Laudrup & Swansea reap the benefits of cool continental continuity

Leon's comments show Laudrup's approach suits the Swansea squad down to the ground

Last Saturday Swansea recorded their first home win since March - a run which, while lengthy, shouldn't have given too much cause for concern when you consider the calibre of the teams who've visited the Liberty during that time. 

Without aiming to take away from the Swans' performance, I thought 4-0 was a harsh result for Sunderland even though they, in truth, offered very little throughout. They defended well in the first half, but whatever Laudrup said at half-time clearly had the desired effect as we romped home in the second half with two goals from corners, a penalty, and an absolute worldy from thirty yards. 

Leon Britton revealed that (as everyone knows) Laudrup isn't a ranter and a raver, instead choosing to calmly put his points across:

"The gaffer's not a ranter and raver but he gets his message across. He just said that if we could raise our game, we could get the win." Leon Britton

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/8983639? 

For his part, the Swansea boss was as amiable and affable as usual post-match, honestly appraising the game and pointing out our first-half performance wasn't good enough:

"We did well, but it's true that this was the first win at home in the league this season. We can always go in and talk about fixtures and who you've played against, but we've played against three of the top teams, but when people start to talk about things like that, it's better to turn it down immediately, and the only way you can do that in this case is by winning.  

"For me, it was a great win because it was a very difficult game. The first half was very, very difficult. To be fair, we didn't make it easy for ourselves in the way we played. There was not enough movement, we weren't quick enough and we didn't move the ball around as fast as we could. 

"As a team we did not perform that well in the first half, but I knew that the players really wanted to win this game and we tried to change some things at half-time, and I think it changed completely. It always helps to score a goal." 

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/laudrup-dismisses-home-form-concerns#6PsAplG8mGLOrjxm.99

This got me thinking about the type of manager we've grown used to at the Swans. Dating back to, well...a while at least, we've shied away from the quintessential British "motivator" when looking for a new manager, instead choosing to pluck lesser-known (until Laudrup!) names with more of a footballing education to call on. 

I'd imagine the last manager to "get in peoples faces a bit" would be Kenny Jackett. I can't imagine he was a tactical genius (I did like Kenny though), but I can imagine him giving people a dressing down if things weren't going our/his way. Whether I'm putting 2 + 2 together and making 5 I don't know, but I'm sure if I am someone will let me know.

Since then, we've gone for Martinez, Sousa, Rodgers & Laudrup. Four different nationalities, and four different variations on a theme. Martinez, as we know, put a lot of things in place which exist to this day, and was clearly someone who tried to relate with the Swansea squad - largely because he'd shared the changing room with lots of them during his previous spell at the club. 

He was followed by Sousa. By all accounts he's the one of a four who didn't mind causing a bit of a stir and reputedly caused some discontent at the club, but one thing he did do very well was teach a previously leaky defence how to keep clean sheets. We did this largely by foregoing goals scored, mind you, but you can't have it all your own way. 

Next up was Rodgers - he of the Ricky Gervais-esque parables. Rodgers, again, was someone who I'd imagine rarely (if ever) ranted at his squad in pursuit of an improved performance - in fact at one point it became a running joke that no matter how the Swans played, Rodgers press conferences would start with "Well, I thought the performance was fantastic..." (delivered in his lovely Northern Irish brogue), and hey - if it works who are we to question it! 

Now, however, we've got a manager who is as cool as the aforementioned trio combined. Every time you see him talk to the press, or giving out tactical advice on the training ground, he exudes composure and calmness, and long may it continue. All you have to do is look elsewhere in the league system to see what having an old-fashioned "man manager" will get you. Generally these managers are favoured by clubs who are willing to spunk ridiculous amounts of money on ridiculous players - further distancing this approach from our beloved Swans.

My point is that if you look past the footballing similarities (and differences) in our last few managers, there is still something which connects them all. A positive approach. Huw & Co clearly view the manager's personality as an absolutely crucial quality when looking for prospective candidates, and it seems providing a stable platform to work off is just as important as being able to impart top-notch tactical advice. 

Well, maybe almost as important. Laudrup does seem to be passing on a thing or two..

Wet weather can't dampen Ash's enthusiasm

Skipper claims 2013/14 is his best pre-season yet as squad look to carry good form into league opener

Some of Swansea's new signings could have been forgiven for thinking the whole "Welsh weather" thing was perhaps something of a cruel in-joke, given the balmy conditions we've enjoyed over the last few weeks. With the temperatures nudging 30 degrees and a plethora of beaches to choose from post-training, players arriving from Spain must have thought they'd discovered a home from home, while the sun will no doubt have helped endear SA1 to Jonjo Shelvey and Wilfried Bony too. 

As any seasoned South Walian knew though, the glorious sunshine couldn't last. The last few days have seen the kind of weather we're more accustomed to in these parts, but it clearly hasn't dampened spirits in the Swansea camp as evidenced by Ashley Williams' positive take on the club's pre-season campaign:

"I am excited. I think pre-season's gone really well and you're almost scared to admit that you think we're going to be good this season. We've progressed every year and I've never had a pre-season this good before. We've scored a lot of goals and haven't conceded many. Things are going well so I am excited — but I don't want to say that and jinx it." 

"It was really good. We're proud to be in European competition and in a way it was the perfect night for us. It is something we can celebrate, four goals scored, a clean sheet, and on top of that a good performance. We want to go as far as we can in the competition, we've said that all along. 

"Maybe in the season it's going to catch up with us. I've never been involved in Europe before, but sometimes it looks that way with other teams. We planned for that game, we wanted to win it and we did. 

"It's nice to come into the Liberty and see the Europa League signs on the door. I never thought we'd make a Euro competition so it's something to be proud of. 

"I thought they played really well. Jordi next to me had a good game and I'm a big fan of Jonjo's. You can also see what Wilfried brings to the team. He's a great focal point for us attacking-wise. I'm sure that when he gets up to speed and knows Michu's game, those two are going to be a threat.  

