With a growing number of fans appearing unhappy with the performance levels of our record signing, just what is it they're complaining about?
There's a reason I started this website. I grew sick and tired of reading the same arguments played out time and time again on all the other main websites/forums populated by the Jack Army, as all too often I found myself become both frustrated and involved in heated debates regarding certain Swansea players. Jason Scotland was a prime example of this. Despite scoring hatfuls of goals whenever he was selected, some people just couldn't get past the fact that he didn't spend ninety minutes chasing shadows and as such, he "clearly wasn't working hard enough".
Now, there's a very good reason an ideal Swansea City centre-forward doesn't spend ninety minutes chasing anything that moves. In case anyone hasn't noticed, we play with one striker. I know, shocking, right? For large swathes of last season it could also be argued we actually played without a recognised striker, given Michu's preference for a deeper role and his tendency to wander.
When you operate in the manner the Swans do, it's vitally important we have an outlet who maintains a central position throughout the game. By doing this, he allows the team to rotate around him while constantly being available for a pass, and the team can stretch play to maximise the benefits of this style. The problem is it's been so long since we had a striker capable of playing this role (going back to Scotland, in fact) that I think we've forgotten how to get the most out of a quality lone striker, and what we're seeing is as much an adjustment from the team as it is an acclimatisation on Bony's part. If Bony was consistently hitting the corners, he wouldn't be in the middle to supply the finish. Simple.
Some of the comments on fans' forums are absolutely ludicrous. Were they even watching the game? Some were saying "Bony was isolated" in the first half - he was constantly surrounded by Michu, Routledge and got knows who else, and the effect was he had absolutely no space to operate in and plenty of opposition defenders nearby to close him down. Another said he "gets knocked off the ball too easily" - err...WHAT!? I'm sorry, you clearly haven't been watching the same games as me, as Bony looks to be the strongest player I've ever seen pull on the white shirt of Swansea City, and possibly the strongest player I've ever seen! Once he sticks his arse out, he's not losing the ball. End of.
Someone else coyly remarked that if Bony spent 90 minutes running around like Adrian Forbes, then fans would have taken to him instantly. Probably true, but would you rather have Forbesy or Bony up front for you in the Premier League? The guy scored a ridiculous amount of goals for Vitesse last season, Laudrup rates him enough to start him in the Premier League and we've spent £12million on him. What's the point of getting on his back this early in his Swans' career? Watch the Valencia highlights again and look at his flick in the buildup to one of the goals - it's an exquisite first touch and anyone who's accused him of lacking just that is wrong, in my opinion.
Don't forget, he's jumped to a higher league, and missed a large part of our pre-season due to his late arrival. The official site published a statistical analysis of his performance against Sunderland which confirmed what I thought - pretty much every ball that was played into him stuck, and that's such a novel thing to be able to say about a Swansea City centre-forward after a few years of, if we're being honest, makeweights. I was as big a fan of Danny Graham as anyone else, but Bony is a difference class of striker.
We have seen far from the best of Wilfried Bony, but he's still our top scorer. Give him time, and he will reward us with goal, after goal, after goal. Of that I'm sure.