Swansea City

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Alan Sheehan says he will not rush Marko Stamenic back into action having made the mistake of returning to football too soon after the death of his mother.

Stamenic has missed Swansea's past four matches following the passing of his father.

After a spell on compassionate leave, the 23-year-old midfielder returned to Wales last week but was not considered for Swansea's weekend defeat to Ipswich Town.

"It's a case of bringing him back into the environment and looking after him, showing support and speaking to him every day," said Swansea boss Sheehan.

"I will not risk his well-being to play or put him into that position.

"As somebody who's lived that and probably come back too soon, it is not a situation I'm willing to put him in or any other player under us either."

Sheehan's mother Anne died suddenly when he was playing for Bradford City in 2014.

The former left-back missed only one Bradford game - having returned to his native Republic of Ireland for the funeral - before getting back on the pitch.

"My mam passed away after a game and I found out on the coach," Sheehan said.

"I came back very quickly and played. It was a few weeks down the line where I wasn't in the best position.

"I wasn't in the best place at all and I'm not willing to do that to Marko or any other player."

While Swansea are not back in action until they go to Bristol City in 11 days' time, Stamenic could make a playing comeback for New Zealand.

The former Nottingham Forest player has been included in the All Whites squad for friendlies against Colombia and Ecuador in the USA during the international break.

"He'll go away and he's got childhood friends in the New Zealand team," Sheehan said.

"I think it's good for him to be around people that are supportive all the time."

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Former striker Ian Walsh says Alan Sheehan should go back to the formula which worked last season as he look to revive his ailing Swansea City side.

Sheehan's Swansea were thumped 4-1 at home by Ipswich Town on Saturday, their fourth defeat in the past seven Championship games.

The Swans are down to 18th in the table having endured their worst start to a league campaign since relegation from the top flight seven years ago.

Their poor form is in stark contrast to the closing stages of last season, when Sheehan took 24 points from 13 games to lead Swansea to an 11th-placed finish.

Ex-Swansea and Wales player Walsh feels Sheehan must now revert to the approach which worked so well in the spring.

"Go back to basics, go back to when he took over last season," said BBC Sport Wales pundit Walsh.

"He played a little bit more progressive football, higher up the field and less mistakes at the back, and got results.

"All of a sudden this season I have seen him play four at the back and since Manchester City he has played three at the back.

"Why change it? What is the strategy? What is the thinking behind going to three at the back?"

Walsh says the manner of Swansea's miserable first-half performance display against Ipswich will prompt questions about Sheehan's job security, though he feels the Irishman should be given more time.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

"Those first 45 minutes possibly have cost him his job," Walsh added.

"I am not one to advocate for managers [losing their jobs]. I just hope he gets the chance to go back to basics, what he was doing last season, and then get on from there."

Walsh believes Sheehan must find a way of getting more forward-thinking players into his team when Swansea return to action after the international break at Bristol City on 22 November.

"The line-up [on Saturday], there was [Zan] Vipotnik and [Zeidane] Inoussa who were the only real players who could you get forward, could get you into advanced roles," he said.

"It was just frustrating to see quite a negative line-up to start with and then the formation was totally wrong. It was 45 minutes completely wasted.

"A bit better in the second half, got back into it, but individually Ipswich were much better. They went on and flourished."

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Alan Sheehan has led Swansea to their worst points total after 15 games since their relegation from the Premier League.

After picking up 23 points in his 13 games as caretaker head coach last season, Sheehan has found trouble getting results so far this campaign.

His side are 18th in the Championship going into the final international break of the year.

We asked supporters if Sheehan was the right man to lead the Swans out of this slump.

Here's a selection of your responses.

Geraint: We have a manager who was given money in the summer to strengthen, but he does not seem to know his strongest team. One week he will not play Zan Vipotnik, and then on Saturday he does not play the wingers to supply the crosses for him. Bring in Michael Carrick.

Steff: Swansea have set themselves up with a largely inexperienced squad at Championship level, and that squad is overseen by an inexperienced manager. I feel the rebuild project is only at the very early stages and Sheehan deserves more time to try and get the best out of the players available. The club obviously had an idea of what their long term project should look like and felt Sheehan was the man to deliver this.

