Nine games unbeaten...Their biggest failing is few goals scored.Wales online
Sousa: THAT’S how I want us to play!
Nov 1 2009 Wales On Sunday Add a commentRecommend PAULO SOUSA claimed victory away to Sc**thorpe showed his Swansea City team are now playing his way but insisted they still need to be more clinical in front of goal.
Despite seeing his troops run out comfortable 2-0 winners at the notoriously difficult Glanford Park, Sousa was quick to point out there was still plenty of room for improvement. And, after creating numerous chances throughout the game, there was one area in particular the Portuguese felt his team needed to work on.
While they are now just two points off the play-offs, Swansea remain the lowest scorers in the Championship. And, while happy the players were now meeting his standards in most respects, that’s one statistic the Swans boss is desperate to change sooner rather than later.
“That victory tells you we are in the way I wanted us to be,” he said. “But we still need to score more goals and be more clinical.
“We know we can score more. We can still improve a lot.
“We created a lot of opportunities but we still need to take better decisions with the final ball. That is something we continue to work on and we can learn a lot from this game.”
Making it clear he was still delighted to secure victory at such a tough ground, Sousa continued: “I am very happy to get three points. Sc**thorpe are a team with a lot of motivation and they were playing after two important wins at home to Newcastle and Sheffield United.
“For us it was important to win another game away from home. That’s the winning mentality I wanted.
“It was a difficult trip for us as well, ten hours on the bus. It will take the players time to recover but that is a lot easier when you have three points.”
www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/swansea-city-fc/2009/11/01/sousa-that-s-how-i-want-us-to-play-91466-25061505/Walesonline
Superb Swans light Gun powder!
Nov 1 2009 Wales On Sunday
Add a commentRecommend Superb Swans light Gun powder!
NO âred cards, one booking, 11 men left on the pitch at full time and three points in the bag – well, Paulo Sousa did promise this clash with Sc**thorpe would be very different to the last one.
For all the pre-match talk of what happened last time these two teams met in the Carling Cup – three players seeing red, a further five being booked and the game almost being abandoned when injuries temporarily reduced Swansea City to six men – this was a far more straightforward affair.
And, while some predicted a repeat of the ugly scenes that marred the Irons’ 2-1 win in August, this was an afternoon to be remembered for the beauty of Swansea’s free-flowing attacking football.
At a ground on which league leaders Newcastle and big-spending Sheffield United have recently stumbled to defeats, Sousa’s men were the better team from start to finish.
Future scorelines may end up looking more commanding but it’s doubtful the Swans will dominate many games more than this one.
In the end goals from the in-form Craig Beattie and man-of-the-match Cedric van der Gun ensured Swansea returned to Wales with the victory their performance deserved.
Compared to a number of previous games this season, when they failed to turn possession into points, that in itself is reason to celebrate.
So is the fact it’s now nine games unbeaten for Garry Monk and co. And it’s yet another clean sheet for Dutch keeper Dorus de Vries.
There is certainly plenty to smile about at the Liberty Stadium.
Perhaps the one criticism is that, for all the opportunities they created, two goals was probably the minimum acceptable return yesterday.
And it’s fair to say the Swans will need to be more clinical if they are to achieve their promotion dream this season.
But, with Beattie taking his tally to three goals in four games and van der Gun opening his account in style, there’s enough to suggest that even that problem won’t be around for long.
And, when you win at Glanford Park, a few missed chances should be the last thing on your mind.
As Sousa has always maintained, the important thing is that the Swans continue to create their chances.
And, from the very first whistle, that was never in doubt.
Providing an ominous sign of things to come for the hosts, there was barely five minutes on the clock when Swansea had their first chance.
The returning Joe Allen had the early opportunity but he could only blaze the ball over after Angel Rangel’s low cross found him unmarked in the box.
In fairness, Sc**thorpe were certainly posing a threat of their own on the break but it was Sousa’s men playing all the football early on.
Beattie and Darren Pratley also had good half-chances although neither was able to trouble Joe Murphy in the hosts’ goal.
While the Swans continued to move the ball with relative ease, the Irons were struggling to create anything going forwards.
And, with the home fans’ frustration growing with every minute that passed, it wasn’t long before a Swansea opener was looking inevitable.
When the goal finally came on the half-hour mark it was the lively Beattie who continued his rich vein of form.
A slick move saw Sam Togwell bring down Pratley 25 yards away from goal and, making it clear he was taking the resulting free-kick, the Scotsman stepped up to smash the ball through the wall and past Murphy.
Beattie then engineered a golden chance to double both his and Swansea’s tally just three minutes later.
Van der Gun fed the former Celtic man into the box and, when a superb turn put him clean through, it took a smart save from Murphy to keep the deficit at just one goal.
With their charismatic manager urging them forward at every opportunity, the Swans continued to press for a second goal.
But in the end they were lucky to have any sort of lead going into the break as, following some chaotic defending, a well-placed Gary Hooper volleyed straight at de Vries in first-half injury time.
Normal service was resumed just minutes after the restart though. Van der Gun started a quick break and, after some neat footwork from Tom Butler on the left flank, a quick shift of feet from Beattie saw him force another good save from Murphy.
Nigel Adkins’ men seemed to wake up a bit after that. And, failing to clear their lines properly on a number of occasions, the Swans were inexplicably starting to invite some unnecessary pressure on themselves.Sousa’s men continued to live dangerously as the half progressed.
But, with the exception of some wasted half-chances, there was little to trouble de Vries.
Having absorbed the pressure Swansea then offered further proof of their recent growth as a team to double their lead against the run of play.
Another quick break saw van der Gun and Pratley exchange passes and, having been slipped through on goal, the Dutchman kept his cool to slip the ball past Murphy and open his Swansea account.
The second goal effectively killed off the game, with a Swansea third looking far more likely than a Sc**thorpe comeback.
And, while both van der Gun and substitute Gorka Pintado were unable to put the icing on the cake when clean through late on, Sousa’s men cruised through to the final whistle to extend their unbeaten run and climb to withintwo points off the play-off positions.
www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/swansea-city-fc/2009/11/01/superb-swans-light-gun-powder-91466-25061508/
, a 3-3 draw for Holloway, a good win for Jackett's Millwall against fellow playoff contenders and two late goals sink Waddock's Wycombe aftef leading 2-0 at HT 
