Russell Martin needs to do this !
Friday, 14th Apr 2023 10:34 by Jack Butty

Jack Butty returns with some solid reasoning for the summer and beyond, or is it just a load of Captain Pugwash ?

CLOSING THE SEASON THE BEST WAY WE CAN
AND WHY THAT IS IMPORTANT

The signs of an upturn in the Swans’ fortunes were there during the games in early March against Luton, Middlesborough and Millwall. Since then, the last four games have seen three wins and a draw and playing with style that is a delight on the eye. The Swans are currently fourteenth in the table with 53 points. There are five games and fifteen points to battle for to beat last season’s total of 61 points and fifteenth place.

First there is Huddersfield next Saturday (H). Quickly followed by Preston NE on (H - Wed. 19 April), Norwich (A - Sat. 22 April), Hull City (A - Sat. 29 April) and, to close, West Brom (H - Sat. 8 May).
Huddersfield will be another tough game with a team fighting for their Championship lives. Preston, Norwich and even West Brom are all currently in with a chance of making the playoffs and will be battling for points. As ever no easy games in the Championship. That WBA currently only have four more points than the Swans which shows what might have been if our form post-Christmas had been better.

Why is it important to finish on a strong note ? Many will remember the way we fell apart in our closing games last season. Two nil up against Bournemouth at half time and ending 3-3. A 5-1 thrashing away at Nottingham Forest and a closing limp performance to lose 0-1 at home to QPR. This left an unsatisfactory feeling for fans for some weeks after. Another obvious reason is that we want to improve our position so owners, playing squad and fans can feel at the season’s close that there is something to really build on for next season. Also, as many on the forum have pointed out, it will help recruitment as potential players will see a club on the up and the opportunity to be part of that.

Sam Surridge actually did show up at Forest last season

Furthermore, it will confirm Russell Martin’s position as Head Coach for next season. It will confirm with the club’s owners that Martin’s philosophy is the right one and likely to bear fruit. This will encourage a more positive approach to investment in the squad during the summer transfer window.

Perhaps more importantly it will leave the Swans fans with a good feeling to close the season after the miserable fare served up during January and February. It will persuade many, who have doubted Martin’s approach, that possession-based, attractive football, goals and points is worth sticking with.

So, what do we reckon with 15 points available in our last five games? I’m going to go with 10 points — over-optimistic possibly but we should be ambitious. What do you think ?

Jack Butty is an avid supporter of Swansea City and Swansea Independent. His contributions to the cause this season continue to provoke discussion. If you would like to contribute to Swans Indy drop us an email. Swansea.Independent1@gmail.com