Phil Sumbler
Ten home league games to date have yielded just eleven points for the Swans and that is a record that Alan Sheehan will want to improve on this afternoon when he welcomes Middlesbrough to the Swansea.com for the first of two home games that will lead us into Christmas and the halfway mark of the season.
Sheehan will take charge of the side for the first time at home after two games in charge on the road that have yielded a more than respectable four points to date.
The managerial hunt to replace Michael Duff maybe progressing at the speed of a very slow snail to those of us on the outside but the games in the Championship come thick and fast with the Swans still facing four more games in December as well as a New Year’s Day clash at home to West Brom.
The immediate focus today though is a Middlesbrough team who have had a similar season to date to the Swans.ย A slow start was followed by a run of games that saw them looking up to the play offs but some recent indifferent form sees them arrive in SA1 just two points ahead of the Swans and Sheehan will be more than aware that three more points today and we will move above our opponents and a little further away from that relegation zone.
The caretaker boss is also aware that those eleven points from ten games is not an acceptable turn of form at home and he wants his side to put in a performance this afternoonย ย โWe would love to put in a performance to make the fans proud and to get the place rocking,” he said in the build up to the game
โThat is what we want to do and that is what we need to do.
โWe have not been good enough at home, there is no shying away from that, but itโs about trying to win the game in a positive way.
โThey have had some tough games recently, they were very good in the first half against Hull, they carry a threat but we always focus on how we can hurt the opposition and that is what we will try to do.โ
The club confirmed their season ticket prices for next season this week and with attendances at the Swansea.com Stadium reducing seemingly by the game a performance is as much of a must for those sales ahead of next season as it is for three points this afternoon.
Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick is not underestimating the Swans and states that the managerial position in SA1 has not changed the way that they have approached the gameย โThe manager situation doesn’t particularly change much from our perspective in terms of preparation,” he said.ย “Weโre always aware of what they have done and what they can do but you never know 100%.
“Itโs almost a bit of a calculated guessing game in that respect. Weโll assess it and make the best of it. But we just have to go there expecting them to be at their best and it will be another good challenge for us. Hopefully we can put in a good performance and come away with a good result.
โTheyโre a good team. Itโs been a funny week in some respects by playing Ipswich, Hull and now Swansea because theyโre all very similar to ourselves in terms of principles and style of play. Weโve found ourselves kind of watching almost our own game this week.
“They are a good team, they can have really good spells and get good results through being a dangerous team at times. I appreciate their manager situation is what it is at the moment and that can sometimes help, it can sometimes hinder.
“Weโve seen it vary at different clubs in that kind of situation. All we can do is prepare for the best version of them. We will do, we will expect that and we will have to be at our best as well.”
After a solid three points at Rotherham last Saturday the performance at Stoke left much to be desired but ultimately still produced a point for the Swans.ย ย If they could secure three more points at home today then seven points from nine could even leave Sheehan in the hunt for a permanent position at the helm of the club.
ย “I think the most important thing, and obviously being involved in the process,” he said.ย “First of all, whoever gets this job is going to manage an incredible club.
“Whether I am the manager or the assistant, I have still got the same job to do, which is to try to make this club successful. So that’s the way it is for me.”
Prediction: Swansea City 2-1 Middlesbrough.
