Snoop in Swansea, County’s big win and Cardiff up by Easter?
Carl Roberts, Iwan Roberts and Sam Vokes discuss Wrexham's FA cup game against Chelsea, Snoop Dogg in Swansea, Cardiff's promotion charge, Newport's big win and this weekend's games. We also discuss the Winter Olympics and favourite post-match food.
Are Swansea play-off contenders?
Ten weeks ago, the general consensus was Swansea City were in a relegation battle. Thirteen games later, has new manager Vitor Matos transformed the team into Championship play-off contenders? A comfortable 4-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday leaves the Swans just five points adrift of the top six, but four games against team above them in the table await.Wrexham failed to give owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac a win to mark five years at the helm by slipping up at home to Millwall. Attention now turns to the fourth round of the FA Cup against Ipswich Town.No such problems for Cardiff City, who shrugged off the 20th-minute red card to Ryan Wintle to win 3-0 at Rotherham, a display described by Iwan as one of the best he can recall by a team with 10 men.
Parting shots
Did Elliot Lee tarnish his relationship with Wrexham by saying his is happy to join a manager who "values" him after moving to Doncaster Rovers on loan? After three successful consecutive promotions with the Reds, Lee has found himself surplus to requirements by Phil Parkinson. Should he feel aggrieved? Or is this purely the reality of professional football, especially when playing for an ambitions club like Wrexham?Lee is one of 10 players to leave Wrexham in January, allowing Parkinson to recruit three more new faces he feels will strengthen their promotion hopes. Swansea's only significant piece of business was signing Finland midfielder Leo Walta. Manager Vitor Matos has certainly steadied the ship - are there now realistic hopes of overcoming the eight-point gap to reach the play-off places?Cardiff's lead at the top of League is down to just two points, but remains a healthy eight-point cushion inside the automatic play-off places. Newport's heavy defeat to relegation rivals Bristol Rovers exposed yet more defensive frailties, while the underdog story continues in the Welsh Cup as two lower league sides reach the semi-finals.
Cardiff in cruise control & Fuchs in denial
Is Cardiff City's immediate return to the Championship an inevitability? The Bluebirds are now 10 points clear of the League One play-off places after a comfortable midweek win over Barnsley, prompting comparisons with Birmingham's march to the title last season.Life is far harder for Newport County, who failed to build on the feelgood factor of a rare win on Saturday by losing to fellow strugglers Accrington Stanley on Tuesday. Manager Christian Fuchs might insist his team are not in a relegation battle, but the coming games - starting with Bristol Rovers - could define their whole season.Wrexham showed their winning mentality with two added time goals to snatch a win at Queens Park Rangers that lifts them to the top six in the Championship for the first time this season. But an inexplicable handball and a missed open goal continued Swansea City's away woes.And Iwan and Sam share their Welsh Cup memories as the competition reaches the last eight - with several lower league clubs dreaming of lifting the cup and booking an unforgettable ticket to Europe.
Vipotnik, Salech or Moore?
Iwan Roberts and Sam Vokes know more than most about scoring goals. They also know a prolific scorer can be worth his weight in gold. Swansea City's Zan Vipotnik is the Championship's top scorer with 13 goals, while Kieffer's Moore's 10 goals for Wrexham ensures they are well in touch of a play-off place. And in League One, Yousef Salach has caught the eye in Cardiff City's rise to the top of the table. But if they had to choose, which one would they say is the best?But this week's podcast starts with the disappointing news of Ben Davies' likely absence from World Cup play-offs with a broken ankle, while Jordan James gives manager Craig Bellamy another potential scare with a hamstring injury.