have the kind of release clause which gave us so much bother over the summer. He knows if we get a fair bid we'd let him go, but the beauty of the new contract being signed is we won't be forced into selling below his value. 

A value which would increase significantly if he was to score the winner at the Etihad...

Alan Tate spotted...in Tanzania?!

Swansea favourite is to leave this summer, but he'll undoubtedly appreciate that 6,729 miles away there's a gardener wearing a Swansea shirt bearing his name

When Alan Tate first made his debut for Swansea we were battling relegation to the Conference, and money was so tight the owners were paying tradesmen in season tickets in a bid to keep the club afloat, and the stadium safe. 

Fast forward ten years and we're sitting in fifth in the Premiership - quite a remarkable rise which has been well documented, and with an increase in stature comes an inevitable increase in exposure. Especially with the global reach of the Premier League.

Back to Tate, and he has already been in the news this week when it was revealed he'd be leaving this summer (link), so to see photos of a gardener wearing a shirt bearing his name in far off Tanzania really made my day. I'm sure Tate never expected to see his name in such far flung locations. 

They show Swansea fan Alex Graham, currently volunteering at the Newlands Orphanage near Moshi, Tanzania, with local gardener Richard - who's clearly a fan of the Swansea hero. Who'd have thought that around twelve years after Tate made his first appearance for the Swans, our reach as a club would be this broad? 

I have no idea how he came to possess the shirt (Alex's post to Facebook didn't elaborate), but I for one was very pleased to see someone so far away rocking Tatey's name across their back. We don't know where Tate will be playing next year, but he'll forever hold a place in the hearts of Swansea fans.

As mentioned, Alex is currently volunteering in Tanzania, working with Newlands Orphanage. They're just short of their target in terms of donations, and it would be great if we could help raise the last bit of money they need to provide clean drinking water to the children there. You can donate to the project by clicking here: link

Tatey to leave this summer - Tate's Best Swansea Moments

Club stalwart is currently on loan at Crewe, and will not be getting a new contract when his current deal expires in the summer 

Alan Tate. As it says on the t-shirt - he'll always be a Jack.

Few players at Premier League clubs mean as much to the fans of that club as Alan Tate means to Swansea City fans. While Leon Britton is perhaps now in a league of one for his contribution on the pitch (in terms of longevity, and excusing his silly decision to go to Sheffield United), Alan Tate is very much up there with the diminutive midfielder in the hearts of the Jack Army, and along with Garry Monk, Lee Trundle and now Ashley Williams & Angel Rangel he can rest easy, knowing the level of affection he imbues from Swansea fans is completely warranted.

This is why, when I read quotes from Tatey today confirming he'd leave this summer, it made me very sad. I understand that he's too young to simply slip into a backroom role at the Swans (plus I don't know whether that's something he'd even be interested in), and that he's still clearly capable of playing football at a high level, but it still pains me to think that we're unlikely to ever see him pull on the white shirt of Swansea City again. 

"I've spoken to the manager (Steve Davis) briefly about it. He asked me what my plans were when the loan finishes and plans for next season. I'm open to offers. I'll be leaving Swansea in the summer, so it's down to me. But Crewe will be the front-runners because I'm here and I'm enjoying it. If I wasn't, then it would be different." Alan Tate

https://www.clubcall.com/swansea-city/tate-confirms-exit-1747828.html?

I remember when he first came to us as a fresh-faced youngster, full of the pomp you'd expect from a Manchester United loanee playing in the old Third Division (or was it League Two by then? My memory fails me...). For a good while Alan Tate was definitely one of our most technically gifted players, and his first touch and short passing was, compared to most of our other players, very good indeed. It's no wonder we wanted to retain him, and the rest - as they say - is history. 

I thought a fitting tribute to Alan Tate's Swansea City career would be to put together a collection of his finest (and possibly not-so-finest) moments. See if you agree, and if you've got any memories/favourite moments that slipped my mind get in touch in the comment section!

Scoring a wonder-volley against Tranmere

This needs no further explanation. Just a video:

What a finish! It's worth mentioning that at this point I'm realising that if you were to put together a "Top Three Memorable Alan Tate Moments" piece (as I've essentially done here), that the next two in the list of memorable moments aren't necessarily entirely positive. But, in the interest of fairness, I'll soldier on regardless.

"The Golf Buggy Incident"

After captaining the Swans in our first ever Premier League match (away at Man City), Tate dropped to the bench for the next two games, before suffering a serious leg break in an incident where a golf buggy crashed into a tree. No further details ever emerged, but here's an artist's impression of what the scene may or may not have looked like after the incident.

"The Flag Incident

Definitely the most infamous incident of recent times, Alan Tate & Lee Trundle were pictured holding up a Welsh flag with a naughty word on it in reference to our Championship cousins Cardiff. Should I post the photo? Well, I've always said I'd keep the site profanity-free, so here's a link to the image for those that haven't seen it (link). It's not safe for work! Well depending where you work I suppose...

Well, there you have it. My "top three memorable Alan Tate moments" - perhaps not the "best" moments of his career by any means, but three moments that fans will remember for a long time to come. 

