By Paul Jones
Russell Martin is tired of sloppy performances, as he see his team drop down to 16th in the Championship, following an eight game winless streak.
Andy Carroll’s third goal of the season put Paul Ince’s men ahead, and it might have been two within five minutes had Yakou Meite not mindlessly blazed his penalty over the bar.
The Royals did find a second early in the second half, when Tom Ince’s deflected shot wrong-footed Steven Benda, and though Liam Cullen halved the deficit with 19 minutes to play, it was not enough to spark the comeback the Swans required.
Swansea have not won in the Championship, since the 23rd October, and have conceded 12 games in eight games, since their 2-0 victory over Cardiff.
Russell Martin said: “I think we dominate every facet of the game but we give away a goal from a set-piece [against Reading], we give away a penalty from a set-piece.
“There’s a problem there, and that will perpetuate a myth that we give away loads of goals. We’re chasing the game again, as usual.
“I can’t criticise the performance between the boxes again but I’m fed up of saying the same thing. We’re too nice in both boxes.
The crowd is turning, people have had enough. Slow, boring and predictable. Constantly conceding awful goals and giving ourselves a mountain to climb. Not Martin out, but I’m got doubts. He can’t learn lessons
— Steven Carroll (@StevenSOS1987) December 27, 2022
“We’re soft – I’ve just said that to the players. I’m fed up of us rolling over and getting our stomachs tickled by opposition teams who come off the pitch saying we’re the best team they’ve played this season – but we get beaten.
“That doesn’t mean anything if you’re not willing to fight and protect your own box and protect your own goal.
“The amount of goals we’ve conceded from the amount of chances we’ve given away is pathetic, really pathetic and it’s boring.”
“We’ve outscored everyone in terms of shots on target, chances, regains on the press, all that stuff – but it’s pointless if we don’t win,” Martin added.
“When you’re that soft in your own box, you’re going to have a problem.
“I’m just fed up. People have this picture that we’re really happy playing that way and getting beaten, as long as we dominate the ball and all that stuff, but that’s ridiculous. We want to win.
https://twitter.com/onlyswanss/status/1607811539762814977
“But we haven’t won for a long while and it really hurts, and the goals we’re conceding really hurt.”
Carroll recorded the game’s first clear-cut chance when he adjusted his position to steer a header straight into Benda’s arms, while at the other end Oli Cooper forced a save from Joe Lumley, who then clawed the ball from his feet and was left untested when Ryan Manning arrowed the loose ball over from a tight angle.
It was Carroll who broke the deadlock, firing home from 15 yards after Benda leapt to punch away a free-kick, but directed the ball straight to the towering striker, who did not need a second invitation.
Four minutes later, referee James Linington pointed to the spot when Carroll was pulled down by Jay Fulton in the box, but Meite sent the resulting penalty way over the bar, to the delight of the Swansea fans behind the goal.
However less than 10 minutes after the break the hosts did double their lead after Swansea were caught playing out from the back. The ball was worked to Ince, whose composed low shot took a wicked deflection and left Benda rooted to the spot as it rolled over the line.
Swansea kept plugging away to ensure the game did not escape them, and they did managed to pull one back when Cullen helped the ball in at the far post after Joel Piroe’s flicked header hit the inside of the right-hand post.
That set up a tense finale, with Benda advancing to attack a corner in the dying stages and Ince taking aim when the set-piece was cleared with the goal unguarded. He could not get enough purchase on the shot, however, and late drama was avoided.
