I, like many Swans fans ahead of Tuesday night's game against Preston,was a little fearful for the way we would react. In fact, most fans would have forgiven the team had they indeed taken their eye of the ball and not turned in a performance expected of them. However, as is the norm, Martinez and the Swans didn't make the same mistake twice (a la Cardiff Cup match and then Reading), and Preston were duly dispatched. In spectacular fashion.

The 4-1 thumping was of course tempered by the news that we will miss Darren Pratley for up to 10 weeks. This situation as we all know, is nothing new. Back in November, things looked desperately bleak when Ferrie Bodde was ruled out for the season, and here we are once more with another leading player out for a long time. The solution for most people will be to continue with the three man midfield, albeit with Gomez, Britton and Allen, and I'd be surprised if Martinez thought differently. 

It has to be remarked that while greatly dismayed at the news of Pratley's injury, it's fantastic to feel like we can still get both results and performances without two of our first choice centre midfielders. Gone are the days when we relied on one man to win games.

Because, the truth is, the team wins us games now. Scotland is there for his goals. Bodde and Allen for their passing. Pratley and Britton for their tireless running. Rangel and painter for their ability to attack and defend and I won't bore you with the rest. It seems we can take any one of these out and replace them, and be ok.

Much was made of Owain Tudur-Jones' poor form when he came into the side, but not once did we lose. Most people would have been hiding behind the sofa at the prospect of Alan Tate playing left-back or the majority of the match in goal, but once more, we haven't lost in either of those situations.

Butler, Tate, Tudur Jones, Scotland, Monk and De Vries have all come in for staunch criticism at times, but here they are, contributing greatly to a team just 9 places off the Premiership.

Never has the saying "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts" been more apt. Gone are the days of pre-empted celbrations from the likes of McLeod, Trundle and Robinson. It's amazing what can be achieved when it doesn't matter who's getting the credit. Because at some point or another this season, each player has been taking the plaudits.

That is what Martinez will have wanted at the start of the season, and it's what Martinez will continue to instill into them as we draw a) closer to the play-offs and b) towards the end of the season.

Full steam ahead!



 
 

Let's rewind the clock. Much has been said of Swansea City's rise from near extinction in 2002, and near relegation in 2003, and the FA Cup once more provides us with another opportunity to exorcise the ghost of years gone by.

November 11th 1995, and the Swans face a tricky trip to Fulham, a team in the division below. However, even given the fact the Swans were struggling in the then Division Three, it was hard to imagine the 7-0 thumping that followed. The result was made even more incredible by the fact Fulham had been on a 14 match winless run.

Things have of course, changed around since then. The Swans and the Cottagers no longer operate in the lower echeleons of the football league, preferring to mix it with the big boys.

While Fulham have been bank-rolled by the ever obliging Mohammed Al-Fayed, the Swans have stabilised the club after years of uncertianty and are now run by a board who are Swans fans through and through, and who have the club's best interests at heart. We may not have the money, but you know what, we've got the talent, heart, style and work-ethic to add Fulham's scalp to that of Portsmouth's.

As Roger Freestone, one of Swansea's most loyal servants picked the ball out of the net 7 times against Fulham, I imagine his frustration was almost unbearable. As it was when he was crudely refused a contract by Kenny Jackett, whithout having been given a chance to say goodbye to the fans.

Roberto Martinez, a man acutely aware of the emotion in football made amends for this. And in presenting both Roger and hat-trick hero James Thomas before the Liberty faithfull, he gave two very important men in Swansea history the chance to say goodbye. Don't be surprised if a similar masterstroke is pulled again.

Roger's appearance came in timely fashion, whipping up a fervant atmosphere ahead of a game the Swans needed to win by 3 goals to win a play-off place and boy, was the atmosphere special. Wouldn't it be a nice piece of footballing symmetry to welcome Roger back once more, so he could watch his beloved club put to bed probably one of the worst days of his career.

