Swansea City: Incompetence reigns through yet another window

Tuesday, 4 February 2025, 8:07
50
4 mins read

Yesterday morning we opened the day by sharing a few articles form previous years the day after the closure of the January window.  They were from 2022, 23 and 24 where the reports (linked at the end of this report) talked about the nature of the window just passed and the poor activity from the Swans.

It set the tone for what we always believed was going to be a totally underwhelming day in SA1.   After all, the evidence pointed to that being the case and the fact that everything was being left to the last minute told us all we need to know that we had no coherent plan and the only real hope was that we did not do anything monumentally stupid in the closing stages of the window.   Thankfully we don’t appear to have done that last part so we have to – given the nature of the way we approach things – be grateful for that small mercy at least.

About halfway through the day it was a BBC article that caught our eye – it was from November 2023 where Andy Coleman – master of the “plenty of bluster but no action” mentality – talked about the ambition of a Premier League return.    Andy talked then and said “We have the ability here to move very quickly and make those decisions to improve this football club.

Embed from Getty Images

“I have told you before: don’t tell me what you are going to do, show me what you have done. The summer was a great success.

“One of the things we needed to learn from [experiences at] this football club and others, was looking at windows in a very narrow band.

“We have changed our mindset now to think three windows out. We are planning not only for January but for next summer and the next January.

“That’s the only way we can build a consistent pipeline of players coming through that improve the football club.”

The summer he talked about being a great success unwound just days later when he sacked Michael Duff and most of those “great success” summer signings now ply their trade elsewhere.   The planning for the following January (24), summer (24) and this January (25) have been pretty much lacking in any evidence of being in place ad we are where we are.

We can talk much about yesterday being a disappointment, which of course it was, but we have had months to prepare for this window since the last one closed and you cannot even start to try and convince me that the signings of Hannes Delcroix and Lewis O’Brien were anything other than pure reactions to the suspension (and potential departure of Harry Darling) and loss of Matt Grimes in the closing stages of the window.   Jacob Wright made it to Swansea but ended up in Norwich but again was he really a long term target for us?  I have my doubts.

Indeed go back to Delcroix and the story goes that our first enquiry to Burnley was for Hjalmar Ekdal who ended up at Groningen on loan and we were left with a second choice.   Whether that was just grabbed with both hands gleefully so as not to be empty handed again we don’t know but again it shows the lack of a plan.

Andy Coleman’s late dealings in every window convinces us that he also spends all his time walking round Tesco looking for the yellow stickers ending up with value beans on toast for tea, having targeted a rump steak with the budget of a tin of spam.   It is not just sufficient any more to talk about how difficult it is to do business in January as you admitted yourself we were three windows ahead in our planning yet fifteen months later we are left with a squad weaker than we went into the window with.   That’s not unfortunate, that’s not difficult, that is just plain incompetence.

Coleman now has to deliver on his promise from last week to hold a fans forum post the closure of the window and if he thought the anger directed at Paul Watson last time was harsh then he will be shocked by what comes his way this time especially as he doesn’t have his mate to hide behind.   Coleman has overseen in two years a total destruction of our squad and we have gone from a squad that was looking upwards at the play offs in May 2023 to a side that is very nervously looking over its shoulder in these early days of February 2025.

Look at the departures in his time in the Chairman’s seat and then look at the transfer dealings in his time here.   There has been the occasional promising sign but nobody can argue that we are weaker in that time.   Coleman has said on numerous times to judge him on his actions but his actions are so far short that in some corners they are even wishing for the return of Jason Levien or Chris Pearlman.   That is where we are on this post transfer window review.

On the pitch now we have Luke Williams – with many calls for his departure – trying to navigate a way to us to get the points that we need to retain our Championship status, that is where we are now.   I don’t believe that Luke is the answer but right now which manager with any level of pride would come here to work with a Chairman who cannot complete a transfer deal, talks about plans when they are obviously missing in action and seemingly carries on without any accountability at all.   Oh, if only there was a group set up to keep the governance at the club under question.  If only…

There are no surprises this morning at all and there will still be some that defend the actions of the man in charge but I know right now if I was a fellow investor of Coleman I would be demanding answers this morning as to just how we made the same mistakes of previous windows once more.

Ambition is critical?   Not sure Andy even knows what the word means.

And those articles for reference:

February 2024 – https://jackarmy.net/2024/02/02/the-months-of-preparation-came-down-to-the-last-48-hours-of-action/
February 2023 – https://jackarmy.net/2023/02/01/absolutely-no-ambition-transfer-window-shambes-in-sa1/
February 2022 – https://jackarmy.net/2022/02/01/the-harsh-reality-check-of-the-january-window-at-swansea-city/

 

Do you want the latest news from JackArmy.net direct to your phone? Then subscribe to our Telegram channel here
Images courtesy of Getty Images, Athena Picture Agency and Swansea City Football Club.

Loading new replies...

3
3swan

Lee Trundle

1,991 messages 225 likes

Yep I'll go along with every word of that.

Just to add, does he think it's harder than any other club in this division, apart from a handful.

Reply 1 Like

R
Ringwood

Tommy Hutchison

1,435 messages 378 likes

With all these funds we haven't spent if these transfer targets were even real there is no reason now to bring in a DOF to steady a very rocky ship.

Reply Like

3
3swan

Lee Trundle

1,991 messages 225 likes

It was reported on WoL that someone is working their notice and should be with us in March?

Not sure if the role is DOF as we know it.

