Swansea bounce back to beat West Brom

Swansea came from behind to defeat West
Bromwich Albion 2-1 at The Hawthorns on Saturday, recording just their
second win away from home this season.

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West Brom led through a
Marc-Antoine Fortune goal eight minutes into the second, but allowed
Swansea to rebound with two quick goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Danny
Graham.

Roy Hodgson's men went into the match hovering a few
points above the relegation zone and with just two wins under their belt
all season at The Hawthorns.

Swansea, a point ahead of their
opponents in the Premier League, however, had the worst away record of
all 20 teams with just one win to their credit, coming over Aston Villa.

The
Welsh side had the best of the early play, dominating possession and
they went close to opening the score through Sigurdsson after four
minutes and again after 15 minutes.

West Brom counter-attacked and
Gareth McAuley headed narrowly wide from a Nicky Shorey cross and James
Morrison tested Swansea goalkeeper Michael Vorm with a long-range
effort after 22 minutes.

The home side in turn was having the best
of the pressure as the first half wound down and both Peter Odemwingie
and Jerome Thomas went close.

And it was The Baggies that went
ahead nine minutes into the second half when Cameroon striker Fortune
fired home from inside the six-yard box into the bottom left corner.

The Swansea reaction was immediate and devastating with two goals in the next four minutes.

Firstly,
the industrious Sigurdsson slotted home from close range for the
equaliser and then Graham made it 2-1, also from close in.

A
stunned West Brom poured forward in search of an equaliser and Morrison
pinged one effort over the bar before substitute Paul Scharner had a
snap shot well saved by Worm.

But Swansea held on to take all three points and in so doing easing themselves away from the relegation zone.

Swans strike back to defeat Baggies

Swansea's on-loan midfielder Gylfi
Sigurdsson played a major role in Brendan Rogers' side coming from
behind to register only their second Barclays Premier League away win of
the season as they recorded a 2-1 victory at West Brom.

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The
Iceland international, who joined from Hoffenheim last month until the
end of the season, cancelled out Marc-Antoine Fortune's opener and laid
on the winner for Danny Graham.

The visitors dominated for long
spells as they followed up their 1-1 home draw against Chelsea in
mid-week with another impressive performance.

Bolton V Swansea at Reebok Stadium : Match Preview

Bolton revival facing cup test Bolton will be spurred on by a feeling of injustice when they take to the field against Swansea in the fourth round of the FA Cup. 

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The Trotters put in their best performance of the season to beat Liverpool 3-1 in the Barclays Premier League last weekend but boss Owen Coyle was disappointed all the attention afterwards was on the struggles of their opponents. Now the Scot is hoping they can carry that form into Saturday's clash against Brendan Rodgers' team, who came out on top when the sides met in the league in October. Coyle said: "We didn't get the credit we were due for our performance because everyone seemed to be saying Liverpool didn't do well; well sometimes you're not allowed to do well because of the pressure the opposition puts on you and we showed great quality. "Sometimes when you play the elite clubs you have to ride your luck but nothing could be further from the truth, from start to finish we dominated that game. "We've got a big game on Saturday and if we win that then that would cap off a very good week. We've got a tough cup tie against a very good Swansea side but one we're looking forward. "They're a team that can pass and move the ball with the very best. They've got some terrific players, Brendan is a terrific man and someone I've got a lot of time for but we'll be going all out to try to progress to the last 16." 

Bolton have had a torrid time since losing 5-0 to Stoke in the semi-finals of the FA Cup last season but there have been a few positive signs recently, not least an easing of their injury crisis, and the Liverpool win took them out of the bottom three. Coyle played down the significance, saying: "We all realise there's a stigma involved in being in the bottom three but the important time to be out of the bottom three is after the last game of the season. "We've won a game last week and it was a valuable three points but equally what we've got to do is make sure when we go back to the league that we continue to pick up points. "Everybody looked at our fixtures going into the new year: Everton away, Manchester United away, Liverpool at home, and I've got no doubt, outside our football club, everybody thought Bolton Wanderers wouldn't take a point, but we've totally disproved that and taken six, and what we must do is kick on now." 

