Mutterings for the Minority

Having given a superb ‘backs to the wall’ defensive display against Newcastle on the weekend, the Swans travelled to Goodison Park in a confident mood to take on an Everton side whom had struggled at home this season.

With the Swans still seeking their first 3 points on the road, many believed – given the recent performances of both sides – that tonight was going to be the night.  It’s never quite as easy as that though is it, especially in the Premier League.

For me the game had a more poignant significance as my late father was a self-confessed Blue and it was at Goodison Park where I witnessed my first ever game of professional football away from the Vetch Field.  Oh how he would have loved to see his son’s team lock horns with his beloved Everton in the Premier League.

The posse accompanying me on my 51st visit to an away ground (watching the Swans) were the usual suspects – Conker Jack and Director Jack – along with two new Jacks in the form of Golfer Jack and Doorless Dave (aka Jack-a-Door).

Doorless Dave is worth a special mention for his shenanigans in deepest darkest Blaina, where in true Michael Caine (‘ish) style he managed to “lose his bloody door” on his beloved Range Rover to a passing HGV – allegedly driven by a Cardiff City fan.

This story ensured much hilarity for the majority of the trip, fuelled further with constant Royle family quotes such as “How did you manage to do that then Dave?”.

I would say the choice of tunes for the journey was a source of amusement too – John Denver and Michael Bublé – but I think it’s fair to say that certain individuals, like Director Jack, would have rather listened to The Saturdays. There’s no accounting for some peoples tastes.

Anyway, having departed Loughor at around 1pm we took our usual scenic route through mid-Wales and headed north to The Old Trooper Harvester in Christleton (near Chester) for our planned pre-match meal.

We duly arrived in Christleton at 6pm – not bad from door to door (ha ha – nice one Dave) – having stopped only briefly in Mcdonalds in Newtown to have a pee. This seemed a very popular stop off point for other Swansea fans too as we saw numerous mini-buses and cars whilst there. I suspect this was more to do with the food than the toilets!

Talking of food, the fare in The Old Trooper was nowt to write home about (are any of the major chain restaurants?) and after munching our way through the courses we ended up being about £85 lighter in the pocket and collectively 8.5 lbs heavier in weight.

With our stomachs now full it was time for this little Jack Army to march onto Liverpool in search of Goodison Park on what was a mild but blustery evening on Merseyside.

We opted to park at a sports centre on Walton Hall Avenue (for £5) which was a little bit further away from the ground in the hope of (a) hopefully making a quick getaway after the game and (b) to provide some much needed exercise after our long journey/food over indulgence!

The walk to Goodison Park was not dissimilar to that of my visit to Anfield earlier in the season (apart from it being an evening of course) in that you had the stark contrast of row upon row of terraced houses and big green open spaces. And as per the Anfield visit, the Evertonians we encountered were very friendly.

Walking around Goodison Park you can’t help but sense/see that it’s showing its age and seems quite antiquated compared to other Premier League grounds we’ve visited. The one thing it doesn’t lack however is character from the old Vetch Field Double Decker’esque seating/stand to the statue of Everton legend Dixie Dean outside the Park End.

The Swans fans were given both tiers in the corner of the Bullens Road Stand and numbered approximately 2,100 – not bad for a midweek game 4 days before Christmas and not forgetting the costs involved with watching premier league away games.

I think it’s fair to say that whether you were sat in the upper or lower tier you would be struggling for a decent view of the game, unless the action was right in front of you.

Anyway onto the game and my take on proceedings…

• Personally I felt we looked like we were playing for a draw as from the outset we defended very deep with most of the players behind the ball;
• Our midfield were being outmuscled during the early stages and we really needed Kemy Agustien in midfield not Mark Gower;
• Whilst we might have been outmuscled, we certainly weren’t bullied and it was noticeable how defensively everyone was putting their bodies on the line for the cause;
• Jazz Richards continues to improve game by game and defender well this evening against a very tricky, pacy and strong Royston Drenthe;

