[Archived] Swansea (Home)

[sijoco]

In an effort to forget about the debacle at Stoke, my preview is going out as early as possible

And so, to game three of our six “winnable” matches. As with the opponents in our last two winnable matches, Swansea are also looking for a win – so it’s with open arms we welcome them to the free-for-all that is Ewood Park.

Swansea have lost their last 4 away league games but with an excellent home record they sit in 13th place with twice as many points as Rovers. The Swans are still searching for their first away win of the season having only scored 4 goals on their travels but l’m sure their strikers will be licking their lips at the prospect of coming face to face with our defence.

Matches Between the Two Clubs

Rovers first played Swansea on Saturday 9th January 1915 in the 1914-15 FA Cup .This was the first time a top flight club had played Swansea. Rovers were league champions at the time and Swansea were in the Second Division of the Southern League. The match was played at the Vetch Field and Swansea won 1-0. Billy Bradshaw, Rovers penalty taker who had scored 36 consecutive spot kicks, put his kick wide. Swansea played most of the second half with ten men and the final fifteen minutes with just nine men as two players were forced to retire through injury. Match Report

Most of the matches between the two sides were played in the second division as it was then between 1936 and 1958. In the last 50 years there have only been nine games between the two clubs the last one being on 7th March 1984 in the old Canon Second Division. On that occasion Rovers ran out convincing 4-1 winners at Ewood with Bobby Saxton taking the team to 6th in the league, Swansea were relegated finishing 21st. Does anyone know who the Rovers scorers were that day?

Head to Head

Of the 18 games played at Ewood, Rovers have won 14, drawn 2 and lost 2 having scoring 45 goals in total and conceding 14.

The overall stats read:

Won 20

Drawn 4

Lost 12

Scored 68

Conceded 46

A Foot in Both Camps

Barry Hole - Cardiff City, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Swansea City. (1959-1971)

Chris Coleman – Swansea City, Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham (1986-2002)

Dean Saunders - Swansea City, Cardiff City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Oxford United, Derby County, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Galatasaray, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Benfica, Bradford City (1982-2001) Coach at Blackburn Rovers

And some Scot called Steve Kean had a loan spell at Swansea during the 86-87 season making 4 appearances at the Vetch Field.

Moving Swiftly on…

Having written this before the Cup game l can’t comment on our record against the Welsh this season (EDIT - played one, lost one), all l do know is that most fans would have had this down as a definite 3 points at the start of the season. Anything less than 3 points and the outpouring of anger towards the manager and owners will reach unprecedented levels.

[Plastic Head]

I am dreading this game.

It's going to be very hairy indeed.

I have told the missus I might not get home til the coppers let me out.

Not that i'm wanting or intending to commit any offence, I just think the whole day may just de-generate into a riot and who knows what will happen.

[den]

Barry Hole give us a goal.

One of my favourite players at that time.

Saw a little of Swansea over the weekend. This has got be our best chance of keeping a clean sheet. Swansea look very ineffective up front, so clean sheet and our second home win.

[Myles Anderson]

I'll go 0-0 or 1-1.

Either way Kean will bang on about how tight we were,

and how the work on the training ground has paid off.

There will be no mention of the fact Swansea have struggled

to score goals, it will just be his fantasic defensive coaching.

Of course every shot we have will be counted as a clear cut chance.

[Ralfinho]

Im going for a 1-2 away win here. We cannot defend. Its as simple as that. The defending on Saturday was horrific and Vinny Jones said yesterday on Goals On Sunday that we defended like Sunday league players

[sharpysharps]

I'm expecting a 2-2 draw. Sinclair and Dyer will have a field day running at our defence, but I think Rovers wull do enough to get a point, sadly not enough.

We need 10 points from the next 4 games. I think it'll be more like 4 at the most the way its going.

[Sparky Marky]

Yes them wingers are good...we need olsson and lowe there.

