Is this really what the FA Cup has come to? Everton won the tie so comfortably they could almost pull on the slippers, and yet the fact they did it with perhaps their most insipid display of the season speaks volumes. You can always rely on Roy Keane to offer a brutal perspective and he did not disappoint afterwards, putting this tie into painful context. âI feel strongly â shame on them,â he said of Swansea, and it is hard to disagree with him. Why did the Welsh side make eight changes for this game, when they are not playing again until Thursday? Is the Europa League really that much more important than the worldâs oldest knock-out competition? There is one last question too, for which there is a simple answer. Does Europe offer a better or stronger route to success for Swansea? Iâll leave you to provide the laughter soundtrack. Garry Monk has done many admirable things in his brief tenure in caretaker charge of the Swans, but his team selection was not only baffling, but almost an insult to the FA Cup. And the thing is, with Everton in this almost sleep-walking state, they had a great chance to win, and as a club they have the pedigree to go a long way in the competition just as Wigan did last season, with far weaker credentials. Monk was unrepentant afterwards, insisting his teamâs congested programme was the real villain. He said: âWhen youâve got seven games in 21 days it is impossible to play the same team. âI can only judge the boys on how theyâve been in training and theyâve been magnificent. âI said when I came in everyone will play, and I have been true to my word. They have deserved their chance. âIt is a squad game, everyone seems to be amazed when there is rotation but it is a squad game these days and we will make changes, especially with the European competition. I donât think it means Thursday is the priority really, but you have to be clever. âWe were a case of still being in the game and doing well until *individual errors cost us.â What Monk did not acknowledge though, is that so many changes makes it hard to keep consistency. And when he admitted his side gifted the game to Everton, he must surely realise the unfamiliarity played a big part in that. Certainly, a bigger part than Evertonâs form. The home side seemed nervous and pressured by the expectation that they would win easily, and showed within 30 seconds of the start their concentration was not right. From the kick-off Alvaro Vazquez should have scored, and probably his inform team-mate Wilfried Bony would have done. But even though the Toffees capitalised on the let-off, they were still strangely disinterested. They punished Swansea though, with a goal of their own on three minutes, when Sylvain Distin showed great composure from a corner to tee up Lacina Traore for a debut Everton goal with a clever backheel. Yet even that did not rouse the team or the crowd on a hazy Sunday afternoon. Make that lazy, because Everton were guilty of a shameful lack of closing down when Jon de Guzman casually headed home a Neil Taylor cross with no defender in sight. In fact, Swansea had further moments in a first half that had the feel of an end-of-season, mid-table game with nothing riding on it, and you cannot help but feel a stronger visiting side would have capitalised. They did not though, and as the game wore on, the lack of familiarity in the visiting side grew increasingly apparent, though it took the introduction of Steven Naismith on the hour to exploit it. The Scotsman showed an energy and desire that had been lacking, when he burst on to a poor back pass from Taylor to convert cleverly. He had time to win a penalty for Leighton Baines to put the game beyond doubt on 72 minutes, and then did his best to forget what he had just done after taking a bang to the head and exiting to tumultuous applause with concussion. Everton could have increased their lead, but perhaps courteously realised the Swans were hardly worth it. Instead they chose to stick with what they had so as not to rub the visitorsâ noses it in, leaving Keane to do that with his brutal honesty. - David Maddock/Mirror
Who gives a f*ck what the media think they were saying the same sh!t when Laudrup got sacked. Garry Monk did the right thing, we don't have the squad to compete on all three fronts. Premier League = Priority #1 + Napoli > Everton, we play in the FA Cup every season. And despite the changes made we played extremely well, for 60 minutes. These people haven't got a clue.
I put this up not because of what the media think, but because many Swansea fans think it too, I'm all for rotation and resting players, but 8 changes? at least put out a competitive team, but when that useless Vasquez was subbed for Lita, Bloody Lita of all people, some one we have been trying to get rid of all season, instead of Bony, then I new we wanted out of this competition. Monk must have been gutted when we went in level at half time, so bloody obvious that we didn't want to compete, I'd be bloody furious with our board and Huw Jenkins, if I travelled to watch some third bloody swans team having a training session, I'd want my bloody money back for sure. Not the way to treat our travelling fans, or the FA Cup!............... Monk made a big mistake starting Vasquez, he should have bloody known the boy was shot through with no confidence, but after what the Jack Army were singing at him up there, he'll not score for us now for sure.
