Season 20/21: Swansea v Brentford, Championship Play Off Final Match Thread

[PSumbler]

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see us win and have another year in the Premier League. But the fact is that it's been much more enjoyable watching young players like Roberts, James, McBurnie, Cabango, Rodon, Grimes, Fulton, Cullen, etc being brought through into the first team over the last three years than it was watching mercenaries like Shelvey steal a huge wage in the Premier League, not to mention the fact that we win far more games in the Championship than in the Premier. The journey is so much better than actually being there.

The last line is a perfect summary of it.

It's a shame as those first 3/4 years were the best years of my football supporting life, memories that will never fade.

The last 3/4 years were dreadful and I actually grew to dislike football for quite a while and the fact that we were #justanotherfootballclubturnedintoacorporateentity

 

[PSumbler]

You're last part is an interesting one as I don't have any nervousness and not a huge amount of excitement. In 2011 I could barely sleep for days leading up to the final and was the proverbial kid on Xmas Eve.

This isn't a dig but we spent 7 years in the Premier League. 3 or 4 of those were brilliant and times I will never forget, the last 3 were dreadful experiences where we spent half our time trying not to lose by too big a margin where in the early years we firmly believed we could beat just about anyone. And we did, winning at the Emirates, Old Trafford, Anfield, Stamford Bridge and pretty much everywhere including Wembley and Europe.

I believe my lack of excitement is knowing that if we go up we will spend most of next season getting roundly beaten by these teams and in twelve months time will be back down here just hopefully considerably richer for the experience. The Premier League made the football club quite corrupt and poisonous last time and we have just got back our identity off the pitch recently, I would hate to see that disappear.

Already I am hearing rumours that our American owners are coming over for the game on Saturday - we haven't seen them since we were relegated, the very definition of glory hunters.

I do though get your excitement and nervousness so as I said don't take it as a dig but I would certainly say this game means more to you than us as fans (not saying my cynical view is the same as everyones mind :lol: )

Haha, as you say, I definitely agree that it means loads to us. At the same time, we're so used to being disappointed that we'll take it on the chin. Last season, we couldn't attend the final, so this time round, we are all getting way over-excited about this, and you understand this from your 2011 memories.

I'm sorry that your American owners are only surfacing now. It's not right, but that's the way football has become, totally indistinguishable from football when it used to be a sport.

In the meantime, I'll go back to filling my thoughts about (hopefully) winning on Saturday, as there's really not much else going on in my head at the moment!

Best ones

Genuinely enjoy every moment if you win. I made a resolution when leaving Wembley in 2011 that I would watch all 38 games the next season. I think I managed 35 in the end with my 9 year old daughter, we made many memories and it was a superb experience.

As said if you win, genuinely enjoy it, it will be elation you've probably not experienced before and realisation you've achieved something you probably thought was impossible.

I'd like to wish you like but despite being a grumpy old cynic I clearly still want us to win :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[PSumbler]

And as a complete side, thank you for being a great addition to the discussion - your pals on Griffin Park Grapevine could learn much from you ;-)

 

[Thomas Frank]

And as a complete side, thank you for being a great addition to the discussion - your pals on Griffin Park Grapevine could learn much from you ;-)

If we do get to enjoy it, then I promise you, I will enjoy our first season in the Prem.

As for the fans' views on the GPG, just ignore it. Both sets of fans do it, every football fan does it, and I take it exactly as it's intended. Good fun and indication of how much we want to defend our clubs. In yesteryear, it might be have been a charge on the terraces, but nowadays, it's all bravado on the internet.

We're arrogant cockneys, you shag sheep.
Our manager has bulging eyes, your manager ain't no oil painting.
Canos is a diving cheat, Ayew has perfected the art of rolling around.
We're bottlers, Swansea play ugly football.
Etc, etc, ad nauseum.

But remember that most of us will happily drink a pint with each other, and there's no question that the vast majority of lower league fans support the little club when they're up against the big boys. It kinda means that we appreciate each other, deep down.

 

[sainthelens]

Bit of parity needed here.
Over at Hounslow, constantly mentioning Ayew the cheating bastard, planning trips to Man City/Liverpool.....fck me, hope they are prepared for a feeling like no other when Coops smiles at Frank at 4.45 Saturday.
All falling into place.

 

[AlarchAlmaenig]

Ayew does dive though doesn't he to be fair!

 

[Captain_Sham]

I seem to remember the Reading fans didnt seem too bothered about going back up in our playoff, which was something I simply didnt understand. I now understand it all too well. Were it not for our financial position, I'm not sure I'd want us back there at all.

 

[sainthelens]

Ayew does dive though doesn't he to be fair!

Only when he's kicked :lol:

 

[monmouth]

But remember that most of us will happily drink a pint with each other, and there's no question that the vast majority of lower league fans support the little club when they're up against the big boys. It kinda means that we appreciate each other, deep down.

There was a poster on 606, when we played you in the play off semi finals in 2006 called something like “Cmon you bees (let’s see where the journey takes us)”. He was a proper fan and I would be happy for him to be seeing you in the PL.

Just maybe next year hopefully.

 

[monmouth]

I seem to remember the Reading fans didnt seem too bothered about going back up in our playoff, which was something I simply didnt understand. I now understand it all too well. Were it not for our financial position, I'm not sure I'd want us back there at all.

Even Blackpool weren’t interested the second time, never sold all their tickets. Unlike when they humped our inferior cousins in 2010, the beauties. Now they are heading up from below after nearly being killed they would, as it feels like a new club.

I doubt if even our cousins would be that upset if they lost in the final now. Not that Mick McShit will take them there to get the chance. Or maybe they would be just as desperate to win, just to get a hat trick of proving they are nowhere near premier league class, and never will be.

 

[PSumbler]

Ayew does dive though doesn't he to be fair!

Its not a dive its testing the capabilities of a referee :lol:

 

[AlarchAlmaenig]

Ayew does dive though doesn't he to be fair!

Its not a dive its testing the capabilities of a referee :lol:

:lol: very good

 

[SgorioFruit]

anyone else shitting their pants

 

[STID2017]

I just have the feeling we will do it tomorrow.
I for one will enjoy each match home and away ( as long as we are allowed )
Tomorrow is OUR DAY !!!
COYS !!

 

[mrploppy]

anyone else shitting their pants

No, but pre-match nerves have started to kick in.