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Your thoughts on a brilliant season!

Discussion in 'Swansea City' started by swans-cartoonhead, Mar 30, 2012.

  1. swans-cartoonhead

    swans-cartoonhead Well-Known Member

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    With our first glorious season in the Premier League drawing to a close I would like to take this opportunity to ask my fellow Jacks what the experience has been like for them.

    We have won many plaudits, one of my favourites coming from Mr Jug Ears Lineker ‘watching Swansea gives me hope for the future of British football’. Yes, it has been that good – and whilst many have said that the standard of the EPL has been poor this season, I would disagree; I believe it is still the most competitive and attractive league in world football, and certainly the most exciting (the worldwide viewing figures bear testament to that!).

    So the domestic clubs have been crap in Europe, so what! Some will use this as a stick to beat us with but we can only play the teams that are put in front of us and, for the most part, we have performed superbly. We have proved that money, or lack of it, need not be a barrier to top flight success – we were given no chance of survival before the season started and were everyone’s favourites for relegation, (where have we heard that before?) but we continue to prove all those so called experts wrong;

    ‘Swansea play good football but can’t score goals’ - Swansea 3-0 West Brom - Sat 17 Sep. 2011
    ‘Swansea can’t grind out a result against a big team’ - Liverpool 0-0 Swansea - Sat 5 Nov. 2011
    ‘Swansea can’t beat one of the big teams’ - Swansea 3-2 Arsenal - Sun 15 Jan. 2012
    and Swansea 1-0 Man City - Sun 11 Mar. 2012.

    Our next landmark will be to beat one of the big teams away from home – Spurs anyone? But if not, who cares – we’ll do it next season, because we are here for another season at least! That sounded soooo good that I will say it again ‘we are here for another season at least!’ ;)

    Mathematically we can still be caught, but realistically can we really see any of the bottom 3 getting 14 points out of their remaining games, with us getting none? We are safe before Easter – and that feels so good!

    So back to my original question; what has our first season in the Premier League meant to you?

    For me it has been a revelation – have followed my beloved Swans since I was old enough to swear at a referee and everything about this league is superior to the lower leagues we have come up through; the football is better, the atmosphere is better, the pre match anticipation is better, the goal celebration is better, absolutely everything is better!!

    I have enjoyed being a supporter through the lower leagues, but nothing compares to this – at the beginning of last season we were again written off – we started the season shakily and could not have predicted the drama of that semi final play off – holding Forest with ten men – beating them in the return leg – going three up in the first half at Wembley – then holding on by the skin of our teeth when facing the second half Reading onslaught (still think we should commission a statue of Gary Monks Toe for its role in denying Reading a goal – if that had gone in I believe we could have lost that game!)

    But the sight of the squad lifting the trophy wearing their Besian T-Shirts brought a good few tears to my eyes – and I left Wembley totally exhausted, it was a few days before the enormity of the achievement sunk in – I didn’t attend the open top bus procession through Swansea because I was afraid I would be arrested for gross indecency – apparently masturbating in front of a bus is frowned upon! ;)

    So let me know your thoughts fellow Jacks! And let’s us all celebrate our wonderful achievements! <cheers>
     
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  2. PGFWhite

    PGFWhite Well-Known Member

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    As far as I am concerned it is the Swans best season ever. The top division is a superior division to what it was 30 years ago due to the vast sums of money floating around.

    The Club is now based on firm foundations and even if we got relegated I am confident we would not slip any further than the Championship - unlike the last time we were at this level when we slipped straight back down to Div 4.

    We have played some fantastic football along the way. For me there have been many peaks, but the highlight of the season was our first away win - a demolition of former European Champions Aston Villa on their home turf. the home win against the richest club in the world, Man City follows close behind.

    To round off the season it would be nice to turn over Man U at OT and then put 5 past Liverpool - OK I am in Dreamland!!
     
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  3. jackb@stard

    jackb@stard Member

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    Just noticed we seem to perform better in our sunday games against the big teams.
    Could it be our day again this sunday ????????
     
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  4. PGFWhite

    PGFWhite Well-Known Member

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    I hope so!
     
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  5. ShanghaiSwan

    ShanghaiSwan New Member

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    Next season might not be so good after Brendan as left for Spurs. When asked he didn't deny it. That says it all. Hope we get a good replacement.
     
