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Reply | Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers : Match day thread UPDATED
at 14:32 23 Oct 2025
Briefly and quick to give the decision and not taking into account the circumstances and discussing them, poor refereeing for me.
Doesn't excuse Yalcouye as it doesn't excuse good player being made to look bad.
Really think Sheehan is over thinking things, Galbraith should be in the centre of the park, if you want to drop/rest Key play a dedicated full back don't make the midfield weaker with the omission of Galbraith from it.
But Parker isn't up to it, every game I have seen him play in the first team squad he has been up to the job, blaming youngsters for bad performances seems the easy option to use. Glad to see Congreve getting credit for his performance for Dundee, Widell originally dropped, Wales not getting a look in, young dynamic players told they are not ready to fit into a slow turgid preforming team and yet a petulant loanee gets the nod ahead of them, some seem to forget it takes time for a team or players to bed in look at how long it took Guehi and that was with ex-premier league players alongside them.
For now Sheehan needs to play his strongest players in the ir natural positions, if in a settled team they are not performing then look for better solutions, constant changes isn't going to help bed in players and isn't going to help the team in the long run.
Again last night we were passive waiting for the openings to appear letting teams get organised in defence and then trying to force things instead of having good movement to enable player to turn and face the way we want to be playing without over committing.
At the moment we are trying to keep width almost playing with both wingers and wingbacks leaving two not the previously decried three centrebacks.
Time for Sheehan to have a rethink able how we get rhe ball forward into spaces to allow us to progress up the park without making ourselves vulnerable at the back. |
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Reply | Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers : Match day thread UPDATED
at 12:49 23 Oct 2025
Either both booked or both off but not a red for one and a yellow for another, referee couldn'thave seen it given by the assistant but it didn't look as if the ref went over to confirm the circumstances using radio comms only.
We seen to want to control the game but press players up far too soon leaving big gaps in the middle we cannot or won't exploit and over commit leaving essentially the centre backs with no covering defenders, we are getting pulled about at the opposition's will as play breaks down or we don't initiate the press as a team doing it in dribs and drabs. |
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Reply | Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers : Match day thread UPDATED
at 09:42 23 Oct 2025
Sheehan needs time work out why we koik as if we onky have one player un the nidfuekd at times? If you have three players there then we shouldn't ve even nice so if you include our wingers, 5 players in the midfield? |
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Reply | Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers : Match day thread UPDATED
at 09:00 23 Oct 2025
If you look at the the first angle on the replay from behind the QPR player his head is seen to move forward in a small butting action but the linesman can't see it. The Swansea player stupidly reaction with forward movement with the whole of his body rather than a butt, the QPR players has bought the sending off. If the QPR play has done nothing wrong then why was he booked? Initial confrontation or simulation if it is both then two bookings means a sending off, either way a booking or a sending off for each play officials duped and yet again seems quick to penalise the Swans. As has been said before opposition players duping players but we give them the opportunities, what really riles me up is opposition teams break up forward play with blocking actions off the ball but we are not strong or wise enough to do it correctly, lack of championship experience by some, I will include officials in that as well.
Swansea really need to up the tempo and movement of their game be it in or out of possession. Especially high up the park you either get a challenge in early making it hard for the opposition to play out from the back giving free kicks away deep in their half keeping pressure on instead of missing the opportunity then having chasing back and making desperate challenges give the opportunity for players to buy free kicks deep in our half or even worst pull our defenders out of position because of poor tracking back.
It does seem as if our fullbacks are being asked to hold the wingers up to allow our recovering midfielders/ wingers time to get back in position but we are not doing that well enough letting the opposition into the box as we get out numbered. The full backs need to make a decision to stop their wingers either getting in the box or letting the crosses in at the moment they struggle to do either they really need to get tighter earlier. |
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Reply | Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers : Match day thread UPDATED
at 00:18 23 Oct 2025
We have seen this type of performance many times before, for one I didn't see the Southampton game although it sound similar to the Leicester game amd that first half before the sending off.
