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Thread | OK, a due apology for Monk & Jenkins post
at 19:50 16 Feb 2014
I apologize to those of you who found my post earlier today offending. I realise it was a bit over the edge. I certainly did not want to target Monk & Jenkins personally, but point to what I see as a weakness in the current strategy. I saw some comment on my post supporting this as well as other posts in here today with similar disappointment.
A special apology to Darran for picking on you like that. I know you can take it, but all the same, I apologize.
Br, macman |
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Thread | Ambitious Monk & Jenkins
at 16:16 16 Feb 2014
Well, let's see so far:
With half a squad ML managed to keep us in 12th spot in the PL, last 16 in the FA and last 32 in the EL.
With more or less a full squad GM has managed 4 points against two very weak teams and now out of the FA, bravo. Next we can ambitious ourselves out of the EL with a full team selection, because I hope noone really believes GM is tactically up to play against a team like Napoli.
And when Britton is 47 and still playing the Swansea way, where do you think Swanesea will be playing?
ps. Just to spare Darran his favourite 100% likely to come comment: "F*ck off"
http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/forum/103603/ok-a-due-apology- [Post edited 16 Feb 2014 19:56]
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Thread | Has Monk been asked to play draughts or chess?
at 22:52 9 Feb 2014
In my view if you combine what you read in here with the board's reason for sacking (a breakdown of the Swansea way) it actually carries a lot of credibility. Most of all it seems his determination to keep the manager ML and the person ML separate has upset many. His rotation scheme has also produced quite a few critics. The lack of ability to motivate. It seems to collide with the Swansea way.
Maybe Laudrup was too big for Swansea, his ego (believe in his own methods) was too big. It has been said by someone in here that he is the way he is because of his background - well, who isn't:-)? But I know - Lazio, Juve, Barca, Real, (Kobe) and Ajax. All big clubs (except Kobe) with long, long traditions at the highest level and hence football clubs where it is primarily about winning; and not just matches, but championships and cups. All the time he has been playing with players who also would play in the World Cup for countries like Spain, Holland, Italy, Brazil, Argentina and Germany. So Laudrup comes from this context - this what he knows and this is what he knows it takes - to win.
Maybe he was thinking: I am going to transform this little welsh club into a real professional club. And maybe the board went along with it dazzled by fame and conviction. Remember the level of the PL has been raised primarily by international players and managers.
So what is that transformation? Well, most international top managers do not seem to have much to do with the players outside of the game. They are "just" pieces in his chess game. There is a story about Guardiola demanding Messi not to drink coca cola. I imagine what the stories of Laudrup if he had asked Ash or Dyer the same.
Swansea has made it to the top, but what does it take to stay at the top (Wigan went down after 7 years)?
Money of course and loads of it. Why? to buy players. Somewhere down the line the players and managers are only going to be there for two things: money and success. If either of the two is not in sight they will move on. What kind of manager will succeed in this kind of club (like the big 8)? A manager who is best friend with everybody, even though he can only pick 11(+3) or a manager who treats everybody the same so he can pick his 11 without feeling compelled to pick someone because of their relationship?
There is no answer to this except is comes down to the manager, but I think it is an exception when the manager is trying to be everybody's friend.
Of all of it there is one trend that I cannot see even Monk getting around and that is the rotation, but here is my question then: Has he been asked to play draughts(only focus on the PL) or chess(PL, EL and FA)?
To play draughts he can do with his favourite 11, but he if is playing chess like all the big chess players(managers) then he needs far more.
Draughts: Stoke, Liverpool, Palace
Chess: Stoke(away), Everton(away), Napoli(home), Liverpool(away), Napoli(away), Palace
What do you think - should Monk play draughts or chess?
[Post edited 11 Feb 2014 19:06]
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Thread | Williams - the real axe man?
at 13:01 5 Feb 2014
Was it in fact a battle between Williams and Laudrup that led to the break. Had Williams and inventory-Monk, both without backing from the Spaniards and others) , hoped ML would fix their loss of authority?
Oh captiain, my captain:
Williams no doubt is not technical enough for Laudrup. Actually he has not been the kind of captain on or off the pitch that you would expect. Often shouting at others while almost every ball played into his area is certain danger. He had a good streak last spring, but other than that I would consider the weakest link in the back four (not counting Tiendalli, of course).
