Why on earth do you ask if this is a Spanish thing? From what I have seen, our Spanish players bring great credit on our club with their skill and enthusiasm. Chico wears his heart on his sleeve and tries his guts out. Despite struggling to get back from injury, is there anyone more passionate than Michu? Rangel has been a great servant for years, perhaps not blessed with the greatest ability but always giving everything for the jersey. Pablo is always out there trying even when things don't go his way - he NEVER hides. Amat is a great prospect, as is Pozuelo: and Canas always puts in a shift even if he's not as effective as we'd like. So, I'd like to know exactly what this "Spanish thing" is that you are referring to.
We certainly weren't any better. Did you listen to the radio at all after the game? The pundits were scathing. Terms like "capitulation", "abysmal" and much more were freely thrown around and someone said that this was equally as bad as anything under Michael Laudrup when team morale was alleged to be at a low. DO bear in mind also that Laudrup rarely had the luxury of selecting from virtually a full squad and, for much of the season, had a heavy fixture list to contend with. When you've finished your chuckle, you might also like to consider that yesterday, Monk had a full squad, they had plenty of time to rest and train during the week, they were playing an out of form team below us in the table with one eye on Wembley. Chuckle? Yeah, I'd love to be in the mood to chuckle and I might if things weren't so drastic.
I was there yesterday and what Ivor posted is spot on they were absolutely awful yesterday, no desire no commitment and more worrying no idea. I have only missed 3 games this season and this was as bad as anything I have seen. Chuckle all you like mate, but I'm more worried and concerned.
Monk stating publicly that Bony is the player to build a team around is also not a smart thing to do. Bony is good but not necessarily the player nor playing the position to build a team around. It has got to have a mental impact on the likes of Michu and perhaps others. If you decide that that is the platform and focus of your team selection, squad acquisition, tactical and strategic forward thinking, this is something you keep inside between yourself, your immediate staff, and executive management. Another act of immaturity in the position, IMO.
Plenty of managers etc have stated in the past that if they have a highly influential player, they build their team around him. If Michu's ego can't handle that, or any other player for that matter, they can bugger off back to Spain. We need more Welsh/ British players in the squad, who understand the physical demands of the premiership and have the fight in their bellies when the going gets tough, as we are lacking this in abundance.
I sense an anti-Spanish sentiment there Valley, is that specific to Michu, or in general. If so, why? In our system, it seems to me that we don't have a highly influential player. In general, one of our core strengths is / has been the cohesion of the squad playing the system at tempo with a high degree of consistency and quality of execution. Within that framework we have had players that are stronger / better than others from one game to the next but none that really stand head and shoulders over all the others that are absolutely automatic every single game. Conversely, one of our weaknesses has actually been that we lacked that one single player who, when the chips were down and we were under the kosh, could grab the game by the scruff of the neck and turn it around. We always seem to win as a group, and we lose as a group. Building the squad around a single player appears at first take to be a change in philosophy. Is this Monk shooting his mouth or is it indicative of some "deeper" Club level thinking.
Monk selected Michu, blame him. Get more welsh/british players in the squad why? Spanish teams like Barca and Real Madrid amongst top three sides in the world. Spain top international side at present. It's quality you need not players of British birth, like Moore and Lita perhaps.
Rangel is virtually a local - if any player gives 100% it's him, he sometimes makes errors but doesn't deserve either the mention from Monk or the implication in your comment, especially as many would point the finger at Vorm who not not didn't make the cross his but also looked like he didn't give Rangel a shout that Boyd was coming in behind him. Noticeably, Ash Williams hasn't been publicly criticised for some awful performances. Is Monk too close to some players? Has he been given too much change in too short a time. Is this why Curt doesn't fancy himself (Curt) as a manager? Was the disagreement with Chico the tip of an iceberg? A term used over and over again with regard ML was 'something isn't right' and if that was the case, it still isn't.
I quite simply do not agree it was as bad as the Weat Ham game, nor was it as bad as the3-0 home loss to Fulham when Laudrup didn't have the injuries issues. Those two were the worst performances by the Swans for many years. And the fact Laudrup was mentioned showed in my eyes that this is nothing more than usual Monk basing/Laudrup masturbating line.
Plenty of quality British players out there, Rhodri Williams for one. Much better than Lamah, Vasquez, Pozuelo etc.
If Michu can't handle being top dog anymore and is going to sulk then yes he can go. As for the anti Spanish, I said they can go back to Spain (players we have bought) as that is where they all came from the past 2 season, except Bony and Jonjo of course.
I hope Ash leaves in the summer and takes Chico with him. We need proper defenders and not someone who likes to wear gloves, fur coats and styles himself on George Michael. Sell them both and bring Caulker back.
If we are talking about last season's Fulham loss then that was a game we absolutely murdered and out classed Fulham but failed in two regards: a) we failed to score; b) we were stung on three break aways by weak defending when it mattered most by the usual culprits. The Fulham game is not in the same category as the West Ham or yesterday's game against Hull. The West Ham game was a game where we went up against a West Ham team on the back of a good series of performances that were playing well and did play well, a game in which we battled back and dominated stretches without reward, but again suffered from weak defending by the usual culprits. Yesterday's game was just plain rank. Hull were not that good. Bruce was over joyed with the result as he should be and we seemed unmotivated, underwhelming and ineffectual. This despite Routledge showing his jets and having one of his better games - I wonder whether purely better or was he just up against a lame full back - in any event it looked good.
I do not know why the Spanish players are the brunt of Valley's comment, it is not a Spanish player issue anyway, we have always played a system as Yankee has comprehensively covered, and Monk again makes a mistake and shows his poor judgement by stating he will build the team around Bony, that is simply not the Swansea way, we are a team in the true sense of the word, we have never built a team around a one trick pony since the Trundle days, and that got Jacket into trouble when Trundles goals dried up! No there are issues collectively in the dressing room that is hindering our cohesion and game, that much is obvious, and those players that are too big for their boots need shipping out!.................
Right let me clear something up, all the new players bar Bony and Jonjo have come from La Liga the past two seasons. I said they can bugger off back to Spain if they're egos have been bruised and are sulking. Nothing to do with criticism of the Spaniards, it's just we bought from Spain.
There appears to be more issues around the club since Monk took over, than under Laudrup. Perfect scenario for me now would to avoid relegation and be shot of Monk, and a new experienced manager installed.