"Not since Jason Scotland in the Championship have we had a physical presence up there, someone we can play the ball to and it sticks. He can certainly do that. But also he's got great feet and can play."  

When asked what he thought new Manchester United manager David Moyes would have made of the performance (he was in attendance for the Malmo game), Williams was quick to point out the squad are only concerned with how they feel they've played:

"I hope he's impressed with the performance we put on. I know we feel that we played well and that's all we can worry about. I felt like we dominated the game so we didn't really give them a chance to impose themselves on the game. 

"I haven't seen this sort of competition before at Swansea. There's a lot of players looking for places, but I'm sure we're going to need them as the season goes on." Ashley Williams

Early signs have been positive indeed, but the litmus test will surely come when Manchester United roll into town. A positive result against the champions will go a long way in instilling confidence throughout the side, and could well see us build up a head of steam as we take on what is, without doubt, a daunting opening set of fixtures that includes Man Utd, Spurs, Liverpool & Arsenal before the end of September.

Britton claims current crop of players best Swansea squad he's seen

I think anyone who has only seen the Swans post-1983 would agree with you in a flash there, Leon.

"This is the best Swansea squad I have ever seen. We now have genuine depth with two players for every position. That means everybody has to be at the top of their game or they will be out of the side. It was a great performance against Malmo. 

"It's so exciting to be playing [Man Utd] with a new manager after so long. That's going to make it some occasion." Leon Britton

Laudrup pleased with squad depth

Last but not least on a day when it seems everyone is in the press talking about how happy they are, our esteemed manager has been chatting with the Evening Post, saying that while he's not immediately concerned about tired legs, squad rotation will definitely be a factor when games start piling up in the middle of the season:

"I don't look at resting players, we have only played one game. But if I am talking about the depth of the squad, we have to use all the players. I showed last season I would do that, I changed a lot of players in December and January - I have a lot of possibilities so even if I change four or five we will still have a very competitive team. 

"Even without the Europa League, we need that depth. In August you can play the same team more or less in every game, but then suddenly you need the others. You get to the middle of the season and there are a lot of cup games; and that's without the Europa League." Michael Laudrup

As I showed in a recent blog (here) the strength in depth we've acquired in the last few years is rather remarkable. We've gone from plucky team-ethic newcomers to, it would seem, a team brimming with Premier League quality in just over two years, and most of it has been done fairly under the radar. Kudos must go again to our board, as well as the managers (and other movers and shakers behind the scenes - a begrudging not in the direction of Bayram Tutumlu included) who made some of the transfers happen.

One thing is for sure; we're venturing into unknown waters for Swansea City football club, and it seems everyone is intent on enjoying it. Long may it continue. 

Tate, Augustien, Obeng, Lita & Moore transfer listed as Swans look to make room in squad

Quintet likely to be heading to pastures new as Laudrup looks to streamline the roster of players available to him

In what could probably be viewed as the first wave of departures from the Liberty since promotion to the Premiership (the odd player sale excluded), it seems we're set to say goodbye to one player in particular who's worn his heart on his sleeve for the entire of his spell in SA1.

Still aged only 30, there's a distinct possibility that Alan Tate will continue to play football at, at least, Championship level. He equipped himself well during our rise through the divisions and despite some (overly) harsh words from fans at times I thought he was excellent - and I include his performances at left-back into that. Ok, when up against certain tricky wingers he struggled, but what right-footed emergency left back wouldn't?

Sadly, it seems the time has come where Laudrup thinks we need to be looking above and beyond players of Tate's standing, and we can only hope he'll still receive a testimonial at some point. Laudrup indicated his decision to transfer-list certain players won't necessarily have been a shock to them:

“Some of them were spoken to in April; Tate and Bartley knew we wanted to bring in a different type of centre-back. We want someone who can play a little higher with more speed and they both said they didn’t want to be fourth or fifth choice here.

“With the forwards [Moore & Lita], even if we went into pre-season without new strikers, I wouldn’t have brought them. I wanted them to have the time to find another club instead of coming here just to wait before we signed someone.”

In what can only be described as a wonderfully subtle soundbite, Laudrup also indicated it wasn't necessarily just footballing reasons which have led to Kemy Augustien being shown the door:

“There were a lot of things with Kemy last season and it’s best for him that he finds a new environment and tries to play a little more regularly.”

That's being kind. 36 (I think?) points on his driving license for a series of offences, and going out on the piss with the club's arch-rivals less than 48 hours before he could realistically have been expecting to play a Premier League game? Not the conduct you'd expect from someone being paid many thousands of pounds a week to play football.

In regards to ongoing speculation as to the club's remaining transfer targets (Huddersfield's Jack Hunt in particular), the Dane was typically coy:

“You could ask a lot of names. So many players are linked and when they go to another place it’s because they turned us down when we never wanted them. If I signed just half of those linked we would have a squad of 36.” Michael Laudrup

While we don't want to become overloaded, these are exceptionally exciting times. It seems we're in the market for more or less anyone who'd improve the overall calibre of the squad, and why not? Assuming (and why wouldn't you?) that we can easily afford all of these transfers, it's really pleasing to see the club pursuing transfer targets with a vengeance. Who knows, we may yet see another quality acquision or two before the end of the summer.

Laudrup to stay... issue over?

With no mention of the alleged "rift" in the Swans camp for days, speculation surrounding the Dane's future seems to have died down

Right, I'm aware that this article is possibly both premature and a little foolhardy, but I'm in a good mood and feeling positive so let's be having you. 

As I've stated in previous blogs, I'm not convinced there was ever any serious issue between the manager himself and the board. Laudrup went on holiday when the season ended, and the Swans had a list of targets to work on which I've no doubt they did to the best of their ability. If we didn't/couldn't sign any of the players on that list, it's because we can't afford to. Simple as. Laudrup has, in his defence, always seemed to understand this, and when he's spoken about the transfer market he's always been very careful to end his comments with something akin to "...within the financial boundaries of the club" - indicating he's very much aware of how we do things in SA1. 