Lack of transfers:
Maybe the root cause is the alleged offloading attempt Williams to Arsenal last summer. I think it is pretty clear now that the transfer or lack of transfers last summer has more than anything to do with the current situation. ML wanted alternatives to Rangel and Williams, but got Tiendalli and nothing. He wanted two strikers and got Bony and nothing. ML stated numerous times last spring he needed to strengthen the squad just to maintain the level, because all the competition did. Just look at how other teams in the relegation zone acted in January. Some will think why didn't Laudrup speak out, but it is not his style. He is very loyal, if he has signed a contract. It has been the same in this transfer window. Jenkins(board) did not want to spend,except on budget players like Ngog and Emnes.
Back to Williams:
He has not been king of his domain at all this season. A captain who does not perform but shouts at everybody else will face mutiny. He probably turned to Mongo for help and lost the backing of the Spaniards.
We have not scored enough goals, but we have conceded for too many on personal errors. It is ridiculous have few balls he clears in the box, which at the same time has made Tremmel look bad.
I am sure if Laudrup, if Williams had not been team captain, had played a different setup from time to time. You could have put a pole in the box.
Technical and tactical blank as a blond:
In the blamage at Upton he actual went forward coming from his back line position leaving his area wide open for a counter attack. I cannot state it more clear than that. I could understand it, maybe, if he had anything to offer beyond the backline, but at Upton given a great opportunity following a corner he showed his total handicap in goal scoring. So, if we assume there were troubles in Paradise, surely a loyal strong captain like Williams could keep that down, but if you don't have the respect of your colleagues you cannot (Monk-Chico incident). ML does not see his role as a kinder garden manager. You may thin and believe he should be, but he himself is not used to have to motivate players because they are professionals as he is.
The axe: So Williams knew ML would replace him if he had the chance and no backing from the Spaniards and other Laurduo inventions like Gusman, Tiendalli, Davies, Bony - maybe Shelvey and Routledge. Although not directly threatened to be left out of the starting XI he must have clashed with ML's different approach to the man handling and when asked he was ready to swing the axe by asking the board to include his mate Monk as a coach. They must have known this was very difficult for ML to accept, maybe not at the start of the season, but now mid-season as a clear lack of confidence in ML.
The fix:
Nobody have talked much about it (it is much easier to blame the manager), but the backline is the place to look for a fix. If you don't concede, you cannot lose. Maybe you don't score yourself, but you will not lose. Some have stated it is a mess sometimes on the pitch, but this fix also starts with the back four. If they are not in place, the midfield will suffer and in the end the wings and forwards. This is Williams responsibility. He controls the back four and hence the DM. Can Monk fix that? He should be able to, being a back liner himself. |
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Thread | Brendan, Brendan, Brendan...
at 11:01 4 Feb 2014
I am getting a little tired of hearing about copy cat Brendan. How did he do in the first PL season. Finished 11th, FA out R4, CC out R2 amasing results considering he was such a genius, who btw seems to try to pick up any player Laudrup has spotted outside of the UK.
So he could play the whole after Christmas with only one thing to focus on: the PL - wow! He finished 1 spot up from where we are now - and he had 15 mill midfield JA and Sinclair even at his command and all the heart and right attitude.
Then everybody talked about the difficult season - 2nd season fatigue and how likely Swanse was to go down with this "new-not-used-to-the-PL favourite to be sacked manager, but what happened - it was PL=9th, FA=R3 and CC=WIN!
So does that give him any credit now?:
- still in 12th position
- having played most of the big 8
- having is no. 1 key player out for the whole season - imagine amasin Brendan at without Suarez
- having had 9 injuries,
- still in FA(R5) with a btw historic win at ManU
- still in Last 32 of the EL - no?
How is that? Can someone explain why they still talk about Brendan, who left the sinking ship and took the best player with him? |
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Thread | Pellegrini out? Morinho out? Laudrup out? Everybody out?
at 22:11 3 Feb 2014
Good thing for Pellegrini he does not have this fan club and this board (apparently) because then he would be in danger of getting sacked after todays defeat at home. Obviously he does not know what he is doing. But wait a minute Chelsea only got a draw against Westham at home. Clearly he doesn't know what he is doing. Come to think of it we should sack all the managers who do not run around screaming at the top of their lunges in the technical box demanding their players to kick anything that moves from the waist down. What did Laudrup do that he did not promise to do. OK, maybe he should have calculated with 9 players out with injuries. Maybe he should not have won the Capital cup last year. Maybe he should not also have finshed at the highest possible with a budget 1/10 of the top 10.
