Swansea City Thread

[davidge]

On 08/09/2019 at 12:40, JackinHK said:

@davidge yea in Pattaya mate. I have the swans live TV subscription so can always stream it off my phone but would be fun to watch in a bar with a few other jack bastards. 

Will check closer to the time if it's on sky. Are you a JB too? Living in Pattaya? 

As per my previous post, you’ll need to find somewhere that’s open all night. 2.45am KO in Thailand. 

[JackinHK]

16 hours ago, davidge said:

As per my previous post, you’ll need to find somewhere that’s open all night. 2.45am KO in Thailand. 

Awesome thanks mate! 

[blue1878]

On 04/10/2019 at 15:21, davidge said:

As per my previous post, you’ll need to find somewhere that’s open all night. 2.45am KO in Thailand. 

I think the following places may show the game

I-Rovers Sportsbar in LK Metro

https://www.facebook.com/irovers/

Retox game on in Soi Honey

https://www.facebook.com/retoxgameon/

Witherspoons in Soi  Baukhow

https://www.facebook.com/WitherspoonsPattaya/

They are 3 bars that I think will show the game as I think they are always open and like showing sport.  I think there might be others. One that might show it is LePub just off Walking Street. I don't think it's open 24 hours but is open till late and a couple of years ago I think I did watch an Everton game there that kicked off at 2:45 or 3am.  Phil the owner is a WBA fan

[davidge]

It’s always a good day when we beat Cardiff 

[davidge]

The bad news is that the ankle injury Joe Rodon suffered in midweek requires surgery. It means he’ll likely be out for at least a couple of months.

So, van der Hoorn & Wilmot are now the only centre backs we have - not counting real youngsters.

Not sure who else could play there if needed. Maybe Naughton?

[JackinHK]

22 hours ago, davidge said:

The bad news is that the ankle injury Joe Rodon suffered in midweek requires surgery. It means he’ll likely be out for at least a couple of months.

So, van der Hoorn & Wilmot are now the only centre backs we have - not counting real youngsters.

Not sure who else could play there if needed. Maybe Naughton?

That sucks! Wilmot had a great game, maybe 3 at the back with Bidwell playing there, Naughton,  Roberts or John wing backs

[davidge]

An indication of the situation at the club is that there are only 14 players under contract beyond the end of this season. With finances very tight it’s unclear how many new contracts will be offered and unlikely the club will make many signings.

Goalkeepers Kristoffer Nordfeldt and Erwin Mulder are among those out of contract, while current first-choice Freddie Woodman is on a season-long loan from Newcastle United.

Ben Wilmot (Watford), Aldo Kalulu (Basel) and Sam Surridge (Bournemouth) are the others on year-long loan deals.

Key centre-back Mike van der Hoorn sees his contract expire, as do fellow senior professionals Kyle Naughton, Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer.

Tom Carroll, Yan Dhanda and Borja are also due to become free agents come July along with three Swansea players who are currently out on loan - Cian Harries, Jefferson Montero and Courtney Baker-Richardson.

 

[davidge]

All set to watch Cardiff v Swansea in Pattaya.

Ordered a bottle of wine so could be a long night.

Can the Swans complete the first ever League double in the fixture? 

Cooper picked an attacking team. Defence could be the key.

[davidge]

At least we didn’t lose.

[davidge]

 

[davidge]

All the Deadline Day activity at Swansea was players leaving the club. As expected, no further signings after the 3 youngsters were brought into loan earlier in the Window. All those leaving have been either loans or free transfers - though it’s unlikely many of the loanees will return to the club. 
 

In:

Rhian Brewster (loan)

Conor Gallagher (loan)

Marc Guehi (loan)

 

Out:

Kristoffer Nordfeldt(free)

Kristoffer Peterson (loan)

Cian Harries (loan?)

Borja Baston (loan)

Declan John (loan)

Barrie McKay (loan)

Tom Carroll (contract terminated-released)

Edit: goalkeeper Gregor Zabret has also had his contract terminated.