If you read between the lines it was obvious big changes were going to be made. Whoever thought otherwise is extremely naive, we are not Manchester City, we're Swansea City, 4 points off the drop zone with a game against Napoli coming up. PL = #1. Napoli > Everton. (In prestige) We will play in the FA Cup next season. Rest assured Phil it would had been discussed between the supreme leader Garry Monk & Huw Jenkins. Regarding Alvaro don't worry mate, he probably doesn't speak English anyway. And if he's got a problem then he can do one. Sorry to the fans who traveled but the lads put in a good account of themselves for 60 minutes and I will defend Garry Monk's team selection all day long. P.s - No new injuries.
I think I've read that post before somewhere kieran? Anyway yes obviously Rafael Benitez's Napoli is a bigger fish to fry than Everton this week, but we didn't need to do what we did today at Everton, hope that point sinks in kieran? I'm signing out now, chat tomorrow...............
We've lost a bit of our polish most respected us for , the last few weeks . We didn't make any friends fielding that team today , it was disrespectful on many levels
I agree with the report. It was an insult to the competition and a low point for my club. I was seething when I saw the team selection. In the case of "who gives a **** what the media think ?" - well public perception is heavily influenced by what they digest in the media. We have gone from being everybodies 2nd favourite team to being disliked on a national scale (even internationally) in the last few weeks thanks to Chico, Laudrupgate and now disrespecting the FA cup. It was mentioned on another thread that doing well in the Europa League would maybe entice players to join us, well coupled with how the media are reporting on us and having an unknown manager - I don't think thats a factor anymore. Shame on us.
Last year ML did 7 changes to the FA Cup. This year GM does 8 and the world goes crazy... What's up with that?
Laudrup still didnt field a 3rd rate team, go check the other thread you posted this on to see the actual squad used. But its easy to use words to back an arguement when you know yourself the arguement would fail the moment someone checked, I can only assume it is why you didn't put up the squad list yourself.
Have to respectfully disagree, if we weren't in a potential relegation battle and playing Napoli in the Europa League days later then I'd agree 100%. Regardless of the team selection today* the lads for the most part played well and you couldn't question their commitment. Roll on Napoli, the 'A-Team' will be on show, we will win and the Liberty Stadium will be buzzing. 15/8 mukka, get on it, it's happening.
Were you as critical when Michael Laudrup picked half a team at Birmingham? (A decision I agreed with) Was that disrespectful too? Priorities.
Do you mean this line up? 2 Jordi Amat 3 Neil Taylor 7 Leon Britton 8 Jonjo Shelvey 10 Wilfried Bony 14 Roland Lamah 16 Garry Monk 19 Dwight Tiendalli 20 Jonathan de Guzman 24 Alejandro Pozuelo 25 Gerhard Tremmel Which was fine against a lower league oppostion, and should have been more than enough to see of Brum. or do you mean 2 Jordi Amat 3 Neil Taylor 4 Chico 6 Ashley Williams 7 Leon Britton 11 Pablo Hernandez 14 Roland Lamah 19 Dwight Tiendalli 24 Alejandro Pozuelo 25 Gerhard Tremmel 26 Alvaro Vazquez Which again on paper was more than enough to see off Brum. You cannot however say with any seriousness that the team we put out against Everton had any real hope. There in lies the difference.
One of the worst lineups ever selected by Michael Laudrup, was the team selected to play Liverpool the game before the Capital One Cup final. 1 Michel Vorm 7 Leon Britton 11 Pablo Hernandez 14 Roland Lamah 16 Garry Monk 17 Itay Shechter 19 Dwight Tiendalli 20 Jonathan de Guzman 26 Kemy Agustien 27 Kyle Bartley 33 Ben Davies And even that looked more promising than the one selected yesterday. Even the subs used were more promising, as for that game Dyer, Routledge and Rangel were brought on.
Agree, and ML got slated for that choice if you remember rightly, and be interesting to see how those who are defending GM's choices, criticised ML for his back then.
I also agree with the OP. Sounds like Monk is trying to be too pally with the squad promising everyone will play, regardless.