• Unfortunately, Scott Sinclair seems to be lacking confidence which is in stark contract with Wayne Routeledge whom continues to prove me wrong – with yet another strong performance (bar a few poor passes);
• Despite being under the cosh during the majority of the first half (ring any bells?) we held out well and were I felt looking strong defensively – especially with Vorm making a couple of outstanding saves;
• Neil Taylor injury looked very serious at first and it was a relief to see him get up and waddle (much to the annoyance of the Everton fans) before making way for Rangel;
• A change was needed at half time and thankfully it arrived in the shape of Kemy Agustien who was a 2nd half replacement for the out of sorts Mark Gower;

• Rangel’s presence on the field illustrated how much he’d been missed and actually made me think long and hard about my early season observations about teams targetting him as a weak link;
• The Everton goal actually came from a corner that should never have been given – the ref overruled the linesman and as I was sat directly in line with it I could see it hadn’t taken a deflection!
• Which brings mean onto the standard of refereeing as once again it was poor and Kevin Friend fell firmly into the ‘homer’ category (yes and in the Simpson’s kind of way as well!);
• As always seems to be the case the Swansea fans were in fine voice again, which is more than can be said for their Evertonian counterparts. Sing when you’re winning, since one song and then stop singing would be more apt;
• Ashley Williams exemplified his ability as a captain by showing a great deal of appreciation to the fans for their support before, during and after the game. His crouched ‘hands in head’ pose at the final whistle also showed the disappointment he, the team and us as fans felt;
• Overall it was the lack of creativity from the Swans that was the most disappointing aspect of the game. Some might also argue that we didn’t deviate from plan A when we chasing the game as well. But let’s face it, we’ve never done that have we.

Disappointed with the 1 nil defeat, but by no means distraught, we trudged back to the car discussing the various ifs, buts and maybes of what we’d witnessed.

Every defeat seems to bring talk of upcoming games being ‘must wins’ but that doesn’t interest me, as at the end of the day EVERY game is a must win, in the sense that teams should go out to win every game. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the odd defeat such as this will not define our season. Anyway…

The thought of a John Denver/Michael Bublé combo on the 4.5 hour journey home was a very sobering one and did little to raise the spirits of us youngsters. Thankfully my sesame seeded ham and spinach baps came to the rescue (cue inuendo) – along with a Swans/football quiz – as we hurtled our way down the motorway (as opposed to being shaken, rattled and rolled through mid-Wales).

Thankfully the time seemingly flew by and our north-west adventure came to an end at 3am and although absolutely shattered I couldn’t help but think that at least one person I know and miss would have been happy with the result.

Dad – Nil Satis Nisi Optimum x

The Swans backed by a travelling support of over 2,500 fans, travelled north to face bottom of the table Blackburn for a game that many anticipated would be our first Premier League away win.

How times have changed since the last time we played Blackburn, a 4-1 defeat at the Liberty stadium in a friendly back in July 2005, when the Swans were in League One.

Sadly on a day that the Swans gave a debut to their rather bright orange away kit, the result was more akin to the grim northern weather that greeted us on our arrival in this Lancashire town.

With Sports Writer Jack at the helm, we embarked on the 400 mile round trip (using the mid-Wales route) from the Swansea valley at around 08:15 and made good progress reaching Blackburn by around 12:30 – without a pee stop I hasten to add.  Now that’s what you call bladder retention!

The journey ‘up north’ passed without much in the way of incident – apart from a couple of mid-Walian kamikaze pheasants (now rather well known due to previous Swans away days) which sadly met their match in the form of an accelerating 4×4 owner.  You’d have thought he’d have slowed down to let them cross the road – as we did – but obviously he had other ideas and a sunday roast to prepare no doubt.

In keeping with the food theme, once we arrived in a wet, grey and grim (depressing?) Blackburn – we decided to utilise one of the many £4 or £5 a time impromptu car parks dotted along Branch Road – some half mile or so away from Ewood Park – and headed off in search of some nourishment.

Fortunately for us we came across a chip shop come chinese takeaway called the ‘Bamboo House’ on nearby Fore street and we were good to go.  Once our curly chips and meat & potato pie were no more, we set off in search of Ewood Park to have a nose around.  What is it with chinese takeaways and curly chips?

