I thought Leon was OK today. Not outstanding but, as Matt LeTissier said, he was 'comfortable and tidy'. Well, Jeff Stelling announced on Sky just now that the player attempted 67 passes and 67 of them reached their man. It's never been done before in Prem League history. Well done, Leon.
Just saw that too, and had to ring "Leeeeon" to tell him! What a stat. It takes some serious discipline and composure to play the way he does. Leon, you're a legend.
Well done leon britton , looking very comfortable in this division i must say , he has always had the best touch of our players IMO and im glad he ,joe and dyer are striking a blow for the small skillfull players! Finally people are realising you dont have to be 6ft plus to play prem football !
It has been achieved before but 6 years ago, but that shouldn't doesn't detract from the fact that it was our Leon who did it today. Well done that man and what an enjoyable day today has been
I think this will be the 4th time Leon will be the top passer in 'the mail' tomorrow, thats not bad for someone that (looking at past original 606 posts) was deemed wouldnt be able to step upto L1 and CCC. Think Joey had the best game today, but Leon deserves his plaudits. Does anyone think hes taken the Martinez role in the club?( player wise of course, but you never know)
I think Leon is still having trouble with his back, he looked stressed, and not up to his best performance, maybe that's why Rodgers took him off the other day!..................... please log in to view this image
isdont remember many thinking leon couldnt step up to L1 and ccc level , there were plenty of people thinking that about Monk,Tate,Gower,Orlandi and a few others though!! I was one of the ones that didnt think Monk or tate would be good enough for ccc level and they proved me wrong ,Premiership is a step to far though i reckon but we are still squeezing a performance out of monk which is ok as long as he doesnt have to do much defending!
I know what you mean about the Martinez role. He's the guy with impeccable discipline and unselfishness on the pitch, allows others around him to flourish, and can get forward an provide assists or even goals when required. I think Britton understands that at Swansea we recognise his discipline and steady nature with the ball, because his real talent (since he moved to defensive midfield) has been his fantastic tackling ability and his awareness of opponents which enables him to break their play up. He doesn't need to do anything special with the ball, just take it off the other team and pass it onto the play-makers! But from his early years with us, we all know the attacking ability that he's got - it's just his defensive ability is even better! He's our Claude Makelele! Between him and Gower, I think that we've some fantastic mentors for the younger lads to look up to and I'm sure that midfield will continue to be our strongest position for years to come as a result of this!
Norway, it's true about people doubting Britton. When we moved up to League 1, there were many doubters (and I mean ALOT - on scfc.com and 606) about his size and ability to mix it with bigger, faster, stronger players at a higher level. Exactly the same was said when we moved to the Championship. But after 2 promotions and proving the doubters wrong TWICE, thankfully there were much fewer doubting his ability to move up to the Premiership. We know what Leon offers us, and while there are players that can play instead of him, there are few players that could carry out the same tactical discipline and defensive role which he plays.
agree with your views bigkidderz ,leon does his job supurbly well ,there arnt many better than in fact ! as these stats about pass completion show us , was dissapointed when he left us but glad he came back, many seem to forget he was always destind for big things since he was a kid , unfortunatly for him he didnt grow to the right size and that went against him a little bit, his footballing ability has never been in doubt as far as im concerned and im glad to see him fulfill his dream of being a premiership footballer
I think he is alot more than just a shield , his first touch is the best ive seen on a swans player for years ,his ability to control and move the ball around is exceptional he makes controling the ball look very easy that shows how good he is . He never hides on the field of play and is always an option for a pass .
RE leon on the old 606 as i said i didnt really recall him getting much stick there , but i will take your word for it, who ever it was is surely eating their words now!!
Kidderz I don't recall that many on 606 saying that , yes people doubted he could make the step up, the same for other players, but it was more of the unknown quantity than any malice.
Wow. You really have no idea, musty. The fact that we scored three goals and had 19 shots at goal (11 on target) tends to suggest we did a fair bit going forward.
i wiil take 67 out of 67 short but effective passes rather than 67 speculative attempts at hoofball with balls being lost/ intercepted and then we get hit on the break. Our style is based around getting the basics and simple things correct first. Makalele made his name from the same type of passes.
I've always been a fan of Leon but I must confess that I was concerned about his ability to cut it in the PL. I never doubted his footballing skills, they have always been there. He's a top, top player at what he does. What I did doubt was his physique. I could see him being muscled out of games by bigger more powerful opponents. Credit to Leon, so far this has not really happened. I am still being cautious, however. The season is young and there are many tough games to face. Conditions will worsen, pitches will get heavier, games will take their toll and managers throughout the PL will be doing their homework on us. It has often been said that we will get better as we learn what the PL is about but, by the same token, the PL teams are also learning what we are about, so who will best learn the lessons? Norwich, I think, showed one of the best ways to nullify our game - something we were all aware of at the Liberty. Press us high up the pitch, get in our faces, close down our passing and movement space and we don't look the same team. In those circumstances we do need powerful, ball-winning competitive mid-fielders who will do our share of "getting in faces" to win us the ball and the right to play. So far, Leon has been a revelation and this equally applies to young Joe Allen - they have been excellent and long may it continue. But I still feel that we need some more power, more strength, more ugly in the middle of the park to call on when circumstances dictate. If we can get this balance I see no reason why we shouldn't be looking for at least one more season in the Premiership. In the meantime, Swans, you are all doing us proud and I must confess that every time I hear praise of our team in the media, my chest puffs out, a smile lights my face and I walk with a renewed spring in my step.
