Up for the Cup ?
or
Were we really?
For this tie at the Reebok, the biggest surprise for us Swans was not the changes, since we'd expected rotation, but perhaps the key indication was the number. Ten swaps from the previous game gave us all a clue that Brendan Rodgers had decided that the League, as we'd suspected, was a greater priority than progress in this famous old trophy.
Whether it was quite right for this game will be a matter for reflection and debate, and that's how it should be.
On a personal level, it confirmed what I'd discussed on one of the best BWFC forums, The Wanderer, with some of the Trotters' faithful, that if we were to field a so-called "weaker" side, then their greater squad depth was likely to trump ours. I'll come back to that later. I don't think, after today's game, that we could argue any different.
The sides lined up like this........
Swansea City : 25 Tremmel, 29 Richards, 16 Monk, 02 Williams, 20 Bessone, 26 Agustien, 15 Routledge, 17 McEachran, 27 Gower, 18 Lita, 19 Moore
SUBS : 21 Moreira, 05 Tate, 10 Graham, 12 Dyer, 22 Rangel, 24 Allen, 42 Sigurdsson
Bolton Wdrs : 01 Bogdan, 18 Ricketts, 25 Boyata, 31 Wheater, 39 Riley, 07 Eagles, 10 Petrov, 16 M Davies, 19 Reo-Coker, 21 Pratley, 24 Ngog
Subs : 22 Jaaskelainen, 04 Robinson, 06 Muamba, 09 Tuncay, 14 K Davies, 36 O'Halloran, 15 Mears
...which was illuminating for us to see Alan Tate back in the squad, and to see the two ex-Swans, Darren Pratley and Sam Ricketts both start for the Northeners.
The crowd was a disappointing 11,597, but at one of the better "new" Stadiums in the PL that can be no slur on BWFC who had set an attractive pricing structure for the game that both we, and other clubs, would do well to imitate.
or
Were we really?
For this tie at the Reebok, the biggest surprise for us Swans was not the changes, since we'd expected rotation, but perhaps the key indication was the number. Ten swaps from the previous game gave us all a clue that Brendan Rodgers had decided that the League, as we'd suspected, was a greater priority than progress in this famous old trophy.
Whether it was quite right for this game will be a matter for reflection and debate, and that's how it should be.
On a personal level, it confirmed what I'd discussed on one of the best BWFC forums, The Wanderer, with some of the Trotters' faithful, that if we were to field a so-called "weaker" side, then their greater squad depth was likely to trump ours. I'll come back to that later. I don't think, after today's game, that we could argue any different.
The sides lined up like this........
Swansea City : 25 Tremmel, 29 Richards, 16 Monk, 02 Williams, 20 Bessone, 26 Agustien, 15 Routledge, 17 McEachran, 27 Gower, 18 Lita, 19 Moore
SUBS : 21 Moreira, 05 Tate, 10 Graham, 12 Dyer, 22 Rangel, 24 Allen, 42 Sigurdsson
Bolton Wdrs : 01 Bogdan, 18 Ricketts, 25 Boyata, 31 Wheater, 39 Riley, 07 Eagles, 10 Petrov, 16 M Davies, 19 Reo-Coker, 21 Pratley, 24 Ngog
Subs : 22 Jaaskelainen, 04 Robinson, 06 Muamba, 09 Tuncay, 14 K Davies, 36 O'Halloran, 15 Mears
...which was illuminating for us to see Alan Tate back in the squad, and to see the two ex-Swans, Darren Pratley and Sam Ricketts both start for the Northeners.
The crowd was a disappointing 11,597, but at one of the better "new" Stadiums in the PL that can be no slur on BWFC who had set an attractive pricing structure for the game that both we, and other clubs, would do well to imitate.
£15 for top flight modern football in this day and age is fair and attractive - our 1000 odd support did not match the tickets sold - a lot of Swans bought for the JackArmy points scheme and didn't travel - but, given the current social and economic climate, no criticism is either offered or intended.
The game kicked off and settled into a rhythm we're familiar with. Despite a possession stat that came out as 50/50 overall, we were reasonably happy to compete on that basis. In terms of chances and opportunities created, Bolton were on top, but hey, this was a Cup Tie at their ground - did we really expect anything different?
