Abertawe. I have many memories and associations but very few of them are football related. Dylan Thomas, Cwmdonkin Park, Twin Town, Mumbles Pier, The Gower peninsular, stopping for fish and chips at Monni’s on Brynymor Road on my way to visit the Boat House in Laugharne. All happy reflections on that ‘ugly, lovely town’ but football wise Swansea City never featured particularly largely in our house. Mum was a Newport County fan and her four brothers and her dad all played for Tintern, so a club as far West as Swansea didn’t get much of a look in.
There was of course that one crazy season when ex Liverpool striker John Toshack took them to the top of what was then rather prosaically known as the First Division. They had been in the fourth division three seasons before and Toshack performed one of the most remarkable feats of management of my lifetime in winning successive promotions getting from the bottom to the top of the pile in double quick time. They even led the table on more than one occasion, finishing sixth in their début top flight season. Sadly for them it couldn’t last and they dropped like a stone in the following two years and I and many others assumed we’d seen the last of the boys from the Vetch Field. Entertaining but extremely temporary.
As it transpired we were in a way correct. 
The Vetch is now a sadly dilapidated rectangle of turf, partly turned over to allotments and merely a memory for the old timers of the town. Swansea moved to Stadiwm Liberty eight years ago and have enjoyed remarkable success for a relatively small club. It isn’t a big secret to many of you that I don’t have a great deal of time for any club other than Arsenal. I watched Bristol Rovers in my adolescence and will always have a place for them in my heart, but as far as top flight teams go, well, lets just say I’d rather see my grandparents having sex than watch almost any other side play football. However, I’ll let you into a secret. I have a lot of time for Swansea. They play the game properly. They survived their first Premiership season without resorting to Pulis vile brand of anti football and have survived losing their promising young manager this time around. When they beat us last year I was pretty shocked. I had made the mistake of believing the ‘It’s only Swansea’ brigade. But it was the manner of their victory that impressed me. They did it by outplaying us, pure and simple. No need for hopeless or bent refs, no need for leg breaking challenges, no need for the kind of feeble brained gibberish the press like to call mind games. Instead they just came out and played fast, free flowing, inventive, pacey and attractive football. And I applaud them for that. When Arsene spoke yesterday he said that Swansea were “one of the teams of the season” and we at Positively Arsenal aren’t in the business of pretending we know more than one of the game’s greatest minds. In any case I agree and will even go further – they are one of the teams of the last two seasons and apart from when they play us I wish them well.
You see what teams like Swansea and Norwich and Wigan bring to English football is the clear, unarguable evidence that Pulis, Brown, McLeish and Allardyce and all their knuckle dragging apologists in the press are a bunch of lying scumbags. They all want us to believe that in order to survive at the highest level the smaller teams have no choice but to play violently brutal percentage football based on a thuggish spoiling mentality. Look at Stoke, you say, look how well such a small club have done with this revolting anti football. Well I say piss off you awful little pillock, look instead at Swansea and see that you can be brave enough to play the beautiful game against a club as good at it as Arsenal are and still survive. In fact never mind survive, you can thrive.
So that’s Swansea. What about us? While our opponents are on a high after defeating Bradford City in the league cup, we are coming off the back of a stunning away leg in our champions league clash with Bayern Munich. I can’t speak for the players, that would be silly, but I know a lot of fans are confused by the events of Wednesday night. It’s impossible not to be happy about such a startling victory. About being the only team to keep a clean sheet there this season. There were times we contrived to make them look ordinary, and they were not and are anything but an ordinary side. And yet, and yet, we’ve just been knocked out of the champions league. A tournament we still haven’t won and one Arsene so deserves to win. It’s fair to say our emotions are conflicted. It’s here that having a first class manager with first class staff ought to pay dividends. Arsène will, I believe, use the spirit that earned us that clean sheet in Germany to make his players believe they can do it again. They showed such desire, such commitment and combined with the skill we all know they posses those are the qualities we will need this afternoon and for the next nine games.
