Mutterings for the Minority An insight into the world of DDWT

Cardiff city stadium here we come

Yes it's true I'm making a visit to the new Cardiff city stadium - or Legoland as us Jacks like to call it - to watch arguably the most fierce local derby in British football on Saturday, 3rd April 2010.

It has been many years since I visited our arch rivals at the old Ninian Park and I can remember the healthy amount of loose change I pocketed that day as a result of the post-match coin storm that ensued over the rear wall of the grange end!

So here I am, in 2010 making the journey once again only this time it'll be to see the Swan's very first game at the new Cardiff stadium.

Here's my bus ticker for the "bubble" trip...

The fixture has the potential to be explosive on-field encounter considering ALL of the ingredients with both teams are vying for promotion to the Premier league via the play-offs (well currently they are anyway!). The Bluebirds being at home and at their new stadium will be out for revenge having not beaten the Swans over the last 2 seasons (2 draws and 2 defeats).

From fan's perspective, it's a bank holiday weekend, it's a 17:20 kick-off and for the armchair fans it's live on Sky. I do wonder what South Wales Police make of it all though....

Whatever happens I'm in no doubt it'll be an interesting day!

Plymouth Argyle v Swansea City – Championship 2009/2010

My quest to visit all 92 league grounds continued yesterday evening with a visit to the home of Plymouth Argyle - Home Park.

As it was half term week, only Conkers and myself (from the usual Dieters Bar Jacks) made the 3 hour journey down to the south west of England on what turned out to be a cold, damp and in some ways disappointing day/night out.

Leaving God's country (well a part of it) at 13:30 we made short work of the M4/M49 and were on the M5 before we knew it - as my followers on twitter were fully aware!

Our first stop - enforced toilet break - was Sedgemoor Services (South), which brought back fond memories of another Dieters Bar Jacks trip to Yeovil a few seasons back.

After this brief stop we were once again on our way and reached our pre-match meal destination - The Dartmoor Lodge - by around 16:00. Being less than 30 minutes away from Home Park we figured it was an ideal place to stock up our food and beverage reserves without the hustle and bustle.

Our refreshments arrived promptly and were warmly received - especially mine (as pictured below)!

Poor old Conkers had to make do with a pint of local ale (the name of which escapes me) and a coke (as in Cola).

We were soon tucking into a steak with ale pie and curry respectively. Conkers has a tendancy on this trips to ALWAYS sample the curry - much to the annoyance of the air pollution fraternity amongst us. It tasted good - the food that is - but for the price I paid I felt the portions were on the small side (unfortunately). Being a big old unit, I have a big old appetite!

My dessert, a pineapple and lemon gateau (above) was refreshingly sharp (as you'd imagine). Conkers went for the Lemon Meringue Pie - which he sent a picture of to @DomJolly in response to an earlier tweet about pancake day!

You can imagine how chuffed Conkers was to receive a reply back from the man himself..... "@Rhodri007 lol". Fancy making a well known comedian laugh at one of your gags!

It was now nearing 17:30 so we thought it best to continue with the last leg of our journey and we duly arrived at Home Park at around 18:00 and utilised the large (and free) car park right by the ground. It's always refreshing to see other Jacks milling around before an away game and this one was no exception.

After spending the next 30 minutes or so milling around the outside of the ground in the drizzly rain, we finally made it into the ground at 18:30 when the gates were opened. I kid you not, we were the FIRST fans into the ground!! A sad but true claim to fame?

Home Park has obviously been modernised over recent years and in some ways it was refreshing to see the old style wooden double deckered grandstand still remaining - it reminded me of the old days down the Vetch Field. However, it did make the ground look somewhat unfinished and awkward.

As for the game, the annoucement of 5 changes in the Swans line-up (from Saturday's Newcastle game) had most of the 700 odd Jacks present wondering what sort of formation we'd see. As the teams lined up for kick-off we were amazed to see that Paulo Sousa had gone for 4-4-2 instead of our usual 4-5-1.

It mattered little though as the Swans pretty much dominated the game from the start, despite what can only be described as a cow field of a pitch (for both teams).

The first half passed without much incident and little threat on our goal in particular - which was highlighted by the rather muted support from the locals. Not even a noisy away end seemed to wake them from their slumber.

The 2nd half duly arrived and before most people's cornish pasties (including mine) had had time to settle, Darren Pratley put the Swans 1 up - cue wild celebrations from the Jack Army present and on the internet LOL.

However, with 3 points looking to be in the bag things went pete tong with only minutes remaining when Plymouth were deservedly awarded a penalty due to an outrageous 'hand-of-God 'ish moment from Andrea Orlandi.

I was fortunate enough to catch the penalty on video....Dorus DeVries saved the first but amongst the wild celebrations the referree orders the spot kick to be re-taken due to DeVries moving off his line.

1st Penalty...

2nd Penalty...

Ok, you've seen them both for yourself. Yes he moved - but not a great deal - but significantly he did EXACTLY the same for both penalties. Angry and frustrated were two clean words I'd use to describe how I felt at that moment in time.

