Today's Swansea City news as star tells players to start repaying manager and Williams says 'I can't be involved in that'

Here are your Swansea City headlines for Sunday, April 7.

Darling: We must repay manager with better performances

Swansea centre back Harry Darling admits they have not been good enough in recent weeks and believes the players should shoulder the responsibility for recent poor results.

The Swans put in a disappointing performance at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, with Emmanual Latte Lath netting once in each half to earn Middlesbrough a 2-0 win for the home side.

Luke Williams was incandescent with anger after the match, having overseen just one win in their last six matches – the 2-0 win over South Wales derby rivals Cardiff City. And Darling believes the Swans need to get back to the level of performances they showed in the win over Cardiff very quickly.

“The gaffer is brilliant with us, he gives us every bit of detail we need to perform on a game day and we need to start repaying him with better performances because they haven’t been good enough," Darling said after the defeat.

“We’ve got two home games next so we really need to give performances that the fans and gaffer can be proud of.

"They probably haven’t seen that since the Cardiff game, and that’s something we need to do because we know it's not been good enough and we've conceded two sloppy goals to lose here.

“It was one of those games where there wasn't a lot of intensity to it and we’ve got to bring that to the game. That’s something we haven’t in the last couple of games, and it’s a really disappointing result.

“We need to be more clinical at the top of the pitch, make the most of our crossing opportunities and create better chances for our strikers – I think that really lets us down, but the goals we conceded were sloppy. If you concede goals like that you will always give yourself an uphill task."

Williams: I can't be involved in that

Luke Williams said he "cannot be involved" in players playing as though it's a charity match with nothing riding on it.

The Swans manager did not hide his disappointment after the 2-0 Boro defeat and said the travelling fans deserved far more from his players after a lacklustre display.

When put to him that it seemed as though the players were playing as though there was nothing to play for, Williams told the BBC: "I can't be involved in that. I can't be involved in that. It's different if no one came and no fans turned up, then I suppose the players can play like that if they really wished. But we have a responsibility, because people came to watch.

"A lot of people came a long way. It doesn't have to be the most spectacular performance in the world, but it has to at least have certain elements in it for them to feel respected.

"I think maybe they didn't realise the importance of this fixture and the importance of applying yourself to the maximum in every moment of the game. We can get beat by a great team, or being unlucky, but you can't beat yourself in that way."

WHATSAPP: Join the Swansea City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community

Walsh: Where is derby passion?

Former Swansea striker Ian Walsh has questioned where the derby passion has gone from the Swans' performances.

Swansea thoroughly outplayed their bitter rivals last month and the Swansea.com Stadium was rocking with a feelgood factor. Everything came together that day and Swansea fans were right for thinking that would be a springboard for the rest of the season.

However, it's been disappointing since that win over Cardiff and ex-Swansea forward Walsh has questioned whether the players are good enough.

Walsh said on the BBC: "Are the players good enough? Luke Williams have been thrown in there with a bunch of players and the club wasn't going anywhere. All of a sudden, people are expecting things to change, why? Why should it change? Is it always the players' fault or is it the fact the club aren't supporting the manager? That's what's happened over the last four or five seasons; a lack of support from the owners.

"Luke Williams will of course take the job. He came from Notts County and did a good job there and was at Swansea under Russell Martin. But the players are the players."

"In terms of passion, in the local derby against Cardiff, people said, 'Oh, there was passion there that day!' Well, where was that for all the other games? It's not about whether you are fit enough, it's whether you are good enough.

"I'm not sure the Swansea squad is good enough to be anywhere different to where they are at the moment."