The "Swansea Way" 13:49 - Feb 22 with 2031 views | BryanSwan | I've seen and heard a lot of people speaking in defence of Russell Martin that he has got a group of young players playing the "Swansea way". Does anyone really think he has succeded in that? In comparison to the football played by teams under Martinez, Rodgers, Laudrup, Potter etc. The swansea way theory seems to be the only thing Martin fans are hanging onto, despite the obvious issues. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:01 - Feb 22 with 1999 views | vetchonian | We are not playing anything like the "Swansea Way" as seen under MArtinez,Rodgers or Laudrup who were the most lauded for this Just passing it around the back is not the Swansea Way Martinez utilsed Leon as an outlet to collect the ball from the centre backs to prevent them from having to hoof it up field he could then distribute the ball out to wingers....Ian Anderson aoriginally then Dyer ...we then brought in Rangel and the overlapping evolved...we didnt spend ages just passing the ball sideways and backwards under Martinez and neither did we under Rodgers we used some possession passing to allow our front players to get into space and also allow to rest on the ball but it was never kamakazee as we see under Martin | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:03 - Feb 22 with 1994 views | Treforys_Jack |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:01 - Feb 22 by vetchonian | We are not playing anything like the "Swansea Way" as seen under MArtinez,Rodgers or Laudrup who were the most lauded for this Just passing it around the back is not the Swansea Way Martinez utilsed Leon as an outlet to collect the ball from the centre backs to prevent them from having to hoof it up field he could then distribute the ball out to wingers....Ian Anderson aoriginally then Dyer ...we then brought in Rangel and the overlapping evolved...we didnt spend ages just passing the ball sideways and backwards under Martinez and neither did we under Rodgers we used some possession passing to allow our front players to get into space and also allow to rest on the ball but it was never kamakazee as we see under Martin |
Paul Anderson | ![](/images/avatars/8863.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:15 - Feb 22 with 1966 views | cadleigh |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:03 - Feb 22 by Treforys_Jack | Paul Anderson |
I was gutted when we failed to sign the flute-playing front man for Jethro Tull. I feel sure we'd be Champions League winners by now if it wasn't for those short-sighted owners. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:37 - Feb 22 with 1937 views | cadleigh | In my honest opinion (and I know plenty of people disagree with this, including many of my own family), there is no such thing as a "Swansea Way". It was a convenient phrase dreamt up by lazy journalists on clickbait websites to explain why a team they had barely heard of and knew nothing about were defying expectations by staying up in the Premier League more than one season. And we liked it because it suggested we were exceptional in some way, so it stuck. At various times it has meant anything from how we play football (on the grass, not in the sky) to how we were run by Jenkins et al. I respect those who see a 'golden thread' running through all our managers from Martinez to Laudrup. I don't see it myself, except insofar as Martinez, Rodgers and Laudrup all tried to copy the dominant style of Spanish football as it was at their time in charge, and these were distinctively different from each other. So maybe we should talk about El Camino de Swansea? More important, in my view, is that when the inevitable happened and we dropped out of the Premier League (because we are not exceptional, we are subject to the same tides of fortune as everyone else, and given our size and resources relegation was a question of when not if), some supporters saw this as a 'fall from grace'. If we'd been booted out of the Garden of Eden, it was because someone had been eating the apples - we had departed from The Swansea Way. Over time, that mythical 'Swansea Way' became absurdly oversimplified as possession for its own sake. And inevitably, when a prospective manager came along promising to restore The Swansea Way by giving us oodles of possession, people lapped it up. Resulting in this week's absurd spectacle of a manager who has won one game in the last six attempt to shrug it off by saying 'cheer up, I brought The Swansea Way back'. [Post edited 22 Feb 2023 14:41]
| ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:42 - Feb 22 with 1906 views | Togg |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:15 - Feb 22 by cadleigh | I was gutted when we failed to sign the flute-playing front man for Jethro Tull. I feel sure we'd be Champions League winners by now if it wasn't for those short-sighted owners. |
I don't think so. Not with his Aqualung | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:59 - Feb 22 with 1877 views | vetchonian |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:03 - Feb 22 by Treforys_Jack | Paul Anderson |
