S25/26 | The Official Match Thread | PNE 2 Swansea City 1 | Att: 15,911 | 05/11/25 | The EFL Championship | Deepdale

[3swan]

This is really turning into a recurring theme.
With the right application we could have won tonight as well as on Saturday.
The record shows we played two play off teams but were they that better than us?
We need to have a much more positive attitude along with cutting out so many wayward passes.
The commentator said that Preston were a well drilled defence, but when we actually attacked them they were nothing special.
Another frustrating night when things that go wrong seem to be of our own making.
We are what we are, a lower mid table team, but we are looking more over our shoulder than upwards.

 

[monmouth]

They just want him gone. None of them have really got a coherent, well constructed argument as to why, they just point at the table and want him gone, and secretly they want a process manager in like Hellberg, who will coach our amazing new Premier League level players back to the Martin glory days of 70% possession with 1 shot on target and losing 4-1. The Swansea Way etc.

Then, it'll be "why do we keep giving goals away passing it out from the back? At least this never happened under Sheehan", "it's all sideways and backwards, boring", "Hellberg out" and we go and do it all over again. Rinse and repeat.

It is all pretty poor mind, players or not, and in the end the manager always carries the can.

I am still in let’s see in January mode, except during the matches when I’d often string him up with piano wire. I mean, Ronald and Cullen….sheesh.

 

[sit_down_jack]

Surely that performance tonight is enough to convince people that these players are actually pretty decent? We played better than a Preston side who have started the season well and sit in 4th. Yes, we lost the game but most of the players did well. I was told that Preston side liked to attack but I couldn’t tell tonight despite the 2 goals. There is quality here, it just needs unlocking.

Before anyone says anything, I’m not saying playoffs but I think this squad can be in the chasing pack competing for them.

 

[Longlostjack]

Im also not buying the narrative that we have an excellent squad of players just waiting to be managed properly to unparalleled success. I’ve seen no evidence that this is anything other than an average group of lower mid table championship players. With a manager to match.

I beg to differ. Vigs Idah Galbraith Inoussa Vip with Widell and Eom if played centrally behind the strikers. Should be better than where we are. Tearing teams to shreds in midfield not good enough though. Sorry to say but has to be down to the manager. Tactics and formations not up to scratch.

 

[CygnusX1]

XG

Preston 0.71
Swansea 0.69

So despite having only 4 shots, one being the goal from 30-35 yards, they still beat us on the XG. I am no statto but there must be something in us always having low XG.

Yep. We’re shit upfront (apart from Vips recent run)

 

[Dillwyn the Dog]

P

Inoussa has a long way to go to prove he is top champ quality. Cabango is a solid Championship defender but not a top one. France similar for midfield. Vipotnik a top Championship finisher but we will see what else he has to offer over a longer period. You are being a little generous overall.

You don’t really understand football , do you?
Inoussa has plenty of ability but has been ferked around mercilessly by Sheehan. Cabango I’d agree - Vip is Vip - give him half a yard on any championship striker and he’ll at least test the goal keeper

 

[eteb]

It is all pretty poor mind, players or not, and in the end the manager always carries the can.

I am still in let’s see in January mode, except during the matches when I’d often string him up with piano wire. I mean, Ronald and Cullen….sheesh.

But the fact is mon he's done nothing to get us creating more since the start of the season: it's a consistent pattern, not one or two games. Give him til Jan when we're in the bottom 6 with 23 goals scored? Why?

 

[Resolvenjack]

The frustration train keeps going, we are a badly coached team when we enter the opponents half.

I have run of ideas on what formation we should adapt and what players start to with because it's end up with same under par performance.

Your first sentence nails it for me

 

[Swans Jack]

On paper at least, calling this team "average" is a massive disservice. It seems more apparent when we have seen glimpses of their potential on the pitch in previous games.

I believe it's their utilization to blame. The manager's responsibility.

