I'm sure everyone is aware that Darren Pratley will,probably,be playing against The Swans' when his new Club, Bolton Wanderers,arrive at The Liberty Stadium on Saturday. I was away at the time of his departure from The Swans',but subsequently got the impression that he left under a bit of a cloud. The question I want to pose is, will those who were offended boo him to show their continued disapproval,or will bygones be bygones,and he will get,if not a hero's reception,at least a decent one?
Brendan has called for a warm reception for him, and I agree with that. He may have left under a cloud but he was a fantastic servant for the club. Thanks, Darren.
i hope he gets a warm welcome, he did great for us for 5 yrs , i wonder if he will be in Aspers after the game ??
I think he will get a good reception. He served us for 6(?) years admirably, and was one of our most important players for a long time. Considering he was essentially dropped for half the season after his contract talks broke down, and didn't go public about it until he had left the club, he deserves a bit of respect
I can't recall ever booing ex-players. I cringe when I hear that sometimes. I wasn't happy with his reasons for leaving which to me appeared non-footballing. In essence he didn't feel wanted which I thought was a load of crap. That said, his service to us over his time here outweighs that imo. On his day he's an excellent player even if his heart wasn't in it at the end. Hopefully he'll get a loud round of applause in amongst the inevitable boos from those who can't help themselves.
As i always say in these situations. We should concentrate all our efforts on supporting ours. However for years he was my favourite swans player. Wish he was still here. I for one for a change will give applause. However i do worry that some will boo him. He was booed when still at the club. When it came out he was moving. Still drink my tea out of my Pratley mug. Just couldnt throw it away.
bah - hope he's on the bench and we win.... I thank him for his time and will clap him as respect, but your either with us or your against us in my book :O)
Personally I wont boo him but I wont deviate from however I greet the rest of the Bolton team either (which means i may boo but I wont be singling him out lol). He was a great servant and I did take issue with some of his reasonings for leaving but ho hum, that's life, that's football and here is to hoping for a good 3 points on Saturday. I will have a louder than usual laugh if he misses a sitter though
This is Darren Pratley leaving under a cloud! His final kick at The Liberty in a Swans shirt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUorcIkL4Hc Get in my son. It gets better every time I watch it. Pratley is a Swansea legend.
pattley did not want to leave Swansea in the first place, he is a legend and i wished he and dorus would have resolved their issues with Jenkins and still be here with us, anyway he is a Bolton player now and i wish him all the best and will clap him and his team mates on to the pitch but i hope he goes back to Bolton disappointed...
"DARREN PRATLEY’S NO VILLAIN" so says the Daily Star, OWEN COYLE insists Darren Pratley will not buckle under a hot reception on his first return to Swansea tomorrow. Pratley quit the newly-promoted Swans for Bolton in the summer after failing to agree a new deal with the Welsh outfit. The midfielder, 26, helped take the Swans from League One to the Premier League but fell out with chairman Huw Jenkins last season. Coyle accepts that Pratley will get some stick at the Liberty Stadium but maintains he only deserves pats on the back. The Trotters boss said: “I certainly won’t need to get him going because he’s a very motivated young man. “The nature of football is that it’s heroes and villains and he left Swansea. But you have to look at what he did for Swansea in his time there and if that’s not well received, then it’s a sad day for football. “As a player, he gave everything he could and he was out of contract. “If within the course of that he’d been offered something he could’t turn down, he may well still be there. No-one can question what he did there.” - Daily Star The way I see it, he should have a warm welcome, there's nothing to justify him receiving a hostile reception, and I hope the fans respect that he has been very professional for us, and been a very good servant for our club, he will get a warm welcome from me!........... please log in to view this image
Nice to see a thread not ruined by bumboys from lower league teams for a change. How anyone could even think about booing Pratley is beyond me. I won't cheer him thats for sure but I will applaud him when he comes out, that goal against Forest will be one I remember til my dying day !