Do you agree with the top 3 memorable moments? What would yours be? Get in touch in the comment section below!

Monk’s Merry Men Are Making Waves

The Swansea Way's London Correspondent Andrew McGlashan on the season thus far

#458690544 / gettyimages.com

Lukasz Fabianski has been making waves for Swansea this season

With almost a third of the season in the books, I thought it would be useful to have a mini review of our performance to date and what our expectations can be for the remainder of the season. To kick this off, I thought a little summary of this season’s highs and lows so far would be just the ticket:

Highs

• Wins against United (at Old Trafford – again!), Arsenal and Everton (finally!)
• Monk winning Manager of the Month 
• THAT free kick from Siggy against Arsenal followed by THAT celebration from Gomis 
• Having the second best defensive record in the Premier League
• Gylfi Sigurdsson – enough said
• We have a team spirit again! 
• 5th in the table

Lows

• An incredible amount of terrible decisions (Moses penalty, Fernandez and Rangel red cards and that Alcaraz “save” to name only a few)
• Conceding late against Newcastle when three points seemed in the bag
• Losing to Southampton having battered them before the Bony red card
• Bowing out to Liverpool in the League Cup when another trip to Wembley seemed possible

As you can see the highs are outnumbering the lows and I had far more highlights I could have included. Therefore, upon review, I think the Jack Army can be very pleased with the season so far. 

So what are our expectations now for Monk’s Merry Men? Well pre-season I wrote an article that pretty boldly predicted we finish 8th this season. I think it’s fair to say I took a little bit of stick for this and the majority of comments I received were along the lines of “don’t be stupid, I’ll bite your hand off for 12th position again”. Now I can see where people were coming from as it was Monk’s first full season, we’d had quite a bit of squad rotation and it is the Premier League we are playing in after all. 

However, we are now four months on and I am going to stick to my guns - although I must admit I did not see Southampton having the start they have had (who did?!). Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham currently sit below us but I’m not sure it is a guarantee that all three of them will overtake us - European football is clearly taking its toll on these sides, as it did with us last season having to play mid-week across various parts of Europe. In particular, Spurs are looking very poor and you have to wonder what Ben and Vorm are thinking at this point in time as neither of them are playing in the league. 

Elsewhere, West Ham, Stoke and Newcastle are in good form but I just believe we have a better team than them. I say this because I don’t think these teams, along with the rest of the bottom half of the table:

• have the firepower that we do in Bony, Gomis and Siggy;
• possess the pace to unlock defences that we do with Dyer, Routledge and Montero (just ask Callum Chambers about the latter – I mean seriously, he mugged him right off); 
• can retain possession like we can once we have Britton back playing with Ki (oh Leon how we love you); or
• are as good defensively.

Out of these four points I want to quickly highlight our defence this season. We have conceded only 11 goals in the league, four or which came against Chelsea at the Bridge. That means we have conceded 7 goals in the 10 other league games we have played. That is incredible. Ash and Fernandez are forming quite the partnership and Fabianski has been as good as we all hoped he might be [and considering Ash has already had three different partners at centre-back this season it makes it even more remarkable - Ed]. In particular, Fabianski's ability to claim crosses has been a difference maker and something which we unfortunately were not used to with the smaller Vorm in between the sticks. 

As the season goes on I can only see our defence getting better as they continue to get used to playing with each other. Of course luck with injuries will be key here, especially given our lack of depth at full back - that back four looks very different if Rangel or Taylor were to get injured. Further, I think we can expect more goals from Bony, who is still yet to hit the heights of the second half of last season, and Gomis who has now registered his first league goal. I’m also excited to see how Montero progresses as he’s been very up and down. If he can find some consistency, and the back of the net a few times, then we could have a very special winger on our hands.

Taking all of this into account, my ever optimistic self thinks we can reasonably expect a top ten position at least, which would still be yet another successful season. Combine this with a good run in the FA Cup (although don’t expect a home draw for us as usual) and we’ll all be as happy as that chap Larry from Skewen going into the summer. A summer which may well be spent looking at prices of travelling to France for Euro 2016 – c’mon Wales!!

Hopefully after reading this you are excited about the rest of the season as I am - although having Man City away on Saturday is a test of my optimism and we have lost all three of our previous games following an international break. However, a Man City team without Kompany and Silva are a different beast so I’m going for a score draw and the sound of Hymns and Arias filling the Etihad at full time. 

Finally, as with any review, the all-important grade. I’m going for an A and a request for "more of the same please, Garry!"

Thanks to Andrew as ever for his latest piece - give him a follow on Twitter @AJMcGlashan. I'd have to agree with his assessment for our season thus far, and that it warrants an "A" grade! If you had to grade the Swans so far, what would you give them?

The rebirth of Gylfi Sigurdsson

Icelandic playmaker has reveled in the tactical consistency afforded him this season. Which should be no surprise...

