Planet Swans ArchivesYes, yes a slight over reaction to some of the comments made on Friday but honestly when I was reading the Western Mail article that kicked it all off I was expecting to read something far more serious than what I was reading.
I admit it did seem a little strange to be talking about dropping our captain and indeed I didn’t think it was going to happen. However, I understand that certain players do fit certain games. And clearly that was what we were seeing in insight into here. Kenny Jackett believing that a midfield pairing of KOL and OTJ was better than Roberto and either/or.
Obviously though the record books will show that we won the game and therefore the decision can’t be proved technically right or wrong. Those that believe it right will point simply to the result on the scorecard and the Swans at the top of the table. Those that believe it wrong will point out that we don’t know what the result would have been with Roberto in the side.
To be honest at this moment in time I couldn’t care whether it was right or wrong. We played, we won, we’re top of the league. That is surely all that matters at this moment in time. Kenny took a gamble, and potentially a big one, and it paid off. Full credit to him for doing so. What doesn’t bear thinking about is the carnage we would have seen on here had we lost the game. Thank we didn’t!
However, what we have seen with this decision is the first sign that maybe we can adapt the side a little to suit circumstances. A few times during the season we have been caught out when our normal style did not work and we prepared for that yesterday. And what that preparation shows is that Jackett is not as tactically naive as some people would like us to believe and also that he is prepared to change the formation or the personnel if the circumstance dictates it. And not only because he is forced to.
I count myself as one of the unlucky ones who did not go yesterday. The reports from those that were there suggest that it was a superb performance and to be honest that shone through even from the commentating on Radio Wales. To hear Colin Addison gushing over the performance is great news and one that bodes well for the future. With 3 of the next 4 league games at White Rock, we have the chance to really go into the Christmas period with a great points tally and a place at the head of the pack. And had you offered me that back at the start of August I would have snapped your hand off.
Of course with every passing game I get more worried that Lee Trundle will attract a flurry of bids very soon. Yesterday saw Lee at his best and if it was a competition between two ‘wanted’ strikers then I suspect the watching scouts will be uttering the word Trundle much more than the word Eastwood following the 90 minutes. This is of course a worry but they know so far where the ‘rejected bar’ lies, I wonder how much higher that rejected bar can be pushed before it gives way.
But onwards and forwards and we debut the night games at White Rock on Friday against Yeovil. Confidence is high and demand will be high and maybe our crowd could push us up from our current position as the 17th best supported side in the Coca Cola leagues. I suspect we will be looking at 16,000 plus on Friday – much depending on the numbers travelling from the West Country and also the ability to increase the home numbers if demand warrants it
Either way we will run out in front of a large crowd still top of the league at around 7.40pm and would you really have believed that in the celebrations at Bury?
Can it keep getting better?
