Match report

Just back from the game, and a great performance today from everyone.

Best league performance (that i've seen) this season with some excellent neat, one touch and simple football played to feet. It looked like some of those who've been slated for a while, seemed to enjoy playing again today.

The travelling Swans were boosted by at least 50 / 60 locals supporting their respective Swans Scouser, making me think I'd gone through the wrong turnstiles!

Robbo imparticularly stepped up to the plate and had a great game, scoring a close range header after some neat build up play and a quality cross from Leon. He also came close in the second with a curling free kick from 25 yards, only to be denied by angle of post and bar.

Maybe having half of his family and friends in the crowd acted as the required boost, or perhaps there was another reason for his performance. Whatever it was, RM would do well find out what did it today, and ensure it’s repeated for the remainder of the season.

The only concern was that one of Trundle or Robinson seemed set to walk from the off, as both were intent on starting a war with the Tranmere fans in one stand. Robbo early on, and Trundle's goal celebration would have hardly endeared him to the referee.

Over the top would probably be an understatement, no matter how much grief he was getting, and he walked soon after.

However, even after the sending off, Tranmere hardly looked like getting back into the game. They attempted to throw the kitchen sink at the Gueret goal, but only managed a couple of half chances, and drew one great save out of Willy.

The Swans still tried to push forward on a limited basis, and could have nicked a third as Tranmere committed men, with Leon setting Chris Jones (who replaced a knackered Abbot) free down the right hand side a couple times.

Seasons still not over, and a poor Tranmere side will probably wonder this evening how they are so high in the league, and why we are quite so low.



Perhaps we can all hold fire on our “clear out” lists until Roberto has a little more time to keep individuals playing to the standard that we know they can.

Tranmere Rovers 2 Swansea City 2 - Colin - Swansea

A couple of observations from yesterday's outstanding win at Tranmere, probably the best performance by a Swans away side since last season at Southend.

A couple of subtle pre-match warm up changes with Colin Pascoe in complete charge, but also Graeme Jones working with Trundle and Abbott on shooting practice at Oakes in goal. Appeared to work as Trundle scored his goal right footed when through on goal.

Martinez refrained from putting Lawrence back in the side after completing his one match ban, so at last we have somebody in charge who has recognised where one of our deficiencies are. Also, no sign of Duffy on the subs bench Still injured, or going back to Pompey!

Apart from the goal conceded at Rotherham (which I still think was a cracker), Willy has kept 2 out of 3 clean sheets, making one outstanding save yesterday when the game could quite easily have changed. Not bad for a rubbish keeper!



Amankwaah on the right side continues to impress, yet another player the East Stand boo boys havn't given a chance to.
Painter on the left must be the 'steal' of the decade for an initial £25K, as he completely snubbed out the threat of Shuker(remember him for Barnsley last season)

Tate the skipper produced another JACK performance, starting alongside Izzy, or when he was forced to switch to centre of midfield.
Izzy's form over the last three games, especially with his pace across the backline is certainly one when his head his right shows how good a player he can be.

O'Leary for the short period he was on the field displayed his usual wholehearted endeavour, but had struggled for a few minutes prior to his being subbed.

Leon(and I have been a major critic of his) supplied the quality cross for Robbo's goal from the right, similar to Amankwaah's cross for Abbott's goal at Rotherham. A great example of the attacking play through the middle, and then switched down the flank. Another industrious performance, although he was caught out a few times in second half when Rovers drove free kicks at their left sided midfielder Ellison.

Robbo's game was back to last season's performance, full of craft, and even a bit of industry. But can he keep it going until the end of the season or was if for the benefit of his family watching. Again, we have a manager we recognises the deficiencies in the team through 90 minutes, and he was correctly substituted as at Rotherham.



Ian Craney had an outstanding game, covered every part of the field, especially when the Swans were up against it in the last third of the game. However, he needs a goal, as his allround midfield game revolves around scoring. But for me another shrewd purchase.
Abbott, until he was subbed, again played well, always available to link up with his midfielders, but had no real opportunites to score. When he does get these opportunites I am sure he will step up a level in confidence and show the fans how good a player he really is.

Trundle for me had a quite game, always looking to showboat through the game, which in the end saw him receive two yellow cards. On another day with a less fussy referee he would have got away with his antics. Nevertheless, an excellent right footed strike for his goal.

What must be mentioned which the referee should have taken into account was the disgracefull attitude shown by a large percentage of the Rovers fans through the game near to where Trundle was sent off in the second half with their continual taunting of both Robinson and Trundle. If the referee had opted to place stewards near the fans perhaps the outcome would have been different. But that appears to simple a task to do nowadays.

Overall, like the Rotherham match, the Swans superiority(especially if they had kept 11 men on the field) could easily have resulted in a 4-5 goals win.