Tutumlu, however, clearly had a harder time getting used to this. The Evening Post have reported that as early as the Wigan game he'd been spotted remonstrating passionately to Laudrup on the field in the warm up - what the content of that discussion was is anyone's guess but the Post seem to think it was related to the subsequent set-to over the transfer budget, and in fairness it is hard to fault that logic. The former car salesman seemed very intent on making a point in the press throughout, but once the Swans had severed ties with him it all came to a close so quickly it's left me wondering whether something was said to make him, essentially, shut up.

Any time he'd spoken to the press over the preceding few weeks, he'd clearly had some kind of agenda, and wasn't afraid to throw in some spicy comments. Ok, journalists have a way of goading people into giving juicy answers, but he's been a football agent for a long time and he knows what he's doing. Once the Swans announced they would no longer deal with him (and he'd thrown in a token indignant outburst for good measure) however, the issue disappeared. He came out saying:

"There is no problem with Michael Laudrup and Swansea City. He is staying. It is my problem, my problem with Huw Jenkins. 

"I spoke about it yesterday and I don't want to speak about it again. The issue is now finished. I don't want to speak about it anymore." Bayram Tutumlu

To me, when you compare that statement to any that went before it it's clear that either he's been told to leave it alone, or he's decided to "be the bigger man" and not cause any more trouble. I know which one I think it is. He was very careful with his wording to point out that it was his problem, not Laudrup's, which reinforces my belief that this was all just a storm in a teacup, where Tutumlu thought by throwing his toys out of the pram he might get a few more million to help spend in the transfer market. He picked the wrong sparring partner in Huw!

Of course, we can't completely rule out the possibility that there is some kind of problem between Laudrup and the board, but I'm yet to see anything which makes me think that's the case. There are still articles appearing on a daily basis with various hypotheses about the situation (mostly including PSG - the latest few seem to think they want/would have to pay £10mil to acquire the Swans' manager), but they're now appearing in dribs and drabs as opposed to the flood that we saw a week or two ago.

I won't be alone in hoping that we've already heard the last on this issue, and with talk now turning to transfer targets it seems that all is once again well (if ever it wasn't) at the Liberty.

Fingers crossed...

Swansea sever ties with Laudrup's agent, but the Dane will stay

Wow, that was a crazy few hours wasn't it? Earlier in the day I'd bemoaned the lack of news from SA1 of late (from a selfish point of view anyway - it's easier to write about the Swans when there's actually stuff going on!) however the arrival of a text this evening changed all that. Perhaps a little melodramatically, the text read "!&$% - that's Laudrup off then", which obviously led me to investigate just what on earth had gone on.

First up, it was announced earlier today by the Evening Post that Swansea City had severed all ties with Bayram Tutumlu, Laudrup's agent and a major player in all the recent unrest at the Liberty. The man himself was quick to respond;

“[Huw] wants to bring in players who do not have the quality for Michael Laudrup .

He went on:

"I don’t work for Swansea City. Huw Jenkins has paid me nothing, but I have spent a lot to try to bring players to Swansea. My relationship with Michael Laudrup is excellent, as he has told you himself. Nothing changes between me and Michael. I have known Michael for 25 years.

”Michael Laudrup is the coach of Swansea City and he will stay as the coach of Swansea City. He thinks only about Swansea. He has said many times before that he will stay at Swansea. 

“I’ve not spoken to Michael, but I’m very disappointed about the situation. I did a lot of good work for Swansea and I helped to bring players like Chico Flores, Michu, Pablo Hernandez and Jonathan de Guzman to the club. 

“Huw forgets everything I have done for the club. I’m afraid and worried of what will happen in the future.”  Bayram Tutumlu

Apparently he also told Skysports that he was happy he no longer has to work with Huw over transfers, but I've not been able to find any quotes from an official source which backs up that he called our chairman a liar. It's all over message boards and the like, however if someone can send me an official link to that I'd be most interested in reading it.

Laudrup himself was also quick to respond, speaking directly to the Evening Post. He was keen to state his commitment to the club and despite the temporary uproar caused by this story it seems Swans fans can finally rest easy in the knowledge Laudrup will be the Swansea manager next season.

“Bayram is my agent and that’s not going to change. If the club do not want to work with him or Bayram does not want to work with them, it’s their problem not mine. The only thing I care about is to have the best players possible at Swansea who are within range of the economy of the club. 

“Again I must say that my intention is to stay - I have repeated it so many times in the last three months. I have 100 per cent confidence in Bayram, but if the club don’t want to work with him or he doesn’t want to work with them, they have to live with that. It will not change my relationship with Bayram one centimetre. 

“The only thing I am interested in is having the best players at Swansea within the budget that is possible. That’s what I have been fighting for every day, last year when I arrived and this year as well. That will always be the most important thing for me wherever I end up in the future.” Michael Laudrup

Seemingly tying the matter up, a cheeky chappy called @Luke_Morgan on Twitter asked Laudrup's daughter to say goodbye (as he thought at that point that it was certain the manager was on his way). She responded by saying "He promised to stay, so he's staying". She went on:

I'll be honest, this latest bout of press-based shenanigans has left me wondering if all along this was simply an issue between Tutumlu and Huw/the board. The quotes which kicked this all off were all along the lines of "if Michael doesn't get the players he wants then who knows" and it was all from the agent. Realistically, if he was involved in the signing of Chico, De Guzman, Michu & Pablo there's no reason to assume he wouldn't have been involved in recent transfer dealings - putting him at loggerheads with Huw. 

This clearly isn't an issue that's sparked off overnight; it's been festering for a while but in fairness to Laudrup he's never said anything other than "my intention is to stay". It's possible that Tutumlu simply grew frustrated with the Swans preference for building a solid club as opposed to pumping more money into the transfer kitty, however whatever the issue is the club have put a bold line underneath it by announcing that they will no longer deal with him. 

For me, I accept that I will never know the exact ins and outs of the football club I love. There's a lot that I, and most fans don't know and I'm happy with that, as I have faith in the current regime to run the football club in the way that they think is best. Ok, there are going to be occasions whereby naivety and inexperience lead to slight imperfections (ticketing, anyone?) however they move fast to address these problems for one crucial reason; they always have the best interests of the club at heart. Can you say the same for Tutumlu? I doubt it. 

