The Sinclair Saga

The Sinclair Saga

To set out my position early, I won’t be booing or abusing Scott Sinclair in any way following his announcement that he’ll not be signing a new contract. It was more than noticeable at Loftus Road; in fact a vocal minority stated exactly what they thought of his decision to leave Swansea.

Questions came to mind after Sinclair’s introduction, like, are some right to have this opinion? Are we justified in feeling aggrieved at his decision? Are those who voice their dissatisfaction right to do so?

Starting at the point that most players and pundits (well, they’re just former players!) state, it’s a short career, they have to think of themselves and that if you’re working at Asda and Tesco offer you £500 a week more to go, do the same job and work there, then anyone would go. I think that all but the most delusional supporters accept these points and agree that yes, they would take the money.

But the stark truth is, whichever way you paint it, football is not and has never been just a job.

It’s an emotional tie for the huge majority of those involved in any way and it should be remembered as such. To take Sinclair’s example, when he joined Swansea it should be noted that he’d had eight clubs by the age of twenty and his career was frankly heading towards the scrapheap of the talented young players who couldn’t ever realise that potential.

While Brendan Rodgers was his manager who rightly gets a lot of credit, players are all too quick to ignore everyone else that put their faith, hard work and effort in giving them the platform to play at their best. There are so many who help these players, the supporters who put their money into the club and actually support by going out of their way to make the new player welcome and help him settle in, or the owner/directors who trusted the manager to bring in a player who was frankly a gamble to mention just a few.

To return to the questions, are those who feel aggrieved justified in feeling as such? In my opinion, yes. Whichever way it’s painted by current and former players, it’s not a normal job or in fact a short career. These players are doing a job that every single one of the paying spectators would sacrifice almost anything for and at this level; they are paid at worst hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, a hell of a lot more than I’ll earn in a full working lifetime.

Let’s not forget it’s still even now the supporters who pay the player’s wages. In whichever way it’s portrayed, if people stop paying to watch then the pay stops. So when a player says that he’s not going to sign a new contract at the club that gave him a chance to build a career, he insults all those who made the effort to help him realise his potential, including the supportive fans.

I don’t accept the argument that it’s just a job. I’ve heard in Sinclair’s case that it’s his career and that we as fans should be grateful for what he’s done for us in getting us to the Premier League in the first place (the same could be said of Mr Rodgers and others).Again, this is nonsense. I would argue that if it’s just a job, then those people paid by the club and supported by the set up put in place by the club and supporters were simply doing their job, Sinclair’s goals included.

So are supporters right to voice those opinions? I think my point would be that they’re not wrong to do so but should perhaps realise that it’s a little of cutting off your nose to spite your face. After being insulted by the player who has simply used their club to further their career, I will forever defend their right to feel that way, especially at a club like Swansea which was saved and is essentially run by fans. The problem arises however that that kind of atmosphere doesn’t provide the rest of the players with the playing conditions that will bring out the best in them, meaning a potentially poorer result. Like I said at the beginning, I won’t be directing my abuse at Scott Sinclair. He’ll do what he thinks is right for him and we can’t change his mind. I’ll just go on supporting the club and not individual footballers. No one player is bigger than the club.

Half Term Report

As we approach the halfway point of the season, the only guarantee is that Swansea will avoid the dreaded accolade of being bottom at Christmas. It’s fair to say that the side has adapted very well, at home at least, to the challenge of the Premier League. These are just my opinions on the players to have played a part so far:

Michel Vorm – undoubtedly one of the Premier League signings of the season. Has earned the Swans countless valuable points almost single handedly with several man of the match performances. One can only imagine that several ‘big club’ scouts will be looking for a new job for missing a player like him for such a bargain price.

Angel Rangel – Solid, has adapted fairly well to the top flight and dealt with some difficult customers en route. Has shown that he’s dangerous linking with Nathan Dyer on the right flank.

Jazz Richards – Has deputised well after Rangel’s injury. Has proven his ability to play at this level but also that he needs more time before he’s ready to command a permanent first team place.

Ashley Williams – Has been good in the air and with the ball at his feet. A key component in the whole ethic of the side. Has adapted seamlessly to completing with some of the best attackers in the world.

