The bedraggled, bespectacled, and befuddled figure walked along the shoreline in desperate dismay. His ship had crashed on the rocks of Fowey Point. Skipperless and rudderless, the imminent disaster was only a matter of time. Ahead, he saw a barnacled figure covered in seaweed and bladderwrack. “Ahoy matey. Jack Butty here. Don’t worry, we can get a new skipper and a boat, and aroving again we will go.”

‘KISSING THE BADGE’
…and what loyalty means nowadays

The last two months have been more topsy turvy than usual for the Swans. While the search goes on for the next head coach, it is an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong, Luke Williams, and what the club can learn from this. Williams began this season - his first full one at the Swans - by tightening up our defence, which was notoriously weak last season. This was important to ensure we were less likely to needlessly give away silly goals that often decided results and points. The Swans did not lose a game by more than a single goal until the end of 2024. (Even the goal feast against Leeds—24 November—was a single goal defeat.) Grimes free kick below.

Defensive improvement came from several factors. The summer signing of goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux was significant, with Vigouroux making vital stops. The back line of Harry Darling, Ben Cabango, Josh Tymon, and Josh Key was better organised. Crucial was the summer signing of Goncalo Franco, who added midfield bite along with the ability to win the ball and get it moving again quickly. The team also played some excellent football, if only in patches. Moving the ball around opposing players with skilful, quick triangles and playing ‘give and go.’ The last game of the year was a hard-fought and deserved 2-1 win against Luton on 29 December. At that point, the Swans were in ninth place in the table, just four points off the playoff places. It was a decent first half of the season for a squad that lacked depth and quality. With the transfer window about to open, most fans could see the opportunity to strengthen the squad and be ready to push for the playoffs.

Instead, there were thrashings by Portsmouth (0-4), Southampton (0-3, FA Cup), Cardiff (0-3), Norwich (1-5) and 3-1 against Stoke on 15 February. Two days later, Williams was sacked.
The Swans had played nine league games since the Luton game, with seven defeats, one draw, and one win, gaining just 4 points from an available 27. The Swans were third from bottom in the form table for the previous ten games.

This period coincided with the proposed new contract for Harry Darling not being signed, a desperately bad transfer window, and club captain Matt Grimes signing for Coventry.
The latter was ominous. Grimes had often talked of his belief in Luke Williams and his project at Swansea. He signed a two-year contract extension in 2023, tying him to the Swans until 2027. At the time, he said, “In my career, if I am going to have top, top success, I want that to be with Swansea.” Yet, in the transfer window, he told the club he wanted to leave. His wife’s comments on social media showed how sudden this decision was. She wrote on social media that the couple had just completed the purchase of their “forever home (in Swansea),” and her parents had again just relocated to the area from Essex.

The bad run of results suggested that Williams had lost the backing of his players. He had been very critical of the most recent performances, but fans were right to point out that the coach sets his team up and provides them with direction and motivation. This dismal spiral of decline coincided with rumours that Williams was linked with the vacant West Brom coaching position. After the Luton game, he said, ‘They can phone my agent and leave me to do my job here. That’s the reason for having an agent.’ Speculation over the following days ratcheted up to a fever pitch, mainly as Williams had not done enough to reassure fans of his commitment, which he later acknowledged he had “handled poorly.”

Modern day football does not have players/coaches that value loyalty to a club as they did years ago. Most fans recognise that the world has changed and that money and ambition mean successful players/coaches move on to greater riches and success with bigger clubs.
Despite this, even the most jaded fans can be persuaded by how much the player/coach loves playing for the club/living in the city, and this can wrong step even the most cynical. Williams regularly said in his pressers that team performances were important for the fans and would toast the fans at away games with fist bumps while soaking up the singing for YJB and ‘Luke Williams’ Barmy Army.’

When it came to the approach/interest from West Brom, our fans were looking for a commitment to the ‘project’ that Williams was working on at Swansea. A straightforward, ‘No, I’m not interested in that or any position at this time. I am committed to what we’re doing at Swansea,’ would have been enough. Williams had made the step up to become the head coach at a Championship club, with a proud record of recent achievement and a recognised playing style. While he worked hard to improve the Swans, and, if he had been successful, could have gained promotion. Fans knew that this could take time and were prepared to allow this, provided they could see improvement and progress.

Instead, after only 13 months in charge, his head was turned by West Brom before achieving anything substantial with the Swans. The downward tailspin of performances from January onwards made his sacking inevitable. The club has been left with the financial cost of paying off Williams’ and his team’s contracts. It also has the challenge of ensuring survival in the Championship and renewing the search for a replacement head coach.

Since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, the Swans have had seven head coaches, including Alan Sheehan, who has been a caretaker for two spells. It will be essential for the club, the new ownership group and for fans to get the next appointment right. It needs to be the right person, with the right style and experience, who will commit to a project of two to three years to build a team that fans can be proud of.

Photograph open source, artwork Colin Thomas Swansea Independent

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