Swansea City Abroad - Interview with Jordi Garcia

Swansea City are expanding as not only a team but as a business or franchise or however you would like to look at it. I'm looking for fans outside the obvious spectrum. The further away from the Liberty Stadium the better. Here's a short interview with a great friend of mine, it's short but it really shows how Swansea are lighting the world up.

 Hello first of all introduce yourself and where you're from?

My name is Jordi Garcia and i'm from Mollet Del Valles, Barcelona, Catalonia Country 


When did you first start supporting Swansea City

 I follow Swansea 6/7 years ago


Are Swansea popular in your homeland?

They are popular because of their Spanish players and their brand of football


What's your best moment as a fan of Swansea City

 Promotion to the Premier League with no doubt


Have you ever traveled from Spain to watch a game?

Yes, Stoke City Season 12/13 , score was 3-1


Favourite player?

Angel Rangel from Catalonia, it's hard to play for a Premier League team


Ideal player you want to see at Swansea?

Robert Firmano(Hoffenheim) - Good quality


Would you encourage other people to support Swansea City?

Yes my friend follows them with me


Is there a similar team in Spain to Swansea City

Barcelona plays similar, also Girona in the Segunda division


So there's my interview with a Spanish fan of Swansea City, massive thanks to Jordi because English is not his best language obviously so great effort. Hopefully there will be more to come in future weeks.

Much appreciated
Daniel John

Swansea City - 10 possible signings

Michael Laudrup has stated to the Welsh media that unless he is promised funds for the summer then he cannot guarantee he will stay. I agree with him in this instance, the club is completely stable and with a profit of 15.9 million last year and that doesn't include some of the players they sold like Joe Allen, Danny Graham etc. The Swans need to spend, their most expensive signings being the joint club record fee they paid for Pablo Hernandez and Ki-Seung Yeung. I can see that being eclipsed this summer.Swansea finished 9th in the Premier League which gives them around 7.2 million add that to the millions they will acquire next term you have to wonder why it's not being ploughed back into the team that's keeping them in the league.

1 - Iago Aspas - Celta Vigo - La Liga

Iago Aspas has been the shining light in what has been a poor debut season in La Liga for Celta Vigo. After 36 games Celta currently occupy 20th place in La Liga and even though the gap is only 4 points from Deportivo La Coruna you can not see Celta winning both their games and Deportivo not taking anything, stranger things have happened but it looks like they will drop down to Segunda. This essentially means they will have to offload their strongest asset and for even cheaper than their asking price or his buy-out class for that matter. His clause is 8 million but you can see them losing him for around 6 if the right buyer comes in. He can play as either an out and out striker or a secondary striker in the form of Michu or even a wide player. His versatility could be a huge asset. 11 goals in La Liga for a struggling side is an accomplished sum.

2 - Jose Canas - Real Betis - La Liga

Another recruit from La-Liga, report in Spain understand that Canas had already signed a pre-contract agreement in January so that he can sign this summer. He occupies the holding midfielder role and has a bit of height around him which could be valuable in the engine room for Swansea City. His displays in La Liga have given Real Betis a lofty position. What he does well is the fact he reads the game well and does the simple things. He's not going to create numerous chances or score plenty of goals but he will defend well and distribute ball. Similar mould to Swansea's own Leon Britton. Will join on a free transfer if reports are to be confirmed.

3 - Romelu Lukaku - Chelsea - Premier League

Romelu Lukaku has been instrumental in the success of West Brom this season of course playing on loan there from Chelsea. You have to wonder how he's not been given a chance at the Blues. He was the 6th top scorer in PL with 17 just behind Swansea's own Michu so the idea of putting them both in contrast of one another could be very appealing. Swansea will search for a season long loan again but that could depend on the future Chelsea manager position and also the needs of the powerhouse striker himself. With rumours of him wanting to go to Dortmund. Would be a crucial asset to Swansea if completed.

4 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Saint Etienne - Ligue 1

We all know Swansea are in the market for a striker and reports in France claim that Swansea, Spurs and other top sides have shows interest in the 19 goals in Ligue 1 Gabonese striker. Speed and strength are this player's main assets and is coming into the latter stages of his contract so could be interested in a move to the Premier League to test himself. Also very young at 23 so can only improve as a footballer and could be sold on in future. Could be an outsider signing for the summer so keep an eye on this one.

5 - Albert Botia - Sevilla - La Liga

All these attacking re-inforcements and what we have to remember is that Swansea are short of quality in the heart of their defence. If reports are true that Ashley Williams is close to a switch to Arsenal then Swansea have lost not only their captain/leader but also the rock at the back. Botia could be seen as a replacement and at the age of 24 there are plenty of years in this player. It's nowhere near a replacement for Williams but at least it's a start, just like all Swansea signings he has played at top level which is crucial. Remember Botia came through at Barcelona.

