Hull City v Swansea City Competition - Sky Bet Championship Venue - KCOM Stadium Date - 14 February 2020 Kick off - 19.45 Following their dire performance in a drab 0-0 home draw with QPR, next up for Steve Cooper and his stuttering Swans squad is the long trip to Hull to play a team that is currently having a worse run than the Swans. Before the match with QPR, Head coach Steve Cooper had called for a response after Swansea's weekend home defeat by Derby County, but it was Rangers who, for long periods - especially in the first half - looked the more likely winners. Whilst happy as they were to end a four-game losing streak, Mark Warburton's team will be frustrated not to have claimed all three points rather than just the one. Rangers created - and wasted - the best chances, with Jordan Hugill and Bright Osayi-Samuel the principal culprits. Swansea are left without a win in four games, although they were grateful for this point after failing to land a shot on target..... In essence, the match was a meeting of a Swansea side who do not score enough goals and a QPR team who concede too many. At the same time as the Swans were drawing against QPR, three late goals against out-of-form Hull helped Blackburn strengthen their hopes of a play-off push. Rovers dominated the visitors at Ewood Park but were shut out until the 73rd minute when Darragh Lenihan scrambled home his third goal in five games. That was the signal for Blackburn to add two more goals in the space of seven minutes, with Adam Armstrong rifling in from 25 yards for his 10th Championship goal of the season. Substitute Dominic Samuel then fired into the bottom corner to make it 3-0 and lift Rovers to within three points of the top six - level on points with the Swans, but with a more better goal difference. The Swans have played the Tigers on 77 occasions, winning 31, losing 29 and drawing 17. In the reverse fixture at the Liberty in August, second half goals from Baston and VdH enabled the Swans to run out 2-1 victors after falling behind in the first 45 minutes: Turning to Friday evening, will it be the usual script that goes something along the lines of the Swans playing against a team that is out of form needing a victory .... and the Swans obligingly losing (eg Stoke hadn’t won a Championship match until they visited the Liberty, more recently Derby hadn’t won away since the opening day of the season....). Personally, I’m expecting another dire performance against a Hull team lacking in confidence (they recently lost 1-5 at home to Brentford), yet I think that Cooper’s Swans will return to South Wales with a point. 0-0
Byers is out for the season - ankle crocked Per the BBC: “The 23-year-old has been a regular under Steve Cooper and his loss is a blow to Swansea's play-off hopes. "George is out for the season. He got a high ankle sprain so that's his season done," said Cooper. "It is a big blow for him because he was having a season where he was having a lot of games and becoming an established young player so we are gutted for him. "We know we are light on numbers but that is what it is and whatever squad I have I will try to get them to the best place possible every game."
Light on numbers ffs he’s losing the plot as I am the will to continue watching the dross he’s now offering us
He is desperately trying to paint a picture that he is doing a remarkable job despite so many things going against him ........
We need width, pace and creativity. I’d go with something like the following on Friday night: Woodman Guehi Rodon Wilmott Roberts Naughton Grimes Fulton Gallagher Ayew Brewster As it’s away, Naughton and Roberts can be out wide.
There is so much negativity coming out of clueless positive spin where he says he will not change the way we play....is there a system? He consistently tells us that we are set up to win games. The only problem though I is that he sets up the team not to lose. We need to shoot on sight not after dozens of backwards and forwards passes in slow mo.... I would like to say we win with a 94th minute own goal but they have had such a wretched run they will end it against us
I totally agree , we are set up to not lose. and thats telling during matches where he failes to make substitutions either because he's not confident in his ability to make tactical changes ( which he doesn't imo) or afraid of making a sub in case the change costs us a point , unless its like for likefulton for Byers for example. he was forced against Derby to make a change becuase of Byers injury oitherwise it would have been the same 80 mins and one only or in Cullens case 5 minutes FFS whats that all about.
Chants of 'Cooper sort it out' were aimed at Swansea's head coach during a game (QPR) his team was fortunate not to lose. I fully expect us to lose this one, though a draw is highly likely, Hull will be looking to exploit our very soft underbelly, and I'm sure we will roll over and oblige.............