Two games in and yet the knives are out already in some quarters

[magicdaps10]

In other news grass is green

It's as obvious as that but unfortunately there seems to be plenty of dull fookers who still can't see it.

And that's coming from me

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

We don't know what the wage bill was last season. Check back in 9 months when every club's accounts are actually published.

Not sure what point you're trying to make there. If you're saying that's 21/22 data and that doesn't count, ok, but are you claiming that after a January transfer window where we shipped out 5 players and signed none, our wages in 22/23 were likely to have gone up? Far more likely they went down, if anything.

But whether we drifted slightly downwards in the wage table to 13th/14th, or slightly upwards to 10th/11th, it's splitting hairs really. He still did a roughly par-for-the-course job, on median resources for the division.

No Brendan Rodgers. But no Bob Bradley either.

 

[jasper_T]

Not sure what point you're trying to make there. If you're saying that's 21/22 data and that doesn't count, ok, but are you claiming that after a January transfer window where we shipped out 5 players and signed none, our wages in 22/23 were likely to have gone up? Far more likely they went down, if anything.

But whether we drifted slightly downwards in the wage table to 13th/14th, or slightly upwards to 10th/11th, it's splitting hairs really. He still did a roughly par-for-the-course job, on median resources for the division.

You decided to make a precise statement about where we rank, I've simply pointed out that you're guessing so no one mistakes it for fact. Lots of clubs have been cutting back over the last few seasons, 2/3rds of the division didn't pay a transfer fee last term while we spent a few million on a defence that didn't improve until the system changed.

 

[Cooperman]

For a bit of perspective, in his last season he finished 10th with the 12th highest wage bill in the division. That's ho-hum, but it's not exactly shite either.

It's not unreasonable to hold the opinion that, ultimately, Martin didn't pull up any trees as Swansea manager - but the way some people talk it's like we've just had Bob Bradley in charge the past two years.

The truth is quite mundane really - he did an ok job, on resources that were the median for the division we are in.

Have you got the data to verify that claim re wage bill?

Also make the same comparison on players signed and transfer fees spent. We won’t be 12th in money spent via transfers.

Whilst he did an ok job, he could have done a better job had he been less stubborn in his approach to his process. The results achieved when he did deviate from ‘the Martin way’ back this up.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

You decided to make a precise statement about where we rank, I've simply pointed out that you're guessing so no one mistakes it for fact. Lots of clubs have been cutting back over the last few seasons, 2/3rds of the division didn't pay a transfer fee last term while we spent a few million on a defence that didn't improve until the system changed.

Splitting hairs though really aren't you. You're making it out like I'd just put £350m for the NHS on the side of a red bus. At worst, I'm using the last published wage data from spring 2022, and which was not likely to have wildly varied up or down in the season just gone. Hardly fanciful guesswork, if indeed it is.

Transfer fees on defenders don't come in to it by the way, I'm talking pure wage bill.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Have you got the data to verify that claim re wage bill?

Also make the same comparison on players signed and transfer fees spent. We won’t be 12th in money spent via transfers.

Whilst he did an ok job, he could have done a better job had he been less stubborn in his approach to his process. The results achieved when he did deviate from ‘the Martin way’ back this up.

The reason I cite wage bill not transfers is because it's a more dependable metric for evaluating performance. It's been proven over decades that, bar one or two outliers every year, wage bill is a pretty accurate indicator of where you'll finish, whatever league you're in. There's loads of stuff out there on this, loads of different sources, get Googling. So that's why I cite it.

Re your last paragraph - I totally agree. There was much he could have done better - not signing Fisher and Darling, for starters (terrible signings) and too much chopping and changing. But in the end, we sort of finished up roughly where we should have done in terms of our wage spend, so....

 

[Ross]

We were told when Duff came in that he was adaptable and will play to his squads strengths. Yet so far all I’ve seen is him trying to turn good footballers in to long ball merchants and stick with his rigid 3 cb’s when that is clearly a massive weakness.

I want him to succeed, as I do with any and every Swans manager. But so far, everything I thought he would be, he certainly is not. I don’t think he comes across well in interviews either, always seems annoyed that the players are trying to play too much on the floor.

All I see is Cooper 2.0 so far. That may well yield some success in the end but when he leaves we’ll be just as screwed as when Cooper left us in the mire.

 

[Bluenile]

There's some good points and some not so good points in this thread, par for the course. But why does it have to descend into two people arguing niceties and batting back and fore, while the rest of us watch on? It's a forum, not a boxing match. Try swapping phone numbers?

 

[LeonWasTheDog's]

The funny thing is our young gun defenders was protected by RM despite full of errors so never established what RM wanted from them. Now Duff is repeating the same challenge with the same 3 CB's. There must be a point when decision is made and question the ability of these 3 to play at this level whatever the style we adopt.

And then we go and sign another youngster CB and bring in a rookie goalie. It feels like we’re not making it easy for ourselves at times.

 

[LeonWasTheDog's]

We were told when Duff came in that he was adaptable and will play to his squads strengths. Yet so far all I’ve seen is him trying to turn good footballers in to long ball merchants and stick with his rigid 3 cb’s when that is clearly a massive weakness.

I want him to succeed, as I do with any and every Swans manager. But so far, everything I thought he would be, he certainly is not. I don’t think he comes across well in interviews either, always seems annoyed that the players are trying to play too much on the floor.

All I see is Cooper 2.0 so far. That may well yield some success in the end but when he leaves we’ll be just as screwed as when Cooper left us in the mire.

Yeah, I’ve been a bit underwhelmed with how we’ve gone about it. Rather than build on what we had, we seem to want to rip it up and start again. And it’s resulted in some ugly efforts so far.

That seems par for the course in how the club is being run though. We don’t seem to be picking an identity and then finding a manager to fit, so with each change there’s a big adjustment. That can’t help.

Still, as Phil says it’s very early days under Duff. I’m worried where we’re going, but he’ll need time.

 

[Nocountryforoldjack]

I see some of the martinestas are coming out of the woodwork.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

We don’t seem to be picking an identity and then finding a manager to fit, so with each change there’s a big adjustment. That can’t help.

I think you've absolutely nailed it here.

The club lacks focus. Maybe, over time, Watson will give us that focus. But until now, since we got relegated we've just lurched from one type of manager to another, zero continuity in terms of style of play, it's almost like the owners don't really have a plan. So every manager seems to be a reaction to the previous one. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater instead of looking at continuity.

One thing Duff has had is serious backing, and I'm pleased about that, because Potter, Cooper and Martin were all shafted in the transfer market at various times. It finally looks like the Yanks are starting to take it seriously, and not treat the club like a tiny annoyance on their portfolio's balance sheet. Long may that continue.

 

[Nocountryforoldjack]

Fucking hell, roll on the next game

 

[JanetE]

Knives

 

[Nocountryforoldjack]

Knives

Out