We do not need to buy Cahill or any CB for that matter this window, this lads good enough for our bench next season.
Caulkers immediate aim is to help Swansea be as successful as possible and his comments are natural when you are part of a team - but he has already come out and said that his aim is to get in to the Tottenham team next year.
TEAM NEWS Swansea's Garry Monk will replace on-loan defender Steven Caulker, who is ineligible to face his parent club. Angel Rangel suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury against QPR and will face a late fitness test, but Neil Taylor could return. Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp may bring Ledley King into the team after he was rested against Norwich. Jermain Defoe is again a doubt with a hamstring problem, while Aaron Lennon is not yet fit to return. MATCH PREVIEW This year has been a memorable one for Swansea with promotion to the Premier League after a thrilling play-off final victory over Reading, which was then followed by an impressive first-half of the campaign in the top division. The Swans' form at the Liberty Stadium this season has been terrific with four wins, four draws and just one defeat - to Manchester United - while conceding only three goals in those nine home matches. The next three home fixtures will be a tough test for Brendan Rodgers' team as they face Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea before the end of January. Those three teams are currently battling for the unofficial title of top team in London; and at the moment it's currently being won by Spurs, who come into this match in third place and looking for their seventh away victory in the league this season. Tottenham's form has been phenomenal - they've taken 38 points from their last 15 Premier League fixtures - that's two more points than both Manchester clubs have over teh same period. Spurs have scored in each of their last 16 League games and the only team to prevent them finding the net were Manchester United in Tottenham's opening league match of the season. There will be plenty of attention focused on Gareth Bale ahead of the match. The Welsh international's second goal at Norwich on Tuesday was magnificent - his double strike at Carrow Road meant that Tottenham have won the last 10 Premier League matches in which he has scored. It's the first time these two sides will have met in over twenty years, and will be my first visit to the Liberty Stadium this season. With two teams who like to play attractive football, it has the potential to be an enthralling match. MATCH FACTS Head-to-head This is the first league meeting between the two sides since February 1983 and their first in any competition since a League Cup tie in October 1991. Swansea won both their previous two top-flight home games against Spurs - Tottenham last won a league game in Swansea in September 1946. Swansea Swansea have the best home defensive record in the division with just three goals conceded. There have been just 14 league goals scored at the Liberty Stadium this season - fewer than anywhere else in the division (Anfield and the Hawthorns are the next lowest with 18). All of the Swans' four league wins this season have come at home Brendan Rodgers' side have won just one of their last eight league games. Tottenham Victory for Spurs would equal their record total away wins in a Premier League season (seven, set in 1993-94, 1995-96, 2009-10 and 2010-11) Gareth Bale has scored or assisted at least one goal in seven of his last eight Premier League appearances and has already created as many Premier League goalscoring chances in 2011-12 as he did in 2010-11 (48). They have at least seven points more than they have had after 17 games in any previous Premier League season.
There's a story in one of the local Welsh papers from Mark Gower, formerly of Spurs and now playing for Swansea. Apparently his brother asked him if he could get him a ticket in the away end! Now that's real conflicted loyalty.
THFC - can you see in your database where our current points tally would have placed us in prior seasons. I bet in most years we would be top after 17 games with 38 points? And someway clear of 5th place?
