I Said I Wanted Swansea City Beaten.......Not Slaughtered

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Boxing Day was a typical Boxing Day. I wasn't working so it's starts as an anti-climax from the day before and progresses into just giving your ever widening stomach a rest.

But there was one exception to that general top walrus inaction. In that day's football fixtures Swansea City were playing West Ham. I had hoped to go, but my daughter has had a recurrence of an old knee injury and finds it difficult to walk on her right leg at the moment. In truth I didn't have the heart to say "Well you're in pain at the moment but I'm off to have some fun." That would just be breaking the Dad code.

So late in the afternoon I discovered the result. It's a West Ham win (hurrah) . We've moved into mid table respectability (double hurrah). We won by scoring four goals (West Ham scored four goals in a match this season? It's a Christmas miracle).

But when watching the highlights of the match later my feelings slightly changed. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy West Ham won. It's just that as I've explained before Swansea City are one of those teams that for me are like being very friendly with a woman but not having an affair as you're faithful to your wife. So watching them not so much being beaten as being beaten up in an alleyway and being left for dead was so sad.

The first Hammers goal was scored by Andre Ayew. His first West Ham goal since moving from.......Swansea City. It's that sort of fact that slaps you in the face when you're in a relegation battle. It was though the next two West Ham goals that illustrated how Swansea has declined. Winston Reid was clearly a ghost to the two Swans defenders that should seen him and only noticed his presence after he scored a header. Antonio looked offside when he kicked the third until you noticed further along the pitch the presence of Nathan Dyer that put him onside (and a quick word on Dyer - when you were there at Swansea's peak just imagine the pain he must be feeling now. Almost as bad as the fans). Swansea did score a goal only for Andy Carroll to quickly put back the three goal difference.

The freeflowing Swansea style was gone. Instead they had a look of a team on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

If only this result was exceptional. Under the reign of manager Bob Bradley defeats by four/five goals were the norm . I cannot remember any big name manager whose team were regularly defeated by this margin. It was not surprising they sacked him the day after.

Bridgend is inbetween Cardiff and Swansea. At what that means is that you can get supporters of both teams there. I was working the day after and from those people who know I'm a West Ham came different reactions. The Cardiff City fans congratulated me as if I'd scored those four goals. The Swans supporters were more depressed than anything else. To them, I was almost apologetic.

The story of Swansea City seems to be like a fairy tale where there are new chapters revealing that the wicked witch did not die and was now wreaking revenge. There is still time for a happy ending...but that time is running out.

Until the next time.