Phil SumblerAfter the madness of the transfer speculation of the past few weeks, the uncertainty surrounding certain players and, of course, the new additions into the squad over the course of January it is nice to be back in a run of games again as the Swans go in search of something which is becoming sadly too rare – a win.
The midweek defeat to Luton Town was, as described by Russell Martin, “as bad as I have felt since I have been here” as he looked back on a game where he felt the Swans did enough to win but ultimately were beaten by missed chances and Luton taking one of the few that they had.
It has become a regular story for the Swans in recent weeks with chances being created but not taken and conceding soft/needless goals into the process. It is part of the reason why we have slipped to 19th in the table after a promising period around October time.
Blackburn arrive in SA1 in 2nd place in the table and looking to consolidate that position as they bid for a return to the Premier League for the first time since their relegation in 2012. It is quite a turnaround for Rovers this season after finishes of 15th, 11th and 15th over the past three years in the Championship and will prove to be a tough test for the Swans.
As the transfer window closed, Rovers boss Tony Mowbray opened up on his dealings but emphasised how important promotion is for his squad in the summer with several players out of contract with speculation being that they may have cashed in during the window but the league position dictated the club felt differently.
“The difficulty of course is the summer. If we miss out and find ourselves still in the Championship we’re potentially going to lose three or four players out of contract and there will be no money to replace those players,” said Mowbray.
“Personally I might have sold one of them, re-strengthened and hoped we could still push on.
“If you sell someone who’s been doing really well for you and you fall away then invariably that would have been the reason and you’d have taken the criticism for that.
“I believe you have to take the bigger picture reason sometimes and we should be trying to improve the club all the time, growing the playing staff and quality and fill your club full of good players.
“That’s what I’d liked to have done but I’m happy to keep all of the players here.”
Latest Team News from both camps
Swansea City
Kyle Naughton looks unlikely to be fit after coming off in the first half against Luton on Tuesday night.
“We are waiting on some scan results. I was really hopeful after the game it was a minor thing but he has had his scans and it is looking unlikely that he will be involved at the weekend.
“It was his thigh. It was a little tight before the game, he felt it during the game and came off but hopefully its not too serious.”
Jamie Paterson is back in and around the squad after his recent absence and looks set to play some part even if it is a place on the bench for the starting line up.
Blackburn Rovers
Tayo Edun and Sam Gallagher won’t be fit enough to play a part this weekend after being forced off in Rovers’ 0-0 draw against Luton last weekend.
“Tayo’s had his scan and he won’t be available this weekend, which is a blow to us on the back of Harry Pickering’s injury, ” explained Rovers boss Tony Mowbray.
“Sam Gallagher is unlikely to make it this weekend but I’m not going to put estimations on how long he’ll be out until we know for definite.
“It’s fair to say that he probably won’t play for us this weekend and that’s a shame because he’s in decent form.
“Sam’s got similar symptoms to the issue he had against Nottingham Forest last season, it was a heavy bang to his chest.
“Coughing blood is not something you want to see and we need to make sure that the ribs and lungs are okay. The checks are still ongoing and we won’t risk him.
“We’ll get on with it and make the best with what we’ve got.”
Speaking ahead of the clash, Swans boss Russell Martin was full of admiration for the job that Tony Mowbray has done at Blackburn: “They are a team with a sprinkling of young players who have really learned from last year with experienced players such as Bradley Johnson and Daniel Ayala who know this level so well.
“This league is so strong but if you look at the teams around the play offs who have had real time to understand what they are doing. Tony is a guy I have a lot of time and respect for based on what he has achieved in the game.
“It is a game I am really excited about.”
The game at the Swansea.com Stadium kicks off at 5.30pm and is being broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Why not head over to our forum and catch up with the latest discussion in our matchday thread – all the pre, during and post match discussion with the fans can be found there.