Whilst making the 10 minute walk to the ground we passed the designated away fans pub – The Fernhurst Arms – which was already packed with Swans fans.  I suspect the bouncers on the door and large police outside were in case of any violence at finding out it cost £2 just to get into the place!

As we approached the ground, it was obvious to see where some of Jack Walker’s millions had been spent and it made us realise that whilst Blackburn might not be in the list of most fashionable clubs to trip off everyone’s tongue – they are  certainly up there when it comes to heritage and history.

Our early arrival meant that we were able to have a walk around the ground and see both team buses arrive.  It also gave us an opportunity to gauge the sense of disenchantment of the Blackburn fans towards Steve Kean.

Much to our surprise the Blackburn team bus was greeted by no more than 30 or so fans, and as the players/management got off the coach there was only a solitary comment aimed at Kean – “It’s now or never Kean” and that my friends was it!  Not quite the sort of barracking I anticipated.

As if planned with military precision, the departure of the Blackburn team coach heralded the arrival of the Swans bus less than 5 minutes later, by which time around 20 or so Swansea fans had arrived to greet the team.

The players looked very focussed and ‘in the zone’ – with the majority wearing the trendy Skullcandy headphones which are so popular with Premier League footballers nowadays.  I’m sure it was disappointing for the young Swansea fans present that none of them (from what we could see) – other than Stephen Dobbie – chose to acknowledge they’re presence.  Surely a quick hello or autograph wouldn’t go amiss? Having said that I suppose given the time of arrival 13:30 the players are purely focussed on the game and nothing else.

Continuing our tour around the ground it was evident everywhere we looked the impact Jack Walker (and his money) had had on the club – and the local area no doubt.  There was a customary stand named after him and even the catering/hospitality area aptly known as “Jack’s Kitchen”.  Perhaps Delia Smith should take note?

A quick visit to the club shop once again illustrated how far the Swans lag behind other Premier League teams in terms of merchandising opportunities.  Does anyone from the club ever take the time to check what ‘the opposition’ is up to?  I’d happily provide a dossier on what I’ve witnessed at the 5 other clubs I’ve visited watching the Swans this season – and no that doesn’t include Shrewsbury Town’s club shop!  Anyway I’ll wrap up about that as I’m a web anorak not a marketing guru.

After not undertaking any retail therapy whatsoever, we continued our walk around the ground and came across a memorial garden – where fans could (if they so wished) have their ashes scattered.

This struck us both as something which I’m sure a lot of Swansea or indeed Ospreys fans might wish to see at the Liberty stadium perhaps.  There is after all some available green belt of land behind and to the side of the East Stand.

I wonder if the club would be receptive to this idea?  Let’s not forget that whilst the club was in residence at our once beloved Vetch Field that ashes were scattered onto the pitch.  I wonder what happens to such requests nowadays?

It was a poignant reminder of years gone by when we passed the Riverside Stand, which was in stark contrast to the other 3 re-developed stands at Ewood Park.  The site of the groundsman’s tools and machinery nestled under the stand was comical and served to remind me of our days at the Vetch.

There is always something to be said for the old skool football grounds and I miss the quirky character that they bring to an ‘away day’ trip.  Sadly modern stadia can’t and I don’t think ever will be able to re-create this ‘feeling’.

The site of a ‘Multi Faith Room’ underneath the stand was something which neither of us had ever seen before at a football ground – but I guess it just goes to show the diverse range of cultures that exist in this part of Lancashire.

After the obligatory touch and feel by the stewards, we entered the away end… now that sounds dodgy, so I’ll re-phrase it… we entered the Darwen End stand where the 3,000 or so Swans fans would be housed (lower and upper tiers).

It must be said that ALL of the Blackburn people we met were very very friendly and I can see why people say that northerners are generally a friendly bunch – unlike their compatriots from south of the Watford gap.

