Gary Monk has found himself under some pressure of late and quite unjustifiably in my opinion. Not every team can have sustained success and yet Monk not only brought stability to Swansea when Michael Laudrup left he rebuilt, much of the side and has taken the side forward for the last couple of seasons. But with a few disappointing home results people forget all the good work that has been done at the Liberty stadium.
When Eddie Howe takes his team to Wales he'll not be thinking Swansea are a poor team. They don't concede many goals and with Williams, Shelvey and Gomis playing through the spine of the team, Swansea are a match for most Premier League teams. Their three star attacking players are Bafetimbi Gomis, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Ayew who have scored 11 goals between them and keeping them all quiet is not going to be easy for the Cherries. It has to be a decent attacking line up if they can let players the quality of Michu finally go, but also look out for Jefferson Montero who has plenty about him in front of goal.
Back in August, everything seemed to be going well for the Swans. They beat Man Utd and Newcastle at home, but since then it's been two points from four home games. Drawing against Everton and Spurs though are hardly poor results and Swansea are still a team that are not going more than a couple of games without scoring. So it's minor adjustments that Gary Monk will be making to tweak his team and he'll have had time to work with some of the fringe players not on international duty of late.
Swansea's record against the lower half teams is also pretty good having beaten Aston Villa and Newcastle. They did surprisingly lose away to Norwich City in their last game, but they had been well in that game and just made one mistake which cost them three points. It's the lack in concentration that annoyed Gary Monk who plays a patient game. Now the pressure is on them at home though in a game where they will be favourites against the Cherries. I expect a tight game as both teams know that a win either way will change the look of the table quite significantly in the lower half.
Swansea City Home Form
WDDLL
AFCB Away Form
WLLLL
You can now read my replies to questions from the Swansea Oh Swansea Fanzine.
Thanks to all those who have already sent Score predictions in for tomorrows game!
This is a fan’s personal view of AFC Bournemouth from the outside looking in. It reports on the daily official activities reported by the club and comments made by individual fans on social media and fanbase websites. Life as an AFCB fan is never dull. As a life-long supporter of the Cherries, it is the friendliness of the staff, fans and my enthusiasm for the club that inspired me to write this blog.
Showing posts with label Bafetimbi Gomis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bafetimbi Gomis. Show all posts
Friday, 20 November 2015
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Rival Lines: SOS, Swans fans baffled by team's slump
Rival Lines
Match Preview: Swansea v AFCB
Blogger Interview: Swansea Oh Swansea
Twitter: @StevenSOS1987
I had a real struggle to get hold of a Swansea blogger this time for Rival Lines. It seemed that perhaps a few sites were running scared of talking about their team facing the Cherries. Luckily though, I came across a Fanzine site called Swansea Oh Swansea and Steven Carroll duly obliged to take on my questions. It is a really important game for both clubs and being the first game after the international break I think it could define where the Cherries and the Swans need to strengthen, as both teams play a similar passing game and are both lacking that cutting-edge at the moment. Here's what Steven had to say on the matter.
CC: How does Garry Monk get more out of his team this season?
SOS: Hard one to answer really. The fans are a bit baffled as to why our form has dipped since the first month of the campaign. Ultimately though, he needs to make a couple of changes to the starting eleven as there's a few players not pulling their weight. Goal scoring is our biggest problem at the moment - only 5 in the last 8 games which is not good enough and it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
CC: Do you think Monk needs some more support as has been suggested with someone like John Toshack?
SOS: Something does need to changed but I'm not sure that would be the answer. It appears that the board would like to see someone more experienced join the backroom team but if Monk doesn't want it then we can't undermine him in my opinion. If someone does come in then I don't think Toshack would be the answer. He's a club legend but his time has come and gone. He hasn't managed domestically in this country since he left us over thirty years ago and the game has moved on a lot since then.
CC: Are more international call ups this year affecting the Swansea performances or is that a poor excuse for form?