Steven Caulker – His injury was a real blow as he had forged a good partnership with Williams. Dominant in the air, reads the game brilliantly, especially for his age and has the all-round attributes to be a top class England international.

Garry Monk – Still seems to be struggling with his foot injury when asked to deputise for Steven Caulker. His organisational skills and aerial dominance are good enough but his positioning and lack of pace make him a target for the opposition. Still a great club captain and back up to have.

Neil Taylor – Started the season wonderfully, including keeping Theo Walcott and others completely in check and out of the game. Has since suffered a significant dip in form compared to his blistering start but still looks to have the potential to be a top flight left back for decades to come.

Leon Britton – Pure class, performs one of the most underrated tasks in football wonderfully well with a passing accuracy to rival the very best in the world. A true living Swansea legend and frankly one of the best players that we have ever had.

Mark Gower – One of the players that we need to replace if we are to progress. Has adapted brilliantly to the style and to a completely new role for him but he lacks the vision and speed of decision making to hurt the opposition.

Kemy Agustien – Not the defensive midfield enforcer that some think. Has an abundance of quality on the ball and at times seems to have the vision to pick out the occasional special pass. His downside is a lack of discipline when the opposition have the ball. Seems lost and unable to stick to the formation. Overall, has the potential to learn to be a very good player but not quite ready yet to hold a first team spot.

Joe Allen – A true rising star who is proving in most games that he’s the difference between getting a result and not. Brilliant both with and without the ball, could genuinely fit into almost any side in the Premier League.

Andrea Orlandi – The little football he has seen has only proven without doubt that he is too lightweight for the British game. Has the technical ability but has found that he’s completely incapable of affecting the flow of a match.

Craig Beattie – Has nowhere near the quality to play at this level and doesn’t fit into Swansea’s style of play.

Stephen Dobbie – Just hasn’t had a chance to get into the side. In my opinion based on performances last season, he’s unlikely to be able to make a massive impact in the Premier League but if he is able to take his chance when it comes, then who knows?

Wayne Routledge – A difficult player to pin down. The experiment of deploying him as the attacking midfielder has proven that he’s not capable and is suited to wing play. Brilliantly cutting at times but not clinical in front of goal and often holds on to the ball for far too long before choosing a pass. A good player to have in the squad but I doubt that he’ll be the difference at the end of the season.

Leroy Lita – A good back up to Graham. His pace and aggression is a thorn to top flight defenders and the goals that he chips in with could be the difference in survival or relegation.

Luke Moore – Another player who simply doesn’t fit the mould. Doesn’t fit the attacking midfielder position and lacks the work rate needed to be the lone striker.  A costly mistake.

Danny Graham – Doesn’t possess the genius movement of Fabio Borini but has proven himself a lethal finisher and more than capable of scoring at this level. Fits well with the style of play and despite often being isolated, works extremely hard with his link up play. Well worth the money paid for him and integral to the side.

Scott Sinclair – Has frankly underperformed. Has looked overly under pressure since the opening match and since, his first touch has deserted him and he’s lost that clinical edge that he possessed last season. A singular spark may be enough to set his season alight.

Nathan Dyer – His blistering pace and incisive runs have been a constant thorn in the side of defences this season. Has recently lost his place but will be a critical weapon in the fight for survival.

Brendan Rodgers – Has done very well with the players and resources at his disposal. Has steered a difficult start into a brilliant home record but has yet to find a set of tactics to bring home three points from England. Defensively, the pressing of opposition players on the ball works brilliantly but I’d love to see the players actually attempt to dispossess the ball carrier far earlier before they have a chance to create a chance. Offensively, I don’t think that Swansea have ever really filled the gap left by Jordi Gomez. Joe Allen does well going forward but isn’t a natural at finding the gap between the defence and midfield. If Brendan is able to find some real quality to add depth in the key positions, particularly an attacking midfielder to link our play to Danny Graham’s movement, I think the side could realistically look at a top ten finish. Overall, it’s fair to say that Brendan’s side have answered several of the critics who said that the passing football style wouldn’t work in the Premier League, vindicating his and Huw Jenkins’ brave decisions.

