Swansea and Brendan Rodgers have been commended highly this season for their attention to detail, their use of match analyst and the fitness and training sessions which appear to be making a considerable difference to the level of injuries we’re suffering. And rightly so.
Being an exile makes you look at such trivial things too. When you only get to read or listen to a very select number of opinions on the game, it can be distorted, and so facts become more important to you than anything else.
David Cotterill’s extra range of passing seemed to have a positive effect on Scott Sinclair’s Goal tally, as did the presence of Stephen Dobbie; something which was picked up on by a number of people.
One detail which seems to have slipped under the radar however, is our kit. Last season, the move away from an all-white strip was bemoaned from all quarters, and you can’t argue with the Swans’ results whilst wearing the new White strip this year.
The same cannot be said of the Black away kit.
Now, I’m not suggesting for one second that Swansea’s result depends on what coloured shirt they wear, but take a look at the facts:-
Away from Home
Black Kit – Played 6, Lost 6
= 0points – Average 0.00pts per game.
White Kit – Played 13, Won 8, Drawn 2, Lost 3
= 26points – Average 2.00pts per game.
Totals
White Kit – 31 Games – Won 19, Drawn 6, Lost 6
=63pts – Average 2.03pts per game
It’s quite a strange phenomenon for it to be a complete fluke. Evidently, the fact that the 6 games in Black have come against 4 of the Top 6 is a factor, but then the result away from home against other member of the Championship’s current elite (Cardiff) was a 1-0 victory, and it was played in White.
Has Brendan Rodgers and the backroom staff missed something here?
It cannot be used as an excuse, but as soon as Alex Ferguson felt that the wearing the infamous ‘Grey Away Kit’ hindered his team in even the slightest, he got rid of it. Could it be that the Black shirts, socks and socks are difficult to pick out against the backdrop of the crowd?
Indeed I remember that in our League One title-winning season, Swansea changed their away strip to a black and green number, and enjoyed some excellent results in it. Perhaps it’s time Rodgers designs a new kit which will see us enjoy at least a similar points gain to that of our White number.
Or that the ‘curse’ is broken soon.