New signing Tim Ream has headed back to the States to sort out the last of his paperwork and is unlikely to be unavailable until next weekend but Jussi Jaaskelainen (thigh) and Tyrone Mears (broken leg) could be involved. Premier League survival may be Swansea's priority this season but left-back Neil Taylor hopes they can complete a Welsh cup double and match Cardiff's feat by getting to Wembley. Swansea's near-neighbours secured their place in the Carling Cup final with a dramatic 3-1 penalty shoot-out victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday night and face a Wembley appointment with Liverpool next month. Swansea, of course, tasted Wembley glory in May of last year as their play-off success over Reading, which Taylor missed through suspension, gained them promotion to the top flight, where they currently lie 13th after an impressive start. The latest step on a potential route back to the famous stadium sees Rodgers' side travel to Bolton. 

 Taylor insists it is a competition Swansea are desperate to do well in, even if the league has to come first with Tuesday's meeting against Chelsea looming on the horizon. "I want to play, to be part of the FA Cup run - all the boys want to be involved," he said. "Although we understand that changes may have to be made. "We want to do really well, I think we showed that at Barnsley in the last round. "It helps the confidence, it was another away win. It will certainly help going into Chelsea if we can get a positive result. "We still love the FA Cup, the magic's still there. "It would be great for us to get to Wembley again after Cardiff did it the other night. "They have a tough game against Liverpool in the final but it's great for them, and great for Welsh football." Defender Alan Tate is included in the squad for the first time since breaking his leg in a golf buggy accident in August but Tottenham have asked for on-loan defender Steven Caulker to be left out to avoid the centre-half being cup-tied. Josh McEachran, another on-loan player, is set to start as he will not be available for Tuesday's meeting with parent club Chelsea.

Rodgers poised to sign new deal

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers has agreed in principle to a new three-year contract with the Barclays Premier League club and expects to put pen to paper in the coming days.

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The Northern Irishman has operated on a one-year rolling contract since moving to the Liberty Stadium in the summer of 2010.

He guided the Welsh club to the top flight and has overseen an impressive start to life in the Premier League with the club lying 13th in table, leading chairman Huw Jenkins to look to tie the former Reading and Watford manager to a longer-term contract, and Rodgers revealed the deal to keep him in south Wales until 2015 is as good as done.

He said: "I spoke with the chairman (on Thursday) and we have agreed everything in principle, we just need to draft up the paperwork and be presented with it over the weekend, then it will be signed and done and that will be fantastic.

"It was clear to me I wanted to be here. There was very little to discuss and I will be proud to move forward with the project. Ultimately my job is to make Swansea a sustainable Premier League club, that's the challenge.

"It looked a massive challenge to get promoted, but since then we have shown we can compete at this level, although we are riding high and playing well the objective is to stay in the league, that would be monumental and give the club more money to invest in the team. But the goal is firstly to make Swansea sustainable and you can obviously build from that."

Rodgers and Swansea's next Premier League fixture sees Chelsea visit the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday, but before then they travel to face Bolton in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Rodgers will include Alan Tate in his squad for the first time since the defender broke his leg in a golf buggy accident in August. The 29-year-old has made three appearances for the reserves after completing his recovery a month ahead of schedule.

And Rodgers said: "He is working very well, he has been out for a long time, but he is a wonderful pro and I have no doubt he will come into the squad this weekend. He was outstanding last season and was just unfortunate that he had the freak accident.

"It was a long road back for him and to be out that long was tough, but he dealt with it well and it's a credit to him and the medical team that he is back in contention earlier than expected."

Swansea count the cost of promotion

Swansea's first ever promotion to the English Premier League came at a cost as they revealed on Monday they had made a loss of 8.2million pounds up to May 2011.

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The Welsh side - who played in the old First Division from 1981-83 - won promotion when they beat Reading in the play-off final but bonuses arising from that moment of glory controubted heavily to their financial loss.

A club statement cites player and management bonuses, as well as having to cede their share of the Wembley gate receipts to Reading under Football League rules.

However, they are confident that they will be back in the black at the end of the next financial year in May because of increased TV revenue and other factors.

"With regard to the future, our immediate goal is to consolidate our position in the Premier League and ensure we survive this season," read a statement issued by the club.

"Our long-term goal will cater for Swansea City remaining as a top-flight club and to continue to contribute in part to the feel good factor and prosperity in the local community.

"We will not, however, do this in any way that puts the club's financial stability at risk. This remains paramount in our management philosophy."

Swansea have enjoyed a better than anticipated first half of the campaign and are presently 13th, eight points above the relegation places.

No Vorm inquiries - Swansea

Swansea have denied any club has made an inquiry for goalkeeper Michel Vorm.

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Dutch-based director John van Zweden had claimed Manchester United and Chelsea had contacted the Swans about Vorm, who has been one of the stand-out performers of the Barclays Premier League season.

