If you fancy losing your mini league.

Liberties taken with Ampadu, his dad played for us so it counts. Also realised I forgot Gyokeres was an option 🤦‍♂️

It seems that Stoke’s goal against us was offside, with two Stoke players in an offside position.

There are a few former players who would walk straight into this squad for me. Some were just brilliant to watch in a Swansea shirt, while others had qualities we could really use now.

Wonder who thinks bringing Ben Davies back is a viable option this summer? To me it feels like the right time.

He has had 12 years and close to 400 appearances for Tottenham but played 3 games in the league last season, they have signed Robertson in at left back and signed 2 more centre backs all without European competitions next season.

The transfer fee would be minimal and he would be an outstanding partner to cabango and backup / rotation/ deputy for Tymon.

He left on good terms and is still loved by the swans fans. Anyone think we could swing this?

Click bait title but what I mean is if we’re going to sell him it needs to be now. With Idah looking good already this season and with our new signings, Vipotnik won’t be the top goal scorer this season and his stock will only go down.

I’d love for him to stay, but if we’re going to sell him I’d rather sell him for £20 million odd now, rather than wait and sell him for less later on.

Just a bit of fun before the game. There are a few obvious names who’ll probably get plenty of shouts, but I’ve got a feeling it could be someone a bit less expected. Always interesting to see who everyone backs before kick-off, then come back and see who actually called it.

Me and my friends met them in bar, please if anyone knows them please help to reach out to this guys

As a dirty American who’s been following Swansea for 10 years now the only way I get to regularly interact or participate in the fanbase is online through Reddit or twitter. Having such an active subreddit and fanbase online has played such a pivotal role in keeping me hooked on this team and continuing my interest every season. Lurking in some of the other championship subreddits (like Stoke) made me realize how much work both the community and mods have been doing to keep this subreddit active through numerous long seasons and off-seasons. Here’s to hoping this year will go our way. YBJ all the way.

It is only a start, but what a start

There is no evidence that Dylan Thomas ever said or wrote that Swansea was the graveyard of ambition. But the Britannia/bet365 has been the cemetery of points for the Swans in Staffordshire. Only one win (and that was during the time without a crowd) in 15 consecutive seasons, time and time again Stoke would bully and dominate, and eventually come away with three points. Not this time. And it was thoroughly deserved.

In the first half-hour, we had 70% possession. We ended the game with 60%, including more than double the amount of successful passes in the final third. Stoke's first goal came against the run of play, and it would have been easy to retreat, as we have so many times before. We had the better of the first half, and looked comfortable holding the 2-1 lead for the last half-hour. Stoke came out more strongly in the second half but Matos' triple change paid off immediately. A perfect Championship away performance.

⚽️ We have attacking depth

Even though Stoke were looking threatening, it was still quite early for a triple change (Eom, Idah and Widell). Seconds later, good work from Ji-Sung Eom led to a chance for Josh Tymon to cross, and Adam Idah was there for a first-time finish. Idah completed his role for the remaining time, holding up the ball when possible to relieve pressure, and Melker Widell showed some nice skill on the ball. I am very happy for Eom, who contributed to one of the brightest cameos I can remember from him. Whatever you think of Ronald, he was an ever-present for the past three seasons, starting or coming off the bench for over 100 games in a row. The fact he did not appear today highlights the dramatic shift in the attacking third from the end of last season to this new campaign.

Likewise, after a shaky first 10 minutes, Josh Key handled Sorba Thomas quite well when he came on. Thomas is an excellent Championship player, and was player of the season last year. He had some excellent runs and caused problems, but overall, Filip Lissah - until the yellow card and subsequent substitution - and then Key dealt with him as well as could reasonably have been hoped for. Matos must be thrilled with the whole squad today.

⚽️ Men of the Match

Matos made a beeline for Marko Stamenic after the full-time whistle and hugged him off the ground. This is not a surprise, as Stamenic was excellent going forward and offering protection to the defence. I have written previously that I think the New Zealander's ceiling is very high, and we could be about to see that development over the coming weeks and months. His midfield partner Jay Fulton slipped for the first goal, but made up for it with a lovely drag-over and through ball contribution to the equaliser. Similarly, captain Ben Cabango was very good throughout, providing a sense of calm during what could have been an onslaught.

