Ahead of our trip to South Wales, we checked with friend of TEB and avid Swans fan Guto Llewelyn about the season so far at the Liberty Stadium along with thoughts on this match up.
Q. What were your hopes and dreams for the new season before a ball was kicked?
Expectations were low before a ball had even been kicked. It was a shambolic summer where the powers that be focused far more on completing an unpopular takeover than strengthening the squad. We had a manager in Francesco Guidolin who divided opinion and having been pretty lucky last season, we were expecting even more difficulties this year. All but the most positive Swans fans believed we were in for a relegation battle.
Q. Was it a successful transfer window for the club or are there areas that still need improving?
The transfer window was a disaster which saw a weak squad made even weaker. There were a number of problem areas which needed to be addressed but many of these were ignored, and there never seemed to be any coherent plan when it came to buying and selling. We have always been a club who get business done relatively early but aside from the cheap and uninspiring signings of Mike van der Hoorn and Leroy Fer, all our major buying and selling was done the week before the opening game of the season. Last season’s top scorer and captain (Andre Ayew and Ashley Williams) were sold outrageously late, and our only two strikers were brought in with no time to settle and get used to the league. The window left us with even more problems than we had at the end of last season and it was all down to a lack of planning by the people running the club. Everybody was 100% focused on the takeover and nobody was working out how to strengthen the side.
Q. How has the transition of the new owners gone and what is the general feeling among the fans about it?
It was unpopular from the start but the short term results have been worse than anybody imagined. We were all perfectly happy with the way the club was being run but the old owners now appear to have sold us to the first people they could find without thorough consideration for the club’s best interests. The old board, who were once adored, are now viewed as villains who sold out the club. The abysmal way the transfer window was handled has not helped smooth the transition, the lack of communication and information from the new owners has been worrying and the whole situation has engineered a toxic atmosphere around the club. There used to be a feeling that everybody was part of something special at Swansea but now there’s a serious feeling of “us and them,” with fans feeling like victims of other people’s greed and incompetence. Chants against the old and new owners are now the loudest noise you can hear at the Liberty.
Q. Do you think it was the right decision to end the rein at the club of Francesco Guidolin and what are your early thoughts on the appointment of Bob Bradley?
Sacking Guidolin was undoubtedly the right thing to do. In fact the right thing to do would have been to get rid of him when his short-term contract with the club ran out at the end of last season. He was a nice guy but he was never a good fit at the club. His style of play did not get the best out of the players, his tactics were bizarre and nobody at the club respected him. He kept us up last season but we were exceptionally lucky, and it was a seriously poor league last year. Sacking him was a must but that doesn’t mean appointing Bob Bradley was the right move. Fans were underwhelmed when he was appointed, nobody was convinced he was the right man to turn things around and the early indications are that he’s out of his depth. He changes the system drastically every week, with many of his decisions making no sense at all. The players don’t seem to know what they are meant to be doing and when you change half the team every week, you’re asking for trouble. The performance against Everton in the last match was much improved, but we still did not look like a Premier League team.
Q. What are your thoughts on the new rule changes for this season?
Many are common sense changes. I like the change to the “denying a goal-scoring opportunity” rule as it ensures games aren’t ruined by red card and penalty doubles. The clampdown on disrespectful behaviour towards officials is very encouraging and although many players don’t seem to have changed the disgraceful way they speak to referees (Wayne Rooney a prime example), there seems to be a general improvement. When you actually sit pitch-side and listen to the way players speak to refs, it’s shocking, I wouldn’t speak like that to anybody. There’s no excuse for it and it’s about time referees clamped down on it.
Q. Even though Leicester City managed it last season, it is looking increasingly difficult for an un-fancied team to break into the top six this season but if you were to pick one, who would it be?
Leicester benefitted from the weakest Premier League that I can remember (still an amazing achievement but they would have struggled to get a Champions League spot in any other season). This season everybody seems to have upped their games and I can’t see anybody other than United, Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs making the top six. Pre-season I would have said Stoke could have done it but they’ve not reached the standards I expected from them. Sadly the top six is going to be far more predictable this year.
Q. Perhaps you could share your views on Palace as a club, how we did last season and our start to this season?
Last season was obviously strange for you, overperforming massively in the first half of the season then collapsing in the second, but at the same time coming agonisingly close to winning the FA Cup. I always feel Palace games are going to be entertaining but before the start of the season I thought you would struggle. When Palace signed Benteke I thought that plugged a big hole in the team and his goals would keep you up but indications are that you’ll be in for a tough season. The Swans and Hull are near certainties for relegation because both teams have too many issues on and off the pitch to stay up. But Sunderland irritatingly always find a way to stay up, which leaves one last spot and Palace are one of the candidates for the drop. You always feel like Palace are going to concede and Pardew’s style can be too open at times. The current run of results is worrying, but I still think you will probably stay up.
Q. Name one player from each team that the opposition should be concerned about?
Benteke is my main concern from Palace. He has a decent record against us and while he can be frustrating at times, he is always capable of scoring. We have only kept two clean sheets all season and our defence struggles every week, but especially against big, physical strikers. If Benteke uses his strength well he could bully our centre backs. The main man for Palace to worry about is undoubtedly Gylfi Sigurdsson. He is our best player by a million miles and our only creative influence. He is deadly from set pieces and all our attacks rely on him.
Q. Prediction?
This is a huge game for both sides and Swansea and Palace will see it as a rare chance to pick up a win. I can’t see the Swans winning against anybody at the moment, and Palace always seem to get a point when you come to the Liberty these days, so I’ll go for a 1-1 draw which won’t be ideal for anybody.
Q. And finally, the floor is yours to promote any projects that you are currently working on.
If you want more Welsh misery, our podcast, The Jack Cast can be pretty entertaining. You can find us on Twitter.
