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Alan Waddle
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Swansea City are tearing up record books but Steve Cooper's side must overcome brutal competition to become history boys
Source: Wales Online
Fan columnist Guto Llewelyn looks at how Swansea's record in the Championship so far compares with years gone by and outlines the challenges they face in the second half of the campaign
Swansea City are now halfway through the Championship season and it's fair to say they've put themselves in a seriously good position.
Steve Cooper's men are second in the table with 43 points from their first 23 games. Only league leaders Norwich have won more games than the Swans and their defensive record is the best in the division.
The first four months of the campaign have been fantastic and when put in a historical context, they look even more impressive.
Seldom has any Swansea side enjoyed such a brilliant first half to a season.
In the 100 years since they were invited to join the Football League, Swansea have only ever been higher than second at the halfway stage on two occasions, in 1948/49 and 2007/08. This is only the third time they have ever been second at the halfway stage and it's the highest they have ever been at the midway point while playing in the top two divisions.
Swansea fans are not used to seeing their team this high in the table. Statistically speaking they've been much more likely to see their team rock bottom at this stage than in the top two.
Positions like this one do not come around that often for Swansea.
Only three Swansea teams have ever accumulated more points from their first 23 games than this season's group.
Well, in fact only Roberto Martinez's class of 2007/08 managed it but the teams of 1922/23 and 1948/49 would have also beaten the current points total had they used the modern system of three points for a win rather than two.
It's no secret that Swansea have had a great season so far but it's even more impressive when compared to previous campaigns.
The half time report looks great but 50 per cent of the season is still yet to come. Being second in the league at this stage means little if a side's form falls off a cliff in the months to come.
However Swansea teams tend to get the job done when in this type of position. They have only occupied an automatic promotion spot at this stage of the season on seven occasions in their history but in five of those seasons they have gone on to seal promotion.
Of course most of these were several decades ago so even the most superstitious Swansea supporters would have to admit they have no bearing on how Steve Cooper's men perform this year.
However a look at more recent Swansea season may provide some good omens.
Swansea tend to perform better in the second half of campaigns. Only once in the past 10 seasons have the Swans finished the season in a lower league position than the one they occupied at the half way point.
Last season was only the second time in that period that the Swans have taken fewer points in the second half of the campaign than they managed in the first half. Even then they still pulled off a superb comeback to snatch an unlikely place in the play-offs.
Swansea's own history suggests they are not the type of team which traditionally takes a foot off the pedal after Christmas. The records also show that teams in Swansea's position tend to push on and seal the deal.
In the past five years every team sitting second in the Championship at the half way stage has gone on win promotion to the Premier League at the end of the season, with three of them going on to take the title.
The story for teams sitting on top of the tree at this point is not quite so rosy, with two of the last five sides in that position failing in their missions to reach the top flight.
The omens are very good but it goes without saying that there is still an extremely long way to go and plenty of obstacles ahead of us. It’s been a while since the race for the top two in the Championship was this challenging.
The Swans may be second but they have serious competition. The likes of Norwich, Bournemouth and Watford have no shortage of Premier League quality and also have the depth to sustain a promotion charge.
Brentford may not have the top-flight experience and depth which has given these three sides such a big advantage but they are currently enjoying a 15-match unbeaten league run. They are the league's top scorers and have shown in recent games why the bookies fancy them for promotion.
As they proved against Bournemouth recently, when they hit top form they are as good, if not better than, any side in this division.
Five teams have already reached the 40-point mark. At the same stage last season only Leeds and West Brom had managed it. This shows how much more competitive the Championship has become this year.
With so many talented sides around them ready to capitalise on any slip ups, there is little room for error. If Swansea are to return to the Premier League they cannot allow their performance levels to drop.
The Swans have had one of their best first halves to a season ever and they have put themselves in a fantastic position to push for promotion but Steve Cooper will know better than anybody that they are still only half way up the mountain.
Source: Wales Online
Fan columnist Guto Llewelyn looks at how Swansea's record in the Championship so far compares with years gone by and outlines the challenges they face in the second half of the campaign
Swansea City are now halfway through the Championship season and it's fair to say they've put themselves in a seriously good position.
Steve Cooper's men are second in the table with 43 points from their first 23 games. Only league leaders Norwich have won more games than the Swans and their defensive record is the best in the division.
The first four months of the campaign have been fantastic and when put in a historical context, they look even more impressive.
Seldom has any Swansea side enjoyed such a brilliant first half to a season.
In the 100 years since they were invited to join the Football League, Swansea have only ever been higher than second at the halfway stage on two occasions, in 1948/49 and 2007/08. This is only the third time they have ever been second at the halfway stage and it's the highest they have ever been at the midway point while playing in the top two divisions.
Swansea fans are not used to seeing their team this high in the table. Statistically speaking they've been much more likely to see their team rock bottom at this stage than in the top two.
Positions like this one do not come around that often for Swansea.
Only three Swansea teams have ever accumulated more points from their first 23 games than this season's group.
Well, in fact only Roberto Martinez's class of 2007/08 managed it but the teams of 1922/23 and 1948/49 would have also beaten the current points total had they used the modern system of three points for a win rather than two.
It's no secret that Swansea have had a great season so far but it's even more impressive when compared to previous campaigns.
The half time report looks great but 50 per cent of the season is still yet to come. Being second in the league at this stage means little if a side's form falls off a cliff in the months to come.
However Swansea teams tend to get the job done when in this type of position. They have only occupied an automatic promotion spot at this stage of the season on seven occasions in their history but in five of those seasons they have gone on to seal promotion.
Of course most of these were several decades ago so even the most superstitious Swansea supporters would have to admit they have no bearing on how Steve Cooper's men perform this year.
However a look at more recent Swansea season may provide some good omens.
Swansea tend to perform better in the second half of campaigns. Only once in the past 10 seasons have the Swans finished the season in a lower league position than the one they occupied at the half way point.
Last season was only the second time in that period that the Swans have taken fewer points in the second half of the campaign than they managed in the first half. Even then they still pulled off a superb comeback to snatch an unlikely place in the play-offs.
Swansea's own history suggests they are not the type of team which traditionally takes a foot off the pedal after Christmas. The records also show that teams in Swansea's position tend to push on and seal the deal.
In the past five years every team sitting second in the Championship at the half way stage has gone on win promotion to the Premier League at the end of the season, with three of them going on to take the title.
The story for teams sitting on top of the tree at this point is not quite so rosy, with two of the last five sides in that position failing in their missions to reach the top flight.
The omens are very good but it goes without saying that there is still an extremely long way to go and plenty of obstacles ahead of us. It’s been a while since the race for the top two in the Championship was this challenging.
The Swans may be second but they have serious competition. The likes of Norwich, Bournemouth and Watford have no shortage of Premier League quality and also have the depth to sustain a promotion charge.
Brentford may not have the top-flight experience and depth which has given these three sides such a big advantage but they are currently enjoying a 15-match unbeaten league run. They are the league's top scorers and have shown in recent games why the bookies fancy them for promotion.
As they proved against Bournemouth recently, when they hit top form they are as good, if not better than, any side in this division.
Five teams have already reached the 40-point mark. At the same stage last season only Leeds and West Brom had managed it. This shows how much more competitive the Championship has become this year.
With so many talented sides around them ready to capitalise on any slip ups, there is little room for error. If Swansea are to return to the Premier League they cannot allow their performance levels to drop.
The Swans have had one of their best first halves to a season ever and they have put themselves in a fantastic position to push for promotion but Steve Cooper will know better than anybody that they are still only half way up the mountain.
