In the four meetings since returning to the second tier, the Swans have won two and drawn two leaving suggestions that they have more passion on derby day than Dave Jones men.
Jones – it has been pointed out – has a reasonably poor record in derby fixtures as a manager but he dismissed suggestions that there is a lack of passion, specifically referring to the 3-2 defeat his side suffered at the Liberty Stadium
Jones told the Western Mail “That’s rubbish. It wasn’t about desire, it was just on the day they were better than us and won the game.
“Does it mean because we lose a game we don’t have desire and commitment? No. They are just words people like to throw around.
“Of course we care, it’s our livelihood. Of course we have passion.
“On the day Swansea deserved to win and I said that. But it wasn’t because my players didn’t show passion or desire.”
“It doesn’t matter what I say about this game because everybody thinks I play it down.
“I don’t give two hoots what people criticise me for. I don’t play anything down.
“I understand what a derby means – I’ve played in a small one myself on Merseyside.
“We know how important it is to the fans and nobody here plays it down – even though people assume we do. We understand it more than people think.
“But it’s important because it’s not just about the bragging rights, it’s about the points at stake and we want them as much as Swansea do.
“Ultimately it’s about keeping heads and getting the points; they got them at the start of the season and we want them back.
“The bigger picture is not about two games and I’m sure if you said to fans at the start of the season that you’d lose the two derbies, but finish where you’d like to you’d take it, and you’d be crazy if you didn’t. There’s more to the game because of the pride, but it is about the points and the bigger picture.
“We’re both trying to get out of this division and that adds a little bit of spice because we’re both in the play-off spots and we both want to stay there.
“We’re quite happy whatever side we put out the way the players have been recently.”
This article first appeared on JACKARMY.net.