Because mark my words, following the fabulous win over Portsmouth, the sky is the limit for Roberto's silky Swans. We will now be an even bigger attraction for televised matches in both the league and cup, and are going from strength to strength. On the back of a 12 game unbeaten run, it's difficult to back against the Swans at the moment. And, having not conceded in 5 games, Roger, Roberto and the whole of Swansea will be safe in the knowledge that there will be no repeat of that terrible day in November 1995.

 
 

Hello to all readers on scfc.co.uk! Hope I can provide you with as interesting a column as the other columnists do. I write on a variety of topics not just Swansea City, so if you want to have a look, please do. www.osheasport.co.uk is where you'll find sporting opinion, betting tips and even a podcast amongst my archived Swans columns and interviews. Right, so onto the good stuff.

First of all, please excuse me for putting the excitement of the Portsmouth game aside. As desperate as I am for the Swans to put on a great show and beat Pompey (which I think we will), I'm more excited about our league prospects.

The next 7 games are played against teams either around, or below us, and 4 of them are at home. Given our 11 match unbeaten run and 3 consecutive wins, it's hard to not be excited at the prospect of a good amount of points in the coming weeks.

It's been very interesting looking at supporters opinion as we've gone through the season so far. Some pessimistic supporters were panicking during the run of draws, and pointing to the lack of a Mr. Bodde - other more optimistic individuals point to the fact that we've not lost without him. Either way, you can't deny the facts. Seeing as I am always fascinated by the more hidden facts in sport, I thought I'd bring a few of Swansea and the Championship's stats to you.

It is always fascinating when facts come up against popular opinion - for example Jacks around the world will bemoan the number of dropped points this season, and they'd be right to - we've dropped a total of 15 points from winning positions, drawing 6 and losing 1, the 5th worst team for doing so. If we had Sheffield United's record this season, (just 2 points dropped from a winning position), then they'd be level on points with Reading in 2nd place.

Anyway, moving on, what should be mentioned is that the Swans are also in 5th place for gaining points from losing positions. 11 points have been accumulated despite falling behind and of the teams above us in this respect - Burnley, Preston, Wolves and Birmingham, we've beaten 3 of them - quite a feather in the cap, I'd say.

We've also had a fair amount of players sent off for the opposition this season, including in our last 3 games, where we really have stepped up our performances I feel. In total, it stands at 6, which is almost a quarter of all our games. My favourite stat has to be that Stephen McPhail has picked up 6 cards against us this season, in just 2 hours of football - one for every 20 minutes spent on the Liberty Stadium pitch.

Our defence has come in for some criticism this season too, but a run of 4 consecutive clean sheets and a total of 10, (Reading have the most, with 12), means we have one of the tightest defences in the division, although the recent run suggests it is an improved defence. (Anything to do with Alan Tate?).

Interestingly enough, Swansea amongst it's fans have gained a reputation for losing to teams they really shouldn't. However this season, not since the opening day have we lost to a team that is now in the bottom half. We've won 5, drawn 7 and lost 1 (Charlton) in total, putting us in mid-table in this respect. When you then look at how we've fared against the top-half of the table - won 4, drawn 7, lost 4 (7th position), it's easy to see why Martinez thinks we can have a real go at this division.

3 of our 5 defeats have come against the top 3, and considering we don't have any of them to play again, it's hard to argue against the reality of a play-off push.

A random statistic which perhaps shouldn't be paid that much attention to is that Swansea have not lost a single game when drawing at half-time. Of the 15 games that have been locked after 45 minutes, we have won 3 and drawn an incredible 12, but importantly not lost. Just goes to show what Roberto must say in the dressing room certainly does us no harm. We have however, lost on 1 occasion when in front (Birmingham (H)), but that is widely attributed to losing Bodde and Britton.

Since that game on November 21st, Swansea have not lost, making the current 10 match unbeaten run, the best in the division so far this season. Swansea have also lost the least amount of home games and the much celebrated league record of 8 consecutive draws is safe in the bag.

