The Run In

24-03-2010

Unfortunately for us, we were always going to have a bad spell. In 27 games following defeat at Preston in September, we lost just twice. In the subsequent 6 games, we've lost 3 times, and conceded 5 last night, a decent % of the total number of goals we've conceded this season.

My worry about 3 weeks ago was that we were peaking too soon. Irrespective of where you finish in the league (within the Play-Off places), it is usually the team with the most momentum that can push on through to the Final, and then it's a lottery.

Back in 2005/06 we lead the table at Christmas before spluttering towards the Play-offs. Needing to beat Chesterfield on the Final day for the League season, we took them apart 4-0 and Bang! There was our momentum. It took us through Brentford, and there’s not a Swans fan I’ve spoken to who could fault our performance in the Play Off Final itself.

A result like last night’s was always possible given the lack of resources available to us. I can remember back in November/December forgetting we even had the likes of Jordi Lopez whilst everyone was available, but we could certainly do with him back right now. Most fans would agree, I think, with this ranking of our Central Midfielders:-

1. Ferrie Bodde
2. Darren Pratley
3. Leon Britton
4. Joe Allen
5. Andrea Orlandi
6. Jordi Lopez

Last night, just one started and was fully fit. The same was true against QPR. It is a big ask to expect the likes of Guillem Bauza and Mark Gower to replace them so sufficiently we don’t notice the difference. They are simply different players, playing out of position.

By all accounts we look tired and the galling thing is even though we do have a decent gap between ourselves and 7th place, the energy-sapping decisions against Nottingham Forest, WBA and Plymouth cost us yet more. Realistically, with the extra 6 points in the bag, we’d be all but there. Imagine how the players must have felt after these decisions, after they’d put in so much effort, and it’s understandable to see why they let last night’s game run away from them.

Hopefully Paulo Sousa will have put his arm around his players, told them to forget it, and given them a couple for days off to recover. The hardest thing he has to do now is make the games exciting for the squad again – an opportunity to gain as opposed to a potential pitfall.

Our run-in is a potentially good one, though. The hardest teams to play at this stage are relegation battlers, and fortunately Scunthorpe look to be pulling away from that. And, whilst finishing with games against Sheffield United and Doncaster look tough right this second, if, and it’s a big if, we can scrape some points together any way we know how – 4 points from Ipswich and Cardiff would do the trick – then by the time we come to play those teams there’s hope that they will have nothing left to play for. This could be our momentum.

It’s easy to be filled with dread, and negativity. We’ve been up in the Play-offs for so long, and been so consistent that it makes it even harder to take. And at the beginning of the season 7th place is a great end result. There’s no other way to look at it at this point however, than a massive disappointment from the position we’ve put ourselves in. Don’t misjudge that as a call for someone’s head, or a damnation of our players. I’ll be proud to finish 7th, it’s just an entirely pragmatic view of the situation.

Me? I think we’ll do it. I think we’ll suffer a little more until legs freshen up, and we get a little rub of the green at some point. Hopefully that’ll be in tandem with 3 wins to finish the season, and full steam ahead for the Play-offfs…..

PS – perhaps the thing we’ve most to worry about is that even Steve Claridge thinks we won’t slip up from here…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8582864.stm

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website. OSHEASPORT.CO.UK

Whisper it Quietly….

11-03-2010


The Jacks are going up…It was chanted last night, and boy did it make me proud. I’ll only whisper it quietly myself, for fear of scaring it away, but Swansea’s League season might well be extended beyond May 2nd. Hell, there’s still a chance it may well finish on May 2nd , with automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Come May 2nd, Swansea City, a club in disarray a short while ago could well be within touching distance of the biggest, most remarkable achievement in their history.

Forget Toshack’s rollercoaster ride up and down through the divisions, that club model, in hindsight, was built on sand. This one is built to last. Just like its miserly defence, Swansea City FC is now made of stern stuff.

Rewind to June 2009, and so many Swans fans (myself included) were devastated at the loss of Roberto Martinez. Completely cut up. For me, having Roberto in charge was having a manager who is also a fan. Wanting the absolute best, striving for the best, working his hardest to be the best, and it seemed like it was all for us, the loyal supporters. When he left, well for many it seemed like things would never be the same again and happily they aren’t.

