Why Can't we play like Swansea ?

[Huntley & Palmer]

Fair points but taking all the hyperbole about Swansea aside, West Brom played in pretty much the same way last season and as things stand its the more combative Hull side and the up and at 'em Stoke that are doing better (albeit marginally).

I know you could say it about most sides including ours but if you took Jason Scotland out of the Swansea side and for example put him in Doncaster Rovers side I wonder whether it would be Sean O'Driscoll rather than Martinez that everyone would be raving about.

'greed. Our brand of football is far less pleasing to the eye perhaps but it brings the results required, promotion. The only difference between it this season and the Championship winning one, is that our central midfield has degraded in quality. Our ability to break up play in the middle of the pitch and then quickly counter attack has suffered as a result. As an up side, our set pieces have become even better

[Vision]

Fair points but taking all the hyperbole about Swansea aside, West Brom played in pretty much the same way last season and as things stand its the more combative Hull side and the up and at 'em Stoke that are doing better (albeit marginally).

I know you could say it about most sides including ours but if you took Jason Scotland out of the Swansea side and for example put him in Doncaster Rovers side I wonder whether it would be Sean O'Driscoll rather than Martinez that everyone would be raving about.

'greed. Our brand of football is far less pleasing to the eye perhaps but it brings the results required, promotion. The only difference between it this season and the Championship winning one, is that our central midfield has degraded in quality. Our ability to break up play in the middle of the pitch and then quickly counter attack has suffered as a result. As an up side, our set pieces have become even better

To be honest i don't think its the central midfield thats the difference. The Championship winning side had superior passers in the likes of Little,Shorey and Kitson and to a lesser extent Murty and even John Oster who was much maligned but the best passer in that squad in my opinion. The players that have replaced them don't have the same attributes. Thats not to say they're necessarily worse players but they just bring different things to the side.

It does make me laugh that Swansea are now the blueprint for all that is perfect. For about 20 games a high tempo 4-4-2 with wide players delivering crosses into the box creating chances ,producing goals aplenty and dismantling all before us saw everyone claiming that as the ideal for this division. Now because Swansea have are on a decent run and have been on the tv a couple of times they are now the be-all and end-all. Again not knocking what they do but there's a long way to go before in my view it can be considered as the blueprint for footballing perfection.

[Victor Meldrew]

Fair points but taking all the hyperbole about Swansea aside, West Brom played in pretty much the same way last season and as things stand its the more combative Hull side and the up and at 'em Stoke that are doing better (albeit marginally).

I know you could say it about most sides including ours but if you took Jason Scotland out of the Swansea side and for example put him in Doncaster Rovers side I wonder whether it would be Sean O'Driscoll rather than Martinez that everyone would be raving about.

I have been a fan of O'Driscoll for years and if he had ever been entrusted with managing a club with money I think he could have been up there with the best.
I like the way Swansea played last year and backed them at 33/1 for this division but unfortunately Martinez (whether by choice or lack of money) stuck with the same defenders and that is probably why they have drawn so many games and are behind in the promotion race.

I like the way that Martinez,O'Driscoll and (for us) McGhee play the game and as a Reading fan would like to see us do the same but our success in recent times has come about through playing differently and when it's good it's as easy on the eye as these passing sides but when it's not so good it's rotten to watch.
If Brian Stock for Doncaster,Wade Elliott for Burnley and Britton of Swansea sum up how they play then Stephen Hunt sums up how we play.

I remember RR bringing up the topic of whether fans prefer to be entertained or wish to see their team win regardless.
IIRC about 70% of people on here would prefer Reading to win however that is achieved and maybe that sums up what most fans want to see at football-a win and the idea that we should be entertained is very much secondary.
The same goes in kids' football where learning to play the offside trap successfully receives greater emphasis than learning about ball skills and pass and move football.
IMHO that's why England's football team has been left behind in a country where the top league level is enjoyed far and wide but the best players are foreign and defending is poor.

[Sun Tzu]

If Brian Stock for Doncaster,Wade Elliott for Burnley and Britton of Swansea sum up how they play then Stephen Hunt sums up how we play.

I'd say Doyle would be a much better player to pick as 'typical' of us. Basically a very good player, has spells when he's not at his best but even then can't be faulted for effort.

[Victor Meldrew]

If Brian Stock for Doncaster,Wade Elliott for Burnley and Britton of Swansea sum up how they play then Stephen Hunt sums up how we play.

I'd say Doyle would be a much better player to pick as 'typical' of us. Basically a very good player, has spells when he's not at his best but even then can't be faulted for effort.