RIP Gary Speed

Normally I find it quite an arduous process to sit and write a blog about football. Today I’m finding it impossible to not write something, just anything. It was only as I arrived at the Liberty Stadium today that I learned about the passing of Gary Speed, roughly an hour before kick-off.

Other than on the pitch playing for Wales or on the television, I’d only seen Gary Speed just the once close up in person, after Wales’ 2-0 victory over Switzerland at the Liberty Stadium. Obviously this was nowhere near enough time to make an accurate judge of his character but what I did see impressed me greatly. He stopped for countless photographs and to give autograph after autograph following the game outside the ground as several current players took the opportunity to dodge past and onto the bus. He even stayed so long that I had to leave before he had finished with the mob of children begging to shake his hand. Compiled with the years of interviews that I’d seen with him and this encounter, it was safe to say I was impressed with his character and he simply seemed like a nice person, something that seems to be sadly lacking at times at the top level of football.

The terrible news today shocked me far more than I thought it would. I suppose thinking about it; Gary Speed had indirectly been an idol of mine. He was playing even before I started to watch football; I’ve watched and supported him when representing Wales, for years I’ve witnessed his commitment to continue to be a top class player and professional at every club he’s played for.

The atmosphere at the Liberty was the most peculiar I’ve ever experienced. The crowd fell completely silent several minutes before Kevin Johns compared and led the players in paying their respects, then as the minute silence was started, a spontaneous minute of applause began.  It was actually a brilliantly fitting tribute for a footballer who shone so brilliantly for so many years to every football fan.

I’d love to take an opportunity to say thank you to the Aston Villa supporters who were at the Liberty too. Even if Gary Speed’s death didn’t affect them as directly as it hit me, throughout the match they conducted themselves wonderfully with a class that only the best of football fans can possess.

Please rest in peace Gary, know that you served Welsh football as well as anyone ever and inspired generations of football fans around the world. Please know that you were loved. Most importantly at this horrible time, I pray that his family are safe and are looked after; the thoughts of Swansea City and the world of football are with you all.

The most important Swansea City match ever?

Saturday’s match against Manchester United could be the most important game that Swansea City have played to date. This isn’t a claim that I would ever make easily, I was at the Vetch that day against Hull in 2003 and also at Wembley last season and I won’t need to explain the significance and contrasting rewards and consequences of each of those ninety minutes to anyone reading this. Similarly I could never discount the Preston match to gain promotion to the top flight the first time around, albeit occurring far before my time. Despite these colossal standout moments in Swansea City’s history, I still think this weekend could prove to be equally, if not more important.

Yes it’s essentially another Premier League match with just eleven against eleven and the standard three points on offer. However for Swansea it marks an all-important and crucial time and what could be the day that a city finally decides where its loyalties lie. Growing up in Swansea, I watched as the Premier League exploded around us while we languished at the bottom rung of the Football League ladder. 

The effects of the saturation of all media in Britain and then the world invariably took its toll on the people of Swansea, who were as drawn as the rest of the world to the glamour of the Sky driven coverage. Ask all but a few in Swansea just five or six years ago who they supported and their answer would normally be one of Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal, despite never having been within one hundred miles of their respective home grounds. Yet they all lived within ten to twenty miles of the Vetch Field or the Liberty.

The promotion to the Premier League and decent start to the season has already begun to challenge the loyalty of these ‘fans’ to the distant clubs that they support. Having every club that they’ve always dreamed of seeing literally on their doorstep has proven too tempting for some, with season tickets sold out long before the first match of the season.

Swansea City felt the need to send out earlier this week a release that was nothing short of a stark warning to those who may still hold an allegiance to Manchester United and will undoubtedly inform the other home matches against the powerhouses of the division. The warning read roughly that anyone wearing United colours in the home stands at the Liberty will be ejected from the ground and that all parts of the season ticket must be present to gain entry at all. I was delighted hearing these words from the club; here they’re standing up to its public and the people of Swansea and finally claiming its territory and fan base as its own.

I see this weekend’s match as potentially the most important in Swansea City’s history for that very reason. I believe that this weekend, the people of Swansea will finally wake up and have to choose between Swansea City and Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and the other giants. The club have finally found themselves in the position to play their hand; the ball is now in the court of the part time supporters. Do they support a side that play hundreds of miles away and see them in person at most a couple of times a season? Or do they finally pledge their allegiance to the side that service the city in which they live?

