Phil Sumbler
Season’s are not decided on performances away from home against sides destined for promotion. This much is true but every single one of the Swans failings was on show this afternoon as the Blades cruised to a simple 3-0 victory and took another step closer to a return to the Premier League.
Aside from a promising first few minutes to the game and a few seconds here and there of promise this was a typically pedestrian Swansea City performance that showed all of our problems in a ninety minute performance that just added to our woes.
Seven days ago we should have beaten Birmingham but gave up two goals in stoppage time. This week we were never really in the running and the game was over as a contest when the home side went 2-0 up just before the interval.
Russell Martin’s own frustration was clear for everyone to see when he picked up a first half yellow card for a touchline rant that just had all the hallmarks of a man under pressure and a man who has very little working his way at the moment.
It is difficult to pick out any real highlights of this game as the pedestrian nature of the Swans play bought many sarcastic comments from the home commentators who had noted early that we were known for high amounts of possession but possibly at that stage did not realise how ineffective we were with that said possession.
With almost two seasons now under the belt of Martin this is something that is not changing. We simply do not have the personnel to play an effective possession based game and for all the fingers are rightly pointed at the owners for the January window many of the players on the pitch today were signed by Martin to play that possession based game.
Most of them are slower off the ball then they are on the ball and that takes some doing whilst it still remains a given fact that a very large percentage of our successful passes are of a distance that is less than six feet. That is not a process in development but more like football basics v1.1.
The plus point of the Championship this season is that a trip to Bramall Lane is somewhat seen as a free pass for most with the Blades – along with Burnley – clear leaders of the division and both heading for a huge pay day next season that goes hand in hand with a Premier League promotion.
However, anything less than three points against Blackpool at home on Wednesday night will be a different position and Martin must know surely that in a game like that it could easily not be an understatement to say that he is fighting for his job.
Berge and Robinson had scored the two goals in the first half and you just knew that when McBurnie came on late in the game he was destined to score the third and it was little surprise when he did. 3-0 was as comprehensive as the play dictated.
So that was it for the afternoon and now there are four days for Martin and his team to contemplate on what comes next – we could well be heading to a very pivotal moment not just in this season but for our future as well.
Let’s see what Wednesday brings.
Excellent summing up . American owners showing very little interest and even fewer ideas .However,it’s difficult to support Martin at the moment . Only Wigan have conceded more goals tha us – an extreme statistic- yet the manager hides behind individual mistakes refusing to change a system that simply doesn’t suit the players we have .
The insistence on using wing backs leaves us exposed at the back .How often do you see an opposition player run 60 yards on goal with no opposition player in front of him as happened for Birmingham’s second goal .
Unfortunately the players Martin has brought in don’t make it easy to play a traditional system.
Between the attitude of the owners and the stubborness of Martin it’s hard to feel optimistic at the moment.