Swansea v Reading Saturday 6th October 2012 - Kick off 3.00 pm The Liberty Stadium Premier League RFC AWAY - If youâre going and want to know more, see this great link about the stadium, travelling and food â http://www.footballgroundguide.com/swansea_city The ground Address: The Liberty Stadium, Morfa, Swansea, SA1 2FA FORM GUIDE Table Positions: Swansea 11th - 7 points (played 6 games) Reading 19th - 2 points (played 5 games) Swansea Recent form: After solid pre-season form (including victories against Port Talbot and Balackpool, and a draw with VsB Stuuttgart) the early season form was even more impressive! In the first two league games they rattled in 8 without reply â 5 v QPR and 3 v West Ham, and won against Barnsley in the League Cup 3rd Round. Since then reality has set in somewhat â a draw against Sunderland, but they have suffered losses to Everton (0-3) and Stoke (0-2). However the Swans have progressed to the 5th round of the League Cup with an away win at Crawley. Reading Recent form: Itâs not been a comfortable return for Reading to the top flight. After a well deserved point against Stoke, the club has endured subsequent defeats to Chelsea, Spurs and WBA but never disgracing themselves. Weâre a game behind because of the Sunderland postponement, and are also through to the League Cup 5th Round. Last Saturdayâs 2-2 against Newcastle showed glimpses of whart is possible when the players knuckle down together, we being rather unfortunate not to come away with the first league win of the season. THE BOSS â the current manager of Swansea: Michael Laudrup Official Swansea City Club Web Site: http://www.swanseacity.net Unofficial Web Sites â daib0âs suggestion: Planet Swans Rivalries, and fan base: Cardiff and both Bristol clubs ... Swansea City's main rivals are Cardiff City. Matches between these two clubs are known as the âSouth Wales Derbyâ, and are usually one of the highlights of the season for both sets of supporters. The rivalry between Swansea and Cardiff, often regarded as the most hostile rivalries in British football, has been marred by football hooliganism and matches between clubs have resulted in violence between both sets of supporters. To a lesser extent, Swansea City's other rivals are Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, and Newport County. However, Swansea very rarely meet Newport as they are currently separated by three divisions, whilst the two clubs share a mutual rivalry with Cardiff City. Swansea City and its supporters are unofficially known as 'Jacks'. One explanation for this name is that during the 17th century, sailors from Swansea were respected and any 'Swansea Jack' was allowed to join the crew based simply on the town's reputation for good sailors. Many, however, believe that the name originates from the renowned life-saving dog Swansea Jack. The Swansea City Supporters Society Ltd owns 20% of the club, with their involvement hailed by Supporters Direct as "the most high profile example of the involvement of a Supporters Trust in the direct running of a club". Famous Fans: Very difficult to uncover! I have Robert Croft â cricketer, and Catherine Zeta-Jones â actress. I simply havenât found any more! Swans, could you help me out please? Nicknames I hardly need to mention âThe Swansâ â the short version of the name MATCH DAY EXPECTATIONS Attendances: Of the 3 league matches so far at home Swanseaâs average this season is 20,412 which is third most modest for the top flight this year (just above Wigan and QPR). However, they are almost at full capacity levels so there cannot be significant changes to these figures all season. Reading are one place better off in this unofficial league, mind you some 3,500 per game better ... but also with that full capacity âproblemâ. Squads and Team News: Not available yet - please add any news in your posts and comments - one of the most important things to add here before kick-off! SCORE PREDICTIONS My own verdict: I feel weâll get a win, scraping out a 1-0 win, but then Iâm known for being an optimistic supporter! What do others say? The Oddschecker site, listing nearly all the major betting companies, shows Swansea huge favourites everywhere (odds of 1/1!) for a victory whilst Reading are at about 7/2. A draw is seen at about 5/2 ... FOR THE RECORD Last Encounter 30th May 2011 Championship Play-off Final (Wembley Stadium) Swansea City 4 Reading 2 Head-to-head Reading and Swansea City Played in total 73 times: 32 Reading wins / 29 Swansea wins / 12 draws Best Reading victory: September 1989 â Swansea 1 Reading 6 Best Swansea victory: March 1971 â Swansea 5 Reading 0 Also interesting: Aug 1922 â Reading 4 Swansea 4 // Aug 1923 â Reading 3 Swansea 4 // Sept 1923 â Swansea 5 Reading 1 // Jan 1948 â Reading 4 Swansea 1 // April 1966 â Swansea 5 Reading 4 // Feb 1976 â Swansea 5 Reading 1 // March 1978 â Reading 1 Swansea 4 // Jan 1980 â Swansea 4 Reading 1 (FA Cup) // Feb 1986 â Swansea 2 Reading 3 // Sept 2000 â Reading 5 Swansea 1 // Sept 2008 â Reading 4 Swansea 0 // May 2011 â Reading 2 Swansea 4 (Championship Play-off Final) THIS DATE in history For the superstitious Reading FC has nothing to write home about. Weâve played 14 times with a W5 D5 L4 set of results. Best of all was undoubtedly the 6-1 home win against Newport in 1934, which put us within 3 points of the top of the table, unfortunately with the one up only system employed then we didnât finally get promotion that season. For Swansea itâs an even worse day â they only show only a W4 D2 L8 record. However, they won 5-0 v Orient in 2007 (their last match on this date), but on the other side of the coin lost by the same score-line to Grimsby in 1956, and to Stoke in 1928. For those whoâd like to read a really detailed match presentation please pop over to the specialist Reading FC forum âRoyals Rendezvousâ where you have even more sections covered (this present article is simply a resume) and many a photo up too ⦠http://royalsrendezvous.co.uk/topic/9722515/1 Hereâs to a good game, all comments welcome! Any snippet copied will be fully credited (and thanked) with your user name and the forum! ... Daib0
good thread... this match is a must win for both teams for different reasons, we have lost our last 3 games without scoring a single goal and reading need a win to kick start your season and because we are one of the minnows like yourselves in the premiership then we must be one of your managers targets for points.......I expect a tough match that home advantage might give us the edge but looking at the way we are playing then i would not put any money on the outcome......as a fan i will say a close 2-1 win for the swans...
Last season you'd look at a trip to the Liberty as extremely tough, but with all the changes there and the teams current form, we might just nick something.
Good thread. I suggest you check out our Match Day thread on the Swans site for a full in depth review by our own Mr G.
Live Stream here: http://www.livefootballol.tv/liveview365-football-live-streaming.html?channel=dsfgvdgds Enjoy.
cheers! Added for next match! Sorry, I've been away three days working and have not been able to attend this thread at the end ...
Nickname = Jacks....................................... PS: You nearly nicked it, but not quite..........