A bit about you:
Name: Alan Lewis
Current home town: Swansea
Birthplace: Maesteg, South Wales
How long have you supported your team? 50 years
Overview of your club:
Favourite thing about your home ground: The fact that it's pretty compact and can generate an "atmosphere". Also a special mention of our pitch. It will be in great condition on Saturday and you would never believe that first class rugby is regularly played on it.
Favourite match played by your team & why: Lots of memories but the 2011 Championship Play Off at Wembley has to take top spot. The whole experience topped off by the result.
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: In recent times Lee Trundle and Leon Britton are both up there and I caught the back end of Ivor Allchurch's career when he came back to Swansea. Alan Curtis and Robbie James were great favourites in the 70s and 80s but if there has to be only one I would settle for Herbie Williams who made over 500 appearances for the Swans in the 60s and 70s. Far from being a household name outside Swansea but just chant 'Herbie oh oh, Herbie oh oh' at any elderly Swans fan at the Liberty on Saturday and they'll know exactly who you are referring to 🙂
About our forthcoming match against you:
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? From the last response you will have guessed that it's Leon Britton. Probably captures as much as any player what the Swans are all about. His lack of size was always highlighted as a problem but he has been a key part of the Swans success through all four divisions and his current extended absence through injury has highlighted, if anyone had any doubt, his value to the team.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? That's one for you to work out – hopefully you will have problems with all of them 🙂
Player in our squad you most fear and why? Never been one for studying the opposition to be honest.
Up and coming prospect in your squad? Ben Davies has filled that spot in the last couple of seasons. With his move to Spurs, another young full back Jazz Richards is knocking on the door and hopefully will push on this season.
Where do you think you’ll finish this season? Would be happy with somewhere around the 10th to 14th mark and securing our Premier League status well before the end of the Season !! Think we have the players to achieve that.
How do you think you’ll do against us? Been a bit of a hit and miss start to the Season and whilst we have played well at times we are not taking the chances to see off games when we are on top. Hopefully all will come together on Saturday so I'm going for a 2-0 win for the Swans.
Any other comments? As a Board member of the Swans Supporter' Trust it has been interesting to read the recent comments around the Labour Party proposals for greater fan involvement in Club ownership. Legislation would be a last resort but if that is the only way to get more fan involvement then so be it. We are fortunate here in Swansea in that we already have in place the type of set up proposed; with the Trust having a 21% shareholding in the Club and a Director on the Club Board. Equally significant is that the others shareholders, none of whom, individually, have more than a 25% shareholding, are all, predominantly local, business men, most of whom have been long term fans of the Club. You can find out more at www.swanstrust.co.uk