Chris: It's a hard league and for some reason things are not clicking. The players are good enough but I think Sheehan is under pressure and listening to others rather than galvanising his team and outlining his perfect 11. Give him five more games with a goal of 10+ points. If he does that then great, if not we have a problem.

Harry: I never thought Sheehan was the right man for the permanent job, and now here we are drifting towards the same old cycle. Fire the manager, get someone new in and then reset the entire squad in summer… AGAIN.

Robert: Alan Sheehan had the chance to make a name for himself at Swansea but has not delivered. He has to go. As a club with many loyal supporters we deserve better. We should be at least be challenging for promotion to the Premier League The humiliation of being well beaten by Ipswich was the last straw.

Richard: Yes, the Swans should stick with Sheehan as it will make no difference if they change the manager. The Swans will always be an average team in the Championship and a top-half finish is more realistic than all the crazy talk of being in the play-offs at the end of the season.

Mike: I'm all for giving someone time to make things right but we're going backwards at the moment. If Sheehan thinks Ronald and Liam Cullen coming on at half time will improve us when we're getting battered by an average team then he's looking for the door out. Our football is non-progressive and awful to watch at the moment and something needs to change. I don't think he can turn us around.

Swansea City's poor run of form continued on Saturday when they lost 4-1 at home to Ipswich Town - their fourth defeat in seven Championship games.

Boss Alan Sheehan booed by a section of supporters following the final whistle - with a chant from some calling for the Irishman's departure.

Sheehan insisted he is the right man to lead Swansea despite their slump.

Should the club stick with him or use the international break to make a change?

Have your say here

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Swansea City have suffered a double blow as they plan for their trip to Bristol City with Ben Cabango and Josh Tymon both facing suspensions.

Swansea will return to action after the international break at Ashton Gate on 22 November.

But they will make the short journey to Bristol without two defensive regulars after Cabango and Tymon were booked during Saturday's 4-1 defeat by Ipswich Town.

Cabango was cautioned for his reaction after Jack Taylor's foul on Goncalo Franco, while Tymon was carded for impeding Darnell Furlong as he tried to take a quick throw-in.

They were fifth bookings of the season for both Cabango and Tymon, meaning they will serve one-match suspensions.

That news is far from ideal for Alan Sheehan, who was left insisting he is the right man to take Swansea forward after the Ipswich thrashing continued the club's poor run of form.

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Cameron Burgess has sent a message to Swansea City supporters saying he will make "no excuses" after he scored two own goals in Saturday's thrashing by former club Ipswich Town.

Centre-back Burgess endured a painful afternoon as Alan Sheehan's struggling team were beaten 4-1 by Ipswich.

Both goals were unfortunate, with Burgess twice turning the ball into his own net as he made sliding attempts to clear against the club he left to join Swansea in the summer.

But with Swansea down to 18th in the Championship having lost four of their past seven league games, 30-year-old Burgess expressed his feelings on social media site X.

"I don't usually say much on social media and I will probably take this post down soon, but just wanted to write a message to the Swansea City fans that want to hear it," Burgess wrote., external

"I know how much this club means to you all and how much pride you take in being a part of it. As a player, I hear your criticism and you won't hear any excuses from me.

"I am my own worst critic, believe me, and it's my sole purpose to put things right on the pitch personally by showing what you all expect to see."

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After a miserable first-half performance, Swansea trailed 1-0 at the break thanks to a precise finish from Jack Clarke.

Sheehan's men improved at the start of the second period, levelling through Goncalo Franco, only for Ipswich to restore their lead within five minutes when Leif Davis' mishit shot went in off Burgess.

Ivan Azon then put the result beyond doubt before Burgess diverted Jens Cajuste's cross inside the far post to add to Swansea's misery.

When asked about Burgess' difficult day, Sheehan said: "We win as a team and lose as a team.

"I think that me as a manager right now, I'll always be looking for solutions, understanding if we could do things differently and how we can tweak little things moving forward."

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna had sympathy for his former player, who now joins up with Australia for friendlies against Colombia and Venezuela.

"Sometimes in those situations, as a defender with the ball coming across goal, if you don't get there someone else will. Cameron is experienced enough to know that," McKenna said.

"He's a top man who has been a top player for our club. We have fond memories of him and he has already been a top player for Swansea.

"You can see what a leader he is in their group already. I know how strong a character he is and I'm sure he will be picking up his team-mates."