6 - Andros Towsend/Scott Sinclair - Spurs/Man City - Premier League

Two players of equal status right now, Townsend who was on loan at QPR this season was a highlight in an anotherwise poor season. Scott Sinclair a familiar figure in Swansea's rise to the Premier League and partially their success in their first season has cut a forlorn figure at Man City. Only 4 starts all season and a blood clot in his shoulder just signify how low a season he's had. He knew once he moved that starts would be limited but sacrificing 40 games a season for 10 at most is a massive change. I believe that a return could have been on the cards had he not been ruled out because of the blood clot damaging his pre-season. Townsend on the other hand has been subject of a betting charge and has pulled out of the under 21s tournament this summer. Both possible signings but recent events could have put a spanner in the works. 

7 - Kenwyn Jones - Stoke - Premier League

Stories in January were rife with speculation that Jones was signing for Swansea, it came just as Swansea were about to play Stoke as well and surrounded the whole event. Kenwyn is in the same form as Lukaku but is more established but in that respect much older. Whereas Lukaku has more raw talent and younger. What he offers is strength and power and he wins a fair share of headers and can retain the ball. He hardly got a look in towards the latter end of Stoke's season and his work rate and passing ability has been questioned. Could possible relight this transfer in the summer especially with Swansea's need for attackers.

8 - Bradley Johnson - Norwich City - Premier League

What Swansea lack in essence is a midfielder who makes a lot of tackles and will get among the midfield and really impose his mark. Bradley Johnson is someone who could offer that and Norwich were quick to deny reports at the end of the season that he was on Swansea's radar. Johnson like Snodgrass for Norwich are two players who really put themselves about and it's something Swansea lack perhaps being too nice at times. Norwich put in some huge performances this season and Johnson was key to this. A grafter in the midfield allows the more creative players a licence to roam. Could be possible subject to other players.

9 - Marcus Alonso - Bolton Wanderers - Npower Championship

An old story here which was possible in January but seems faltering now with the emergence of Ben Davies and the form of Dwight Tiendalli could scupper that move but it could still be one to watch. The Ex Real Madrid youngster has been a huge player for Bolton in past seasons including their Championship push. He has experience at the top level but with Swansea having the luxury of having two full backs on both sides it's something they don't have to worry about as opposed to before this season.

10 - Arouna Kone - Wigan Athletic - Npower Championship

Arouna Kone has been one of the success stories at Wigan alongside the front three of Shaun Maloney and Callum Mcmanaman. 13 goals this season and his ability to retain ball and run the channels has been vitally important. Wigan won the FA cup but also got relegated in the same season, a stat never achieved before. Kone has that bit of pace, almost an element of Obafemi Martins, interestingly both played for Levante. Swansea have always had pace throughout the side but never a striker and this could be a possible signing especially with Wigan needing to offload players to balance the books. Great season for the Ivorian despite what has happened elsewhere.

All these possible signings I've acknowledged from newspaper reports and articles in the past year, remember these are just possible signings and just from what I've seen.

Much appreciated
Daniel John

Are Swansea going to run out of Steam

Swansea City have played many games up until the so called halfway points but the month of January could actually catch up with them. Already the Swans have played Fulham, Aston Villa and Arsenal and with Chelsea to come in 3 days all in the space of 2 weeks. That's hard work even for the biggest of squads let alone this thread bare one. The problem as well is the exertion that the players are putting in due to the quality of opposition means there is no time to rest. Players like Michu, Routledge, Ben Davies, Ashley Williams, De Guzman and Britton have played a large amount of games and many others and although there may have been the odd rest here and there it's still a suprise the fact they keep on playing the 'Swansea Way'

January is a testing month with games against Chelsea( League Cup Semi Final at SB), Everton( Away ) then could be the return against Arsenal of today's FA cup draw and then the likes of Stoke and Sunderland in the league as well as the return fixture with Chelsea which adds up to 6 fixtures meaning the Swans would have played 8 games in January which might mean a few more players coming in and hopefully a few results heading their way. Up until now we haven't seen the Swans tire but in their games recently there have been huge gaps towards the latter end of the game which shows they are tiring. Particularly Michu and Dyer and more attacking players. Michael Laudrup promises 1/2 new players in and I think there might be a few more even just temporary to deal with the huge workload. In the middle and at the back are the biggest areas although a hitman up top is also on the horizon despite Danny Graham's best efforts there will be another to compete with him with Michu prefering midfield. 

Premier League Predictions - 20/10/12

Tottenham V Chelsea

The return of the Special one, well part two anyway. AVB who was nicknamed the second coming of the Special One when he arrived at Chelsea before his ill fated spell at the London club and now he takes charge of a club not that far away in the form of Spurs. AVB's men are unbeaten since the loss at Newcastle in the opening game of the season and have beaten Manchester United, Villa and QPR. 