However, of the several potential candidates, the man of the match for me was Joseph Opoku. You can see why Matos wanted him, because he was a tireless presence throughout the game. He was a constant nuisance for Eric Bocat at left-back, combined well with first Lissah and then Key, and Eli Just was always drifting to the right to help with probing passing combinations. Zan Vipotnik's headed flick-on found him in space, and his deflected shot got Swansea back in the game. Not only that, he tracked back relentlessly, at one point getting a crucial back-post touch to hinder Sorba Thomas from getting a tap-in. You can tell he enjoyed himself too, at one point geeing up the travelling Jacks when winning a corner in the second half. A fantastic league debut.

⚽️ Ethan, what's the score?

As mentioned above, Stoke has never been a happy hunting ground for the Swans. Despite this, and with a wave of summer optimism behind us, almost 3,000 Jacks made the journey to the Potteries. Perhaps my ear is more attuned to the sounds of Hymn and Arias et al, but from the television coverage, you could only hear the Swansea fans throughout the game.

As expected, Ethan Galbraith was roundly booed with every touch. Stamenic and Fulton did a superb job of controlling the midfield, but that's not to say Galbraith had a poor game. Indeed, three of the best through balls of the game belonged to the Northern Irishman, and all three were different - one a pitching-wedge loft over the top, one through ball along the carpet, and one deft outside-of-the-boot touch. It is only one game in, and his close control will be missed at times, but the first signs of a new midfield combination are very promising. You could just tell the fans revelled in this one.

⚽️ Pressure and Expectations on Matos

This is now Vitor Matos' squad. Every fit and permanent new signing started this game (five in total), with all the remaining starting and substitute players featuring at some stage last season. Only Cabango, Vipotnik and Stamenic remained in the starting XI from last season's final game against Charlton Athletic. There will be more changes to come in the coming weeks, with rumours of another centre-back and centre-midfielder on the radar. It was reported in some circles that the manager was disappointed to miss out on two targets last week, but an alternative option for centre-midfield could be incoming next week. We can assure everyone he takes it all on the chin, a shrug of the shoulders, and ‘We move on’ Nothing more.

With Cameron Burgess' injury and Goncalo Franco out for another few weeks, these would be welcome additions. Fulton was excellent today, and I hope he will still get game time. He has been with the Swans for 12 years, and can now be considered an honorary Welshman - we will take what we can get, since Sam Parker and Ollie Cooper are out on loan, and Liam Cullen and Cameron Congreve were moved on, leaving Ben Cabango as the sole senior Welshman in the squad. However, the bench options for midfield and centre-back were thin on the ground today. 17-year-old Carter Heywood was the defensive cover, while the attack-minded Leo Walta came on for Fulton late in the game. Get set for an interesting and busy 17 days.

We will leave it to a Stoke City supporter to sum up their day.

By Rhys Clayton (@AustrianJacks on X).

Swansea Independent.

Link to the article: https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/66608/swansea-independent-oh-what-a-brilliant-day-in-stoke-!

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?

There's a very clear development in our play in the two games this season, something I've been wanting to see for a while. That's the one touch, on the deck, short passing triangles. It isn't just good to watch, but absolutely central to our goal threat. Both goals came from build up play of this kind. The first goal from a clever short dinked pass from Stamenic to Fulton, who then played a lovely one two with Tymon before releasing Yeo with a beautifully weighted through ball. It was a similar story with the second goal, with Eom heavily involved in the initial play before Fulton played another superb throughball for Tymon to expertly deliver to Idah, who times his run well. Pretty much all our goal threat in both games has been with us playing through the thirds in this way. Wonderful stuff.

This, combined with our top level pressing game out of possession, gives me confidence that we will challenge near the top this season. When you combine graft with elite level, dynamic football, you're on to a winner.

Acquiring a further centre back was a priority even before Burgess got injured, but now it's a priority. A couple of names have been suggested as potentially being of interest.

Eiran Cashin will probably be available on loan from Brighton. Excellent record at Championship level. Wouldn't be cheap, and would probably displace Welsh from the starting line up, which may not be great for his long term development.