The only concrete statistic us fans can influence directly of course is the attendance, and perhaps we are a little harsh on ourselves. Our attendances have come in for some criticism in some quarters, but we fill 75% of our stadium every game. Taking into consideration the poor away support that comes to almost every game, that's not that bad at all, 11th in the Championship in fact.

All in all, the stats make for good and interesting reading. As a Swans fan though, I think the only one any of us care overly about right now however, is that magical 6th spot (or above), come May 3rd.




 
 

Well I'm very chuffed with my 2-0 and Jason Scotland to score prediction, though I'm quite glad Pratley didn't. If he had been there in the box instead of Scotland at the end, I'm pretty sure I'd have been crying seeing as I didn't put any money on it and the odds would have been astronomical!

Anyway, it was a fantastic and well deserved victory, which I thoroughly enjoyed watching in a Parisien bar. Most of the locals were fascinated as to why there was one TV not on the Stoke v Liverpool game - it became apparent when I screamed at the TV at every opportunity. I actually discussed the match with a Frenchman who supported Birmingham, though he didn't seem to know too much about them. He was however, impressed with how we'd kept the ball, and played expansively.

In any case, given our loss to Reading in September, I thought I'd take a look at all the games Roberto Martinez has been in charge of so far, where we have lost the first league game against a team, and how we have fared in the second meeting. I'm not going to pay too much attention to the 06/07 games we lost, as there was a long time in between the two meetings, and Roberto was just weeks into the job. Anyway, here goes:-

-Oldham 2-1 Swansea          ------>        Swansea 2-1 Oldham

-Swansea 1-2 Doncaster      ------>        Doncaster 0-4 Swansea

-Swansea 0-1 Huddersfield   ------>        Huddersfield 0-1 Swansea

-Leeds 2-0 Swansea             ------>        Swansea 3-2 Leeds

-Swansea 2-3 Birmingham    ------>         Birmingham 0-0 Swansea

Even adding in the 06/07 games-

-Millwall 2-0 Swansea            ------>         Millwall 2-2 Swansea (07/08)

-Swansea 3-6 Blackpool        ------>         Blackpool 1-1 Swansea  (08/09)

Added to the well rehearsed statistic that we have never lost 2 consecutive league games under Roberto, must surely go the fact that at the time of writing, we have never lost to the same team twice. As shown above, each team we lost to in the first half of last season, we turned over on the second meeting, be it home or away. This season, even after losing to Birmingham at home having dominated the game, we went away and dominated there too, restricting a team in 3rd to just one shot on target all game, whereas we created 19 shooting opportunities.

Something we must appreciate more than perhaps we do about Roberto is that he seems to be able to work teams out, or motivate the Swans to ensure that the same result does not happen again. It is no fluke statistic the above, given that the teams we lost to were all teams there or thereabouts in the division. You can guarantee that if that record is in tact come the end of the season, we won't be far off the play-offs.

Tomorrow's game is very hard to call, however I can't help but fancy us and not just because of our record. Aside from the first 45 minutes away to Reading, there is no team we have failed to compete with and we've already gone to Birmingham and Wolves. Our home form is good in the sense that we very rarely lose there now. Our sole defeat came in a game where we lost two key players, and therefore our momentum. However, we haven't lost since then, and going without loss through November and December and so far January is no mean feat at this level even given all the draws.

So, I'm going to let my heart rule my head once more and go for a third win in a week, with the Swans triumphing 2-1, Jordi Gomez and our Jase doing the damage.



 
 

So with Swansea one draw away from setting a new record of 9 consecutive draws, I've spoken to some football fans who think we as Swans fans should take a draw in the next game so that at least we will have set a new record during this incredible and frustrating run.

The half-full and half-empty debate has been gone over many times in recent weeks so I won't bore you by going over it, because unquestionably as Martinez tells us, there are far more positives than negatives.