I made my choice leaving Wembley as a child after losing the Playoff Final in 1997 once and for all. If just a proportion of those still sitting on the fence with split allegiances can be convinced to abandon their part time clubs then this really could be the start of something truly special for Swansea and Swansea City FC. This one match against the Premier League Champions and the club which has dominated English football for my entire football watching life could spark generations of involved support which could be passed right throughout families. It takes a match of this magnitude to ‘turn’ these fans into supporters, the task that the rest of us are left with is to make the atmosphere as unforgettable and irresistible as that day that we first fell in love with the Vetch, and hope that it hooks them too.

The Chance for a Revolution

Swansea and the rest of South Wales stands at a real crossroads. For the first time in a generation, there is a real chance for change. However, it's not politicians or industry that has provided this opportunity, but Swansea's footballers. There is an appetite for change in the area as a whole and the time has finally come to act upon it. And quickly.

Since Swansea's promotion at the end of May, I've witnessed an unprecedented sequence of events which have left me not only surprised but hopeful for the future. All season tickets for our inaugural Premier League season have been sold, 6000 new home shirts sold in a weekend and constant media coverage locally, nationally and even internationally.

While I've always appreciated the passion of the hardcore support with an interest in Swansea City, the move to the Liberty Stadium has provided a platform in the last 5 years has meant that many more one time customers have been transformed into regular visitors and what I would then class as supporters. This is the opportunity of which I speak. The chance that Swansea City finally has is to cement it's standing not only in the local community but in west Wales, the Irish republic, north Devon and Cornwall and even as far east as Cardiff. 

According to the 2009 mid-year ONS review, there were over 231000 people living in the Swansea area alone. Compare this to the 277000 people living in Newcastle as of in 2008 and it's clear to see that Swansea should be working harder to attract larger crowds to matches.

To truly take advantage of the progress so far, it seems that firstly, as has been alluded to by Huw Jenkins, we desperately need to increase the capacity at the Liberty Stadium. The true capacity is more 19500 than the built 20500 due to football segregation, although the club will push this figure as far as allowed next season. To attract a fan, the fan must be able to get a ticket to the game. The demand is clear to be seen now, if of course Swansea are able to keep their Premier League status. In any event, a 25000 seated stadium would have been the ideal size to build rather than what currently stands.

Secondly, the style of football has to remain in place. This has not only won Swansea the chance to play Premier League football but also many admirers throughout all walks of life, football fans or not. The truth of football football finance is that customers prefer to pay to watch a pleasing style of football. I see little problem with this at the moment as the approach taken by the board has clearly been vindicated by the success achieved.

Finally and most crucially, attitudes need to change in the area. In school being a Swansea supporter was difficult. I was ridiculed, albeit playfully, by the clubs ideal target market. It was nice to note their presence at Wembley in May for the Playoff Final however. Also gone are the days where hooligans and unpleasantness ruled football. There's still plenty of passion, especially in Swansea and you will hear expletives from time to time, but football in Swansea is something to enjoy. It is a product that can be a day out with friends or family, or can make you friends and family! 

Basically, you get exactly what you put in to supporting Swansea, unlike some other clubs. When you go to a football match here, you compete, even as a fan, directly with the opposition, who this season will be known globally. You get to do something that local politicians have been trying to do for decades here and make something good of the community and make Swansea famous and proud of something positive for once. With the Supporter's Trust having such a large stake in the club, you can even say that you're helping run the club and make decisions on it's future.

Whether at this time next season Swansea are back in the Championship or not, all I can really hope for is two things. Firstly that the children of Swansea and west Wales will not be asking for Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool shirts for Christmas but Swansea shirts with the likes of Sinclair or Graham on the back. Having the support of the wider community would be invaluable to the club in both the short and long term and is utterly critical to any future away from the lower reaches of the football league.

My second dream would be that the long term future of the club will now finally be secured. After two very close scrapes with liquidation and decades of neglect, the club is potentially secure for a decade. It's completely essential in my opinion, for the long term good of the club to construct a youth academy so that we are less reliant on the transfer market. Less money leaves the club as a result in the form of transfers and all related expenses and the club gains assets in the form of players for the first team and to sell on for a profit. The club finally has the money to do this and there's little doubt that it would suit the general ethos of the club.