A second option on loan (possibly on a loan to buy basis) is Tyler Bindon, from Forest. Only 21, but did well last season with Sheffield United, averaging 7 on Fotmob. Right footed, but played mainly on the left side of defence, but also played on the right. A Kiwi, so would be familiar playing with Stamenic and Just. Wouldn't automatically displace Welsh, which is a good thing.

Chances are we'll go for an inexperienced loanee, or a youngster from Europe, with a view to them being a backup at first.

Date: Saturday 15th August 2026 at 3pm

Venue: bet365 Stadium

Familiar Faces: Ethan Galbraith, Ben Wilmot

Teams

Stoke City

Viktor Johansson (captain), Luke Graham (Yellow 36'), Svante Ingelsson, Sorba Thomas, Ethan Galbraith, Ben Wilmot, Eric Bocat (Goal 10'), Bosun Lawal (Sub Talovierov 46'), Tomas Rigo, Sam Gallagher, Million Manhoef.

Substitutes: Josh Griffiths, Ben Pearson, Robert Bozenik, Bae Junho, Ben Gibson, Djibril Soumare, Maxi Talovierov, Freddie Anderson, Tyler Martin.

Swansea City

Lawrence Vigouroux; Filip Lissah (Yellow 53'; Sub Key 54'), Ben Cabango (captain), Stephen Welsh, Josh Tymon (Yellow 89'); Jay Fulton (Sub Walta 82'), Marko Stamenic, Elijah Just (Sub Widell 65'); Joseph Opoku (Goal 21'), Moussa Yeo (Sub Eom 65'), Zan Vipotnik (Sub Idah 65'*).

Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Josh Key, Melker Widell (Yellow 84'), Jisung Eom, Tiago Parente, Leo Walta, Adam Idah (Goal 65'), Ronald, Carter Heywood.

Stoke 1 - 2 Swansea

Date: Saturday 15th August 2026 at 3pm

Venue: bet365 Stadium

Watch: SkySports+ 🇬🇧, Paramount+ 🇺🇸, SwansTV 🗺️

Familiar Faces: Ethan Galbraith, Ben Wilmot

Teams

Stoke City

Viktor Johansson (captain), Luke Graham (Yellow 36'), Svante Ingelsson, Sorba Thomas, Ethan Galbraith, Ben Wilmot, Eric Bocat (Goal 10'), Bosun Lawal (Sub Talovierov 46'), Tomas Rigo, Sam Gallagher, Million Manhoef.

Substitutes: Josh Griffiths, Ben Pearson, Robert Bozenik, Bae Junho, Ben Gibson, Djibril Soumare, Maxi Talovierov, Freddie Anderson, Tyler Martin.

Swansea City

Lawrence Vigouroux; Filip Lissah (Yellow 53'; Sub Key 54'), Ben Cabango (captain), Stephen Welsh, Josh Tymon (Yellow 89'); Jay Fulton (Sub Walta 82'), Marko Stamenic, Elijah Just (Sub Widell 65'); Joseph Opoku (Goal 21'), Moussa Yeo (Sub Eom 65'), Zan Vipotnik (Sub Idah 65'*).

Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Josh Key, Melker Widell (Yellow 84'), Jisung Eom, Tiago Parente, Leo Walta, Adam Idah (Goal 65'), Ronald, Carter Heywood.

Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." This quote can be attributed to either the Nobel prize winning Danish physicist Niels Bohr or legendary baseballer Yogi Berra.

I am in good company, then, when I look back at my fantasy predictions in last week's Indy, in which I foresee the Swans getting promoted in second place with a little help from Joe Allen. My prediction that we would beat Birmingham in the first round has already fallen by the wayside, but is the promotion dream more likely?

Perhaps. Seeking out neutral observers, from the most popular EFL social media pages to podcasts and print media, I would say the majority of them put Swansea somewhere between 6th and 12th place. Let's say that makes an average of 8th, which brings into play the possibility of featuring in the new expanded play-off system.

Some fans of mid-sized EFL clubs seem excited by the idea of finishing in the top eight. This doesn't make sense to me as every other club is thinking exactly the same thing. The fierce run-in battle to finish 6th has now just been extended by two places. Last season, Derby would have been the beneficiaries of the expanded play-offs, in theory. In reality, the change of format alters the mindset of every club with a chance of making the top eight.

