Swansea strike deal for fans to get cheap tickets at Hull & Newcastle

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  

http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/ticket-initiative-newcastle-1117254.aspx #DO0FApZHgDez62Hi.99

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. 

Swansea do deal with Newcastle to provide their fans with cheap tickets

The Swans continue to do their bit in the battle to keep prices down

At the risk of sounding like an explanation on Have I Got News For You, this is the news that Swansea are one of two clubs to reach an agreement with Newcastle to provide their fans with cheap away tickets. Visiting fans making the lengthy trip from the North-East to Swansea will be able to get tickets for just £20, which will undoubtedly help as it's not going to be a cheap day out. Elsewhere, WBA have agreed an even more generous deal, which will see the Toon Army only have to shell out fifteen quid - not bad at all!

The Swans have put on a number of initiatives for their own fans this season, and I think it's safe to say we'll see more as the season goes on. They did a deal with Crystal Palace so any adult ticket was half-price when purchased with a junior ticket, and provided a free pie (I think?) for their fans at St Mary's. Very traditional, and you can't argue fairer than that. Critics will no doubt cry "It's all irrelevant if tickets prices remain so high!" and while that's a point to consider the pricing of matches in general is clearly something on the Premier League's agenda.

I think it's only to be expected that any "common sense initiatives" that get taken on on a league-wide basis will also be supported by the Swans, as they've developed a reputation for doing things properly. They put on a buy one get one free/get one half price deal for Europa League tickets, and I think this sort of thing should outweigh any frustrations fans have over the ticketing system which the club are clearly addressing.

With fan power developing more of a role in the way the Premier League is orchestrated hopefully we'll see deals like this put on for Swansea fans when they're travelling to grounds up and down the country. We can but hope.

Man Utd tickets go on sale, Chico close to return from injury & Dyer hopes to sign new contract soon

Tickets for league opener go on sale

Today you can get your mitts on tickets for the opening day clash against David Moyes' Manchester United. It's a typical staggered release; Non-season ticket holding Jack Army members with 26 loyalty points have first preference, then Non-ST holding Jack Army members with any points, then ST holding JA members with 26 points or more, before ST holders with any points and finally, next Monday (if there are any left) they'll go on general sale. Priced at £45 (£22.50 for concessions), you can order online here: http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/tickets-man-utd-away-936604.aspx?

Chico close to return from thigh injury

This is the news that Chico Flores is expected to return to training towards the end of this week, following a thigh injury which kept him out of the Swans' most recent friendly (the 2-0 win away at Exeter). Jordi Amat was also suffering the effects of injury, carrying a shoulder injury to the game against the Grecians, however he completed 45 minutes and should be fully fit for the Europa League tie next week.

Speaking to the Evening Post, Laudrup was confident he'd have his full compliment of central defenders available for the beginning of the season:

"Jordi came into the game with a shoulder injury, he had a knock the other day. He wanted to play like everyone else so he had 45 minutes, but he was not 100%. 

"I think he will be okay for Europe. We will have to see with Chico as well, I hope he will be back in training on Thursday. We will have all four centre-backs back again for the start of the Europa League. We have very good depth in our squad this season." Michael Laudrup

There have been rumours surfacing in the last day or two that we're interested in Espanyol centre-back Hector Moreno (certain Spanish clubs may start getting sick of the sight of us!), a Mexican international who enjoyed a solid season last term. It's even been suggested in certain media outlets that we've had a £5million bid rebuffed - if that's true there's a strong possibility that Arsenal have firmed up their interest in Ashley Williams, which isn't a surprise given their injury woes (and inactivity thus far in the transfer market). Thomas Vermaelen is rumoured to be out for three months, while Laurent Koscielny has picked up an injury which leaves Arsene Wenger with Per Mertesacker his only fit registered centre-back. A bid for Ash may now be imminent, if it hasn't arrived already.

There's the distinct possibility Arsenal haven't made a bid earlier because Huw is developing a reputation as a shrewd negotiator who'll always squeeze every penny out of the bidding club - Arsenal are famously stingy and it's likely any negotiations would be lengthy, however if Ash does fancy the move the chances are the two clubs will come to an agreement. There's no point retaining a player who wants to be elsewhere, and you can forgive any Swansea player who wants to play for a club who've spent the last 10 years playing at Champions League level. Obviously I hope this doesn't come to bear, but with Arsenal in desperate need of defensive reinforcement it's hard to imagine they won't make a serious offer.

Dyer hoping new contract will be tied up soon

As mentioned previously, the Swans are in negotiations with Nathan Dyer's representative(s?) regarding a new contract for the diminutive wide-man. Remarkably, he's the only member of the current "first-team" squad whose contract is set to expire at the end of season; that to me would indicate that all the hyperbole from Huw and the board regarding "only having players who want to be here" is very much true. You can't make a player sign a contract, and given how unlikely the Swans are to award bumper contracts the feel-good factor in SA1 is clearly evident:

"Swansea are a great club and I've always felt at home here, so I hope something can get sorted out soon. I don't think about my contract situation too much; I just try and play football. 

"I'm really happy at Swansea. Every year since I've arrived, we have improved and improved. It's been great to be part of the rise of Swansea." Nathan Dyer

Since arriving on loan from Southampton he's gone from strength to strength, and as I've said a couple of times he has improved his finishing (and final ball) dramatically in the last 18 months. Hopefully there's still more to come from Dyer as if he can add a touch more savvy to his game he could be a top, top player, and one who could realistically expect to gain international recognition at some point. If Matt Jarvis can get into the England squad, so can Dyer.

Fingers crossed, this will be wrapped up soon and we'll be seeing Nathan Dyer charging around for years to come. We love you Nath!