Jethro Tull moment | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 15:01 - Feb 22 with 1874 views | vetchonian |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:37 - Feb 22 by cadleigh | In my honest opinion (and I know plenty of people disagree with this, including many of my own family), there is no such thing as a "Swansea Way". It was a convenient phrase dreamt up by lazy journalists on clickbait websites to explain why a team they had barely heard of and knew nothing about were defying expectations by staying up in the Premier League more than one season. And we liked it because it suggested we were exceptional in some way, so it stuck. At various times it has meant anything from how we play football (on the grass, not in the sky) to how we were run by Jenkins et al. I respect those who see a 'golden thread' running through all our managers from Martinez to Laudrup. I don't see it myself, except insofar as Martinez, Rodgers and Laudrup all tried to copy the dominant style of Spanish football as it was at their time in charge, and these were distinctively different from each other. So maybe we should talk about El Camino de Swansea? More important, in my view, is that when the inevitable happened and we dropped out of the Premier League (because we are not exceptional, we are subject to the same tides of fortune as everyone else, and given our size and resources relegation was a question of when not if), some supporters saw this as a 'fall from grace'. If we'd been booted out of the Garden of Eden, it was because someone had been eating the apples - we had departed from The Swansea Way. Over time, that mythical 'Swansea Way' became absurdly oversimplified as possession for its own sake. And inevitably, when a prospective manager came along promising to restore The Swansea Way by giving us oodles of possession, people lapped it up. Resulting in this week's absurd spectacle of a manager who has won one game in the last six attempt to shrug it off by saying 'cheer up, I brought The Swansea Way back'. [Post edited 22 Feb 2023 14:41]
|
Nail head firmly hit | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 15:14 - Feb 22 with 1858 views | Boundy |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:15 - Feb 22 by cadleigh | I was gutted when we failed to sign the flute-playing front man for Jethro Tull. I feel sure we'd be Champions League winners by now if it wasn't for those short-sighted owners. |
I think you mean Ian | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| "In a free society, the State is the servant of the people—not the master." |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) | Login to get fewer ads
The "Swansea Way" on 16:26 - Feb 22 with 1797 views | BryanSwan |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:37 - Feb 22 by cadleigh | In my honest opinion (and I know plenty of people disagree with this, including many of my own family), there is no such thing as a "Swansea Way". It was a convenient phrase dreamt up by lazy journalists on clickbait websites to explain why a team they had barely heard of and knew nothing about were defying expectations by staying up in the Premier League more than one season. And we liked it because it suggested we were exceptional in some way, so it stuck. At various times it has meant anything from how we play football (on the grass, not in the sky) to how we were run by Jenkins et al. I respect those who see a 'golden thread' running through all our managers from Martinez to Laudrup. I don't see it myself, except insofar as Martinez, Rodgers and Laudrup all tried to copy the dominant style of Spanish football as it was at their time in charge, and these were distinctively different from each other. So maybe we should talk about El Camino de Swansea? More important, in my view, is that when the inevitable happened and we dropped out of the Premier League (because we are not exceptional, we are subject to the same tides of fortune as everyone else, and given our size and resources relegation was a question of when not if), some supporters saw this as a 'fall from grace'. If we'd been booted out of the Garden of Eden, it was because someone had been eating the apples - we had departed from The Swansea Way. Over time, that mythical 'Swansea Way' became absurdly oversimplified as possession for its own sake. And inevitably, when a prospective manager came along promising to restore The Swansea Way by giving us oodles of possession, people lapped it up. Resulting in this week's absurd spectacle of a manager who has won one game in the last six attempt to shrug it off by saying 'cheer up, I brought The Swansea Way back'. [Post edited 22 Feb 2023 14:41]
|
I would say that our rise from League 1 to the Premier league and even to an extent our first few seasons were considered as the "Swansea way" due to the fact that very few sides outside of the top 4 or 5 played in the style we did. We were a huge outlier in League 1 and the Championship. We struggled when we moved away from a distinctive style and became more result orientated under Monk and gradually the emphasis on results left us competing amongst similar teams with greater resources. (Relegation was then inevitable at some point). What Martin offers is not the way he predecessors managed us though, despite the differences between them they always played with width, pace and attacking intent. Maybe the most striking difference is Martins unwillingness to let us relieve any pressure on ourselves by playing a long ball out wide or over the opponents back defence. Williams was forever trying to hit a diagonal pass to a Winger stuck on the touchline. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 16:39 - Feb 22 with 1789 views | KeithHaynes |
