Would you like the Swans back in the Europa League

Is this joker still allowed out?

 

When Toshack was in charge we didn't invest (given the finances I can understand why) after the 6th place finish.

So when Monk says there won't be much trading in the summer I worry we will stagnate rather than push for a European place.
The threat of Michu returning seems to have promoted 'Alfie' to find the form he had earlier in the season (& maybe Oliveira is a better partner for him) - competition, real competition not just a noter name on the subs bench, is needed.

 

Why have we got to buy all the time? Don't we have an academy? Why hasn't Monk brought through RAHEEM HANLEY at left back? I hear he is quite a talent, and at 21 surely he could have been given some time to see if he could shine, just like Ben Davies was............

 

I'd agree that is the way to go but look at the squad problem we had last Saturday with just two (3) players out (Naughton / Rangel /Rangel Naughton doesn't count). I reckon our academy is five years off providing ready made first team recruit especially as they play their football in a second tier. The ones who are starting to show, like Grimes and Hanley were brought through by other clubs and Fulton, Barrow, Kingsley and King were all playing senior football and I think (not Grimes) are all 20 -22 so not exactly child prodigies. Grimes will with add ons cost more than Michu.
Who amongst those academy / youth players was in any way ready or trusted to fill the void? I think someone must have had a word yesterday as Grimes was given some decent time to get in to the game.

We need to bring in some better quality players in key areas as next season other teams won't hesitate to gamble on being around for the big(ger) money in 2017.
Jack Cork's position - Leon isn't going to be able to fit in there nest season & Carroll will not be with us.
Left back will need one, or if Taylor carries out his threat, two players.
Right back we have Naughton, Rangel and if sense prevails Jazz. Who despite the whiners has never let us down.
Centre back is well covered if we can keep the four we have.
It really hurts me to type this but I see we need to replace Nathan & see how Routledge's operation goes. Montero could be great or he could be similar to Pablo & keep picking up niggling injuries.
In Gylfi, Ki and hopefully Michu supported by Emnes, Jonjo & possibly Fulton & Grimes we have a decent mid/attacking midfield.
But it's anyone's guess what happens up front. I hope Gomis comes back firing on all cylinders, as he's always given 100% and contributes a lot even wwhne not scoring, but he is going to be a risk. Gomis was coming good but has had a long barren spell, had injuries in the past and is getting on in PL football terms. I can't see Oliveira begin with us (reading between the lines). On yesterday's showing maybe he only needs game time but Monk sees him in training and must know his strengths and weaknesses.
I'm not suggesting replacing or filling all those mentioned but we can't wait for youngsters to come though before we improve the squad.

We've been quite fortunate with injuries this season but it's not a strategy we can rely on.

 

We are very close to our limit of how far a club like us can go. our next achievement now is to stay as a top half team and try for a European place by either in the league or going all out for cups......the top 6 is way above us and out of reach as the usual clubs have that mini league sewn up between them.

 

'We are very close to our limit of how far a club like us can go. our next achievement now is to stay as a top half team and try for a European place by either in the league or going all out for cups......the top 6 is way above us and out of reach as the usual clubs have that mini league sewn up between them.'

Well put - 'try for a European place by either in the league or going all out for cups' as opposed to asking Santa?
'the top 6 is way above us and out of reach as the usual clubs have that mini league sewn up between them' are you really saying we need to be winning our own league within the Premier League? Now who first said that had to be the goal unless Swansea were to spend £20 million on players and got slated for lack of ambition?
Not as anti- Laudrup as you make out.

 

I agree we should be looking at our academy players but the problem is they probably need game time at a better level than under 21. Perhaps loaning them out and ensuring there is a recall clause is the answer. I see Fulton as backup to Cork rather than an out and out attacking midfielder. We definitely need another striker and a backup goalie. I think Oliveira is more of an attacking midfielder who can play up front in an emergency and I wouldn't mind him staying. Routledge is thirty now so we need to be looking at a future replacement. If Taylor stays Kingsley will probably be the backup..

 

As far as i see it we finished a creditable 2nd behind Southampton in the 2nd league in the premiership of also rans. I dont kid myself that we will ever be able to match the consistency of the big teams even though we can beat any of them in a one off game...Our aim now is to stay and try and get that 7th place which will be difficult but will be more realistic than breaking into the top 6......Next seasons aims.:-
1) To stay out of the bottom 3
2) To get into the top half.
3) To claim top spot in the unofficial 2nd tier of also rans.
4) To field our strongest side no matter who we play in both cup competitions and try to win one of them.
5) To stop slagging off players one minute and praising them the next and understand monk and the club will know more than any of us will ever know and all decisions are made for the good of the club regardless what any of the fans think....

 

I am 68 and don't see a top four place happening in my lifetime. However it is important to have ambition and I don't see a top six finish. in the future, as being unrealistic. One of the things I didn't like about Laudrup was splitting the Premier League into divisions as we are all in the same competition. I want to see us competing hard in the cup competitions as I would like another trip to Wembley and we are capable of getting there preferably in the FA cup as this competition still means more to me than the Capital one cup. We are all entitled to our opinions about player's performances but totally agree we shouldn't be slagging them off or making personal comments about them as that is childish and immature.as is booing former players when they appear for another club.

 

The Sky is the limit Dai, and I'm sure Huw Jenkins would agree with that, no good removing the ambition, and bringing in negativity or a defeatist attitude like Laudrop did, with his league within a league, we must alway believe in the pursuit of excellence, who would have thought Southampton would have been in the top 6 most of the season? Never say Die...............

 

Dai - can't argue with what you've written although I'm sure that Stoke City will be doing their damnedest this coming Saturday to pip us for 8th position in the PL.

 

I don't think Michu will be a threat to Gylfi anymore. Gylfi played better because he had the freedom. This is our best gameplay to get the best of Gylfi.

 

I would agree Valley.

The formation used against Newcastle suits Gylfi far better than the diamond used in recent games.

 

Laudrup? Is that the guy who was so negative we only won the League Cup?

 

When i was a kid in my 20's and 30's Southampton was a massive club and still are as far as im concerned. the problem we have is we play at a small ground and should have built the stadium far bigger than what it is now but its ok in hind sight to say that i suppose.....If we wait for the stadium to expand to a level we need then how long is a piece of string as there are so many restrictions that we will never get the stadium to the size we want. We must never buy the stadium as the same problems will exist and we will be stuck with it and imo we should bite the bullet and go all out and build our own purpose built 40k stadium that we could fill with the catchment area we have. Before anyone says we could never fill it then i was at the old vetch when we were full to brimming over with 32k+ fans and tens of thousands unable to get in to see that match.......If we can do that then the sky is the limit as we can become a big club but that will never happen at the liberty....

 

10 years back I'm sure no Swans fans thought we'd become an established top 10 PL team.

 

true

 

We must always have vision and ambition, there will always be room for improvement.............

 

Comments like that will upset our arch Laudrup hater who recently posted we should be happy being top of the second stringers in the Premier League.

I think Laudrup was being realistic at the time and managing expectation. in fact he was increasing expectation as we were generally being very cautious with most claiming our aim should be to avoid relegation. Cardiff did the exact opposite with the club and fans thinking they would be storming the Champions' League places ... what ever happened to them? He also said unless we spend a lot of money on players it would difficult to make much progress and winning our mini league of about 8 clubs should be seen as success. As it was he only managed 9th but did win the first senior cup in the club's history.

I agree with you that we should be ambitious but we will need a much better squad than this season - as you pointed out, there are obvious areas for improvement.

 

The premiership has always been known as two leagues........nothing to do with laudcrap at all....