But a Swansea spokesman told Press Association Sport: "We have not received any inquiries about Michel Vorm."

Holland international Vorm, 28, joined the promoted Swans from FC Utrecht for around £1.5million in August.

Having kept nine clean sheets in 21 games for his new club, he would doubtless command a much larger fee were he to be sold.

But Swansea are desperate to keep hold of one of their prize assets.

Van Zweden told VI Radio: "Clubs have enquired about Vorm.

"Manchester United have asked, in addition Chelsea and, for that matter, Newcastle United. Tottenham Hotspur have cautiously announced they are interested.

"It would be a nightmare for us if he left."

The same would arguably be true were Swansea to lose Scott Sinclair and Joe Allen, both of whom have been linked with a move to Liverpool.

Situ's move to Swansea sealed at last

Young French defender Darnel Situ signed a permanent deal with English Premier League side Swansea on Tuesday after having been on loan there from French Ligue 2 outfit Lens since the beginning of the season.

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The 19-year-old - who made one brief appearance for Lens in their last match in Ligue 1 last season - had his original £250,000 transfer blocked by FIFA last September but he was still allowed to go on loan.

However, Lens issued a statement saying that Situ was now fully the property of Swansea.

"Lens and Swansea (Premier League) reached agreement on Tuesday concerning the permament transfer of Darnel Situ, who since the beginning of the season has been on loan at the Welsh club," read the statement.

Swansea have enjoyed a respectable first half of the season on their maiden appearance in the Premier League - though they did compete in its previous entity the First Division - presently lying 12th seven points above the relegation places.

Swansea close to completing McEachran signing

Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers has confirmed he hopes to complete the loan signing of Chelsea midfielder Josh McEachran 'in the next 24-48 hours'.

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Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas has decided to farm out 18-year-old McEachran, whose first-team opportunities at Stamford Bridge have been extremely limited this season.

The England Under-21 international has long been coveted by Rodgers, who was confident this morning of beating off reported competition from Bolton and Aston Villa to land the midfielder for the remainder of the campaign. He told talkSPORT: "Hopefully, we can get that agreement confirmed in the next 24-48 hours. We've obviously made an enquiry."

The former Chelsea youth team boss continued: "Josh is a boy I know well so we'll see if we can organise the move over the next few days.

"He'll be brilliant for the Swansea supporters and they'll get to witness one of the best talents this country's got.

"He's a player who sees passes from the sky. He's an incredible passer of the ball and I know the England set-up have very high hopes for him as well.

"He's a kid who can create chances and has wonderful vision on the ball - he fits perfectly into our team.

"I've got a really talented group of players at this level and he'll come into the squad and add to that for the second part of the season."

Taylor committed to Swans

Swansea defender Neil Taylor has dismissed speculation linking him with a move to Arsenal during the transfer window.

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The 22-year-old, who rejected a move to Newcastle during the summer, has been linked with the Gunners during recent weeks, and talk of a move could intensify when the Swans host Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League next Sunday.

However, the former Wrexham defender insists he is happy at the Liberty Stadium, and told BBC Sport: "I've had a few texts off people telling me, but I just get on with my football. I'm enjoying my football here and I think it's going great."

He added: "Every player should be getting watched at the moment because we're a young outfit and we're doing really well.

"We play some exciting stuff and I think a lot of people are talking about us which we want to just keep doing.

"We're hard working bunch and as long as we stay together and keep going, we'll be successful as a team."

Hoffenheim loan Sigurdsson to Swansea

Bundesliga side Hoffenheim loaned Icelandic striker Gylfi Sigurdsson to English Premier League side Swansea on Monday and announced they had signed young German defender Stefan Thesker.

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Sigurdsson, 22, has already had experience of English football as he was at Reading before joining Hoffenheim last year.

Thesker, 20 and a highly-regarded central defender, signed a two-and-ahalf year contract from Dutch side FC Twente, who had previously loaned him out to Dutch Second Division outfit Fortuna Sittard.

Swansea 1-1 Tottenham: Match Report

Sinclair stops Spurs

Scott Sinclair's scrambled late equaliser earned Swansea a deserved point in a 1-1 draw and denied Tottenham the chance to close to within four points of the Barclays Premier League summit at the Liberty Stadium.

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Rafael van der Vaart had given the visitors the lead a minute before the break as he capitalised on a defensive error from Joe Allen to sweep home with the help of a deflection from Ashley Williams.

