Planet Swans ArchivesYesterday at the Vetch saw both sides of Swansea City. There was the first half side that struggled to put together a string of passes, looked incoherent and lacking direction. This side was in complete contrast to the side that for the last 30 minutes played the most fluent football that the Vetch has seen this season. Passes were strung together in abundance, every attack looked as if it would end in a goal and with that it generated the best atmosphere at the Vetch this season. But which one is the real Swansea City.
Many would take an assumption that it would be the first half side based on the fact that the final half hour relates to just around 1.5% of our league season to date. But is that a fair assumption or has it taken us around twenty-one and two-thirds of a season to warm into what is our real form?
Let’s be fair when you go two goals up against what was a p ss poor side, it is easy to make the football look good – reference Kidderminster at the Vetch for further evidence – and boy did we make it look good at that stage yesterday afternoon. However, how often do you find sides that bad on the day and go two goals up in a season? Notts County, Kidderminster – twice so far out of 22 games.
What the end display yesterday can show is that we can play football and when we do then we can take sides apart. No hoofball, no panic passing and no defending too deep. All lessons that we have to learn from that last 30 minutes and take into the challenges that are to come. Passing and movement creates chances and the sheer fact that we rained in fourteen or fifteen shots on target yesterday says it all. This is what happens when we play football as it was intended to be played.
There was much criticism levelled at those that were at Scunthorpe for their analysis of the game and performance. And much as some believed those comments were OTT let’s not get carried away completely on the back of yesterday’s game. The comments that I made in the Scunthorpe match reaction still stand firm as far as I am concerned. We need to get in some fresh blood if we are to sustain a challenge at the right end of the table right through until the first week of May. Yesterday has strengthened the league position compared to seven days ago but let’s not get carried away and let complacency set in on the back of one – albeit very good – win?
We coped yesterday without the presence of three first team regulars from this season in Monk, Robinson and O’Leary and we coped very well. The return of Izzy was a boost although he, to me, looked short of fitness but it’s great to see him back. Tate for me sat deep in the first half and hence we found ourselves under pressure, once the second went in then he came into his own in midfield. This is a lesson that as an individual he has to learn if he is to have a midfield role in the club. Goodfellow looked a marked improvement second half of the player I had seen before but I ask the same question – which one is the real Goodfellow?
No Swans fan reading this will want the real Swansea City to be the first half side that we saw yesterday and I hope that we take the positives that were there and take them into Kidderminster, Boston, Yeovil and beyond. If we do then promotion is there for the taking no doubt about it at all. If we don’t then I don’t see us achieving better than the play offs.
Yesterday was a great win and to leave the Vetch having witnessed a four goal hammering is a great feeling as a home fan, I just hope and pray that the last half hour was not a flash in the pan and more a taste of things to come.
