Over a hundred verified supporters of Swansea City have voted this week in a straight forward poll. Simply put the question was Russell Martin ‘Yes or ‘No. Over the period of one week the votes were verified and the outcome is pretty much a split now in the support the swans boss has.

The last poll run by this website displayed clear support for Russell Martin. Some 72% of the 120 Swansea City supporters polled were happy or very happy with him as manager at the club. Now after a stop start season and disappointing performances in some away games some fans are clearly unhappy with the progress he has made.

The poll also had comments accompanying them and in the main those comments were not that favourable. The main issue is the tempo of the football played, however accompanying that despite huge amounts of possession in games the entertainment value and lack of awareness of players were also factors. The fact that the dominant possession stats clearly point to a team in control of the ball, the outcomes of attacks and the ability to defend are issues. In midfield the sometimes ponderous decision making and anticipation of a forward pass also featured.

That said, the word ‘click’ was also used when the team are in full flow and performing. When the tactics do ‘click’ at times the opposition do find Swansea City virtually unplayable as we have seen in games at home against West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City and Bristol City. Dominant away performances at Barnsley and again against West Bromwich Albion did offer some crumbs of comfort for certain supporters. Another real positive is the gritty wins against Blackburn and Preston.

The positive factors like scoring more goals are countered by a defence that has gone from almost impenetrable in early season to error strewn as we saw recently at Peterborough United. When up against the divisions better sides like Fulham and Nottingham Forest the swans really have no answer to the tactics adopted by the opposition. Conceding four at home to Forest and a complete collapse in the second half against Fulham were extreme areas of concern.

Russell Martin plays in a very unique way. The style and strategy he wants to adopt is mirrored by the best sides in Europe. For the swans manager though to hit those exceptionally high standards he needs the personnel to implement his game plan at Championship level. That in the main is not happening. The away defeat at Blackpool seemed to the turning point for many. The lack of faith in the teams ability to deliver such a dominant strategy is obviously found wanting. At Bloomfield Road the swans found it virtually impossible to turn their dominance in to goals, or even chances.

With the lack of personnel comes Martin’s selection issues. To adopt the style he wants to play he needs what he describes as specific skills in certain positions. As it stands he is most certainly fitting square pegs in to round holes. Hannes Wolf seems wasted in a left sided wing back / attacking role. His career to date has seen him utilised in a more central or forward wing role as opposed to the game he is being asked to do as it stands. With the season coming to a close his time at the swans will be seen to date as wasted.

The final area of concern for supporters is the ability and awareness of new keeper Andy Fisher. Despite spending a lot of time at MK Dons playing in the Russell Martin way we have seen errors and a lack of concentration at times. Swansea City fans have been used to real quality between the sticks over the years and a comforting belief that the goalkeeper can perform to a very high standard. Now, and over the past two seasons we have seen what can only be described as average selections in that position resulting in games either being lost or placed at risk due to the goalkeepers ability.

Returning to the positives - supporters are delighted with the recent form of Michael Obafemi and the season overall for Joel Piroe. These two have been the mainstay when it comes to scoring goals. In other areas loanee Cyrus Christie, despite playing hardly any games for a year has fitted in well on the right hand side of defence. He seems to be very aware of what is required of him, and in the main performs to a high standard in that position. The main concern is the overuse of Cyrus which in recent times has affected his fitness. He does though chip in with goals and in attack is a danger.

Kyle Naughton is another who has slotted well in to the system throughout the season. Calm and composed on the ball he seems to enjoy the space he makes and the responsibility he has to turn defence in to attack. Ben Cabango too has enjoyed a more positive season being able to impose himself on the opposition, however he is not in favour with all supporters.

It has to be said the words ‘frustrating’ and ‘boring’ do crop up a lot, this manifests it self in ‘anger’ when the swans don’t perform, or are completely unaware of the danger around them during a game. The split in opinion is almost fifty fifty but the No’s have it by some three per cent. That is in stark contrast to earlier in the season when Martin enjoyed the support of the vast majority.

We here at Swansea Independent have been, and continue to be fully behind Russell Martin, and have the patience to wait and see if his vision is possible at Swansea. He had a very average January window, and the failure of the club to go all out for certain players is well documented. That said those that have come in, Cyrus Christie almost by default, Hannes Wolf and Nathanael Ogbeta are not poor players by any measure. Martin has asked for time and it seems the club and a certain section of fans are happy to give him that. He does mention quite often his lack of pre season and time to recruit the type of player he desires. We see that as well, when he came to the swans he recruited a player in Flynn Downes who he red circled as a part of his coming to SA1. That along with the guarantee of time and patience, and a completely new back room staff have been honoured by the club.

As this season finishes most swans fans will eagerly look forward to the summer and the shortened pre season on offer to Russell Martin, although he will have a five week gap in his process for the World Cup. Leading up to that stoppage in November will be the test for him and his coaching team. Swansea City fans have a history of patience and a desire to see good football. That promise from Russell Martin next season will see November as his watershed. If by then we are still seeing the type of football we have witnessed to date we do suspect many more supporters will show more discontent in this new ‘Swansea Way’

It may not be the end of the road for him but it will signal to the club that this ‘process’ is possibly not achievable at Swansea. However, if the swans are more positive regards results and performance and the players Martin wants are ‘clicking’ then the frustrations of this season will be well worth it.

And so it’s on to next Saturday, an opportunity for Russell Martin to become the first manager in the history of the South Wales derby to do the elusive double on their near neighbours. If that does happen he will have earned himself time and appreciation as to exactly what he wants to achieve. The supporters of Swansea City are still ‘in’ with this process, the internet is potentially not a true reflection of the overall feeling. However, it is an indicator today that not everyone is happy with the way things are going, and regardless of opinion on these poll results, they are an opinion of the current feeling within the Swansea supporters base.

And the club and Russell Martin have to take notice of this, to not do so would be ill advised and unhelpful to garner the support he needs for his ‘revolution’ to continue.

Our poll result is below.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

Swansea City Polls