If both the appointments of Kenny Jackett and Roberto Martinez were shrewd, well I’m not sure what capturing Paulo Sousa is. Since his arrival, he has created a team in his own image. Anyone who has seen clips of him playing on YouTube (and I invite you to do so if you haven’t already), or watched him play live will tell you he was fearsome.

Unafraid of putting a foot in when the going was tough, particularly for such a slight man, and doing the ugly work, he also had a technique most footballers could only envy, and here in Swansea he has combined these qualities and instilled them into the 400-odd (sorry I’ve lost count) players in our squad.

Whatever he said in his interview with Huw Jenkins and the Board, I’m very glad he did. Although praise must go to the Chairman and the Board too, for both their excellent judgement and for the way they continue to keep our club not only afloat, but competing with clubs we have no right to compete with on and off the pitch.

3 defeats in 29 League games is an outstanding record. We might not be scoring goals, but no matter who comes in, or leaves the defence, Sousa and his defence have found a way to not only cope, but better the opposing forward line, and that’s no hyperbole. Injuries and suspensions have simply not affected the way in which Swansea defends.

Sousa was blessed with a hugely talented squad upon his arrival, even if half of them or more were injured at the time. But the improvement in the defence has been nothing short of incredible. The lack of goals is easy to explain. 40 of them walked out the door in the summer with our former manager, and without the funds to replace them fully, keeping clean sheets was the only way to ensure we match and improve on last year’s 8th place and 68 point performance.

Boy, have they racked them up. 20 in 35 is more than anyone could expect, and not only that, we’re winning games. We’ve had a few 0-0s, but by and large Swansea are now scoring at least once in every game and usually not conceding any. By hook or by crook we’re winning games. There’s not a single Swans fan who thinks we would have won last night’s game, last season.

One of my favourite things about the recent past is often reading reports on games (one bad thing about living in Paris is the lack of accessibility to Swans games) where we haven’t won. More often than not, Swansea have deserved to prevail on the balance of play, or have been on the end of a wrong decision, as was the case last Saturday.

Thing is, I don’t think everything evens itself out in the same way. I think you get what you deserve, and we as a club are on our way to getting it; Promotion.

Imagine the ‘worst’ happens, and Swansea miss out on promotion this season, in whichever fashion the Gods (or referees) see fit. Does anyone think we’d be relegated next season? If Sousa leaves, will it be worse than Martinez? Could we lose two more influential players than Scotland and Gomez?

I certainly don’t think so. We were better off learning what we did last Summer, before we put all our hopes and expectations on the performance of one man. Should Leon Britton or Darren Pratley leave would we miss them? Of course. If Sousa goes, would someone organise the defence as well? Probably not.

But now, today, who in the footballing world wouldn’t want to join Swansea? Many Jacks are stuck in the mindset that we’re not a very fashionable club, but in all reality, we’re big enough to attract a two-time Champions League winner who’s played for some of the biggest clubs in the World. What’s more, whenever he leaves us, I believe we’ll be an even more attractive proposition. Managers know they can come here and call the shots. Players know they can come and play football as it was meant o be played.

It’s simple, it’s effective, and it’s the Swansea City way these days.

Whatever happens, we have so much to be excited about in supporting this club. I think, if we shout our loudest, turn up in numbers and get behind our club in every little way we can, that by the end of the season I, you, well we’ll all be chanting…The Jacks are going up…!

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website. OSHEASPORT.CO.UK

Strange times

27-08-2009


What a strange time to be a Swansea fan. After a few years of steady but spectacular progression, I think this is all hitting us very hard.

The Akinfenwa/Trundle story is a bolt from the blue, especially given the fact that Akinfenwa looks to be a permanent acquisition.

I know there are those that don't want to see Trundle back, and in fact I am one of those. I prefer to think of him as he was when at his best for us, not the sluggish shadow he has been at Bristol. But, I can at least UNDERSTAND why he is rumoured to be joining us in the short-term.

Undoubtedly amongst many fans, rightly or wrongly his arrival would cause excitement and a boost in ticket sales and support for Saturday's game. And maybe, just maybe there'll be a twinkle of those Magic Daps. Probably not, but football has produced far stranger fairytale stories, and the board and management will be aware of this potential.

