Swansea City: Stoke City defeat will set 2019/20 Hull City alarm bells ringing | OneFootball

Swansea City have endured a dismal 2024/25 campaign and are in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle

Relegation certainly wasn't something Swansea City supporters were considering at the turn of the year, but a disastrous opening month and a half to 2025 has left Luke Williams' side looking over their shoulders at the Championship bottom three.

Swansea have picked up just four points from their nine Championship games this year, and while they still have some considerable breathing space on the relegation zone, if results don't improve fast they could well be drawn into a battle to preserve their second tier status.

The Swans were coming into the year on a high after back-to-back wins against QPR and Luton Town, but it's been a disastrous couple of weeks for the club and losing club captain Matt Grimes has only made matters worse.

While relegation was unthinkable just a couple of weeks ago, many Swansea supporters will be concerned about their Championship status, and a quick look at Hull City's plight in 2019/20 will set alarm bells ringing.

2019/20 Hull City alarm bells will be ringing for Swansea City

Swansea's defeat to Stoke added further woe to what's been a tough couple of weeks, and the feel-good factor which had built up following a decent run of form and new ownership has well and truly disappointed.

Williams' side had accumulated 33 points prior to the turn of the year, and it was clear that only an almost unthinkable collapse would see them in danger of being relegated, but they're fast approaching that territory.

They only need to look at Hull City in the 2019/20 season to see that it's possible to get relegated from the Championship despite a decent start to the season, and alarm bells will certainly be ringing about the similarities in form.

Hull's form from January 2020 onwards completely fell off a cliff, and losing the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki that month only compounded their complete drop-off in form.

Swansea lost club captain Grimes in January, and given the fact he'd missed just four games since the start of the 2018/19 season, it's going to take some considerable time to get used to not having him around, a situation not too dissimilar to Hull's in January 2020.

Hull were just two points off the play-offs on January 2nd 2020 after 26 Championship games but finished rock bottom of the table, a staggering collapse, and one that Swansea supporters will be wary of.

After a win on New Year's Day, Hull picked up just four points from 20 games, one win and one draw, in a collapse that had never been seen in the Championship previously and is unlikely to be seen again, as Swansea supporters will hope.

However, Hull's collapse shows that it's possible and Swansea's four points in nine games is relegation form, no doubt about that.

Swansea only lost one key player in January as opposed to Hull's two in January 2020, but there are plenty of similarities between the two clubs and things need to change fast for Williams' side to avoid a genuine relegation battle.

Swansea City's opening weeks of 2025 will be remembered for all the wrong reasons

2025 couldn't have got off to a worse start for Swansea City.

A 4-0 defeat away to Portsmouth was followed by Williams seemingly refusing to play down links to the then vacant West Brom job, and he also revealed that contract talks for Harry Darling were to be shelved, capping a miserable day all round.

While the result at Pompey was frustrating, the odd freak result in the Championship is usually nothing to worry about, but what's happened since has been a huge concern for Swansea.

A lacklustre performance against West Brom was saved by a late Joe Allen equaliser against the run of play, but that's as good as things have got for the Swans this month, and the manner of some of the defeats has been worrying.

Swansea went down without throwing a punch in a 3-0 defeat to Southampton in the FA Cup, before a humiliating derby day defeat against Cardiff saw them register consecutive 3-0 losses.

A home defeat against Sheffield United saw Swansea produce their best display this calendar year, but a red card meant they were unable to hold onto their lead, and they fell to yet another loss, only putting further pressure on Williams.

However, a 5-1 defeat to Norwich and a 2-0 home defeat to Coventry where the scoreline arguably flattered Swansea were two of the most concerning performances of the lot, and any slim chance of finishing in the play-offs has well and truly disappeared.

They looked to have put a stop to that dismal run of form with a hard-fought victory over Bristol City last weekend, but a home loss to Sheffield Wednesday followed by an embarrassing collapse at fellow strugglers Stoke leaves Williams' side looking over their shoulder.

Swansea will have to lose their next 11 games to match Hull's dismal four points in 20 games, but their slide down the table has been alarming, and with a tough run of fixtures to come, things won't get any easier for the Swans.