Chapter 1: What was the significance of Swansea's 1-0 win against Watford?
Joy for Alan Curtis tonight. Relief at the final whistle as well. What a huge three points that is for Swansea. He was the match winner tonight. He takes over tomorrow with Swansea out of the bottom three. Newcastle drop in. That's because they've beaten Watford tonight by one goal to nil. Both sides had two shots on target.
Chapter 2: How did the match winner impact Swansea's performance?
That's only the second time since August, though, that neither Deeney or Regalo had a shot on target in a Premier League game. Swansea had more possession. Watford improved in that second half. They had more of the ball in the second half. But it was Swansea that won it. Let's hear from one of the winners. Leon Britton is with Greg Whelan.
Leon, congratulations. Three priceless points.
Just how welcome are they?
Chapter 3: How did Swansea's possession compare to Watford's during the match?
Very welcome. Obviously, we were disappointed with the last game, losing to Sunderland. But today wasn't probably the prettiest of games. But I think at this stage of the season and the situation we're in, three points is massive for us.
Believe it or not, that was actually William's first ever Premier League goal here at the Liberty Stadium. Will he score too many more significant than that?
Well, I don't think so, but we hope so along the way. I mean, he's been fantastic for us. I think, you know, he's our captain, he's our leader, and he's been brilliant since he's joined the club. And it's surprising that he hasn't scored more goals in the Premier League for us, but it was a vital one for us today, and hopefully he can score a few more along the way.
You had, as you know, the new head coach looking on from the sidelines. Did that bring an extra edge to the whole night for you all tonight?
Well, maybe, obviously, when you've got a new manager or head coach as such watching the game, everyone's out to impress, of course. So, yeah, no, we've got the news and obviously it's give everyone a lift. I'm sure we'll get back to the training ground, work with him and it'll be interesting to see what he's got to say.
But obviously, you know, it's a great start with him watching and us getting the win today.
Psychologically, just how big a result is this?
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Chapter 4: What role did the new head coach play in the match atmosphere?
It takes you out of the bottom three.
Yeah, it was a big weekend. Obviously, we dropped into the bottom three, so with us playing tonight, we needed to try and get a win to get back out of it. Obviously, it's, like you say, a big psychological lift for us, especially coming off the back of a defeat at home against one of our rivals in Sunderland.
So, a big lift, and we're going into the weekend now, looking to try and pick up some more points. Leon, well done tonight. Lovely, thank you.
And now let's head straight back to the Liberty Stadium because the match winner and man of the match is waiting to speak to us. Ashley Williams, well done tonight. How valuable are three points? Is that for the team?
It's massive. I think all the games are big for us now. And, you know, we need points as quick as possible. So, you know, as quickly as we can get them and try and move up the table and get us out of this position that we found ourselves.
Ash, how are you? It's Brendan. Hi, Gaffer. Yeah, good man. We're just asking you, I think the last time you scored at the Liberty was about five years ago when I was the manager. Why has it taken so long for you to get a goal?
I don't know, it's about time, isn't it? I think I was giving up hope going up on corners and stuff, but I'm just happy that I can help the team get a vital three points today and pop up with a goal.
To be fair, I thought yous were brilliant defensively and obviously Brits in front of you there as well. Yous controlled the two front boys who are very strong and I thought defensively as a team yous looked very good.
Yeah, I think that's the key against Watford because they're strikers, they're a real handful so we knew we had to keep Brits with us and it was going to be a tough game where we had to battle and fight and I think the whole team did that tonight so it's really pleasing.
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Chapter 5: What psychological effect does this victory have on Swansea's season?
It wasn't something that... Did he place me? That was close. That you were gone at the time. Yes, so he was one of them sort of few breeds, really, where he's a leader. Everyone talks now, managers, coaches, looking now for leaders in the field and in the game. And you see him there tonight, ball comes into the box, he's got his head on everything.
Every single game he's up for, you see him with Wales, he's over 50 caps for Wales now. And this is a guy who is up for every match he plays and I think he's an incredible player.
Do you agree with that? Is he up there? Are you surprised he's not at a top-four club?
Yeah, I am, because I think we consistently see now, I mean, we go through it at times, more often than not, we look at the top clubs and maybe the deficiencies at times, and that's something that we look at, and me being a centre-back, you look at that, and there is a dearth of them, and you think of... the top clubs.