As for Akinfenwa, that is the story that really shocks me. Yes, he has scored 24 goals in 56 games for Northampton, mainly at League One level, which is an excellent return for a Centre forward of his ilk. However, clubs are not banging down the door for his signature, and while I enjoyed his effort and ability while he was at the Swans, purchasing a player who has never played at this level is a huge gamble given that the fans are demanding progression, and that this is a player who they have seen before.

Akinfenwa lest we not forget forged a highly prolific partnership with Lee Trundle in the early months of the 2005/06 season, but following that was used mainly as a substitute to whom long balls were punted in the direction of. Paulo Sousa has maintained he wants to continue the style of football Roberto Martinez had the Swans playing, so it is quite difficult to see how Akinfenwa will fit into that.

Perhaps it is just a story. Often you hear players haven’t heard of the interest from a club until they pick up a paper themselves, in which case a lot of Swans fans will have a good laugh. But when there are young, hungry attackers like Jermain Beckford, Carl Baker and Simeon Jackson knocking in goals at the level directly below ours, it is easy to see why some fans are frustrated at our perceived lack of ambition.

Me? I always try to wait and see how things pan out before I judge any (perceived) transfer dealing. The signing of Besian Idrizaj looks by and large to be an excellent signing in the long term, but if Akinfenwa and Trundle sign on the dotted line, it suddenly starts to seem like Swansea are desperate, and in trouble.

After all, we have raked in a lot of money this summer be it from transfers, compensation, or extra TV money, and if we are able to keep players like Ferrie Bodde on our books, then we must be offering decent wages. However, no names have come in to capture the imagination of the fans, and none seem to be on the horizon, and unevitably that leads to questions in some corners.

Couple this story with the events of Tuesday night and indeed it’s easy to see why some fans are panicking. Some fans are unequivocally 110% behind the board and team and seem frustrated by those amongst us who question everything that the board/Sousa/players are doing.

However, that doesn't mean those who question everything love or care for the club any less than others, nor are they Cardiff fans. They have perhaps a little less faith than others and it is understandable given the way Martinez discarded of us this summer.

We live in a sensationalist culture, which means that reactions following victory/defeat are almost always over the top. On top of that, given the amount of reports, footage, statistics and opinion available to the average fan; it is easy to argue almost anything.

What must be said is this. Paulo Sousa, Huw Jenkins and the board have no reason to want anything other than the best for Swansea City FC. Sousa has come in at a time when expectation is unrealistically high given the injury situation, and where it appears the financial situation isn’t all it’s cracked up to be either.

Jenkins and the board have appointed 5 managers since they took over. Cusack was a bad appointment which was recognised and Brian Flynn replaced him and accomplished his mission. Flynn refused to move to Swansea and Jackett replaced him, and Jackett took us to the next level and almost beyond. Martinez replaced him and we finished 28th in the Football League out of 92. We all know where we were when they took over.

So, let’s keep the faith and see how the next month pans out. There seems to be a fair amount of optimism regarding Dobbie, and once we have everyone fit we can look forward to a Starting XI of:

De Vries

Rangel Monk Williams Tate

Bodde

Pratley Britton/Allen

Dyer Gower

Dobbie


You can guarantee Saturday’s XI will be very different, so that XI will need our support more than ever, even if it includes ‘Bayo’ and a certain pair of ‘Magic Daps’.

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website. OSHEASPORT.CO.UK

The Greatest job in the world? - The O'Shea Report

11-08-2009

So the Football League season is once again upon us and my beloved Swansea City once more lost its opening day fixture.

In all fairness, I've been used to it over the past few years. Cheltenham (home), Oldham (away), Charlton (away) and now Leicester have all managed to dampen the good mood each and every football season is greeted with.

No-one was more disappointed with the result than me, but it is incredible how supporters can jump on a new manager’s back so quickly.

This weekend you had Norwich’s devastating capitulation against Colchester at home, where they were crushed 7-1. Bryan Gunn the Norwich City legend had to watch as one fan threw his season ticket in his face 25minutes into the new season, and 4-0 down. There is no professional who cares about Norwich as much as Gunn, and you can bet no-one was hurting more than him, but try telling the fan that.

