Match report

I don't know how many were in the crowd today, but God knows I thought about counting them a few times to take my mind off what was happening in front of me. Bank Holiday Monday attractions such as B&Q and the likes used to have to splash out on expensive advertising campaigns to draw the crowds. Today they seemed to find a team of players to do that for them, and a severe attack of house and garden makeovers is likely for the next holiday weekend despite the visit of Southend.



The report already posted (apparently written by Giggsy but maybe his name has been withheld as a protection measure following the Port Vale reaction) gives all the details anyone will need to know about this match.

All that separated our first and second half performances was that the first half was airborne, and the second half largely land based. Unfortunately, neither of these had the word 'attack' included in them. There were more high lobs with backspin seen in the first 45 minutes than you will see in the whole of Wimbledon fortnight. Then having decided that Bayo wasn't up to winning the heading contest, Fallon was brought on and the ball played along the floor ever after.



I'd read my programme by then, drunk my coffee and eaten my Yorkie. I'd also watched Alan Knill drink two bottles of orange drink (probably energy drink at that), and have a few nice conversations with the Swans fans sitting behind him. It was all very pleasant if you had no interest in the football, but if you did, it was mind numbing.

The exodus from the East Stand was early and mass. When the Rotherham fans started chanting towards the end, there was no one left to chant back.



As we were walking back to the car, two Swans fans passed by suggesting that the announcement for the man of the match should have gone something like -'today - there is no man of the match'. How right they were. Kenny Jackett clapping his hands and shouting 'come on boys' doesn't seem to be having the impact it needs. Maybe that works on the training field, or then again, maybe it doesn't.

As for a team performance, it was as if the players had all been zapped, and no longer recognised each other.

Please do not let me read any more Evening Post articles saying 'all we have to do is win a few games'. All this media talk, from management, board and players, is wearing very thin, and the club would do well to stop talking and start getting things together. When a team is supposedly chasing promotion, either automatic or via a few more money spinning play-off games, they should look the part and act the part.



Today, and for far too many games recently, the Swans have done neither.

Instead of line-ups and player ratings, let's bring a bit of interactivity to the match report pages.

To sum up today's performance maybe you can choose one word from each of the following groups:

1. Abject - Miserable - Wretched - Dismal
2. Inanimate - Lifeless - Apathetic - Listless - Lethargic - Spiritless

Don't worry if you struggle to choose just one, I wanted to use them all.

Next, let's make a few selections of what you think is needed to be a success in anything, including football. Choose from:

1. Character - Moral fibre - Reputation - Integrity
2. Energy - Liveliness - Oomph
3. Enthusiasm - Eagerness - Fervour - Passion - Zest

Now name one thing that the players didn't do:

Challenge - Confront - Brave - Face up to - Contest - Oppose

Finally, pick one characteristic that each player could have displayed that would have made a difference.

Determined - Purposeful - Gritty - Strong-minded - Resolute - Unwavering - Dogged

Now put your answers in an envelope and post them to Messrs Jackett and Nugent. If nothing else, it will give them a few stronger words than 'come on boys' to throw out at the players for next season.



Swansea City 0 Rotherham 2 - Match Report by Nigel Gigg

After battling back to win the last home game against Swindon, much of the good work was undone with Saturday's listless performance and a third consecutive away League defeat to a bottom half of the table team.



Kenny Jackett's options are limited at the moment and he made just the one change bringing in Bayo Akinfenwa again ahead of Rory Fallon.

Side- Gueret, Ricketts, Monk, Tate, Williams, Forbes, Martinez, Jones, Robinson, Akinfenwa, Trundle. Subs- Murphy, O'Leary, MacDonald, Knight, Fallon

In the first minute Owain Jones had a chance from a Tom Williams cross but his first touch was poor allowing former Swans loanee Neil Cutler in the Rotherham goal to gather.

Swans defence was soon looking at sixes and sevens and Garry Monk in particular was looking uncustomarily nervous. There were a few needless panics at the heart of our defence which Paul Shaw and ex Reading Martin Butler failed to take advantage of.

Owain Jones did test Cutler with a shot from 25 yards and incredibly that was to prove to be the last save Cutler would be called upon to make.

Rotherham took the lead on 15 minutes. Rotherham were awarded a free kick wide right and 30 yards plus from goal. The wall, if you can call Andy Robinson a wall, was a shambles with Robbo screaming at Willy for direction of where to stand and getting no response. Lee Williamson bent his free kick around the wall (Robbo) and into the six yard box. There was not a Rotherham player within 10 yards as Garry Monk sliced the ball past a bemused Willy Gueret and into the net.

If Swans were poor before conceding they got worse after. Swans looked incapable of retaining any sort of possession and either thumped the ball forward from deep or ran down blind alleys.

It was no surprise on 29 minutes that Rotherham grabbed a second. The excellent Butler and Shaw spun Tate and Monk to beat the offside trap. Butler's shot from the right should have been a regulation save for Willy but he merely pushed the ball wide and straight into the path of Gregor Robertson who scored easily from 12 yards out.



A minute later and it was so nearly 3-0. Butler's effort was partially saved by Willy and the ball rolled just wide of the post. There was a huge chorus of boos around the large crowd.

Andy Robinson tried to punch the ball into the net on the stroke of half time and got booked for his efforts.

The first 45 minutes had been lacklustre and shambolic.

Kenny Jackett would have eleven candidates up for substitution at half time but no changes were made. If Kenny imagined the second half couldn't be as bad as the first he was about to be proved wrong.

Swans had 45 minutes with no real shot on target. Martinez and Akinfenwa were replaced by Knight and Fallon. In fairness to Kenny he did try things with Swans playing 3-4-1-2. Knight played behind the front 2 and Sam went from right back to left midfield. However, what we really needed was Rotherham to play with 9 men, but I'm not sure even that would have made much difference.

What quality that was on display came from Rotherham with 2 solid centre halves, an excellent holding role from Lee Williamson in midfield, an outstanding 90 minutes of effort and commitment from Stephen Quinn in midfield and tireless running from Martin Butler and Paul Shaw up front.



By the end of 90 minutes the crowd was down to about 4,000 from 14,000 but enough to give the team another round of booing. If that wasn't bad enough as the players were leaving the field Willy Gueret had an argument with a Swans fan in the East Stand and Willy had to be led away by colleagues.

Ratings

Gueret 5 - Another poor game.

Ricketts 5- Lacking confidence at present.
Monk 3 - Probably his worst game in a Swans shirt.
Tate 6- Pick of defence.
Williams 4 - Always looks for a fancy pass when a simple one is on.

Forbes 5 - More effort than anyone but ran down far to many blind alleys.
Jones 5 - Covers loads of ground but for a big fellow his heading ability is awful at times.
Robinson 4 - Hard to be critical of him at the moment. Not sure he should be playing when he looks like he's about to explode at any moment.

Akinfenwa 4- Hardly had a kick.
Trundle 5- A couple of lovely touches first half, non existent second half.

Subs-
Fallon 5 - By the time he came on we'd already raised the white flag.
Knight 5 - Able to play more forward than he has had the opportunity of late. Didn't do enough but as with Fallon, no support.
MacDonald 5- Only managed a couple of touches.


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