The club have come a long way in the last 10 years and I think they've earned our faith. They've admitted that 10 years ago they had to "blag it" to a certain extent until they'd figured out just how to run a football club, however after a rise which wasn't quite meteoric, but spectacularly successful in it's own right they deserve the backing of the fans in situations such as this. They're only human, they'll make mistakes, but the key is learning from them and they've consistently done this in my opinion.

So, issue over? Somehow, I doubt it...

"Laudrup to stay at Swansea" says someone who could be his agent

Posts on Twitter indicate all is well in South Wales

Following on from the supposed news that Laudrup was growing miffed at our lack of activity in the transfer market, we've had to endure a farcical few days of speculation. The manner in which this is currently being handled is rather worrying to be honest - it seems no-one really knows what's going on and at the centre of the issue is Bayram Tutumlu, Laudrup's agent.

Posts on a newly created Twitter account purportedly belonging to the Dane's representative have led to a new wave of stories. The only quote the press have run with is this:

"Michael Laudrup is going to stay at Swansea City because he promised the players that he was going to stay. 

"For Michael Laudrup, his word is more important than other things." 

Matter over? Not quite. Within hours of this story being picked up, there was massive speculation as to whether the Twitter account is genuine. I have to admit, I have my doubts and given that WalesOnline weren't confident enough to use the quote in their article it seems I'm not alone. The Evening Post and Skysports were both confident enough to include it though, so maybe they've managed to verify it's authenticity.

As stated the other day, even if there is an issue I'm sure it can be resolved amicably. Laudrup seems like a reasonable chap, and losing out to clubs like Liverpool (Aspas) and Chelsea (Lukaku looks set to stay in London next season) can hardly be labelled as a failing on the part of the board.

Given that all this speculation stemmed from comments by Tutumlu, if it turns out the Twitter account is genuine then it could be that he's trying to stem the surge of conjecture that we've seen this week. We won't know until it's confirmed or denied either way - Swansea Vice-Chairman Leigh Dineen originally denounced the account as a fake but has since admitted it looks like the account used (along with another) are both genuine, so hopefully that's this one put to bed.

With Laudrup reported to be meeting the board for talks next week, it could well be that transfer dealings start in earnest. I for one can't wait. 

"Rift" over transfer kitty - pure speculation?

Is anyone else growing increasingly tired of the constant speculation surrounding Michael Laudrup, which seems to be mainly driven by the Evening Post? The problem is that given almost all of the quotes we are reading are invariably taken out of context, it's hard to actually discern what the hell is going on at the Liberty.

At the moment I'm choosing to stay positive. If you ask any manager "what would happen if you don't get sufficient funds to invest in the squad?" they're likely to respond with something akin to "well if that was the case, I'd have to assess the situation and see what the best options are", and in truth that's the only quote which seems to have driven the current wave of conjecture regarding Laudrup's transfer kitty this summer.

I thought an interesting exercise would be to strip away all of the journalism surrounding the quotes, and see what we're left with. Who knows, maybe we're worried about nothing. Here are as many as I could find:

Laudrup's agent - Bayram Tutumlu;

“Michael Laudrup, just now, is very happy at Swansea City. Of course Michael has had offers from elsewhere. Other teams can wait one or two years. We know Michael is going to train the big teams but this is not the moment. 

“Michael doesn't think about other teams because he promised to the players and the fans he wants to stay in Swansea. When we expanded the contract of Michael Laudrup, we spoke with the board and the chairman that they're going to make a really good team for Michael. 

“A good team is no problem. If they don't have the possibility of making a good team, I don't know what can happen. Michael needs good players. We don't want to have the same experience as Newcastle for example. He told the board and the chairman that [Swansea] need a very good squad this year.”

Huw Jenkins:

"It's been a long season and when the time is right we will sit down with Michael to talk more about next season in a professional manner"

Before...

"I will not comment on this story."

Huw had previously gone on a charm offensive;

“I think it’s important what we’ve done with Michael. We’ve touched on players staying here and it’s the same with Michael. He wants to stay here so it wasn’t a difficult discussion to renew his contract. 

“He wants to stay here and test himself with new challenges in the Europa League and the Premier League. With Roberto and Brendan moving on, we’ve showed that we’ve been doing things in a good way. 

“We’ve enhanced many managers’ careers over recent years and I think we’ve provided Michael with that lift and stability to raise his profile.”

Michael Laudrup

From the BBC;

"Unless we find a couple of hundred million pounds I think last season we achieved nearly the maximum we can in terms of the table. There are always things you can improve, but there are not many higher positions we can look at. 

"Even consolidating is going to be very difficult. Some of the teams below us this season will invest heavily; West Ham, Newcastle, Aston Villa. 

"They are huge clubs who want to take the place where we are right now."

 From Skysports;

"I wanted to stay because the club said they were going to strengthen their team. Of course we need to do that, but I'm sure they will keep their word about that, and then I want to stay for the fans and also for some of the players - they came for me so I can't just leave them after one season. 

"We don't have so much money compared to the rest of the teams so we have to do it like that [shop clever], but we'll have to strengthen our team just to try to keep where we are right now, consolidate as a mid-team, because there are a lot of teams, bigger clubs, below us who will spend big money. 

"We've already seen West Ham with Andy Carroll, I think Newcastle and others will do the same so we'll have to be very good in the transfer market to compete."

So, what are we looking at here? It all seems centred around the transfer budget, and it appears that assurances were given when Laudrup signed his new contract that he'd be given ample funds to improve the squad. If there was a number mentioned, you'd have to hope the Swans honour that (and I have no doubt they would) whereas if there wasn't, it's possibly been a case where the two parties have distinctly different perceptions of "ample funds".