The overall game stats will give the clue - whilst the possession turned out to be 50/50, the shots on target, 12-3 (off target was 8-8), and the corner count, 17-4 for Bolton, led you to reflect that it really was a performance from us consistently behind the eight-ball.
Chances in that first half fell initially to Chris Eagles, both from a shot wide and a block from Ash Williams.
Bolton's young Celtic sounding striker, David N'Gog, was then put clear but failed to get round Tremmel, and subsequently put a shot wide too. I should explain.
As is my wont, during the game, I flicked via the net to that esteemed "Wanderer" site, where the on-line , live invective matched that of an SCFC2 , or Planet Swans, debate.
The game kicked off and settled into a rhythm we're familiar with. Despite a possession stat that came out as 50/50 overall, we were reasonably happy to compete on that basis. In terms of chances and opportunities created, Bolton were on top, but hey, this was a Cup Tie at their ground - did we really expect anything different?
The overall game stats will give the clue - whilst the possession turned out to be 50/50, the shots on target, 12-3 (off target was 8-8), and the corner count, 17-4 for Bolton, led you to reflect that it really was a performance from us consistently behind the eight-ball.
Chances in that first half fell initially to Chris Eagles, both from a shot wide and a block from Ash Williams.
Bolton's young Celtic sounding striker, David N'Gog, was then put clear but failed to get round Tremmel, and subsequently put a shot wide too. I should explain.
As is my wont, during the game, I flicked via the net to that esteemed "Wanderer" site, where the on-line , live invective matched that of an SCFC2 , or Planet Swans, debate.
I was amused by the Match stream that linked us not to Sheep, for once, (that was a nice change) but to the linguistic delights of the famed Anglesey tongue twister - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
Their team forward line particularly was at once everything from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogon'gog? to
Petrovmaviscokerpratleyeaglesngogandbogdan by the sea to Petrovmaviscokerpratleyeaglesngogandbogdansiliogogogoch.
As they say on the net - pmsl. Respect, guys. Cheered me up no end from the pressure we were getting.
But, wouldn't you just know it, with half time approaching, Swansea, from a break, thought that they might be ahead. Wayne Routledge got it into the net, but was flagged offside. Not allowed.
No matter, 3 minutes later Luke Moore held off David Wheater, and clipped in a cool finish to genuinely take the lead. 1-0, and we Swans took a deep breath.
Of course, it doesn't do to get at all smug in modern football, because before half time, in extra minutes even, Bolton were (deservedly) level, and, worse still, it came from the immutable law of the Ex.
We all know it was bound to be scored by Darren Pratley, still suffering from disillusionment displacement from many Home supporters, and his headed goal from a Petrov ball may give him some breathing space.1-1, and just before the break they were level.
Whatever you think personally, from my point of view he never did anything at our Club to let me down, and his muted celebration showed that he still has respect for where he's been. Well done Prats, good on you mate.
Now buzz off and leave us in peace, please :)
Mark Davies had been prominent for Bolton, as had Petrov - both had tested Tremmel, and for Swansea Luke Moore's good finish had done as much as anything to lift spirits, but I got the feeling that this was a game where we would be pleased to take it back to the Lib.
Maybe it's just me, but I certainly wasn't that confident. You know the feeling I suspect, we've most of us been there. Sometimes you can't quite put your finger on it, it's a gut thing.It certainly was for me, yesterday.So the sides went in with the scores even.
The second half got no better in outcome for the Swans .
Just 10 mins into it Martin Petrov cut outside Jazz Richards and fired in a low shot to the near post, but Tremmel, although he got down well failed to hold the ball. From his stumble and fumble forward, the ball rolled to Chris Eagles who spun neatly and fired a low shot into the far corner.
2-1, and we knew it would be hard from now on.
Swansea's nearest chance in this period came when Leroy Lita hit a post, but at the other end Darren Pratley came close again when a header hit the bar. Reo-Coker too put a shot just wide.
I got the feeling that Bolton had almost settled on seeing the game out. Am I mistaken ? I ask because I've seen us do it, even when there is 20mins or so to go.
Petrovmaviscokerpratleyeaglesngogandbogdan by the sea to Petrovmaviscokerpratleyeaglesngogandbogdansiliogogogoch.
As they say on the net - pmsl. Respect, guys. Cheered me up no end from the pressure we were getting.