Arsène believes we have ten cup finals between now and the end of the season. Exciting times to be an Arsenal fan. Exciting times to be an Arsenal player. While the most important thing today is of course that both sets of supporters get to enjoy a really good game of football, we are now down to our final target for this season so every point becomes more important. Let’s pray our enemies falter and when they do, let us be resolute, let us be victorious.
Positively Arsenal 
Damn it. The more I see of Jenks, the more I think he’s going to be a star right back. What an awesome player.
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What a stunningly professional performance, Swansea looked pretty good first half but we squeezed them til the pips squeaked.
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At last I get to do a write up where we have won
Fucking brilliant.
Gervinho deserves a mention in dispatches.
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giroud to ramsey to gerv ….goal and a ARSENAL away win with a clean sheet with fab in goal the doomers will be hanging themselves on yeah!
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I checked. They had 0 shots on target, we had 6. They really couldn’t break us down.
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Swansea had zero shots on goal, but Arsene’s bacon was saved according to some less than positive idiots.
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The trouble is G69 that they have invested so much in propounding the view that we are doomed, they can’t resile from that without losing face. And God knows, idiot fans not losing face is by far the most important priority.
Was that the smell of Arsenal FC winning without playing at their best? Mmmmm!
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The Manchester Oilers have thrown the league away and they didn’t even make it into the second round of the CL. What a shit team.
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Well done boys, so many times before, we have had European hangovers, but not today
Lets hope Berbatov is in the mood tomorrow
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A very decent win indeed. Not sure how many games Bayern or Swansea have lost at home this season but I’m certain it’s very, very few.
We may not have played at our best although I thought we looked pretty decent given the calibre of the opposition, but there was a determination about us, epitomised by the ‘challenge’ that earned Arteta a yellow card. He took one for the team there as he stopped Swansea dead in their tracks and they were completely unable to get their game going against us.
Interesting reading the bile that comes out on some other blogs during games before we’ve sealed the win. These commentators end up making themselves look like complete idiots as they shoot themselves repeatedly in the foot all in the name of slagging of the players of the team they purport to support. Odd.
So, all in all, a terrible week for the Doomers; looks like it’s back under the rock they go for a few days …
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I know, Funny. I love watching those morons twist themselves into pretzels in order to find fault with the team. Crap day, tough away game at Swansea, after tougher midweek game in Munich and we still win. But, no, Arsenal has to rip teams apart 8-0 or Wenger is a senile manager who is past it and Kronke needs to F off with his Wal-Mart billions.
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Nice win for Arsenal.
I am happy for Gervinho and Monreal.
We werent at our free flowing best, but it will come.
We controlled them well.
Our counter attacks are scarily quick.
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Andrew, I don’t bother reading crap while the game is not yet sealed. The commentators spill enough bilge on their own even though they’re not supposed to be bias.
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Huge, huge underachievers there, Gains; Citeh look set for new management come the summer, if not before. Can’t really understand why they’ve gone into such steep decline, it’s not as if they have had a bad time with injuries or anything.
They just can’t be bothered.
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And what’s up with Safe Handsky? Two clean sheets in a row……..
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Oh I didn’t read anything during the game – I just had a look a moment ago as I was just curious to see how the doomers handled a tight game and if there was any sign of support for the side before that first goal.
Needless to say, these people find fault with such fluency one can only marvel at the amount of practice they must have put in to achieve such hate-filed gusto.
They can only be seething right now at Gerv for scoring, Fab for another clean sheet …
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AA, what bemuses me is how one minute they are saying we are playing for a draw, Gervinho is shit etc and the minute he scores, unashamedly cheer him on. So with one goal he went from shit to star?
They are so negative when we are not walking away with the win from minute 1, but as soon as the ball hits the back of the net, it is all smiles. Surely they must notice the split second shift in personality!
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Who are these people you speak of?