The chance is finally here, I hope the people of Swansea and the surrounding area finally realise that this is their club. They can have their say, they can directly affect what happens. If you want to have a great football club to watch, if you want to compete with Manchester United and the other worldwide names weekly, then do something about it and get involved.

Calm down!!

Swansea approach their crunch game tomorrow with second place Norwich City in a strange situation. For the first time, we are experiencing what Sir Alex Ferguson aptly named "squeaky bum time" and one can't help but wonder just how the players, fans and club as a whole will react to the pressure of potentially being just a few games from the richest prize in football.

At home, Swansea seem fairly solid, not losing since early February and drawing only one of those games. It is away from home that Swansea's problems seem to be developing once again, as they had at the very start of the season. They have lost their last three away matches, including games against Preston and Scunthorpe, both of whom certainly look favourites to be relegated this season.

The match against Norwich has been billed as every part of the "six pointer" by the media, both local and national and it seems that some supporters and possibly players are beginning to get nervy. From one point of view I can see why, Norwich have opened a four point lead over Swansea over the last three games or so and the dream looks in danger of slipping away into a playoff nightmare.

The alternative view of course if that Swansea still have four home matches in their run-in, including being at home on the final day of the season against troubled Sheffield United. With our afore-mentioned good home form, this should give us a good springboard to compete for that last automatic promotion place.

I have to say that I am personally not even slightly nervous about Swansea's run in and all the possible twists and turns that it could bring. I put this down to living through the hell that was the 2002-2003 season and that final match against Hull City at the Vetch Field. For those that aren't aware, only a win on the final day of the season preserved Swansea's league status that season, a danger that was in my opinion far more important to the history of the club than the possible promotion to the Premier League that they currently chase could ever be.

That was the real time to feel the tension, to really feel the strain of football. Jobs, a football club and a whole community threatened to be obliterated that day. The fear was very real, if we were to leave the football league that day, the feeling very much was that we would not return. That team of players and staff, those fans and that community stepped up to the plate, dealt with the ultimate pressure that football can bring and emerged more than victorious. We are still reeling from the euphoria of that final Hull match. We've used that experience as the fuel to push us on to promotion from the fourth tier, to the our new home, then from the third tier and to challenge at the very top of the second tier of English football.

This current season and the excitement it's brought for me has been simply incredible. These were someone else's dreams back in 2003, staring down the barrel of extinction as a club. We were so low that entertaining such thoughts were pointless and just foolish. Having been born after the great days of the Toshack era, I have known nothing but disappointing campaign after disappointing campaign with the odd sparkle here and there of what this club could achieve with the right amount of pushing. The club is pushing now better than it ever could have imagined in the past and the frightening thought is, it could still be so much better.

This is not the time to feel pressure for fans, players and the club alike. We left that behind in 2003. We said collectively that day that we will do what it takes for this club to go as far as it can go. This is the reason that we watch and play football, to strive for success. Yes, it doesn't always pay off, sometimes even when you really deserve it but we will be the stronger for it, success or no success.

I'm sure the players will have been briefed extensively by the considerable presence of those who lived that awful season with us. Seven years later, Alan Tate, Leon Britton and Alan Curtis at least are still there drumming the lessons learned that season in and I'm sure if they can't get through to their colleagues then James Thomas would. He really could show some players how to handle pressure. I can't think of many other players who could score two penalties in a match of that magnitude for the club that he supported from his childhood and then have the audacity to chip the goalkeeper from 25 yards for his hat-trick!

If you feel the pressure against Norwich or at any time during this run in, think back to 2003. Think back to that defeat against Carlisle at the Vetch and that feeling in the pit of your stomach after that game. If you weren't at these games, like Carlisle at home, away at Rochdale in the penultimate match of the season or at the great escape against Hull in 2003, research it before this run in takes hold. Feel the real tension of those dark days and you'll be able to come out after and sing the side home this season and see it for what it really is, just another bit of progress and one hell of a ride!


