Its easy to explain why we lost 0-3 Our defensive shape is similar to that of Brazil when they wernt winning anything, centre halves thinking they are strikers instead of defenders does nobody any good least of all us!! Watching ash Williams trying to bend in a shot from 30 yrds out sus up the defensive approach today,which is exactly where we lost the game. Failing to take our chances is another reason. Given the amount of quality chances we had it was a bit of a mystery as to why we didn't score. Having said all that to score you normally need to put the ball either side of the keeper not straight at him. As soon as Pablo went off we were totally lost as a creative force. it is a little bit worrying that we fail to muster anything creative when Pablo is not on the field. He plays the best heads up football in the final 3rd but we don't seem to have anyone clinical enough to capitalise. Never mind, seasons over, it was a flat end of season display but give credit to Fulham and Lee Mason between them they really ****ed up our day
On the ref front .. Not often you see out players get so frustrated and having words with man with the whistle. And today was the first time I've seen Sian Massey look to the ref before making a decision, she did it several times and wasn't her usual on the ball self - gave a couple of corners as goal kicks (and yes I was directly in line with the goal line). Was she down on form or instructions from Mason?
Sian was poor today just like some of the knee jerk reactions on this board to a freak result. Some people just invite doom and gloom and open the door to wumming and people that can't wait to criticise the Swans. At least the Fulham fans on our board are level headed. Can't be bothered with all the bollocks being spouted on the board tonight, good night all
Mustn't criticise the players for being gash in front of goal. What WAS I thinking? The fact is that many posters feel that our players should have buried at least 5 of the 14 shots we had. Some are also a tad pissed off that they allowed a poor team to have three shots and score three goals. But, hey not to worry. Everything's fine . Now THAT'S bollocks. If you think what happened today was acceptable then you're not thinking like our Manager - because he doesn't. Accepting mediocrity will make you mediocre. I'm confident Laudrup has already ID'd the problems and we'll be better next season. We have to be. If we play the first 10 games of next season the way we played the last 10 of this we'll be bottom three in no time and have a mountain to climb. It has to be said. That doesn't make me a person who 'can't wait to criticise the Swans' just someone who's making a worrying observation based on the stats. If you can't deal with that then carry on wearing those black and white specs.
the fact is fulham's manager out foxed our manager and its getting worrying now as its happening far to often to just be a dip in form....
Agree with this. Overreaction is silly and pointless to a game we dominated and should have won. BUT if we just shrug our shoulders and accept it we will never improve. I bet that Michael Laudrup is fuming and, in his understated way, he looked royally pissed off during his interview. There are problems to be addressed. I do not like the attitude of some of the players and it seems to me that a lot of this is down to Ash Williams. I won't elaborate as people will have their own opinions but, for me, he is not a leader and this permeates through the team. He gives me the impression that he is quite happy with what he's got after being a lower league player. Real winners are never satisfied and always strive to be better. If he wants to move on, that's fine with me because I think we can do better with the amount of the rumoured transfer fee. Thing is, his form of late just might have put some clubs off him. He and de Guzman epitomise for me what is wrong with our team at the moment. Their attitude sucks. We need a Roy Keane type of personality, snarling, combative and never happy with anything less than 100% from anyone on the pitch. I can't wait to see what the summer will bring in terms of new players.
Not the way we wanted to end the season but hey, **** happens. Premier League and we're having a laugh
People react to things in different ways, I agree with what KJ and Ivor have said. I was disappointed with the result and some of the aspects of the performance. The key word here is perhaps Frustration, we are so close to being a complete team but when we fix one bit the other bit sometimes falls off! Ivor is spot on with his comments, ive been looking more closely at Ash these last few games and the need for him to score a goal is over taking his need to keep his shape and defend, it was true of Chico today too, that looks like classic case of "well he is going up glory hunting so if its ok for him its ok for me" that sounds a bit daft but I could see it filter through. Anyway,a great season. Laudrup now faces his biggest ever challenge in management, I get the feeling he may have some outside help to bring in the right players that will make a difference but I like the idea of him being up for this challenge, im sure the players will be up for it too
hmmm, it's an interesting one with Ash. I don't go to the games so I can't really comment on his captaincy style, is it a widely held view that he is not doing the job expected. The only time I've really seen an example of this is at Wembley, I thought he should have sorted Dyer out, seemed to me he had a quick word and legged it and the problem escalated. Semantics maybe, but I'm loathe to have a pop at him really. It was definately a frustrating game against Fulham, an incredible score-line but in a couple of days I'll be able to reflect on the season a bit better and I would say I'm in the camp of considering it a successful one but obviously a lot of work to be done over the summer, which I think we all agree on! I think we saw a few players play their last game for us against Fulham.
I don't know about his overall captain abilities but I know what I see on the field of play lately. Trying to bend in 30 yrd shots and taking free kicks is better left to boys with the talent to do it. His job is to keep everyone on their toes at the back, as a defender his "goal" is keeping a clean sheet but he and a few others seem to have adopted a caviliar approach to that recently. His on field concentration and discipline has gone missing at a time when it was needed the most IMO. Problem we have is that the team have been safe for a while and have been basking in the glory of a fine season while trying to maintain a high level of intensity. Clearly one thing had to give! Its difficult to have a go at players, but at the same time they earn the big bucks and if they fall beneath their standards we as fans have a right to air our views. If the last 5 games needed to be won we would have seen a completely different player/players and that's what I don't really like. We always here them saying the same stuff in the media but when you've watched those players from day 1 at Swansea you can see when they are not mentally 100% on their game. We have watched Ash for the last 5 yrs and he is at his best when there is a battle to be won,he has lapses of concentration when things get too comfortable and his focus reduces as a result. Fulhams first goal was a classic example, lazy play from Ash to not keep his line which at that level against those strikers is almost like coring an own goal!! The next level from us is to win the games where we are favourites. These are the dangerous games for us, the ones when we think we are going to win, that isn't an ability problem,its not a tactical problem,its not a Laudrup problem its a mentality problem. The ruthless winning edge needs to be sharpened. That is the next thing that the players must learn, telling them they are great when they are average wont help them achieve it That's just my view, nothing against Ash, I think he is fantastic..when he is 100%
I have said from day one that ash is a bad choice for the captains job...he plays much better when he don't have the responsibility of others.....My view has not changed...
I have to agree Dai, Ash to me is not captain material. Monk when he was captain has always did the organising, and dishing out the orders, you really see Ash doing it. I'd like us to have a new captain next season, even if Ash stays, or goes.
