That time is open us when the Premier League season starts once again, I’d never have thought that the Swans would be going into a fourth successive season in this division, I would’ve personally been happy with just the one. I’m not sure when the cut off point of becoming an established Premier League team is, maybe we’ve reached that already?
As is the case with most of the Premier teams, bar the top 5 or 6, no team is ever really safe from relegation from one season to the next. Look at Newcastle and Bolton in recent years, both were rarely ever in relegation trouble for years and years until one really bad season (Appointing Shearer and Owen Coyle were factors too of course.
Personally being in the Premier League isn’t the be all and end all for me, like it might be to other people. Yes the are pros and cons like with anything, but for me long as the games are enjoyable, as in trying to score goals/win games and we aren’t in any financial trouble, then I’m happy.
Last season I had some stick, maybe rightly, about the way we were playing under Laudrup from about October onwards. Thankfully in the end we sacked him and stayed up under the guidance of Monk. Objective achieved. All that’s in the past, hopefully we can get back to playing attacking football this season.
If I had to make a very early prediction I do think the Swans will stay up again this season – in mid-table as usual probably. I think the additions of Gomis, Sigurdsson and Montero will worry defences and that’s always important in any team. They are upgrades on Vazquez and Lamah anyway. We also have Ki Sung-Yeung back (who I never thought should’ve gone anyway) after a successful loan spell at Sunderland last season.
Perhaps our defence is our weak link currently as Ben Davies and Chico have departed, but there are still 3 weeks until the transfer window shuts, so I don’t think it’s time to panic just yet. I haven’t seen any of the pre-season games, mainly because they are pointless and have no bearing on the forthcoming season at all. (Despite what a few people on Twitter said after the Villarreal game on Saturday). And people call me negative!? I thought we became the first club to be relegated before the season had started.
Garry Monk has done well to get rid of the ‘deadwood’ , as they say, but I would say our squad does lack a little bit of strength in depth. The youngsters like Fulton and Kingsley are unknowns, Tiendalli and Tremmel are dodgy. I still feel perhaps we need another striker, a defensive midfielder and a full back. Happy with our first XI though, hopefully we won’t get as many long term injuries like last season.
I don’t have many wishes for this coming season. My main one would be to beat a top team at home. Our better results in recent seasons have mainly been away (Valencia, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool & Arsenal). Our last win over a ‘big’ team was probably against Man City under Brendan Rodgers, hopefully that’ll change this season.
The other would be to beat Everton – the only team out of the 92 we have played, that we have never beaten. They seem to have a hoodoo on us.
I look forward to going up and down the country once again this season. Who are we!?
mtj86 