The Swans are already within the north east area ready for a short journey to the Stadium Of Light tomorrow afternoon. The hosts, Sunderland are well in the play off scrap, but Alan Sheehan is still looking to impress Swansea board members who are undecided on his future. But it is getting close to a permanent contract surely ?
There’s no good in thinking that because Sunderland are guaranteed a play off place they will be taking matters easy. That isn’t what professional clubs do. And this Sunderland side will be going for the points in front a huge crowd. They have averaged over forty thousand supporters this season at home. That’s in and around thirty eighth in world football. When you refer to a thirty five thousand plus crowd as fairly low you knkw you are in a fervent football area.
Sunderland head coach, Regis Le Bris has made it clear that this is not a game they will take lightly. Swans fans may recall the name, Romaine Mundle who very nearly signed for the Swans in the January 2024 transfer window, the Swans best bid easily doubled by the Black Cats. He is out after an injury last weekend. Jobe Bellingham Is also out, Le Bris stating. "Jobe will skip this one so that he is fresh and competitive for the last stage of the season. Salis (Abdul Samed) will be back in the squad tomorrow and I think he will get some game time. It's another opportunity for him to reconnect with the team, he's a good player. He's been unlucky this season with his first injury and then a recurrence. He had two opportunities to play and his connection with the team wasn't perfect. But I think he is in a good place now and he knows that the story isn't finished, there is still a big opportunity here. He knows that sometimes the way you finish can hide the story of the season. He knows the opportunity for both him and for us”
With two dangerman out the Swans will be looking to take advantage of that, and as ever with Alan Sheehan’s selections it’s the midfield which needs to function at top level to win games like these. He has that in his pre match knowledge already, with the missing Mundle and Bellingham so we expect him to concentrate on dominating the midfield. Lewis O’Brien and Gonçalo Franco are passed fit we hear, that much we do know. However, over the last three games Sheehan has kept the opposition guessing, and no matter what we know it won’t be on here until it’s far too late for any reaction.
Swansea City fans seem very comfortable with the work that Sheehan, his new staff plus Kristian and Martyn are doing. The proof is in the eating. Expand the image if needed, but overall this is exactly what the current owners of the club wanted when he was named interim manager. The blip when losing to Watford and Burnley when Sheehan was exposed through a lack of support still sees him in play off mode for the time he has been in the role.
It cannot be ignored, his pro rata points collected over his two terms as interim manager would see him in around seventy five points over a full season. Alan has worked wonders, and simply cannot be ignored for a permanent role. Albeit a panic loan when Lewis O’Brien joined a day or so before the January transfer window this has turned the Swans midfield into a different proposition. Just how Swansea City could transfer him in permanently is very much in doubt. His salary request would be manageable by numerous clubs relegated from the Premier League, even a few in the Championship but we just can’t see the Swans persuading him to stay at a loss of eighty thousand pounds a month. That’s what Lewis would lose even if the Swans offered him twenty one thousand pounds a week. Especially with a last ditch effort underway to keep Harry Darling at the club. It all just seems far too much for a club scrimping on staff on not a lot of money to achieve. However, if they did pull it off you can bet the Swans will be challengers next season. It is also worth noting that Swansea have a plus five goal difference that is level second in the division.
It’s a great game to look forward to, and the Swans will be supported by around five hundred travelling Jacks, that’s incredible. It’s a good thirteen hour round trip from Swansea of around seven hundred miles.
Farai Hallam is the man in the middle, Andrew Dallison and Lee will run about on the line,Simon Mather is the fourth official. We will have our match day morning tomorrow and the teams and news building up to the game. We will have a Swansea Indy report LIVE after the game.