SOS: It's easy to use that as an excuse, most of our players who represent their countries were doing so before this campaign, the only one who is new to it on a regular basis this term is Jonjo Shelvey. It's not something that washes with me, I can understand how after each international break if a player has travelled outside of Europe to represent his country that he may not be at the top of his game but the rest of them have no excuse. With the way the break works now, very often you will play your final international game on a Sunday or Monday so you get nearly a whole week to prepare for the next club game
CC: Were you pleased with the summer signings or do you think a couple of more first team signings would have helped?
SOS: Andre Ayew has been an excellent signing and is our top scorer with five goals - he's also the only player to score from open play since August if you don't include Harry Kane's own goal! The rest were more back up players which was on the whole what we needed but we should have signed another striker really. The fact that we didn't has been a mistake and it's cost us in recent games. [Ed- we know all about that at AFCB, sounds familiar].
CC: Have Swansea fans' expectations grown a bit bigger than perhaps they should have after last season?
SOS: I don't think so. Most of the fans realise that last year was pretty much as high as we can go without major investment. The expectation for this term was just to try and finish in the top ten again from my point of view, even if it was in a lower position than last season which I felt was well within our capabilities. At the moment you would have to say that is unlikely which is disappointing as I believe our players are capable of guiding us into the top half but are not showing it at the moment.
CC: Do you feel that Swansea have needed someone fresh up front like Eder who might be back for this match (I'll be pleased not to see the Gomis' Big Cat celebration this next weekend, even if he is in my fantasy league team)?
SOS: Yes, definitely. Gomis has no goal since August and not just that he's been very lacklustre and hasn't caused the opposition many problems. He is also offside an embarrassing amount. At the last count I think it's 26 times already this season, he's wasted so many attacks it's unreal. When playing well he's a handful and he's got more ability than Eder, but he's not showing it so it's time for him to be benched and the Portuguese international given a chance to start.
CC: Do you think Bournemouth passing game will be easier to play against than some of the teams you have played recently?
SOS: We hate teams who come to the Liberty and look to keep everyone behind the ball to frustrate us so playing Bournemouth should suit us better as I feel you won't do that and will look to have a go at us. However they could be famous last words as I'd be amazed if you didn't score, if you play as well as you did against Newcastle and as I've already alluded to we are struggling for goals ourselves. We will see but hopefully it will suit us.
CC: Are you sad to see the departure of Michu?
SOS: Not really, realistically he left 18 months ago. I remember on his last appearance for us at Hull in April 2014 all he was doing was berating team mates while not trying as hard as her should have been himself. I knew after that game that he didn't want to be here and thought it was best if he went elsewhere. It's a shame how things have turned out, he could have been a legend and he gave us some great memories but they seem like a lifetime ago now.
CC: Which player do you feel is playing best in your team at the moment?
SOS: Tough one to answer as the standards have dipped. However I'll say Ayew as he's the most likely to score at the weekend.
CC: How do you think Swansea will line up against the Cherries?
SOS: There could be changes but Monk has been fairly loyal to his main men so far so I think he's more likely to stick with them so I'll go for, Fabianski, Naughton, Williams, Fernandez, Taylor, Ki, Shelvey, Ayew, Sigurdsson, Montero, Gomis
CC: Is it easy to park near the Liberty stadium and is there anything AFC Bournemouth fans should look out for on their visit?
SOS: It's not great, there is some street parking but it's limited. There's a retail park but you'd be taking a risk parking there as you may get clamped. Things to look out for would be Coopers Arms which isn't too far from the away end if anyone wants a pint and for food Rossi's chip shop which is opposite the ground. The other thing would be my fanzine which I'll be selling by the lights opposite Rossis'!
