http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/story-19261922-detail/story.html? If this is true , then even though we've just experienced the best season ever ( some may disagree) I feel we've come as far as we can with the manager .There's obviously a problem of which there can only be one winner and thats the board.If this is the parting of the ways then thanks but go quietly and lets get some managerial stability into the club ,This crap every season does tend to take the shine off what we've achieved and just causes uncertainty .Onwards and upwards
So now this is starting to make a little more sense. The problem is not so much with ML, but with ML's agent who has not been able to properly manage a possible conflict of interest having somehow, someway played himself into engagements between the club and other players. Whether this activity was done with the Swans independent of his relationship with ML or not is unclear - I presume that as an agent he would be representing multiple parties many of whom would be players and I would expect good players, players that we would legitimately be interested in ML or no ML. I hope that it is independent of ML, as this would allow ML to remain our manager in a positive relationship. I can understand now why ML would be staying out of the way if Big T was in town trying to throw his weight around with respect to transactions between the club and other players - as a matter of fact since ML had already given our Board his shopping list, there would be little need for ML to be in town and be party to the business dealings. Given ML's good sense of decorum, I can see why he might find this distasteful and try to distance himself from it. As I read the Post's report, unless there are other repercussions, at this point I think this is a positive turn of events in the long run. Ash stays with the club. ML stays with the club - ****ing agent gets lost.
Thinking again, it now makes sense when asked about player signings why ML would state that it is a question to be asked of the Board. I don't think he was being snarky, just matter of fact Danish style, ie. "I cannot / better not comment on it".
Guys I told you on Norway's 'Bad news thread' that his agent was causing a lot of problems, and that he was no more than a spiv, and glorified car salesman!....................
It was obvious last week that the agent was the problem. Would Fergie or Wenger deal like this? I think ML is on his way - and quite rightly so.
PFG ... why would the agent's conduct necessarily harm ML. The guys a wildcat, who can control him. The irony is that having used him to secure a good deal at Madrid in his playing days, he now gets to see him from the other side of the fence - as if that might be anything new.
But when Big T is representing other players, ML cannot be the "boss" of that conduct and also be the manager of the Swans - he really has to stay out of it and keep his distance to manage his own potential conflicts. And, ML is not the boss at the Liberty, HJ/Board is/are. ML was kind of caught between a rock and a hard place. By severing business relations with Big T, the Board have actually done everybody a favor, including ML. It may have set us back a bit with respect to player acquisition because no doubt Big T will now steer his players else where, but at least we get to maintain ML on our books and he can get more involved in acquiring the players that are still on our shopping list. A lot of positive spin ... but I'm going with it for now.
Is this how ML got into his tax trouble ??? We signed ML not Turumululumululu. Someone's trying to engineer a way out! Welcome to the house of fun!!
So is this why ML has had short terms in his last 3 clubs. None of those ended on good terms? Come on the Swansea board say I.
Don't see it Yankee. Personally I would like to see Laudrup step up to the table and do his job properly. Cant see it happening though.
This whole thing is very toxic. Agents like this are despicable and I'm pleased our Board have the guts to kick this snake into the long grass. It doesn't reflect well on ML having this toad as his agent. Why on earth would someone of his ability and renown have such a clown in tow? It certainly does help to explain why ML only spends a short time at each club. It saddens me lot to say it, but ML has fallen a lot in my estimation over the last few months. But in the Board we trust.
Im surprised people think Laudrup is going to spunk away a 20yr relationship with his friend/agent because he has been at little old Swansea for a year !! I also mentioned a few weeks back that Laudrups agent was holding meetings in London,Madrid,Barca and Lisbon with a view to brokering deals on our behalf, this bit is actually old news amd was reported in the press. Dragonphil and I discussed aspects of this saga in PM , due to the negative reaction from fellow posters RE my post I feel its best to follow the same path as Dragon and keep political info off the board, its just not worth the ridicule to be honest. I said there were bad times ahead,alot refused to believe it yet a few days later the **** starts pumping out into the media . There are many aspects involved not just Laudrups agent, there are also issues with Laudrup himself and how the players feel about certain aspects of his regime, as said before,its the Sousa situation all over again. There is a way out of all this, but I believe it will be very difficult for Laudrup to stay in the job if he doent get what he wants, he wants a forward looking club that is prepared to back his judgement not question it
My negative reaction wasn't due to your post, but the lack of what you said. So lets not make it out that we ridiculed what you said, that was never the case. Its what you didnt say that we ridiculed, as it was a strange thing to do.
It is regrettable if this ends like Sousa. I don't see what the great challenge is here if common sense prevails. First, as a club we always have been progressive and forward looking since the rebirth; this has not changed and it is one of the things that enticed ML here in the first place. Second, every manager worth his salt is going to be a football person that is going to want the Board to back their judgement - it's the same in regular business with any key executive, surely it should be here. This doesn't mean they always get their way, nor should they, and in the top tiers of the game they never will and this should be well understood by all. Football business has a significant difference from regular business in that the world is somewhat partitioned into two camps: business / money people who are amateurs at the game; and football people who (generally) are amateurs at business. I think it's a very rare person that can have a foot in both camps and be an authority in both. Whether it's ML or anybody else for that matter; this is going to be a recurring problem or rather an issue to be managed by the Board like any other. If HJ's most recent public statement has any meaning the relationship with ML is still somewhat intact; although no doubt both parties may very well be shaken by recent events, I don't see it as a game-ender by any means. As I have said before, if HJ and the Board do not have confidence in ML and his football network (excluding the ****ing agent) who should collectively be one of the strongest repositories of expertise and experience available then we need to get out of the football business because there is nobody else we're ever going to be able to trust / respect / work with and down is our only direction.
The big issue appears to be the agent controlling the Transfers. Why? Because he will be getting his cut on each deal. Kick the f*****r out of our Club
Amy Lewis on SSN has just said that ML will still be at Swansea next season and that ML is currently meeting his agent in Spain
