Swansea Premier League survival bid marred by 'scuffle’ in trainingWelsh club's relegation fight overshadowed by claims their players were engaged in a training-ground fight ahead of last Sunday’s home clash with Chelsea Swansea City’s fight to escape relegation from the Premier League has been
overshadowed by claims that their players were engaged in a training-ground scuffle ahead of last Sunday’s home clash with Chelsea. A group of
six players were understood to have taken part in the brawl last Wednesday during a full practice match which
was being watched by club chairman Huw Jenkins. It is believed
scuffling broke out three times and at one point players had to be pulled apart as tempers flared.
Swansea have not, as yet, indicated that they are taking any disciplinary action against the players involved, but it will be a concern for manager Garry Monk,
whose side are just three points above the relegation zone after their 1-0 defeat by Chelsea – the same result by which they lost to Hull City in their previousleague outing.
The Chelsea match featured moments of indiscipline by Chico Flores, who was sent off after a second bookable offence following two rash tackles in as minutes in the opening half,
although Swansea argued afterwards that Chelsea players had influenced referee Phil Dowd in his decision to issue a red card.
Flores’s temperament has been called into question before. There
had been claims that the Spanish defender almost came to blows with Monk when Monk was team captain under previous manager Michael Laudrup. Tensions within the dressing room are said to have been strained by the influx of high-earning players.
Swansea’s target over their final four league games is all about securing top-flight survival. They visit Newcastle next Saturday with matches running out in their battle to beat the drop.
The
Swans have won just two out of 10 league games since Monk assumed head coach responsibility more than two months ago following Laudrup’s sacking.
“We are not in a good position, clearly,” Monk said. “We’re not secure and we have four games left. It’s not a situation we want to be in.
“The difference is we are not chasing anything, we are not looking to scramble six or seven points to get out of it.
“We have it in our own hands, but we have to do something quickly and get points on the board in our next game. The players are aware of it, but it’s a case of making sure we do it.
“Two wins should make it secure, but we can only think about winning the next game.
“I said to the players that we’ve had it a few times where we have shown the desire and attitude to not be beaten and try to push on and win the game, but unfortunately come away with nothing.
“But I’ve told them if they do exactly what they did there [against Chelsea] for the last four games, we will have no problems.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/swansea-city/10766566/Swansea-Premier-League-survival-bid-marred-by-scuffle-in-training.html