But, wouldn't you just know it, with half time approaching, Swansea, from a break, thought that they might be ahead. Wayne Routledge got it into the net, but was flagged offside. Not allowed.
No matter, 3 minutes later Luke Moore held off David Wheater, and clipped in a cool finish to genuinely take the lead. 1-0, and we Swans took a deep breath.
Of course, it doesn't do to get at all smug in modern football, because before half time, in extra minutes even, Bolton were (deservedly) level, and, worse still, it came from the immutable law of the Ex.
We all know it was bound to be scored by Darren Pratley, still suffering from disillusionment displacement from many Home supporters, and his headed goal from a Petrov ball may give him some breathing space.1-1, and just before the break they were level.
Whatever you think personally, from my point of view he never did anything at our Club to let me down, and his muted celebration showed that he still has respect for where he's been. Well done Prats, good on you mate.
Now buzz off and leave us in peace, please :)
Mark Davies had been prominent for Bolton, as had Petrov - both had tested Tremmel, and for Swansea Luke Moore's good finish had done as much as anything to lift spirits, but I got the feeling that this was a game where we would be pleased to take it back to the Lib.
Maybe it's just me, but I certainly wasn't that confident. You know the feeling I suspect, we've most of us been there. Sometimes you can't quite put your finger on it, it's a gut thing.It certainly was for me, yesterday.So the sides went in with the scores even.
The second half got no better in outcome for the Swans .
Just 10 mins into it Martin Petrov cut outside Jazz Richards and fired in a low shot to the near post, but Tremmel, although he got down well failed to hold the ball. From his stumble and fumble forward, the ball rolled to Chris Eagles who spun neatly and fired a low shot into the far corner.
2-1, and we knew it would be hard from now on.
Swansea's nearest chance in this period came when Leroy Lita hit a post, but at the other end Darren Pratley came close again when a header hit the bar. Reo-Coker too put a shot just wide.
I got the feeling that Bolton had almost settled on seeing the game out. Am I mistaken ? I ask because I've seen us do it, even when there is 20mins or so to go.
Swansea best period came when the subs were introduced, Graham and Dyer on 65m and Allen on 79m. They replaced Lita, Routledge (who had worked hard), and Gower.
For Bolton, Kevin Davies came on for N'Gog, and Muamba for Pratley. Eagles' replacement right at the end by Tuncay was just a Fergie-time thing to run down the clock.
Swansea best chance was from a decent move and chip to Danny Graham, who's header back across goal rebounded from the far post into Bogdan' s hands.
Swansea best chance was from a decent move and chip to Danny Graham, who's header back across goal rebounded from the far post into Bogdan' s hands.
The game played out with City unable to mount enough consistent threat to cause the Bolton cognoscenti too much bother, and with that, at 2-1, we were out of the FA Cup, for another year.
For the Swans I'd been pleased by the graft of Kemy Agustien and Wayne Routledge had worked hard. McEachran had been quiet, and the amazing Ash Williams continues his run of games. He is some player.
Brendan Rodgers placed no blame on Gerhard Tremmel's spill, but was perhaps being honest in saying "we made mistakes" in this radio interview
His comments on the rotation used deserve some thought too. Owen Coyle, quoted at the same source, was very fair as well.
For Bolton, I thought Mark Davies continued to display his recent good form, and Chris Eagles is a player I've always admired. He, along with Petrov, put themselves forward to decent effect. Reo-Coker will always give energy and I think if some Homesters cut Pratley some slack, they'll eventually get a decent squad option.
At the end of the day, debate among us Swans will centre on that squad rotation we talked about beforehand.
We know now that BR went with 10, whereas OC limited himself to 3. As I said then I was worried that this would leave us with an unbalanced , slightly weaker option, and so it turned out to be.
But, as I've also seen very pertinently suggested too, it wasn't the individual weaknesses that were key - it was about the sheer number (and thus weight) of change.
As has been said on at least one of our MB's, this big turnaround made it very difficult to bring our level of performance up to that to which we've become accustomed.
So, no overall beef from me - and since I'm usually vociferous in my support for a trust in what our Manager is trying to do on a personal basis, I've just got to suck up the disappointment of the defeat.
Doesn't stop me being unhappy mind - I SO dislike seeing our Club lose. So it's good luck to Bolton in the rest of the competition but a little less than us in the Barclays Premier League. And, don't forget, that's on Tuesday, against Chelsea for us.
