JackArmy.net Comment

Thursday, 19 September 2002, 0:00
4 mins read

Home > Story Index >A Very Sad Day In The History of Swansea City

Last season was as bad as you would think it could get. The day that Tony Petty (sorry for mentioning that name again) sacked the players I thought that things could not get much worse but then you think today and wonder if we could sink much lower than we already have.
I have supported Swansea City for over 25 years and very rarely can I remember feeling like I do at the moment. Of course I did back when the club folded and I certainly did at times last year but now I feel as if this is a club that is going nowhere very fast.
Now don’t get me wrong, there is no place for sentiment in this game. It’s a business about getting results and lack of results generally means changes and that goes for most industries. And yes I appreciate fully that we are bottom of the football league and that cannot be allowed to continue. But we are 9 games into a 46 game season with a squad that was largely built throughout the summer. What were we expecting? 27 points from 27? A new team will take time to gel and unfortunately, in their wisdom, the board chose not to exercise the time option. And the appointment of Brian Flynn is, in my opinion, a panic move. What if we are bottom after 23 games? Do we panic again and remove another manager? This isn’t the latest version of Championship Manager, this is real life and you cannot change things all the time and expect them to work. Can you?
At the end of last season, the board (or committee as they were known then) put their faith in Nick Cusack and gave him the managers job. They made Addison depart because of the ultimatums (allegedly) and appointed Nick. The same Nick Cusack who almost single handedly kept our playing staff together last season and conducted himself so wisely in the face of adversity. I hear a rumour today that the decision to replace Nick was not a purely football one – that he asked for more than the board could give. If that’s the case then it’s Silver Shield all over again I’m afraid and as much as these people are Swansea fans no-one wants to be placed in that category. But, of course that is rumour so let’s go back to fact for a second. Effectively, Nick’s squad was nine games into his command and we replaced him. It’s almost laughable if it wasn’t so sad. Yes the results were bad but at the same time you have to look at some of that squad and think "did they give it their best shot?" There are some ‘professionals’ (and I use that word loosely) at our club who certainly haven’t and are just happy to pick up their wage and it pains me to say that. People that if they left tomorrow I would not shed a tear. They let down the man that saved them last season, I hope they are very proud of themselves for that.
One of the most laughable statements I have heard today is that one fan was told by a board member that once this news was confirmed then everyone would be happy. Why? They weren’t happy when Flynn was linked last season so why would they be happy now? Regulars on here will know my opinion from last season and then they just went and did it.
In my opinion, we had a honeymoon period at the start of 2002. The current board won control of the football club and, as fans, we were all delighted that some of our own took over. We stood by them as they took the club through the CVA and we enjoyed the sight of new signings over the summer. Optimism was high in places and then this happened. Well that’s the end of the honeymoon period and now we have every right to ask questions. We have people on the board who seem at times to hide behind each other. We have NO real leadership. We have NO chairman. None of them are prepared to stand up and face people. The club statement today was a joke – it says NOTHING. I am led to believe we can expect another one on Saturday, I can’t wait! (detect the sarcasm!) And yet the average fan on the street knows who pulls most of the strings at the Vetch but sssssshhhhhh we can’t mention his name now can we?
There have been calls already to name a stand at the Morfa after Nick. Nice touch and I understand the sentiment but if I was Nick Cusack I wouldn’t want my name tarnished with anything at the football club at the moment. We have become a laughing stock and it hurts to say that. I said earlier this is not championship manager and if it was then the truth is we would be very very bad at it.
If the board are confident that this is right then I lay down a challenge. Talk to us here. Not behind club statements but one to one to this site and answer the questions that the fans have every right to ask. And when doing so remember that this time last year you were just the same as us, and hopefully you still are. Show you haven’t lost the ability that you had as plain old fans. You know where I am.
One very disillusioned Jack but a Jack that will still remain Swansea till I die.

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