Sousa on Swansea & Holloway...Holloway on Swansea

[QPR Report]

This is South Wales

Plenty of talking points for Sousa after another frustrating stalemate
Monday, October 26, 2009,

PAULO Sousa had a squabble with a fan and a quarrel with Ian Holloway.
He even took a swipe at the Blackpool boss for something he said during his spell as a media pundit last season.
The bottom line? Swansea City's manager was full of frustration after his team put more into Saturday's stalemate than they got out.
"It's very disappointing," Sousa groaned.
Not the performance, he stressed, and not the amount of effort his players put in.
Sousa's disgruntlement was due to the fact that Swansea had, not for the first time in recent memory, controlled a match but not the points.
"My team worked very hard, with a lot of will, hunger and desire to win the game," he added. "But sometimes when you have an outstanding goalkeeper on the other side, and when you don't get a clear penalty like the one we should have had, it's difficult to win games."
The penalty appeal, when Craig Beattie tumbled under Charlie Adam's challenge, was one of the many things the two managers disagreed about.
Sousa had been convinced after seeing the incident first-time round, and his belief that a spot-kick should have been awarded was confirmed after he watched the DVD.
Holloway told a different story, ranting about Swansea theatrics and arguing that Beattie should have been booked for doing a Klinsmann. Holloway, one of two former Queens Park Rangers managers on the Liberty touchline this weekend, had been full of praise beforehand for Swansea's efforts under Roberto Martinez.
He even revealed the 4-3-3 system employed by Blackpool this season has been based on the formation which brought Martinez's Swansea so much success.
Sousa had taken note.
"He (Holloway) told me after the game our football was outstanding and I am happy with that," the Portuguese said.
"Other managers are starting to say that too, and this is nice to hear because it is recognition for the work we are doing.
"But I also recognise this manager (Holloway). I saw him on Sky talking when I was at my former club, saying he didn't believe in the 4-3-3 system we were playing.
"Probably he was looking for a new job at QPR, but I am pleased to see that he is playing 4-3-3 now and that he is staying in his position at Blackpool."
Sousa was talking with a smile on his face, but this was a very definite dig at his opposite number.
Swansea's new manager is often good value in his press conferences, for he is not the kind of straight-bat merchant who might eventually send you to sleep. Many football bosses would have plenty to say about their opponents in private, but Sousa is not afraid to reveal all.
Perhaps it was the full-time exchange with Holloway which really got the juices flowing, or the spat with a supporter who leaned towards the dugout at the end to offer Sousa his thoughts.
Presumably, the guy had a gripe about Swansea's lack of goals this season. Whatever the point made was, Sousa looked unimpressed as he snapped back.
What had the man in the stands said?
"Some people are drunk in the stadium and I don't like to see that," siad Sousa. "It was not so easy to hear what he was saying, and probably I couldn't understand because he was Welsh."
Again Sousa smiled, again his unhappiness was apparent.
After the punter who might have had a pint came Holloway, waving his arms at Sousa over Swansea's apparent failure to return possession to Blackpool after it had been kicked out so a visiting player could be treated.
It was a strange incident, for Angel Rangel passed the ball into the opposition half but not to anyone in particular. When nobody moved to collect it, Swansea got fed up with waiting and closed down, eventually winning themselves a throw.
"He (Holloway) talked about that," Sousa said. "We gave them the ball back in the first half and we tried to do it again."
Exactly what had gone on was difficult to ascertain, but if Swansea were to blame in any way then Sousa should tell his players not to do it again.
Such incidents, after all, do not make clubs many friends.
Swansea should concentrate on the flowing football which they produced in long spells on Saturday and which should have earned them a second successive victory for the first time this season.
Holloway tried to suggest that Blackpool were worth a draw, but the chance count suggested otherwise.
Penalty or not, Swansea ought to have buried their opponents but were denied thanks to some weak finishing and Matt Gilks's good goalkeeping.
Beattie, Darren Pratley, Mark Gower, Tom Butler and Lee Trundle — on as a substitute as Sousa tried 4-4-2 late on — all forced saves from Gilks. Beattie, Pratley, Butler and Ashley Williams all saw efforts go wide of the target.
Another blank means it's just nine goals scored in 14 Championship games for Swansea, but Sousa is unconcerned.
"We need to be very proud of ourselves," he said. "The shortage of goals is not a problem — the problem is when you don't create chances.
"They had an outstanding keeper and I'm not worried. Small details would have given us a happy day."
Swansea's lack of firepower would be more of an issue were it not for their exceptional defensive record.
They have conceded only 10 league goals this season, and five of those were in the first week of the campaign.
"I am proud of that," Sousa went on. "The clean sheets come when you have more time to work with the same group of players.
"We introduced zonal marking, for example.
"Our players didn't understand it to begin with, but now they are starting to be strong."
There was just one set-piece scare against Blackpool, when Beattie cleared acrobatically after Ian Evatt had headed Billy Clarke's free-kick into the danger area.
Dorus de Vries had little else to concern him, the Dutchman gathering Jason Euell's shot easily enough.
Blackpool's minimal threat made a point frustrating, but Swansea are now eight games unbeaten and remain nicely placed in mid-table.
Holloway might have his issues, but this is not the time for Sousa's own fans to be getting on his back.

www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/sport/Plenty-talking-points-Sousa-frustrating-stalemate/article-1450531-detail/article.html

[QPR Report]

And Holloway Speaking about Swansea

Holloway fumes at Swansea's "playacting"
Monday, October 26, 2009,

IAN Holloway pointed the finger at Craig Beattie and Leon Britton as he accused Swansea City of playacting in their goalless draw with Blackpool.
And the Seasiders boss also blasted Swansea amid claims they failed to return possession to their visitors when it had been put out of play to allow treatment for an injury.
Holloway was adamant Beattie dived in an attempt to win a first-half penalty after a challenge from Charlie Adam, and he suggested Paulo Sousa's players were guilty of going down too easily throughout.
"My players never dive," Holloway said, "but I think some foreign players have taught our lot how to do it.
"You have to stay on your feet, but it seems as though you go down and you get a free-kick.
"I don't like football like that. Football's a man's game and I think it's about challenging — I like a good tackle as much as I like the best shot.
"I don't like players who fall over. Look at Britton. I know he's only little, but you've got to stay on your feet haven't you?
"Swansea appealed for a penalty but the ref was right not to give it. It was absolutely ridiculous — the lad should have been booked for feigning it."
Holloway conceded Swansea had been the better side after a bright start from Blackpool, though he argued his team had "earned" a point.
The former Leicester boss argued with Sousa at the final whistle, and he explained: "I had words with him about Swansea not giving the ball back. In this country when a team kicks it out, you give it back.
"We did it twice in the game and they did it once in the first half but then not in the second because there were only minutes left.
"Paulo said they had done it the first time and he wasn't happy that they didn't do it the second time. He said he would speak to his players, but my team would have done it twice. I wouldn't have had to remind them."
Holloway had praised Roberto Martinez's Swansea in the build-up to the game, and stressed he remains an admirer of the club under Sousa.
"I said to my players that we have just started on a journey but that Swansea are already two years down the line," he added. "I think Paulo is carrying it on. He has probably made them a bit more resolute, but they are still calm on the ball and I think they are a very good side.
"We are trying to emulate them."
Gareth Vincent

www.myswans.co.uk/news/Holloway-fumes-Swansea-s-playacting/article-1450532-detail/article.html