John Swift incident in Portsmouth draw proves West Brom fans right amid meltdown
John Swift was a polarising figure during his latter days as a West Brom player.
Swift sent a message noticed by Albion fans during West Brom’s draw to Portsmouth earlier this season.
It was the first time he had returned to The Hawthorns since Swift left Albion to return to former club Portsmouth.
However, just over a month into the new season and West Brom fans will already feel vindicated.
Portsmouth fans call out John Swift on poor ball retention
West Brom fans were pleased when Swift was left out of interim boss James Morrison’s starting lineup to face Cardiff City last season.
Supporters criticised the midfielder’s carelessness on the ball and felt he was over-protected by Tony Mowbray.
It seems old habits die hard after Swift put on a shocking performance in Portsmouth’s draw to Watford on 1 October.
He gave the ball away several times, with one instance leading directly to Watford’s equaliser, changing the course of the game.
- Swift lost possession 13 times
- He won two out of five aerial duels and half of his ground duels
- The midfielder was dribbled past once
His dreadful display left Pompey fans appalled, as they took to X during the game with some even calling for Swift to leave their club.
One said: “Crap pass from Swift and off they go and score.”
Another added: “Terrible ball retention by Bishop and Swift, straight up the other end and they score. So poor.”
Meanwhile, one more said: “Get Swift off now.”
Fans were also convinced that the former Baggies midfielder is just not good enough.
One said: “Given away by Swift again. Sorry, but he’s just not good enough.”
Another added: “Swift should never play again.” One more said: “How has Swift stolen 90 minutes?”
With Albion fans making the same critiques since he arrived, most would have been pleased that West Brom let Swift leave over the summer.
West Brom get back on track with win vs Norwich City
While Swift led his team to a disappointing draw, elsewhere in the Championship on Wednesday, West Brom were thriving.
After failing to win their last three league matches, Albion claimed victory over Norwich City thanks to a Josh Maja goal.
There were previous calls for Ryan Mason to bench Aune Heggebo for Maja after netting just one Championship goal since the season started.
With the Nigerian striker netting their only goal of the game, it seems West Brom fans would have felt vindicated twice in one night.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest West Bromwich Albion news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @westbromnews247