A top club, Brendan just mentioned he tried to bring Ashley Williams to Liverpool, but if you're managing Liverpool or one of the other top clubs, you can't go to another top club and take their player. So, no disrespect to Swansea, but it's the type of club that you can maybe take their players as long as you pay the right money. So, the fact that
I think we are so poor defensively, especially in the Premier League. Not just this season, I think it's been going on for a while. And you think of someone like him now, maybe he's someone who's come through the lower leagues, that's been his progression. And it's not a fancy name, it's Ashley Williams who's come through the lower leagues. Maybe that puts people off.
Maybe he didn't quite get the recognition or playing at... that level of Premier League level to a certain age. He wasn't doing it maybe at 21, 22, when you think of young centre-backs who top teams think in two or three years he's going to be top class. So he's had a different sort of journey to get to where he's got to.
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Chapter 6: How did the players feel about their performance and the result?
But the thing with centre-backs is, you talk about 28, 29, maybe being in an age just getting to 30. For a centre-back, I'd say that's like being 25 for a centre-forward or 26 for a striker. And you'd probably still take a striker at 25. But as a centre-back, they're normally going to go to 33, 34. So that's why it is a surprise to me that no-one has taken the plunge.
Let's go back and look at his goal tonight. You had a chuckle with him. He hadn't scored since that game against Doncaster five years ago. He took this one well, though, didn't he?
Yeah. He's stayed alive in the box, as you see. He's very strong, actually, physically. And in fairness to the centre-half, he sort of got them marshalled well there. I'm surprised he hasn't scored more goals than he has, whether it's the delivery into the box or not. But you see in the first one that comes in, he's just short. He's working his way out.
tries to keep it alive, and instead of maybe going back, he decides to stay in. It's a great ball into the box, and this is a fantastic header. It's going away from the goal. Like I was saying, he wins the battle of the arms, uses his strength to get across, and then heads it back. And Cara will tell you, he's a centre-half, and actually he's not 6'3", 6'4", you know, he's...
He would maybe be deemed small for a centre-half, but he's got great power and athleticism.
You talk about the leadership in terms of what he was doing in the second half, clearing balls like that with his head. That's leadership in itself. It's not just, oh, he got a goal, he's a bit fortunate, he went up as a centre-back. It hasn't been something that's just hit him and gone in or fell to him. That's leadership in itself, isn't it? Sort of outpowering someone.
He's gone for the first one. As important as keeping the ball alive, that could just get cleared up the pitch. So he goes for the first header, keeps the ball alive, and that is, as I said, leadership in itself, even though it was a goal.
Towards the end, though, it got nervy. You saw the new head coach in the stands. He looked anxious. He was pointing, he was holding his head in his hands at times, and they very nearly sealed it later on.
They did, because they were hanging on at the end. Watford were a lot better in the second half. But this is the substitutes who come on, Gomez. And he actually, when you see him running with the ball, you actually think he's lost it. He seems to slip. And he keeps it live fantastically well. I mean, on his weak side, but he's usually a great shot. I don't think if sometimes as well...
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Chapter 7: What tactical adjustments did Swansea make to secure the win?
Knowing what you know of him, what do you think he'll bring to the situation you're in now?
Well, obviously he's got bags of experience, albeit in the Italian league, but he's a very experienced coach and it's probably something that we need, an experienced leader. We've all tried to do... I think as a management team, we've done, I think, as best as we possibly could and as good as anybody. I think that we put up some good performances, but unfortunately the results haven't been there.
If he can get the performances and somehow an experienced manager can eke out the results as well, then I think that's what we'll be looking for.
And knowing these players as well as you do, what will he inherit?
Well, you know, I think he showed tonight, I mean, his first hand, you probably would have seen a couple of videos of the team, but I saw first hand what a really good team we are and, you know, there's still a lot of spirit and there's a lot of ability still in the camp. Alan, very well done tonight. OK, thanks a lot.
Yeah, new man takes over tomorrow, great result for Alan. Will he be particularly pleased, and we talked about this before the game, the way they looked after the front two of Watford?
Yeah, I thought, like what we said, it was going to be important to be able to control... Those two. But you see in the example here, I thought that that sort of triangle of the two centre-halves and Leon Britton in front was key. You mentioned earlier in the programme that some teams went against with a three, 3v2, and it normally can be a flat three.
But here, you see that the centre-halves were really aggressive. In particular, actually, Williams, there's a couple of great examples. You see Leon Britton there just anticipating and reading it But they've always had numbers around the ball. And I thought that tactically they were excellent tonight. Picking the diamond meant that naturally there was going to be more players on the inside.
And that allowed them to, as I said, to pick up any second ball.
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