The "Swansea Way" on 14:01 - Feb 22 by vetchonian | We are not playing anything like the "Swansea Way" as seen under MArtinez,Rodgers or Laudrup who were the most lauded for this Just passing it around the back is not the Swansea Way Martinez utilsed Leon as an outlet to collect the ball from the centre backs to prevent them from having to hoof it up field he could then distribute the ball out to wingers....Ian Anderson aoriginally then Dyer ...we then brought in Rangel and the overlapping evolved...we didnt spend ages just passing the ball sideways and backwards under Martinez and neither did we under Rodgers we used some possession passing to allow our front players to get into space and also allow to rest on the ball but it was never kamakazee as we see under Martin |
Absolutely agree this isn’t anywhere near any ‘way’ we have seen at Swansea. Martinez as an example had players of less ability ( in some cases ) and moulded them playing possession football, we all saw Tates attempts at it, hilarious at times, but there was an attacking ethos unfortunately which Martin doesn’t seem to be able to create with this team. I will agree Oko Flex was under used, fin Stevens was a complete waste of time and we rely on a motionless midfield with no ability to spot a pass and then when they do it’s Manning or Sorinola as the outlet. | ![](/images/avatars/27565.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 17:00 - Feb 22 with 1754 views | pencoedjack |
The "Swansea Way" on 16:26 - Feb 22 by BryanSwan | I would say that our rise from League 1 to the Premier league and even to an extent our first few seasons were considered as the "Swansea way" due to the fact that very few sides outside of the top 4 or 5 played in the style we did. We were a huge outlier in League 1 and the Championship. We struggled when we moved away from a distinctive style and became more result orientated under Monk and gradually the emphasis on results left us competing amongst similar teams with greater resources. (Relegation was then inevitable at some point). What Martin offers is not the way he predecessors managed us though, despite the differences between them they always played with width, pace and attacking intent. Maybe the most striking difference is Martins unwillingness to let us relieve any pressure on ourselves by playing a long ball out wide or over the opponents back defence. Williams was forever trying to hit a diagonal pass to a Winger stuck on the touchline. |
Agree Martin shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as Rodgers, Martinez & Laudrup who all played entertaining football (what I would class as the Swansea way) Sousa's football was boring but he made the defence more solid than Martinez just in time for Brendan to tweak it & take it to the next level. Martin just plays possession based football for the sake of it, personally I don't even believe he knows what he is doing anymore, the project is dead give us someone who actually knows what they are doing. | ![](/images/avatars/9450.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 17:22 - Feb 22 with 1720 views | KeithHaynes |
The "Swansea Way" on 17:00 - Feb 22 by pencoedjack | Agree Martin shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as Rodgers, Martinez & Laudrup who all played entertaining football (what I would class as the Swansea way) Sousa's football was boring but he made the defence more solid than Martinez just in time for Brendan to tweak it & take it to the next level. Martin just plays possession based football for the sake of it, personally I don't even believe he knows what he is doing anymore, the project is dead give us someone who actually knows what they are doing. |
Sousa was a revelation when you think he got the Swans to a higher position than Martinez, but even then people weren’t happy. I remember people moaning about finishing eighth in the premier league and the fact we only got five at Wembley for the league cup. | ![](/images/avatars/27565.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 17:41 - Feb 22 with 1687 views | cadleigh | My post was not so much intended to open up another discussion of whether there really was a "Swansea Way", if so when, which managers practiced it etc etc, as we could be here all night arguing the toss, and probably have fun while we are it. Rather, it was intended to highlight the toxic effect of believing in a magical talisman ("the Swansea Way") that makes the wearer invincible. It wasn't even true when were supposedly practicing it. