It was a second half shambles at the back again for Swansea City, the left hand side of their defence exposed time and time again by Nottingham Forest in Steve Coopers return to Swansea.

Both sides made changes for this encounter at the Swansea.Com stadium. Ryan Bennett coming in for Kyle Naughton and Olivier Ntcham for Rhys Williams. And it was Ntcham who blew a superb chance to give the swans the lead in the first half.

Swansea City were dominant in play with Ethan Laird failing to take the chances he was given to deliver a decent cross, that is bar one on twenty minutes. His perfect delivery across the Forest box wasn’t met by any swans player. And if there is a flaw in Joel Piroe’s game it has to be his anticipation when balls are delivered in to the box. Plus the Forest goalkeeper taking crosses at head height comfortably and unchallenged proves that’s a deficiency in his overall game. He is after all the lone swans striker. However the swans were fragile again on their left hand side with Forest on the break. Twice poorly delivered crosses saved the defence blushes. And one incredible block by Ryan Bennett was enough to prevent Zinckernagel from scoring.

He would come back later In the game to haunt the swans.

But it was Ntcham who had the best chance from a cross by Matt Grimes, he made contact with the ball but it flew over Samba’s bar in the Forest goal. Minutes later Joel Piroe missed an even easier chance. A deflected halfway line clearance by Forest after a through ball fell to Piroe who advanced with the ball and blasted his shot over the bar with the keeper beaten. It was a very bad miss. The pattern of the game continued with the swans wasting good opportunities to score, and then Ntcham leaned too far back and put a shot in to the away fans behind the goal. It is frustrating, but at half time Steve Cooper will have been more concerned with the swans dominant in possession, and displaying far more tenacity. Unfortunately Ethan Laird had to leave the pitch on forty four minutes, replaced by Joel Latibeaudiere.

If the swans had to review the half it would be that Jamie Paterson seemed off his normal game and Korey Smith who was booked, was finding it hard to make any impact. Downes and Grimes in centre midfield did pull many of the home sides strings creating numerous first half chances for Ryan Manning to test the forest defence. Overall, and as we have seen in numerous games already this season it was Swansea City who looked the better side and who created the better chances. Sadly, as is now tale of the tape in most games, the chances created were not taken.

The second half has taken us some time to account for, to digest as it was shocking. The swans found themselves two goals down after their left side was exposed, albeit the first goal came from an obvious foul on Ben Cabango. But as Ex swan Andy Robinson said on several occasions post match “ You cant just go to sleep when the opposition are continuing to attack you. The defending just isn’t good enough for this level” He was of course right. Once those two early second half goals went in the game was over, even a well taken Joel Piroe volley which gave the home fans some hope, the swans retreated negatively and frustratingly in to an obsessive passing game. This continues to be the persistent problem for Russell Martin’s Swansea City. As an example when Jamie Paterson is well off the boil, when both Downes and Grimes find it difficult to look up and move forwards positively and the outlets out wide are not up to the task. It’s an impossible ask. Despite so many chances missed, and not only in the first half, the three gilt edged chances in the second half exposed the swans as having a real weakness on the goal scoring front.

Ben Hamer’s mistake from a soft shot from Tutu which enabled Johnson to scramble home, and then a fourth from Forest, far quicker than any of the swans back four saw Carlos Dias fire home a well placed shot. It just reinforced the weaknesses we have all seen for weeks. It isn’t right now to dwell on Russell Martin’s failings after such a huge loss. The blame has to be accepted by the players who missed chance after chance as much as him. They are being asked to do things they are clearly incapable of doing. The only quality we saw in a white shirt today came from Olivier Ntcham, a player who can react and Implement Martin’s wishes. The real issues are at the back for the swans defence, and it starts with Ben Hamer, who has been exposed time and time again in recent games as not good enough. Ryan Bennett too is far to slow, and has none of the attributes required to lead the team from the back.

What Russell Martin needs to do now is treat the next three remaining games before the transfer window as just that. Just three games. Do what you can, take what you can. and hope we don’t see another performance that we saw today. He has his first window in a few weeks and after that the Swansea board will give Martin at least a few months to perform. It’s no good anyone calling for anyone’s head because there is no point. He won’t be sacked even if he loses the next three before the window. Get used to it, because you are wasting your breath, and calling for his head is pointless. This is what we have.

And this is our future, for now.

Swansea City: Hamer; Bennett, Downes, Cabango; Laird (Latibeaudiere 45+1), Smith (Obafemi 55), Grimes (C), Manning; Ntcham, Paterson; Piroe.

Subs not used: Benda, Bidwell, Williams, Walsh, Cullen.

Goal: Piroe 62

Yellow cards: Downes 11, Smith 31, Cabango 54

Nottingham Forest: Samba; Spence, Worrall, McKenna, Osei-Tutu (Bong 90); Yates, Colback, Zinckernagel (Dias 67), Garner, Johnson; Grabban (C) (Taylor 86).

Subs not used: Horvath, Mighten, Ojeda, Carvalho, Mighten.

Goals: Zinckernagel 48, Grabban 50, Johnson 68, Dias 90+4

Yellow cards: Osei-Tutu 20, Spence 54, McKenna 66

Attendance: 17,659

Referee: Matthew Donohue 6/10

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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