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January Transfer Thread
at 10:50 7 Jan 2025

You pick your team as the clubs needs dictates which is usually pick your best team,trying to keep him at the moment is the best option.
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January Transfer Thread
at 10:42 7 Jan 2025

Think a discussion to let them know that we would like to trigger the extension as part of that discussion review the contracts, maybe better to do after January xfr business sorted, if that is done early then hold the discussions earlier.
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January Transfer Thread
at 09:44 7 Jan 2025

He had the makings of a good player when he came here, maybe Martin had too many centrebacks eventually with Woods, Cabango and Darling but at the end of the day none of them are naturally happy on the left side, if anybody out of the three were it was Woods, Darling ends up being in a quandary as to what is needed on the left at time especially alongside Tymon, alongside Naughton in the left fullback ppsition he knew one hundred percent that he needed to cover for Naughton's lack of pace so was very quick out to the left to close the through ball down with Tymon he doesn't make the decision to come across early enough at times but I'm nit picking and we would miss him.

No doubtinng his commitment and trying to freeze him out with no viable alternative seems stupid, phase him out but at the moment we do not have that option.
[Post edited 7 Jan 11:08]
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January Transfer Thread
at 06:19 7 Jan 2025

As you say signed on until the end of the season as a stop gap from a pool of out of contract players outside the xfer window.

Really need to get some of our youngsters up to speed because we are really going to need to look at gettimg in some new blood to even keep the quality of the squad up.

Allen, Naughton and Pedersen contracts up at the end of the season which may release some funds but will we be able to get enough quality in.
Even if Abdulai proves his potential this season he will only have another season left on his contract, similarly
if Ginnelly recovers to prove his worth by the end of this season he too is out of contract at the end ofthe following season,

Tymon and Key will only have a season left on their contracts in the summer, anybody know if there are extensions which could be triggered in these four's contracts because will we be in a situation of players running down contracts next season?
Fulton will be the same, season would we be looking too get rid next season to try and improve the middle of midfield as we do need another midfielder able to do both the defensive and attacking side there alongside Franco and at the very least better cover for him.

Given the number aged and njured players we need to use the rest of this season to ensure we have a stronger squad next season while looking at the contracts of players we need to keep.
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 17:25 6 Jan 2025

I agree with the agree bit
[Post edited 6 Jan 20:23]
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 12:39 6 Jan 2025

A bog standard squad but take a number of key players out of it and it does look as I we have to rely on the old guard Fulton, Allen, Naughton and Christie to fill in for injured players add Grimes and Pedersen into the higher age profile of the squad then there are 6 players who are going to have to be replaced in the very near future add Darling into the mix that is 7 players 8 now Abbey has gone back and 9 when Pearl-Harris leaves, Parker, Cooper and Ginnelly make it 12 who are or possibly will be missing add the usual injuries we can expect from Cabango and Key both have had issues in the past that is 14 and then you have the unexpected issues like Franco make it 15, all in all that is a big number of players that are missing and will be missing or just unable play, add the lack of younger players because in the push to get back into the Premier league or stave off relagation from rhe Championship very few have been picked effectively , hard to juggle around to keep the standard of the first 11 up let alone the squad.
Yes William's wants to try and play in a certain way but trying to make up for a poor midfield has been tried since relegation by various managers with various degrees of sussess and failure.
Don't think this is a season to go up but one to try and grow the strength of the first team, let alone the squad and carry that improvement into the next season, will need some shrewd transfer management now followed up in the next window.
[Post edited 6 Jan 13:25]
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 10:26 6 Jan 2025

Not sure about Govea but I can't remember seeing him start a game what I liked about Parker was he adapted his game to try and get the best of the defenders who were marking him, could compete aerially even though not the tallest, happy to try and drive down the wings and one game where he had no joy with that, pulled the fullback onto their weaker foot by cutting inside and we scored off it to win the game.(That tactical change was made at half time possible at the request of Sheehan who was acting manager at the time shame his last game in charge was against Southampton where Wood gave a stupid pass back to Rushworth who made a hash of the clearance which led to the second which killed the game off)
[Post edited 6 Jan 11:37]
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Swansea City : Harry Darling latest plus Transfer News
at 23:05 5 Jan 2025

