Ahead of the trip to Swansea tomorrow night, we spoke to Phil Sumbler from our sister Fans’ Network site Planet Swans for the lowdown on the home team.
Why have Swansea been able to consolidate in the Premier League so successfully, without throwing silly money around, while others (like ourselves) have failed?
PS: When we came up three years ago we had a fantastic team spirit. As a group of individuals the skill level was probably behind that of the other teams in the division but they were very much a group of players who believed and fought for each other and that made up for any shortfalls in skill. As the three or four years have passed the skill has improved but we have been able to add a few key players year on year which are just strengthening us as a team. I think over the past ten years we have been good at learning from our mistakes and using them as a catalyst to improve.
In hindsight, what do you think about the decision to get rid of Michael Laudrup who, outwardly at least, seemed to be doing a decent job? What went wrong there?
PS: Michael was a strange one. When he arrived he came with a good pedigree but also with a reputation for being brilliant in season one and not so much in season two. We won the League Cup — our first major trophy - and went into Europe but it was almost like he had decided he could take us no further and rumours of disharmony became stronger and stronger. I don’t believe we would have been relegated if he had stayed at the club but I do think when he went it was the right decision.
What has Garry Monk changed? What does he do well, where could he improve, how has he done so far?
PS:Garry’s appointment was a risk by the club but it is paying dividends at the moment. He bought the squad back together and also realised that sometimes we have to change the way we play to get the results. He has secured wins against Man Utd and Arsenal and we pushed Napoli close in Europe last year. He is still learning — he will be the first to admit that — but he has certainly improved our overall results and it is already looking like another inspired choice by our chairman who keeps doing this with managerial appointments almost from nowhere.
Assess your summer transfer activity, and Swansea's start to the season - how has it all gone?
PS: I always like watching Harry Redknapp and transfers because you know that there will never be a dull moment. However, and take this the right way, I think the amount of transfers that you have done in the past few years at this level hinders you rather than helps you as I don’t think your team has time to settle at any point in time. I have to say when you came up I had you as almost certain to go back down and I am not sure that the evidence so far tells me any different. For us, we have outlived all expectations so far this season almost to the level where you cannot help but dream of Europe again next season — this is definitely what living the dream is all about.
Where is the team strong, where is it weak?
PS:Attacking wise I think we are strong and if you give the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson some room then he will do some serious damage to your defence - think Michu on his league debut for us at Loftus Road and then think better than that and you get the idea. Our full backs are not as strong as they have been in recent years but despite that we are defensively strong this year because we have grabbed goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski from Arsenal who I think will prove to be one of our best signings since promotion in 2011.
Who, if anybody, would you like to see come in during January? Any names doing the rounds yet?
PS: This is one of those years where I have no real names in my head on who I think we should sign. Wilfried Bony is off to the African Cup of Nations in January so we need cover for him as back up to Bafetimbi Gomis who will get an extended run in the side. Rumours wise, it has been very quiet on the player front so far which is interesting as normally by now you have a whole host of names being linked.
Short, medium and long term aims for the club...
PS: They all pretty much match each other: continue the model that has seen us so good over the past ten years and continue to push on as much as we can in the League with ambitions to return to Europe either through another trophy or an excellent league positon. Oh and expand the stadium — we have another generation of Swans fans we can capture at the moment, we just need more seats.
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