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What a Difference
03-05-2008 This morning, as usual, I was trawling through the guestbook on this site as well as the forum on Phil’s site, and I picked up on a posting about events which occurred 5 years ago in Swansea. Picture the scene, following years of underachievement on the field, and mismanagement off it both at a boardroom and coaching level, the Swans are lying in 22nd place in division three of the Football League. With one game to go, we were a point above Exeter City but with a worse goal difference. We had a home fixture against Hull City who were 13 points and 9 places above us in the table. Exeter, our relegation rivals, had our former chairman Mike Lewis on their board were home to Southend United who were 9 points ahead of them. The atmosphere in the preceding week had been nervous to say the least. Nigel Gigg and family had even spent the week being trailed by a Dutch film crew. Everybody’s emotions were near the surface following Carlisle’s 3-2 home victory against already relegated Shrewsbury, which guaranteed them League survival, leaving only the Swans and Exeter in the melting pot. Unusually for a final League fixture, the weather was dreadful. It had poured down in the night, and was still raining. Going to the Builder’s prior to the match was a strange experience; there was just so much at stake and the atmosphere in the pub had an almost surreal air about it. Then, to the game. Walking to the ground, and taking our places on the North Bank, the atmosphere was fully charged and extremely nervous. Then, a soggy Kevin Johns deviated from the script, and standing in the centre circle started singing the national anthem, with the whole ground joining apart from a couple of hundred Hull fans. One twist was that Exeter City had somehow managed to delay their own kick off by 15 minutes, which meant that if we lost or drew, Exeter would know what they had to do to stay in the League. If we had won though, Exeter would play out their final 15 minutes in Division Three with the certain knowledge that they would be playing Conference football in 3 months time. As our game kicked off, I didn’t have butterflies in my stomach- more like a swarm of bees. Following great pressure, Leon Britton was hauled down for a penalty which James Thomas slotted home- we were on our way, but my hopes were soon dashed; a minute later Hull scored an equaliser, and quarter of an hour later, they added a second. At that point, I was convinced we were not so much looking over a precipice, but hanging on over the edge by a tuft of wet grass, with our legs dangling in space. The feeling was quite simply horrible- 83 years in the Football League was about to slip down the drain. Then, on the stroke of half time, the Swans were awarded a second penalty, and once again James Thomas showed incredible composure to beat Fettis in the Hull goal- could we do enough to get the three points? After the break, Roberto Martinez pulling the strings for the Swans crossed the ball into the Hull box, for James Thomas to flick on to Lenny Johnrose who bundled the ball home. The Vetch went wild; we were howling, screaming, crying and dancing all at once. Then, 9 minutes later, Jonathan Coates intercepted a Hull pass on the halfway line, and threaded a perfect through ball to Thomas who beat the keeper with an even more perfect lob. We somehow hung on for the next half hour or so before the party started. On the final whistle, what a range of emotions- the anxiety and potential for depression was replaced firstly by enormous relief, which turned to extreme jubilation, and for me then turned to a kind of sadness for the Exeter fans as I stood in the centre circle with a party going on all around me. I’d always quite liked Exeter City, it was usually a good away trip, and a nice city with a small ground that had a bit of character. Back to being selfish though, we’d managed to avoid slipping over the precipice and would be planning for trips to exotic places like Macclesfield, Bury, Boston and Darlington instead of slightly less exotic places like Woking, Forest Green and Scarborough. Wind forward 5 years, and Swansea City as a club are not so much in a different league, as in a different world. In the time between, we’ve moved from the Vetch; our home of 83 years to the Liberty Stadium. Incredibly, we’ve started to pay fees for players sometimes- sometimes quite big fees, although the first fee we paid for a number of years was a modest £20,000 for Marc Goodfellow. Lee Trundle came here on a free transfer, scored sackfuls of goals, entertained us wonderfully, and then left us to play in the Championship for Bristol City for a million- yes, a MILLION pounds. We’re no longer perennial relegation candidates, we now seem to be perennial challengers, and this afternoon as we visit Brighton, we go there as the undisputed Champions of League One, no matter what constant whiners Leeds United say. In 3 months time, instead of wondering how we’ll fare against Stafford Rangers or Rochdale or even Tranmere Rovers, we’re wondering how we’ll cope against the likes of Derby County, Charlton Athletic and Norwich City. For the first time in 9 years, we’ll be competing on the same level with Cardiff City. Our supporter base has also changed. There now seem to be many more women and children