Planet Swans ArchivesThe Swans have now not won away in the league since the end of November when they triumphed at Fulham. Just four points from thirty-three available have been taken since that victory and in truth yesterday’s game probably had 0-0 written all over it until neither Angel Rangel or Michel Vorm decided that they wanted to challenge for the ball in the box and in ghosted Boyd to score the only goal of the game.
One of the main criticisms levelled at us this season has been a lack of fight and sadly that fight was missing again yesterday as the Swans really never looked like they were going to get into any real goalscoring chances with just 2 shots of their 12 being recorded as on target and never really threatening Harper in the home side goal.
Let’s not hide the fact though that there was no real threat for a Hull side who could easily have had their eyes on next week’s FA Cup semi final against Sheffield United. If that was to give the Swans hope then they certainly never looked like capitalising on it with cheap ball surrendered in midfield and nothing really being offered up front despite the usual domination of possession which – as we have said on these pages before – probably sums up the 2013/14 season in one sentence.
The goal when it arrived was as soft as most goals that we concede these days. A cross from our left hand side looped into the box but with both Rangel and Vorm seemingly assuming the other was coming for the ball it was easy for Boyd who headed past the Swans keeper who was motionless. Again.
Up front we were offering little with Michu’s body language seemingly at odds with all his own comments in the paper about how he wants to play and there was little surprise when he was subbed in the second half although you could wonder if the surprise was actually that it took so long. It will always take a long time to come back from injury for any player but it doesn’t look like a lack of match fitness that is afflicting last season’s top scorer?
Results elsewhere to an extent went in the Swans favour and it is still probably only one win that is needed to ensure safety for this season but once that safety is secured there is definitely much work to be done ahead of next season. That work is becoming more obvious by the week as we have too many players out of form (assuming it is out of form and not out of depth) and we do seem to have some form of complacency that has landed in the squad since we won the Capital One Cup last year and the one thing we cannot afford at this level is that complacency. The competition is too tough for that to happen.
After the good performance last weekend we were told there was more in the tank but it certainly wasn’t on display at Hull and once more talk was cheap.