At that Chelsea game, I think we can safely say that the bulk of the team will reflect a line up that's very different to Saturday's.
Vorm will undoubtedly return in goal, and we can expect our first choice back 4 of Rangel, Caulker, Williams and Taylor. Danny G up front for me, with Dyer and Sinclair wide. And the middle 3? Ah, it's ALWAYS the middle that's the key.
My stab is for Leon Britton, since he's our ball-hog : Joe Allen, for his creativity and energy in pressing : and Gylfi Sigurdsson, for clever prompting and, hopefully, shots leading to goals.
So, as I sign off this afternoon it just remains to answer the question I posed at the top of the page. It's this.
As that weary old football cliche says, no, we weren't really "Up for the Cup", for several reasons, but we can go now for that equal, or, some would say bigger and more important task, of "concentrating on the League".
For the Swans I'd been pleased by the graft of Kemy Agustien and Wayne Routledge had worked hard. McEachran had been quiet, and the amazing Ash Williams continues his run of games. He is some player.
Brendan Rodgers placed no blame on Gerhard Tremmel's spill, but was perhaps being honest in saying "we made mistakes" in this radio interview
His comments on the rotation used deserve some thought too. Owen Coyle, quoted at the same source, was very fair as well.
For Bolton, I thought Mark Davies continued to display his recent good form, and Chris Eagles is a player I've always admired. He, along with Petrov, put themselves forward to decent effect. Reo-Coker will always give energy and I think if some Homesters cut Pratley some slack, they'll eventually get a decent squad option.
At the end of the day, debate among us Swans will centre on that squad rotation we talked about beforehand.
We know now that BR went with 10, whereas OC limited himself to 3. As I said then I was worried that this would leave us with an unbalanced , slightly weaker option, and so it turned out to be.
But, as I've also seen very pertinently suggested too, it wasn't the individual weaknesses that were key - it was about the sheer number (and thus weight) of change.
As has been said on at least one of our MB's, this big turnaround made it very difficult to bring our level of performance up to that to which we've become accustomed.
So, no overall beef from me - and since I'm usually vociferous in my support for a trust in what our Manager is trying to do on a personal basis, I've just got to suck up the disappointment of the defeat.
Doesn't stop me being unhappy mind - I SO dislike seeing our Club lose. So it's good luck to Bolton in the rest of the competition but a little less than us in the Barclays Premier League. And, don't forget, that's on Tuesday, against Chelsea for us.
At that Chelsea game, I think we can safely say that the bulk of the team will reflect a line up that's very different to Saturday's.
Vorm will undoubtedly return in goal, and we can expect our first choice back 4 of Rangel, Caulker, Williams and Taylor. Danny G up front for me, with Dyer and Sinclair wide. And the middle 3? Ah, it's ALWAYS the middle that's the key.
My stab is for Leon Britton, since he's our ball-hog : Joe Allen, for his creativity and energy in pressing : and Gylfi Sigurdsson, for clever prompting and, hopefully, shots leading to goals.
So, as I sign off this afternoon it just remains to answer the question I posed at the top of the page. It's this.
As that weary old football cliche says, no, we weren't really "Up for the Cup", for several reasons, but we can go now for that equal, or, some would say bigger and more important task, of "concentrating on the League".
Onward, Swansea City.
# Completely pointless FACTS. Did you know that Patrice Evra (Man Utd) is one of 25 children? But, in the PL, one other player can go better than that. Alex Dimitri Song Billong (Arsenal) is one of 28 children. BIG families.It must have been absolute chaos when one of the children started to cry
2 comments:
Thanks again Pierre, another fair and succsinct(?) match report.With no disrespect to BR, and with just a touch of 20 20 hind sight, maybe with not SO many team changes we would have been in with a good shot of geting through to the next round, or at least a replay at our Liberty Stadium where we might have sported a slighlly larger crowd.Oh well, on to Chelsea!Quick question that I don't expect answered,but how do you find time to have a life outside of SCFC and football? Thanks again.
Cheers pierre- seems definite suPport for BR Whatever he feels.
Staying in p,ship is paramount- myself been scfc supporter for life - work many Saturdays so season not poss.
Been lucky to get in to 3 home games - any suggestions on Chelsea ticket. And other home games 07805673228 cheers buddy
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