December 22, 2024

Swansea must become ruthless to avoid further Championship disappointment

Lisa Baker, Editor, Welsh Business News & News from Wales August 22, 2022
geograph-3844171-by-Jaggery

Swansea City had a sliding doors moment last season after the departure of Steve Cooper. Cooper resigned from his post ahead of the start of the campaign citing that he had not been backed in the transfer market, having steered the Swans into fourth place in the Championship, and only losing out in the playoffs at the hands of Brentford at Wembley.

Russell Martin was brought into the Liberty Stadium to replace Cooper, who joined Nottingham Forest and lifted the Midlands outfit from 24th back to the Premier League after a 23-year exile from the top flight. Swansea fans will have been wondering what Cooper could have achieved had he been backed sufficiently. Martin was solid if unspectacular in his role and guided Swansea to safety after a patchy start to the season.

However, the goals of the club have changed significantly over the last two years, being backed in the odds on the main football competitions at 17/2 to be relegated from the Championship. The latest football betting tips suggest that Swansea will likely avoid being dragged into the mire at the foot of the table this season, but there will be pressure on the man in the dugout.

Martin still has a lot of talent in his ranks that should be capable of beating the drop, but Swansea fans will be urging him to be more pragmatic in his second season in charge. Martin earned plaudits for his style of play last season, bringing attractive football back to the Liberty Stadium, but his were naïve at times and lacked a killer instinct. This was notable in the closing stages of the last campaign when the Swans spurned numerous leads.

The first warning sign came against Reading when Martin’s side took a 4-1 lead on the road but allowed the Royals to rally to claim an incredible 4-4 draw. It was the same story against Bournemouth at the Liberty Stadium.

For all the good work that the Swans did in dominating a side that was challenging for promotion, racing into a 3-0 lead at home. They undid all their hard work by conceding three goals in the final 18 minutes to drop two points. If Swansea fans believed that these issues would stop with the new term, it has not been the case. The Welsh outfit was seemingly on their way to a 2-0 win over Millwall but somehow conspired to drop two points in stoppage time, scoring two own goals.

It is an unfortunate trend that has developed under Martin, and unless he can figure out a way to eradicate the issue, Swansea will not be able to move into the upper echelons of the Championship. The players on the field and the supporters in the crowd may now be conditioned to believe that no lead is safe.

Swansea may play some of the nicest football in the second tier, but until they can develop a ruthless streak that was evident under Cooper, they’re not going to be promotion contenders.

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