Paulo Sousa watched his first game as Swans boss go swimmingly for 30minutes. Swansea controlled the tempo; got the opening goal and then everything went wrong. A penalty conceded (albeit it was saved) and 2 goals in 3 second-half minutes meant Sousa’s debut was much more of a miss than a hit. Cue the histrionics across the message boards from the fans.

And they call it the greatest job sector in the world. Because while fans of football clubs across the world dream of working within football as a manager, a player or whatever, there is no way any of us can understand what it is like to be watched by tens of thousands of people while you do your job. For the first time. Replacing a man who did an incredible job for a club that a short time ago was on its knees.

I can only imagine it isn’t too easy.

Deprived of 2 of the first choice midfield (Bodde and Pratley), and a third (Allen) 25 minutes into the game, Sousa’s job of masterminding victory against a team and club on the rise after a tough 2 years was made all the more difficult. For a side that relies so heavily on the mobility and functionality of its midfield, Swansea will always struggle unless the central midfield trio does its job. And, shorn of 3 of the 4 players who have controlled the midfield for the Swans over the past 2 years, it proved a task too much for their deputies. So, with Bodde, Allen and Pratley all set to return within a month, is there the need to panic?

As far as I can see, no, there isn’t.

Paulo Sousa has expressed his disappointment at not already having a striker in place, and rumours that a central defender be a second priority means that the men in charge are acutely aware of the problems the starting XI face. By all accounts Saturday’s display lacked a playmaker and a goalscorer: Gomez and Scotland.

Bodde will slot back into the Swansea XI with little trouble and begin pulling strings and scoring goals come September, and you can bet by then the Swans faithful will have a new striking hero with whom they can celebrate goals.

It is tough for Swans fans right now. Still reeling from Martinez’s departure (not Scotland and Gomez’s), it’s easy to see why their faith has been tested having been abandoned by the man who said he never would. But Sousa is a footballing man. Nothing but positive words have come out of the dressing room and no one has anything but praise for the only man to win back-to-back Champions League titles.

So, let’s keep the faith and roar our team on, starting with a good display and some goals v Brighton, tomorrow night. And, if you feel the nerves creeping in, and the doubts nagging – imagine how much harder your job (whatever it may be) would be, if you were just starting it, and getting booed.

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website. OSHEASPORT.CO.UK

A Portrayal of Betrayal

08-06-2009

It's fair to say that this week has been a shock to the system for Swansea City fans everywhere. 'In Roberto we trust' has been the mantra of many since the Spaniard took over the South Wales club in February 2007.

Since then a combination of excellent media skills, scintillating football coupled with fantastic results has made 'El Gaffer' a hugely popular figure amongst players and supporters alike. Amidst all that, Swans fans everywhere believed they had a man fully committed to Swansea City, someone who felt as strongly about the club as they did, but it seems that faith was misplaced.

Repeatedly Martinez spoke of wanting players who would 'walk through the night' to play for Swansea City, players who could look at their long-term careers rather than short-term financial gain. And, when players disappointed him in this way, the main examples being Lee Trundle and Andy Robinson, they were carefully lambasted by the Spaniard for their lack of loyalty and foresight.

On top of that, Martinez professed from very early on, that his departure from Swansea City as a manager would be as it was as a player - forced. He describes how terribly Kenny Jackett treated him, and openly criticised the fact that players' contracts were allowed to run down, despite the fact he was to oversee the same thing happening at the end of this season.

Taking us back to the end of the 2002/03 'Great Escape' season, and maybe many people forget it took him a long time to sign a new deal. Many people criticised him at the time for holding the club to ransom, but welcomed him with open arms when he took to the pitch, but there is unlikely to be such forgiveness at the Liberty Stadium in the future.

Football can be and is an incredibly cruel game, and it is easy to understand (if not accept) why those involved with the game, as average people in average jobs would, accept jobs for more money. Lee Trundle escaped mass criticism because he moved to a higher level at the end of his career, and whilst proclaiming to be a Jack at heart, never went to the lengths Martinez went to in portraying his dedication to the club. A portrayal which now represents betrayal for the Swansea masses.