A link to some short highlights of that Swansea and Hull game in 2003:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIkFuYD9Q2g&feature=related

The End of The Vetch Field

Over the past few weeks, work has finally begun on demolishing Swansea City’s former home. The drawn out saga surrounding the use of the land is not of any real interest to me and most Swansea supporters, the only concern is how this wonderful old ground has been treated. For more than five years it has stood idle, awaiting its inevitable fate. This three month dismantling period will be wrenching for me and every other Swansea supporter.

My first visit to The Vetch Field came at the age of six for a League Cup match against Port Vale during the mid nineties. It was a Tuesday night match on a fairly normal Swansea night, which meant rain and wind battering the coast and nearly all those at the ground. Despite the weather and dilapidated state of the stadium, that night I was bitten by not only the bug for watching live football but more importantly for the ground, the atmosphere and something which is not too often associated with football, the humour. Following that taster, my next match was a home match against Cardiff. I can’t help but think that having this kind of derby experience so early on really helped to cement my instant taking to the whole experience!

I'm not often able to vividly recall events from my childhood if I'm honest, but I remember every early visit nearly perfectly. Looking around the North Bank during these matches I couldn't help but think, “does the noise ever stop?” The singing, sights, sounds and more than anything, passion I felt from those around me was something I’d certainly not seen before as a child and definitely not found since, despite searching for it everywhere. I think I knew from very early on my association with the ground would be a long one. In the fifteen or so years of going to any game that I could, I saw promotions, relegation, titles and even a cup final win.

The ground was situated less than two minutes walk from Swansea City centre and consisted of four completely separate and bizarrely different stands from that each told a story from various eras in the club’s history. The North Bank was the terraced main stand holding the bulk of the support, in both the numeral and vocal sense and The East Stand was redeveloped in the 1970’s into the most unusual double tiered stand. The centre stand was the oldest and smallest stand while the West stand housed the away support and was a conversion from the old two tiered wooden stand that it had been before safety regulations forced the change.

The North Bank

The East Stand - note the floodlight!

It’s difficult to explain just why you fall in love with a football ground, just what it is that makes it a home for the fans or what makes some just a place where a team plays football. Most clubs outside of the largest five or six in England and Wales are locally based and the more grounds I have visited and the more fans I have spoken to, the more I believe it has to do with the sense of community that you can feel more intensely than in any other walk of life. What we had at The Vetch was not only an arena for the Swansea community to congregate, but somewhere to belong, enjoy ourselves, compete with the opposition vocally and on the pitch and most importantly to vocally express our Welsh passion.

When the ground was created (built seems to be the wrong word) not much was taken into consideration other than the very simplest thoughts, like having a spot for supporters to watch the game or a roof to keep them dry. What they didn’t know was in the North Bank, they had created a standing area where everyone was close to the pitch at all times and had put a roof over their heads so perfectly sculpted to creating an atmosphere that it added an extra dimension for the team each and every game. The atmosphere and feel of the ground was definitely unique and appreciated by fans and players alike, as outlined recently by Swansea legend Alan Curtis:

“It is obviously somewhere I hold with great affection. Forgetting football for a minute, I spent 30 years of my life at the Vetch. To a lot of people it was a second home. There are so many special memories held there, it was a funny shaped ground, the stands didn’t really match, but it clicked together somehow and created not just a hostile atmosphere for away teams but a great amount of warmth as well.”

The characteristics that I fell in love with at The Vetch Field are all so lacking in new stadia, including The Liberty Stadium, Swansea’s new home. Of course there are benefits, such as better facilities and views of the playing area, but frankly, I’d take the inadequate facilities and restricted views every day. I can honestly and happily say that none of these would have had me returning to the ground each and every week and owning a season ticket for 10 seasons straight. Football is nothing without a crowd there to make it worth watching and The Vetch was one of the most character filled and atmospheric places in which I’ve ever experienced not just football but any crowd at all.

After seeing most of my beloved North Bank disappear in just one week, the one thought that keeps swimming around my head is that despite the benefits of having a new ground, it feels like a massive mistake to have left a club’s spiritual home. It kills me to think that Swansea's new generations of fans in years to come will have to watch games sitting in near silence in a bland, characterless concrete bowl. I’d give anything to go back but the truth is that we have to concentrate on making the Liberty Stadium a real home.