With Palace having played every other Premier League team once, it is time to start the round again and first up it is Swansea City. We had another chat with friend of TEB and Swans fan Guto Llewelyn. Have a read of our chat with Guto in November.
Q. The last time we met Swansea won 5-4 so looking back, what were your thoughts on an incredible game?
On the one hand it was a pulsating goal-fest, full of action and dramatic turning points, on the other it was a game of apallingly low quality. It was a big win for us just because we had not won since the opening day, and it reminded the entire club what winning felt like, but nobody at Swansea was kidding themselves that this was the start of some great turnaround. Both teams looked completely unfit for a Premier League relegation battle and the defending was among the worst I have seen at any level. It was thrilling, I was very happy with the result, but in many ways it just highlighted how terrible the Swans really are.
Q. Apart from that result, it did not go too well for Bob Bradley, ending with his recent sacking. What is your opinion of his time at the club?
Other than the Palace result, Bradley won just one more game in his 85 days at the helm. He will go down as one of the most bizarre appointments in Premier League history. Having spent the last few years in Norway and the French second division, his CV was completely inadequate for a Premier League job and no other club would have even considered him. But our American owners overlooked better candidates and appointed him, and it has been a total disaster, even worse than under Francesco Guidolin. He changed the team every week, meaning players never had the chance to build partnerships with team mates. His tactics never really made any sense and as you could see from the 5-4 against Palace, he had no clue whatsoever how to organise a defence. The Swans conceded three or more goals in 8 of Bradley’s 11 games in charge, and that kind of statistic gives you no hope of survival. He was so far out of his depth it was incredible, and his interviews, behaviour and body language suggested he knew this to be a fact. He was not helped in any way by our poor squad but the fact remains, he was never going to succeed at this club.
Q. It was not that long ago that Swansea were impressing at the right end of the table so what in your opinion has gone wrong?
We had the perfect club, the club we had always dreamed of. It was responsibly run, with substantial fan involvement and a great bond between players, fans and the club’s board. The football on the pitch was positive, attractive and intelligent. But we threw that away, and that’s the most frustrating thing. Our former owners wanted to sell and that’s fine, after their success, they deserved to be able to pass it on and make their deserved millions. But they also had a duty to the club to sell responsibly, and they completely ignored this duty, selling to the first possible group they could find, and while forcing the move through they undermined the Supporters’ Trust, completely abandoned all care for the running of the club and left us in this position. We now have owners who don’t really know how to run a football club, who appointed an unqualified pal as manager, and who left all their transfer activity so late, they ended up selling our captain and top scorer a week before the start of the season, a recipe for disaster. This rot all started around a year and a half ago when the previous board started searching for new owners. They lost all focus and as a result, the club lost its way on the pitch. We have now gone from being the model club to a chaotic mess on and off the pitch.
Q. Are you expecting much from the transfer window and if so, what areas need to be addressed?
We have a Premier League goalkeeper in Lukasz Fabianski, one of the best number tens in the league in Gylfi Sigurdsson and strikers Fernando Llorente and potentially Borja, who can score goals at this level. Other than that the squad is full of inadequate players. Defence is the main priority, but you can’t exactly buy a whole new defence in January. Likewise, our wingers are unfit to even be a force in the Championship, so that has to be a priority. But it will be difficult to attract players to a club which looks doomed already.
Q. We touched on the rule changes for this season before but do you think the standard of refereeing is getting worse or do they need more help?
I don’t think it’s gotten any worse than last season but sadly I’m not sure if we have seen any great improvement. Sadly the standard of referees is still extremely poor, too many mistakes are being made, and any change to this reality will take time and a total change in the way officials are developed.
Q. Who is your choice to win the Premier League this season and three teams to go down?
At the start of the season I felt Manchester United’s investment, and the arrival of Mourinho would give them the edge. I could not see Chelsea finishing any higher than 3rd but they have been by far the most impressive team in the division by far, after getting over their early difficulties. There is still a long way to go but you’d have to say they are favourites at the moment. As for relegation, I cannot see any way out of the bottom three for Swansea or Hull City. I can’t see Sunderland going down, they always stay up. Palace are still big candidates for the drop but the appointment of Sam Allaryce should make you safe. Leicester City are struggling but still have the quality to stay up, while I think Burnley and Boro are tough enough to grind out the points required for survival. I still would not rule out Watford. They are a seriously poor side and I have no idea how they have amassed so many points. The second half of the season will be tough for them and they could easily be sucked into a relegation battle. They would be my unlikely shout for the 3rd relegation spot.
Q. What is your view on the decision to appoint Sam Allardyce as the new Palace manager?
It makes perfect sense. I am shocked Alan Pardew lasted so long after the Swansea match. That felt like the end of the road for him. Palace’s squad is better than their current position, and there are plenty of talented players there for Big Sam to work with. It may not always be pretty but it is difficult to see Palace going down with him in charge. He could get the best out of Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha, and he should tighten the defence. It may take a few matches before he really settles but eventually I have no doubt he will be a good fit.
Q. Name one player from each team that the opposition should be concerned about?
Zaha has been in fine form for Palace recently and our full backs seriously struggle with confident dribblers, so he could cause plenty of problems. Any player who comes up for set pieces will be confident of scoring after the last match. Gylfi Sigurdsson is undoubtedly our best player and he had a superb game against Palace, with his deliveries causing a world of problems for Palace’s defence.
Q. Prediction?
Alan Curtis always seems to get a response from the players whenever he is put in caretaker charge but I do not see the characters in this squad who can respond to him. Heads are down, belief has vanished and we are in a heap of trouble. I expect Palace to get a 2-0 win.
Q. And finally, the floor is yours to promote any projects that you are currently working on.
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