Planet Swans ArchivesI have seen several descriptions of last night’s display. Most can guess what wording was used, but I’ll keep some of these clean – we have “Embarrassed”, “Disgraceful” and “Ashamed” to name a few and all of them accurate in their description of what we saw. But it was last night and somehow we have to try and pick ourselves up. From the people at the top in the boardroom, through the admin staff at the Vetch, the management, the players right through to the average fan in the street. We have backs against the wall and all we can do is come out fighting and keep the name of Swansea City on the league fixture sheet for next season.
But before we wonder how – let’s have a look at who we can blame around here for this predicament. We probably have three options available to ourselves on that front : –
The Board – Much criticised in recent weeks and many calls for the return of people like Steve Hamer or mass investment. I am sure that all board members will stand up when asked and admit that maybe they haven’t done everything right. But now we have calls of blaming the sackings of Addison and Nicholas for this. Maybe that is a valid point, but it’s irrelevant. No-one can predict whether we would be in this position with them or not. You can guess but you can’t say for certain. Saying that is like me saying that “we wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t sacked Toshack” We are and we have. I can’t answer if they are looking for investment or not, but I suspect they are. I can’t say what they are doing to turn it around off the pitch but what I do know is that they are fans and I am sure that they are hurting as much as you and I are this morning. Now, as for the return of the appointment of a leader. Personally I am all for it, but before anyone could be appointed, the following questions should be answered as YES.
1. Can he bring investment with him on Day One. Not in three months time, given the right circumstances but NOW.
2. Will he be prepared to run the club day to day for gratis? We can’t afford to pay anyone surely so whoever came in must work for nothing.
Now if someone were to step forward and answer YES to both those questions then fine but if it comes with strings or costs to the club and there is no investment now then can we really afford them? I suspect not.
The Management – People have said on many occasions that the buck stops with these people. Whoever, you want in charge we are stuck with Brian Flynn and Kevin Reeves. I read one comment earlier that Flynn is a director of Football yet he seems to manage. Am I right in saying that “Director of Football” was the title we had to use when we got rid of Addison and Nicholas. We can now see that yes Addison and Nicholas did a sterling job last season but they’ve gone – whatever the rights and wrongs of that are we have to accept it. To call for them to come back involves more sackings, more upheaval, and more worryingly, more money spent which personally I would rather see spent on the pitch – it’s where it’s needed the most. Which brings me nicely onto…….
The Players – This part really makes my blood boil. Make no mistake about it but there are people who pull on that shirt, and many of them pulled it on last night, that do not care about the club. I have no doubts that last night a few of them went home, had a laugh and carried on as if everything was normal. Sure, I expect that they don’t like getting beaten every week – who does but at the end of it, I watched several closely last night and they strolled around the pitch without a care in the world. An opposition player had the ball five yards away and they would watch. Compare that to Kidderminster who went looking for the ball and wanted it all the time and you see a fundamental reason why we are in the position that we are. For me, the blame lies in the main at the players feet although I don’t feel the other two options are completely free of blame.
Well we’ve looked at who to blame but that doesn’t matter unless we can put it right. From the top to the bottom, and I include the fans in this, we have to get this club to that target position of 22nd or higher in the third division.
Well, the obvious thought is to get in new talent to booster the playing squad. I can see an immediate flaw in this plan that we have a large(ish) squad at the moment so could we actually substantiate new players on a budget that, on guesswork, is strained enough as it is? We have an odd situation that one manager was given the rope to build a new squad in the summer and then we replaced him early doors. We now have a new manager that may not be happy with his lot, but has his arms tied by the financial restraints that years of mis-management have put on us. So I’m not too sure whether we have the ability to strengthen the squad or whether Brian Flynn is being told that his lot is what he has at the moment and that he has to work with it.
Of course, there is always to be the argument of “speculate to accumulate” And it’s a good argument. Keeping us in the football league is paramount to the future of this club but sadly I can see no reason why spending money can guarantee that. Increase the chances, yes, guarantee, no. If we spend and still go down is that the end for the club? Who knows but I would rather see a Swansea City in the Nationwide Conference then no Swansea City at all. We have to face reality that we are a football club surviving on a pittance income. Costs are high and statements have been posted on the Message Board here that we have a big shortfall in the wages month on month. If that’s true then I’m afraid we have to accept that any funding for new players is going to be in very short supply indeed.
So, a change in management? I’ve seen it read that we “should get Addison back” “We should do this” “We should do that”. But again, we have to accept that Brian Flynn, Kevin Reeves and Alan Curtis have contracts. Terminating those contracts will come at a cost and that comes back to the same argument that I was using with the players, we cannot afford to do so. People who have read my thoughts before will know that I was not the biggest fan on the appointment of Flynn but it’s done and we are going to have to accept it and cross fingers and pray that we have the right man in the manager’s chair.
Change the Board? This one I find laughable. What exactly are we going to change them into? These are the people (and remember that one is an elected representative of the fans) who give up their time to try and keep the club afloat. None have ever claimed to have “five year plans” or “money to burn” but they are trying. I don’t go with the “we can’t criticise” brigade but at the same time I am fully appreciative of what they have done for the club. Sure, there are probably things that I would have done differently but then again I wouldn’t have done what they have done full stop. The reason? Because I could do without the hassle that I have no doubt these people have got in recent months. I don’t doubt that they are looking for investment and I do believe that we need a leader. But the inevitable calls for certain people’s return is, in my opinion, short sighted. This club needs people at the moment who will do things for nothing and sadly, as we are finding out, people like that are few and far between. So if you bump into a multi millionaire on this front then point him in our direction – failing that cross your fingers that a Swansea fan’s numbers come up tonight (or Saturday – I’m not fussy!)
So what can we do? I’m a critic. I always have been and it’s always easier to criticise than give praise. But the future of this football club is under serious threat again. And everyone needs to pull together to hit the target that we all want. League football. Everyone has the right to their opinion and no-one can see positives in a result that bought us none but we can stick together and try our best. If we fail and we go down, we can go down with heads held as high as possible. People need to come back through the gates no matter how bad things look and while we are there, maybe bring a mate as well. I know one thing, that infighting will take us into the Conference next season. We are backs against the wall and we quite probably have to accept that what we have at the moment is what we are stuck with, whether we like it or not. That’s an appeal to the fans but it’s not just fans that need to do their best as well. We need to look further.
To the board, whatever we have please throw it at the cause of league football. To the management, do your best to put pride into the players and those that maybe could do better – whatever it takes keep that going. And to the players, have pride and commitment. 4-0 defeats can be swallowed if we seriously believe that we have done everything that we can. I honestly believe that some of the players we have are playing at about 10-20% capacity at the moment – 110% is what is needed – nothing more and nothing less.
A City the size of Swansea needs league football. Other sides have been in worse positions than us and they have survived. Some have survived without the intervention of an Al Fayed or a Hamman – we can too. And we need to. The time for retribution is not now but next May when we can do no more in the battle but for now let’s try and pull together and fight the cause that we all want to succeed.
I don’t believe that I have all the answers nor will I ever claim to do. But what I can see is a football club dying on it’s feet with everyone pointing the finger at everyone else. I just don’t see how that can help and it’s time that we put that to one side at the moment surely?
We’ve won other battles but this one could prove to be the biggest yet.
