Hull City's owner Assem Allam wants to change the name from "City" to "Tigers", but it could have been so much worse for Swansea fans
Once upon a time, there was a big bad Australian Cockney with a ridiculous moustache, who wanted to rip the heart out of Swansea City AFC. His excuse at the time was fiscal austerity, but he hadn't planned on the vociferous response his actions received from the Swansea support.
The North Bank at the old Vetch Field became a unified protest group, aiming endless chants towards the directors box after Petty sacked seven players (asking a further eight to accept reduced contracts), and that was just the start. Marches and protests outside the ground let the new chairman know that we simply weren't going to accept that kind of thing from someone who was supposed to have the club's best interests at heart, and that he'd massively misjudged the situation if he thought the fanbase would just roll over and accept whatever decisions he deemed fit to make.
Thankfully, the rest is history. A consortium of Swansea fans, plus the newly formed Supporters Trust, wrestled control of the club and we haven't looked back since. There's been a litany of successes since - the appointments of Flynn, Jackett, Martinez, Sousa, Rodgers & Laudrup have all brought varying degrees of success (but success nonetheless), as well as the continued recruitment of a higher calibre of player. The Swans have coloured in the picture of a well-run Premiership club without, seemingly, going outside the lines once.
That's why it rankles so much to see owners at other clubs operating in a manner which seemingly disregards the wishes of the fans. I doubt Assem Allem cares what the sizeable proportion of Hull fans who disagree with the potential name change think, much like I doubt Vincent Tan cares what colour fans prefer their team to play in, but the line has to be drawn somewhere or football stands at risk of becoming like the NFL, where clubs - or "brands" as I should probably refer to them given the context - are exportable commodities, with no real thought given to the history or tradition surrounding them.
Thankfully (for the Swans at least) we can rest easy knowing that those in charge always have the best interests of the club at heart. Hull's recent travails serve to remind us that getting to the Premier League isn't the be all and end all, and that not everyone gets so lucky. Hopefully their fans can exert some influence over proceedings (though I won't say that about tonight's game itself) and, if the majority view is that the name should remain "Hull City", then that's how it should stay.
There's a campaign being run by Hull fans called "City Till We Die" (link), which protests against Assem Allem's plans to change their name to Hull Tigers. They also plan on singing "City Till We Die" 19mins 04secs into tonight's match (Hull City were formed in 1904), and they (and I) heartily encourage all Swansea fans to join in. Solidarity, brothers & sisters!
When I said "I'm sure we'll see offers for Swansea fans" I didn't think it would be that soon!
Following on from the previous blog where I looked at a deal we'd agreed with Newcastle to provide their fans with cheaper tickets, the club have announced that firstly, the Newcastle deal is reciprocal (so Swansea fans can purchase away tickets for the Newcastle game for just £20), and secondly an identical agreement has been reached with Hull City.
Swansea Vice-Chairman Leigh Dineen explained that these initiatives are something the club has been putting a lot of work into:
“The reduced away ticket price initiative is something we started looking into over the summer. We contacted all clubs in the Premier League, but received very little feedback, but we’ve kept working at it and I’m glad to see that things have slowly started to gather pace.
“We are in constant dialogue with other clubs in the Premier League and hope to announce additional reciprocal deals over the course of the campaign. We are determined to help keep the costs down for travelling supporters; not just for our own loyal fans, but those supporters of other clubs around the country as well.’’ Leigh Dineen
It's quite easy to envisage the Swans holding a meeting whereby a lot of fan-pleasing initiatives were discussed, and it's good to see other clubs are now looking to offer similar deals. As mentioned in the prior blog, Swansea fans travelling to Crystal Palace had the option of a half-price adult seat when bought in conjunction with a junior ticket, while visitors to St Mary's in our most recent league outing received a free hot meal. When you couple that with a free scarf for anyone who attended the West Brom game and £15 off coach travel to our visit at Spurs, the goodwill missions really are stacking up.
The latest scheme put in place will see anyone making the trip to Craven Cottage to see us play Fulham receive a free matchday programme, with again the offer being reciprocal - Fulham fans will receive a copy of the Jack magazine when they visit our fair city.
I say good on everyone at Swansea City. It's impossible to change the big-money nature of the Premier League, but by putting in place a number of schemes which benefit the ordinary, loyal fan they'll definitely help to stem the tide of disillusionment we're seeing in football at the moment.
... so let's allow ourselves a quick trip down nostalgia lane.
First up today is a nice interview with James Thomas on the ITV website (complete with video), where he talks about his contribution to the Swans' continued upward rise, scoring a hat-trick on the final day of the 2002/2003 season . For anyone unaware of the historical importance of this match, the Swans needed to win on the final day of the season to guarantee their league status for the following season. Facing them was the minor task of overcoming Peter Taylor's Hull City side, who were still, at that point, in with a shout of claiming the old Third Division title.