In stark contrast to that, Martinez now faces the criticism of all the fans to whom he sold 'the dream'. Their unwavering belief and support has been left to look futile, and his reputation as an honest individual can never totally be repaired. Players that he wants to bring in wherever he manages in Britain will surely think twice before signing, as Stephen Dobbie and Nathan Dyer might have wished they had.

When Celtic approached the Swans for Martinez's services, the overwhelming feeling of foreboding was subsidised by a reluctanct acceptance that Celtic could offer him something Swansea could never - Silverware, Champions League football, 60,000 fans, and, in the future, potentially winning the English Premier League.

While Wigan do play in a division higher than Swansea, they have gained a reputation for being a 'selling' club, a club who buy players cheaply, allow them to prosper at the club, before they move on for a higher fee, to a bigger and better club. By and large, Wigan's stay in the Premier league has been one long battle against relegation, with little sign of development of the club beyond it's means. The club is funded by Dave Whelan, and is not currently a self-sustained club like Swansea City or Celtic.
So, why Wigan over Celtic? For sentimental reasons? Doubtful, given the way he has ruthlessly left Swansea City. Which leaves just one reason, for which he has criticised many, and that is financial reasons.

Whether it proves to be a shrewd decision by Martinez or not remains to be seen, but football, the beautiful yet cruel game it is unerringly provides poetry, and do not be surprised should Wigan or Swansea cross paths in the foreseeable future, or indeed pass eachother between the Championship and the Premier League. It may yet prove that his career stalls in the same way Robinson and Trundle's has, and if so it can only be hoped that he recognises the mistake he made in the way he conducted himself at Swansea City.

So what now for Swansea City? It can go one of two ways. The fans, players and board alike can all revel in the misery of the situation and mourn the loss of the man responsible for the recent success of the club. Or, they can all dig their heels in and say, we are Swansea City, we are 7 places away from the greatest league in the world, and one man's departure will not change our destination.

However, whether the new man at the helm be Steve Coppell, Gary Speed, or Chris Coleman, it is imperative that everyone gets behind him, so the club can continue to enjoy football in the Championship and indeed progress to the Premier League. Because with or without Senor Martinez, Swansea City has proved that it is potentially a Premier League club.

Swansea 'Til I Die

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website. OSHEASPORT.CO.UK

"Quote Unquote"

18-02-2009

Well Swansea City are the talk of the town. Not content with ripping up trees in the second tier of the league, they've set about the Premiership now. Having already dumped Hull City and Portsmouth out of cup competitions this season, it was Fulham's turn to be out-played and out-thought at the weekend. And boy were they.

The national journalists were fallng over themselves with compliments for the Championship side, the following quotes a mere taste of what followed a thoroughly excellent performance.

The Telegraph (15/02) - "It was the most enjoyable display I have seen from a team outside the Premier League in years. Roberto Martinez’s side were impressive enough in the first half.....and dazzling at times afterwards."

The Times (16/02) - "Neutral observers in Seville on Wednesday evening marvelled at the comfort in possession of Spain’s players as the European champions eased aside England. In South Wales on Saturday, the English invaders from Fulham — players and fans alike — might have experienced a sharp sense of déjà vu with Swansea City displaying a similar exhibition of free-flowing football."

The Observer (16/02) - "The last time these two sides met in this competition 14 years ago Fulham, then in Division Four, scored seven goals without reply from a third-tier City side. Here Swansea created so many chances that the scoreline could have been the other way round, a combination of Mark Schwarzer, the woodwork and sheer bad luck denying them a deserved place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1964, back when they were known as Swansea Town."

High praise indeed, but it hasn't always been the case from opposition managers. It seems Swansea are rather fortunate this season, as every team they've played against, has had an off-day. Confused? Take a look at these post-match comments from oppostion managers.

-Roy Hodgson (Fulham) - “I thought it was a jaded performance from us and a good performance from them."

-Glenn Roeder (Norwich City) - ''I give them some credit because they capitalised on our mistakes and they did that well. I like the way they play. I said to their manager afterwards: 'Keep on passing the ball because it's attractive."

-Simon Grayson (Blackpool) - "We lacked that a little bit and gave it back too easily, which you can't afford to do.