Swansea had not managed to pick up a single point this season after conceding the first goal, but they bucked the trend as a period of heavy pressure was rewarded when Brad Friedel hesitated when dealing with a deflected Angel Rangel cross for Sinclair to nip in and claim his fifth goal of the campaign.

Tottenham had lost just once in the league since the end of August but this result will have felt like a defeat, especially in the wake of Manchester United's shock defeat to Blackburn earlier in the day.

But few would argue their hosts were worthy of taking something from the game, and they will enter 2012 five points clear of the relegation zone after being tipped by many as certainties to go down.

While manager Brendan Rodgers' decision to field Luke Moore and Stephen Dobbie suggested he had one eye on Monday's trip to Aston Villa, there was no sign of that from his players who took the game to their high-flying visitors from the off.

Nathan Dyer almost gave Swansea a dream start inside four minutes after Mark Gower had dispossessed Scott Parker and switched play. The winger got away a curling left-footed effort that Friedel did well to palm away from his top corner.

Dobbie then dallied over picking out a fellow white shirt in the box having come off best in a challenge with Kyle Walker, before Sinclair scuffed his strike after Gower's corner had found him unmarked.

Those near misses roused Spurs from their early slumbers, and Luka Modric fizzed an effort narrowly wide of Michel Vorm's right-hand post after 14 minutes.

Vorm then denied Emmanuel Adebayor after lovely play between Modric, Gareth Bale and Van der Vaart, although the effort would not have counted as the flag went up for offside.

Spurs should have led after 32 minutes after a horrible pass from Dyer played Emmanuel Adebayor in on goal, but Vorm added to his growing reputation with a superbly timed sliding challenge to take the ball away from the Togolese forward.

Bale, the recipient of so much praise this week, had to this point been a peripheral figure, with young Jazz Richards doing a commendable job of limiting the Wales star's forays down the flanks, while the Swansea midfield were doing just enough to crowd his space when he looked inside.

And his disappointing half was summed up when he was booked for diving over Gower's trailing leg just before half-time.

But the visitors took the lead just a minute before the break as Benoit Assou-Ekotto's cross was turned back into danger by Allen and turned home by Van der Vaart.

Tottenham almost doubled their lead 60 seconds after the restart as Younes Kaboul was given far too much room to advance, the centre-half being denied by Vorm after a neat exchange with Adebayor.

Swansea were looking vulnerable to Tottenham's rapid counter-attacks and a misjudged Allen pass allowed Adebayor to tee up Van der Vaart, Vorm being forced to make the block low to his right.

Indeed the visitors for the first time in the contest looked genuinely comfortable, and Bale prodded just wide as Swansea struggled to contain the seamless movement of the likes of Modric, Van der Vaart and the assured presence of Sandro.

But the home side came within centimetres of a leveller in the 66th minute as Rangel's volley from Allen's corner flew just wide of the target.

Spurs skipper Scott Parker limped from the field with an injury, while Swansea introduced top scorer Danny Graham from the bench, and the pattern of the game suddenly changed.

Graham diverted a fierce Sinclair drive over the bar and it took a fantastic clearance from Walker to deny the striker a tap-in as Dobbie stabbed the ball across the box.

Modric blocked a Sinclair effort as Swansea piled forward, and the pressure yielded an equaliser with just six minutes to play.

Swansea V Tottenham at Liberty Stadium : Match Preview

Swans won't fear title-chasing Spurs - Monk.

Captain Garry Monk returns to the Swansea starting line-up on New Year's Eve imploring his team to show no fear when they face a Tottenham side he believes are genuine Barclays Premier League title contenders.

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Harry Redknapp's third-placed side have lost just one of their past 16 league games and lie just seven points behind leaders Manchester City with a game in hand. Swansea, meanwhile, sit in 14th place mainly thanks to their superb home form which has seen them take 16 points and lose just once at the Liberty Stadium. That defeat came in November's 1-0 reverse to Manchester United, an occasion when Swans boss Brendan Rodgers felt his side had been in awe of their opponents and afforded the champions too much respect.

Monk, 32, is determined there will be no repeat this time around. He said: "The talk this week has been about not looking at the names on the shirts.

"We need to come out and have a go from the very start, like we did in the second half against United and I think we will do that.

"They are an attacking side and they are not going to come here and be cagey, like some teams have done. I think it is going to be an open and very exciting game to play in and hopefully we get the better of them and get the result we want.

"We will use their strength and success as motivation. It will be a great occasion, it's another top four side coming to the Liberty Stadium."

