John Swift: Does he have a role in Tony Mowbray's West Brom?

Express & Star

Jonny Drury and Lewis Cox discuss John Swift on this week's episode of the Baggies Broadcast. Swift came off the bench in the win over Oxford and netted the second goal as Albion wrapped up a 2-0 victory. But Swift has had an under par campaign and has found himself out of the side for sections of the season. Since Tony Mowbray's arrival, the new manager has heaped praise on Swift's quality, and again he was complimentary following the victory over Oxford. However, Swift was booed when he entered the field by some sections of the Albion fanbase. Lewis and Jonny discuss Mowbray's comments on the playmaker, and whether he can make an impact on the Albion side before his contract ends in the summer.

Transcript

00:00What have you made of how much weight he's put behind talking about Swift compared to

00:06what we've actually seen from Swift on the field of play? I'm sure Swift would be the

00:12first one to say he hasn't hit the heights that everyone expected him to this season.

00:19But Mo Brace continues to make a concerted effort to big him up, maybe inject more confidence into

00:29him and it seems he's still very much part of his plans even though he's got these midfield

00:35options because he still rates him so highly as a player. I didn't hear the alleged murmurs of

00:48boos from home support towards Swift when he came on, which I read about all on Saturday night.

01:00I don't expect supporters to be doing cartwheels and bringing the house down

01:05at John Swift being subbed on. But I didn't really hear discontent about it.

01:11Everyone can have their view about that. Most I've seen say it's wrong to

01:19boo a home player. One of your own players is wearing a shirt, you need to support them.

01:24I get that. It would take something to have done something extraordinarily bad

01:32to be worthy of that kind of reception from your own supporters.

01:37You mentioned John Swift in your question there. You mentioned he hasn't had the season

01:44he'll have wanted or Albion will have wanted him to have. But has he had the Albion career

01:49that anyone would have wanted him to have? No really across the three seasons. It's just a

01:55crying shame really because he's a talent isn't he and maybe what could have been in a different

02:00time I don't know. The only time we've seen Swift at his best was the early couple of months of

02:10last season, his middle season at Albion where he was in the goals looking a threat and a bad

02:16injury derailed that didn't it. Quite quickly and he never got back there and he struggled to

02:21get back there full stop really. Maybe had the odd game, the odd performance. But the start of

02:29this season looked quite bright and promising didn't it? There was talk of him playing a bit

02:33deeper almost as one of the midfield three or whatever it was under this sort of experiment

02:38from Corboran. Yeah Albion started the season well didn't they and it was okay but

02:47I don't know. I mean Mowbray has got a number of options now hasn't he really?

02:55You had Wallace and Grant missing the weekend so there were two attackers down

02:58albeit wide attackers. But he has still turned to Swift and he's as you say pretty regularly

03:06talked him up in the press and stuff like that and you can only think that that's to inject some

03:12confidence as you say to inspire. Almost to try to remind people what player he is and

03:19Mowbray hasn't been in the building the last three years while Swift's been at Albion so he

03:24like others will have been watching from the outside thinking why is John Swift not playing,

03:28why is Jed Wallace not playing? Obviously we kind of know the reason Wallace isn't playing

03:33but the Swift one is a little bit more puzzling really.

03:40We said it on a podcast many, many, many times didn't we? John Swift never struck

03:45any of us, either of us sorry, as a natural Corboran player. Just didn't really and

03:52unfortunately for him you know sort of style, language, style, he can be perceived to be

03:59not fully in tune with the game or whatever, not 100 miles an hour, not 100 percent

04:05running or whatever and that's just unfortunate with the style he has. Other players like it as

04:11well, it's not just a John Swift thing. But look he's come on for the last five or ten minutes

04:17there hasn't he? He's done fine, he's done pretty well, got the goal great and I was really happy

04:22for him. Do I think it means he's going to start the next game? No and not just because it leads

04:28away really, just I think we'll probably find where he is in the pecking order.

04:36There's a role for him isn't there I think in terms of what it certainly was until recently I

04:41should say. We've seen in the last couple of games a bit of a return of a free man midfield

04:46haven't we almost in a 4-3-3 and in the period before that it was a two up front with an attack

04:53minded midfielder like a Swift role off the striker and he did it in the odd game. He started

04:59the odd game I think in that period but around the same time Dean Garner was sort of finely fit

05:05and playing wasn't he and maybe Grant. His position in the pecking order I think just reflects

05:13the season he's had like you say, the time he's had at the club really and since that sort of

05:18mini-experiment at the start of the season where he was a bit deeper as a central midfielder

05:22sort of broke down. He hasn't been able to influence since hasn't he and he's nowhere

05:28really in my eyes. I can't speak for Tony Mobley but I think the evidence is there. Nowhere near

05:34the pecking order of the usual midfielders you know the Moat, Molumby, now Isaac Price,

05:41Diakite even. There was Rakic before that wasn't there but yeah I mentioned Isaac Price

05:48really. Isaac Price is rightly getting a lot of praise at the moment isn't he and he started his

05:53Albion career brilliantly. Is Isaac Price's position John Swift's position? Are they similar

06:01players? Are they similar profiles? Yes and no. I think Isaac Price is more of a central midfielder

06:06more than a number eight. Use a bit of modern parlance there Johnny rather than Swift being

06:11that more attacking midfielder number 10 but Price has made an immediate impact again to be

06:18again further forward in the pecking order and it's tough for Swift. But the cameo and the

06:25productivity from it and he scored in the five against Pompey as well didn't he? He hadn't scored

06:30or assisted all season had he Swift. Like Wallace before him and hadn't been anywhere near enough

06:36goals, assists from those two. Diangana from Fellows, Johnson going back a little while.

06:44If you can more very clearly more than enough trust to turn to Swift from the bench in

06:51a certain type of games I would say and if Swift can affect them with a pass, create a goal or

06:58nick a goal then I think he can show that he's a more than useful option between now and the end

07:05of the season really because there are going to be times where Grant's got this illness at the

07:08moment he's missed a couple of games. Obviously Wallace seems to be out for a few weeks we'd

07:12expect with that one. So there's a place in the matchday squad certainly. It's tough to see where

07:19he gets to start isn't it Swift? And yeah it just is. As for the reputation among the supporters,

07:30I saw a lot of feel good sort of response from him after that goal on Saturday and great you

07:36could see the players celebrate with him and it was a nice moment. It was a good moment when it

07:41got unnecessarily tense at the end and it could go on to be a big goal. Albin would have won 1-0

07:46anyway I'm sure but I was pleased for him. He's a bit of a four guy isn't he I think.

07:59There's a few sticks to beat him with and it's a shame but I suppose it's the way it's gone.

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