The cries for Key and Ronald to be dropped listened to but the same ineffectual game plan, this wasn't the one adopted by Sheehan as caretaker manager this team has seen the same forward runs off the defenders shoulder by players most noteable Idah tonight ignored, two midfielders sitting in high position in the channels between their centre backs and fullback and I mean sitting static, the gap between them and Stamenic massive no support for the wingers given balls with backs to the opposition goals midfielder ahead of them or sitting in front of the centrebacks, resulting in the same old safe option to pass backwards. A team unable to press or make a tackle in the midfield and yet with ten men against 11 we can press as well as could be expected, get challenges in to stop making the opposition possession easy, they had it in the first half and both previous games.
You can look at Sheehan's team last season it was different, it had O'Brien bossing the midfield encouraging his team mates to up the tempo in their game get challenges in. It has become apparent that when Galbraith in the middle of the park he gets the tempo of the game up the team looks different, Stamenic seems to be coasting because that is the tempo that has been set. Both Franco and Yalcouye looked unaccustomed to what they were asked to do when Cullen and Widell came on they did, Inoussa and Galbraith looked just as bad as Ronald and Key.in the same positions, Eom tried to inject a bit of movement but it wasn't supported in the middle, his runs across their defence, who had plenty of time to regroup, had no options to change the point of the attack and yet with ten men we can pull their defence about in a way that look previously impossible.
Hope we see more of Widell because in his last preformance I think he came on as a sub but he looked as if had become use to the game in the Championship and yet because of new arrivals gets dumped, I thought he linked up well with the players around him and our 10 against 11 men created chances.
Yes QPR could of scored more but the previous way we played with 11 men they were ust as likely to score.
Really think with the midfield tempo being higher it makes a big difference weren't we well in the game against Birmingham and Blackburn, narrowly losing to Birmingham as they shut our midfield down.
We cannot expect an inexperienced Galbraith at Championship level to be able to control the midfield just yet but with Stamenic's help, Widell and Franco alternating to keep that tempo up because we seem a much better team when we do.
Rant over.
I though Idah had his best game for us in hold the ball up but didn't have the players around him to take advantage of his play. |
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Reply | Long throws in vogue
at 16:50 21 Oct 2025
We haven't used them for how long? bit of a shock to the system and quick throw ins into positions the opposition defence haven't covered yet, we have seen glimpses under Sheehan but do seen as if we have reverted to slow backward possession without any thought of putting teams under pressure when we can, as for the purist any players first touch should be to allow the team to put pressure on the opposite, control of the ball, attempts on goal or relieving danger. If goals come from quick throws, long throws, well thought out corners and the ability to cause chaos in opposition ranks, where better to do it in the opposition's half of the field rather than our own. When in possession of the ball we want to see incisive play accurate passing, good movement, at times the game needs the opposition team steam taken out of their attacks by ensuring correct marking but not to the extent where our possession become predictable. |
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Reply | Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers : Match day thread
at 10:48 21 Oct 2025
Last season Sheehan often resorted to putting extra defensive strength to see us combat that intense aerial battles using Fulton's extra height when needed, most commonly towards the end of games, Cooper's for he most part defended the flanks well to stop.crosses coming into the box so often but many teams in the league are struggling to hold onto leads or seeing games out from winning positions,
It would seem we have lost a bit of dynamism in areas of the pitch the teams has become predictable and easy to counter, they attack us down the flanks as we press our fullback high or tuck in defensive mode giving half decent wingers time to run at our defenders pushing us deeper into our box or pumping balls into the box.
If we are going to constantly have our full backs up so high then we need to ensure we have at least two defensive midfielders to assist the defence as teams counter us but again does that stifle us going forward?
We really need to use the space being left in the midfield be it latter runs by fullbacks or centrehalfs knowing if they drive forward our fullbacks are going to cover them as we don't need them as extra players in attack.
