A Message from Matt Grimes

MATT GRIMES A MESSAGE FROM

Good afternoon and welcome to everyone joining us from around the world for this evening’s Championship against Blackburn Rovers at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Tuesday’s home game against Luton Town was frustrating and we were hurt to lose in the manner we did. We’re giving our all and did create chances but didn’t manage to convert them, Luton buried their chance and that made all the difference in the end.

We managed to keep Luton quiet for large parts of the game and are working day in day out to build on this and to ensure we take our chances.

It’s important that we all stick together and focus on getting back to winning ways.

We’re delighted to have Pato back with us, we’ve all missed him and we’re looking forward to seeing him back out on the pitch doing what he loves.

He plays a huge part on and off the pitch in what we are trying to do and build here and he’s raring to get back out there and help us as much as he can. After Tuesday’s defeat, our attention quickly turned to this evening’s game against Blackburn Rovers.

Blackburn are in fine form and sit in second place in the Championship table going into this evening’s game.

They’ve done brilliantly so far this season and we are well aware of the threats they possess. They certainly didn’t make it easy for us in the away fixture but we’ve done everything we can to make sure we are as prepared as we can be.

Enjoy the game this evening!

CERI STONE A MESSAGE FR M

Today we welcome high-flying Blackburn Rovers to the Swansea.com Stadium. Since fixtures resumed in January, we have faced sides on impressive winning streaks in Huddersfield, Preston, QPR, Hull and now Blackburn.

The New Year is a difficult period as it is, without having to manage a transfer window in a turbulent financial period for world football, whilst stadiums were closed in Wales, with the Swans not playing for five weeks and then facing the five form sides in the division. This has been one of the most challenging January's to date.

I never enjoy this period and prefer to switch off all social media until February. As a Trust we can reflect on this very hectic time, that started at the beginning of the month with the shock departure of Ethan Laird and has seen a significant turnover of playing staff.

We have witnessed 12 players depart the club. Two loans were recalled. One contract was terminated and Jake Bidwell moved on a free transfer. We wish them all well.

Eight players have been sent out on loan to gain further experience. These include: Morgan Whittaker, Liam Cullen, Brandon Cooper, Liam Walsh, Steven Benda, Dan Williams, Lewis Webb and Harry Jones. They are all young talents with bright futures ahead of them and they could be the backbone of the club in years to come. We wish them every success and hope that they gain plenty of positive experience to bring back to SA1 in the summer.

Out of the departures only Jake Bidwell and Ethan Laird were first team regulars during the first half of the season. The remaining players supported the squad but in moving on they released funds that allowed us to bring in six players who will be competing for frequent first team action.

We welcome Andy Fisher, Nathanael Ogbeta, Hannes Wolf, Finley Burns and Cyrus Christie, together with the returning Kyle Joseph, to Swansea. May your performances be great and your impact important. You are now part of the Jack Army and it is time to rise to the anthem that is Hymns and Arias.

In the media there has been speculation as to why some deals were not made and why other players were not moved on. We cannot second guess why some decisions have been made by players, agents or other sides but we have to accept that we are a club that is very well run and can balance its books. Only a couple of clubs, such as Bournemouth and Hull City, have very wealthy benefactors with open cheque books. The rest of the league have to manage their budgets according to the income they generate, otherwise we would find ourselves in the predicaments being faced by Reading and Derby County at present. We were in those same shoes 21 years ago and personally I am grateful that we are healthily solvent and not staring down the barrel of the gun that we faced in the past.

We also kept hold of two players who could be crucial to our run in. Both Jay Fulton and Jamie Paterson have big roles to play as the fixtures pile up. Again, we cannot second guess how Jamie has been advised but I would welcome him back into the first team for one very simple reason: He put the ball in Cardiff’s net.

After an eventful start to the New Year, we are ready to move forward. We have a core squad of 17/18 players who are capable of beating any of the teams in this division so let’s start today with the high-flying Rovers.

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The Swansea City AFC Foundation is excited to announce that sign up for the February half-term Soccer Camps is now open.

Our camps provide the perfect environment for Junior Jacks to develop and hone their skills.

Open to boys and girls of all abilities aged between five and 12, the camps are a great opportunity to keep your young Swans active during the halfterm break.

Children attending will enjoy fun technical activities, smallsided games, competitions and prizes – all delivered by our FAW qualified coaches in a safe and friendly environment, with some special guests set to make appearances. All sessions will run between 10am and 2.30pm, with all dates and locations of the camps detailed below:

Tuesday, February 22 Bishopston and Coleg Sir Gar

Wednesday, February 23 Bishopston and Coleg Sir Gar

Thursday, February 24 Pembroke and Llandarcy

Friday, February 25 Pembroke and Llandarcy

Sign up now at www.swanseacity. com/news/february-soccercamps-sign-now

Junior Jack members are entitled to two, £5 vouchers to be redeemed against the Soccer Camps. Today’s bucket collection is in aid of Llys Nini, a local charity that rescues and cares for approximately 3000 animals each year, 80% of which are from RSPCA inspectors.

Most of the animals that Llys Nini care for have been saved from life threatening situations, including tackling the recent increase in puppy farming and offering a second chance to these dogs.

Llys Nini also have a programme of helping lonely, isolated and vulnerable people. Working with animals and being outdoors promotes the well-being of these adults and children. They work with many local organisations such as Crisis, Shaw Trust and local colleges offering individuals with additional needs the opportunity to volunteer, up skill and learn essential social skills.