One thing bothers me with this story though - who exactly is suggesting the Swans aren't willing to stump up in the transfer market this summer? There's been the vague rumour that the Swans are interested in Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, but that we won't (or can't) meet the asking price, but in truth I'm still not comfortable about signing a £10 or £11million pound striker - more for the contract demands that would surely come with such a player. No doubt the board will play hard-ball, but you'd be hard pushed to find an £11million pound striker who'll accept less than £40kpw.

Aside from that, there's been no indication the board have reneged on any kind of agreed transfer fund, and given that the transfer window is closed and Laudrup is currently on holiday it seems hard to fathom just why there is a constant stream of speculation coming out of SA1. I'll reserve judgement for now, but if it turns out this was just newspaper speculation it'll have severely marred the relationship between the local rag and the club, and it may be that we see reduced press access as a result. That may not be a bad thing to be honest.

Personally, while I'm a sucker for a good quote I still don't think there's anything in this. Whatever the issue is, I find it very hard to believe that it can't be resolved in an amicable manner, and that Laudrup will be backed in the transfer market as well as the club can afford, without jeopardising it's financial footing one iota.

And that's the way it should be.

Laudrup "I'm going nowhere" (despite sensationalist media headlines)

Over the last few days we've seen a number of different newspapers run the story that Michael Laudrup is concerned that he won't have a sizable transfer budget this summer. I could be wrong but I think the Evening Post were the first to go with this story, and the general tone of the article was "If I don't get a good transfer kitty I could be off". Given that, as with most stories of this type (remember the "discord in the Swans camp" rumours before Christmas?) there were no direct quotes and the story came from "club insiders", you could certainly have been forgiven for taking the story with a pinch of salt, and it seems that any doubts surrounding Laudrup's commitment were ill-founded.

The Dane has moved swiftly to quash any murmurings at the Liberty, stating he's confident the board will back him in the transfer market:

"We don't have so much money compared to the rest of the teams so we have to do it like that [look for bargains], but we'll have to strengthen our team just to try to keep where we are right now, consolidate as a mid-team, because there are a lot of teams, bigger clubs, below us who will spend big money. 

"We've already seen West Ham with Andy Carroll, I think Newcastle and others will do the same so we'll have to be very good in the transfer market to compete. 

"I wanted to stay because the club said they were going to strengthen their team. Of course we need to do that, but I'm sure they will keep their word about that, and then I want to stay for the fans and also for some of the players - they came for me so I can't just leave them after one season." Michael Laudrup

No smoke without fire? Pfft...

It's still early days but we're already being linked with a number of tidy players, with Arouna Kone being one I'm more in favour of. 12 goals for Wigan isn't a bad return for a striker playing in a relegated team, and I think he'd fit the Swans' system well. Who would you like to see brought in? Get in touch via the comment section, Twitter or on the forum!

Swans agree pre-contract with Canas (rumoured), Taylor inching closer to return & Williams on Norwich result

Good afternoon all. This was supposed to be a nice early Monday morning post to give you all something to read, but, well, I've got a week off work and I've been enjoying doing a whole load of nothing, so you'll have to forgive a touch of tardiness. Bit of a slow news day (in terms of official announcements), so first up is... 

Swansea City agree pre-contract with Jose Canas

As yet, there has been no official word from the club regarding Jose Canas, however the Mirror last night broke the story that Jose has agreed a pre-contract with the Swans, rejecting offers from WBA and others that were rumoured to be worth twice what the Swans had offered. I did some digging and put together an in-depth profile of Canas earlier this year (blog available here), and if this news is true then it'll bring a massive smile to my face; and not just because the Premier League needs more players with good hair. 

Canas battling with Cesc Fabregas.

Canas looks like he possesses all the attributes required to be a very good player for Swansea City, but with a couple of months left on his contract it's unlikely we'll know anything more regarding his signature until Betis know where they're likely to be finishing in the league. They're currently chasing European football, so they won't want the disruption which could be caused by the announcement of one of their leading lights leaving; indeed given Betis' position in La Liga it's even possible that if he does sign for the Swans, it's possible he could play his former employers in the Europa League next season! 

Stranger things have happened, but all in all if these rumours are true it's excellent news for the Swans. One signing down, and no doubt more to come...

Neil Taylor set to feature for U21 side away at Brentford

Following appearances for the Swans' development side away at Bristol City and home to Colchester United, Neil Taylor could possibly play his first full ninety minutes today since breaking and dislocating his ankle at the beginning of the season. His comeback has surprised everyone, given the severity of the injury, and it's testament to both the player and the staff around him that he's managed to get himself back in contention in record time. 

Taylor in action for Swansea

The game is being held at Brentford's "Jersey Training Ground" (exotic...) and even with free admission it's likely there won't be many people in attendance, which will probably suit Neil as he looks to keep his head down and continue to work hard in pursuit of a first-team return. It's more than possible he'll be fit and available before the end of the season now, so a good showing here could see him come into the reckoning for the Southampton game on the 20th. Whether Laudrup thinks he's ready remains to be seen, but no doubt Neil will be chomping at the bit to make a competitive appearance before the season is over.

Good luck to the Swans U21 side, too. They've won the last two games on the bounce, so hopefully O'Leary's boys can keep up the good form as they look to finish the season on a high. I can't find any news on Kenji Gorre, and he's not included in the squad for today, so it's possible his trial period has finished; as soon as I find news on that you'll all be the first to know. [As it turned out, the game had finished by the time I'd finished typing this blog. The Swans went down 2-1 to Brentford, with the Swansea goal coming from Rory Donnelly. No info available on how long Taylor managed].

Ash refutes suggestions of Swansea "taking it easy" in wake of cup win

In the wake of the Norwich game, Ashley Williams was pressed by journos as to whether he felt his side are struggling to maintain their level of performance, now that they've already secured European football for next summer. Ash was quick to shout this theory down, and realistically for good reason; robbed of a point at WBA by a ridiculous decision, the Swans then lost to Arsenal and Spurs. Oh no! Losing to two Champions League chasing clubs can hardly be considered to be "taking your foot off the gas", but that is exactly what the Swans had been accused of in some quarters of late and Williams will have been glad the Swans secured a result, if only to stop the theory growing any further.