If Swansea are to claim their first major scalp of the season - their four wins so far coming against West Brom, Stoke, Bolton and Fulham - then Monk and his defensive colleagues, who have eight clean sheets in the credit column, will have to be at their best to stymie a Spurs side laden with attacking flair.

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As well as the pace and power of Welsh hero Bale, the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Rafael van der Vaart and Luke Modric will all pose danger. And Monk, himself a Tottenham fan, feels that array of talent means Redknapp's side are well and truly in the hunt for a first league title since 1961.

He said: "When you look at Bale's goals against Norwich, you realise some things are unstoppable. You have to hold up your hands sometimes and say that was an amazing bit of skill. But we can't just worry about him.

"Look at Kyle Walker, he is their full-back, yet he plays like an extra winger. The midfielders, like Modric, are world-class players, so it is a tough, tough ask for us, but one that we will relish. "They are probably the form team right now and I think they are genuinely in the title race. I think they think that as well."

Rodgers will make a late decision over the fitness of full-back Angel Rangel after he was forced off with an ankle problem in Tuesday's 1-1 draw against QPR. Left-back Neil Taylor is set to return from the knee injury he suffered in the defeat at Everton, but centre-half Steven Caulker is absent due to the terms of his loan from Spurs, with Monk coming into the side having being left out for the past four games.

Michael Dawson will miss out for Spurs despite returning to full training after four months out with an Achilles injury. Aaron Lennon (hamstring) and Ledley King (knee) are also out, but Jermain Defoe could be fit after making encouraging progress in his return from a hamstring problem that has kept him out of the club's past two matches. Sebastien Bassong (back) and Roman Pavlyuchenko (ankle) are also doubtful.

Bale will return to his native Wales to face Swansea after an excellent week which has seen his value rocket further. The 22-year-old rightly earned high praise for tearing Norwich apart in Tuesday's 2-0 win. Rather than worry about any pressure lauding Bale will have on the player, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp continues to lavish praise on his star.

"He is a boy that thrives on confidence," Redknapp said.

"You would rather have the manager tell you how good you are than the other way around.

"He is an amazing player. He has everything. He can run, shoot, head, dribble, score goals, make goals and you couldn't meet a nicer boy either."

With four home games coming up in January, Redknapp's team now have a chance to push for a first league title in 51 years, but the 64-year-old has warned his team that they face a tough fight to the death just to finish in the top four. "It's so tight," Redknapp said. "There are six teams going for those four places. It will be a real scrap."

Managers unite in Probert criticism

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers and QPR boss Neil Warnock were critical of the performance of referee Lee Probert after watching their sides play out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Liberty Stadium.

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Danny Graham's first-half strike looked to have put the home side on their way to a fifth home win of the season, but Rs winger Jamie Mackie capitalised on Leon Britton's poor defensive header to slot home just before the hour mark and end the visitors' run of three straight defeats.

But Warnock felt his side would have taken all three points had Graham been penalised for handball in the build-up to his sixth strike of the campaign. He said: "I am absolutely pleased with how we reacted with going a goal down but I am disappointed not to get the three points."

Replays suggested the ball had made contact with the striker's hand as he controlled Wayne Routledge's cross before turning and firing beyond Paddy Kenny, with the QPR defence and Warnock furious that Probert allowed the goal to stand.

And Rodgers was also less than enamoured with the official's display after he waved away appeals for what appeared a clear penalty when Armand Traore felled Graham in the second half.

Warnock added: "We are very disappointed at their goal, as you would be. It's a deliberate handball, he gains an advantage and he wouldn't have scored otherwise. It was a certain handball, the referee said he saw the handball but that it was not deliberate, which disappoints me even more.

"It's the big decisions that you want referees to get right. I thought there were a number of mistakes but it's the match-winning ones you want them to get right. It was a kick in the teeth, it felt such an injustice at half-time but it spurred us on."

Rodgers was similarly scathing in his assessment of the decision that saw his side denied a spot-kick, branding Probert's display as "inconsistent".

"It was a clear penalty, I have had the chance to see it from a few angles and it was a definite penalty," he said. "We worked the space really well, Luke Moore got into a wonderful position, Nathan Dyer has done well, Danny has bent his run superbly, got a touch and Traore has made a foul. Normally with the referee so close that's a penalty.

"I thought it summed up Lee's performance which was interesting to say the least. He is a good lad on the circuit, trying to get experience, but he was very inconsistent right the way through, which did not help us."