Swansea City fans have always been spoilt to an extent with excellent managerial / head coach appointments that have given the followers of the club a lot of hope. But how good were these managers and their first six starts to their tenures at the club ? The Indy has a look.
We have said it before this club is the premier club in Wales, with the most success this century of any Welsh club. The microscope is forever on Wales top sides. It never goes away, day in day out. This is not a club in a county or even a town in a city, this is a country, and it demands the best.
After a disappointing relegation and financial mismanagement at Swansea City the club found itself relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2017/18 season. The Swans relegation made that more frustrating as only four points from any number of a handful of games would have kept the club at the top table. They failed to win any of their final nine games of the season. Carlos Carvalhal who at one point seemed to have turned around the Swans after Paul Clement was sacked at Christmas was relieved of his role. The Swans went leftfield immediately for the new season recruiting Graham Potter from Östersunds FK.
He started his career in 2008 at amateur side Leeds Carnegie in Yorkshire. That club has now been dissolved. However, it shows very clearly that the managerial ladder has many options for a hard working mentor. Potter’s only season at Swansea saw him start his opening six games with three wins and two draws. The only game lost against Bristol City at home. The real issue for Potter was consistency. From early February to the end of March of that season he won only one from six. That run was brought to an end with five wins from the next six games signifying just how erratic a season it had been. In fact just one loss from the last nine games was the factor that alerted the Premier League as to Potter’s attributes. Brighton came in and paid a big release clause and Potter was gone.
In 2019 Steve Cooper came to the club as a complete unknown and had an inspirational start to his Swansea tenure. Winning five of the first six games with one draw the Swans were top of the league after the dreaded six game vote. Results did falter somewhat at times but this was the season the Swans sneaked in to the play offs after a remarkable last day of fixtures. A season hit by Covid. By the finest of margins the Swans pipped Nottingham Forest to the last four play off. Sadly it didn’t work out for Cooper who saw his side knocked out in the semi finals.
His second season in charge most certainly alerted the wider world as to his coaching ability. Cooper started well again with three wins from his first six games, Two draws against Birmingham City and Coventry City meant after a frustrating loss at home to Huddersfield Town the Swans were on eleven points. Unfortunately the possibilities of a successful third season were scuppered by a break down in the relationship between Coooer and the club with funds not being made available to him. Cooper amicably agreed to leave, a few months later he took over at Nottingham Forest and took them up to the premier league. They were bottom when he took over.
The lessons from that experience clearly not learned with the next appointment at Swansea City.
Russell Martin came in to the club next with his coaching team. Ipswich Town’s Flynn Downes as a part of the ‘agreement’ to manage on the field matters. He started his first six games with five points, a win at Bristol City and draws against Sheffield United and Hull City. Many will recall the start of this season for the disastrous attempts at being ‘brave on the ball’ which saw Steve Benda in the Swans goal making several blunders. It was as it was meant to be, a season of transition and progression.
In his second season Martin again picked up five points from a possible eighteen. One win away at Blackpool was the bright point with a point at Rotherham and one at home to Millwall. Even at this stage Martin was under pressure for his poorly organised defence and tendency to throw away leads. Millwall the prime example.
Yes, and after six games of these two seasons certain elements of the Swans support were screaming for his removal. Their wish was granted in with remarkable similarity to the departure of Steve Cooper. Again in closed season with Russell Martin looking to strengthen after a disappointing January window the whole house of cards tumbled down. Despite a superb end to his second campaign the club again, as they did with Cooper seemed reluctant to support him any further. The majority ownership having failed to invest when they should have done in January an unhappy Martin was poached away by Southampton leaving the Swans with a huge gap in their coaching staff. They also were left flat footed on a new appointment, the fall out as it stands today is that no compensation has been agreed between the two clubs.
As we have already stated, the Swans support has been spoilt. The style of football and the desire to do things in the ‘right way’ has long been the blueprint at the club. That’s why, to an extent in any event the appointment of Michael Duff and his Barnsley coaching team was another leftfield appointment this summer. Costing the Swans half a million in compensation things have been rocky at times. But how early is it to to make judgements ? In contrast to Martin, Duff likes a high tempo game with a quick and physical turnaround of the ball recycling it to robust and committed players. There are obvious flaws in this plan to anyone who watches the Swans. There needed to be a solid recruitment drive. A large number of players have been brought in, but the pace Duff requires still seems lacking. That could well change to an extent with the signing of Keinan Davis from Aston Villa. There also needs to be far more cohesion and better decision making at the back of the Swansea eleven.
The indifferent starts for Harry Darling, Ben Cabango and Nathan Wood has been disappointing. Playing Josh Key on his less preferred side of the pitch another flaw. Key thought has been magnificent. Although Duff has only had the four games, the start has not been met with positivity in all quarters. No wins as yet, and two more league games for the magical six await. A home game against Bristol City next weekend not necessarily a must win, but there needs to be a vast improvement. Then after an international break the first six is completed away at Cardiff City. Two points from twelve would quickly look a lot better with eight points from eleven. That has to be the target. We await those games with great anticipation, but calling for the managers head after four games sounds and looks as daft as giving the President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation a pay rise for services to women’s football in 2023.