Less entitlement and more encouragement

[Smurph]

Finally we seem to have owners who get the club and want us to succeed both on and off the pitch.

We have the strongest squad in almost a decade and a young manager in Alan Sheehan who is learning his trade as head honcho in the dugout.

Results and performances have been a bit hit and miss yet hell of a lot better than the dross we've been served up over the last four years.

it feels like the beginning of something special could be brewing down in SA1

Keep up the good work Sheezy, the quorum needs you, ignore the doubters.

 

[Swans Jack]

I know football is about the now, but let's all get reality check. In January under Williams we was heading into League one and the club was being ripped apart. Sheehan stepped in and saved us. That's a fact. If we are talking about now, then we have a choice, we either settle the team and keep building under Sheehan and see if it works or we sack him and take a massive gamble. Not sure about anyone else, I'll take the safe pair of hands. We might not always agree on decisions and at some point it might get to the point where Sheehan might move on? But I'll take present form and position over anything we had seen under Williams, Martin, Duff.

 

[Smurph]

Win lose or draw, I'm leaving the ground with a much better feeling than I have for years and that will do me ok.

Starting to fall in love with the club again.

 

[Swans Jack]

Win lose or draw, I'm leaving the ground with a much better feeling than I have for years and that will do me ok.

Starting to fall in love with the club again.

And that's the key. Falling in love with the club again. Too much crazy seasons, owners and drama. We have no devine right to be at the top, maybe we want safe pair of hands. But after the crap we have seen for years I'll take the now over the past.

 

[Vetchonian]

I know football is about the now, but let's all get reality check. In January under Williams we was heading into League one and the club was being ripped apart. Sheehan stepped in and saved us. That's a fact. If we are talking about now, then we have a choice, we either settle the team and keep building under Sheehan and see if it works or we sack him and take a massive gamble. Not sure about anyone else, I'll take the safe pair of hands. We might not always agree on decisions and at some point it might get to the point where Sheehan might move on? But I'll take present form and position over anything we had seen under Williams, Martin, Duff.

Present form is no different to this time last year 3 wins 3 draws 3 losses 12 points but 2 more goals conceded.
After 9 games last season we had won 3 drawn 3 and lost 3 scored 8 and conceded 7 and had 12 points
After 9 games this season we have won 3 drawn 3 lost 3 scored 10 and conceded 10 and have 12 points.
And apparantly we have improved the squad since laat season.

 

[JackFish]

If anyone is interested in a points comparison:

Potter 2018 - 3-4-2 (13pts / +2 GD)
Cooper 2019 - 5-3-1 (18pts / +7 GD)
Cooper 2020 - 5-3-1 (18pts / +7 GD)
Martin 2021 - 2-4-3 (10pts / -3 GD)
Martin 2022 - 2-3-4 (9pts / -5 GD)
Duff 2023 - 2-2-5 (8pts / +1 GD)
Williams 2024 - 3-3-3 (12pts / +2 GD)
Sheehan 2025 - 3-3-3 (12pts / 0 GD)

And just for fun because I can’t sleep.

Martinez 2008 - 3-3-3 (13pts / -3 GD)
Sousa 2009 - 2-4-3 (10pts / -4 GD)
Rodgers 2010 - 5-0-4 (15pts / +2 GD)

 

[FearOfAJackPlanet]

So judging by the 3-3-3 record being thrown around with so much enthusiasm by some this evening as an absolute damning FACT to bash Sheehan with, Sheehan is officially exactly as good a manager as Roberto Martinez (who had a side including Scotland, Bodde, Britton, Dyer, Rangel et al.)

Glad we got that locked down as fact. We can all relax now knowing that football is so simple.

 

[PSumbler]

If anyone is interested in a points comparison:

Potter 2018 - 3-4-2 (13pts / +2 GD)
Cooper 2019 - 5-3-1 (18pts / +7 GD)
Cooper 2020 - 5-3-1 (18pts / +7 GD)
Martin 2021 - 2-4-3 (10pts / -3 GD)
Martin 2022 - 2-3-4 (9pts / -5 GD)
Duff 2023 - 2-2-5 (8pts / +1 GD)
Williams 2024 - 3-3-3 (12pts / +2 GD)
Sheehan 2025 - 3-3-3 (12pts / 0 GD)

And just for fun because I can’t sleep.

Martinez 2008 - 3-3-3 (13pts / -3 GD)
Sousa 2009 - 2-4-3 (10pts / -4 GD)
Rodgers 2010 - 5-0-4 (15pts / +2 GD)

That’s quite an interesting comparison especially looking at coopers stats in comparison to the rest

 

[sit_down_jack]

I find this thread interesting because I never see fan critique as entitlement. Let me be clear there are entitled fans, of every club. The ones who expect to win every game, but that isn’t what I’m seeing on this forum. The people who are expressing doubts about Sheehan don’t seem to have an issue with us losing games but are more concerned with our levels of performance. They are judging what they can see with their eyes. Nobody expects us to go out and smash every team but they do expect us to have more of a go against mid table sides at home. I don’t mean that we should have won these games but that we should have shown more of an attacking threat and an initiative to win at our own ground. Is that really entitlement?

