Planet Swans ArchivesPainter was fresh from signing a new deal which will extend his stay at the Liberty Stadium "beyond 2010" and was now thinking of what possibilities there could be for the player who joined the Swans from Birmingham.
His former club are the clear favourites for success in the Championship this season following relegation last term and Painter believes that his Swansea team mates can be as good as the Blues – if not better.
The defender has already stated that he thinks the Swans can make the play offs this season but he is keen to stress that he is not forecasting the Swans to finish above his former team just yet.
Talking in tonight's Evening Pos, Painter said "Some people might disagree with me and it's up to them if they do
"But I have been at Birmingham and the majority of players I played with are still there.
"They have some great players, people with Premier League quality and international quality.
"But I believe that if we perform to our best, we can be as good as them or anyone else in this league.
"Everyone can see the quality Birmingham have got, but we can be in among teams like that.
"The way this club is going, we will have exactly the same stature as Birmingham soon
"Swansea is a massive club and a great club to be at.
"The fan base is brilliant and the manager has done really well since he came in.
"Little by little he has changed things for the better. The training ground is better than when I first came here, for example, and there are a lot of other little things that have improved.
"Everything that's going on at this club now is geared for the Premier League.
"My mum, dad and sister are down most weekends," the left-back says.
"They see coming to Swansea as a little holiday for them, because we haven't got many beaches back in Birmingham. They love it down here and I love it down here.
"It's hard for me to say, but I actually like living in Swansea more than I like living in Birmingham.
"It's a great place to be and right now it's great to be involved at the football club."