#458693204 / gettyimages.com

Gylfi Sigurdsson celebrates his equaliser against Arsenal with Jefferson Montero

Once upon a time the Swans had just been promoted to the Premiership, and after a sticky start Danny Graham had started firing goals in on a regular basis. He was always unlikely to be considered a long-term option though, and in January once the transfer window had opened Gylfi Sigurdsson was signed on loan from Hoffenheim for the remainder of the season, to assist Graham in the aim of firing the Swans to safety. 

He went on to impress massively for the Swans - his range of passing and eye for goal were (and still probably are) markedly better than anyone else in our midfield, but that was the Gylfi of then. What of the Gylfi of now? After an ill-fated spell at Spurs - one of a growing number of footballing horror stories which show that you are, in terms of your career at least, not necessarily best served by going to a "big club" for a massive paycheque - he's once again blossoming at the Swans, but this time around he's a much, much more complete player.

When I think back to Gylfi under Brendan Rodgers I think of a player either pinging a longish pass into space, or striding onto the ball on the edge of the area before dispatching a cultured finish goalwards. While that hasn't entirely changed when you compare this with his performances so far this season, his game is so, so different, and the main change is just how good he now is at pressing the opposition defence.

Anyone who's seen the Swans play with Gylfi at attacking midfield this season will surely have noticed the Icelander's work-rate. He covers so much ground I'm amazed he can find the energy to do anything else - never mind find the time to score twice and lay on another seven goals - and the way the team shape shifts as we defend really is testament to his tactical prowess. 

Traditionally you have someone at the back organising team shape and keeping everyone in line, and we do indeed have that player in Ashley Williams. What we also have now though is someone doing that further up the pitch, so that when we're attempting to retrieve the ball it's done with the same cohesion and purpose as when we're trying to stifle an opposition attack. If you're playing a pressing game and one person doesn't press the right space the whole system can be undone in one fell swoop, but with Gylfi leading the charge we've looked seriously good in terms of regaining the ball. With the second best defence in the league, the stats back that up. 

Jon Trew pointed out a while ago (link) that depending on where we are defending the team could either be described as a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, and over the course of the season we're seeing this system being refined week on week. Key to it's success is Sigurdsson, as with him leading the defensive press it becomes obvious to the other players a) where they need to be pressing for maximum effect and b) that if they don't press as hard as Gylfi they're going to look like they're not working hard enough. Both of which aren't bad things.

This is all without really talking about his prowess in attack. As mentioned he's got two goals and seven assists, and would you bet against him getting more? The free-kick against Arsenal was just further evidence of his quality, and a really pleasing aspect to the goal was that you had the feeling it was coming. Gylfi's performances have been of such a high quality that it was only a matter of time before he stuffed one in from twenty-five yards, and I for one am glad he chose to do it against the Gunners. I'll bet Tom Carroll was too.

With over half the season still to play the sky is the limit for Sigurdsson. On top of his amazing domestic form he's also in scintillating form for Iceland - he really can do no wrong at the moment - and what's refreshing to see is that it's clearly a success borne of hard work and belief in a system. With the Bony/Sigurdsson partnership still finding it's feet I think it's reasonable to expect their goal returns to improve, and if that happens then who knows what we could achieve this season.

COMPETITION: Win new book "Swansea City's Greatest Games"!

Thanks to our buddies over at www.ForzaSwansea.com you can get your hands on a copy of "Swansea City's Greatest Games"

Swansea is a nice place. And a small one! Chris Carra - owner/founder of ForzaSwansea.com - who I have known for a few years and whom I played football with for the mighty FC Clydach (before my premature retirement through injury), is a man of many talents. Blogger, journalist, winger, right-back, and now he can add another string to his bow - author. 

His debut effort looks at the greatest games in our history, going back to the formation of the club and taking in games in each decade up to the present day. It's well worth a read, and thanks to his generosity I have a copy to give away! We have a good relationship - I like to think of us as the Beano & Dandy of the Swansea football blog world - and it's mighty nice of him to give us a copy of what is undoubtedly a must-read for Swansea fans.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning it is to make sure you're following @TheSwanseaWay on Twitter, and comment on this article explaining which game you think is the greatest in our history - and why. The winner will be chosen a week from today just before the Man City game. 

Here's the press release from the launch of the book:

From the thousands of matches ever played by Swansea City, stretching from their early days at the Vetch to their wonderful Premier League era, here are 50 of the club's most intense, emotional and thrilling games of all!  

Expertly presented in evocative historical context, and described incident-by-incident in atmospheric detail, Swansea City's Greatest Games offers a terrace ticket back in time, taking in everything from their first ever game against Cardiff and Toshack's rampant rise to their glorious Premier League days, and beyond.  

An irresistible cast list of club legends - Alan Curtis and Ivor Allchurch, Leon Britton, Roger Freestone and Lee Trundle - springs to life at breathtaking moments including epic cup finals and Premier League giant-killings, European nights and unforgettable South Wales derby triumphs.  

In all, a journey through the highlights of Swansea's 102-year history which is guaranteed to make any fan's heart swell with pride.

You can also enter the competition via Twitter by following & tweeting your answer. Make sure to check out ForzaSwansea.com & give Chris a follow too @ForzaSwansea!