-Owen Coyle (Burnley) - ''We didn't start well enough and we're not going hide behind the penalty incident. We didn't have our usual urgency and tempo early on. I thought we'd got through that, but just when we were starting to look lively, they got in front.''

-Tony Adams (Portsmouth) - “We were caught by surprise. They were all prepared and I showed them what a good team Swansea were but they were still caught on the hop."

Hardly over-generous these managers, in stark contrast to the ever-cynical national scribes, though it is hardly surprising. Each of the managers above had just seen their side out-played by a Swansea side intent on playing the beautiful game. And if there's anything more galling than seeing someone younger do your job better than you, then I wouldn't introduce it to any of the above men.

It may pain them to say it, but even they would have to admit to themselves, Swansea City are going places.

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website. OSHEASPORT.CO.UK

Barcelona?? Get Real (not Madrid)

07-02-2009

Recent messageboard and guestbook activity on Swansea City websites has been dominated by the future of Roberto Martinez. With a lack of results and performances to bemoan, some people always have to find a negative in there, and so they've plucked Roberto Martinez jumping ship from nowhere.

Chris Kamara put it excellently when he said he was unsurprised at the level of attention now being focused on Swansea City, and our Spanish manager. Our results, performances and style of play have all been excellent in the 2 years since Roberto took the helm. As Kamara continued to say, Roberto Martinez and Swansea aren't a surprise package any more, and that extra attention will bring speculation - be it players in and out or the managerial merry-go-round.

So, what is the liklihood of him leaving? Martinez himself has always been the epitome of calm and professionalism in the press. When the subject of his future has come about, he has always maintained his future lies with Swansea as far as he's concerned. Even in his autobiography he pushed the fact that the only time he will leave Swansea is if the board's ambitions to go all the way did not match his own, or if he was let go, as he was as a player.

Big talk, some might say. Swansea have an infamous past with regards quotes such as these. Brian Flynn was told he had 'a job for life' when he saved the club from the abyss, yet less than 12 months later found himself unemployed.

Many people have written on forums and the like that Roberto would leave if Barcelona came in for him. Ridiculous. Now I am one of Martinez's biggest fans. Although the original appointment smacked of the 'cheap option' no-one can argue that the correct decision was not made. But Barcelona? The favourites for this years Champions League? Whereas I believe that one day Martinez will have both the reputation and silverware behind him to be linked with a job such as Barcelona's, that is a long way off right now.

The reasons? Well, whereas Martinez can walk into a dressing room here and command instant respect, do you think the same would be true if he walked into a dressing room containing Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry? They would look at him and in all honesty probably not know who he is. This is the reason so many high-profile players get the big jobs maybe before they are ready - they command instant respect within dressing rooms and football circles.

Now I believe Martinez commands much respect within British circles, but I'm not so sure about the Spanish ones. Remember this is a player who played no more than a handful of times for Real Zaragoza and spent the best part of his career at Wigan Athletic, whilst they were stranded in the lower divisions. As a manager, a wonderful job though he has done at Swansea City, it is a completely different pressure to satisfy the demands of the Catalan faithful. That theory can also be applied to any club big enough to tempt Roberto Martinez away, too.

It shows how far Swansea City has come since 2003 when some of the supporters biggest concerns is that the manager will jump ship for FC Barcelona, however.

At the end of the day, no Swansea fan has any reason to doubt Roberto Martinez's word. He dropped down a division because he didn't want to play against us when he left as a player, and has done nothing since to warrant any criticism frankly. He is one of football's gentlemen and I for one am so glad we have him.

-Congratulations to Roberto Martinez for his first Manager of the Month award at this level.

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website. OSHEASPORT.CO.UK

The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts

30-01-2009


I, like many Swans fans ahead of Tuesday night's game against Preston,was a little fearful for the way we would react. In fact, most fans would have forgiven the team had they indeed taken their eye of the ball and not turned in a performance expected of them. However, as is the norm, Martinez and the Swans didn't make the same mistake twice (a la Cardiff Cup match and then Reading), and Preston were duly dispatched. In spectacular fashion.