So the game controversially ended 1 a-peice and to say we were angry was an understatement. We felt robbed and the video's merely seemed to compound our misery even further.

Our night then got even worse when upon returning to the car (in the main car park) we found a note on the windscreen....from a gentleman called Tony Kelly whom had 'bumped' our car whilst leaving the car park! Conkers was not impressed with the damage to his rear end (of the car that is) as you can imagine - but in fairness at least the guy had the decency to leave his contact details. Who said society had gone to the dogs?

A few wrong turns, dense fog, heavy rain and 180 odd miles later and I was home thankfully. I think I finally hit the sack at around 01:45 this morning - feeling tired and p*ssed off to say the least but not as much as Conkers I'm sure.

Until next time....

Swansea City v Crystal Palace – Championship 2009/2010

This was the only Swans home game over this year's festive period and it was disappointingly ruined after only 17 minutes by referee Anthony Taylor.

Taylor took it upon himself to controversially send off  the Swan's Albert Serran for an "alleged elbow" - which later TV footage showed clearly wasn't the case.  This decision was just one amongst a raft of other bizarre and often dubious ones made throughout the game.

Consequently, the largest home gate of the season (to date) endured a frustrating afternoon at the official's hands and spent most of the time jeering him as opposed to cheering the Jacks!

Full credit to the Swans though as they battled hard and earned a useful point considering all that had happened.  Dorus DeVries in particular made some great saves in the 2nd half and fully deserved his man of the match award.

I also hope that Tommy Butler either finds a new club or stops being so bloody lazy!  I thought wingers were meant to try and beat the man on the outside? As well as giving the full back the option of a pass when counter attacking?  Must you really cut back inside EVERY time Thomas? Rant over.

Whilst watching proceedings I also came to several other conclusions - based on ALL of the various home and away games I've witnessed this year and not just this game...

• Home crowds generally don't appear to make much noise, unless (a) you're playing local rivals and/or (b) there is a large away following present;
• MOST away fans make some noise for the majority of the game (likewise for the Swans away games I've attended);
• The standard of refereeing is definitely getting worse and there is NO consistency whatsoever from one week to the next, regardless of the standard being played;

Anyway, I think I'll sign off by saying that the loudest chant of the afternoon pretty much summed up the game as a whole - "Your not fit,  Your not fit, Your not fit to referee".

Newcastle United v Swansea City – Championship 2009/2010

Until I get a chance to give my full spiel on my trip to the real St. James' Park, here's some pictures to drool over

Swansea City v Sheffield United – Championship 2009/2010

Even the most imaginative scriptwriter would have had difficulty dreaming this game up such was the number of twists and turns during the 97 minutes.

Before the game I had high expectations and a Swans victory - based on what I don't know given our rather cumbersome start to the season. And so here I am merrily typing away having seen 2 Swans goals and 3 points in the bag, all against a Sheffield United team whom were in 5th place - hoorah!

I'm still baffled by Paulo Sousa's team selections though as each week we see a different starting eleven with (to me) a distinct lack of rhyme or reason to the selection. A good example today was no central midfielder on the bench and no Leon Britton or Joe Allen on the park! We then saw Ashley Williams playing in front of the back four - in Jordi Lopez's usual spot - and him playing in central midfield.

Ferrie Bodde did make a welcome return though which was a positive - but even that went pear shaped as he hobbled off with a knee injury. He was replaced by Lee Trundle - whom I felt did very little apart from make and take his penalty - but I suppose you could say that was enough!

I do wish he stop that bloody badge kissing routine though it really makes me sick, it's so cringeworthy.

Just a couple of other points really.... we still the ball away too often with sloppy passes, Mark Gower was frustrating last year - he's flipping well annoyingly useless this year and Nathan Dyer was deservedly man of the match!

Well enough of my team analysis, onto the game! Let's see, a Lee Trundle penalty, a disallowed goal for the Blades, 2 sendings off for the Swans (for 2nd bookable offences), 7 minutes of injury time and some rather dire football in-between really.

Little wonder then that only 540 odd Blades fans made the long trip south - watching that lot play that way each week it's hardly surprising. Mind you at least it gets them results I suppose....well usually it does!

So on the whole not bad value for money really I guess? Personally I was just glad we scored and got 3 points as boy did we need them.

Swansea v Blackpool

The Swans first season back at Championship level (Division Two to us oldies) in 24 years came to a close this afternoon with a 1 nil defeat against Blackpool.

With neither side having anything to play for - apart from pride and the odd contract perhaps - the whole atmosphere and approach to the game was more akin to a pre-season friendly than a league game.

It was little wonder then perhaps that the rather sleepy Swans defence leaked the only goal of the game inside the first half hour. Despite dominating possession - as per most of our home games this season - the Swans failed to capitalise on a host of chances.

I guess the fact that one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon was the news of Cardiff's play-off capitulation at Sheffield Wednesday said it all really.