I’m not calling Leicester a mid table team by the way, I was referring to Watford, Hull and Millwall.

Just to add, I respect everyone’s opinions on this forum, I’m not looking to antagonise anyone. I’m just asking questions from a different perspective. It’s what these forums should be about.

 

[JackSomething]

That’s quite an interesting comparison especially looking at coopers stats in comparison to the rest

I was certainly not Cooper's biggest fan as the football was hardly fun to watch (although Covid times probably didn't help) and after one season under Potter, I was hoping more entertaining football was back on the agenda.

Time has certainly proven me wrong on that one. We may have shit the bed at Wembley and I think it was clear he wanted out by that summer, but he knew how to win games (and loan really really good young players from the England youth set-up).

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

The people who are expressing doubts about Sheehan don’t seem to have an issue with us losing games but are more concerned with our levels of performance

Well in that case the concerns are nigh on redundant.

People have incredibly short memories. Under Martin and Williams we were getting absolutely tonked before half time anywhere between half a dozen to a dozen times a season. Out of games before they started.

Under Sheehan we are in every single game with a chance of something until the dying embers. Yesterday is the first time we've lost by two goals all season.

We have got to let go this idealised version we've got that if it's not Roberto/Brendan/Laudrup football, then it's not acceptable. Years have gone by. The club has changed, football has changed, it's time to move on and stop holding current managers to impossible standards.

 

[sit_down_jack]

Well in that case the concerns are nigh on redundant.

People have incredibly short memories. Under Martin and Williams we were getting absolutely tonked before half time anywhere between half a dozen to a dozen times a season. Out of games before they started.

Under Sheehan we are in every single game with a chance of something until the dying embers. Yesterday is the first time we've lost by two goals all season.

We have got to let go this idealised version we've got that if it's not Roberto/Brendan/Laudrup football, then it's not acceptable. Years have gone by. The club has changed, football has changed, it's time to move on and stop holding current managers to impossible standards.

I don’t see how previous managers come into this to be honest. If we just look at what we’re doing this season, yes we are in games but we are never in control of games. I thought we improved a little bit yesterday in terms of shots on goal even though they weren’t challenging the keeper at all but the other home games we’ve done nowhere near enough in attack.

I’d argue our defence hasn’t been as solid as it used to be recently either so we haven’t got that to hang our hat on either.

As for the idealised version of football, it’s not the case that everyone who doubts the current set up wants to play “Swansea Way” football. If you ask me I think football has moved on also and that style is harder and harder to play, especially at the top level. It wouldn’t make us stand out any more.

I don’t think having more shots in games at home and a bit more control is an impossible standard to judge a manager by to be honest, it should be the norm for any club at our level.

 

[Frankie Burrows Cap]

I was certainly not Cooper's biggest fan as the football was hardly fun to watch (although Covid times probably didn't help) and after one season under Potter, I was hoping more entertaining football was back on the agenda.

Time has certainly proven me wrong on that one. We may have shit the bed at Wembley and I think it was clear he wanted out by that summer, but he knew how to win games (and loan really really good young players from the England youth set-up).

I think Covid definitely played a part in Cooper’s legacy (and how he was viewed at the time - I felt similar to you at the time).

No crowds probably helped the players in that they were never given grief for sitting in when 1-0 or 0-0 BUT I importantly I think when ‘we’ watch on TV it’s more a case of ‘entertain me’ whereas in the ground the emotions of the scoreline/result (clearly that’s what sport is all about) becomes far more important. People would have left the ground being far more positive which would then be reflected on forums and social media.

Playoff performance aside I think he’d be more fondly remembered if they’d been 2 ‘normal’ full seasons.

 

[monmouth]

I was certainly not Cooper's biggest fan as the football was hardly fun to watch (although Covid times probably didn't help) and after one season under Potter, I was hoping more entertaining football was back on the agenda.

Time has certainly proven me wrong on that one. We may have shit the bed at Wembley and I think it was clear he wanted out by that summer, but he knew how to win games (and loan really really good young players from the England youth set-up).

He did win a lot of games by sheer spawny luck!

 

[monmouth]

I think Covid definitely played a part in Cooper’s legacy (and how he was viewed at the time - I felt similar to you at the time).

No crowds probably helped the players in that they were never given grief for sitting in when 1-0 or 0-0 BUT I importantly I think when ‘we’ watch on TV it’s more a case of ‘entertain me’ whereas in the ground the emotions of the scoreline/result (clearly that’s what sport is all about) becomes far more important. People would have left the ground being far more positive which would then be reflected on forums and social media.

I think this is very perceptive indeed, and something I have been guilty of since Covid changed my Saturday ‘live’ habit that has never returned.