watching games, drawn by success and the improved facilities on offer. Unfortunately, some loyal supporters who dreamt of the club being in this position are no longer with us. Last weekend, when I was walking to the ground to see the Orient game, I couldn’t help thinking about Rich Lillicrap. He’d worked tirelessly for the club during the dark days of Tony Petty, the formation of the Trust, fund raising for the Trust- and ultimately the club. Then, just before the season when we’d return to the second tier of English football for the first time in almost a quarter of a century, he was taken from us. Rich Lillicrap was a good friend to Dai, myself, and many others involved in the club, and he is sorely missed, but one thing about Rich was that he was an optimist, and he’d have been looking to the future with eagerness and a deep sense of pride in the club. Many things are different to that wet afternoon in 2003, but there are certain things which are the same as that emotional day. The club still has a strong Trust presence on the board, Alan Tate, Kris O’Leary and Leon Britton are still on the playing staff. As far as the team is concerned though, the same man is still pulling the strings, but in a different capacity- Roberto Martinez signed on loan in December 2002 and played a huge part in keeping us in the Football League. Roberto’s guidance is now what has taken us to the Championship with his continuing flair.
 To be fair to Kenny Jackett, he saw something in Robinson that was worth persevering with, and persevere he did. I have no idea what he did, or what he said, but from being a talented but petulant and occasionally violent youngster, some maturity crept into his game. Situations which during the 2004/5 season would have led to unpleasant scenes suddenly ended in Robbo walking away from the problem. This kind of behaviour contributed to Andy scoring 19 League and cup goals during his first season in League One, and this despite him not starting a match until 10 games into the season- probably his best season since joining the club. The downside of this was that it led to Andy attracting attention from other clubs in higher leagues, and his agent getting pound signs in his eyes. Following protracted and unsettling contract negotiations, Andy became one of the top two earners at the club. Almost immediately, his performance levels dropped, and following his best ever season, last year, he had virtually the opposite- he seemed to be playing on reputation rather than ability. In fairness to the guy, he still managed 6 League goals despite the sad loss of his father back in September 2006, but like too many of my own school reports all those years ago, the verdict was the same; “should have done better”. When this season started, from a personal perspective, I wasn’t bothered if he’d been sold last summer, I thought he was over-rated, over paid, and under-performing. Then something changed again- he started to play as if his life depended on it, and produced a consistent string of outstanding performances during August, September and October. I might be wrong with this, but I really get the feeling that Andy’s performances are directly related to his own feelings of security. When his contract is due for renewal, he plays better, when he’s not being selected automatically, he plays better, when he has a point to prove, he plays better. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. When there’s no competition for places, his standards drop, when he has a new contract, his standards seem to drop unfortunately. Despite all this, and the fact that there are times when he is THE most frustrating player in the squad, he is undoubtedly one of the most talented as well. Almost single-handedly, he can turn games on their head. I’ve lost count of the times when he’s come off the bench with the Swans chasing the game, and scored, or provided for an equaliser, or scored a stunning free kick.  I REALLY hesitate to say this, but there are shades of Robbie James in Andy Robinson, and the only other player I’ve ever said that about is Matthew Rush. Robbo can be physical, immensely skilfull and has a great eye for goal- all of which Robbie had in abundance. Robbie was always 100% though, and this is where Andy sometimes falls short. I don’t think he’s lazy, but there are occasionally times when his heart doesn’t totally seem to be in it. Listening to the Carlisle game on the radio last night, I thought that he’d been sent off at half time in the tunnel, and thought we’d be playing 45 minutes against our main rivals this season with only 10 men. Then, when he came on in the second half, I was dreading the first challenge on him, as I thought he’d react poorly and get his second yellow and subsequent red. But what did he do? He proved me wrong again- he channelled all that aggression into another outstanding performance, ripping the opposition to shreds and hitting the crossbar three times- what a player. The 2004/5 Andy Robinson wouldn’t have made the second half. The 2007/8 model showed far greater maturity and long may it continue. Is he a better player now than he was 3 years ago? Yes! Does he control himself better than he used to? Definitely Is he a sinner? I think so, but most genuine heroes have flaws. Is he a saint? Probably not, but if he wins us this League, I might change my mind! Carry on Andy! 