If we have we play Casey in the back three he does seem to have a bit of quality with the ball at his feet also intial pace that Burgess and Cabango need time to build up while he also seems sensible or trained at a higher level to know when to get the ball out of dangerous areas. Would he free up the fullbacks to push on we know both Cabango and Burgess can play incisive passes out to their respective
wings, do we need to keep both wingers and wingbacks clogging the channels leaving us empty in the middle of the park.
It would appear that both Galbraith and Stamenic can provide play through the middle of the park but it seems that their hands ( or feet) are being tied for fear of loosing the ball and having only Burgess and Cabango left in defence so maybe we will see a lot more of Casey because at the moment something has to change to ensure we have that attacking threat and defensive strength.
Luke William's team at the beginning of the last season saw a lack of goals for and against but went in pursuit of goals but at the expense of the defence. I am hoping Sheehan remembers that and looks at the alternatives he has to make us better in both attack and defence. |
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Reply | Southampton v Swansea City : Match day thread (UPDATED)
at 09:32 20 Oct 2025
Not creating anything for the players up front means the pressure is solely on us.
Teams know we will try and press teams with th
em having the ball in there defensive third but with teams using the goalie as an extra outfield play if we get it wrong our out field players will always get outnumbered, if our forwards press high and the whole of the midfield don't join thre press we will get played through, if the midfield presses high that leaves the backs vulnerable to the long ball often outnumbered fullbacks tucked in to cover the lack of pace of our centrebacks leaving space for wingers to recieve the ball uarke, if we win the central aerial long ball with our midfield is pressing high the midfield is too open.
As we are the away team and against better teams or teams that are in positions in the game they are force to press forward we really need to make sure our marking is tight in our two defensive thirds of the pitch meaning the opposition can have the ball in their defensive third where they are not a threat until we try and press the ball incorrectly and leave gaps which fast incisive play will exploit
The reverse also applies if we are slow gettimg the ball from one side of the pitch to other our forward midfielders pressed too high and our defensive midfielder deep the flanks are easy covered and the tightly marked wingers have no options to play the ball to midfield players because they are not in positions to recieve the ball making the only option to play the ball back.
Any player wants the ball played in front of them facing towards the opposition's goal quick passing with quick movement off the ball to provide options instead we are letting our players get stifled in all areas of the pitch.
We are at the moment being very reactive to situations instead of proactive at one point last season under Sheehan we were proactive in getting back into defensive shape letting teams play out from the back but safe in the knowledge our defence was set up properly and our midfield had the sense to mark tightly and cover forward runs of deep lying midfielders of backs how many times under recent managers to we press too many players forward with very little regard to the consequences of not having players cover forwards runs.
Against Leicester Stamenic seemed to be caught in no man's land haven't seen a lot of Southampton game but for me there shouldn't be such a thing as defensive or attacking midfielders they need to be able to do both unrestricted by titles assued in the knowledge if any player goes forward then they need to cover any gaps left be it by fullbacks, central defenders.
If you are trying to get quick balls to fullbacks high up the pitch why would you have static wingers creating width out wide instead of wingers dragging fullback inside to open the channels out for fullbacks or midfielders to exploit.
All seems very static by us playing by numbers at times but getting the numbers wrong. Any inspiring play being suppressed both rigid setups and opposition's knowledge of how we are going to play.