The developments since our game against Birmingham nearly 2 weeks ago have also lead to great excitement amongst fans, and I'm sure players alike. The way Nathan Dyer has conducted himself in the press, and the way he has spoken about the club and team can only have endeared him to even the fans that have condemned him somewhat. The acid test for him, however will be his performances, and I think we can be excited.

As a player who clocked just 11.03s in the 100m once, he has natural pace, and will offer us something that no-one can at the moment. Our counter-attack, devastating sometimes, but too slow at others, will now be twice as effective, and will also push opposition full-backs back, for fear of being exposed for their pace.

What is very unlike Martinez, is that Dyer is set to go straight into the Swansea side tomorrow. Usually, any loan or permanent signing goes through a transitional period of substitute appearances before making their full bow, a la Gomez, Williams and the like. I think what this shows is just how desperate Martinez has been for someone in the Paul Anderson mould. He may not have shown it, but clearly now he has one, he wants to utilise them immediately. What is great about that of course is that even in that desperation, he has not rushed out and bought the nearest quick player as some might have done. He has waited for the right man, and the fact that there is a view to permanent deal only bodes well for us frankly.

So if Dyer is to come in and everyone else is fit, how will Martinez fit everyone in, with Gomez having shown so much promise early on, and Allen having played so well of late. I think he will go with De Vries, Tate, Williams, Monk, Rangel, Gower, Allen, Pratley, Britton, Dyer, Scotland. With Gomez having looked leggy recently, no doubt because of his first full season in football, I think he will have the opportunity to rest up, and make an impact as a substitute for Allen around the hour mark.

The signs are good. It's been a while since we performed terribly non Sky (save Horsham last year), and I think, with Burnley having no wins in 4, and having played out the miserable second half on Tuesday night, the Swans will emerge 2-0 winners, Jason Scotland and Darren Pratley earning us the spoils...

 
 

Last month I saw Nathan Dyer start for the first time in his loan spell at Sheffield United against Crystal Palace - a massive game which signalled the return of Neil Warnock to Bramall Lane. The match I witnessed produced little in the way of footballing highlights, but in all fairness Nathan Dyer was one of those positives. He scored a tremendous goal just before the break, anticipating the mistake of the Palace defender, before showing poise and a great finish to put the Blades 1-0 up.


In fact, the friend I watched the game with (a Sheffield United seasonticket holder) commented on his disappointment not to have seen more of Dyer during his loan spell given his good performance in this game.

Some Swans are most definitly aware, others may not be so, but Nathan Dyer was convicted of a rather nasty and cynical crime not so long ago. On a night out with some friends, drunk, he stumbled into the cloakroom of the club he was in and proceeded to steal from the waitresses of the nightclub. He was found guilty, ordered to pay the stolen money back plus costs and do 100 hours community service which would become a jail term if not completed.

I've been keenly reading messageboards and guestbooks since the announcement of his arrival and must say I'm not at all surprised at the divided view. What I will add to this is that, whilst his crime was awful and cowardly and rather pathetic in all honesty, I do think it's not so serious the lad should not be allowed to get on with his life. After all, he didn't drink-drive, or even speeding - both crimes which can actually put the lives of people in danger, but would in my opinion, cause less of a stir.

With Leon Knight, it was interesting that because Kenny Jackett was so out of favour with many of the fans, Knight was cast as the victim, although I must say Jackett was ultimately proved right with Knight being sacked by his latest club, Rushden - a sad situation for such a talented player.

I think ultimately fans opinions will rest on his performances. Martinez will be well aware of all the facts, and was even around for the Knight fiasco. He knows what a bad-boy could do to our team ethos, and I'm sure if there was any trouble from anyone, Dyer or otherwise, they would be surplus to requirements. Let's not forget how long it's taken Alan Tate to get a run in the team after he came back from pre-season with a bad body fat percentage -  The same Tate who joined us at the with Martinez, and together helped save the club from the Conference. Ultimately, only time will tell....