The Swans will host Stoke City at the Swansea.com this evening (8pm) and many of those attending have little faith in the noise and talk we continue to hear from the club. However, this is a day for supporting the team and getting behind the players who wear our clubs shirt on the pitch.
Josh Tymon faces a fitness test this morning, one we can only hope he passes, but Azeem Abdulai is ready to come in if needs be. There has to be some form of call on Matt Grimes and Jay Fulton, neither are functioning as they should be this season. Grimes continues to make mistakes that are leading to goals, especially this year, and alongside Fulton they just don’t work.
Joe Allen is fighting to be fit but we’ve heard this game may be too soon for him. It’s isn’t so much a must win game, it’s a performance we all want to see more than anything. Any more of the continual nonsense we have seen of late has to stop. On the players involved it’s been indicated to us the team have been told that tonight is a make or break for a few of them. What that means only time will tell, especially if there is a slip up tonight.
Around five hundred tickets have been purchased by Stoke City supporters which is a low number by their standards, but tonight will be a night of low numbers all round. Numerous Swans followers have pulled out of this game for various reasons. Not least they have proper jobs to go to tomorrow morning and the Swans season ticket support is in no way just based locally. The harsh reality of mismanagement will soon enough dawn on the club, on and off the field.
Life eh ?
It will be interesting to see if head coach, Luke Williams persists with the same selections this evening, for us if he does he is just confirming just how much he isn’t seeing in front of him regards certain players. And that is mismanagement as well. If that carries on questions have to be raised as to the compatibility of him and his staff within the future plans of the club. Mind you they are being made by people completely incompatible with Swansea City.
Hopefully Ronald can open up a few things on the flanks tonight. He has found this current run of games tiring, but if fit he is a no brainer. Placheta looks doubtful but he too needs assessment. Liam Walsh is back in the frame, a more than able replacement for Fulton we think. Tonight isn’t a game for defensive movement. Stoke City have some injuries, Ki-Jana Hoever on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers is finding some form and is definitely on current form a player to look out for. Ryan Mmaee is now out for the season, this is a major injury blow, Ryan is a cool customer on the pitch and a real asset. Jordan Thompson and Million Manhoef are suffering from a similar issue to Ronaldo, however, they are fit for tonight.
Stoke are on a much better run of form, they are unbeaten since returning to action after the international break, winning at Hull before home draws with Huddersfield and West Brom. Swansea drew with Sheffield Wednesday before defeats to Queens Park Rangers and Middlesbrough and, sitting one point and three places above Stoke, know they still need more to guarantee their own position.
The table is below, it’s tight but we of course as the majority of you want is the relegation safety question answered by tea time on Saturday evening.
More from the managers later on the Indy.