The links between Saturday’s opposition, Leicester City and the Swans couldn’t be more well known than the obvious one, that is of course Brendan Rodgers. However, none of it may have happened had his job application letter been delayed any longer than it was.

To think now we are in double figures in years ( thirteen ) since Brendan Rodgers came to Swansea City. ‘Time waits for no man’ is a well worn expression, but thirteen years ago, that’s worth reflecting on. So, how did Brendan nearly miss the boat at Swansea ? We will leave the explanations to then Chairman Huw Jenkins. "It actually arrived on my desk three days after it should have," recalls Jenkins. "It had been sent into the club, but didn't actually reach me straight away. A few other candidates may have suited us at the time; then, out of the blue, Brendan's letter came to my attention. It was more like a dossier on how he saw football”

Back then certain Swans fans were still reeling from the way Roberto Martinez left the club. When Brendan Rodgers became manager five thousand travelled to Wigan at the first opportunity to let Martinez know how they felt. That was an evening kick off in the League Cup causing massive traffic disruption - and the game delayed by twenty five minutes. Martinez was followed by Paulo Sousa who took the club to their highest ever finish in the football league structure since those heady but long gone John Toshack days of the eighties.

But Paulo, another Leicester connection would leave the Swans for the East Midlands and that left the Swans searching for a new man to lead the charge on the Premier League. Numerous names were mentioned, and indeed even spoken to but without anything positive happening the position was still vacant. Who turned it down, who was offered the role and many other questions may well be answered in time. What mattered how was this application from one Brendan Rodgers.

Huw continues. "As I started looking through it, fair to say it was hugely impressive. Brendan was outlining his views on how teams should set up, the style of play he preferred, how he saw the future. This was exactly what we needed to go forward as a club and build on the good work previously done by Roberto Martinez and Paolo Sousa. In that respect, Brendan's letter shone out like a bright light."

Always going against the tide, and let’s be honest Huw Jenkins and the Swansea City board had done that right across the years since the fans got their club back. Since the start of the century a lot had been achieved, but now another decision had to be made. Some of those managerial appointments before this one were leftfield, for me no more so than Roberto Martinez, my money was on Gary Megson to replace Sousa, however thankfully …

After such a decent run of appointing managers who took the club forwards at an unexpected pace, and of course enabling the move to the then named Liberty Stadium you had to have some faith in every move the club would make. Enter the bloke who had played for Whitby Town, and who had recently been sacked with Reading second bottom of the Championship.

Jenkins explains “What we always did as a club was go outside the norm and look to appoint people others wouldn't. You don't get too many football clubs who are prepared to do that, they prefer the more secure route. I always felt it was probably less secure to just do the so-called obvious. Yes our managers were inexperienced at the time, but we wanted young people who were hungry to improve and achieve things. We were trying to find the right person who could build on the work already done by the club. Straight away, it seemed to me Brendan was that man. His views of the game complemented the players we already had - it was the perfect match, really."

And his late dossier did it for him.

Had the application not been so attractive in its make up and content, and possibly had Huw Jenkins received the information earlier - potentially things could have been far different. It had to be fate that the letter arrived when it did. Lady Luck indeed. “You know what it's like when someone walks into a room, their personality kind of shines out, well I felt that was the case with Brendan the moment he came through the door and shook hands," says Jenkins. I took to him at once, a great character, very open, he expanded even more on those views about the game he'd put into the dossier. Brendan talks non-stop; I felt that complemented me as his chairman because I tend to take a step back, am more of a thinker. From the moment I met him, I thought he'd be perfect. He talked for hours about what he believed he could do with the team, how the club could go forward. I sensed this was a manager our players would love. If you have the players onside, that's half the battle, your chances of success are improved instantly”

Sheer determination it seems was and continues to be Brendan Rodgers trademark. Careful analysis the trait Huw Jenkins prefers. However, due diligence has to be just that. Enquiries were made regards Brendan leaving Watford. I asked Kenny (Jackett) about the background” Huw explains. “He said the Watford players loved working with Brendan. Kenny also knew some of the staff working at Reading and he told me it was exactly the same there. He said our players would as well, that Brendan's character, personality and enthusiasm would rub off on the team. I looked at what happened previously with those two clubs and what Brendan had to work with there, and just felt the identity and players we had at Swansea would suit his beliefs better and that he'd hit the ground running. The next step was a full Board meeting and, to be fair, at the time the directors always backed my judgement and had done so for many years. I explained I felt Brendan would put his stamp on the squad pretty much from the off, take us in the direction we wanted and they agreed to the appointment."

We know now the rest is history, Brendan moved on to Liverpool with the Swans reaping a huge seven million pounds return for him to leave. His career eventually took him to Leicester City, this weekends opponents. Brendan took them to FA Cup glory in 2021 before being relieved of his position with Leicester in a perilous position earlier on this year. On that FA Cup final which Leicester City won defeating Chelsea, Huw recalls. "Yes, I take enormous pride and satisfaction in seeing what Brendan has gone on to achieve, to think you had some part of play in his career development. That will always be there, it will never change. There's no greater feeling than seeing someone celebrate a fantastic achievement, as Brendan did and knowing you had a small part in helping to build that career”

It is indeed strange how fate deals its cards, and even stranger how they pan out when the actual facts of a certain situation are explained. Especially by those who were there and who played a part. And not a fax machine in sight !

Swansea City take on Leicester City on Saturday at the Swansea.Com Stadium. Kick off is 3pm.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

Boundy added 13:53 - Oct 18 Some things were meant to be , just a pity he never came back
0

ncswan added 17:38 - Oct 18 Rogers' Liverpool side also nearly won the 2013/2014 PL title. Gerrard's infamous slipup allowed Man City to win the title by 2 points.
0

Blogs 32 bloggers

Lincoln City Polls