"I'm not too fussed what people say. When you win a cup, that's the obvious thing that people look at, but we don't feel like that. We're just working hard, we're having a bit of a wobble with the three losses and we've stopped that today but it's nothing to do with feeling like the season's over. I don't think so anyway - I don't get that impression or feel like that. 

"When you have three losses, you just need to get a point - or three - to stop it and on a different day we could have won the game today. Also, at 2-1 down, facing your fourth-straight loss, I think we showed great character and hopefully we can use this today and really kick on now towards a strong finish, which is what I think we deserve for the season we've had so far." 

Williams celebrates Luke Moore's equaliser at
Carrow Road. Check out the evils on the guy
in the baseball cap!

When asked about Michu's miss in the 90th minute;

"We're never going to complain about Michu, he's scored some important goals and a good goal again today. He's unlucky that he didn't put that one away. If he did we would have got the win and gone home happy, but as I said he scored one and we're happy with that. 

"He's got goals, that's what he's all about, and I think he's performing well. He looks good when he plays with Luke, I like the pair of them together. I'm sure he's got more goals in him." 

"He's done brilliantly every time he's played. He's been unlucky in my eyes not to play more games, I think there are games where he can feel aggrieved not to have started, but he's kept his head down and played good again today."          Ashley Williams 

Luke Moore is proving an unlikely talisman with three goals in four games, and surely that warrants an extended run in the team. His link and hold-up play have been excellent but it takes a while to get up to speed, and it'd be interesting to see how he did with some games under his belt and a higher level of player around him (given that the last time he had such a run in the team we'd just been promoted from League One). You can't argue with results. and the ex-WBA man is currently delivering, so deserves his place in the team.

One recurring issue though is the Swans defence of set pieces. Now that the Swans have stopped the rot it's easy to agree with Ash that there was no reason to panic, but three losses on the bounce (regardless of opposition) generally leave most football fans thinking illogical thoughts, and with some catastrophic defending again on display when Norwich put balls into the Swans' penalty area it's clear there's work to be done. Hopefully Laudrup can use the mini-break before the Southampton game on the 20th to address this...

He won't be the first to try.

Norwich City 2 - 2 Swansea City - A fair result

Both sides pay for the price for missed chances as spoils are shared at Carrow Road

At three PM yesterday I was standing on my friends decking, doing my best barbecue chef impression, whilst also mulling over whether my 1-0 prediction was particularly foolhardy. The stats showed on average there'd been five goals every time these two clubs have met in the Premier League, and the closer kick-off became the more I doubted whether the Swans would be able to keep a clean sheet. 

As it turned out, there I was, flipping some lamb and mint burgers, when it sounded like I'd missed the first goal. A quick dash inside left me watching replays of Michu burying a low drive into the bottom right corner of Mark Bunn's goal, only for it to be disallowed for a foul by Luke Moore on a defender in the buildup to the goal. The Swans wouldn't have long to wait for their goal though, in an excellent first half hour where they retained possession in a manner we haven't seen for a couple of weeks. Impressively, they did so without the inclusion of midfield metronome Leon Britton (absent as his partner was giving birth to twin baby boys - congratulations to both!) who would have been making his 400th league appearance. 

The Swans lined up with De Guzman, Ki, and Michu as a midfield three, with Routledge and Dyer out wide and Luke Moore up front. While I still prefer seeing Michu playing in front of Ki, Leon & JDG, yesterday I thought Michu's link play was excellent, and the stats show he managed nine efforts on goal, so playing in a deeper role clearly didn't stop him getting shots off. While yesterday he only managed to convert one, more often than not you'd back him to bury a couple, and so it was that after 35 minutes some good work from Chico and Dyer played in De Guzman, who let the ball run to the byline before cutting it back for Michu, arriving late, who lashed it into the roof of the net with his right foot. 1-0 Swansea. I've been critical of De Guzman recently but I thought he was excellent yesterday, possibly as the result of playing in more of a traditional three-man midfield.

Robert Snodgrass celebrates opening
the scoring with Wes Hoolahan.

The Swans didn't hold on to their lead long though - and Dyer missed a great chance after Michu played him through, dragging a shot wide with men in support. Norwich proceeded to go straight up the other end, and after Kamara put Elliott Bennett away down the right his cross seemed to completely beat Vorm, and Robert Snodgrass was there to head into an empty net. How he had quite so much space is another story, and until full highlights are up on Swans player it's hard to say, but it appeared Tiendalli lost his man spectacularly.

So, 1-1 going into halftime, and back to the barbecue. Some grillsteak and square sausage baps later, I returned to the TV to find it occupied by the bloody Grand National. We all watched it, although I'm sure none of us really cared who won (aside from the few of us with bets on), and subsequently missed Michael Turner putting the Canaries in front after 60 minutes. After seeing replays it's clear that again the marking at the back post left a lot to be desired, and to be honest it's another one you'd have to watch a few times as I couldn't even work out who was supposed to be marking the tall centre-back. As it happened, the ball dropped to his feet and he smashed a half-volley first time which Vorm had no hope of keeping out, and Norwich had their noses in front (Grand National pun intended). 

Luke Moore: time for him to have
an extended run in the team?

Laudrup made a couple of changes; Pablo and Lamah coming on for Routledge and Dyer, and Rangel replaced Ben Davies with Tiendalli shifting over to left back. Davies had earned himself a caution in the first half for a cheeky bit of rugby tackling, and it's possible Laudrup saw this as a chance to rest him, as he wasn't having his finest day in a Swansea shirt. The fresh legs seemed to benefit Swansea, who I felt looked the more likely to score throughout. Both Norwich goals seemed to come against the run of play, so it was a relief when after 75 minutes a deep ball found Angel Rangel, who headed the ball back across the box for Luke Moore to tuck it home. You can't argue with results, and Moore has scored some important goals in recent weeks with limited gametime; it would be interesting to see how he does with a proper run of games under his belt as the last time he enjoyed such prolonged inclusion in the first team must be back when we first signed him in the Championship?