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Alan Sheehan says Swansea City must show their ruthless side if they are to end a frustrating week on a high note by beating Ipswich Town on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Swansea are licking their wounds having taken only one point from tricky away games at Charlton Atheltic and Preston North End despite having enough control at the Valley and Deepdale to come away with victories.

Swansea's attacking failings were an issue in both those matches, with the lack of a clinical edge – and at times a shortage of any threat – a recurring theme for Sheehan's team this season.

But Sheehan says his players know what is required to change that story.

"I believe in this group of players. I believe in what we're building," he said.

"We know what we need to get better.

"We want to have that confidence, calm those emotions in those [attacking] areas and have that a bit more freedom, and then have the opportunity to show that quality and be a bit more ruthless."

Ipswich arrive in Wales having taken seven points from their past three games to climb to 10th in the Championship.

Having been relegated from the Premier League last season, the Portman Road club have one of the more impressive squads in the second tier.

"They have invested a lot of money in their team which the manager deserved really due to the success that he's brought to the football club," Sheehan added.

"They have accumulated a very strong squad and are a team that you would expect to be up there at the end of the season, no doubt about it."

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Ipswich will seek to keep building momentum as they head to Swansea on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Kieran McKenna's men are 10th and within three points of the play-off places, with a game in hand, after earning a 1-1 draw at home to Watford on Tuesday night.

It made it seven points from their past three games, including a 4-1 win at QPR in their most recent away game last Saturday.

The Swans are three points back in 17th and are consistently inconsistent, failing to record consecutive results of any kind in their 14 games so far this season.

They fell to a battling 2-1 defeat at Preston on Wednesday having grabbed a point at Charlton last Saturday but won their most recent home game against Norwich 2-1.

• Swansea have lost their past two home league games against Ipswich, having lost just one of their first 13 against them between 1947 and 2011 (W7 D5).

• Ipswich did the league double over Swansea when they last faced each other in 2023-24 – they've never won three in a row against the Swans before.

• After winning five consecutive league games at the start of April, Swansea have now won just four of their last 16 (D6 L6).

• Ipswich have conceded in each of their past 22 away league games, their longest run without a clean sheet on the road since a run of 23 in the 2018-19 campaign.

• Both Swansea and Ipswich have conceded five headed goals in the Championship so far this season, with only QPR (7) conceding more.

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Swansea City hope Zeidane Inoussa may be fit to feature against Ipswich Town on Saturday after the winger missed Wednesday's defeat at Preston North End.

Inoussa did not travel to Preston after complaining of a knee issue in training on Tuesday which meant he did not complete the session.

But Swansea are keeping fingers crossed that the 23-year-old, who has made 15 appearances in all competitions this season, could be back in contention for Ipswich's visit.

Zan Vipotnik made a rapid return to action at Deepdale, coming on as a second-half substitute despite missing last weekend's draw at Charlton with a quad injury.

Vipotnik, Swansea's eight-goal leading scorer, featured alongside Adam Idah in attack and Alan Sheehan has hinted that he could look to use the two strikers together again.

"Vipi (Vipotnik) and Adam gives us something different," the Swansea head coach said.

"It may be something we will look at [using again]. It's nice to have Vipi back because he has been in a great place."

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Swansea City midfielder Marko Stamenic has paid tribute to his father after his death last month.

Stamenic is currently on compassionate leave, with Swansea boss Alan Sheehan telling the New Zealand international to spend "as long as he wants" away from the Championship club.

Alongside a picture of him and dad Nikola, Stamenic wrote on social media:, external "My father, my role model, my life.

"Dad you were nothing short of the best man I will ever know. The echoes of our love, happiness and even the sadness we faced together will forever fill my heart.

"May you rest in peace. I love you more than anything."

Stamenic has missed Swansea's past three games as a result of his father's passing, and seems unlikely to feature in their home fixture against Ipswich Town this Saturday.

When available, the 23-year-old has been a regular in Sheehan's Swansea side since joining from Nottingham Forest in August.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

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Alan Sheehan rightly pointed out after defeat at Preston North End that his Swansea City side might easily be in a much better league position.

Swansea had enough control in last weekend's draw at Charlton to claim three points rather than one.

And Swansea were so dominant at Deepdale on Wednesday that a draw would have been a disappointment, never mind the 2-1 loss they suffered.