The problem is that they come up against A Chelsea side in the same kind of form who are sitting pretty at the top of the table as well. Chelsea are unbeaten in the league and have notched up wins against Arsenal, Newcastle and Stoke this season so the scene is set. Defoe, Bale, Lennon and Dempsey up against Torres, Hazard, Oscar and Mata. It's the early Kick off so expect fireworks at lunchtime and a cracking game of football. 

Players to Watch - Eden Hazard/Gareth Bale 0 - Players in top form right now

Predicted Scoreline - 2-2

Fulham v Aston Villa 

In contrast this match looks the most odds on for a draw if you were a betting man. Fulham are a force on their own patch but defensive frailities continues to haunt them, Whilst Paul Lambert's side are showing signs of a mini revival after their early woes. Fulham at 9th are a few places above Villa at 15th, Villa got thumped 4-1 away to Southampton last week so expect a response here. Fulham lost their last game at home to Manchester City which is no disgrace so expect them ready to fire here, with goals expected this could be an exciting game on the eye. 

Players to Watch - Dimitar Berbatov/ Christian Benteke 

Predicted Scoreline 3 - 1

Liverpool v Reading

With all respect to Reading, I think this will be on the most one sided games of the weekend. Liverpool at home are always a mixed bag with a great performance normally resulting in a disappointing result. They have lost at home to Arsenal and Manchester United which isn't really a bad result but they really are unpredictable this season. Liverpool have one 3 pointer under their belts this season and that was a 5-2 win away to Norwich. Reading on the other hand have not won at all this season and I don't see this changing anytime soon with a draw probably their best option if Liverpool struggle to get over their psychologic problems at Anfield. The Brendan Rodgers era is definitely starting to show promise with Rodgers getting the best out of players like Shelvey, Sterling, Kelly and co. 

Players to Watch - Luis Suarez/ Alex McCarthy 

Predicted Scoreline - 2-0

Manchester United v Stoke City 

United could be in for a long afternoon if they don't try to negate Stoke's aerial bombardment, United struggled against Stoke last season home and away and have struggled to hit any kind of form this season amidst defensive frailties. The win at Newcastle last game could be where they kick on from now. After losing to Spurs at home they outclassed Newcastle at the Sports Direct Arena which is no easy fate. Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney are slowly starting to find a partnership which will worry Stoke because whilst they might match United in height and physical stature, movement off the ball and composure is something the Potters severly lack.  Creativity also. 

Players to Watch - Wayne Rooney/ Michael Kightly 

Predicted Scoreline - 3-1

Swansea City v Wigan Athletic

Swansea are on a barren run of late, Their opening 3 fixtures yielded 7 points and some classy performances, however their other 4 have yielded 1 point against sides who they should have been taking more against which is worrying considering the big boys are in town next week. The Liberty was a fortress last season where they only got beat 4 times last season and need something along the same lines again this season. 

They got soundly beat at home by Everton recently and just about managed a draw last despite being 2-0 down at home to Reading. Wigan despite lacking quality since the departure of Victor Moses to Chelsea still have some exciting talent in the forms of Shaun Maloney and Franko Di Santo. Last time out they held Everton at home 2-2 which if you consider Leighton Baines nicked a late penalty it could have been a bit better. Swansea need this game more than Wigan and need better protection at the back with the back four constantly changing.

Players to Watch - Michu/Shaun Maloney 

Predicted Scoreline - 2-1

West Brom v Man City 

A potential banana skin here for the reigning champions. West Brom under Steve Clark are a complete package this season and the signing of Lukaku from Chelsea on loan. The home side sit comfortably at 6th in the league and only a point behind their fabled counterparts. West Brom's defeat at home to Liverpool remains their only blemmish in what has been a particularly exciting opening from the Hawthorns outfit. Man City on the other hand have had two wins recently which came after two draws so not all doom and gloom for a side who have been deemed a little underprepared this season. West Brom have promised goals this season and Man City always manage to score goals wherever they go.

Players to Watch - Romelu Lukaku/ Carlos Tevez

Predicted Scoreline - 1-3

West Ham v Southampton

West Ham are a mixed bag this season, they were simply beaten by Arsenal at home last game, Beat QPR and drew to Sunderland so you can't really predict this one in fairness. Southampton are actually in the same boat, early performances yielded attractive games but not attractive points on the board. The boys from St Mary's drew at Fulham recently which is surrounded by a pretty standard defeat to Everton and yet put 4 past Villa so it's hard to guage where they are right now. This result could simply could either with James Collins and Hooiveld on each sides having numerous lapses at the back costing their sides so expect a fair few goals here. 