It would appear that a new striker will be brought to the club over the next couple of days, but for me, providing he is fit, I would bring in Marc Richards. A player who knows a lot of the players at the Liberty, but also possesses the pace, eye for goal, and has the nerve to handle the last couple of games as the club launch an attempt for a Play Offplace. He's not in the Barnsley team at the moment, and providing he is fit, former Swans player Simon Davey could do the Swans a favour by loaning him for the remainder of the season.


Tranmere Rovers 2 Swansea City 2 - Richard of Warwick

Well, that was interesting wasn't it. So what did we learn?

In terms of team selection, if there were no niggly knocks, then it looks as if Tate is favoured ahead of Lawrence at the moment. And with Tate again captain does that suggest that RM sees him as the rock to build the spine of the team from? You could see why yesterday as Tate had an excellent game and his partnership with Izzy looked solid and well balanced.

No sign of Duffy, and not if sure if injured, but again it makes sense to look at our contracted players ahead of those on loan. Amankwaah had a very good game indeed although on a couple of occasions in the second half he was a bit absent leaving Leon to cover more space than his little legs could manage.

What was different yesterday was attitude. We got stuck into them all over the pitch and they did not like it! We were closer, busier and more aggressive in the tackle than of late. And that included Lawrence when he came on, as even he had lost some of his laconic style.

Of course our Scousers were well up for it and they had brought extended family to support. But our Scouser support seemed to go wider than that. Ronnie Moore's call for Merseyside to come and support seemed to have backfired a bit as those who did come seemed to be in our end.

But outside of that not much else had changed in truth. Still 4-4-2, still the same personnel, but we did have a spirit that has been missing lately.

And that spirit was certainly revved on from the touchline by Senor Martinez and by Graeme Jones. Both were very vocal, very visible and very involved.

A good early goal always helps, and we got that after a good passing move, good final cross from Leon (that's better!), and good positioning ( ) in the six yard box from our left side midfielder!

And we could have gone on and got more with a bit of better fortune. It was no surprise really when Trundle was put in after Leon might well have handled. But he put it away well with his right foot and the game was won.

What odds on a Robbo header and a Trundle right foot eh?



Out tails were up then and the most likely outcome was that we would go on to get a couple more, and they would respond to the R&T wind up and someone would go for an early bath.

Unfortunatley, it was the ref who responded first and we were down to 10. It was an absurd sending off, which bemused me at first. What I saw was their players having a go at Trundle and Lee doing well to keep hands firmly down and not aggressive. I did not see the second yellow shown, but it must surely be that so just a one match ban I hope, although I understand the FAW can increase to two. Two then

And then a good team effort to keep them out until the final whistle. A nice cameo from Chris Jones who obviously had been told to 'run it into the corners'. There was at least one time I would have wanted him to have ignored that and run at the centre half when one on one. But that can wait...



Funniest moment of the day? Well, it has to be when Abbott saw Jones being prepared to come on, and so he went straight away to the far touchline and started gesticulting wildly at Willy to throw him the ball. The ref was having none of it, and brandished his yellow even before Abbott started his long and slow walk to the bench. Says all that needs to be said about the ref who did not have a good day in my view.

So overall, a good smash and grab trip to Merseyside. Irony in that surely?

Beforehand, I had thought that the Board had shown that their ambition for this season was ended, by not raiding the loan market for a striker.

This will give them something to think about. But not much time to do it now, and even less time for someone to fit in.

But the season is still alive. Maybe
Tranmere Rovers 2 Swansea City 2 - BBC

Swansea boosted their hopes of reaching the play-offs with their seventh away victory of the season at Tranmere.

Andy Robinson headed in his fifth goal of the season for the visitors when he met a Leon Britton cross.

The Welsh outfit doubled their lead after 52 minutes when Lee Trundle raced clear from an Ian Craney pass and beat keeper Gavin Ward with an angled shot.

Trundle was booked for his celebration and was then sent-off for earning another booking seven minutes later.

Tranmere: Ward, Stockdale, McCready, Goodison, Sherriff (Zola 62), Shuker, McLaren, Mullin, Ellison (Davies 81), Taylor, Greenacre.
Subs Not Used: Hinchliffe, Tremarco, Harrison.

Booked: Mullin, Shuker, Ward.

Swansea: Gueret, Amankwaah, Tate, Iriekpen, Painter, Britton, O'Leary (Lawrence 36), Craney, Robinson (Williams 83), Trundle, Abbott (Jones 76).
Subs Not Used: Oakes, Butler.

Sent Off: Trundle (59.

Booked: Amankwaah, Trundle, Abbott.

Goals: Robinson 6, Trundle 52.

Att: 7,467

Ref: G Laws (Tyne & Wear).