S25/26 | The Official Match Thread | Stoke City 2 Swansea City 1 | Att: 23,089 | 13/12/25 | The EFL Championship | The Bet365 Stadium

[Swans Jack]

I must say I'm slightly surprised by everybody's confidence after today's game. At this moment in time I'm still struggling to see where we will get enough wins... Guess it's just me. Our defence is terrible.

9 Wins. Realistically we need.

 

[Nocountryforoldjack]

9 Wins. Realistically we need.

Yeah hopefully we can play Oxford and Pompey another six times then

 

[Nocountryforoldjack]

9 Wins. Realistically we need.

Honestly we will have to see a massive improvement to get those wins don't you think?

 

[Swans Jack]

Yeah hopefully we can play Oxford and Pompey another six times then

25 league games left. 75 points out of those. We need 27. We can get 6 out of the ones you said. Try our best to get win against Wrexham, which personally I think will be difficult. We will lose on Boxing Day. Not sure if above is good or haunting.

 

[Swans Jack]

Honestly we will have to see a massive improvement to get those wins don't you think?

I think it's there to be taken. Today we let ourselves down but not to the extent that we did under Sheehan. I think it's gonna be tight. But we do need some luck and also a win against a team up the top.

 

[LeonWasTheDogs]

Samuel's-Smith has looked decent enough and could allow for Tymon to rest.

We need to trust the young players more, Carey, Parker and Samuels-Smith can all do a job.

Agreed . If we’ve a fairly settled team, we can carry a younger player. We should be giving them chances and Samuel-Smith has looked ready.

The trouble is we’re already carrying a few senior players, so the youngsters then become a bigger risk. I don’t think any of our players are particularly bad and a lot would be able to play in a top 6/8 side, as long as they had better players around them, which unfortunately we now don’t have.

Cullen is the prime example. He does pretty well for Wales, but has better players around him. When we need him to step up here and dictate the play he struggles. But he’s not the only one. We only really have Galbraith and Vigeroux who are stand out performers every match. Tymon too probably. There are others who would be fine with better players around them (Burgess, Bango, Franco, Stamanić, Vip, possibly Cullen but I think he’s more of a hindrance). And then we’re carrying the likes of Key, Ronald, probably Eom if we’re being honest.

 

[J_B]

The real crucial moment in the game involved Vipotnik…twice!!.
His failure to control a lovely through ball and missing what by his standards should have been a sitter is what probably us.

Vip is a scorer of great goals but not a great goal scorer.
I'm unimpressed by Cabango since his injury. I think he's hiding at times and it's affecting Burgess.

 

[Dr. Winston]

There isn't a striker in World football that takes every chance or controls every ball.

Vipotnik is into double figures by the first half of December for a team that has struggled for much of the season. He's comfortably capable of a 20+ goal return if given the service.

 

[SwanseaBoy123]

Matos needs a get ruthless with his limited options

For me Key and lesser extent Cabango are weak links in our defence , I'm happy with Burgess if he has the right partner there no sure Cabango is...

Galbraith is quality wherever he plays

It's either Franco or Stemenic, playing both together limits our attacking options

Neither Eom or Ronald have enough to convince me they won't improve any further

Playing Yalcouye in a midfield with Galbraith gets bullied

Cullen I would keep as your impact sub with Idah.

I would give more game to Melker Casey and Inoussa

Vigs, Tymon and Vip are very decent at this level

Amazes me how Cabango who has been a solid operator at this club since the Cooper days is the problem but Burgess who has costed us 8+ goals and hasn't had a good performance since he been here (also is older and on higher wages) needs another partner next to him.

Maybe Cabango is the one who needs a better partner not this useless cart horse we overpayed for.

 

[Copamundial]

There isn't a striker in World football that takes every chance or controls every ball.

Vipotnik is into double figures by the first half of December for a team that has struggled for much of the season. He's comfortably capable of a 20+ goal return if given the service.

He was given the service twice, a bit to do with the first one but should have buried the second one.

 

[Dr. Winston]

He was given the service twice, a bit to do with the first one but should have buried the second one.

Odd to quote a post yet fail to read the first sentence of it.

 

[Copamundial]

Odd to quote a post yet fail to read the first sentence of it.

I did read it, if you’d left it at that first paragraph then fair enough, it was you who said given the service

 

[Ringwood]

Amazes me how Cabango who has been a solid operator at this club since the Cooper days is the problem but Burgess who has costed us 8+ goals and hasn't had a good performance since he been here (also is older and on higher wages) needs another partner next to him.

Maybe Cabango is the one who needs a better partner not this useless cart horse we overpayed for.

There is not a lot between them.. but a left footed CB is harder to replace. Maybe time to get Lissah in

 

[jack_lord]

Well plenty of posters on this matchday thread thought we were coming away with the 3 points today on the back of two home wins, or at least a point. You can't just rely on beating the teams below you to stave off relegation. Our record against teams above us is absolutely appalling, particularly anyone near the top half of the table, and every team we play that are in a poor run of form almost always beats us . Stoke were on a dreadful run, as were Birmingham, Leicester and Bristol City when they played us, just to name 4.

I thought we would be lucky or OK to get a point. As it turned out we should have had a point.

 

[SwanseaBoy123]

There is not a lot between them.. but a left footed CB is harder to replace. Maybe time to get Lissah in

Miles difference between the two. Yes Cabango hasn't been great the last few games but look at the amount of goal saving clearances/tackles he did at the start of the season.

Him and Vigs were bailing Burgess out 2/3 times a game at the start it was never going to be sustainable.

As for him being left footed I don't really care if he costs us 4/5 chances a game from his passes out.

We'd be 5/6+ points better off with Darling in the team and that's not because Darling is an unbelievable CB.