Could you say because of our lack of experience both ob and off the field making us unable to adapt our game to allow us a strong defence and an attacking force where and when needed. |
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Reply | Southampton v Swansea City : Match day thread (UPDATED)
at 23:20 17 Oct 2025
Which one of Cabango or Casey would you play on the left side of the defence? Burgess left footed supply to Tymon allows him to press on similar to Cabango's to Key allowing them to push high up the pitch but with them pushing high then cover is needed in a Grimes or Fulton like role , as has been mentioned Stamenic on international duty provides a more attacking midfield role perhaps we need to look at our use of our full backs because it does seem to stifle our progression through the midfield, if we are going to change one of our centrebacks does it make more sense to have our fullback playing a deeper starting role who can firstly mark tighter and offer safer play out from the back with options higher up the pitch in midfield? |
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Reply | How is Alan Sheehan doing ?
at 22:00 10 Oct 2025
I appreciate that they were the better team but you really have to look how they went about applying pressure on us, expecting the home team to try and close them down, the same channels opened up as the last hone game against Leicester which was under Duff,we played three in the middle, Grimes, Platino and Paterson, Duff set them up not to press them and yet the same result occurs, you have too look at the defence, midfield runners were given space and forward weren't marked resulting in us being outnumbered in dangerous areas of the park, so do we press or do we drop off which haven't worked because we didn't get our marking in dangerous, to us areas of the pitch. The likes of Duff, William and Martin's teams given given procession of the ball to go down closed off blind alleys to be countered in the transition areas turn to the opposition's advantage at will. We have to close thosee paths of attack down so that the pressure can be relieved by the quality of the forwards now in our team, you cannot do that if the marking is as poor as it was against Leicester in both instances. Cooper got things right although the team quality and mix in the play off final could not defend correctly after losing our defensive strength in the midfield in the January window after we "gained" Hourihane, since demotion our midfield and defence has not been quite good enough defensively to compete for that promotion we want. That defensive frailty needs to change so we can compete both in defense and attack.
There could be a question asked at times are we marking spaces or players?
Are we strong enough yet, not quite but it will be interesting to see if we can put a run of games in, the earlier in the season the better. [Post edited 10 Oct 22:09]
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Reply | How is Alan Sheehan doing ?
at 13:32 9 Oct 2025
No I don't think the score line flattered them but that would be expected if you let them create as much space as we did. We did the same under Duff same score line.
As for not a penalty I initially thought it wasn't but the player slide in of his feet,yes he may have made contact with the ball but as it hit Galbraith the defenders momentum and follow though meant he took Galbraith legs away from him, penalty all day long for me. [Post edited 9 Oct 21:01]
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Reply | How is Alan Sheehan doing ?
at 23:17 8 Oct 2025
Wouldn't expect Samuel-Smith to cover Key would be Tymon moving across to cover Key as Samuel-Smith came on although I would think Casey would be the cover for Key, for me Parker on the bench instead of Samuel-Smith to cover Key but if Tymon needed to go off, Parker on and Key moves over to the left as he has played there before.
All.pretty irrelevant if new incoming player in the next transfer window, to replace Key or cover him, bit of a shame if Key goes because with his pace if he was asked to play differently he would be much more effective to the team.
Two lines of thought if in doubt play the back past or play ball tforward into space where can be competed and let the opposition have to deal with problems in their own half. We have seen in the past defenders get into all sorts of trouble having to turn back and chase the ball. [Post edited 9 Oct 13:39]
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Reply | Stamenic- is he another Fulton?
at 12:36 7 Oct 2025
Fulton if he tries or is aske to play that box to box games he would now be hard pressed to complete to 90 minutes or play consecutive games he needs younger legs around him but doesn't have the skill set to dictated the play around him from a central position given the setup of the team for us does that mean someone is inclined to sit deep. It really doesn't get the best out of him or Grimes and is Stamenic suffering because of it or is it just too early for team which has not bedded players in yet? |
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Reply | Stamenic- is he another Fulton?
at 10:28 7 Oct 2025
We may not concede too many goals but we are leaving ourselves open pressure which results in set piece and goals. Players and tactics being targeted for their weaknesses. If you end up predictable then good managers can stifle us.