CC: Thanks Steven for your comments on Swansea. It is good to know that some of my questions were tough to answer. I think we can safely say that both teams have lost their way a bit this season after reasonable starts. AFCB's problems are well documented with the injury list but I am struggling to see why Swansea have been lacking a bit of confidence of late. I hope AFCB fans make a beeline for the SOS fanzine which Steven will have crafted with a lot of care. In the meantime, do have a look at the Swansea Oh Swansea website.
FANS' FORUM
Finally, don't forget that All Departments will be hosting an AFCB Fan's Forum tonight in Southbourne at the Wight Bear Ale House. Why not pop along and enjoy the conversation, the fund gets underway at 8pm.
You cam also check out my Shoot blog post - The pass masters which has further views on the Swansea City v AFCB clash this weekend.
Match Preview: Swansea v AFCB
Blogger Interview: Swansea Oh Swansea
Twitter: @StevenSOS1987
CC: How does Garry Monk get more out of his team this season?
SOS: Hard one to answer really. The fans are a bit baffled as to why our form has dipped since the first month of the campaign. Ultimately though, he needs to make a couple of changes to the starting eleven as there's a few players not pulling their weight. Goal scoring is our biggest problem at the moment - only 5 in the last 8 games which is not good enough and it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
CC: Do you think Monk needs some more support as has been suggested with someone like John Toshack?
SOS: Something does need to changed but I'm not sure that would be the answer. It appears that the board would like to see someone more experienced join the backroom team but if Monk doesn't want it then we can't undermine him in my opinion. If someone does come in then I don't think Toshack would be the answer. He's a club legend but his time has come and gone. He hasn't managed domestically in this country since he left us over thirty years ago and the game has moved on a lot since then.
CC: Are more international call ups this year affecting the Swansea performances or is that a poor excuse for form?
SOS: It's easy to use that as an excuse, most of our players who represent their countries were doing so before this campaign, the only one who is new to it on a regular basis this term is Jonjo Shelvey. It's not something that washes with me, I can understand how after each international break if a player has travelled outside of Europe to represent his country that he may not be at the top of his game but the rest of them have no excuse. With the way the break works now, very often you will play your final international game on a Sunday or Monday so you get nearly a whole week to prepare for the next club game
CC: Were you pleased with the summer signings or do you think a couple of more first team signings would have helped?
SOS: Andre Ayew has been an excellent signing and is our top scorer with five goals - he's also the only player to score from open play since August if you don't include Harry Kane's own goal! The rest were more back up players which was on the whole what we needed but we should have signed another striker really. The fact that we didn't has been a mistake and it's cost us in recent games. [Ed- we know all about that at AFCB, sounds familiar].
CC: Have Swansea fans' expectations grown a bit bigger than perhaps they should have after last season?
SOS: I don't think so. Most of the fans realise that last year was pretty much as high as we can go without major investment. The expectation for this term was just to try and finish in the top ten again from my point of view, even if it was in a lower position than last season which I felt was well within our capabilities. At the moment you would have to say that is unlikely which is disappointing as I believe our players are capable of guiding us into the top half but are not showing it at the moment.
CC: Do you feel that Swansea have needed someone fresh up front like Eder who might be back for this match (I'll be pleased not to see the Gomis' Big Cat celebration this next weekend, even if he is in my fantasy league team)?
SOS: Yes, definitely. Gomis has no goal since August and not just that he's been very lacklustre and hasn't caused the opposition many problems. He is also offside an embarrassing amount. At the last count I think it's 26 times already this season, he's wasted so many attacks it's unreal. When playing well he's a handful and he's got more ability than Eder, but he's not showing it so it's time for him to be benched and the Portuguese international given a chance to start.
CC: Do you think Bournemouth passing game will be easier to play against than some of the teams you have played recently?
SOS: We hate teams who come to the Liberty and look to keep everyone behind the ball to frustrate us so playing Bournemouth should suit us better as I feel you won't do that and will look to have a go at us. However they could be famous last words as I'd be amazed if you didn't score, if you play as well as you did against Newcastle and as I've already alluded to we are struggling for goals ourselves. We will see but hopefully it will suit us.