I am happy to see more than 60% think he should stay, but I wonder about the last 40 - are they really loyal fans??
A manager he who gave them the biggest result ever and now after 9 injuries and still in the FA Cup, still not relegated and still in the last 32.
Now they are asking for another manager?? Is that how you are loyal mates - is that how you treat your friends? Is it? He was a lot of laughs on <saturday, but today is Monday - let's stab him in the back - because that is sure as hell how it looks and sounds. [Post edited 3 Feb 2014 22:38]
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Thread | Williams, weakest link again and lost that game with his terrible 0-3 action
at 15:29 19 Jan 2014
Dear Williams-fans,
Again today he was the weakest link. He is just not up to his best or is he? 0-1 where was he? and 0-3 - why was he way up trying to chip a hopeless pass into the box. Cleared, and then he is not exactly hurrying back.
It was completely decisive for the match and a horrible tactical error! |
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Thread | Well, it was a good bad weekend
at 19:52 12 Jan 2014
Of course the optimal situation would have been to come away with a point ot three from ManU, but all things being equal it was a good weekend to lose when only Sunderland gained points, but then at Fulham, so in a nutshell - status quo. This was pretty much the case in last PL round.
Come Sunday it's Spurs and maybe that will be lost too, but then comes a streak of beatable sides before the big Napoli game . The team is playing better over the last two three games so the four following games should put some points in the account:
Premier League Swansea v Fulham Tue 28 Jan 19:45
Premier League West Ham v Swansea Sat 1 Feb 12:45
Premier League Swansea v Cardiff Sat 8 Feb 17:30
Premier League Stoke v Swansea Wed 12 Feb 19:45
So stay strong even if the Spurs game should not trigger a win. [Post edited 12 Jan 2014 20:53]
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Thread | Man U: Play the best or give them a rest?
at 01:51 2 Jan 2014
Should we rest players in the best XI or play the best against ManU on Sunday?
rest the best:
- after the Xmas campaign
- second line is quality too
- PL and Europe League is more important
play the best:
- not to repeat 0-5 against Liverpool
- for moral
- they will find the extra against Man U
- the next game is a whole week away
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Thread | ML's rotation scheme - are we really that good?
at 09:05 9 Nov 2013
The thing I am trying to sort out is the rotation scheme. In my view it has a positive and a negative:
Positive - Firstly it will keep all players motivated and ready because there is a realistic chance they will get playing time. Secondly it keeps down the number of injuries and hence all the players should stay fit for the whole season.
Negative - Tiendalli is the most obvious example because if ML did not insist on rotating Tiendalli would not get any playing time at all. I am not picking on Tiendalli, he is just a very clear example. The second thing about the rotation is, yes we are achieving all of the above, I think the pace of the team suffers because they lack the touch some players get from playing every time. Too many stop&go passes instead of first time passes. We need it against the teams who sit low on the pitch to open up their box defence and we need it against the big teams to give us space when they put pressure on the middle field and back four.
Rotation works better for teams like Man U or Chelsea because they know the will play for everything all the time and they have, I am sorry to say, players who generally a level up from ours.
So what is the choice in the end: rotation and more mediocre performances or no rotation and higher quality of play, but also the chance of more injuries or after X-mas fatigue?
You might have guessed that although I understand ML's strategy I would probably go for a mix. As an example I think Shelvey would be a much better player if he knew he is playing all the time. Now it seems he has to prove himself everytime he plays. In my view he could and should be the best signing because he he is not a sideways player and we have enough of those.
On a very personal note I would play Tremmel much more. Maybe he is not as good as Vorm with his feet, but he is much better on high balls. Vorm is just not master of his domain, the little box, and I don't know of any league where that is more important than the PL. So I am happy to know he is playing against Stoke - a typical high ball team. [Post edited 9 Nov 2013 9:10]
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