Good players work on their weaknesses in their game, good coaches can see those weaknesses and have the team change tactics to counter those weaknesses while also oenhancing their strengths. Team shape at different stages of games have to be adopted if the players ob the field have the freedom to organise themselves to change tactics to suit that the coach must let then while ensuring they are able to preform those changes as a team, sometimes it only takes one players mindset to change things it helps when other get on board straight away.It does seem as if we have to wait until the second half to change things and then try later with subs maybe we should change things after we have scored to ensure teams are frustrated and make mistakes then we can capitalise. |
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Reply | Stamenic- is he another Fulton?
at 09:40 7 Oct 2025
Agree about having both Galbraith and Stamenic being the deeper midfielders to cover run made by defenders especially the full backs but would prefer if they spend more time further forward with the fullbacks biding their time before pushing so high, it would allow the midfield to both support the forwards and defence as needed and prevent our play getting disljointed and making the flanks crowded out and easy to defend against.
Quite like my midfielders to be able to cover both sides and having the sense to do so, being fluid in their movement to both cover and create space while being aware of the teammates movement which would either need support or cover as spaces appear. Quite liked seeing Paterson drifting onto the right it gave us different options while doing so allow other in the mifield space to cross over to the left.
As for Stamenic being another Fulton let's remember some of Fulton's good point his aerial ability, he has come up with the odd goal or two, he has had good movement when was used as a box to box player and now at the end of games adds a bit of strength in defence, we don't want to see him as our pivotal playmaker he would and has been shut down very quickly Stamenic does seem to be better player but will get closed down as a play maker so having Galbraith alongside him will help to create more options and if the full backs stay deeper and wider as starting point would offer Stamenic a one touch pass option which the fullback could capitalise on to give a one touch pass to the wingers making us far more fluid and using that buzz word being used so much these day making the transition between defence to attack much quicker while not leaving our defence the sole reserve of our centrebacks as we try and press forward and open to counter attack.
As we are playing three in midfield that third player must have the movement and freedom to cross the front line or beyond the forwards or dropping back to allow the movement forward by our other midfielders and to cover the defensive elements of our game I do get worried when I see five players in a front line waiting for the ball to come out from defence all flat foot and static.
Hoping as the team gel the players can assess the situations on the pitch better to capitalise on the qualities they possess. |
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Reply | How is Alan Sheehan doing ?
at 18:52 6 Oct 2025
See Whiterockin's posts re Parker, he has dropped out of the match day squad. We no longer have Naughton as back up for Key, decisions of players on the subs bench leaves me thinking Sheehan does not want to risk Casey and Samuel-Smith when they could be put in the spotlight and put under pressure in tight games and happy to leave struggling players on. Balance to holding onto what we got or pushing for a win, understandable to go for the win given the reward of 3 points but until we are settled as a team maybe better to make sure of the points we have before pushing forward for more from a position of having points and leaving us vulnerable. |
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Reply | How is Alan Sheehan doing ?
at 16:39 6 Oct 2025
But we didn't get those points mentioned but why. Fulton came on late in the Blackburn game and we saw the game out for an away win,happy. He was only on for a quarter of an hour if you include a generous amount of injury time.
My thinking on Sheehan's team selections and substitutions has been very much about protecting players, yes Galbraith and Inoussa are the first names on the team sheets for me but Sheehan may have thought they need resting for their own good and with an eye to the season ahead, Franco rested, gets picked scores, a cracking goal. |
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Reply | How is Alan Sheehan doing ?
at 16:26 6 Oct 2025
Click bait headline, quite happy to have bit of poetic license in headlines but when in the middle of the article it says there is no evidence to suggest this it does seem absurd and discourages anybody view the site again. |
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Reply | Stamenic- is he another Fulton?
at 14:07 6 Oct 2025
If Stamenic pushes up then who covers Tymon and Key's runs forward, there needs to be a bit of fuildity in the team, we saw O'Brien covering the fullbacks or even dropping into the space left by Tymon's runs making himself available to receive the ball and made himself time on the ball to see want opened up infront of him. But for the most part we are talking about when we are in possession of the ball, we really need to be looking at our issues when not in possession of the ball which allow teams to take points off us at the moment. |
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