[davidge]

Swans Chairman, Trevor Birch, has issued a lengthy update about the situation at the club.

Here is the stark financial part of that statement:

Financial Situation

We have just released our annual accounts for the year ending July 31, 2019, which shows a loss of £7m for our first year outside the Premier League. This follows a loss of £3m made in 2018, a £13m profit made in 2017 and a loss of £14m in the year ending July 31, 2016. Underpinning all these accounts are substantial player sales, particularly in the last three seasons.

The latest accounts include the sale of Dan James but not Oliver McBurnie (which will appear in next year’s figures). If we had not sold players in the last few seasons, we would have reported significantly higher losses. They demonstrate the huge reliance for most clubs in selling players to balance the books and the difficulty in running a financially sustainable football club if you are not an established Premier League team. Yes, there are exceptions, but in the absence of significant Premier League media revenues, most clubs are reliant on a mixture of player sales and owner funding to balance the books.  

Next season (2020-21) we will see another drop in our revenue when our final year of parachute payments fall by a further £20m.  

To put our revenue decline in context, for the year ending July 31, 2018, we had a total turnover of £126.8m. Next season (2020-21) that will drop to just shy of £30m, and when the parachute payments cease for season 2021-22 then turnover drops to approximately £17m if we are not promoted. That’s a drop of nearly £110m. 

So, it is not surprising that many clubs struggle following relegation from the Premier League and that many slide straight through the Championship and into League One.

Yes, we’ve had player sales to offset some of that drop, but that profit on player sales has gone on funding player wages, running the Academy and more generally the significant operating costs of running a top-level football club.

The fact that some of our expensive recruits in the last couple of seasons in the Premier League didn’t work out has obviously exacerbated our problems. It’s very easy to get to a very large number when considering the cost to the club in terms of transfer fees and wages of those players who have made little contribution to on-field performance over that period.

[davidge]

Last night at Hull is the worst defending I can remember seeing from a Swans side. Hull sold their 2 best players, have a huge number of injuries and we could only scrape a point. That’s 5 games without a win. We had a very good August but on results since 1 September we’d be sixth from bottom. Honestly, it’s been dire.

Serious questions are now being asked about Cooper who has made very strange decisions and seems to have little idea of tactics and substitutions. He doesn’t seem a good judge of a player either.

Woodman in goal is worse than Nordfeldt, who was allowed to leave. Bidwell can’t defend and yet is picked most games. Another left back was offloaded last month without ever being given a choice. Wilmot did well when he was brought in due to injuries but then was dropped for no reason just when he’d settled in. Guehi is clearly not ready for this level but rumours are that Chelsea have been guaranteed that he’ll play as part of loan deal! We play with no width, players are switched between different positions and the team is frequently changed.

Fans are pretty fed up now and there’s real pessimism for the future. Most are expecting a relegation battle next season.

[vimto66]

14 minutes ago, davidge said:

Last night at Hull is the worst defending I can remember seeing from a Swans side. Hull sold their 2 best players, have a huge number of injuries and we could only scrape a point. That’s 5 games without a win. We had a very good August but on results since 1 September we’d be sixth from bottom. Honestly, it’s been dire.

Serious questions are now being asked about Cooper who has made very strange decisions and seems to have little idea of tactics and substitutions. He doesn’t seem a good judge of a player either.

Woodman in goal is worse than Nordfeldt, who was allowed to leave. Bidwell can’t defend and yet is picked most games. Another left back was offloaded last month without ever being given a choice. Wilmot did well when he was brought in due to injuries but then was dropped for no reason just when he’d settled in. Guehi is clearly not ready for this level but rumours are that Chelsea have been guaranteed that he’ll play as part of loan deal! We play with no width, players are switched between different positions and the team is frequently changed.

Fans are pretty fed up now and there’s real pessimism for the future. Most are expecting a relegation battle next season.

Great match for the neutral though, both defences were poor but to score four away from home and still not win is disappointing, then again Hull will have similar claims, never mind theres a chance to get three points on the board next week, we were good against QPR last week followed by a shitshow against your beloved neighbours midweek.