Reply Like

A
A4Jack

Moderator

3,340 messages 454 likes

Tesco do expect a three month notice period these days to be fair

Reply 1 Like

A
ARQS

First Team Player

473 messages 139 likes

When you look at this window in pure isolation and with no context, you could say:

- We've offloaded a loan player who never played (Abbey) and replaced him pretty much like for like, if not better (we'll see how much he plays when Darling is back). Not worth getting excited about.

- We've lost a permanent experienced championship midfielder and captain for a fee and replaced him, temporarily, with an experienced championship midfielder. Probably fairly sensible, despite the inflated money we are paying. Let's see who is available in the summer.

- We've sold an academy player for cash and replaced him with a Swedish U21 international who from his Youtube videos looks good. Him going back there leaves us short for a few months, again not a massive issue really for me.

However, these windows are never taken in isolation and context is very much important. Assuming Darling goes in the summer for free, we immediately have to replace him. And Grimes/O'Brien. So that is two big tasks before we even start. Then we need to replace the other (definitely/more than likely) outgoing players - Hannes, Allen, Peart Harris, Naughton?, Christie? - that's realistically 7 new players in total, just to give us the same paper thin squad, numbers wise. I haven't bothered including Pederson in this either.

We've also then got Yates and the Ukrainian bloke coming back who need to be offloaded which is probably going to be no mean feat. Same with Fisher.

That's all before we even consider the likes of Fulton and Tjoe A'on who the club may want to move on and someone coming in for any of our players with Franco.

You could be generous and say that Widell will be coming in but that still leaves us with an absolutely mammoth task just to get bodies in, never mind the quality of them. Required of a club who couldn't make signings in a window where we very much needed it to keep our heads above relegation.

Sooner rather than later, we need to have a superb window to mitigate the dreadful ones we've been having but I can't see it and this is what will ultimately lead to us being back in League One.

Reply 1 Like

click to expand...
Avatar of PSumbler
PSumbler

Administrator

7,692 messages 502 likes

The story goes that this appointment is likely to have zero impact on the football side of our club
Take that as you want to but I take it as Andy is appointing himself as the man for the football and the new guy for the business

Leaving Gude the invisible to focus on his golf handicap

Reply Like

b
bakajack

Roger Freestone

5,051 messages 629 likes

Out of curiosity does the fan ownership have enough share rights to put in a vote of no confidence?

Reply Like

A
A4Jack

Moderator

3,340 messages 454 likes

I think both hands and a funnel come to mind when fan ownership is mentioned

Reply 1 Like

Avatar of Smurph
Smurph

Ivor Allchurch

4,028 messages 2,184 likes

Even if they did. They'd have to grow a set of balls first.

Reply Like

m
magic dust

North Banker

5 messages 4 likes

Andy Coleman's plans for christmas to his family !!!!!!
Ive got it all under control I have been forward planning for months and I know what everyone would like so i have been scouting for presents as I don't want to repeat last christmas, so this christmas i am going to be pro active in making sure that you get what you want.
Look, i know its dec to 20th and i havnt bought any presents yet buy i have seen them and the shop keeper has promised to sell them to me.
Look, I know it's dec 24th and its the last day to buy the presents that i had lined up for you all since the begining of the dec window, but unfortunately all those presents are gone and the shop keeper has broken his promise because i wanted to stagger payments until next dec. However the shop keeper had a few presents that nobody else wanted and said he would loan them to me.
However, I did buy a really expensive present but i cant have it for 6 months as after buying it he said it would remain in his shop as a display item.
Look, unfortunately all the items on my shopping list have gone and its far to late now at 11pm to get any presents at all. But next year i promise that i will have learnt from my mistakes and get your presents really early to avoid this happening again.

Reply 2 Likes

click to expand...

Phil Sumbler

Been watching the Swans since the very late 1970s and running the Planet Swans website (in all its current and previous guises since the summer of 2001 As it stood JackArmy.net was right at the forefront of some of the activity against Tony Petty back in 2001, breaking many of the stories of the day as fans stood against the actions where the local media failed. Was involved with the Swans Supporters Trust from 2005, for the large part as Chairman before standing down in the summer of 2020.

League Table

Next Up

Next Up

League Table

Last 6 Results

Latest from Blog

Swans TV: Josh Tymon on Bristol City | Reaction

. . . Josh Tymon talks to Swans TV following yesterday's 1-0 win against Bristol City at the Ashton Gate Stadium. For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook:…

Swans TV: Lewis O’Brien on Bristol City | Reaction

. . . Lewis O'Brien talks to Swans TV following yesterday's 1-0 win against Bristol City at the Ashton Gate Stadium. For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook:…

Swans TV: Bristol City v Swansea City | Highlights

. . .watch some of the key moments from the Swans’ Championship clash against Bristol City at Ashton Gate. For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: / swansplayer Like us on Facebook: /…

Swans TV: Bristol City v Swansea City | Extended Highlights

. . .watch all the key moments from the Swans’ Championship clash against Bristol City at Ashton Gate. For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: / swansplayer Like us on Facebook: / swanseacityfc…

Swans TV: Bristol City v Swansea City | The Full Match

. . .watch all the action from the Swans’ Championship clash against Bristol City at Ashton Gate. For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: / swansplayer Like us on Facebook: / swanseacityfc Follow…

Don't Miss

Swans TV: Josh Tymon on Bristol City | Reaction

. . . Josh Tymon talks to Swans TV following

Swans TV: Lewis O’Brien on Bristol City | Reaction

. . . Lewis O'Brien talks to Swans TV following