...that was a bit sudden wasn't it?
Wow. Despite murmurings of discontent in the last few weeks, I doubt many Swansea fans expected us to part company with our manager yesterday. Rumours were abounding regarding a backroom shake up, with Garry Monk's name oft repeated, but in truth I think we all expected Laudrup to last the course of the season - assuming nothing catastrophic happened on Saturday, of course. Instead, we get an official announcement that we've sacked our manager for the first time in a decade, so clearly the board felt that immediate action was needed to arrest our run of poor form.
Now, there is something to the argument that the fixture list has been a cruel mistress this past year. Even if you discount cup games, we've had a pretty bum deal of it and when you consider our record against teams from the bottom half of the table is W6 D5 L3 maybe things aren't as bad as first feared. I think the problem lies in a perceived lack of ambition, perhaps, from Laudrup and his staff - ever since Laudrup made comments about how the top seven or so PL places were essentially unobtainable we've performed very badly against top teams, and that's possibly one of the factors the board took into consideration before making their decision.
You could argue that the "lack of ambition" argument is flawed by the signings of Marvin Emnes and David N'Gog, who were clearly signings made by the board as opposed to Laudrup, but I think their acquisitions were the result of the situation we'd found ourselves in, with uncertainty over how long the manager would be in charge affecting any decisions we made in the transfer market. I've also seen it pondered on Twitter that perhaps we didn't spend big in January precisely because we were contemplating sacking manager, and with the payoff rumoured to be around £4.5million that could well have proved to be a wise decision.
So, Garry Monk and Alan Curtis are in charge. To be honest, I don't see why they can't do as well as anyone else. Alan Curtis is...well I don't even need to repeat what's so often been said about Curt, he's Swansea through and through. As for Garry Monk, he's made a career with the Swans by continually adjusting to a higher level, but crucially he's done it by using his football brain as opposed to becoming a massively improved footballer. Anyone who remembers Ashley Williams when he first arrived at the Swans will testify that if it weren't for Monk, it's unlikely Ash would be so good at reading the game today, such is the influence the club captain had on the man who's ultimately replaced him.
Garry Monk has constantly proven doubters wrong, overcome injuries and in doing so made himself a Swansea hero. He's not Cristiano Ronaldo, so when he's stepped up he's done it by being aware of his surroundings, playing to his strengths, and sticking with what you know works. Sounds like a winning formula to me, and I see no reason why he can't adjust again to a managerial role. He clearly has a bit of the "elder statesman" thing going on already, and his elevation to head coach will hopefully see us return to a more positive brand of passing football.
As for the derby on Saturday, well the unpredictable just got even more unpredictable. To be honest, I can't see how Monk's promotion can have a negative effect. The team talk will be epic, and the players aren't going to suddenly forget how to play the football they've been playing all season. Similarly, I can't see Monk drastically changing things however I wouldn't be surprised to see some changes to the lineup - depending on who's available. Jonjo is out seemingly, which surely means Leon will come back in for Jordi Amat, with De Guzman continuing alongside him. As for who plays ahead, Pozuelo would get my nod but I wouldn't be averse to the three wingers formation returning for an afternoon (after it was brought up on the latest edition of The JackCast - a new Swansea City podcast). Pablo, Wayne & Nathan are all fit so why not? Let's get at Cardiff and let them know what we're all about.
This Saturday is an opportunity to kickstart our season, and put a serious dent in Cardiff's bid to avoid relegation. Let's get behind the team and scream them to victory for 90 minutes. One thing is for sure... I can't see Garry Monk staying in his seat for ninety minutes!