Winter Wonderland
 Players are returning from injury, and there is an embarrassment of riches in the squad, with players who have been automatic first choices having to be satisfied with a place on the bench- Andy Robinson, Leon Britton, Darryl Duffy, to name just three. Player we also expected to see waltz into the side, like Matty Collins don't seem to be figuring at all. Others are playing to their true potential such as Garry Monk and Darren Pratley. Looking through Swanmail this morning, Gazz Davies quite reasonably asked why our average gates are down to lower levels than they were last season despite a better squad, a better style of football, more optimism, better youth players coming through and possibly going top of the League this evening. Then I started to look at our results list for both home and away games, and it makes interesting- if unusual reading.  However, the picture at home is quite different. We've played five games- two less than we have on the road. Our record is lower mid table form- 1 defeat, 2 draws and 2 victories. Our average points total is slightly over 1.5 points per game, and we've only managed to score a goal per game in those matches. Not exactly an inspiring picture!  Some have been saying for a while that the atmosphere at the Liberty isn't as good as it was at the vetch, but that doesn't take into account the fact that for a number of years, the Vetch could be like a morgue, except for big games. It was only late into the near relegation season that crowds started to pick up again, as did the atmosphere. Prior to that, even stood two thirds back, on the right hand side of the North Bank, there were many games where the loudest thing I could hear in the ground was the shouting of the players- not the fans. To be fair, that did change during the final 2-3 seasons there, but bar games like West Ham in the cup and a few notable others, it had been pretty quiet for years. I don't think I've ever heard the players calling out since we've been at the Liberty, and my seat is in pretty much the same place in relation to the pitch as my old standing spot on the North Bank was. However, if there is a perception that the atmosphere isn't as good at the Liberty, ten that may be a factor in keeping people away. All of that said, I fully expect our home form to pick up as we gain confidence, although as the season progresses, and with that increase in form will come an increase in gates- and atmosphere. I also expect our away form to dip a little.  The winter is almost on us, and some of the rougher pitches in this league will start to cut up, and this will act as a leveller for the poorer footballing teams in League One, as our passing game may become less fluent. That said, I think we still have the quality to achieve a top three finish come May, and may well deservedly win this League.