[davidge]

Strange goings on.....

Bersant Celina has apparently deleted all posts mentioning Swansea, including profile pic, from his Instagram account. He is meant to be very moody and prone to sulking but can’t see him being at the club next season.

[davidge]

[davidge]

The squad, including Robbie James, that won promotion from Division 3 in 1978/79:

[davidge]

[davidge]

Swansea City can confirm that the club’s first team squad has agreed to take a 20% conditional wage deferral for the next three months as football continues to come to terms with the economic challenges caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Chairman Trevor Birch, head coach Steve Cooper and his backroom staff, sporting director Leon Britton and senior members of the club’s office staff have also agreed to take wage deferrals for the months of April, May and June.

The wage deferrals are conditional in that the club repay the amount sacrificed over a 12-month period once football resumes in front of crowds again.

The club worked with the PFA and the players on finalising the deferrals.

“I would like to thank the players and staff for their cooperation and understanding during these difficult times,’’ said Trevor Birch. 

“Swansea is a close-knit, family club, and there was an overwhelming Desire from everyone to help protect the future of the football club for the supporters, the jobs of dedicated staff working within club, and the community that is so important to us all.

“The ever-evolving Coronavirus crisis continues to present many personal and business challenges, but we are all determined to do the best for Swansea City and its long-term future.”

Swans skipper, Matt Grimes, commented: “The squad was fully behind the decision. It was about making the right decision, the best decision, for Swansea City and the supporters, the community and those who work within the football club.

“We are all in this together, especially during these difficult times, and it is vital we emerge from this crisis with the heart of the football club beating strong.’’

Swans head coach, Steve Cooper, added: “We've all come to realise that the most important thing is the safety and health of everybody. Only after that can we think about football starting again.

"In the meantime, it was vital we were able to take these steps to protect the football club and what it means to the people of Swansea and even the wider football community.

"The players have shown a fantastic awareness of the situation and taking these steps proves they know and appreciate their responsibilities, and we are grateful for that."

The Swansea chairman did have this word of warning though: “There are likely to be more testing times ahead for the club, and football in general, and these deferrals will only assist cashflow in the short term. 

“There are a number of clearly important issues which still need to be decided on, not least of which is the finishing of this season together with the fate of players whose contracts expire on June 30. 

"Together with our season-long loan players, this affects 12 first-team squad members. We will closely assess the situation over the next few weeks as the picture hopefully becomes clearer.”

[davidge]

It is 42 years today since the sudden death of former Swans player and manager Harry Griffiths. 

Harry made over 400 appearances as a player, while serving as manager from 1975 to 1978. 

He also had a brief stint as John Toshack's assistant.

Harry Griffiths resigned as Swansea City's manager in February 1978, doubting his own ability to take the club any further. The new manager was former Liverpool, Cardiff City and Wales striker John Toshack. On 1 March 1978, at 28 years old, Toshack became the youngest manager in the Football League, with Griffiths as his assistant. Thus began a remarkable climb from the Fourth Division to the top of the entire league. Despite relinquishing his role as manager before the end of the season, this was Griffiths' team, and the promotion from the Fourth Division was largely his doing. During this season, the Swans' record league win was achieved (8–0 against Hartlepool United). Before promotion was secured, however, Harry Griffiths died of a heart attack on 25 April 1978 before the home game against Scunthorpe United.

(On a personal note, I was at the game that day)

[davidge]

 On This Day in 2003 Swansea City avoided relegation from the football league by securing a 4-2 win over Hull, striker James Thomas scoring a hat-trick on that memorable day.

[vimto66]

^^ We drew 1-1 with Oldham, but two defeats prior to that had already ensured our relegation which meant meeting you twice the following season (you won 2-0 at your place and we won 3-0 at ours) happily bouncing straight back up, albeit via the playoffs.

Edited May 3, 2020 by vimto66

[davidge]

The club are phoning older Season Ticket holders to check how they’re doing. My mother just got a call from the stadium announcer Kevin Johns.

