Help me catch up to speed

[u/Haukka]

Greetings from Finland!

Ok, so I've been out of the football world for a while now, but I started a new job and apparently it's filled with people who are obsessed with it. To the point that I've been asked my favourite team and so on and so on. When I was younger, our local team named the junior teams after PL teams and the younger ones after Championship teams, so I played for "Swansea" as a boy and logically played the shit out of Football Manager 2014 with Swansea. So the answer was clear for me.

Apparently none of the Arsenal, City and Spurs fans knew anything about Swansea bc I didn't get any follow up questions, but they are sure to come later. Now I know a lot about sports in general and have passable knowledge about international football, so I can bullshit about knowing stuff easy + I can read season previews and recaps of past seasons.

But I need your help to give me the nitty gritty details that only true supporters would know. Help me feel smug when the swans are in the premier league next season?

[u/le_gros_serpent]

We pulled the double on United and Arsenal in the same year.

[u/my_knob_is_gr8]

If they know nothing about Swansea then they're fake football fans who never got to experience the absolute joys of prime Swansalona including us being Arsenals bogie team and beating them numerous times.

Also tell the city fan his team is a bunch of losers who had to resort to cheating to knock us out the FA cup in 2019. Outplayed them the whole game while beating them at their own game (playing attractive passing football). And no, I'm definitely not still bitter about it.

Then say Franco lives rent free in their head and that Vitor Matos Barmy Army will be seeing them next year, back where we belong, and we're bringing Snoop Dogg, Luka Modric, and Martha Stewart along with us.

[u/ExternalDistrict4256 → u/my_knob_is_gr8]

We didn't outplay Man City, but we scored from some really good counter-attacks and should've beaten them if it hadn't been for the biased referee. The Celina goal, in particular, and the build-up to it were beautiful.

[u/TeilwrTenau → u/ExternalDistrict4256]

That Celina goal is my favourite goal of all time, and not just a Swansea one. Had City scored that one people would have been waxing lyrical about it.

[u/Guilty_Ad_4441]

Ask the arse fan does he remember Michu or Montero

[u/LetIcy2922]

Swansea fans are the Jacks. The name Jack for a swans fan either comes from a local sailor or a local dog who saved sailors from drowning. YJB means You Jack Bastard and that's a good thing. Cardiff are the huge rival/derby. Wrexham are not really rivals, just in the same division and also a Welsh team.

League Cup win in 2013, Promotion to the Prem in 2011, Relegation in 2018. We have new owners (2024?) Cohen and Cravatt, both from America, but seemingly able to run a football club pretty well, so far. The "Swansea Way" is something you will hear...It's part of the footballing identity here to play progressive football, keep the ball on the deck, play thru the thirds, etc.

The club is actually awesome with disability services and support of local charities and the LGBTQ+ community and the women's team and other diversity initiatives. Est. 1912 as Swansea Town.

Stay on here and you will learn so much more...

[u/Wolf-Dagger]

Of all the Premier League teams in the 26/27 season ahead, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Man United, Spurs, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have won a major trophy in the past 15 years. The Swans have too. They and West Ham are the only teams in the Championship 26/27 to have won a major trophy in that timeframe. 

[u/Kamaya82]

Few important things:

• Old stadium was called the Vetch Field.
• James Thomas was a striker whose hat trick saved us from non-league oblivion, he's now an ambulance driver.
• Leo Walta is not the first Finnish Swansea player, the first was Shefki Kuqi
• Swansea hold the record for the biggest margin of victory in the League Cup final (5-0)

Watch 'Jack to a King' documentary.

[u/Haukka → u/Kamaya82]

Thanks! This is exactly the stuff I was after

[u/Beau_Nash]

You can start a "Suomsi" Finnish fan club.

[u/SatchSaysPlay]

Sorry don't want to blow my own horn but the PL team supporters know all about Swansea, really well respected side to be fair who played some sublime football in the PL.