CC: Are you sad to see the departure of Michu?
SOS: Not really, realistically he left 18 months ago. I remember on his last appearance for us at Hull in April 2014 all he was doing was berating team mates while not trying as hard as her should have been himself. I knew after that game that he didn't want to be here and thought it was best if he went elsewhere. It's a shame how things have turned out, he could have been a legend and he gave us some great memories but they seem like a lifetime ago now.
CC: Which player do you feel is playing best in your team at the moment?
SOS: Tough one to answer as the standards have dipped. However I'll say Ayew as he's the most likely to score at the weekend.
CC: How do you think Swansea will line up against the Cherries?
SOS: There could be changes but Monk has been fairly loyal to his main men so far so I think he's more likely to stick with them so I'll go for, Fabianski, Naughton, Williams, Fernandez, Taylor, Ki, Shelvey, Ayew, Sigurdsson, Montero, Gomis
CC: Is it easy to park near the Liberty stadium and is there anything AFC Bournemouth fans should look out for on their visit?
SOS: It's not great, there is some street parking but it's limited. There's a retail park but you'd be taking a risk parking there as you may get clamped. Things to look out for would be Coopers Arms which isn't too far from the away end if anyone wants a pint and for food Rossi's chip shop which is opposite the ground. The other thing would be my fanzine which I'll be selling by the lights opposite Rossis'!
CC: Thanks Steven for your comments on Swansea. It is good to know that some of my questions were tough to answer. I think we can safely say that both teams have lost their way a bit this season after reasonable starts. AFCB's problems are well documented with the injury list but I am struggling to see why Swansea have been lacking a bit of confidence of late. I hope AFCB fans make a beeline for the SOS fanzine which Steven will have crafted with a lot of care. In the meantime, do have a look at the Swansea Oh Swansea website.
FANS' FORUM
Finally, don't forget that All Departments will be hosting an AFCB Fan's Forum tonight in Southbourne at the Wight Bear Ale House. Why not pop along and enjoy the conversation, the fund gets underway at 8pm.
You cam also check out my Shoot blog post - The pass masters which has further views on the Swansea City v AFCB clash this weekend.
Monday, 15 June 2015
Who can teach AFCB to do Premier League survival best?
The scale of the task ahead of AFCB is only now starting to settle on the reality banks of many fans and it will become even more clearer when the fixture list is printed and we can all see it in black and white. Some teams on the list have the budgets and personnel that should see them comfortably sitting in the top six places but they are not the teams that AFCB will be modelling themselves on. It is the survivors in the Premier League and the teams that have shown that you can get promoted and stay in the top division that deserve a closer look.
When you see how Swansea or Southampton have performed this season it is hard to imagine that these clubs have not been Premier League teams for that long. Swansea only came up after the 2010-11 season and that was through the play-offs. At the same time AFCB were just taking the first steps in their rise with promotion to League One.
Meanwhile, the Saints have enjoyed their current Premier League status since 2012-13 but have show that with progression each season teams can change and bring in new players having had a core group at first though which to establish themselves in the top flight. The playing styles of both these teams is to get the ball down on the floor and it is their strikers that have really added that final touch of quality.
It is arguable though that is it's getting tougher to survive with Burnely and QPR heading straight back down last season, but even teams that have not dazzled the pundits like WBA and Stoke City have moved away from yo-yoing. I've been particularly impressed with Stoke City as they can't be called a long ball team anymore and under Mark Hughes that have scored some spectacular goals this season. Crystal Palace are also establishing themselves in the division now.
The main formula that I can see with Swansea and the Saints is that when they have seen quality players go they have replaced them with equally talented players. That is what it is all about now. The transfer market has to be played exceptionally well to compete at this level and while much of AFCB's has been together for more than a season or two in some cases, the turnover of players in the Premier League looks higher with strikers moving for huge sums if they can net 20 goals a season.