The 4-1 thumping was of course tempered by the news that we will miss Darren Pratley for up to 10 weeks. This situation as we all know, is nothing new. Back in November, things looked desperately bleak when Ferrie Bodde was ruled out for the season, and here we are once more with another leading player out for a long time. The solution for most people will be to continue with the three man midfield, albeit with Gomez, Britton and Allen, and I'd be surprised if Martinez thought differently.

It has to be remarked that while greatly dismayed at the news of Pratley's injury, it's fantastic to feel like we can still get both results and performances without two of our first choice centre midfielders. Gone are the days when we relied on one man to win games.

Because, the truth is, the team wins us games now. Scotland is there for his goals. Bodde and Allen for their passing. Pratley and Britton for their tireless running. Rangel and painter for their ability to attack and defend and I won't bore you with the rest. It seems we can take any one of these out and replace them, and be ok.

Much was made of Owain Tudur-Jones' poor form when he came into the side, but not once did we lose. Most people would have been hiding behind the sofa at the prospect of Alan Tate playing left-back or the majority of the match in goal, but once more, we haven't lost in either of those situations.

Butler, Tate, Tudur Jones, Scotland, Monk and De Vries have all come in for staunch criticism at times, but here they are, contributing greatly to a team just 9 places off the Premiership.

Never has the saying "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts" been more apt. Gone are the days of pre-empted celbrations from the likes of McLeod, Trundle and Robinson. It's amazing what can be achieved when it doesn't matter who's getting the credit. Because at some point or another this season, each player has been taking the plaudits.

That is what Martinez will have wanted at the start of the season, and it's what Martinez will continue to instill into them as we draw a) closer to the play-offs and b) towards the end of the season.

Full steam ahead!

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website. OSHEASPORT.CO.UK

Swansea, Fulham and footballing symmetry

27-01-2009

Let's rewind the clock. Much has been said of Swansea City's rise from near extinction in 2002, and near relegation in 2003, and the FA Cup once more provides us with another opportunity to exorcise the ghost of years gone by.

November 11th 1995, and the Swans face a tricky trip to Fulham, a team in the division below. However, even given the fact the Swans were struggling in the then Division Three, it was hard to imagine the 7-0 thumping that followed. The result was made even more incredible by the fact Fulham had been on a 14 match winless run.

Things have of course, changed around since then. The Swans and the Cottagers no longer operate in the lower echeleons of the football league, preferring to mix it with the big boys.

While Fulham have been bank-rolled by the ever obliging Mohammed Al-Fayed, the Swans have stabilised the club after years of uncertianty and are now run by a board who are Swans fans through and through, and who have the club's best interests at heart. We may not have the money, but you know what, we've got the talent, heart, style and work-ethic to add Fulham's scalp to that of Portsmouth's.

As Roger Freestone, one of Swansea's most loyal servants picked the ball out of the net 7 times against Fulham, I imagine his frustration was almost unbearable. As it was when he was crudely refused a contract by Kenny Jackett, whithout having been given a chance to say goodbye to the fans.

Roberto Martinez, a man acutely aware of the emotion in football made amends for this. And in presenting both Roger and hat-trick hero James Thomas before the Liberty faithfull, he gave two very important men in Swansea history the chance to say goodbye. Don't be surprised if a similar masterstroke is pulled again.

Roger's appearance came in timely fashion, whipping up a fervant atmosphere ahead of a game the Swans needed to win by 3 goals to win a play-off place and boy, was the atmosphere special. Wouldn't it be a nice piece of footballing symmetry to welcome Roger back once more, so he could watch his beloved club put to bed probably one of the worst days of his career.

Because mark my words, following the fabulous win over Portsmouth, the sky is the limit for Roberto's silky Swans. We will now be an even bigger attraction for televised matches in both the league and cup, and are going from strength to strength. On the back of a 12 game unbeaten run, it's difficult to back against the Swans at the moment. And, having not conceded in 5 games, Roger, Roberto and the whole of Swansea will be safe in the knowledge that there will be no repeat of that terrible day in November 1995.

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website. OSHEASPORT.CO.UK

Some interesting facts from a season (so far) to remember....