To lose on a night when Swansea had 18 efforts on goal compared to Preston's four must have left Sheehan cursing his side's attacking failings all the way home to Wales.

"Anybody who has watched our last two games… you could come out with six points easily and be in a totally different position," Sheehan said.

"We have come out with one and we are very disappointed with that. That's the margins in this league."

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The issue for Swansea is that too often this season, they have finished up on the wrong side of the Championship's fine margins.

As a result, they sit 17th in the table with almost a third of the campaign already behind them.

Sheehan expects better. The club expect better.

Swansea remain closer to the play-off places – the gap is six points – than they are to the bottom three, with 22nd-placed Norwich City eight points worse off than Sheehan's side.

Had they won their two games this week, Swansea would be on the fringes of the top six with 22 points.

As it stands, the play-off places appear some way off for a Swansea team who have won only two league games since August.

An upturn in results is required, and a win over Ipswich Town on Saturday would be very timely.

Lose this weekend, however, and Sheehan will be left licking wounds once more during the international break.

Preston North End will look to strengthen their position in the top six as they host Swansea City on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).

Following Tuesday's results, the Lilywhites cannot be displaced from their sixth spot but can climb to fourth should they earn themselves a third successive win at Deepdale.

Swansea, meanwhile, can extend their distance from the bottom three into double digits and drag themselves further up into the midtable.

• Preston North End have lost only one of their last nine home league games against Swansea City (W5 D3), going four without loss at Deepdale to the Swans since a 1-0 loss in September 2020 (W3 D1).

• Swansea City are unbeaten in their last three league meetings with Preston North End (W2 D1), keeping a clean sheet in the last two – they last went three in a row against PNE without conceding in 1930.

• Preston North End have lost only five of their 30 home league games since the start of last season, but PNE have drawn more home Championship matches than any other side in that period (W11 D14).

• Swansea City failed to win a single midweek (Tue/Wed/Thu) away league game between November 2022 and October 2024 (P12 D5 L7), but have since won on three of their six midweek trips (D1 L2).

• Preston North End's Daniel Jebbison has scored in two of his last three home appearances in the league (two goals), having gone 24 home outings without a goal prior.

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Malick Yalcouye is back from suspension for Swansea City's trip to Preston North End on Wednesday (19:45 GMT) but there are again doubts over Marko Stamenic and Zan Vipotnik.

Yalcouye is available having served a three-match ban following his red card in the 1-0 home defeat to Queens Park Rangers last month.

The on-loan Brighton youngster will give Alan Sheehan a welcome option in midfield, particularly with Stamenic looking unlikely to return having missed last Saturday's draw at Charlton because of a close family bereavement.

Sheehan has told New Zealand international Stamenic to spend "as long as he wants" on compassionate leave.

Swansea, meanwhile, have been assessing Vipotnik's fitness after he missed the Charlton draw having suffered a quad injury in training last Friday.

Vipotnik, Swansea's eight-goal leading scorer, has been named in the Slovenia squad for their games against Kosovo and Sweden in the upcoming international break.

Swansea, who are 16th in the Championship, have won once in their past six games in all competitions.

Sixth-placed Preston also have a number of injury issues as they target a third straight league win.

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Luke Williams said Swansea City are still "in my heart" after he knocked fierce Welsh rivals Cardiff City out of the FA Cup on his return to management.

The former Swans boss was sacked by Swansea in February after a poor run of one win in 10 Championship games.

Williams had spent 13 months as head coach at the Swansea.com Stadium following Michael Duff's departure.

The 44-year-old is back in football as boss of League One strugglers Peterborough United, and marked his first game in charge by dumping Cardiff out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 first-round win at London Road.

Asked whether beating the Bluebirds felt sweeter because of his Swans connections, Williams said: "I've had a couple of messages from people from Swansea that I'm very fond of.

"[Cardiff] are a brilliant team. I love the way they play, the manager is superb. But of course Swansea are in my heart."

Williams' priority at Peterborough is to keep them in League One. Posh are currently five points from safety at the bottom of the table, having won only three of their 13 games this season - a run that cost Darren Ferguson his job last week.

But Williams hopes his experience at Swansea will help lift them away from danger.

"Having worked with some of the players at Swansea...[they were] so talented that they taught me a lot of things, and some of the teams in the Championship are amazing," he said.

"So hopefully those experiences will stand me in good stead."