Quite liked him with what little we saw of Obegeta, Pedersen always injured, Tjoe-A-On still in our match day squad and Tymon tireless work rate, puts in some nice crosses, really needs to workout his first touch to bring balls under control and until he sorts out his positioning when marking his defensive will always be targeted that is not strictly down to him but down to the marking by the team in general alongside him usually leaves an opposition player spare meaning he sometimes has two players to mark
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Swansea City : Harry Darling latest plus Transfer News
at 16:30 5 Jan 2025

We were left in a situation where we had no left sided players in our defensive, panic buying, how many did we end up with at the end of Duff's only xfer window, not saying it was Duff's acquisitions just using him as a time stamp.
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There is no economic logic in keeping Darling.
at 16:06 5 Jan 2025

Sold him last summer and only have one centre half of proven worth?
Similar position this xfer window, unless we have long term replacements sorted, sell hi? no unless the price is right, no point selling him now.
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There is no economic logic in keeping Darling.
at 15:52 5 Jan 2025

We would have a choice of buying him ourselves at the end of the season, if we find a good replacement we may not want to.
He might end up thinking he is in a good place at the Swans by the end of the season, hedging his bets yes of course but some one should remind him of the like of Alfie Mawson and even the struggles Joe Rodon has had establishing himself in teams. The money must be nice but Rodin only now seems to have got to grips in the lower Championship level playing in a Leeds team.
Sure he would want a Premiership team to be knocking on the door.

Would he have been better of in a footballing sense to have stayed with the Swans for a while longer.
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 15:26 5 Jan 2025

Would be happy to have one up top If you have the the likes of Key, Ronald and Eom in the team I think if you hold the ball clever enough they can join a counter attack quickly similar to Lowe getting onto the long ball and waiting for Key to arrive and score a cracking goal.
Especially if teams are at the bottom of the league and struggling to defend.
Remember Cundle( know you were not a fan) running at the defensive and getting into the box he made a hash of his shot and in the confusion the forward moving Cooper(again another who you have express an opinion isn't the answer) with his reaction scored even in the tight areas attacked the confusion caused meant openings we capitalised on.
Lampard's shots in and around the box because of the confusion caused by others earned him a lot of goals often deflection but they all count.

Opinions are opinions most of us try and explain our rational.
Unless you try to play the tight passes how do you know if you can play them consistently or not. We don't play them on the edge of the box that often when we do we have seen results but that might impact of a players passing stats and prove him a bad player.
William's has now said we have to be controlled in our attack but that doesn't mean we slow it down so much as to
lose any advantage we have gained.
[Post edited 5 Jan 15:36]
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 14:18 5 Jan 2025

Yesterday he changed where Pearl-Harris has came into the team, putting him on for the Cullen role whose to say it didn't have the right effect on the end result, he hasn't played in there before.
Small tactical changes seem to be taking time to implement but do you really want the car crashes of Martin's choices at the back, substitutions that mean countless moving to different positions then back again.
I'm not defending William's with regards to what has happened off the field just what he is trying to do on the field with a weak squad, we are not getting the ball quick enough but we have been stuck in this rut for quick some time.
We have done it under different managers but usually leave ourselves wide open at the back, Cooper had a measure of success at the back but had problems getting the ball purposefully up top.

The midfield is not strong enough we known that for a number of years that is why we bought Downes and Franco but we need more than just one, the likes of Franco in the midfield role is not enough.
Injuries haven't helped in an attacking sense in the midfield and the same old problems exist there in the midfield defensive roles, if teams attack us we look vulnerable in the middle of the park.
[Post edited 5 Jan 14:53]
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 13:47 5 Jan 2025

What I don't understand why we are not prepared to play passes into the box when we are on the edge of it, Their defence is set up so there is little space to play in but it is too tight? We play balls in tight areas to get out of the defence often coming up short but it does work at times and yet we aren't prepared to do it up front the percentage of chances to be made and penalties to be had, even just a player taking on a defender on the edge must increase the chance of making something happen rather than knocking it pacifily across the edge.
There is an element of risk as we push players in the box but providing we have the correct cover in place similarly to most of our attacking corners the threat of counter attacks should be reduced.
[Post edited 5 Jan 14:01]
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 10:40 5 Jan 2025

For me Grimes coming deep so often doesn't work we have no one in the middle e of midfield opening play up so we can progress up the field while enabling us to stay solid in defence. Franco and Allen when on the pitch do enable us to get forward, Platino and Paterson did, they all have come deep at times and we look better team with them although Paterson would trier and Platino's inexperience showed.
We need legs in the midfield Franco's alone are not enough but cannot expect Tymon and Key fill the gaps in the middle and make sure our wings are not exposed..
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 10:08 5 Jan 2025