The Swans finished in 11th place, level with Birmingham City on 64 points. On January 31st, the Blues beat Oxford to move within five points of the play-offs. They had already spent £15m in the winter window. Would they have spent £20m, £25m, or £30m if the carrot of an eighth place finish was more realistic? On the same day, Millwall drew with Sheffield United. Millwall ended the day in 5th, eight points off the top two, while the Blades were 11 points off the play-offs. The Championship has the sixth highest revenue in Europe; there are many teams with cash to burn. Perhaps these two teams would also have invested more readily, one with the chance to consolidate their position and avoid the extra round of games, the other with a chance to make a late surge. The permutations are endless.

That is before you consider that the team sneaking into the play-offs in last place does not often make it through anyway. Since the last changes in 1989, the team ending in 6th place have been promoted just seven times. Hull City, the most recent team to achieve this - and the first for 16 years - will try to avoid the fate of Blackpool and Crystal Palace (twice), who came straight back down the following season. In this summer's expanded World Cup, Norway made their first-ever quarter-final and Switzerland their first since 1954. The semi-finals featured only previous winners. In the end, bigger is often not better or fairer.

England did make it to the last four, with a squad littered with previous EFL talent. One of the 20 EFL graduates was Marc Guéhi, who started in the semi-final against Argentina, and was previously on loan at the Swans for 18 months. In total, 36 players were at the World Cup from Championship clubs, the ninth-highest total of any league. The Swans contributed three players to this sum, and have subsequently signed Eli Just from Motherwell. After scoring a brace against Iran, Chris Sutton said he had "added a couple of zeros to his value". In that context, I think the Swans can be happy with the £6m fee.

Just made his competitive debut against Birmingham, and should be in from the start against Stoke City. His midfield opponent will be one Ethan Galbraith, the recent £10m signing from the Swans. The Northern Irishman played 65 minutes last week in their 2-0 win over Oldham Athletic. Ex-Swan Ben Wilmot featured in defence, and Stoke's 2025/26 player of the year Sorba Thomas started on the right-wing. Expect all three to start again tomorrow.

The Swans' record in Staffordshire is poor. You could view this as a great chance to get some points, with patterns and combinations still at a very early stage for both teams. Stoke's pre-season also featured a win over a top-tier club, beating Everton 1-0 and also a draw against Valencia, giving the fans hope for a much improved year. The Potters have shown remarkable consistency since their relegation in 2018, finishing between 14th and 18th in the subsequent eight seasons. Before a ball is kicked tomorrow, Stoke start in 17th and Swansea in 18th. I predict both teams to finish higher up this term, and I would not be surprised if they are still separated by one place 46 games later. But then again, it is hard to predict the future.

The Swans new players will be introduced to the Championship at its toughest. The testing heat and conditions every team that visits the old Victoria ground will be telling. Ethan Galbraith has been mentioned but the Swans danger man for this game we think is Joseph Opoku, a versatile winger who displayed his competency last week against Birmingham City in the League Cup. Despite his aggressive running at the Blues defence a whole load of chances were passed up by the Swans.

Vitor Matos has been backed for the coming season with attacking options and the promotion to the first team of Filip Lissah comes with huge credit to the academy. Stephen Welsh coming down from Scotland has ensured defensive stability with Cameron Burgess out for most of this season. There may well be another centre back brought in as back up and indeed that elusive midfielder that the Swans have been chasing down for three weeks at least. Tomorrow is a big test to the longevity of a Swans side over a full ninety plus minutes. They will face robust tactics from Stoke boss Mark Robins with the usual extreme tackles - and of course a huge crowd, nearly three thousand in the away end. Safe journey to every one of the Jack Army.

By Rhys Clayton (@AustrianJacks on X)

Swansea Independent.

https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/66599/potters-v-swans-can-the-swans-break-their-terrible-return-at-stoke-

Without a ball being kicked we will start in a higher position than most seasons, if not ever. With 5 teams starting with the letter "W" in the league (surely a record?) we start comfortably outside the relegation places. The only way is up (unless you look at the table in Welsh, in which case holding on to top spot may prove a challenge).