23-01-2009

Hello to all readers on scfc.co.uk! Hope I can provide you with as interesting a column as the other columnists do. I write on a variety of topics not just Swansea City, so if you want to have a look, please do. www.osheasport.co.uk is where you'll find sporting opinion, betting tips and even a podcast amongst my archived Swans columns and interviews. Right, so onto the good stuff.

First of all, please excuse me for putting the excitement of the Portsmouth game aside. As desperate as I am for the Swans to put on a great show and beat Pompey (which I think we will), I'm more excited about our league prospects.

The next 7 games are played against teams either around, or below us, and 4 of them are at home. Given our 11 match unbeaten run and 3 consecutive wins, it's hard to not be excited at the prospect of a good amount of points in the coming weeks.

It's been very interesting looking at supporters opinion as we've gone through the season so far. Some pessimistic supporters were panicking during the run of draws, and pointing to the lack of a Mr. Bodde - other more optimistic individuals point to the fact that we've not lost without him. Either way, you can't deny the facts. Seeing as I am always fascinated by the more hidden facts in sport, I thought I'd bring a few of Swansea and the Championship's stats to you.

It is always fascinating when facts come up against popular opinion - for example Jacks around the world will bemoan the number of dropped points this season, and they'd be right to - we've dropped a total of 15 points from winning positions, drawing 6 and losing 1, the 5th worst team for doing so. If we had Sheffield United's record this season, (just 2 points dropped from a winning position), then they'd be level on points with Reading in 2nd place.

Anyway, moving on, what should be mentioned is that the Swans are also in 5th place for gaining points from losing positions. 11 points have been accumulated despite falling behind and of the teams above us in this respect - Burnley, Preston, Wolves and Birmingham, we've beaten 3 of them - quite a feather in the cap, I'd say.

We've also had a fair amount of players sent off for the opposition this season, including in our last 3 games, where we really have stepped up our performances I feel. In total, it stands at 6, which is almost a quarter of all our games. My favourite stat has to be that Stephen McPhail has picked up 6 cards against us this season, in just 2 hours of football - one for every 20 minutes spent on the Liberty Stadium pitch.

Our defence has come in for some criticism this season too, but a run of 4 consecutive clean sheets and a total of 10, (Reading have the most, with 12), means we have one of the tightest defences in the division, although the recent run suggests it is an improved defence. (Anything to do with Alan Tate?).

Interestingly enough, Swansea amongst it's fans have gained a reputation for losing to teams they really shouldn't. However this season, not since the opening day have we lost to a team that is now in the bottom half. We've won 5, drawn 7 and lost 1 (Charlton) in total, putting us in mid-table in this respect. When you then look at how we've fared against the top-half of the table - won 4, drawn 7, lost 4 (7th position), it's easy to see why Martinez thinks we can have a real go at this division.

3 of our 5 defeats have come against the top 3, and considering we don't have any of them to play again, it's hard to argue against the reality of a play-off push.

A random statistic which perhaps shouldn't be paid that much attention to is that Swansea have not lost a single game when drawing at half-time. Of the 15 games that have been locked after 45 minutes, we have won 3 and drawn an incredible 12, but importantly not lost. Just goes to show what Roberto must say in the dressing room certainly does us no harm. We have however, lost on 1 occasion when in front (Birmingham (H)), but that is widely attributed to losing Bodde and Britton.

Since that game on November 21st, Swansea have not lost, making the current 10 match unbeaten run, the best in the division so far this season. Swansea have also lost the least amount of home games and the much celebrated league record of 8 consecutive draws is safe in the bag.

The only concrete statistic us fans can influence directly of course is the attendance, and perhaps we are a little harsh on ourselves. Our attendances have come in for some criticism in some quarters, but we fill 75% of our stadium every game. Taking into consideration the poor away support that comes to almost every game, that's not that bad at all, 11th in the Championship in fact.

All in all, the stats make for good and interesting reading. As a Swans fan though, I think the only one any of us care overly about right now however, is that magical 6th spot (or above), come May 3rd.

The O'Shea
Report

Dominic O'Shea

Me? I'm Dominic O'Shea, and living in Paris.

I'm a lover of all sport. Be it at a low level or high level, so feel free to pose any question about anything sport.

Dom`s Previous Articles

You can read all of Doms previous articles at his excellent website.

OSHEASPORT.CO.UK