I took those players as examples of effective midfielders playing in passing teams whereas our man is a midfielder in a side that has less skill but puts in tremendous effort most weeks and despite what some blinkered people post Hunt isn't the only one fully committed every game,they ALL are and that's why we stand on merit in second place and not around mid-table like these better footballing sides.

[Victor Meldrew]

Vision,
I think the reason why Swansea are receiving the hype on here and elsewhere is that people have only just woken up to how good a side they are in this division on their first season up.
As I said elsewhere they haven't improved their defence and that area is just as important as those playing further forward.
Their midfield 4 plus our back 5 and Doyle and Scotland up front would be on target for the 107 points IMHO.

[Ian Royal]

Vision,
I think the reason why Swansea are receiving the hype on here and elsewhere is that people have only just woken up to how good a side they are in this division on their first season up.
As I said elsewhere they haven't improved their defence and that area is just as important as those playing further forward.
Their midfield 4 plus our back 5 and Doyle and Scotland up front would be on target for the 107 points IMHO.

They play 5 in midfield, it's why their midfield works. Drop it to 4 and it'd be in serious trouble. Nowhere near 107.

[Royal With Cheese]

Vision,
I think the reason why Swansea are receiving the hype on here and elsewhere is that people have only just woken up to how good a side they are in this division on their first season up.
As I said elsewhere they haven't improved their defence and that area is just as important as those playing further forward.
Their midfield 4 plus our back 5 and Doyle and Scotland up front would be on target for the 107 points IMHO.

That would certainly give us an advantage with 11 outfield players. I recon you could be right!

[FiNeRaIn]

How are swansea getting on tonight, anyone know?

[The Cap]

Looks like the Swans could do with a few imaginary goals being awarded to them.

[Silver Fox]

LOLz

[AthleticoSpizz]

16 match unbeaten run ended by lowly Watford?

Why couldn't we do that?

Nice one Brendan

[Kitson12]

At this thread...

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Why can't we play like Watford?

Might start a new thread, Rodgers or Coppell. YOU DECIDE.

[Alan Partridge]

Ahh so because they lost a game away from home which had Reading not had the worst refereeing decision in the history of the game they would have as well this thread is now null and void. I already sense another dull and uninspiring style thread where it gets bumped after every weeks win/loss by the Swans.

As one poster (think it was Sun Tzu) correctly pointed out they are still a championship side and don't get it right all the time. The philiosophy stays the same and that was the theme of the thread in the first place.

[Ian Royal]

Vision,
I think the reason why Swansea are receiving the hype on here and elsewhere is that people have only just woken up to how good a side they are in this division on their first season up.
As I said elsewhere they haven't improved their defence and that area is just as important as those playing further forward.
Their midfield 4 plus our back 5 and Doyle and Scotland up front would be on target for the 107 points IMHO.

That would certainly give us an advantage with 11 outfield players. I recon you could be right!

He's including Fed/USA in the back 5. do you think we play 5 in defence week in week out?

[Huntley & Palmer]

Ahh so because they lost a game away from home which had Reading not had the worst refereeing decision in the history of the game they would have as well this thread is now null and void. I already sense another dull and uninspiring style thread where it gets bumped after every weeks win/loss by the Swans.

As one poster (think it was Sun Tzu) correctly pointed out they are still a championship side and don't get it right all the time. The philiosophy stays the same and that was the theme of the thread in the first place.

A philosophy that sees them still outside the playoff spots whilst we sit in 3rd, a point behind 2nd with a game in hand and 4 points behind 1st with two games in hand. Who cares if they play the best football in the world, I don't know a Swansea fan that wouldn't trade that for the position we are in. I wish we could play like Swansea

[Archie's penalty]

Sorry but aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[Silver Fox]

Ahh so because they lost a game away from home which had Reading not had the worst refereeing decision in the history of the game they would have as well this thread is now null and void. I already sense another dull and uninspiring style thread where it gets bumped after every weeks win/loss by the Swans.

I seem to remember that we managed to draw away at Watford despite little Stewie Atwell and his mates desperately trying to right the wrong they did in the first half. Perhaps if we could play like Swansea we'd have just got beat? What Hunts said about our relative positions and who is happier.

[Hoop Blah]

Have to agree with AP here, just because they lose one game doesn't make them any worse a side than they were yesterday morning in exactly the same way that us winning or losing this Saturday won't make us a better/worse side than we are today.

The point is that Swansea go about trying to win games in style that many find more appealing than ours. If they can continue the consistency they've shown for the last month or so for the rest of the season I think they'll be in with a great shout of making and winning the play offs.