If Sheehan wants to be considered a serious manager he needs to get back to basics. Go with the strengths of the squad and focus on quick ball and counter-attacking -- some of our weakest areas. However, at this point there are more things broken than can be improved on and so this 'back to basics' may come too late for Sheehan.

Nothing will change unless something changes.

Sheehan has had enough time with this team and yet he doesn't really know his best starting 11 which is scary. I think his experiments will keep going. He saved us last season and I wanted to give him a shot, but he is on borrowed time. He'll be gone by the new year.

 

[Copamundial]

They just want him gone. None of them have really got a coherent, well constructed argument as to why, they just point at the table and want him gone, and secretly they want a process manager in like Hellberg, who will coach our amazing new Premier League level players back to the Martin glory days of 70% possession with 1 shot on target and losing 4-1. The Swansea Way etc.

Then, it'll be "why do we keep giving goals away passing it out from the back? At least this never happened under Sheehan", "it's all sideways and backwards, boring", "Hellberg out" and we go and do it all over again. Rinse and repeat.

Absolute classic, no let’s keep giving goals away from dreadful defending instead or didn’t you watch the last two games.

 

[monmouth]

This is really turning into a recurring theme.
With the right application we could have won tonight as well as in Saturday.
The record shows we played two play off teams but we're they that better than us?
We need to have a much more positive attitude along with cutting out so many wayward passes.
The commentator said that Preston were a well drilled defence, but when we actually attacked them they were nothing special.
Another frustrating night when things that go wrong seem to be of our own making.
We are what we are, a lower mid table team, but we are looking more over our shoulder than upwards.

I actually think we’d have won both had we had the confidence to do so, wanted to do so, and believed we could do so.

We’ll never know, because I don’t think that belief or desire existed. That said, Key should have won us the game at the weekend and lost us the game tonight. These things happen, so I’m not escape goating him, but it’s very fine margins. 4 points rather than 1 and no one is shouting to sack the manager.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Yes because you're so much cleverer than all of us And, we'll all bow down to your superior footballing knowledge safe in the knowledge that you are thrilled with less than a goal a game in average.

I have never at any point said I'm thrilled with our performances and results, and as it happens I do agree with you that we should probably be higher in the table than we are at the moment. I just wholly disagree that yet another change of coach will make the sort of difference you and some others seem to believe it will. I guess only time (and a Sheehan sacking) will tell.

 

[Michu78]

They just want him gone. None of them have really got a coherent, well constructed argument as to why, they just point at the table and want him gone, and secretly they want a process manager in like Hellberg, who will coach our amazing new Premier League level players back to the Martin glory days of 70% possession with 1 shot on target and losing 4-1. The Swansea Way etc.

Then, it'll be "why do we keep giving goals away passing it out from the back? At least this never happened under Sheehan", "it's all sideways and backwards, boring", "Hellberg out" and we go and do it all over again. Rinse and repeat.

The only problem with Sheehan at the moment for me is that I haven't seen one decent performance so far this season. I missed the first ten minutes of the game tonight to finish off the tea time dishes, no urgency to catch the start of the game, I'm that despondent with watching us at the moment. I just can't see any light at the end of tunnel that things will get better.

 

[tardylum]

I do think we have got a lot of good championship players in the squad. But we’ve got nearly half a new squad. Most of which don’t have championship experience. It takes time individually to get used to the league and collectively to work as a team. And that takes a lot longer than 3 months to happen.

Every team has lots of new players though. For example, 5 of Preston's front 6 were new players this season. We are not going to be the finished article this early and players do need to gel but you would expect to see more green shoots by now.

 

[Treehuggerjack]

I just don't see how we are getting better. We look like we are getting worse. Agree on a few points of yours. But overall, this team is being wasted.

This is just my opinion, and of course many may see it differently.
I felt like today we were getting to that final third a lot more than we normally do and applying much more pressure.
Problem though as I stated, is that the final ball is often woeful or the wrong choice.