Home from Home On the 11th of August, we will play our first game of the 2007-8 season away at Oldham Athletic. A week later, we play Nottingham Forest at the Liberty Stadium to start our 3rd season at the stadium. It’s now starting to feel a bit more like home, but will it ever replace the Vetch? The differences between the two grounds are massive; we now have a brand new ground in a bowl shape, which keeps the noise in, and the wind out. We queue for our half time refreshments inside the stadium out of the weather. We now sit to watch the game, and unlike many new grounds, we have plenty of legroom, so that we don’t get knee-capped by the back of the seat in front.  At the Vetch, on the North Bank, we queued outside – often in the pouring rain and howling wind at a burger van with the milk and sugar on plastic patio furniture with the milk watered down and sugar dissolved by the rain water. Inside the ground, from late October onwards, some fans set off fireworks on the bank which would cause pieces of rust to fall from the rafters onto our heads forty feet below.  If you weren’t particularly tall, some former second row rugby forward would invariably stand in front of you just as the game was starting, thereby causing a scramble for a new place where there was a higher percentage of the vertically challenged, which wasn’t a problem for much of the time until the last few years at the Vetch when the bank started to fill up. As much of a pain as that sounds, on a practical level, it was fine, because it wasn’t just the tall you wanted to escape from. There were the moaners and whiners, there were the rowdy, if you were a non smoker, there were the smokers, or worst of all- the plain smelly!  If the bloke next to you was a pain, then unless you felt like telling him to shut up (not always practical), then it was easy enough to move. It’s a bit tricky in an all seated ground, especially if you’re both season ticket holders. At the new ground, if you’re stuck next to somebody with BO or chronic halitosis, you’d better hope for a head cold for the following 9 months.  Despite all this, to steal a line from Bob Dylan, the Times are a Changing. As much as I loved the Vetch- it had its own character, the feel of the place was so familiar, it was a lion’s den for visiting teams- and supporters, and apart from anything else, it just felt like home. What I do like about the Liberty, is that my young son has a ticket next to me with a great view, and enjoys his football in a comfortable environment. Not such a big deal for older kids, but when he was six and had his first season ticket it was a major consideration. The Liberty has opened up a whole new market of supporters. The old Jewson Stand at the Vetch held about 300, and apart from the last season at the Vetch rarely got over about half full. Due to the new season ticket prices, apparently the South Stand has almost been filled with season ticket holders. It wasn’t long ago that our average gate for all parts of the Vetch was less than that.  I also like the fact that visiting supporters can walk around the ground without too much fear of a violent assault or at least the threat of an unpleasant incident. Parking never became the major problem many of us, myself included, feared. I’d still like to see a railway halt at the ground, but that isn’t likely to happen in the foreseeable future unfortunately, and there is a problem leaving the ground for about half an hour after the whistle, but it is within acceptable bounds.  Most of us have great memories of our times at the Vetch, even if we do occasionally look at the place with rose tinted glasses- myself included. From my point of view, I saw 3 promotions in 4 seasons there with a team that played exciting, attractive football. I lost my voice following the Chesterfield game in 1979 when we were promoted to Division 2 (in old money). The Luton game just before the trip to Preston is possibly the most exciting game I’ve ever seen involving the Swans. My other memories include James Thomas’ hat-trick against Hull to avoid relegation to the Conference, Dean Saunders goals to beat Cardiff thereby avoiding the drop to Division Three (for a week at least), Martin Thomas’ goal against West Ham in the FA Cup, Andy Legg out-jumping Kevin Francis in front of the North Bank, Gavin Williams head slapping routine in front of the North Bank just before Lee trundle scored the winner. The list could go on.  The biggest problem for the Liberty is that we don’t have all of these rich memories built up over the years. Some still complain that the atmosphere isn’t as good at the Vetch, but I don’t agree. The bowl shape keeps the noise in, and many away supporters don’t think it’s a quiet ground to visit. I can also remember plenty of quiet games at the Vetch, as well as the very noisy ones as well. Many games at Liberty have quite simply been bouncing- Yeovil in our first season, Nottingham Forest the same season, Southend at the end of that season, Millwall last season, and finally Blackpool, where the visiting supporters said the noise came from everywhere and was simply overwhelming. It said a lot for the character of that Blackpool team to overcome it, where many others would simply have buckled.  What we really lack is a major cup upset against a top flight team. Our last 5 FA Cup fixtures have been away from home, so we’ve never played an FA Cup tie at the Liberty. I really hope that we get a decent cup run this season with some Championship and Premiership opposition, because I’m convinced that when we do knock somebody decent out of the cup, that Liberty will start to feel like we have more of a stake in the place. We’ve moved on from the Vetch, she’d grown ramshackle and tired, and as a club, we’ve outgrown her. The Liberty has the facilities for us to get to the Championship, and to compete on even terms with the clubs already there. I’ll never forget the good (and bad) times at the Vetch, and I always feel pangs of nostalgia when I’m in town. I miss my last pint in the Builders at 10 to 3 before a quick stroll to my place on the North Bank by kick off, but more than that, I’m looking forward to hopefully watching my first Championship game at the Liberty in 12 months time! 
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Andys
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