This morning the curtain comes down on another year for Swansea City Football Club. In the past we have had some amazing seasons for so many different reasons, but this year has probably been the most extraordinary season of them all.
My love affair with the Swans began on the 20th September 1969 with a visit to the Vetch Field for the game against Northampton Town. Brynhyfryd Junior School football team had been given free tickets and I was so excited to see my first game.
The game finished with a 3-2 win for the Swans but the stand out moment of the afternoon was when the Northampton Centre Forward Frank Large kicked the ball into the crowd hitting a 12 year old boy. In fairness Large was on his way to apologise but before he could a spectator ran onto the pitch and attacked Large. I suppose it was natural for Large to retaliate but the referee disagreed and sent the big forward off. My life would never be the same.
The next few years seemed to be a constant battle with relegation spiced with the occasional cup run and promotion to Division 3. I didn’t mind. Together with my friends I had my place on the North Bank and I loved it.
The world changed in 1978 with the arrival of John Toshack. For the next few years we revelled in wonderful football and a rise that would eventually take us to the very top of the Football pyramid. Of course, what goes up must come down and almost as quickly we found ourselves back in the lower leagues, fighting for the very survival of the club itself.
Since then we have once again risen to the very top of the Premier League only to have our hearts broken by relegation. You would think that I would have learned my lesson, that I would draw back and protect my heart, but it’s too late now. I’m in for the long haul and there’s no escape.
And so to this remarkable season…
After the amazing run at the end of last season I think it would have been very difficult not to give the manager’s job to interim manager Alan Sheehan. At one stage last year it had seemed that we were headed into League One with our cousins up the road but a 58.3% winning percentage including 5 wins in a row led to safety and a permanent role for Sheehan.
It’s hard to say what went wrong but sadly he couldn’t maintain that form and was replaced by the young, relatively unknown Portuguese Manager Vitor Matos in November of last year. Since then there has been a gradual improvement in performances and results. Sadly too much time had been lost for Matos’s side to make a serious bid to get into the play off places.
I’ll return to what has happened on the pitch in a little while but off the pitch it’s been…and I’m struggling for the right words here…remarkable!!!
Our new owners realise that if we are to be competitive we need all the help we can get off the pitch. Relegated Premier League clubs enter the Championship with massive parachute payments. Newly promoted clubs with rich owners are not bound by the same rules of financial fair play. This all leaves clubs which have been in the Championship for a number of years at a major disadvantage financially.
Luka Modric was a great addition to the club. I think we all hoped he might come to play for us but just having his association and his ability to phone potential players to encourage them to join the Swans has been extremely useful. What the owners have also realised is that they need to broaden the fanbase, increase the interest in the club and hopefully generate more funds off the pitch that can be invested into the team.
Whatever you think about Wrexham the involvement of Rob and Ryan has brought worldwide attention and major sponsorship to the club. It was back in December that many people watched out for ‘Hollywood’ style arrivals at the Swansea Dot Com Stadium. Rob and Ryan didn’t make it, but minority Swansea owner Martha Stewart did.
I now work at the club welcoming visiting directors and dignitaries but none of us had any idea that we were going to host the world’s first female self-made billionaire to Landore. Her evening started with a visit to the Railway Inn where I’m told she was greeted with the traditional Swansea Welcome ‘You Jack B******’. The night ended in a 2-1 win for the Swans. I drove home wondering if I had dreamt the whole thing.
Even that experience paled in comparison with Swansea versus Preston back In February. What should have been a quiet midweek game turned into a sell out when it was announced that another minority shareholder in the club would be at the game. The air was full of excitement and the odd unusual fragrance that night. We waved our towels and sang along to Snoop Dogg songs.
Preston obviously hadn’t read the script and took the lead in the first half; but this was our very own Hollywood night and in the 95th minute Liam Cullen rose to head home the equaliser. For the following few days I really was on Cloud Nine…but on reflection that might have had more to what was happening off the pitch than on!!!
Having said all of that what really mattered this season was how the team has performed. Last Wednesday I had the privilege of hosting the Annual Players Awards with Sophie Davis at the Brangwyn Hall. The Hall looked magnificent and was packed to the rafters with Swans fans.
Looking back at the season highlights and some truly wonderful goals we had the chance to realise how far we have come this year. Some players have understandably taken some time to find their feet in the first team but it’s fair to say that Ethan Galbraith looked every inch the complete player from day one. My son had watched him the previous season at Leyton Orient and was ecstatic when he heard that we had signed him. Whether at full back or midfield it’s been plain for everyone to see he is a Premier League Player in the making. We just hope that he achieves that goal with the Swans next year.
The star of the Awards night was Zan Vipotnik. At one stage I went to the Awards table and collected the wrong trophy. In my defence his name was on so many Awards its was hard to tell which one to give him next. Zan is the perfect example of a player needing time to get used to a new world and a new league.
I remember the first time I met him and his partner at the start of the previous season. They looked a little lost having previously had a terrible season in France at Bordeaux. Since then they have settled into the city and Zan has excelled becoming the leading goal scorer in the Championship. Let’s hope he adds to that tally today.
As I left the Brangwyn on Wednesday Night I had a smile on my face. It’s been another terrific season of amazing entertainment. Disappointing in some ways yes, but we live to fight again another day. I had spent the evening in the company of legends and friends. This really is a special club. Maybe some of the players we have loved this season might not be with us in August, but the fans will be there, and at the end of the day that’s what makes this club.