Anyway, enough of the ground tour and stereotyping – what of the game…

• A rapturous minutes applause was held in memory of Gary Speed, with the Swans fans singing “There’s only one Gary Speed” throughout.  A fitting tribute for a well respected and much loved Welsh football great;
• The absence of Danny Graham to injury meant a start for the more physical Leroy Lita – an attribute that would be needed against a big, physical Blackburn outfit;
• Ashley ‘Jazz’ Richards was making his full Premier League debut and we hoped that his inexperience wouldn’t be exploited by his more experienced opponent – in the shape of the pacy Junior Hoillet;
• The orange away kit was given a debut on a dreary winter’s day – which we thought might be a useful advantage, despite the colour clashing with the stewards dotted around the pitch;
• The Swans started brightly with a strong Ashley Williams block tackle on Yakubu – forcing him to initially hobble – setting the tone for the opening 15 minutes;
• Unfortunately, Jazz was ‘done’ on 21 minutes and Blackburn were ahead thanks to a wonderfully taken strike from Yakubu.  He really is a big old unit and would prove to be a right handful all afternoon;

• The body language after the goal wasn’t good and we did wonder how the team would react. We needn’t have worried;
• Another long period of domination led to us scoring a sublime team goal, with a salmon like jump from Leroy bringing us level – cue jubilation from the travelling hordes.  Lita for me was one of the positives from the afternoon – working hard at closing down and chasing back;
• The 2nd goal was again from a defensive lapse with Jazz arguably giving away a corner rather than perhaps ushering the ball out of play.  The Yak wasn’t going to miss (unfortunately) with a header from 3 yards out;
• Another lapse in concentration in the 2nd half – this time by Neil Taylor (I think) – saw the Yak add to his tally with a powerful header and I did wonder which Swansea we were going to see for the remainder of the game.  Would be capitulate or rally?;
• Somehow to their credit, the team and fans rallied and a goal from the hard working Luke Moore after some good work by Wayne Routledge – who continues to prove me wrong – set the game up for a grandstand finish.  The belief was there again;
• After Luke’s goal and during another long period of Swans dominance, we wasted a couple of chances (Sinclair’s in particular) to bring things level and I think had we done so we would have gone on to win the game – such was the frailty of Blackburn’s defence at the time;

• Sadly the sending off of Joe Allen (2nd yellow) and Neil Taylor’s subsequent unnecessary penalty box lunge meant the Yak sewed the game up from the penalty spot and we were left to rue missed chances and what might have been’s;
• Whilst I’ve previously commentated on the way teams appear to target Angel Rangel at away games – on today’s evidence I also realise how much work he actually does in both defence and attack.  His month long absence is a huge blow;
• Our consistent, fluid passing game seems to have gone a little awry over the last 2 or 3 games (in patches) and I can’t help but feel this is reflected in the results;
• The inconsistent standard in refereeing was once again evident today with Chris Foy seemingly falling firmly into the ‘Homer’ category.  Mind you if the half-hearted manner of his pre-match warm-up was anything to go by, I don’t think either he or his fellow officials really wanted to be there anyway!
• It was somewhat bizarre to hear the Blackburn fans chanting ‘Kean Out’ during and after the game considering the result.  But in fairness I guess the ‘rot’ had set in quite some time ago and one win certainly wasn’t going to change that;
• Chant of the day would have to go to the Jack Army with ‘Steve Kean for England’ – we can only hope
• Overall we’d once again dominated for long periods of the game but a lack of killer instinct in front of goal and some uncharacteristic sloppy defending cost us dearly. We really MUST become more ruthless in front of goal;

So all in all it was a disappointing end to what we’d hoped was going to be an historic day and with the opportunity to sing the “Jingle Bells Swans Win Away” song dashed, we trudged off back to the car to contemplate the 4 and a half hour drive home.

The highlight of the journey home was without doubt tasting Olivia’s muffins which lifted our spirits no end and ensured the trip home was an extremely pleasant one.

Despite the the odd burst of torrential rain, we made good time and I was back home with my feet up by 21:30, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to scrutinise our performance once again on match of the day.

However disappointing the result today may have been, at this juncture, one game certainly doesn’t make or break a season and I’m optimistic that we’ll return to form sooner rather than later.

As always, I’m proud to be a Swan.