Grant Holt came off the bench and made an immediate impact (literally). He'd been on the field a matter of seconds when Chico beat him to a bouncing ball, and Holt's studs came down on Chico's shin; leaving a massive hole in the Spaniard's sock showing exactly how bad the challenge was. The MOTD pundits thought it was a red card, but amazingly the referee saw fit not to punish Holt. There was still time for one last real chance, and it came as the 90th minute arrived. Good work down the right from Pablo saw him cut the ball back for Michu, once again arriving late in the box, but he couldn't repeat the trick from the first half. His right-footed snap shot was high, wide, and not at all handsome, and not long afterwards the referee blew the whistle to draw to a close the latest in a line of excellent matches between these two sides. 

All in all both managers will have been satisfied with a point, as both teams allowed chances for the opposition to clinch the winner which ultimately weren't taken. Dyer's miss at 1-0 was a turning point; 2-0 there and Norwich would have struggled to get back into it, but the Swans really do need to work on set pieces. We had the worst defensive record in this area going into the game, and a goal from a free-kick and a cross to the back post won't have done the statistics any good, so there really is a lot of work to be done. Still, the first point for the Swans in four games and and the best performance for a while, there were lots of positives to take from this match. Southampton at home next, and with the game not coming for two weeks the Swans have plenty of time to work on set-pieces in training. Let's hope it works!

Swans boss Michael Laudrup:

 

"Ending the run of losses is good, but it’s harder for me to answer whether I’m satisfied with one point.”  

“We dominated completely the first 30 minutes, we were 1-0 up and maybe should have been 2-0 up. We allowed them into the game out of nothing, but showed character to come back and score the second goal. Michu had a few chances, including the one at the end that could have been the third goal. 

“Am I pleased with one point? We could have won, but we could have lost too.”

Norwich boss Chris Hughton:

“We didn’t start the game too well – Swansea are a very good footballing side and we found it quite difficult. I thought the response of the players was excellent because you could sense a little bit of anxiety, and I think that’s normal – it’s a home game – but I think we coped with that really well.  

“We got into the lead 2-1, and at that stage – even though a good Swansea team had good possession of the ball, I was very comfortable that we were going to go on and win the game. For a team like ourselves who have found it a little more difficult to score goals, I thought we looked a threat but I was disappointed with the goals we conceded.

“You prepare the team and you’re desperate to win the game. If that ball’s not bouncing well enough for you – you can’t accuse the team of not putting in that effort because they are, but sometimes things don’t go as well as you want. The timing of the goals was good and the effort of the players was excellent.  

“That’s another thing – when you get that disruption early in the game [losing goalkeeper Mark Bunn to injury], it’s a bit of a blow for you. It also affects what you’re able to do with your substitutes, but I thought Campy (Lee Camp) came in and did really well.” 

Norwich vs Swansea match preview, team news, analysis & statistics

                         

Norwich City vs Swansea City

Barclays Premier League

Saturday 06/04/13

15:00pm K.O.

Carrow Road

Referee: Howard Webb

The Match

Norwich come into the game looking to arrest an alarming run which has seen them win just once this calendar year. Aside from an (albeit impressive) win over Everton at the end of February, you've got to go back to the 15th of December to find Norwich's last win in the league, where they beat Wigan 2-1 in front of their home fans. They have managed six 0-0 or 1-1 draws in their last 10 games though, so it seems there may be a problem finishing teams off. They'll be hoping to capitalise on Swansea's own poor run of form as they look to move away from the relegation zone, now looming only four points below them.

Grant Holt celebrates against Swansea last year.

Swansea find themselves playing for both pride and cold hard cash as the season starts to draw to a close. All but mathematically safe, it was revealed this week the players are on bonuses related to where the team finishes in the league, so it literally pays for the squad to put in some performances before the season is up. Not that they should need it; the Swansea players have repeatedly denounced any accusations that they may find themselves "taking it easy" in the wake of their League Cup triumph, and with essentially nothing left to play for in the league, a win will be vital if they are to silence the murmurs once and for all, especially considering Norwich are developing into a bit of a bogey team for the Swans.

Prior Form (most recent at top)

Premier League                  Wigan          1 - 0   Norwich
Premier League                  Sunderland   1 - 1  Norwich 
Premier League                  Norwich      0 - 0   Southampton   
Premier League                   Man Utd      4 - 0  Norwich        
Premier League                  Norwich      2 - 1   Everton 



Premier League                Swansea       1 - 2  Tottenham

Premier League                Swansea       0 - 2   Arsenal        

Premier League                West Brom     2 - 1  Swansea

Premier League                Swansea       1 - 0  Newcastle
League Cup Final               Bradford        0 - 5  Swansea
              

Team News

Norwich will be without Anthony Pilkington who is still recovering from a hamstring injury, while 'keeper John Ruddy is nearing a return from a torn thigh muscle. Andrew Surman is out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery, but Ryan Bennett could be fit after picking up a knock in the Wigan game.

Swansea should have Chico Flores available after he was withdrawn against Spurs in a precautionary move, while Angel Rangel looks set to face a fitness test after a calf strain kept him out of the team last time out. Kemy Augustien and, remarkably, Neil Taylor are both pushing for inclusion in the match day squad after overcoming thigh and ankle injuries respectively.

Trivia - "Courtesy" of Opta, the BBC and various other sites;

• Norwich have won four of their last five matches against the Swans. 

• Referee Howard Webb, in charge for this fixture, has refereed Swansea matches six times since their promotion. Swansea are yet to win with Webb in charge.

• Last season Steven Fletcher scored the most headers of any player in the league with seven - Michu has six already and looks set to surpass the watermark set by the cerebral Scot.

• Norwich City have won all three of their Barclays Premier League clashes with Swansea City.

• In three Premier League games between the two teams, there have been 16 goals in total. 

• Of the teams to play more than 20 Premier League games in April, only Derby and Charlton averaged fewer points per game than Norwich (0.81 - W6 D4 L17). 

• Only Stoke (5) have picked up fewer points from their last 10 Premier League games than Norwich (9). 

