Swansea Pose A Major Threat To Tottenham’s Aspirations
By Alan Hill
With the resumption of Premier League football after the international break, Tottenham travel to Wales where they meet Swansea City who will pose a major threat to their ambitions for a Champions League finish. Spurs need to pick themselves up and get back to winning ways but it won’t be easy.
This is Swansea City’s centenary season. In recent years under successive managers, Roberto Mancini, Brendan Rodgers and now Michael Laudrup, Swansea have persisted in playing attractive passing football the “right” way. Unlike most small clubs that have achieved promotion to the Premier League they have not resorted to the physical long ball game to make up for their lack of top notch players. Whist it has been touch and go at times, with a thin squad, they have so far been rewarded with moderate success, much more than their limited means would have us expect. Their current success reminds me of their situation when I saw their first match at White Hart Lane in the old 1st Division in 1982.
Meteoric Rise for Swansea
Tottenham v Swansea programme 1982 [Photo: Alan Hill]On 1 March 1978, at the age of 28, John Toshack became the youngest manager in the Football League, at Swansea with the previous manager Harry Griffiths as his assistant. They began a remarkable climb from the Fourth Division to the top of the League in October 1981. Before promotion was secured Harry Griffiths died of a heart on 25 April 1978 before the home game against Scunthorpe. The next season after an absence of 14 years, with Toshack himself coming off the bench to score the winning goal against Chesterfield, Swansea secured promotion to Division 2. The next season they moved up again to Division 1. The 4-year rise from basement to top division is a record in English football, shared with Wimbledon F.C.
In 1981-82 Swansea swept to the top of the Football League with victories over us and other footballing royalty such as Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal. The club topped the league on several occasions. However, injuries to key players took their toll, and the lack of depth in the squad meant that the season ended in a sixth-place finish.
Here are some memories and pictures of the programme from that first ever home clash with Swansea in the top league, which was Swansea’s first ever season in the 1st division. It was an evening game on Wednesday, 5th May 1982, the year that Spurs so nearly won everything. Swansea were just past the peak of their remarkable run. John Toshack’s personal stock was such that he was awarded an MBE and in the February had been the subject of “This Is Your Life”.
The Swansea team included Dai Davies in goal, Ray Kennedy the ex-Arsenal and Liverpool central midfielder, Robbie James and Bob Latchford at centre forward, a big money signing from Everton the previous July. The team also included Leighton James who was approaching the end of his career. He had been one of the scorers when Wales beat England 4-1 in the Home Internationals just days after England had beaten World Champions Argentina.
Tottenham v Swansea teams May, 1982 [Photo: Alan Hill]It was Falklands War time. Spurs were flagging after a fantastic season and were without Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa. Nevertheless others stepped up to the mark and Spurs won 2-1, with goals from Gary Brooke, one a penalty. I was at the game but it’s not one that stands out in the memory.
Swift Swansea Fall
Unfortunately and not for the first time, a combination of poor form, misfortune in the transfer market and financial problems led to a slump which was as quick and spectacular as had been the rise. Two consecutive relegations followed for Swansea and Toshack was sacked. By 1985, the club was battling for its very survival on two fronts. Wound up by court order in December 1985, Swansea City was saved by a local businessman, although the change of ownership was not enough to prevent relegation to the Fourth Division in 1986. Eight years on from the first promotion under Toshack, the club was back where it had started.
Upward Bound Again!
The club moved to the new Liberty Stadium in the summer of 2005. A couple of years later, Roberto Martinez was appointed manager. His arrival saw an improvement in form. The following season, an 18-game unbeaten run helped Swansea to the League One title with 92 points in total, the highest ever by a Welsh club in the Football League. In 2009 Roberto Mancini left for Wigan and was replaced by Brendan Rogers. A third place finish in 2010–11 qualified the club for the play-offs where they defeated Reading 4–2 in in the final at Wembley Stadium.
In 2011-12 Swansea were the first Welsh team to play in the Premier League since its formation in 1992, pipping their great rivals Cardiff City who had come so close in recent seasons. The Swans defeated Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, the eventual champions, at home during the season. They finished their debut Premier League season in 11th, but at the end of the season Rogers left to manage Liverpool and was replaced by Michael Laudrup for 2012-13. His first league game ended in a 5–0 victory over QPR at Loftus Road. This saw Swansea joint top of the Premiership, making it the first time since October 1981 when they beat Stoke City 2–1.
On 1 December, Swansea picked up a big 0–2 away win against Arsenal, with Michu scoring twice during the last minutes of the game. This marks Swansea’s first win at Arsenal in three decades.
On 23rd January, Swansea beat Chelsea 2–0 on aggregate in the League Cup semi-final to reach their first major domestic final. Then a couple of weeks ago came the 5-0 triumph in the League Cup final against Bradford.
Tottenham Need To Pick Themselves Up!
Swansea did lose to Arsenal in their last home game. Arsenal showed character by using squad players whilst picking themselves up from their Champions League exit to carve out a victory. It is imperative that we do exactly the same if we are to prove we have what it takes. We have to pick ourselves up from two consecutive league defeats and the Europa League thrashing. I am already starting to get texts and twits from acquaintances who are Chelsea and Arsenal fans who have stayed very quiet for months.
Michael Laudrup is expected to move on to greater things. If Arsene Wenger were to leave Arsenal after the difficult times he has been subjected to, Laudrup is the only one I can think of who appears to have the combination of talent, personal standards and youth that could take the club onward and upward. I hope he doesn’t go there because it would be bad news for us.
It would be exciting to see two new dynasties in North London taking each other on in their 60,000 seater stadiums with Andre Villas-Boas at the head of one and Laudrup the other.