Planet Swans ArchivesWayne Routledge says that he is concentrating on his performances and holding his place in the starting line up
Routledge has started and shone in both Swans Premier League games to date this season and with the departure of Scott Sinclair to Manchester City he has the chance to stake his claim for a longer run in the side despite reports linking the Swans with both Pablo Hernandez and Thomas Ince.
In the lead up to the win against West Ham, Michael Laudrup described Routledge and fellow wide man Nathan Dyer as ‘poison for defenders’ to which Routledge responded “It’s a big compliment coming from someone like him.
“The manager definitely knew about taking on defenders. I didn’t need to go on You Tube to see what he could do; I remember watching him growing up.
“And today he’s passing on bits and pieces which is great – and for him to say something like that means we must be doing our jobs right.
“I enjoy playing the game and to play with freedom we do in this team with the way we keep the ball and make chances is a pleasure to play in.
“Hopefully if I keep playing like this and if the team keeps putting in performances like we have done so far, I will keep my place.
“I came here to play, but as it turned out Nathan and Scotty had a brilliant season last year.
“It was hard for me to get my neck in and play a lot.
“I wasn’t disappointed because you can’t be disappointed when the team’s doing well.
“It’s a team game so if the team is doing well you have to sit back and wait for your chance.”
But with Sinclair off and Laudrup asking for a more incisive inside role from his wingers, the much-travelled Routledge looks to have grasped that opportunity.
“Every time I play I try to do the best I can and make goals for the team,” he continued.
“When I get the chance to play, I do what I can do and hopefully it’s enough to keep the shirt.
“I just enjoy playing football, nothing’s different for me. It was good to be part of a good team performance where we carried on where we left off against QPR.
“We’ve started off really well.
“We’ve scored eight with no goals conceded and we’re doing what we need to be.
“We just have to keep this up throughout the season.
“We’re doing well at each end: we’re scoring goals and we’re keeping clean sheets and that bodes well. If we can keep doing that hopefully we’ll have another good season this year,” added Routledge.
