Middlesbrough v Swansea

[jackaway]

Middlesbrough v Swansea Sat 9 Aug 15:00
It is that time of year again as Swans fans look forward to Championship football full of optimism that the season ahead can be better than the last one.
During the close season American rap singer Snoop Dogg joined the ownership group and is now an owner and co-investor alongside Luka Modric.
SCFC accounts recently revealed a pre-tax loss of 15.2 million, an improvement from the 17.9 million loss reported for the previous financial year as they try to balance the books and the tightrope of FFP rules.

Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, also known as Profit and Sustainability (P&S) regulations allow clubs to make a maximum loss of 13 million per season, or 5 million if the owner doesn't inject equity to cover losses, over a rolling three-year period. This equates to a total allowable loss of 39 million over three seasons. These rules are designed to ensure that clubs operate within their means and avoid excessive spending.

The Swans begin their season away from home again for the 17th time in the last 19 seasons, an almost 90% ratio, surely there is something wrong with the way they work out the fixture scheduling? Not only that but we are away to Middlesbrough for our first game for the second successive season.
Middlesbrough finished above us in 10th place last season although they were only three points shy of the play-off spots. Not good enough they said and out went manager Michael Carrick, and in came Rob Edwards, ex-Wales international player and ex-manager of Luton and Watford.
Long-serving captain, midfielder Jonny Howson was released, and young striker Josh Coburn sold to Millwall for 5 million.
In came central defender Alfie Jones 3million from Hull City, midfielder Abdoulaye Kante 3 million euros from Troyes and right-back Callum Brittain 3.5 million from Blackburn.
Just like Swansea, their pre-season friendlies were a mixed bag, four draws and one loss, Mansfield 3-3, Rangers 2-2, defeat to Bradford City 2-0, Hartlepool United 1-1 and finally Deportivo La Coruna 2-2.

Swans have three centre-backs out injured, captain Ben Cabango, Ricardo Santos and Filip Lissah and have just brought in young right-sided centre-back Kaelan Casey on loan from West Ham.
Scoring goals is a problem and we are still in the process of finding a striker after a failed bid to Wycombe for Richard Kone.

Prediction 1-0 to Boro.

[Estoban]

Head-Coach pre-match press conference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJDIlGkYs1U

[Estoban]

We have problems in defence with Burgess the only fit senior centre-back. Will midfielder Fulton fill in again or will new loan signing, 20 year old Casey, make his debut?
Up front we look blunt but Vipotnik has travelled with the team and could return after a toe injury.

[Estoban]

I watched the Championship season opener Birmingham v Ipswich game last night. Ipswich just relegated from the Premier League and Birmingham just promoted from League One. Two evenly matched teams and a high tempo game, players really getting stuck in, it was more like a Cup match than a League match. Birmingham unlucky not to win after taking the lead, conceding a penalty in the 93rd minute.

[jackaway]

Cabango is back after injury:

Swans: Lawrence Vigouroux, Josh Key, Ben Cabango (c), Cameron Burgess, Josh Tymon, Jay Fulton, Ethan Galbraith, Goncalo Franco, Ronald, Jisung Eom, Liam Cullen.
Subs: Andy Fisher, Melker Widell, Zan Vipotnik, Bobby Wales, Kaelan Casey, Zeidane Inoussa, Ollie Cooper, Sam Parker, Cameron Congreve.

[jackaway]

and the Boro:

Middlesbrough:
Bryan, Brittain, Jones, Fry, Ayling, Morris, Hackney, Whittaker, Burgzog, Sylvera, Conway
Subs: Barlaser, Borges,Finch, Forss, Gilbert, Glover, McCabe, McCormick, Kante

Ex-Swan Morgan Whittaker will be looking at getting one over his former teammates.

[jackaway]

HT: 0-0
A header from Cullen saved, long range shot from Ronald goes just wide.
Whittaker volley tipped onto the bar, goalmouth scramble from a corner, ball cleared.
Yellow Cards 1-2
On Target 2-1

[jackaway]

1-0 Fry 50’ header from a corner, Boro’s first attack of the second-half.

[jackaway]

Middlesbrough 1 - Swansea 0
Unimpressive from Swansea, no threat up front, in fact we were pretty hopeless all round. We could have played all night and not scored, a problem since last May and nothing done about it.
Do not judge on pre-season friendlies they say, but a run of defeats and today’s weak loss say different.
We were losing and Key kept on passing the ball back when in space, so frustrating, both wing-backs ran out of steam second-half. Inoussa came on and was beating his marker but his final pass poor.
Alarm bells ringing already?
Nothing much in Boro yet we conceded from a set piece, 6’2” Fry beating 6’4” Burgess in the air.

[Estoban]

It was Tymon who was marking Fry and outmuscled, Burgess tried to help.
Whatever, we created nothing and new signings didn’t impress.