Well, with all due respect, the very same could be said of supporters who keep going to matches, come away berating the players, and then laying into the Manager and Owners, " and expecting different results ". That's week in, week out. match after match. Now THAT'S insanity, but on a grand scale.
It's a Tuesday. Is it raining in Stoke ? Stoke should easily beat a totally ineffective Swansea City. But I've been wrong before.
The Manager controls how the team sets up to play as well as selecting the team. Supporters are not in control of events - we are spectators.
David Webb will be the man in the middle when Swansea City travel to Stoke City this evening. The man from County Durham is vastly experienced, having been added to the National List of Referees in 2008. He first took charge of a Swans match in 2011, but there was a seven-year gap before he took charge of Swans again. Since 2018, he has blown the whistle on 12 Swansea City matches (five last season) with the most recent of those a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough at the Swansea.com Stadium in April. On that occasion, Webb handed out three yellow cards with Hannes Wolf and Cyrus Christie booked for Swansea. Tonight, Webb will be assisted by Philip Dermott and Akil Howson. Jeremy Simpson will be the fourth official.
Swansea City’s Championship fixture against Stoke City is available to UK and international supporters on Swans TV Live on Wednesday night (7.45pm). The fixture will be screened live by SwansTV and supporters are able to purchase the game for just £10 in the UK. You can purchase the game HERE. Anthony O’Connell will provide commentary. The live stream will be a multi-camera operation with replays and match graphics, there will be a half-time highlights package and a full-time round up of the action. Fans outside the UK and Ireland can purchase a full-season subscription for Championship fixtures for £170. There is also an optional monthly subscription available at a cost of £25, which will be automatically renewed unless cancelled by the subscriber. Individual matches, including this one, can be purchased for £10. Fans can purchase streaming packages HERE.
Ollie Cooper makes his full league debut for Swansea City as Russell Martin makes four changes for tonight’s meeting with Stoke. Cooper is rewarded for a fine display off the bench at Middlesbrough, with Harry Darling, Matty Sorinola and Jay Fulton also returning to the starting line-up. Darling replaces the suspended Ben Cabango, while Cameron Congreve misses out as Olivier Ntcham and Michael Obafemi drop to the bench. Jamie Paterson is fit enough to be named among the substitutes, while new signings Luke Cundle and Armstrong Oko-Flex are also on the Swansea bench. Andy Fisher continues in goal behind a back three of Darling, Nathan Wood and Kyle Naughton. Sorinola and Ryan Manning are the wing-backs, with skipper Matt Grimes being joined by Fulton and Joe Allen in midfield. Cooper will provide support to Joel Piroe in the final third. Stoke boss Alex Neil, meanwhile, names an unchanged side from their weekend win at Blackburn. Stoke City: Jack Bonham, Morgan Fox, Aden Flint, Sam Clucas, Lewis Baker (captain), Jacob Brown, Dwight Gayle, Jordan Thompson, Ben Wilmot, Liam Delap, Connor Taylor. Substitutes: Joe Bursik, Phil Jagielka, Tyrese Campbell, Will Smallbone, Tariqe Fosu-Henry, D'margio Wright-Phillips, Tom Saprrow. Swansea City: Andy Fisher; Nathan Wood, Kyle Naughton, Harry Darling; Matty Sorinola, Joe Allen, Jay Fulton, Matt Grimes (captain), Ryan Manning; Ollie Cooper; Joel Piroe. Substitutes: Steven Benda, Michael Obafemi, Olivier Ntcham, Jamie Paterson, Luke Cundle, Liam Cullen, Armstrong Oko-Flex.
More of a defensive/battling/dogged midfield. Might miss Obafemi’s pace upfront for any breakaway opportunities - don’t think Ollie is as quick
Thinking about it, Man Management at its finest … Hook Congreve before HT on Saturday, don’t find a place for him on the bench on Wednesday …..