Wasn't defending it they are being asked to do it because we are not getting forward throughthe middle of the park because Grimes is to deep, one problem leading to another, happier for the full backs to come deep on the flanks and play the ball down the line instead means Grimes wouldn't have to drop deep and if teams try the press we have players in the midfield as options for wingers and centre forwards.
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 09:43 5 Jan 2025

Both Key and Tymon runs across the field is to relieve pressure but they then need to get the ball away quicker but both have been asked to go forward in the middle but to do that they then try and get the ball back on their favoured foot to play it forward, not a good thing to be doing as they end up turning back into the players tracking them, once you have eased the pressure get the ball away as has been mentioned by other posters, you have taken players out of the game don't let them back in by holding onto the ball too long.
For me both need to open their bodies out and just play a simple ball down the line to the wingers who you would expect to have players in support of them, Franco provide that support so well.
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 09:33 5 Jan 2025

The very fact that Grimes drops so deep and Cullen has to support the high press means the midfield ends up light in numbers and both Tymon and Key end up in the middle to support Franco.
As you say strange logic as it leaves our wingers as fullbacks leaving us without the width that was the previously set up.
We don't play the through ball into the middle on the floor as neither Cullen or Vipotnik have the pace or trickier to stand up defenders and then go past them butb both were seen pealing away to try and get behind the defenders but the quick ball never came or was to late leaving the runs wasted and leaving us offside. Really think both Eom and Ronald should come in field more often it would mean support for the CF and Cullen could drop deeper to support the midfield at time as required.
Team formation as we play it out from the back 3-3-4 that is with Key and Tymon pushed on out wide and Cullen push on to support the CF and Wingers also out wide it actually leaves us with just one player in the middle of the midfield. If Cullen drops deep no support for the CF as the winger hug the touchline, if Cullen pushes up the fullbacks go into the midfield opposition wingers given free runs down the flanks which often end up as direct runs on goals.

We seem to have no idea what to do if a high press is employed by the opposition we persist in the midfield dropping deep as the fullback push wide high up the pitch, very rarely do we let the full backs drop deep making the quick ball from the goalie into the safe flanks which can easily be progressed to the wingers still relatively safe area but because the midfield hasn't dropped deep they are available to the wingers passes coming onto the ball and with a full view in front of them can see the runs being made by players in front of them and can play the ball quickly, because you wouldn't want to hold onto the ball too long and get caught in possession as we do would you.

The thinking should be about getting the ball out of defence in a controlled manner but we usually try to do it in one way and it is easily negated, we have seen when Grimes pushed further up the pitch we play better because teams aren't set up for it.
Not enough variation in our approach to games we need 4-5-1 if we are under pressure, not 3-3-4 and not 5-4-1 unless the opposition really commits players forward then man marking is a must.
We have seen indecision in our marking and pressing of the player on the ball which has lead to us being played through on numerous occasions if we are not full commit to a press don't do it get yourselves back into a good defensive shape first.
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 23:22 4 Jan 2025

No player should be left playing on their own it is a team game. He should have support he might then have an idea what to do with the ball when he does get it.


Think Bianchini is a better player but against Luton Bianchini came off and Vipotnik came on, today the opposite and yet we scored late in both games because of deeper crosses coming from the left with more players in the penalty area and good balls put back across the six yard box.
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Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion : Match day thread
at 17:57 4 Jan 2025

What is really annoying is we didn't find or even try to the channels into the gaps between the centre half and the full back in the box that caused so much problems to QPR, it was a very nip and tuck game but we had to do some determined defending Darling obviously the stand out defender.
Like how Key, Franco and Ronald are creating space on the right even with the slower ball from Christie, that trio are still have a way to go in becoming a force to be reckoned with but it is getting better, final balls or crosses still need work on to cause more of a problem for the opposition.

And yet the goal and similarly to the one against Luton came from the testing ball high into box from the left.

Find it strange how we do the little short balls in ridiculously tight situations instead of just putting the ball into the space beyond oncoming opposition players even when the space has been created we persist in playing to feet and with the exception of some rare cases end up getting closed down and yet do not play the short balls into the box.

Up front but numerous runs are being made but not acted upon usually by the time they are the runners have drifted offside. We played enough high balls but didn't get players around our player challenging in the air when we did it caused them problems.
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