Late evening visit to Legoland

CroJack

Key Player
The worst thing is our football deteriorates. Our underlying stats were ok for our first 4 games and we were unlucky not to win three of them. Even in Bristol game we created enough chances to get a draw. But against Cradiff we created nothing.

We don't shoot enough.

Green = many shots and top position
Red = Swans
Blue = anomaly

Shots.jpg
 

jackodiamonds

Set-Piece Specialist
Staff member
The Sheffield Wednesday game should be telling. The same team that beat Duff's Barnsley in last season's playoff final, albeit under a different manager. He has to understand his opponent. Barnsley's performances in the playoffs don't bear much resemblance to what we've seen of Duff's methods in Swansea so far. The biggest difference seems to be the energy levels in the players. Our lot don't seem to want to run, and while I think a lot of that is due to Martin coaching them to play walking football for two years, many of these players are new and don't have that excuse. Do the players not want to play for Duff? Seems a bit soon for a mutiny. Does anyone think Duff can get a similar tune of of these Swans as he did Barnsley? Or is the step-up in division the real problem, and Duff's tactics just don't work here?

Playoff semi-final Barnsley 1 - 0 Bolton

 
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Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Team selection is not granting us leverage of our best options. The Cardiff team and subs definitely didn’t do us any favors. Duffer needs a change of direction but that would admit defeat in his mentality and he’s going down with the ship.

I vote that we don’t let the ship go down with the captain.
 

CroJack

Key Player
Does anyone think Duff can get a similar tune of of these Swans as he did Barnsley?
A counter-question:

Can you imagine Grimes running his socks off for 90 minutes?

Or is the step-up in division the real problem, and Duff's tactics just don't work here?
Intensity works in any division, but intensity without intent (translated: kick'n'rush) is same as passing the ball around and backwards all the time.

The key words are:

Intensity when passing the ball forward, intensity when running forward with and without ball, and intensity when recovering possession.
 

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
Duff must know he's on borrowed time and the only question seems when. Even Cardiff supporters have toned down their gloating online to ask what's wrong with us. They are as puzzled as we are with many saying this is the WORST Swansea team they've ever seen. Our fans have described our display as aimless, slow and no idea of what we were supposed to be doing. Dead men walking about the pitch with little idea was another description.

Read for yourselves. I don't have enough time, or space here, to list everything I've seen. ALL of it is bad and ALL of it is correct and accurately describes that abysmal spectacle we witnessed yesterday. The stats don't reflect quite how awful we were:

POSSESSION: 49-51 SHOTS: 13-9 OT: 7-3 CORNERS: 2-2 FOULS: 13-11 GOALS: 2-0


I protested about our lack of identity some time ago. To me it was evident from the get-go. Ashley Williams on Sky made mention of it along with his co-pundit, an ex Cardiff player, who said he didn't understand what's happened to the style of play we've always been associated with. Obviously they both were well aware of where the responsibility lies but were too polite to say so on air. Perhaps they weren't allowed to go that far.

But we fans can, and I do for one. Duff is the sole cause of our travails; the only reason why we field a team who look utterly lost as to what they're supposed to be doing. Duff can't coach our passing and footballing philosophy and the team can't play his hoofball tactics because many of them have never played that way. Duff is an oversize square peg trying to fit in a neat round hole and it will never work. Quite simply he's been tasked with a job that he has neither the ability, experience or credentials, to perform. He needs to go - the sooner the better before it's too late for us.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
The exec team that granted Madness miles of rope are no longer present. It will be interesting to see when the current execs call a timeout
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Williams ... "... there was a lack of width". We were playing 3+2 and we had a lack of width. WTF were the +2 up to if we lacked width.

Bottom line, it's a shambles all around: quality, intensity, setup. Williams commented that the three midfield were too deep to support Yates and Lowe. We were playing midfield players with a natural propensity to play deep. What does one expect. We don't need 3 deep lying midfield players with 3+2. Cooper should have been on the field and playing further forward as he naturally tends to do. If Grimes can't cut it as a loan pivot in front of 3 CBs then he shouldn't be on the field.

BTW: did anybody see KOL on the bench on Saturday? He's usually there front and center playing with his tablet.
 
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