The final whistle blew and no-one was seemingly bothered by the result. Why, well quite simply it was put into context by the Swans having exceeded my (if not everyone's) expectations. What a season it's been!

Who'd have predicted an 8th place finish in our first season back at this level or the 2 nil humiliation of FA Cup holders Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Other highlights include being undefeated in 3 games against our arch-rivals Cardiff and the emergence of Joe Allen in midfield. But the biggest highlight for me has been the way we've played football and in doing so outclassed a number of the teams in the top 6 - including Wolves and Birmingham.

The most bizarre game would have to be QPR at home which saw Iain Dowie was sacked a few days after. It was little wonder really as his side camped in their own half for the entire 2nd half, quite surprising really as we had Alan Tate in goals (due to a Dorus DeVries injury).

The games against Reading and Preston stick in my mind the most though. Simply because of the way we dominated, outclassed and quite frankly annihilated the opposition - both of which were the 'form' teams at the time and riding high in the division.

So what better way to sum it all up than with a video of the Swans players doing a lap of honour at the end of the game today. Well done lads you did the Jack Army proud!

Swansea v Coventry City

It was as much in anticipation as hope that I ventured to the Liberty stadium today hoping to see the Swans break their 6 game drawing streak, but alas it was not to be and they ended up with draw number 7.

Despite the blank scoreline the game itself was an interesting affair with the Swans (as usual) dominating from start to finish without showing that killer touch (again).  Personally I felt Coventry offered very little in any department (other than defence) and a great ability to waste time - which was disappointing considering they were managed by an ex-Swan in Chris Coleman.

It also appears that this sort of ploy is now becoming the norm for visiting teams with most this season - with the exception of Forest, Brum, Southampton and Wolves (from what I can remember!).

The majority of the team played well today - with the back 4 outstanding all game, giving the usually lively trio of Freddie Eastwood, Michael Misfud (later replaced by Leon Best) and Clinton Morrison only 2 chances all game.  Having talked about our defensive display, I still don't feel that Dorus DeVries is the man for the sticks at the moment.  Is lack of command in the area and at claiming crosses is alarmingly inconsistent - unlike the assured displays we saw from Dimitri Konstantopolus in Dorus's absence.

Still I'm happy with our current position of 10th in the Champioship table and I definately see the glass being half full, rather than half empty.

Swans v Watford

A typical winter's day welcomed the first of the two meetings this week between against the Hornets, with the Swans drawing first blood with a 3-1 win.

As per Southampton the other week, Watford didn't look like a 'bottom 3' team and their pace and trickiness in attack was evident - unlike lofty QPR a few weeks back! People say the table doesn't lie and I suppose it's hard to judge teams on just seeing them once, but on the evidence of today I doubt Watford will struggle all season long.

The game itself was literally a game of two halves (aren't they always!?) with the first half being instantly forgettable bar the 1 goal apiece - some tricky passing, movement and finish (coupled with a sloppy clearance) giving Watford the lead before a Ferrie Bodde thunderbolt squaring things up less than a minute later.

The 2nd period was a more entertaining - if niggly - affair with the Swans taking control of the game and applying lots of pressure, with a fine Jason Scotland finish and injury time goal from Guillem Bauza making sure the Swans ran out comfortable winners in the end.  

Watford faded badly in the 2nd half which meant the 800 odd travelling fans turned their attention back to singing about "sacking the board" - spurred on by a large banner carrying the same message. I guess they were in no doubt as to what they felt about Ady Boothroyd's departure earlier in the week.

On the subject of singing, our very own Dieters Bar Jacks tried their damndest to stir the Asbo East Stand into voice with a 8 minute plus rendition of "Martinez Barmy Army" - much to the amusement of those sitting near us!  Look out Norwich that's all I can say

So another 3 points in the bag, which see's us climb up to 9th in the Championship table and the perfect tonic before Tuesday night's Worthington Cup game against the same opponents.  Quarter finals anyone?

Swansea v Derby County

Feeling somewhat down, fed up, disillusioned with life in general and being miffed at the Swans following the Palace showing, it was with great reluctance that I went to the game tonight.

With the beauty of hindsight I'm now actually glad that I did go along - for several reasons.  Perhaps most importantly it gave me the opportunity to see most of the Dieters Bar Jacks and 'deal' with the obvious and well intentioned condolences about my Dad.

The other reason was that it was another step forward in terms of returning to some kind of normal routine in my life - not that it can be rushed given the circumstances - but it was a step in the right direction all the same.

As for the football well I'm glad to say that the Swans returned to at least some kind of the form they started the season in and despite the end result being a disappointing draw, it was an improvement on Saturday - which was the main thing.

Personally I felt Derby offered very little even after going a goal up and if the Swans had shown more quality in the final 3rd then there's no doubt the result would have been radically different!  As a result we had to settle for the Swans coming from behind and equalising thanks to a well taken goal from Ashely Williams.  Oh what we'd given for a reaction like that last Saturday!