Post by Macmoish on Dec 26, 2011 6:48:21 GMT
Ah the olde days, when an "ITK" would correspond: "he's definitely signed; he's bought a place near the training ground"
Western Mail
Swans’ Danny Graham aims to hit goal trail
by Tim Lewis, Western Mail
Dec 26 2011
DANNY Graham believes he was right to choose Swansea City over big-spending Queens Park Rangers – and he’s ready to repay the club with goals.
Graham could have been lining up against Swansea tomorrow if Brendan Rodgers hadn’t smashed the club record to bring the striker to the Liberty Stadium in June.
After 24 goals in the Championship last season, Graham was one of the most sought-after players outside the Premier League in the summer.
A host of clubs bid for the 26-year-old, including Neil Warnock’s QPR who had a £3m offer accepted, but Rodgers persuaded Graham he would be best suited to life in South Wales.
Graham was Swansea’s marquee signing of the summer at £3.5m, more than three times the £800,000 fee the club had paid for its previous record transfer Craig Beattie.
His former club Watford had given him permission to speak to QPR and Graham admits after talks with Warnock he thought hard about moving to the west London club.
Graham said: “I went to speak to QPR and I was tempted by them. They are obviously a club on the up and they have a lot of money to back that up.
“But, in terms of the football sense, I thought Swansea was better suited for me. I am a centre forward and can be a target man, but I like to play football as well.
“The way Swansea play football, they pass and move, and I thought it was better for my development as a player.
“I’m glad I joined Swansea City.”
QPR raided Swansea’s rivals Cardiff for striker Jay Bothroyd after missing out on Graham, but while the Swans’ striker has five goals in the Premier League, former City man Bothroyd has just two.
Graham says he is enjoying leading the line for Rodgers’ side, despite having to do a lot of hard graft on his own up front in the club’s last two away games at Newcastle and Everton.
Rodgers was the man who sorted the deal to take Graham to Watford back in 2009, but he left to take over as manager of Reading before ever working with the striker.
He also tried to sign Graham last January, but had to wait until the summer to finally get his man.
“Brendan was on the phone to me the morning after the play-off final,” revealed Graham, who started his career in the Premier League with Middlesbrough.
“He also tried to sign me before the window closed in January and he was also the person who set up the deal for me to go to Watford so he has shown how much he rates me as a player and how much he believes that I can come in and score goals.
“I have finally got the chance to work with him which is great. I’m loving every minute of it.
“I need to repay the faith that the gaffer has shown in me.
“To spend £3.5m is a heck of a lot of money for a club of the size of Swansea City. It’s no mean feat and smashed the club record by a couple of million pounds so I want to score goals to repay him.”
After a difficult start to the season, Graham now looks every inch a Premier League player as he leads the line for Swansea.
High-profile misses in the opening few games of the season, particularly ones against Sunderland and Arsenal, led some pundits to question whether he would be able to recreate his goal-scoring form from the Championship in the top flight.
But, once he broke his duck in the 2-0 win over Stoke at the start of October, he’s gone on to score four more goals for the Swans.
Graham has made his name as a striker who goes through hot streaks and he proved that once again with four in four games for Swansea.
His role in Rodgers’ 4-3-3 formation is not always the easiest, especially away from home when he can look isolated at times, but it is part and parcel of Swansea’s commitment to try and play passing, attractive, football despite being in their first season in the Premier League.
Graham added: “I was always confident I would score goals in this league. That’s not being arrogant or big-headed, it’s just about having belief in my ability. I’m sure every footballer has the same attitude. You need that.
“Most of my career I have played as the main striker. I played in a two and a one at Watford, and we played the same formation as here at Carlisle when we got to the play-offs. It worked and the 4-3-3 formation has always been one I’ve been fond of.
“Don’t get me wrong that at some points in a game as a striker you could do with the extra man up front, but the way that we pass and move and the fact the wingers are so quick means that some times you don’t need that.
“The style of football was the main factor for me coming here.”
Graham and Swansea will hope to get back among the goals tomorrow having gone two games without finding the net and they face a QPR side who are without a win in five games.
In contrast to Swansea’s fortunes, QPR’s best form has come away from home this season, as they’ve only won once at Loftus Road but have notched up three wins on the road.
