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BEHIND ENEMY LINES |
Tuesday, March 22, 2005BEHIND ENEMY LINESThe wheels have recently come off our promotion rollercoaster and we now seem destined for the lottery of the play offs. Optimism has been replaced by despair as we have dropped out of the automatic places after picking up fewer points than Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest. As our squad is now arguably one of the best-equipped in League 2 I really have no idea why our form has dipped the way it has. Should blame the manager or the players, or are we just flattering ourselves when we repeatedly say we are one of the best three sides in this division? It's incredible to see us still in 5th place after our recent awful string of results but this just shows how unpredictable our promotion rivals are. Even Yeovil and Scunny are showing signs of nerves and the only team who are consistent at the moment are Macclesfield, who played at home in front of a bumper 2,200 crowd on Saturday. What a joke. We have bigger crowds watching Landore reserves. We must remember that being the best-supported team in League 2 doesn't give us a God-given right to achieve automatic promotion so if we have to endure the play offs then so be it. It may well be that the players expect to deliver promotion and that is the reason for the recent jitters - who knows? I believe our luck recently took a turn for the better when Trunds' red card against Rochdale was overturned by the FAW, allowing him to play at Northampton last Saturday. His goal and assist for Paul Connor's strike underlined how important that decision was and it earned us a valuable point, which I believe is another turning point as it was our first away point for several matches. Another factor is that our style of football is ironically much more suited to League 1 than the basement boxing ring in which we find ourselves and although cultured players like Robbie and Leon sometimes struggle to find their game in League 2, I believe they would thrive if we attained promotion. We are so better equipped to go up than in previous years, most notably the '1-0' promotion season under honest John Hollins. If you then looked our bench, for example, you'd see names you didn't recognise and the starting XI included (with respect) the likes of Frankie Howard and Steve Watkin. Now quality players such as Robbie, Leon, Lee Thorpe and Andy Robinson warm the bench, and the fact that Brad Maylett is surplus to requiremenys merely underlines how strong our squad now is. I still maintain that Kenny has (on the whole) signed quality players. Of his acquisitions, only Gary Fiskin has failed to command a regular first team place and it is encouraging to see the recent arrival of Kevin McLeod and Marcus Bean, though I think McLeod needs a few more games under his belt to really show us how good he is and the jury is still out on Mr Bean. Despite our recent poor form it's also encouraging to see our attendances still around the 7,000 mark, and I fully expect a crowd of 8,000+ to turn up on Friday night for the visit of Macclesfield. We are now drinking at the Last Chance Saloon at every match, when each point is a vital extra rung on that ladder to the holy grail and where audience participation is worth an extra player. As is probably the same among similar groups of fans, our circle of Vetch regulars have different opinions on everything, from the manager's team selection and tactics to our promotion chances. What we obviously all have in common is our love for the Swans, but it's interesting how our different personalities clash on the North Bank. Here's a quick guide (which you can probably relate to): Ianto: Thinks we'll go up via the play-offs and has faith in Kenny, though has been accused by many of starting the recent 'Jackett sort it out' chants. No comment. Alec: Former Swans star who believes Andy Robinson should be the first name on the teamsheet at the expense of Forbesie. Thinks Kenny is doing a great job. Jenko: Stands on the North Bank next to the Grim Reaper. Thinks we're over-achieving and claims he only goes down the Vetch as he has nothing else to do. His glass is always half-empty. The Saint: Identified by his camera and thermos flask, he is always optimistic and predictably often clashes with Jenko. Culture vulture who loves to travel away with the Swans. Bolty: Successful local businessman who would ideally prefer a padded seat and prawn sandwich to the chilly North Bank. His appearances at the Vetch this season have been limited by business lunches. Lord Acorn: Easily Kris O'Leary's biggest fan and one of the club's major sponsors, he refuses to accept any criticism of his man. Work is secretly underway to dissect the Acorn family tree to uncover a KOL link. Big Al: Known to many on the North Bank as Mint Man after supplying refreshments to regulars since the early 1970s. Aberdare's biggest Jack and a realist with a heart of gold. Dai Lloyd: Shocked the egg-chasing world last summer when he ditched the Ospreys for a Swans season ticket. Provides the slightly-older calming influence and keeps his head when all around are losing theirs. So, here's to three points on Friday and a Happy Easter to everyone. Ianto
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