Jack Butty looks at the state of the ship now it has ‘aweigh’ and is recoiling close to rocks on the foreshore. The current Admiral in charge, Michael Duff is in a form of enforced retreat and his charges are looking right at him for help and guidance.

The close season saw the Swans bring fourteen players during the transfer window. I don’t remember when we brought in so many. We certainly needed players. Replacements for Joel Latibeaudiere, Ryan Manning, Stephen Benda, Joel Piroe and Oliver Ntcham. Also, to cover for the loss of Michael Obafemi and Kyle Joseph (part of the Jerry Yates deal with Blackpool). We also needed some pace added to the team, mainly through wingbacks, players to work on the left side of the pitch, and some competition for places amongst our back three.

Paul Watson and Josh Marsh pulled off an amazing recruitment drive. Movements started early in the window, working to the close, with four incomings on the final day. The club attracted top-quality loans from Newcastle, Chelsea, Brighton and Arsenal. Most of the gaps above have been filled. The squad has more depth and more players fighting for the right to play. At the end of the window, there is a significant financial credit balance in the club’s finances.

With this business now complete, there remain some uncertainties. How our new forwards will line up and work together is unclear. When there was talk of Kenian Davies coming in, that was exciting as he seemed to be just the sort of player we needed. Someone strong on the ball and able to hold it up to bring in other players and probably the kind of player that Yates needs to play off.

In our game against Cardiff, I expect Yates to pair up with Jamal Lowe, and it will be interesting to see how they perform together and how the team sets up to support them. The idea of having a big man alongside Yates seems to be the thinking in bringing in Mykola Kuharevich, so hopefully, we will see more of Mykola soon.

Another area of concern is the role of an advanced midfielder who can score goals. Ntcham has left and leaves a gap that the transfer window has not addressed. This is an important position to move transitioning play through defence and midfield to link, at pace, with our attack. There is an opportunity for Oli Cooper, Jamie Paterson, and Liam Walsh to make their case for this – and a role for Charlie Patino (below) behind them. Josh Ginnelly could also have a role in this area, although it is uncertain whether he will play wider with the pace he has.

Despite this, while the window is a positive story, the performances in the opening five games are not. It isn’t just the two draws and three defeats but the dismal quality of these performances. The results haven’t been good, but the performances have been worse. Our ability to fight for the ball and show controlled aggression seems to have evaporated. In particular, I remember the game against Preston North End. In the 11th minute, Ryan Ledson made a full-blooded, scything tackle on a Swansea player ( Liam Cullen), for which he deservedly got a yellow card - that moment seemed to change the game and our competitiveness.

Likewise, our ability for quick and intricate passing seems to have been lost. Like last season, we are still walking with the ball, and our movement is too often ponderous and predictable. Many fans on this forum have made the same points in post-match comments. Duff made this point forcefully after the Bristol game and again in a press release on the official site (5th September). Talking about Joe Allen, he said: “When he came on, he immediately showed spirit and tenacity, and we need that all over the pitch. We cannot be going around jogging, we need to be sprinting and working harder than the opposition.”

The two-week international break is essential as a reset for the squad. New players will blend in, further information will be given to all, and new ideas will be worked on for a changed starting line-up against Cardiff. A challenging fighting spirit will be needed and is to be expected.

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