 

[BigLicks]

They could be calling me any time then, season ticket holder and certainly older(i don't like the term old!)

[davidge]

As part of a new and innovative arrangement between the EFL and Sky Sports, which will see the broadcaster show 45 games live, Season Ticket holders at all Sky Bet EFL Championship Clubs will be given unprecedented access to watch the conclusion of the 2019/20 season online.

The Championship season will resume behind closed doors on June 20 live on Sky Sports, and work has been undertaken to ensure Season Ticket holding supporters are given the opportunity not to miss any of the action, whether the games take place home or away.

Sky Sports will broadcast 30 of the remaining 108 Championship matches alongside exclusively showing the 15 games across all EFL divisions in the Sky Bet Play-Offs. The 30 live League fixtures will also be streamed on a Club’s iFollow (or equivalent) service, where access will be provided for Season Ticket holders.

Supporters should note the following:

• Access to the games will be determined by the Club where the supporter holds a Season Ticket

• Access may be in lieu of a refund or part of a wider package as determined by each individual Club

In addition, the remaining 78 matches will be streamed exclusively live, again with access available to Season Ticket holders as identified above. Non-season Ticket holding supporters will able to purchase these games for the current match price pass of £10. Sky Sports will show the “goals as they go in” from these matches.

The 30 live Sky matches will also be available to the EFL’s overseas broadcasters via the League’s partnership with Pitch International. The other games will be available for supporters of EFL Clubs

outside of the UK, either as part of already purchased season passes (for their respective Club) or to buy on an individual match-by-match basis

The decision to structure this arrangement in such a unique way has become possible as a result of a settlement deal agreed between the EFL and Sky following the postponement of the competition earlier this year, and is one that has limited financial impact on the existing arrangement with the broadcaster at a time when EFL Clubs have lost a significant income stream through a lack of gate receipts.

The fixture schedule is in the process of being finalised, alongside the revised broadcast selections, with EFL games set to take place at the following times (or as otherwise agreed):

Weekends

-  Friday – 6pm and 8pm

-  Saturday – 12.30pm, 3pm and 5.30pm

-  Sunday – 12pm

Midweek

-  Tuesday – 5pm, 6pm and 8pm

-  Wednesday – 5pm, 6pm and 8pm

The broadcast selections made prior to the season suspension will now not apply, and Sky Sports will start this process “from scratch” with first selections expected to be available early next week.

EFL Chair Rick Parry said: “I would firstly like to thank the team at Sky Sports for their patience and support whilst we have worked through some of the complex issues surrounding our agreement that have arisen as a result of live sport being unable to take place due to the current crisis.

“There is no question that COVID-19 has detrimentally affected all industries and, whilst we have only ever wanted to return when it is safe to do, we have always understood that when we did, we had to balance the requirements of our broadcast partners with the unique and challenging financial circumstances that our Clubs face.

“We are delighted to have reached such an agreeable and sensible arrangement that ensures the financial impact to Clubs is minimised, Sky Sports are able to get their football business back up with one of the most eagerly anticipated Championship run-ins in years and, importantly, fans get access to games during a period where guidelines prevent them from attending in person.”

Sky Sports Managing Director Rob Webster said: "The partnership between Sky Sports and the EFL supports clubs and their communities across the country. We are pleased to have reached a solution which works for them; and appreciate the positive and collaborative spirit of the negotiations.

“The availability for existing Season Ticket holders to stream matches from their Club platform will compliment Sky Sports in telling the complete story of the climax to season.”

Quest will also provide extended highlights on both Saturday evenings and midweek, whilst talkSPORT will provide exclusive national radio commentary on some Championship matches.

Championship Season End Date

Following further consultation with EFL Championship Clubs this week, the season will still commence with match 38 on the weekend of 20 June, with match 39 taking place on Saturday 27 June. This minor amendment to the schedule will result in the last match of the regular season being on the midweek of 21 and 22 July with the Championship Play-off Final on either Sunday 2 or Monday 3 August.