Russell Martin's Swansea can win six games out of eight, and then none of the eight immediately following that, leaving Phil Sumbler from Planet Swans at a bit of a loss to pin down exactly what his team is all about.
How's the season gone so far for Swansea?
Up and down is the only way to describe it. We had a great September and October and then went eight without a win. The best phrase really is consistently inconsistent — we seem to do better the lower our possession. You can work that one out.
Swansea league results so far…
Rotherham 1-1 Swansea Ogbene 16 — Darling 38
Swansea 0-3 Blackburn Szmodics 39, Brereton-Diaz 57, Travis 84
Blackpool 0-1 Swansea Ntcham 87
Swansea 2-2 Millwall Manning 1, Obafemi 13 — Cabango og 90, Wood og 90
Swansea 0-2 Luton Campbell 13, Morris 72
Boro 2-1 Swansea McGree 13, Crooks 30 — Piroe pen 79
Stoke 1-1 Swansea Campbell 90 — Piroe 6
Swansea 1-0 QPR Piroe 21
Swansea 0-1 Sheff Utd Khadra 90
Swansea 3-0 Hull Manning 61, Cundle 64, Piroe 85
West Brom 2-3 Swansea Livermore 48, Diangana 65 — Sorinola 6, Ntcham 71, Obafemi 89
Watford 1-2 Swansea Sarr 34 — Ntcham 52, Cabango 90
Swansea 2-1 Sunderland Cooper 13, Darling 45 — Clarke 51
Burnley 4-0 Swansea Vitinho 15, Rodriguez 29, 57, Zaroury 45
Swansea 3-2 Reading Darling 41, Cooper 60, Fulton 74 — Meite 26, Ince 33
Swansea 2-0 Cardiff Cooper 38, Obafemi 67
Bristol City 1-1 Swansea Conway 24 — Ntcham 76
Preston 1-0 Swansea Potts 30
Swansea 2-2 Wigan Manning 44, Piroe pen 84 — Keane 8, Naylor 16
Birmingham 2-2 Swansea Hogan 12, Deeney 89 — Ntcham 30, Grimes 45
Huddersfield 0-0 Swansea
Swansea 0-1 Norwich Pukki 1
Coventry 3-3 Swansea Panzo 29, Allen 47, Gyokeres 54 — Piroe 68, Fulton 76, Cullen 84
Reading 2-1 Swansea Carroll 27, Ince 53 — Cullen 71
Swansea 4-0 Watford Piroe 39, 78, Cullen 74, Latibeaudiere 87
Swansea 1-2 Burnley Cooper 27 — Maatsen 13, 22
Sunderland 1-3 Swansea Neill 64 — Piroe 50, Cullen 70, Cooper 78
A lot of draws lately, big win over Watford, comeback at Coventry... how are you playing coming into this game?
It’s difficult to say. Last weekend’s win at Sunderland was a good one but it will also be said it was against a side who played the majority of the game against ten men. We have probably played better than the results suggest but sometimes we can just dominate a game but forget to get shots on goal. Again, consistently inconsistent.
Assessment of Russell Martin's performance?
He has his fans and he has his critics. Probably broadly in equal measure with a group in the middle who will adjust depending on the last result. He has a plan and a belief in how the game should be played and we all want him to succeed because that means the team is doing well. If he can turn consistently inconsistent into consistently consistent then all well and good.
The Obafemi situation seems a bit of a mess, I though him and Piroe were going to be hard to stop this season, what's the latest there?
Obafemi doesn’t want to be here it seems but teams that want him seem short of our valuation. Definitely is a case of us needing to move him on - there’s a definite talent there but problems seem to follow him around ,that tells you a story. Piroe is just hitting form and with Liam Cullen looking like he is developing an understanding with him then Oba who?
Aren't you in danger of hanging onto a player who doesn't want to be there right the way down to the end of his contract when you could have had some cash?
Yes, but I do think we will do business on Obafemi this month.
Summer Ins >>> Harry Darling, 22, CB, MK Dons, £2m >>> Nathan Wood, 20, CB, Boro, Undisclosed >>> Joe Allen, 32, CM, Stoke, Free >>> Matthew Sorinola, 21, LB, Union SG (Belgium), Loan >>> Luke Cundle, 20, CM, Wolves, Loan >>> Armstrong Oko-Flex, 20, LW, West Ham, Loan >>>
Summer Outs >>> Flynn Downes, 23, CM, West Ham, £9.5m >>> Korey Smith, 31, CM, Derby, Free >>> Yan Dhanda, 23, AM, Ross County, Free >>> Ben Hamer, 34, GK, Watford, Free >>> Morgan Whittaker, 21, RW, Plymouth, Loan >>> Josh Gould, 25, GK, Released >>> Jordon Garrick, 24, RW, Lincoln, Loan >>> Kyle Joseph, 20, ST, Oxford, Loan
Winter Ins >>> N/A
Winter Outs >>> Jordan Garrick, 24, RW, Forest Green, Undisclosed >>> Nathanael Ogbeta, 21, LB, Peterborough, Loan >>> Brandon Cooper, 22, CB, Forest Green, Loan
Ryan Manning in running down contract shocker - how's that gone down?
Better than it has done with a few others who’ve done it. He’s done a good job for us and the thought more seems to be that maybe we could move a bit in both directions to meet in the middle.
Apart from that, any other January business to report? Everybody seems to want Morgan Whittaker... apart from Swansea.
Morgan is an odd one. Martin says he wasn’t bought back to sell but until he pulls on the shirt not sure I believe otherwise. If that happens in January then he wasn’t, if it happens in February for the first time then I will always believe. A good player but you are right not one we seem to want. There is a rumour he may be involved this weekend, lets see. Ogbene at Rotherham is a clear target but everything else at the moment is speculation it seems.
Stand out performers and weak links in the side?
Ollie Cooper as a stand out performer.
Weak link — goalkeeper Steven Benda has had a couple of poor games but wouldn’t say a weak link as such. However, there is more than one position that needs strengthening, that tells you the answer.
Expectations for the rest of the season?
If we can push above mid table towards the play offs then I’d be delighted but where we are is broadly where I expect to finish.
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