[Hasta]

We will salvage a 2-2 draw after going behind twice. Absolutely useless in terms of our league position but plenty of positives for Kean to spout about.

We need 10 points from the next 3 games. I think it'll be more like 4 at the most the way its going.

10 points from 3 games !! Even I can't blame SK for not pulling that off.

[bob fleming]

10 points from 3 games !! Even I can't blame SK for not pulling that off.

Hey, think positive, it's this sort of negative thinking that has gotten us into this mess in the first place. What would Keano say?

[Muddboy]

My season ticket will not be used for this one, I'm afraid.

Unbelievably, going Christmas shopping is a more attractive proposition than watching the frustrating sh!te that our useless manager will cock-handedly serve up on Saturday afternoon.

[sharpysharps]

Sorry guys I meant 10 points from 4 games, finger slipped on the 3 haha

[davulsukur]

2-2 draw, which basically screws us over big time.

I think we will have to come from a goal down twice to get it as well.

[brfcfan1975]

Grim grim grim, contemplating missing my first home league game by choice since 1985.

[Waggy76]

I wont be there unless the imposter is sacked ....31 yrs season ticket holder ..

What is more I wont go again until he has been sacked ...

[Steve Moss]

I hope we win. We need about 4 wins in a row to pull ourselves out of this mess and gain some security.

[Lurid Coat]

Hopefully Ewood will be a cauldron of hate for this one, with plenty of angry fans having moved seats to sit just behind Kean.

I can't imagine what will happen should we lose this one. Enough is enough!

KEAN OUT

VENKY'S OUT

JEROME ANDERSON OUT

[Mercer]

No problems and three points banked.

Even with Kean, we will win evey now and then and Saturday will be one of them. 3-1 with some exhilerating football and Kean crowing one of more of:

It's been coming all season.

The season has started now.

Our future is very bright, we just needed a little patience.

[K-Hod]

Can see it being very tense and on edge, and 1-1 until late on when Swansea score a break away goal and the sh1t hits the fan...

Hope it's not the case tbh, but it's just my view.

[alexanders]

Yes them wingers are good...we need olsson and lowe there.

100% ageee. Any news on Olsson?

[onlyonejackwalker]

No problems and three points banked.

Even with Kean, we will win evey now and then and Saturday will be one of them. 3-1 with some exhilerating football and Kean crowing one of more of:

It's been coming all season.

The season has started now.

Our future is very bright, we just needed a little patience.

Mercerman may well be right for this one. Law of averages suggests we will win one some time. However, we have Kean in charge so 2-2 seems about right.

Amazingly Swansea will be actively looking forward to the game. With Hughes or Allardyce in charge, any newly promoted team would be very nervous coming to our place and would leave empty handed more often than not.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

We dare you not to get all three points here Kean....if you dont,watch Ewood explode like never before!

[roverandout]

got a feeling we will win this one, dont want us to though, which will give kean the oppurtunity to do a lap of honour after the game when he gets pelted with rotten tomatoes and cabbage

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I can see us struggling to get more than a point from Saturdays game. Swansea are a good team who try and play entertaining football, they'll score that's for sure.

One for the old timers. Eddie Thomas was a striker who came to Rovers as part of the Roy Vernon transfer to Everton in Feb 1960. He played for both Rovers and Swansea

He played 37 times for Rovers scoring 9 goals, the highlight being scoring all four goals in a 4-0 League Cup game against Bristol Rovers in Oct 1961.

He was 12th man for the 1960 Wembley Cup Final and featured in the team photo.

His move to Swansea came in July 1962 playing 68 games scoring 21 goals

[Bluefudge]

Going to miss this one due to a family do in Stoke.

Shame as the 1% tshirt was coming back out.

1-1 all over it with the red mist descending.

[RailwayRover]

we will get played off the park in this one, they simply have better players suited to the style they play than we do. 1-2 or 2-3, with the positive train rolling on through the cold winter.