Rewind back to December 28.

Swansea City, sitting bottom of the Premier League, had just sacked Paul Clement a few days before and were staring relegation in the face.

It all looked pretty bleak.

Then, an annoucement.

Carlos Carvalhal, who had recently parted company with struggling Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, was the surprising new man at the helm.

The Portuguese had driven through the night from Yorkshire to make it down to Fairwood to take training and meet the media.

It was a whirlwind 72 hours for all concerned .

His first interview, on reflection, makes for very interesting reading now , especially considering the impact he has had at the Liberty in such a short space of time.

It was almost prophetic...

What he said:

Carlos Carvalhal the day he was named Swansea City manager.

“I think we have good players. We have players with quality who can score goals and create chances.

“There is no magic – things will not change in a few days. But we need to move very fast, that’s why I am here today.

“I agreed to come last night and I am here today to take training because we want to go in a good direction as soon as possible.”

What we said at the time:

He's right. Swansea do have (a few) good players, but his faith is misplaced in the creating chances statement. Swansea don't score enough goals because they don't create enough. It is that simple. It is encouraging that he's already been out on the training field. He will now know the task that awaits him. It is huge. Things won't change in a few days, he's correct there. But they need to, sharpish.

And now:

Well, his comments on players with quality is a really interesting one. The effect the Portuguese has had on this squad has been nothing short of remarkable. The players are barely recognisable to the ones who were toiling under Paul Clement.

In his 12 games in charge so far, Swansea's results read: Watford 1-2 Swansea, Swansea 0-2 Tottenham, Wolves 0-0 Swansea, Newcastle 1-1 Swansea, Swansea 2-1 Wolves, Swansea 1-0 Liverpool, Notts County 1-1 Swansea, Swansea 3-1 Arsenal, Leicester 1-1 Swansea, Swansea 8-1 Notts County, Swansea 1-0 Burnley, Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Swansea.

Yesterday's game at Hillsborough aside, they have created more and scored more, and more importantly look confident and shackle-free. He said there was no magic - but what he has done is instill a much more valuable commodity; belief.

How quickly he has turned round this sinking ship is commendable to say the least.

What he said:

Swansea City manager Carlos Carvalhal celebrates at the final whistle
Swansea City manager Carlos Carvalhal celebrates his debut win at Watford

“I like to play more in attack. We have to manage the ball very well and have ball possession.

“But we don’t just want ball possession, we want possession to try to score goals.

“Our teams usually score a lot of goals. We like also for our teams to play with discipline and defensive organisation, so we will try to get a balance.

“We have to understand the abilities of the players. We will try to build a game model with our ideas and with the players we have.

“We must go to the pitch without any fear. We have to try to compete for three points against every opponent. To do that, we must have courage and be strong.”

What we said at the time:

Easier said than done, Carlos. What Carvalhal is saying here fits in with Swansea's philosophy - possession-based football was always Swansea's hallmark. But in truth, other teams have caught up with Swansea and in fact do it a lot better than them now. Also, in many ways, possession football has been exchanged for a more counter-attacking approach. He talks about balance, but Swansea simply haven't got that right now. He needs to address the chronic lack of creativity, as soon as possible. He talks about fear, and he is absolutely right to do so. At present, the players are riddled with it, especially at the Liberty. That simply must be addressed.

And now:

Swansea have been noticeably more on the front foot since the former Owls boss arrived. Even in his first game at Vicarage Road, where Swansea did not play particularly well, they kept going right to the end and were rewarded for it. He has stayed true to his words on that.

In terms of possession, Jamie Carragher raised the insightful point on Monday Night Football recently ; Swansea are vastly improved - and effective - with and without the ball.

Organisationally, the players seem to know their roles and responsibilities, something which must have been drilled into them at Fairwood, and more importantly, put into practice on matchdays.

Jamie Carragher has praised Carlos Carvalhal's impact at Swansea

The balance issue has been addressed not by recruitment but in mindset; Swansea were never shipping goals under Clement, but there was a chronic lack of creativity. Swansea players are now getting forward more to support the front men a lot more.

The former Real Madrid No.2 was guilty of chopping and changing systems and personnel, which, to a certain degree, contributed to his downfall. Carvalhal spoke of trying to build a game model with the players he has and understanding their abilities; the perfect example of that would be Sam Clucas, who looks a player reborn since being deployed on the left of a midfield three and given licence to get forward.

Round pegs in round holes.

The manager also spoke about fear, courage and strength; the former looks to have been banished from SA1 while the latter two seem to have been bottled and injected into every member of the squad.

What he said:

Carlos Carvalhal has had a positive impact on Swansea City

“At two clubs I have worked at recently, the same thing happened. When I arrived at Besiktas, even though I worked at Sporting Lisbon, a massive club in Portugal, nobody knew me.

“There were a lot of doubts among the fans.

“But after three months they started to sing my name in the stands. They knew me very well by then.

“When I arrived at Sheffield Wednesday it was the same. They did not know me in England.

“When I arrived people asked lots of questions – who is this guy? But after three months, they started singing my name again.

“That’s something I appreciate. When I arrive people don’t know me very well, but it’s about the work we do and the way the team play.

“It’s what I expect here in Swansea. I like this kind of challenge.

“Let’s work hard, let’s try to get our team playing football and get the fans on our side, and let’s try to do something special.”

What we said at the time:

This is going to be some challenge for Carvalhal - possibly his biggest in football. He's managed some big sides - Sporting Lisbon and Besiktas are two massive clubs - but the predicament here is precarious. He says he's faced doubts among fans before, and it is fair to say many supporters in Landore are also of that frame of mind at present. The length of his contract and the general fug around the club at the moment adds to that indifference. He will certainly have to work hard - but more importantly, he needs his players to work even harder. The fans will be on side. Swansea supporters are a knowledge lot and with a fierce sense of loyalty to their club. They know the Portuguese needs their backing - and backing they will give, especially for the 90 minutes on matchday, starting at Vicarage Road.

And now:

His prediction about fans singing his name after three months? Carvalhal looks to have achieved his aim in less than half that time.

His impact on the squad and fanbase has been marked. Opinions - including this writer's - have changed.

Swansea were rock bottom when he arrived; they are now seven points above basement club West Brom and have their fate back in their own hands. And there is the possibility of a quarter-final date in the FA Cup up for grabs if Swansea can overcome the Owls in their replay.

"Let's try to do something special," Carvalhal said.

There is a long way still to go, but if he can continue along this course for the remainder of the season, he will surely be set for a longer stay in South Wales than his current contract stipulates.