Predicted Scoreline - 2-1

Players to Watch - Andy Carroll/Adam Lallana 

Norwich City v Arsenal

Last season in this fixture RVP showed his class with a performance of pace and precision. The Gunners came out 2-1 winners here and drew 3-3 at the Emirates so we know goals are a given. Arsenal look steely at the back but have yet to truly continue to click over numerous games. They won away in their last outing against West Ham and lost at home against Chelsea so i think Arsene Wenger will be happy his team are on the travels again this time out. Arsenal are at 7th whilst Norwich are contrasting whilst sitting in 19th place and have struggled to find anything from last season which served them well but it is early days so far. 

Predicted Scoreline - 0-2

Players to Watch - Grant Holt/ Santi Cazorla

Sunday fixtures -  21/10/12

Sunderland v Newcastle United

The other derby of the weekend tales place in the north with the Tyneside bragging rights up for sale as well as the valuable 3 points. The two clubs are only 2 points at this stage with Newcastle in 10th and Sunderland in 13th which means if Sunderland win this weekend then they will overtake their neighbours which as all rivals will say is a huge psychological boost over the other. Both clubs come into this game on heavy defeats against the Manchester clubs with Newcastle's game more worrying since it was at their own stomping ground. This game is known for bad blood and sendings off. You can bet Lee Cattermole will be somewhere around the action. Having already been sent off 5 times in his Sunderland career. He has built a reputation for an uncompromising player. 

Predicted Scoreline - 1-1

Players to Watch - Stephane Sessegnon/ Demba Ba

QPR V Everton

The last game of the weekend features two sides essentially on the opposite ends of the form spectrum, QPR sit rock bottom of the Premier League with a solitary 2 points.  Whereas Everton on the other hand sit in 4th after some terrific early season promise slowly halted with the draw away to Wigan recently although remember Everton have only lost once this season away to West Brom.  QPR always seem to manage goals, the problem is that it's normally against them which is the problem whilst Everton have plenty of attacking options which is worrying for a QPR side whose home form is also questionable. Baines and Piennarr to cause huge problems down the left. 

Predicted Scoreline - 1-2

Players to Watch - Junior Hoilett, Marouane Fallaini

Much Appreciated

D.John

Are the bigger clubs ruining football

The ethos for small clubs in the Premier League is to essentially do well and develop a style that will help them succeed in the league and the use of key players particularly youngsters has been catching the eye recently. As soon as they make a name for themselves, a bid from a so called 'big club' comes in and then a crucial decision is needed to be made and at such a young age. Recent acquisitions such as Joe Allen and Jack Rodwell, both of Swansea and Everton respectively.

These two talented midfielders have essentially 2/3 years Premier League seasons experience between them so why are they in so much demand.

Fair Play League

There are new rules coming into play illustrating that each club has to have a certain amount of home grown players who have trained in England for a few years this also relates to teams competing in Europe which is probably one of many reasons why British wonderkids are sought after. If you haven't notice look at the fact that British players are more pricier than foreign exports which is why the sellers have the ball firmly in their court. Why would you want to sign a player for 10/20 million when you could steal someone just as good at around half the price because our Spanish counterparts need the money. Most clubs in La Liga are struggling to stay afloat you only have to look at Malaga etc. Swansea sold Allen for 15 and brought in Michu for 2 it just goes to show how much the market has changed recently. Manchester United brought in Nick Powell from Crewe and Man City and Liverpool have brought in these two players.

So What's The Problem?

Well a team can spend plenty of hours making a player come through the ranks and propel him onto the world stage and watch him grow and if he does well then the club yields the results from it. The problem is that if he does well then the vultures of world football will be on hand to snatch him and give him that bumper contract he craves and his chance to win silverware albeit overshadowed by first team guarantees. What can the smaller club do though?, Well the answer is simply nothing and just try and hold out for the best possible deal because more often or not the player will force the move. There seems to be a lack of protection for the smaller clubs despite being paid fees, you can't just simply replace a key player despite the money.

So What Can They Do To Protect Themselves

Well slapping a brand new contract if he has less than two years to run on his existing contract to make it harder for potential suitors so at least they can provide compensation. Or offer him the biggest contract you can because most players are thinking about their future and finance over football and even trophies. There's the obvious idea of not playing the key player but then the team misses out overall. There really isn't much a smaller side can do to prevent the bigger sides from robbing them of their best assets and even the money offered is a poor compromise at best.

So YES! bigger sides are ruining it for smaller ones because they should have much better and established academies on which to push on from so why are they robbing the smaller sides when they have nowhere near the same facilities to advance is sheer astounding. Something needs to be put in place otherwise it will always remain the top 4 and more importantly the top 6 in some cases.

Much Appreciated
D.John