Michael Reeves
Swansea boss Michael Duff will today take questions from the press with the subject of transfers being at the forefront of many of those questions as speculation intensifies over the next activities in SA1.
The Thursday before a Saturday game would normally be about the managers thoughts and news ahead of the game but the subject of Preston will be further down the agenda today with questions expected to lead with the short term future of both Nathan Wood and Joel Piroe.
Both have been heavily linked with moves away this week – Wood to Southampton and Piroe to Leeds – and Duff will be asked for his views on that speculation in the hope that he may let something slip that can fill the column inches before the day is out.
That latter part is quite unlikely as Duff will likely take a stance that will suggest that both are Swansea City players until something is formally said afterwards although there is still that chance that his team selection on Saturday may give a bigger hint than anything he may say later on today. The absence of one, or both, of these players will only intensify the speculation about their departures from Swansea.
Despite any questions, Duff is also exceptionally unlikely to give anything away on potential targets. The Swans boss will be only too aware of the names that are under discussion and also the current state of play for them but he will leave the finer detail and progression to the recruitment team who have already bought in eight new players to the club this window. Paul Watson and Andy Coleman will be at the heart of these discussions but despite any wall Duff puts up this afternoon he will know where we are in those discussions. The same as he did last weekend when he was asked questions on the future of Joel Piroe and the stage of any new contract discussions.
In many ways it would be better to leave the focus of the discussions today on that game on Saturday which will see Duff looking for a first league win at the club in his fourth game in charge but it seems exceptionally unlikely that will be the case and I guess there will always be a small chance that some new snippet will allow for increased speculation on the transfer window.
Whatever Duff says this afternoon we know that the next week will bring a flurry of activity at the club – seemingly both in and out – and that takes us back to Duff’s words of last week “You don’t get in to the last two weeks of the transfer window where no one moves in or out, so you have be reactive and proactive at the same time.”
And of course take those all important press questions. Even if you provide the politically correct answers.
The fans who are having a go at Duff should stop and think.He may or may not turn out to be the manager we are all looking for but one thing is certain the club is in a very confused state at the moment .
There’s no mention of Saturday’s game against Preston .All we are hearing is a whether or not we going to lose Piroe and Wood .Add that to the fact that we ‘ve signed a number of players some on loan some permanent – several of whom have had little or no pre season and surely we must at leadt give the new manager a bit of time.
In an ideal world we’d have done what Coventry did and sorted out our business a few weeks ago .We haven’t suddenly realised that Piroe is coming to the end of his contract.New chairman – new regime ?