Better Than 2000?

Four years ago, John Hollins built a championship winning side around a solid defence and 1-0 wins. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t entertaining but it was effective. Many didn’t enjoy the football played in the championship season but it did achieve what the aim was – to be the best side out of 24 in the division.

Here we stand now, in the last season of football at the Vetch, and defensively the Swans look stronger now then they were back then. Is this side destined for greater things or is this just the beginning of a false dawn.

There is no doubt in my mind that the defence this time around is better than the defence of 2000. Willy in goal is as good as Roger was back then and for Smith and Bound you can perm any two from Izzy, Austin, Tate, Monk and even O’Leary. Add to that two the likes of Gurney and Ricketts and you have possibly the strongest defence that has been down the Vetch for many a year. Three goals conceded in the last seven league games tells it’s own story especially when you consider that one of those was a penalty and Cheltenham’s goal would not be scored again if he tried ten times.

So we certainly have a side that can emulate the goals against column of the championship side which will always bode for a side that should finish in the upper edges of the division. For me though the main difference is elsewhere on the field.

Whilst the Class of 2000 contained Watkin, Boyd and Alsop you just have to look at Trundle, Connor, Robinson, Britton and even Forbes and Maylett to realise that we are much stronger now then we were then. Whilst 1-0 was the philosophy of Hollins, Jackett’s team has goals in them and the chances created so far this season prove that. Worryingly the goals for tally does not do some of the play justice but now Connor is off the mark we have players that have the flair and ability and if the confidence starts running then the goals and the results will flow.

Look at some of the performances over the weekend and see people like Andy Robinson coming back into his own and Leon Britton was a plain revelation when he came on. This was the Leon Britton that we saw in 2003, running at defenders and generally causing mayhem in the opposition defence. His spell on the bench seems to have made him hungrier and that can only be a good thing.

It’s early days in the season and we know where we stood this time 12 months ago but we are a better side then we were then and most definitely we will be harder to beat this season than last. Of course we will lose games but we won’t roll over and lose them which was a fault at times last season.

And as for comparisons with the class of 2000. It’s far too early to say but I for one will say that the signs are good and there is every chance that we can be as good if not better.

It could be a good season ahead.

Tony Santore has a page which shows how we compare with the 99-00 season, you can view that by clicking here (a new window will open)