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