AFCB hopefully already have that man in Callum Wilson, and just maybe the Cherries could hold on to him for a season more yet. I say that as it is rare that players like Jay Rodriguez has managed to stay at Southampton having signed in 2012 for them and has just extended his contract. Injury certainly played its part. But look at Wilfried Bony who only lasted two seasons at Swansea and was soon snapped up by Man City. Do too well and you'll get noticed, and Wilson is now in the shop window not only for Premier League clubs, but also the worldwide market. Both the Saints and Swansea have bought well though bringing in Graziano Pelle and Bafetimbi Gomis and this summer Swansea have also picked up Ghanaian international striker Andre Ayew who I'm sure we'll hear much more about.
Lastly, you have to look at Leicester City. Perhaps Leonardo Ulloa was a very good buy for them after all popping in 12 goals for the Foxes - that's one more than Danny Ings got. They are the latest to to have gone up and stayed up some might say despite their manager. What they do have though is that club spirit - the inner belief to succeed together. That kind of reminds me of another team called AFCB, who have a carefully spoken manager - perhaps AFCB will do even better than just survive.
AFCB have to be on top of their scouting now more than ever for when they need to replace players with quality. Still I believe this situation is easier than what will be the position of teams like Derby County and the three teams who missed out on promotion through the play-offs to the Premier League this season - Brentford, Middlesbrough and Ipswich. Those teams will find it extremely difficult to start next season with the same squads and some have already have a new manager.
When you see how Swansea or Southampton have performed this season it is hard to imagine that these clubs have not been Premier League teams for that long. Swansea only came up after the 2010-11 season and that was through the play-offs. At the same time AFCB were just taking the first steps in their rise with promotion to League One.
Meanwhile, the Saints have enjoyed their current Premier League status since 2012-13 but have show that with progression each season teams can change and bring in new players having had a core group at first though which to establish themselves in the top flight. The playing styles of both these teams is to get the ball down on the floor and it is their strikers that have really added that final touch of quality.
 |
| Tommy will look to lead the Cherries to more glory. |
The main formula that I can see with Swansea and the Saints is that when they have seen quality players go they have replaced them with equally talented players. That is what it is all about now. The transfer market has to be played exceptionally well to compete at this level and while much of AFCB's has been together for more than a season or two in some cases, the turnover of players in the Premier League looks higher with strikers moving for huge sums if they can net 20 goals a season.
AFCB hopefully already have that man in Callum Wilson, and just maybe the Cherries could hold on to him for a season more yet. I say that as it is rare that players like Jay Rodriguez has managed to stay at Southampton having signed in 2012 for them and has just extended his contract. Injury certainly played its part. But look at Wilfried Bony who only lasted two seasons at Swansea and was soon snapped up by Man City. Do too well and you'll get noticed, and Wilson is now in the shop window not only for Premier League clubs, but also the worldwide market. Both the Saints and Swansea have bought well though bringing in Graziano Pelle and Bafetimbi Gomis and this summer Swansea have also picked up Ghanaian international striker Andre Ayew who I'm sure we'll hear much more about.
Lastly, you have to look at Leicester City. Perhaps Leonardo Ulloa was a very good buy for them after all popping in 12 goals for the Foxes - that's one more than Danny Ings got. They are the latest to to have gone up and stayed up some might say despite their manager. What they do have though is that club spirit - the inner belief to succeed together. That kind of reminds me of another team called AFCB, who have a carefully spoken manager - perhaps AFCB will do even better than just survive.
AFCB have to be on top of their scouting now more than ever for when they need to replace players with quality. Still I believe this situation is easier than what will be the position of teams like Derby County and the three teams who missed out on promotion through the play-offs to the Premier League this season - Brentford, Middlesbrough and Ipswich. Those teams will find it extremely difficult to start next season with the same squads and some have already have a new manager.
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