Phil SumblerIt would be very easy to get downbeat after the weekend defeat at Bournemouth. Being on the end of a four goal defeat is never a nice feeling but we need to be putting that behind us and moving on quickly which is certainly the mentality within the Swans squad at this moment in time.
It is hard to remember that this mini round of games was just three weeks long with six matches for all sides in that period – a six match period that saw Swansea take more points than any side in this division outside of the current top two.
Four wins and two defeats is not a bad return from a period of games that included a local derby, games against three of the current top four in the division – two of which were away from home. Fulham managed six straight wins during the period, Bournemouth 5 and we managed 4. That should be the positivity we take into the international break and not too many memories from the four goal defeat at the weekend.
Championship Form Guide
I am sure had you said to Russell Martin as the games were getting back underway three weeks ago the Swans would have picked up 12 points from these games he would have been happy to take them.
Of course it is not just the results that have counted by the quality of the performances. In all four wins we have looked like a side that has progressed massively and that has bred confidence and you could even argue that in the two defeats we played well in periods but were undone at key times in both games.
You could also argue that it was the third game in a week that proved too much for the Swans and a look at the fixture list tells you that largely between now and February games are Saturdays only (only twice do we play three times in a week before the end of January) so there are plenty of positives to take forward from this recent period.
One of the (many) bright spots from the past few weeks has been the form of Jamie Paterson and he summed it up after the weekend match when he told the official site “This is a great opportunity to learn. When we lose, we always seem to come back.
“We’ve a good break now because three games in a week is always tough.
“We’ve had some great results lately, some great performances and we’re not a group that will get down from one performance, that’s for sure.
“We’ll go over it next week. We’ll watch the game back and we’ll learn from it.”
The games when we return from the international break look a different run for Russell Martin and his side with all of them looking ‘winnable’ matches which suggests that we could not just match our recent form but potentially better it after the tough tests of the past few weeks.
Blackpool (10th), Barnsley (23rd), Reading (16th), Middlesboro (14th), Forest (13th) and QPR (6th) should not be underestimated and will be key games for us given the close proximity of most of those sides to us in the table but by the time Christmas arrives these 6 games will give a much better view of our credentials in this division and that answer as to how far we have progressed since Martin arrived just before the season started.
I am certainly not downbeat after the weekend defeat. It was a blow and a bigger blow than I anticipated it potentially being but I am certainly looking forward to the action returning on Saturday week and go into those games with the confidence at the level it should be.
Bring on the 20th!
