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Mid-season report: Swansea

Mid-season report: Swansea
© PA Photos
Swansea have had an up and down season so far. As we approach 2012, Sports Mole takes a look back at the first half of their campaign.

Following their promotion to the Premier League at the end of last season, few felt that Swansea had a chance to survive – let alone succeed – in the top flight.

Manager Brendan Rodgers had led the club to the highest level in his first season in charge, but many expected the Swans to struggle to impress their lauded style of play upon the Premier League.

With the first half of the campaign behind us, Sports Mole takes a look at how the Welsh outfit have fared.

August

Starting their season on the road at the Etihad Stadium, the club couldn't do much to convince their fans that the critics were wrong. The home side stormed to a 4-0 win and sent the Swans to the bottom of the Premier League table after one game.

Nevertheless, Rodgers refused to abandon the club's approach on the pitch.

The team took a point from each of their following two league contests against Sunderland and Wigan at home, but couldn't hide from a Carling Cup exit away from the Liberty Stadium to League Two side Shrewsbury Town.

September

In spite of their standing, defeats at Chelsea and Arsenal in the second month of the season appeared to underline Swansea's deficiencies on the road.

Meanwhile, sandwiched between defeats, the Welsh side broke their scoring duck and secured a 3-0 home win over West Brom.

Despite the fact that the Baggies were below them in the league at the time, the Midlands outfit had just come off the back of two one-goal defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea.

October

More than maintaining their unbeaten home run throughout October, the Swans secured a second and third consecutive win in Wales, with wide man Scott Sinclair scoring in each.

There was no change of fortune on the road, either. Following defeat at Norwich, the club took a two-goal lead at Molineux but conceded twice in the final ten minutes. Held to a draw, the club earned their first point in five games outside of Wales.

November

Come November, the Swans secured their first point against Liverpool in almost 30 years – and their second on the road in as many games – in a stalemate on Merseyside.

In contrast, Rodgers and company recorded their first loss of the season at Liberty Stadium against Manchester United a fortnight later.

Following a goalless draw at home versus Aston Villa, the club continued to slide down the table after entering the month on a high.

December

Blackburn Rovers put four goals past Swansea at Ewood Park to pile even more pressure on Brendan Rodgers, whose side were without a win in over a month, to start December.

The Swans responded by beating Fulham at home and taking a point from Newcastle on the road.

However, their resurgence appeared to be short-lived after a midweek defeat at Goodison Park was followed with a share of the spoils at home against QPR.

As a result, the Welsh outfit are sitting in 14th place in the Premier League.

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