2010-11 First place, 4 points clear of Manchester United 2009-10 Second place, 2 points behind Chelsea 2008-09 Equal first place with Liverpool 2007-08 Third place, 1 points behind Manchester United, 2 points behind Arsenal 2006-07 Third place, 1 point behind Chelsea, 6 points behind Manchester United 2005-06 Second place, 8 points behind Chelsea 2004-05 Second place, 2 points behind Chelsea 2003-04 Third place, 1 point behind both Arsenal & Chelsea 2002-03 First place, 3 points ahead of Arsenal 2001-02 First place, 5 points ahead of Newcastle United 2000-01 Second place, 2 points behind Manchester United
HARRY ON SWANSEA: Harry Redknapp is targeting a seventh away win of the Premier League campaign at Swansea tomorrow. We travel to the Liberty Stadium for the first time with a fantastic record of six wins in nine matches on the road so far. That's already just one win behind our best haul for away matches in a season in the Premier League. We managed seven in 1993-94, 1995-96, 2009-10 and last season but Harry knows we're in for a test to equal that mark in Wales. Swansea have a fine home record of just one defeat - to Manchester United - in nine matches so far and beat QPR last time out. "We've done brilliantly and this is another game we have to win, but it won't be easy," said Harry. "I watched them play United the other week and that was a tight game. "Swansea are not an easy side to beat, they are difficult at home. They play some good stuff, pass it from the back, keep the ball and move. "But we have been to all these kind of places this season - Blackburn, Wigan, Wolves, Norwich - and we've managed to win. The only slip-up was Stoke. "Our record of winning matches away has been fantastic really. "They are all tough games but we've won them and that's what we have to do on Saturday."
SPURS PLAYERS ON SWANSEA: Our players have been impressed with what they've seen of Swansea so far this season. The Swans have made an impressive start to Premier League life especially at the Liberty Stadium, with four wins, four draws and a solitary loss from their opening nine league games at home. And Swanseaâs reputation as a team that likes to play a passing game is not lost on our players. Welsh international Gareth Bale will play a Premier League fixture in his home country for the first time on Saturday and is expecting a tough challenge. âSwansea have been playing some great football, everyone speaks about how they play," he said. "Ultimately we want to go there to get the three points, keep the pressure on the teams around us and keep the run going. Hopefully Iâll get a good reception!â Rafa van der Vaart said: "I saw Swansea and they have a good team, they play good football. They are strong, especially away from home itâs difficult, but weâre looking forward to it." William Gallas believes our fantastic away form â six wins, one draw and two losses â is evidence of the great desire within the squad. âItâs great when you win away. It shows we are strong, compact and we want to to get something at the end of the season. âSwansea like to play football so it will be interesting to see how we are going to play and if we can beat them as well.â
Wow - just shows how good Chelsea's squad was back then! I went and looked at Chelsea's main starting 11 back in that season: 5 of that 11 still feature prominently in today's Chelsea (Cech, Terry, Essien, Lampard and Drogba) - shows pretty clearly that today's squad is a bit ancient Anyway, enough of Chelsea - that stat about matching our away wins is incredible - statto of the day for sure Today's game - Swansea are like a 'mini-Spurs' in terms of their playstyle, at least at the start of the season where their passing was nice and slick and their overall movement on and off the ball was fast. With injuries hampering the Swansea team likely to be put out today, it all bodes well for Spurs to continue their run and set up 2012 nicely. Formation wise I reckon Harry will go with the team that started against Norwich, giving Bale and VdV the freedom that we saw last match. Score prediction? 1-3 - Adebayor to get 1 and VdV - I fancy him to exit his little goalscoring rut and bag a couple today.
Cant see them scoring..can see us getting 18 shots on goal so going by my calculations i can see us winning 1 nil or 2 at a push...lets call it 2 as i can see Bale getting a goal due to his form 0-2 Bale and a lazy effort by Ade
Heads up, late Spursa line up: Brad Friedel; Kyle Walker; Younes Kaboul; William Gallas; Benoit Assou-Ekotto; Parker; Sandro; Van der Vaart; Luka Modric; Gareth Bale; Emmanuel Adebayor. Carlo Cudicini; Michael Dawson; Danny Rose; Jake Livermore; Steven Pienaar; Niko Kranjcar; Jermain Defoe. Good to see VDV made it, although I feel for Defoe.
I do worry about 'Arry sticking so rigidly with our best 11 over a busy Xmas period. VDV would've been a prime candidate given that he couldn't complete 90 minutes a few days ago.
Might be better to rotate a bit for the next game, YV. Redknapp's doesn't use his squad enough though, in my opinion. Hard to criticise him at the moment, but it cost us badly last season.
That is some bench, fantastic to see Daws back. The early prognosis was March I think, so good to see him available.