• Swansea City are yet to win in the league this season when they have gone behind (D6 L11), but have only dropped five points from leading positions, winning 10 of the 12 games they have taken the lead in. 

• Norwich fans have only seen 31 goals at Carrow Road so far this season - the least of any of the Premier League grounds.

• Grant Holt has scored three goals in his last two league appearances against Swansea. 
• Norwich have failed to score in 5 of their last 7 matches in the Premier League.
• Norwich have failed to win in 13 of their last 14 matches.

Completely guessed lineups

Straight from the "horse's mouth";

Michael Laudrup thinks Norwich will look to utilise set-pieces to get at the Swans, as they try to claw their way clear of the relegation zone:

Michael Laudrup: Possibly watching Grant Holt
celebrate with his shirt off.

"We will know what to expect from them; they know they need six or seven points to get clear and they have four home games left.  It will be a hard game, a physical game against a side who have scored from the most set-pieces this season – more than Stoke, West Ham or Everton which surprised me – while we have conceded the most. 

“They are a strong team, they are at home but they are struggling with a very bad run. They will look at the same numbers in terms of points as everyone else and will know what they need to do and start winning, starting with us. They’ll know we’re a technical team but that we also concede from set-pieces, so they will go with what they are strong at, and when you suffer a little – and they are in a difficult moment after a very bad run in 2013 – then maybe you try and be direct as possible. 

“They are not quite safe, they might be little nervous and on a run like this they could be more direct. A combination – not of fear – but their moment and their strengths and our weakness at set-pieces, they might say let’s get as many corners and free-kicks as we can. We know what to expect and what we have to be prepared for.” 

“As a player, you always have teams you don’t fancy playing. Will our players have any fear of playing Norwich? I really don’t think so. Half the players were not here last season. I think the players will be more worried about going out and getting a result and some points – and that is what the last seven games is all about.” 

"We have players that I cannot do anything about the height of – Leon, Wayne, Nathan, Pablo and Jonathan. Those are the players we have for our style so we just have to be aware of what we can expect, but remember there is only one ball and the more we can keep it the less chance of giving them set-pieces and direct play.”

Chris Hughton when questioned about the Canaries recent form:

“I think you have to look at performances [over the last few months] and where some of those games were. You could turn it round and say we have lost three of the last 10. For clubs of our ilk, the home form is so important and this next one is a big game. We have to use that advantage at home because we have a tremendous support who want to get behind us and we have to give them something to shout about. The home form generally this season has been good and we need to continue that. 

“The biggest blow for me at Wigan was the result. I know we have to look elsewhere at the other results around us as well, but the bigger blow was what happened after a Sunderland game where we had a good result and a performance. I couldn’t see us losing last week. If I look at the way the game panned out we were probably in the attacking third for an away game more often than any other this season. What we weren’t able to do was convert that into real good chances and goals.” 

Analysis

Irrespective of whether or not the Swans players are easing into a canter as the summer approaches, it still takes two to tango and over the last few weeks it seems every team the Swans have met have been absolutely desperate for points, and Norwich are no exception. Looking to kick-start their season, they'll definitely see the Swans, themselves coming off the back of three straight losses, as a team they can secure three points against.

Chico Flores return from injury didn't go as well as he'd have hoped last week, and he'll have to be on the ball from the off (along with defensive partner Ash Williams) if he's to stop Kei Kamara from endearing himself even further to Norwich fans. The striker from Sierra Leone has made a good impression since signing from Kansas City on loan, and will be looking to add to the one goal he has managed so far, a late equaliser against Everton which saw his team go on to win.

Will Ki regain his starting berth in the Swansea engine room?

The Swans have struggled to retain possession in recent times, and given Norwich's poor form I feel we must revert back to three dedicated central midfielders if we are to secure three points. We need control of the midfield, and the poor form of Pablo Hernandez and, to a lesser extent, Nathan Dyer has not helped the Swans in their quest to hold on to the ball.  De Guzman too has been poor over recent weeks, but it would help him massively if he was the more attacking midfielder of a designated midfield trio, as opposed to one of two central midfielders playing behind the "three wingers" formation.

As mentioned by Laudrup, Norwich have scored more goals from set-pieces than any other team in the Premier League this season, and have benefited equally from crosses, so it'll be of the utmost importance for the Swansea wingers to track Robert Snodgrass and Elliot Bennett if they are to limit the service to the Norwich frontmen. Ki & Leon will likely be charged with keeping the ball away from Bradley Johnson and Alex Tettey, and given that the Swansea midfielders are (respectively) the second and sixth most accurate passers in the Premier League you'd have to fancy their chances.

All of the recent history, and even the selection of referee seems to be going against the Swans for this one, but there is a lot of talk online from Norwich fans which seems to indicate they aren't as confident as we'd expect them to be. If the Swans can keep the ball away from Wes Hoolahan in particular, then there is a definite chance they can secure three points here. Hoolahan has proven to be a classy operator during his time at Norwich, and I rate the Irish international; the Swans defence will have to stop him linking between the Norwich midfield and Kei Kamara up top if they want to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and it'll be important to do this early on so that they can retain possession and settle into their game-plan early on.

Michu will be looking to add even more goals to his tally after ending a mini-drought with a consolation goal against Spurs, and up against Sebastian Bassong and Michael Turner he'll have to be at his aerially-imperious best if he's to get any joy against those two. Bassong hit the headlines earlier this season for his own goal-scoring exploits, but it'll be in defence he's needed most come 3pm as the Swansea forward line descend on the Norwich defence.

The Swans need, more than ever, to control this game from the off. Norwich's need for points could see the match descend into a scrappy affair which would definitely suit the East Anglian hosts more than their South Walian visitors, so it's critically important the Swans retain possession early on and look to secure the first goal - as the stats show the Swans are good once in front but dreadful once behind.

Difficult to call as ever, I'm going to go for a slim Swansea win for this one. Norwich have been out of sorts for a while, and I can see Swansea doing enough to come away one nil winners. Now, let's just sit back and see if I end up with egg on my face come 5pm Saturday afternoon.

Iechyd Da.