Name and shame lads.name and shame
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George, it is the regular posters at aclf. It is a shame what has happened to the blog.
Surprisingly, the BBC published positive tweets about Arsene. Mind you, that was after the win.
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Fantastic result!
I feared there might be some lethargy so soon after Bayern, but that was a professional and determined performance. Very very pleased. Another tough place to go and get a result at any time, never mind a clean sheet, but there was real pressure today, and they handled it well. Vital three points, the most important thang of course, but also we looked confident. Which is heartening to see. What’s not to love.
(Another great post btw Steww).
COYR
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@ pedantic george March 16, 2013 at 5:34 pm
Wasn’t talking about anyone in particular but I know the type!
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pg @ 5:34 pm – Name and shame? I was on Twitter and the b.s. being dished out during the game up to the goal being scored was awful. Thanks to steww and Bradyesque for slapping them down. One particular character you had to smack down earlier this week.
If we had lost Diaby would have been hounded out of the club. Apparently he has no right to be rusty. Our former mates have reduced him to being a Wenger favorite. With supporters like thes, who needs the Spuds.
Well Gervinho and Ramsey stuffed them in their pipes and they have to smoke it.
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Sensational @ 5:54pm – That other place has gone to the dogs. When hard core supporters are being binned in favor of middle-of-the-road fence sitters then you know the game is up.
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Yes, plenty of nonsense about Wenger choosing players by seniority rather than form.
You can’t make it up, you really can’t.
And I think this is the point that I get most angry with them.
Whilst I get it that the weak-willed and feeble-minded will struggle to maintain support during a defeat, to continue to harangue the players despite a win – and even during a game- is inexcusable, just utterly deplorable.
Not fit to wear the replica shirt in my opinion.
Just got half an eye on the Manure v Reading game – my better (non-footballing) half has made the following observation:
“When the blue ones fall over, they just get up, but when the red ones fall over they all complain.”
I think we all know who she’s talking about.
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She deserves a song for that AA. Brilliant observation. I’ll dedicate one to her.
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Sorry I’m late to the party. Great post steww – your standards never slip. Excellent result for our boys winning 2 tough away games in one week is absolutely fantastic. And I am so pleased for the likes of Fabianski, Ramsey and Gervinho that they are getting to show their stuff and put the doomers to shame.
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Passenal – if only those self righteous, self serving morons had any shame.
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“When the blue ones fall over, they just get up, but when the red ones fall over they all complain.”
ha ha
Hang onto her, ArsenalAndrew – she’s a keeper!
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Shotta, Good that we have this here. Thanks to Steww, AA, PG and the guest posters for doing this. Not easy work, maintaining a blog everyday.
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Hahaha. CONGRATULATIONS ARSENAL. Nicely done.
Now is party time for THEO AND THE CREW.
one minute slating the next praising after we score. Hahaha. Incredibly transparent agenda. Oh yah. We will respect the integrity of your comments next time….. NOT……
ENJOY THE WIN AND THE WEEKEND EVERYONE…..
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Kam – You got your rotation, you should be happy.
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Vidic pushes Mariapi two-handed to the ground, penalty, no call. One more for the Hunter files.
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Don’t let them spoil it for you and don’t get angry.
Hell that is their aim. Don’t let them succeed.
ENJOY THE WIN. Come on you GUNNERS .
teams around us are starting to shit themselves. Time to shoot for second or third.
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Oops, sorry, nodded off there in front of the Mancky snore-fest.
Thanks Steww, TLJ now can’t wait for Tuesday night to come around!
Wise words, Fungunner, wise words …
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Yah SHOTTA. we are placed well to make a strong push now.
Thankful the injury bug has not derailed us much. Time to bring it.
And my stock in companies that make humble pie looking real good master George…
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If United is the advert for the BPL then on today’s show this is hell of a sell.
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Well George bragged on Twitter that PA will be in a full gloat mode tomorrow. That should make the two-faced middle-of-the-roaders really happy.
