Post by QPR Report on Mar 4, 2010 12:40:50 GMT
Don't think they'll do it; got some bad injuries. But truly remarkable season for Mr. Sousa
This is South Wales -
Swans starting to dream of automatic promotion spot
Thursday, March 04, 2010,
SWANSEA City tackle Nottingham Forest this weekend knowing victory would put them within sight of automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Nothing will be decided on Saturday, of course, for there is still some way to go in the race to climb out of the Championship.
But the fact is that Swansea, as the form side of the division at this critical stage of the season, have given themselves a chance of finishing in the top two.
Remarkable
That is a remarkable achievement given that the campaign started with Swansea aiming primarily to stay up.
Paulo Sousa's pre-season suggestion that the top 10 was the target looked a little ambitious back then, yet now Swansea know that a spectacular end to their year will have spectacular consequences.
What exactly is needed?
The lowest points tally required to finish in the second tier's top two over the last 10 years was 76 in 2007-8.
The highest was 88, in 1999-2000 and again the following season.
The average for the decade is 83.4 points.
Swansea currently have 56 on the board from their 33 games, so an improvement in form is required if they are to match that total, which of course is only a guide anyway.
Around 27 points from 13 games looks a tall order, but a victory at Forest would add weight to the argument that Swansea's excellent season could come to an extraordinary climax.
"Anything is possible over the next couple of months," reckons chairman Huw Jenkins.
"We have got no idea how Nottingham Forest and West Brom are going to perform in that period, you just can't tell.
Tricky
"But we just have to try to stay on the same path that we have been on. If we do that, who knows what might happen?"
A win at the City Ground, where Forest have been fairly formidable this season, would put Swansea just two points behind Billy Davies's third-placed team with a game in hand.
Second-placed West Brom, who still have to visit the Liberty this season, are currently a couple of points better off than Forest, although they face a tricky weekend trip to Queens Park Rangers, where Neil Warnock will be keen to make a mark in his first game at the helm.
Newcastle, meantime, are six better off than the Baggies and, according to Jenkins, can already look forward to a return to the top flight.
"Newcastle look like a team who capable of winning or drawing games without even playing really well," he adds.
"To me it looks as though nobody will catch them, but among the next three in the table everyone has a chance.
"As we saw in the Championship last season, nobody can really predict what is going to happen in the last few games of the season."
That may be a reference to Cardiff, whose disastrous finish 12 months ago saw them slip out of the play-off places on the final day.
Whether the top two is within reach or not, Swansea's primary target must be to ensure they don't suffer a similar fate in 2010.
And key to any success they might enjoy will be the next 23 days, when Swansea must play seven of their remaining fixtures with a squad that has been badly disrupted by injuries in the past few weeks.
"Our task has not been made any easier by the injuries, particularly when you look at the run of games we have coming up," says Jenkins.
"I don't think anybody should lose sight of how difficult things are going to be with the players we have out.
"I am under no illusions — this month is going to be a lot harder than last month and it's going to be a massive challenge just to stay where we are."
In truth, if Swansea manage that, all at the Liberty would be quite happy.
But, as Sousa would say, it's good to have a dream.
www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/sport/Swans-starting-dream-automatic-promotion-spot/article-1882350-detail/article.html
This is South Wales -
Swans starting to dream of automatic promotion spot
Thursday, March 04, 2010,
SWANSEA City tackle Nottingham Forest this weekend knowing victory would put them within sight of automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Nothing will be decided on Saturday, of course, for there is still some way to go in the race to climb out of the Championship.
But the fact is that Swansea, as the form side of the division at this critical stage of the season, have given themselves a chance of finishing in the top two.
Remarkable
That is a remarkable achievement given that the campaign started with Swansea aiming primarily to stay up.
Paulo Sousa's pre-season suggestion that the top 10 was the target looked a little ambitious back then, yet now Swansea know that a spectacular end to their year will have spectacular consequences.
What exactly is needed?
The lowest points tally required to finish in the second tier's top two over the last 10 years was 76 in 2007-8.
The highest was 88, in 1999-2000 and again the following season.
The average for the decade is 83.4 points.
Swansea currently have 56 on the board from their 33 games, so an improvement in form is required if they are to match that total, which of course is only a guide anyway.
Around 27 points from 13 games looks a tall order, but a victory at Forest would add weight to the argument that Swansea's excellent season could come to an extraordinary climax.
"Anything is possible over the next couple of months," reckons chairman Huw Jenkins.
"We have got no idea how Nottingham Forest and West Brom are going to perform in that period, you just can't tell.
Tricky
"But we just have to try to stay on the same path that we have been on. If we do that, who knows what might happen?"
A win at the City Ground, where Forest have been fairly formidable this season, would put Swansea just two points behind Billy Davies's third-placed team with a game in hand.
Second-placed West Brom, who still have to visit the Liberty this season, are currently a couple of points better off than Forest, although they face a tricky weekend trip to Queens Park Rangers, where Neil Warnock will be keen to make a mark in his first game at the helm.
Newcastle, meantime, are six better off than the Baggies and, according to Jenkins, can already look forward to a return to the top flight.
"Newcastle look like a team who capable of winning or drawing games without even playing really well," he adds.
"To me it looks as though nobody will catch them, but among the next three in the table everyone has a chance.
"As we saw in the Championship last season, nobody can really predict what is going to happen in the last few games of the season."
That may be a reference to Cardiff, whose disastrous finish 12 months ago saw them slip out of the play-off places on the final day.
Whether the top two is within reach or not, Swansea's primary target must be to ensure they don't suffer a similar fate in 2010.
And key to any success they might enjoy will be the next 23 days, when Swansea must play seven of their remaining fixtures with a squad that has been badly disrupted by injuries in the past few weeks.
"Our task has not been made any easier by the injuries, particularly when you look at the run of games we have coming up," says Jenkins.
"I don't think anybody should lose sight of how difficult things are going to be with the players we have out.
"I am under no illusions — this month is going to be a lot harder than last month and it's going to be a massive challenge just to stay where we are."
In truth, if Swansea manage that, all at the Liberty would be quite happy.
But, as Sousa would say, it's good to have a dream.
www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/sport/Swans-starting-dream-automatic-promotion-spot/article-1882350-detail/article.html
