Interview with Cyrus Christie

CYRUS CHRISTIE HAS MADE AN IMPRESSIVE START TO LIFE AT SWANSEA CITY. HERE, HE TALKS US THROUGH THE REASONS BEHIND HIS LOAN MOVE FROM FULHAM, HIS HUNGER TO SUCCEED IN SA1, AND THE MOTIVATION BEHIND HIS RECOGNISED WORK OFF THE FIELD.

Cyrus, welcome to Swansea City. How pleased were you to get the move done and how do you feel you have settled in?

It is so good to be here. It took a little while for the move to get done but I am just happy to be here and I have just been looking forward to playing football again.

I spoke to the manager and straight away he almost made my mind up for me.

It’s always great when a manager rings you and outlines everything he wants from you and how he sees you fitting in.

He spoke about his ideas and as a footballer it goes a long way when you feel wanted by a manager.

This is a big club, playing brilliant football. I thought Swansea did really well at Fulham, it’s about those fine margins in the Championship and I hope I can bring some experience to the team, because it’s a young team that is going places and playing football the right way.

I feel I have settled well, it’s been really easy to settle with the way the lads have been and the way the manager has been.

I am just happy to be here, happy to be playing, I have been made to feel welcome and I am buzzing.

I love it here, my family love it here so we are comfortable and it’s great to be playing again. You mentioned the style of play there, what is it about how Swansea play that stands out to you?

The first thing is keeping the ball really well, which a lot of sides want to do but it’s a lot easier to do it than it is to say it.

I feel Swansea get forward really well, there is a lot of patience in the play too but I view it as football being played the right way.

When you play that way you are taking risks, but it’s not such a risk when everyone buys into it and everyone is on the same page.

It’s definitely an attractive way to play and when it’s right it’s great on the eye and great to be involved in.

The building blocks are there, we have a lot of games in hand and it’s now about getting results on the board and hopefully moving up.

And there are a few familiar faces in the Swansea dressing room for you?

Yeah, I know a few of the lads, I know Ritson Lloyd in the medical team from my time at Coventry, and I also know Jamie Paterson from there, we were a lot younger then.

It makes it easier when you come into a changing room where you know people, I know Ryan Manning from the Republic of Ireland and Michael Obafemi too.

I also spoke to Alfie Mawson and he only had good things

to say about his time here, and that is always encouraging and makes you feel you are making the right decision.

I’ve also known Kyle Naughton through some mutual friends and you can see how well he is playing and the career he has had, so it all helps and makes it easier.

You are a player with considerable experience in the Championship after spells with Coventry, Derby, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and now Swansea. What are the key factors to being successful in this division?

It’s all about consistency. The games come thick and fast and it’s about finding the way to win. It will not be the perfect game every time and there will be times you have to put your backs against the wall, but those little 1-0 wins where you scrape a win are big things.

It’s about the team playing together as a whole, as a unit, fighting for each other. The teams I have been in and done well have had that togetherness. Everyone is on that page, the fans are with you and you are all fighting as one.

That is massive and in that instance that confidence comes and you can be playing your best football without realising it. It’s so important and you can see that from this club’s history and success over the last 10 or 15 years.

This is a brilliant club that has been in the Premier League and everyone is pushing to get back there. This is a club that has the foundations in place to get back there. The identity is there and that makes it a lot easier for things to click. You are known as an energetic player, able to get up and down the flank and be effective at both ends of the field, but how do you view your attributes as a player?

I like to get forward and get assists, that has maybe been what I have made my career on.

When you do that some people do question your defensive side, but I have the numbers to back it up.

But as an attacking player growing up, it was about getting forward and I feel I can create chances and provide assists.

I am a front foot player, I like to be on the front foot and I want to get up to match sharpness as quick as possible and fit right in and show my quality.

It has been a tough time recently where I have not been able to show my full ability. The opportunity has been hard to come by, so I want to come here and show that quality and prove it.

I want to help the lads push up the league, and this is a league where anything can happen, especially with those games in hand..

Off the pitch you have the Cyrus Christie Foundation, which you have set up to try and bring about positive social change in your community. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

I started the foundation maybe 18 months to two years ago, with a guy from Coventry, and he was able to help me put things in place to help it grow and help more people,

My end goal is to create a scholarship foundation that helps people who are underprivileged

and maybe don’t have the opportunities other people get to push through and succeed in their dreams.

It’s not just people who want to be footballers, there are people who want to be musicians, to be lawyers, to go to university and find those opportunities.

There are many people who don’t get the chance to get to certain places. It’s about giving them the platform to reach their dreams and inspire the next generation.

Your work with the foundation saw you named on the Football Black List for 2021, which recognises players the most influential individuals from the black community working within football. The likes of Marcus Rashford and Nikita Parris were among those also named on that list; that must have been a proud moment?

Of course, I was proud of being named on the Black List, it is great to be recognised among such great names and, like I said, it’s about being able to help people.

Obviously, Marcus Rashford has a bigger platform than me, but we are slowly making changes and you can see it.

It’s one of the biggest achievements you can have, to put smiles on people’s faces and give them the opportunity that you did not have when you were younger. This world is about the next generation, they are coming up and need the opportunity to succeed.

It was an honour to be named amongst such a group of people.

Finally, Cyrus, what do you hope you can achieve during your time at Swansea?

On a personal level the main thing is to try and play as many games as possible and it’s been great to come straight in and be able to play.

I want to play my part and I feel that is why I have been brought in and I want to regain that confidence and sharpness to find my best form.

If I do that, there is no reason I cannot help the team. I know the club are aiming for promotion, and you can see there is an awful lot of talent and quality here.

So I want to get Swansea as high up the table as possible and see where that takes us. It’s about those fine margins, and once those are there then it is possibly for special things to happen.

You have to aim high, but we have to be ready every Saturday and every Tuesday.