What happened that day will live long in Swansea folklore, as James Thomas recalls:
"I'll always remember the night before the game, you know, trying to sleep, worrying and the pressure of it. I think being a local boy, from Swansea, I'd have to face the supporters wherever I went, and that added to the pressure, but when you're out on the pitch it's just another game - the crowd were like a 12th man though, and it was the highlight of my career - a day I'll never forget"
"If we'd gone down to the Conference, we may never have seen the Swans in the Premier League or in a major cup final, and it's been good for the city of Swansea as well. It does make me feel good, to have made some sort of contribution [to the Swans' success]. Now I've had to retire, it's nice to be remembered for something, and to have done something towards the success the Swans have had over the last 10 years."
Even given Thomas' contribution on that torturous, but ultimately incredible, day it is easy to underestimate his contribution that season - and that too of a young Leon Britton (voted the PFA Fans Player of the Year that season). Thomas' goals, from a player who was always blighted by injury, were largely alone in their efforts to keep the Swans heads above water and without a goalscorer it's debatable whether the Swans would have still had the opportunity of securing league football for another season come the final day of the season.
A player who has his chance to cement his name in the annals of Swansea's history is Michu. Since joining the player has been described as all sorts, with "revelation" likely to be one of the words bandied about the most. It's got to the point where this word seems out-dated now given his continued plundering of opposition defences, but a big display from the Swansea number nine will help him forever live long in Swansea folklore. While the Swans are no doubt preparing for this game as any other, as a striker at the top of the Premiership scoring charts (and seemingly back in form) he must be confident of adding to his tally.
The man from Oviedo is particularly looking forward to running out to a full house at Wembley, where no doubt the noise generated by the Jack Army is going to be at least matched by that of the Bradford fans. The combination of plucky Premier League underdog and complete out-and-out-Roy-of-the-Rovers League Two underdog is a remarkable one, and one which is unlikely to be repeated again in my lifetime.
"I can't wait to run out at Wembley, one of the best stadiums in Europe, and hear the Jack Army getting behind us," Michu said to the official club website.
"With over 33,000 Jacks singing that song, I think it will be an incredible moment and it could make the difference for us. Hopefully we will give them an incredible moment on Sunday, because they deserve all the success because they give us amazing support."
Finally, another nod in a nostalgic direction, and Wyndham Evans (389 league games for the Swans) has been quoted as saying this Sunday's match with Bradford is the biggest game in Swansea's history. Alan Curtis and others have gone on record in the recent past saying that this Swansea side is the finest they've seen, and with the club's cup story possibly still a twist or two away from completion there may yet be a higher benchmark to be set. Not since 1927 has a Welsh club managed to get their patriotic mitts on what are viewed by many as "English trophies", and should the Swans be successful it's a safe bet the Jack Army will have no shame in letting their opposition counterparts know about it for the entirety of next season.
"To see Ashley Williams or Garry Monk lift the trophy at Wembley would be my favourite ever footballing moment. They've had a fantastic 100-year history and to mark the centenary celebrations with a cup would be absolutely brilliant. That sums up what Swansea are all about. There's always been amazing sense of timing about this club.
"A lot of the fans will still remember the games at The Vetch against the likes of Halifax and Grimsby — those memories will make this trip to Wembley even more special. It will be a brilliant day out for the fans. They sold the 33,000 tickets in no time and they could have sold twice as many quite easily. Because Swansea were down in the bottom divisions so recently, their fans really appreciate how lucky they are at the moment. The players appreciate what they have as well — players such as Leon Britton, Garry Monk and Alan Tate were at the club when they were in the fourth tier. Those players are becoming household names now, and this is another chance for them to become heroes.
"Perhaps the most amazing thing is the fact that Swansea are there on merit. This isn't just a lucky cup run or a few upsets — they are one of the best teams in the Premier League and they deserve their place in the final. To win away at Liverpool and then to beat Chelsea, the European champions, over two legs is a magnificent achievement. This team is creating history, the greatest era in the club's history.
"It's a bit surreal to think of Swansea playing at Wembley for a second time in two years. It will be a brilliant day on Sunday, and probably the best day in the club's history if they win."
When you have players like Wyndham Evans, who was involved in Swansea's only other foray into the upper echelons of the league system, saying this current side have gone further and higher than any before, then it's hard to argue with. Sure, there's some humility on their part involved but the Premier League is a different beast to the old First Division, and the Swans continued success at the highest level, while still maintaining an amazing ethos behind the scenes, truly is something we'll all remember for a long time. As a Swansea fan, I feel privileged to be able to witness all that has gone on, especially so (as Evans says) that I have the 2002/2003 season as a yardstick with which to compare any Swansea City successes to. Long may it continue, and hopefully we'll be celebrating an unprecedented first major trophy come 6pm on Sunday.
