Swansea boss (as, let's be honest, it's only a matter of time until he's appointed) Garry Monk explains his vision for Swansea's youth setup
These comments reinforced my belief that Garry Monk is the right man for the job with Swansea City, and I thought they were definitely worth mentioning.
"It's something I believe in. It's not just because it looks good, it's because there has to be that link for a club like ours. I think of myself as a young player and there has to be a way of getting there. No disrespect to managers before, but I want to work where everything is a progression.
"The under-18s want to try to get to the under-21s and the under-21s want to try to get to the first team, but they have to earn the right to get there and they have to be good enough. That's the bottom line. It's the best way to promote football throughout the club, from a young age. If a parent sees that, it's the right club to be at.
"The reason I went to Southampton from Torquay was just that. I didn't want to go at first. All my mates were at home and I really didn't want to go. Now, I think back and realise I was stupid, but my mum and dad said to me that I had a chance to go to a club in Southampton, who clearly trust their youth system and there would be a chance of playing in the first team.
"At somewhere like Arsenal back then, they couldn't have said that to me. If we have that influence here on parents, then I think it's a big attraction for our club."
http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Jay-Fulton-debut-highlights-Garry-Monk-s-vision/story-21051803-detail/story.html#ixzz30yAVqU9v
I tell you what, I bloody love that. I love it so much, I'm going to risk a Keegan. Love it.
Why do I love these comments, I hear you say? Well, name another occasion you've heard a Premier League manager talking about making the club an attractive proposition to the parents of future players? I doubt it's something that's high on the list of managers coming in from abroad, with an extensive black book of contacts who can bring in expensive new recruits - normally at the expense of the club's existing youth system.
I also doubt it's on the mind of any manager who doesn't genuinely believe he'll be at the club for the next ten years and more. Football has become so mercenary, so caught up in constant transfer wheeling and dealing, that long term planning has, for the most part, become the domain of the club as opposed to the manager. Ok, there are plenty of examples of managers taking more of an active role (Ferguson, Wenger, Bielsa), but I'd say this kind of thinking is far from the norm for a current Premier League manager.
Swansea City are different to most Premier League clubs. We're run by fans, we intend to never be propped up by rich owners and the club have spent a lot of money on the youth system so that, in future, we don't even need to spend big in the transfer market to secure our latest new recruit. Having a manager that buys into this model is crucial, and while Monk's comments could possibly be construed as paying lip service to a system he knows the Swans hierarchy already favour, I think it's fairly obvious he's genuine in his conviction.
We need a manager for the long haul. If under that manager we dip into the Championship for a season at some point, but it means that for the next twenty years and beyond we're a secure, well run, self-sustained club, then I'd take that every day of the week over constantly changing managers every season or two, and running the risk of bringing someone in who will upset the balance of the squad. I'm sure I said it the other day, but a bird in hand... you know the rest.
It seems a matter of time now until Monk is confirmed as Swansea City manager. There's every chance that, unlike most of his peers, he intends to very much be a permanent appointment - in the truest sense of the word.