The Last Word
By Nigel Davies
So I guess I owe each and every one of you an apology. It’s clearly my fault! I assemble what is largely a very positive issue, and on the eve of publishing the Swans’ unbeaten run comes to an inglorious end with a disastrous day out in Yorkshire!
I’m writing this in the aftermath of the 4-1 hiding by Huddersfield, lamenting a day when anything that could go wrong did indeed go wrong. And in quite spectacular fashion too.
From my perspective, the painful process of putting this issue together has come back to bite me in the nether regions; I cheered Conor Hourihane’s free kick equaliser today as much as anyone, and then I facepalmed as I realised it ruined the whole point of our The Free Kick Fiend page. That one’s on me because columnist Guto Llewellyn wrote that in plenty time and it was a totally relevant piece when it was fresh…
…sorry Guto, you can free kick me into a wall the next time we can grab a pint before a game at the Liberty!!
Then there’s Sandman Slim’s incoming player profiles which includes a very promising paragraph on Jordan Morris – whose Swans career could be over before it’s even properly started.
Of all the things that went wrong today, Morris's serious looking injury is the only thing I can't just shake off.
Conceding three goals in nine minutes happens to the best of teams, even one with a defence tighter than Doug Sharpe. And losing a player to injury having made all your subs is the equivalent of losing all your spare Subbuteo players and then watching your dog running off under the sofa with your prized finger flicked centre forward – and hearing chewing noises!
Basically, over a 48 game season….shit happens!!
But Morris’s injury is a totally different thing. It looked like one of those nasty injuries that always seem to occur in freak circumstances, with Morris stepping on the ball in his attempt to trap it without breaking his run.
The lad spent a year out of the game a couple of years back after suffering an ACL injury and I fear it is the same leg, which increases the fear – and the probability – that it’s a serious one and not just a bad strain or hyperextension.
From our perspective it’s a blow to lose a new signing who has already shown tantalisingly glimpses of what he could bring to our promotion push. But for American lad Morris it is a devastating twist of fate just as he sets out on his big break in European football and his big adventure with Swansea City.
Watching Morris lying painfully still as the medics treated him on the pitch was uncomfortable viewing for Swans fans that saw something similar happen to Ferrie Bodde.
Fingers crossed that when the injury settles down it proves to be less serious than it appeared, and we get to see Jordan back in a Swans shirt real soon!
Whilst today’s result was a shocker it shouldn’t detract from the overall postivity of this issue and in general. Ok, the performance wasn’t good even in the first half when it was still a contest, and coming on the back of a similarly poor performance but far better result against Nottingham Forest it’s a trend that has to be addressed.
But fans have to accept a couple of things:-
1/ This Covid affected season with its crazy schedule will affect ALL teams and their ability to maintain performance levels and;
2/ Steve Cooper’s side is built upon a bedrock of defensive solidity, shape and the ability to grind out results when needed, with a smattering of stardust on top at times
Cooper’s current style is 70% pragmatic and 30% pretty and that has us 100% competitive in the Championship. Given all we’ve gone through the last few years and the financial trauma that relegation brought, that’s more than we could expect or ask for!
After our last defeat Cooper’s side went on a two month unbeaten run so please, let’s keep today’s freak events in perspective and continue to throw our collective weight and support behind the manager and his players.
As for me, I’m going to sit in a darkened room after finally finishing this new issue of ATFV and reflect on how I can do a better job of producing the next one – just so I don’t find myself running for my life with an enraged Guto and the psychopath that is Sandman Slim hot on my heels!!