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 17:48 - Feb 22 with 1678 views | Dr_Winston | To this day I still consider the 05/06 season as one of the most entertaining that I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Over 100 goals in all competitions playing fast paced, exciting attacking football featuring the likes of Britton, Trundle, McLeod & Martinez, yet the man in charge of it all was and is frequently labelled as a long ball manager. Swansea Way or not Swansea Way? | ![](/images/avatars/8802.gif) |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 18:11 - Feb 22 with 1636 views | cadleigh | Happy to be proved wrong, but I suspect no one talked about a "Swansea Way" until we had apparently lost it (December 2016 is the first reference I have been able to find). It's a post-facto simplification of complicated events and processes which makes it seem like Sousa was a natural stepping stone to Rodgers - like Jenkins woke up one morning and said to Morgan (in a purely Morecombe and Wise way) "Martin, what we need is a dour 1-0 merchant who can toughen us up defensively while we wait for a Tikki-Takka Messiah to come along". Mediaeval people were not aware that they were living in the Middle Ages because they weren't - to them it was the present and they were all the better for not yearning back to mythical lost or future times. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 18:42 - Feb 22 with 1595 views | BryanSwan |
The "Swansea Way" on 18:11 - Feb 22 by cadleigh | Happy to be proved wrong, but I suspect no one talked about a "Swansea Way" until we had apparently lost it (December 2016 is the first reference I have been able to find). It's a post-facto simplification of complicated events and processes which makes it seem like Sousa was a natural stepping stone to Rodgers - like Jenkins woke up one morning and said to Morgan (in a purely Morecombe and Wise way) "Martin, what we need is a dour 1-0 merchant who can toughen us up defensively while we wait for a Tikki-Takka Messiah to come along". Mediaeval people were not aware that they were living in the Middle Ages because they weren't - to them it was the present and they were all the better for not yearning back to mythical lost or future times. |
I think it is a way over classing a period of our time, from 2007 to 2014 although different under each manager we played a similar style of football. I suppose it wasn't brought up until our style had changed so drastically from what it was previously, small changes every few months up to Clement and Carvalhal. It was probably the most enjoyable period as a Swansea fan too so wanting to recreate that is probably why we all want a return to the "Swansea way". I just prefer Possesion based offensive football, which is what we played for the most part across that time. I could even settle for non-possesion based offensive football. Goals are fun and thats what football is all about. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 19:09 - Feb 22 with 1573 views | pencoedjack |
The "Swansea Way" on 17:22 - Feb 22 by KeithHaynes | Sousa was a revelation when you think he got the Swans to a higher position than Martinez, but even then people weren’t happy. I remember people moaning about finishing eighth in the premier league and the fact we only got five at Wembley for the league cup. |
In fairness Sousa's team were not entertaining but I still believe he was integral to what came later, the defence needed sorting. I cant believe anyone moan after we won our 1st major trophy but hey ho each to their own. | ![](/images/avatars/9450.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 19:14 - Feb 22 with 1562 views | jojaca |
The "Swansea Way" on 18:42 - Feb 22 by BryanSwan | I think it is a way over classing a period of our time, from 2007 to 2014 although different under each manager we played a similar style of football. I suppose it wasn't brought up until our style had changed so drastically from what it was previously, small changes every few months up to Clement and Carvalhal. It was probably the most enjoyable period as a Swansea fan too so wanting to recreate that is probably why we all want a return to the "Swansea way". I just prefer Possesion based offensive football, which is what we played for the most part across that time. I could even settle for non-possesion based offensive football. Goals are fun and thats what football is all about. |
Goals are fun, we have seen more goals than any other championship side. 96 in total with 13 to play. | ![](/images/avatars/9056.gif) |
| Even when you know, you never know? |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 19:49 - Feb 22 with 1518 views | A_Fans_Dad |
The "Swansea Way" on 19:14 - Feb 22 by jojaca | Goals are fun, we have seen more goals than any other championship side. 96 in total with 13 to play. |
Yes they are and it is the highest in the league to date. it is just a pity 50 of them were scored against us. The only other team to ship so many is Wigan at the foot of the table. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) | | ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
The "Swansea Way" on 21:21 - Feb 22 with 1420 views | BryanSwan |
The "Swansea Way" on 19:14 - Feb 22 by jojaca | Goals are fun, we have seen more goals than any other championship side. 96 in total with 13 to play. |
I suppose the caveat would be that it is us scoring them. I'm not so much a fan of the other type. | ![](/images/avatars/0.gif) |
| ![](/images/icons/ignore-user.png) |
| |