Phil Sumbler
One of the accusations that has been pointed at the owners in recent years has been the lack of backing of the managers in a transfer window.
It was certainly something that was said about both Steve Cooper and Russell Martin who both left the club with suggestions that they wanted out due to the lack of support in the windows.ย And when you look back to the January window where we failed to make a single signing it is easy to see why those suggestions exist.
However, it is certainly not a statement that can be made after the closure of the summer transfer window of 2023.ย ย Michael Duff has been back to the tune ofย thirteenย new additions in this window with players added across all areas of the pitch.ย It is one of the Swans busiest windows ever and shows a level of support for the manager and the recruitment team that has definitely often been missing.
Of course many will point to the fact that we probably had to back to that level with a dozen departures from the squad that we had last season although the names of Michael Obafemi and Iwan Morgan are both in that list of a dozen so its stretching the numbers slightly.
It is entirely feasible with the Cardiff game coming up in two weeks that we could see a side that is made up of at least eight of these summer signings which will tell you much about how much we have changed since the end of last season just four short months ago.ย ย The challenge that Michael Duff now has when making this number of signings i he has to ensure that they gel together as a team and, based on the first five results of the season, he has to make that happen quickly.
The question that many will ask right now is whether the transfer window can be deemed to be a success.ย Based on the early evidence of the season many would answer that with a resounding no.ย ย One or two exceptions aside the new arrivals that have played regularly have not impressed hugely which potentially adds more pressure to the arrivals that we saw in the closing days and hours leading up to the window closing.
There is little doubt that Michael Duff would have wanted his side to settle down better than he has and maybe that is why he was so dismissive of the importance of the South Wales derby last night.ย ย Acknowledging the importance of the fixture to both sides of the divide would only serve right now to place additional pressure on himself.ย ย From himself.ย ย Forget those comments for a moment there should be no way that Duff will know the importance of this fixture and the desire of both sets of fans to win it.ย And if he doesn’t then it is a bigger concern than some misplaced stupid comments in a press briefing.
The last thing that Duff would have wanted straight off the back of the transfer window closing was a home defeat to Bristol City.ย ย It wasn’t so much the result of the game itself but the performance of the team that set the most alarm bells ringing and those deadline day signings probably couldn’t have arrived at a better time.ย ย It seems almost certain that three of them – Humphreys, Tymon and Pedersen – will feature in two weeks time given the shaky nature of our defence that has shipped nine goals in our five Championship fixtures to date.
What he now has in front of him is a massive two weeks in his managerial career.ย ย He has to take the players that he has been backed with and embed them into the squad and create the best team that he has available for selection.ย With the players that were already here he has a large squad available and with the summer window out of the way everything from here on in is down to him and his coaching staff.
And it is only when they have shown their hands totally that we will be able to judge the success of the summer window.ย ย Because remember it was a management team that joined as well as the thirteen players.
It’s over to you now Mr Duff.
It is a massive two weeks ,but it is going to take a while to integrate all the new signings,select the best team and get them to perform .At the moment a lot of the players particularly the centre halves are playing the slow ,pointless Martin way out from the back.Also we are simply short of a few hard ,good players .
Letโs hope that the four new signings will suit .Yesterday we were looking at a bottom six team and a manager who didnโt know how he really wanted the team to play.His decision to move Kyle Naughton was astonishing even given the lack of suitable players in some positions.
Iโm surprised that given the fact that he was waiting for his new players to get used to the set up that Duff didnโt simply try to use a simpler defensive system than the back 3 with two wing backs
O come on if we are in this position come Xmas time how much longer can Duff go on we could have done with a manager who had some experience in the Championship not in lower league’s allways the same with these owners not willing to pay good money for one on this form I can not see the Swans beating Cardiff City as they have spent well our defence is is leaking goals and that does not say much for our defence coaches.
How many of our previous three managers have had experience in the Championship?
Let’s be honest,what manager with an ounce of knowledge would come here.those days have gone sadly.ie Martinez,Rodgers,laudrup.
Patience is needed – I, like any other Jack, hate to lose, but the residue from Martin was there for all to see yesterday. However, where I would criticize Duff directly is his failure to screen an unsettled back line adequately by leaving both Allen and Fulton on the bench. The result was that we were swamped in midfield and the slowness of our defenders to both defend and move the ball provided the impetus for Bristol to run the game. I also feel that the years have caught up with Naughts and the crippling injury to Abdulai came at exactly the wrong momentโฆ Hopefully, the more experienced Pedersen will provide some leadership at the back as that lack of organization and communication is sorely lacking.
I think we have the players, but the change of philosophy and the mass clean out/new additions are making things difficult at the moment. Patience for the moment, but Duff will be well aware that the massive reorganization behind the scenes will demand a new level of expectancy from him – he will have to deliver! Then, of course, the true investors in the club are the fans – we will need to be patient and support both Duff and the team. The time for true celebration or re-calibration lies in the future.
Yes, it’s early to panic or make final judgements. We are quite likely to lose to Cardiff who seem to have bought well and are better than in recent years while we have not settled down to a team or a style. But if we make a run to the play-offs in the second half of the season I for one won’t care. I don’t understand some of the churn we’ve seen. Was Whittaker worse than the new forwards we’ve bought? Was Manning really too expensive to induce to stay? But that’s history. If the present squad evolve a style of play that suits them and we sort out the defensive organisation there’s enough talent to go up the table.
cardiff seem to have bought well? they have won once!
god some stupid fellow swans supporters