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  6. beppeswan

    beppeswan Active Member

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    Have faith casual you never know stranger things have happened :):). i think he will stay with us maybe i am biased but just got a feeling.

    back to the main post, what i have loved more than anything else is having to attend work in essex after our playoff win and 95% of the workforce as the EXPERTS !! did and start goading me with the fact that we will never live with the prem, so obviously i had to back my optimism with money anyone who fancied taking money off a jack i gladly placed a wager with them.

    i am currently collecting my monies from the so called big clubs supporters from the gunners, yids and the rest who are now choking on their words.

    cant wait for tomorrow now to an extremely difficult game against spurs knowing that we can as a team mix it with anyone on our day and outplay most of them also. little old swansea hey come on the jacks. <somersault> <somersault> <somersault> <somersault>
     
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  7. It'sChicoTime

    It'sChicoTime Well-Known Member

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    Where do we start?

    After that astonishing trip to Wembley, It didn't really sink in for a while after that we would be facing the likes of Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea etc, but once it did, I have never felt so excited in my life. But, there was always a hanging doubt over me......Would we be able to play our trademark style of football against these giants of world football? Would we avoid being the whipping boys? Would we be relegated? After that first game V Man City, while we got beaten well at the end, the first 60 minutes showed me that yes, we can stay up.

    The games that follwed didn't go according to plan, a draw V Wigan, loss V Shrewsbury (League cup I know), draw V Sunderland, but then we started to come into our own. 3-0 against West Brom, a measly 1-0 loss V arsenal which I feel should have been a 0-0 draw. Come the near end of the season, not one, not two, but ALL of the pundits have accepted they were wrong. Our manager won the manager of the year from the managers award, our Leon was voted the best player from the UK in the PL by the managers and we have beaten City, Arsenal, draw with the likes of Spurs, and Chelsea (SHould have been a win) and we have beaten all expectation.

    So for me, this has been the best season EVER, for the time I have supported the Swans anyway. Long live Brendan, long live our players, I'm STID!!!!
     
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  8. bongojack

    bongojack Active Member

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    Far better than i expected surprised a lot of people and not had the hammerings the "Experts" predicted.Mind you i think that these "Experts" are the same invisible ones that say "This is the weakest Premiership ever" (1,2,3, go ,all look to the east).I still think Brendan will be here next season,i have a feeling Mourihno will get the Spurs job if 'Arry goes, he's looking for a job ,his arrogance wont allow him to go back to Chelsea,Man citeh dont need him,he's not loyal enough for Man U,so its between Spurs and Liverpool and i think he would prefer to be London based so he can gloat if he can do a number on Chelsea
     
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  9. Crackerjack

    Crackerjack Active Member

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    Through injury & a smallish squad at the start of the season , the early contribution of the fringe players is paramount in my thoughts . Monk , Gower , Jazz , Routledge helped build an early foundation when I thought we were in huge trouble , in over our head . Even lately , who knew we could have our best game of the season with Williams & Dyer out against Fulham , replaced with Monk & Routledge . Top to bottom , what a team .
     
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  10. Kifflom!

    Kifflom! Well-Known Member

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    Great post, mate. <ok>

    I spoke to Rodgers on the night of the Playoff Final in Morgans and told him that for me he had delivered my best day as a Swans fan - and I've been one since the mid 1960's. As always he was modest and charming but he knew I was telling the truth.

    Since then it's been a dream to be honest. To not only play some of the best teams in the world but to give a good account of ourselves on a limited budget and using more less the same squad that got us there is something we should all be proud of.

    Success like that gets us admirers but also suitors. For me the trick will be to keep it all together for next season and improve on this one. Then we'll see what we're really made of.
     
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  11. swans-cartoonhead

    swans-cartoonhead Well-Known Member

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    Cheers guys - some great comments, let's keep 'em coming.

    I also met Brendan at the start of the season (was presenting a cheque for Marie Curie that we raised through ATFV) and was taken by the modesty and enthusiasm of the man - he even treated us to a re-enactment of his touchline run when Pratley scored in the semi! Even though he was obviously busy, he didn't try to rush us and was more than generous with his time.
     
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