Planet Swans ArchivesAfter such a long run without failing to score, the most worrying statistic for Swans fans this morning has to be two games in a row of drawing blanks. Maybe not only that but a real void of clear cut chances in those two games.
There are two ways of looking at this at the moment. We have 27 points from 14 games, a tally I a sure most would have taken back at the start of August. Or we have taken one point from two games, failing to score in both of them. I do like the sound of the first one but it would be foolish to ignore the second one completely.
With Kenny Jackett forced to watch from the stands due to a red card at Reading in the Carling Cup he, as expected, made a couple of changes from the side that was so disappointing at Yeovil last Saturday. Back into the starting line up came Bayo and Sam and there was also a rare start for Marc Goodfellow on the left wing.
Willy
Tatey Kev Izzy Sam
Leon Roberto Bean Freezer
Bayo Trunds
Murphy, O’Leary, Macdonald, Robinson, Monk
Surprisingly, the crowd at White Rock topped 14,000 for the game when significantly less had been predicted by many. And from the off it became obvious that Oldham were here for a point with the over fussy, and sometimes incompetent, referee only to happy to assist them in their game plan with constant whistling and fussing over a yard here and there. Rules are rules but there are times where referee’s don’ help the shape of a game with their own antics.
It’s difficult to remember many shots on goal in the first forty five minutes. Willy was pretty much a spectator in front of the South Stand whilst Swansea created pretty much the same amount at the other end of the pitch. In midfield we looked too narrow despite the presence of a left winger and Leon drifted inside to where he showed his natural position is. It was on those forrays into the middle that he looked at his most dangerous but it did mean that Oldham could easily and effectively knock us off stride before we could even consider creating serious chances.
Bean missed what could be described as the best chance of the first half following good work from the left by Trundle but he was unable to direct his header at goal and it went wide instead. The reality was that little else happened during the opening period of note and the frustrations were beginning to tell, rather disappointingly, in the stands.
Something had to change and Jackett’s plan on that at half time was the introduction of Forbes for Freezer meaning a switch from right to left for Leon. Forbes added the width we had lacked on the right hand side, the changing of Britton to the left removed the width that we had there with Freezer on the pitch. Until we changed it to 4-3-3 which was logical but i do have to question why we did it with Forbes when Freezer’s great run of pre-season form came in a 4-3-3 formation. If it’s good for one then it could be electric for the other.
If we were bad first half I thought we were woeful second. Tate, such a pillar of strength this season, was having a rare off day with mis placed passed and poor control as was captain Martinez – an off day that led to him being replaced by Robbo with 15 minutes to go.
Trundle and Bayo were getting no change from the Oldham defence but Trundle is never going to win much in the air so why the & & do we bother playing it to him there. Come on lads, we have one of the best in League One up front, play to strengths not weaknesses. At the back, Austin was shaky at best and for me needs changing for Monk – we do look more solid with Monk there – and Sam just cannot reproduce his Welsh performances in a Swansea shirt.
A plus point in the middle was the performance of Bean, possibly his strongest in a Swansea shirt, whilst Leon deservedly was named man of the match and continued his good form of late. However, it just wasn’t there for us today and I suspect had we gone on into the night the goal would never had come – potentially not until long after Oldham had left to head back to Greater Manchester.
Always a case of points dropped when you don’t win at home but right at the very top I said 27 points from 14 games is more than acceptable and that is the thought that I will take into the week ahead in the hope that next weekend will see us make it 30 from 15. Not the performance fitting of the unveiling of a legends statue.
