Swansea put in planning application for Liberty alteration, a look ahead to the summer and more

What does League Cup success mean in terms of forward planning?

A story that is perhaps not a surprise to most of us, given the fact that the Swans have been considering expanding for a while now, but nonetheless an exciting one still, is the planned partial expansion of the West Stand. The opportunity to put more bums on seats will, obviously, provide increased cashflow from ticket sales but, for me anyway, it simply means I'll stand a much better chance of being able to get tickets to see the Swans play. Last year, myself and others struggled to get tickets due to the constant sell outs, and rumours of consortiums buying blocks of season tickets only to sell them on for certain games stung, although I'm sure everyone agrees that it was important for the Swans to sell so many season tickets. We couldn't have guaranteed the level of success we achieved last season, so I feel that while, for certain fans, it meant missing out on big games, the policy they employed was a sensible one.

Swansea City media day. More seats needed?

This first phase of development is mainly to comply with new Premier League broadcasting regulations which come into force next season, however it is well known the Swans aim to add roughly 12,000 seats to the current total, which will massively alleviate the ticketing issue. The mooted plans include a new glass fronted entrance set between two pillars bearing the logos of the stadium's home teams, an extra 705 seats for fans, and a press section on a new fourth-floor area, which will host up to 120 journalists. Given our potential Europa League exploits, this is possibly a good thing given the photos of our latest press day where journalists were sitting with their legs crossed on the floor due to, it seemed, a lack of chairs! This addition will not change the current bowl of the stadium, however any increase in fan capacity is a good thing at the moment.

Early doors

I've just checked the format for the 2013/2014 Europa League, and whether or not you think the fact it starts on the 2nd of August is a good thing lies, probably, with whether you're planning a fledgling European sojourn or not. I've got my fingers crossed for a cheeky trip to Portugal myself, how about you? So, we'll enter at the Third Qualifying Round stage, play games on the 2nd and 9th of August, before, if successful, playoff matches on the 23rd and 30th. Again, if we're successful, there's then a three week break before the group stages, which commence on the 29th of September. All in all, if we do get to the group stage we'll have played an extra 10 games before the end of the year.

As I mentioned previously after we were humbled by Liverpool (Six Days 'til Wembley), if we are to take the Europa League seriously we need a number of signings. Our second string showed, sadly, that they cannot cut the mustard and that we need reinforcements if we are going to be able to rotate without forfeiting a combative edge. By my count we've got 32 players in our current squad, and a further five out on loan, and that really is too many for a club our size if we want to improve the overall calibre of the players at Swansea's disposal. I'd say we need at least four players to come in and compete for first team places, starting with another striker as, no doubt, Michu will be unable to plough his lone furrow all over Europe without tiring. 

Laudrup on Madrid radar

Michael Laudup. Perfect hair.

This is the story that apparently when polled, 73% of Real Madrid fans indicated they would like Michael Laudrup to replace Jose Mourinho at the end of the season. In my opinion, these stories show how fickle football fans can be, as Laudrup has already managed in Spain, and there has previously been no clamour for  the former Real & Barcelona legend. As soon as the media (rightly or wrongly) proclaimed him as a successful dynamic manager on the back of his, and Swansea's success, there started a murmuring which has refused to abate, gathering pace to the point where he is now some bookmaker's favourite to take over. For his part, Laudrup has refused to be drawn on speculation, however when asked about it during the on-pitch celebrations, he didn't take the opportunity to completely rule it out, saying simply it's something [his contract] that will be sorted in the summer. 

His agent, at least, has made positive sounds; indicating that there will be a sitting down between Laudrup, himself, and (I imagine) Huw, so I and most Swansea fans remain optimistically hopeful that we will still have the European Cup winner at the helm next season. Laudrup has remarked previously "Why would I take the Madrid job? You can finish second and be sacked" so we have to hope that the opportunity to essentially build his own top-flight football club is too good to resist. Given the lack of debt, and complete freedom with which he has to operate, it's very possible he will choose to remain in SA1. For the time being, at least...

A dubious look at the Americanisation of football

Or, more importantly, the seeming need to play music any time there's a small gap in play.

Now, I know this splits opinion for two reasons. One; I've already had this debate countless times with friends and two; whenever music is played most people just seem to get on with it, singing along to whatever song Simon Cowell or Louis Walsh have decided we're listening to this week. Now, call me old-fashioned (I was 27 the last time I checked), but when I go to a football match I'd much rather the atmosphere generated by loyal fans full of a "joy-de-vivre" than the generic soulless pop music that seems standard fare at sporting occasions these days. Ok, so at the Liberty we (or at least some of us) are spoiled by getting a cheeky bit of AC/DC just before kickoff, however it isn't really at this juncture I have a problem with it. A couple of choice tunes prior to kick off can go a long way in bringing fans together who, up until that point, had possibly been struggling to get "into the mood" for a singsong. 

Looking back, all of my fondest memories of the Swans from my formative years are heavily tied to the atmosphere and sense of camaraderie generated by fans coming together, and it would be a real shame if, through the continued "modernisation of football" it gets to the point where football is a one way experience, with the role of the fan morphing from supporter to spectator. Thinking back, it seems it's long been a tradition to play a song when a team scores, however given the recent improvement in audio quality in stadiums, and other factors such as the impact of all-seater stadia on atmosphere and over-zealous stewards, the audio blaring through the pa system is now approaching a point whereby it is in danger of completely replacing the role of the fan - players will celebrate the goals, and fans will do too, but the familiar roar of the crowd will become a thing of the past. Much has been said about the prawn sandwich brigade, but this is different. The average fan could be in danger of being subdued simply because the pa system has a much bigger, much louder voice than they do.

I first realised I had a bit of a problem with this a number of years ago, however my experience at Wembley made me realise how strongly I feel about it. Watching Garry Monk and Ashley Williams lift the trophy, I could hardly detect any discernible increase in volume due to the absolute din being created by some pop song that was playing. I appreciate that sponsorship could be another reason certain songs are played at certain times, but when I watch my team's captain lift a trophy, I want to hear the crowd roar, not the same song that's been on the radio all week. The Black Eyed Peas couldn't care less about Swansea City, so why on earth would any Swansea City fan wish to share a once-in-a-lifetime moment with them?

Maybe I'm on my own here, and maybe everyone else thinks Lady Gaga et al are improvements to the match-day experience, but for me, when my team scores a goal, and most definitely when my team lift their first major trophy, I think the only sound should be the one generated by passionate fans, vocalising their delight on one of the happiest days of their lives.