8 minute read
Russell Martin
A MESSAGE FROM RUSSELL MARTIN
Good afternoon and welcome back to the Swansea.com Stadium for our Championship game against Birmingham City.
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It’s great to be back on home soil after two long away trips in quick succession.
Last Saturday’s result against Blackpool was really disappointing and we gave away a poor goal which shouldn’t happen.
But if you take that aside, I thought the way we responded was really good. They are a very good side at defending a lead, and unfortunately we gave them something to defend.
I wasn’t dissatisfied with the performance, however. To go away from home and have so much control and possession was excellent – we just didn’t effect the game enough in the final third which is something we spoke about as a group.
We wanted to bounce back in midweek against Peterborough and once again show the team we want to be and in the first half we were really controlled and really dominant, and we created a lot more than we did at Blackpool, which was really pleasing.
Then for 15 or 20 minutes we totally lost control of the game. We started the second half so poorly, and I was very frustrated about it. In a way it tainted how I felt about the win and about the points.
The game should never have got to the point it did but, as always, we reviewed the game as a group of staff and with the players and pinpointed areas where we need to be a lot better collectively.
But the fact we still went on and won is testament to the players and the work they put in. They also showed the courage and mentality to wrestle back control of the game, to be brave and get back to being the team we want to be. That not only shows belief, but it shows conviction.
I’m delighted for the supporters too, because they were incredible again on Wednesday night. The weather was bad, it’s a long journey wherever we play because of where we are geographically, but the numbers you all travel in is unbelievable.
I said to Gilly (Matt Gill) on the touchline towards the end how amazing the fans had been once again and we have been blown away with your support since we arrived here.
To take 2,000 to Blackpool and have another great backing four days later is nothing short of brilliant and I’m so glad we could send you all home happy.
Today we welcome Birmingham to SA1 and Lee Bowyer has done a fine job under difficult circumstances and we know we will have to be at our best once again today.
Your support means so much to us as a group of staff and players, and hopefully we can put in another performance to be proud of this afternoon.
Enjoy the game,
Russ
MATT GRIMES A MESSAGE FROM
Good afternoon and welcome to everyone joining us from around the world for this afternoon’s Championship fixture against Birmingham City at the Swansea. com Stadium.
Our last home game against Fulham was completely changed by the red card, but there were plenty of positives to take from the first-half performance.
Fulham are top of the league for a reason and the first-half showed we are capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone in this league.
It’s challenging playing with 10 men against a team so clinical and they’ve got top players.
Next we faced a trip to Blackpool and we were disappointed about the goal we conceded and with the result. We let the game play into Blackpool’s hands and know we have to do the basics better there. We had a lot of the ball and created chances but we gave ourselves a mountain to climb.
The fans were amazing and didn’t stop all game so we were disappointed not to be able to get the three points for them but it made us determined to stick together and get back to winning ways as quickly as possible.
It was a proud moment for Nat making his Swans debut and Cameron making his senior debut and hopefully was the first of many for them both.
I thought we played really well in the first half of Wednesday’s win at Peterborough and dominated the ball. We were frustrated with how we started the second half and felt we lacked composure but showed conviction to fight back in the manner we did. We will learn from the spell at the start of the second half but were proud for responding and coming back to seal the three points.
We’ll be looking to get another three points this afternoon and build on Wednesday’s performance. Birmingham will be looking to bounce back from their defeat on Tuesday but we need to use the home advantage as best we can and approach the game with the right mentality.
Matt
A MESSAGE FR M TERRY SINNETT
Let’s hope the win against Peterborough United on Wednesday night is the start of a new and far lengthier run of wins.
The game last weekend against Blackpool saw debuts given to youngsters Nathanael Ogbeta and Cameron Congreve. There is no doubt that our future depends on the success of youngsters coming through from the under-23s and the academy. We hope the flow of these young starlets getting their chances at senior level continues and each can have long and successful careers with the club. Finding the balance between youth and experience will be critical in their development on the field.
Off the field, the whole world has been shocked by the events in Ukraine. Football fans in this country and throughout the footballing world have made clear their solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
Thanks to the generous donations from the Jack Army at the Fulham game last week, from the club and the Trust, more than £5000 has been donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal. Further fundraising is ongoing which we hope will provide some comfort to the very many who are suffering.
An immediate affect of this terrible war has been to throw the future of one of the ‘Big Six’ into doubt. Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned and he proposes to write off £1.5bn debt owed by Chelsea FC and to sell the club.
It cannot be good that the accumulation of such massive amounts of debt on the books of any football club is in the interests of our game and there needs to be better regulation.
The current governance of football in the UK is not fit for purpose and we urge for the full implementation of the Fan-Led Review, which looks to provide protection for football clubs as community assets. The main recommendations can be found here https://thefsa.org.uk/
our-work/fan-led-review
As mentioned recently, we will very shortly be inviting members and supporters to complete a survey on the review. This is being fully supported by the club and we appreciate their help in moving this project forward. We would like to thank all fans in advance for taking the time to complete the survey.
After a lot of work, we are thrilled that our new website has now been launched. The redesign has been undertaken to create a more welcoming and streamlined experience for our members and fans. We hope everyone can agree it’s easy to use and contains all our key information and documentation. We are particularly grateful to Trust Board member Adam Lewis for the work he has put in to bring this redesign to fruition.
Today we welcome Birmingham City to the Swansea.com Stadium. We’ll be looking to continue our winning ways and to avenge the 2-1 defeat at
St. Andrews back in October. That match marked Oba’s first goal for the club. Let’s hope for some more today!
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Swansea City AFC Foundation is excited to announce that sign-up for the Easter Holiday Soccer Camps is now open.
The Foundation will be delivering 14 camps from April 11 until April 22, across six different venues, in partnership with Ministry of Furniture.
Open to boys and girls of all abilities aged between five and 12, the camps are a great opportunity to keep young Swans active during the school holidays and provide the perfect environment for Junior Jacks to develop and hone their football skills. Children attending will enjoy fun technical activities, small-sided games, competitions and prizes all delivered by our Football Association of Wales qualified coaches in a safe and friendly environment, with some special guests set to make appearances.
The soccer camps will take place as follows: Week One
Monday, April 11 – Carmarthen
Tuesday, April 12 – Pontypridd
Wednesday, April 13 – Llanelli and Pontypridd
Thursday, April 14 – Pembroke and Llandarcy
Week Two
Tuesday, April 19 – Llanelli and Bishopston
Wednesday, April 20 – Llanelli and Bishopston
Thursday, April 21 – Pembroke and Llandarcy
Friday, April 22 – Pembroke and Llandarcy