By Hannah Blackwell His eyes welling up, Roberto Martinez said his goodbyes and left, his next whereabouts unknown. It is the end of an era for Belgium’s golden generation. But for the former Swansea City manager who led the Red Devils to third place at the 2018 World Cup, it is the beginning of something […]

Say it ain’t so, Joe. That phrase passed into sporting immortality when an American reporter allegedly asked baseball star ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson about his admission that he’d fixed the 1919 World Series. (He hadn’t). It was also asked – in a roundabout way – by reporters to Joe Allen on Sunday when he was quizzed on whether making the World Cup knockout stages in Qatar was now a lost cause.

Joe Allen has been backed by Joe Ledley to defy medical predictions – and help guide Wales on another major tournament adventure. Swansea City midfielder Allen has given Wales fans a major boost by taking part in training in Qatar after two months sidelined with a hamstring injury. If he proves fit ahead of his country’s World Cup opener against the USA on Monday – a match that is live on S4C – it will revive memories of Ledley’s miracle comeback from a broken leg at Euro 2016.

Russell Martin has described Swansea City’s goalless draw at bottom club Huddersfield as a “brilliant performance.” The Swansea head coach watched his team dominate the game but their fifth game without a win leaves them outside of the play-off places as the Championship campaign goes into a four-week break for the World Cup in Qatar. Remarkably, the Swans’ stuttering form has not seen them fall out of the play-off picture and although they are back in eighth spot, they will resume on December 10 level on points with sixth-placed Millwall.

Russell Martin understands the frustration and criticism levelled at his team, but he believes that his side are at the beginning of their journey and will learn from these tough tests. Troy Deeney rescued a deserved point for Birmingham after Matt Grimes looked like inspiring Swansea to a comeback win in a 2-2 draw at […]

Russell Martin has admitted Swansea City are shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to their home form. For the second time in three games in front of their own fans, the Swans went 2-0 behind before rescuing themselves. Against Reading, Martin’s men came back to win 3-2, but the Wigan reprieve was only partial and they had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Russell Martin insists he is unconcerned by Swansea City’s first defeat in four games that has stalled their promotion push The Swans lost 1-0 at Preston on Tuesday night to make it one point gathered from their last two games, having previously won six out of seven. The defeat leaves them in sixth place in the Championship but they could drop out of the play-off places if either Watford or Millwall win on Wednesday night.

By Gareth james Russell Martin is banking on Dutch ace Joel Piroe coming back with a bang for Swansea City at Preston on Tuesday night. Star striker Piroe returns to the squad after a three-match ban for his red card in the 4-0 defeat at Burnley. That is the only defeat the Swansea have suffered […]

Swansea City aim to prove there are the high noon specialists when they visit Bristol City for another midday kick-off on Saturday. Having beaten rivals Cardiff City, 2-0, last Sunday, the Swans have already proved themselves top dogs in Wales and now they are anxious to take a bite out of their second-nearest neighbours in the West Country. Russell Martin’s side have established an astonishing dominance in the South Wales derby with three consecutive victories against the Bluebirds, and six wins out of the last eight meetings, during which they have scored 15 goals to the Bluebirds’ one.

Russell Martin has revealed he warned his players not to lose their heads before the South Wales derby because he believed a bare-knuckle scrap would suit Cardiff City more than Swansea. The Swans head coach insisted on cool heads prior to the club’s 2-0 victory on Sunday, which was another one-sided encounter from the moment Bluebirds striker Callum Robinson was sent off in the seventh minute. Martin – like his opposite number Mark Hudson – was at a loss to explain Robinson’s decision to throw the ball into the face of Ben Cabango from point blank range, but said he had  issued his own messages before kick-off.

Russell Martin was a Braveheart Scotland international and it’s bravery that his Swansea City defender Harry Darling reckons will prove decisive in the Welsh derby against Cardiff City this Sunday. Current Swans head coach Martin hails from Brighton and hardly fits the mould as a rugged, thistle-clad no-nonsense Scottish defender, but it’s not physical bravery that Darling is talking about. As a player, Martin was a more of a thinker than a thumper and his coaching buzzwords of “courage” and “bravery” are not about sticking your head in where it hurts.

Russell Martin saluted his Swansea City’s players’ courage and determination after they came from 2-0 down to beat Reading 3-2 to stay among the Championship pace-setters on Tuesday night. The Swans head coach was full of praise for his side who buried themselves in a deep hole, but managed to haul themselves out of it. It was a display of impressive character from a team that had lost 4-0 at Burnley just three days before.