That form will be tested against a Swansea side who have the best home record in the Premier League, with only one defeat and having conceded just two goals.
www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/swanseacityfc/swansea-city-fc/2011/12/26/swans-danny-graham-aims-to-hit-goal-trail-91466-30005379/#ixzz1hcXqmCG3
Western Mail
Swans’ Danny Graham aims to hit goal trail
by Tim Lewis, Western Mail
Dec 26 2011
DANNY Graham believes he was right to choose Swansea City over big-spending Queens Park Rangers – and he’s ready to repay the club with goals.
Graham could have been lining up against Swansea tomorrow if Brendan Rodgers hadn’t smashed the club record to bring the striker to the Liberty Stadium in June.
After 24 goals in the Championship last season, Graham was one of the most sought-after players outside the Premier League in the summer.
A host of clubs bid for the 26-year-old, including Neil Warnock’s QPR who had a £3m offer accepted, but Rodgers persuaded Graham he would be best suited to life in South Wales.
Graham was Swansea’s marquee signing of the summer at £3.5m, more than three times the £800,000 fee the club had paid for its previous record transfer Craig Beattie.
His former club Watford had given him permission to speak to QPR and Graham admits after talks with Warnock he thought hard about moving to the west London club.
Graham said: “I went to speak to QPR and I was tempted by them. They are obviously a club on the up and they have a lot of money to back that up.
“But, in terms of the football sense, I thought Swansea was better suited for me. I am a centre forward and can be a target man, but I like to play football as well.
“The way Swansea play football, they pass and move, and I thought it was better for my development as a player.
“I’m glad I joined Swansea City.”
QPR raided Swansea’s rivals Cardiff for striker Jay Bothroyd after missing out on Graham, but while the Swans’ striker has five goals in the Premier League, former City man Bothroyd has just two.
Graham says he is enjoying leading the line for Rodgers’ side, despite having to do a lot of hard graft on his own up front in the club’s last two away games at Newcastle and Everton.
Rodgers was the man who sorted the deal to take Graham to Watford back in 2009, but he left to take over as manager of Reading before ever working with the striker.
He also tried to sign Graham last January, but had to wait until the summer to finally get his man.
“Brendan was on the phone to me the morning after the play-off final,” revealed Graham, who started his career in the Premier League with Middlesbrough.
“He also tried to sign me before the window closed in January and he was also the person who set up the deal for me to go to Watford so he has shown how much he rates me as a player and how much he believes that I can come in and score goals.
“I have finally got the chance to work with him which is great. I’m loving every minute of it.
“I need to repay the faith that the gaffer has shown in me.
“To spend £3.5m is a heck of a lot of money for a club of the size of Swansea City. It’s no mean feat and smashed the club record by a couple of million pounds so I want to score goals to repay him.”
After a difficult start to the season, Graham now looks every inch a Premier League player as he leads the line for Swansea.
High-profile misses in the opening few games of the season, particularly ones against Sunderland and Arsenal, led some pundits to question whether he would be able to recreate his goal-scoring form from the Championship in the top flight.
But, once he broke his duck in the 2-0 win over Stoke at the start of October, he’s gone on to score four more goals for the Swans.
Graham has made his name as a striker who goes through hot streaks and he proved that once again with four in four games for Swansea.
His role in Rodgers’ 4-3-3 formation is not always the easiest, especially away from home when he can look isolated at times, but it is part and parcel of Swansea’s commitment to try and play passing, attractive, football despite being in their first season in the Premier League.
Graham added: “I was always confident I would score goals in this league. That’s not being arrogant or big-headed, it’s just about having belief in my ability. I’m sure every footballer has the same attitude. You need that.
“Most of my career I have played as the main striker. I played in a two and a one at Watford, and we played the same formation as here at Carlisle when we got to the play-offs. It worked and the 4-3-3 formation has always been one I’ve been fond of.
“Don’t get me wrong that at some points in a game as a striker you could do with the extra man up front, but the way that we pass and move and the fact the wingers are so quick means that some times you don’t need that.
“The style of football was the main factor for me coming here.”
Graham and Swansea will hope to get back among the goals tomorrow having gone two games without finding the net and they face a QPR side who are without a win in five games.
In contrast to Swansea’s fortunes, QPR’s best form has come away from home this season, as they’ve only won once at Loftus Road but have notched up three wins on the road.
That form will be tested against a Swansea side who have the best home record in the Premier League, with only one defeat and having conceded just two goals.
www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/swanseacityfc/swansea-city-fc/2011/12/26/swans-danny-graham-aims-to-hit-goal-trail-91466-30005379/#ixzz1hcXqmCG3