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The bias in favour of utd has to be seen to be believed …
Appalling advert for the game.
Almost enough to drive one to the rugby.
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Yogi cannot be happy with th quality of posting over there on ACLF . I still read Yogi’s posts, they are quality, but the posters are dire…..
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Come on you ROYALS. one last time for MCDERMOTT.
another idiot owner ala south Hampton.
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Hello George – how you doing?
Yes, agree, Yogi’s still consistently consistent; still can’t quite get over the scale of the change in the comments section.
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95 minutes of manure rolling around in the mud, persie’s form has faded somewhat.
Fortunately the ref’s been reliable …
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Well well well. First cup final dispatched successfully. Nine more to go.
My old friend Natty Bumpo dropped in too. I remember that weekend well, le longue carabine. We had a great time.
Great result. Almost as difficult a place to win as the Allianz Arena and blow me down if we didn’t win there too.
I am very fond of this Arsenal squad, my favourite in fact.
Waaan Arsene Wenger..theres only waaan Arsene Wenger…waaan Arsene Weeennnggggeeerrrrrr..theres only wan Arsene Wengggeeerrrr
Arsenal…Arsenal…Arsenal…Arsenal
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One down, Nine to go…
WELL done you Gunners
Way to go spanking the Swans.
Don’t give a sh*te what Utd do..3 trophies my arse!
I expect they’ll end up with 1.
RASERS!
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AA @ 7:14 pm – Why are you surprised? Despite Yogi’s obvious ability and hard work ACLF onlydeveloped a seriousa reputation when 6-7 years ago a small group of serious supporters held the fort against a tide of moaning ninnies who slated Wenger because he couldn’t match Roman’s big spend at Chelski. I joined when it was common to slate and hate Eboue, Ade and Song with xenophobic and racist language. YW struggled to get 30 comments daily. ACLF then was a minor player compared to Arseblog with a handful of readers and comments, similar in size to Gunnerblog and Goodplaya. Frank, Fungunner, Passenal, Gains, Limpar, Muppet et al carried ACLF with knowledgeable, entertaining contributions united by one thread; aggressive support for Wenger, the team and the club. ACLF truly took off during the blog wars when even Arseblogger was forced to come personally and account for his negativity.
Since then YW and his lieutenants lost sight of their core support and began binning those who gave the blog their identity and giving cover to the two-faced fence-sitters on the spurious ground of allowing open debate. When did a football blog cease being a place of partisanship? If we needed a middle-of-the-road media then the BBC football pages would satisfy all club supporters.
Logically ACLF started playing to its favored audience and the explicit editorial policy this year is that Arsene Wenger is synonymous with our recent failure to win any trophy, contrary to all other extenuating circumstances. The top dogs wrote several blogs making no pretence that AW’s time was almost done and yanked away that rug of support that is a precious commodity in a difficult transitional season sans Van Traitor. In reply to my protestations on this point “captain” Bob retorted that our support at ACLF did not really matter.
Based on their position that positive support is an option, not a necessity on a footblall blog I am not surprised by the downward spiral into dooming and negativity especially in the Comments section. Not my cup of tea any more. Sorry.
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You have always been a star, Shotta
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Just setting the record straight Frank. Somebody has all those posts saved somewhere. Scary but true.
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I got pushed out for slagging off an idiot who called Fabianski Flapianski, after a difficult European tie where he was injured, and for making fun of him over some stupid crap he said about Gervinho taking shooting practice. What a coincidence that Fabianski has pipped Szczesny for the number one shirt and Gervinho has had his most prolific season in an Arsenal shirt. And just in case he’s reading this that idiot’s name is Jonny.
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I’m not going to enter into any slanging match with anyone over there. They have their agenda, some are obviously deeply upset that we are so happy over here, but that’s their problem.
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I guess I was a bit hurt over the fact that I lost contact with my Arsenal friends over something so stupid. I think it’s brilliant I’m able to share with you guys again. I will never ran about that lot again.
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