Roof, with respect, you are the guys with your heads in the sand. I have said that ML did very well last season - our highest league position since the Toshack days and of course winning the League Cup but without doubt things started to go pear shaped in the PL. You guys won't accept what was in front of your eyes re the PL performances and reducing points return. It seems to me that anyone who doesn't share your rose tinted view of ML is "in the wrong".
If this is the case then he has delivered the minimum required and I want FAR better than this for our club. Let's not our position of comparative safety (not yet assured) blind us to what has happened so far. We witnessed two abject second half performances against Palace and WBA and a dismal showing against Hull that netted us just ONE point from a reasonable expectation of 7/9 points. Throw in the Everton cup performance and it doesn't look too good. We got lucky against an average, demotivated Toon and two "injury" time strikes from Bony salvaged 3 points when our overall play certainly did not deserve them. When Monk took over, we saw a brief resurgence of spirit within the team that disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived. Bear in mind that Monk does NOT have the excuse of an exhausting fixture schedule and he does NOT have the excuse of having to manage an injury ravaged squad. He has had the luxury of practically a full squad to select from and PLENTY of time to get his ideas across in training. Add in the training ground unrest, which belies the notion that he has resuscitated the team's morale and spirit and, for me, things aren't as rosy as some would like to believe. The experiment with Martinez did work but it was a gamble we could afford to take at basement level. I do not accept that it is a worthwhile gamble to try in the Premier League where you have ruthless, experienced professionals looking to exploit any lame ducks.... in our case, lame Swans. Please, let's appoint someone with the credentials to give us a fighting chance against these people and their teams. For me, a Monk appointment would be Jenkins' attempt to stoke his ego by showing the world how clever he was with another managerial "masterstroke". It could be calamitous!! In short, you don't enter a VW Polo in a Formula One race unless you know a hell of a shortcut.
Ivor - must agree, even if we win all 3 remaining matches, we should aim higher than GM as Manager. His job was to keep us in the PL - hopefully, he will achieve that and we can thank him for that result. It would appear doubtful that GM could attract the quality of player required for next season. The risk of giving him x number of matches next season could backfire as the transfer window would be shut if we had to replace him after say 8 or 10 matches.
Some of what's been said echo my concerns as well and the main two for me assuming we stay up are: 1: Attracting good players. Being in the Prem isn't enough as we are competing with 19 other clubs, many of which we can't match financially. 2: "Giving him a go" is not an option. As others have said, 10 games in we could be all but dead and buried. I agree with most of ivorall's comments though I did tink we deserved the win at the Toon and Monk's subsitutions for once worked out. It's the fiirst time they had this season. He went for the win and we reaped the rewards. Credit where its due.
You make your point well, Ivor. I think this whole issue has been discussed as far as it will go. Time now to wait and see what happens.
Who says monk cant do well ??? none of us cant that's for sure and you have to go on the people who know what they are on about in the game and im afraid to say they are of the same view as me. All the rubbish that he has no pulling power is just nonsense, How do we on here know what pulling power he has, Did martinez instantly have pulling power when he took over??. If the club thinks he is good enough and the players think he is good enough and top managers think he is good enough then the monk haters are without a shadow of doubt talking out of their arse as usual. Monk took over a decapitated club who was in a right mess and i defy anyone who try's to say any different because if the do then they have not taken an interest in the club that they say they know and love, Those of us who have took an interest and listened to club members what a mess laudrup put the club in and thank god the idiot has no more input in our club. Who was better to take over than monk at short notice and what strange manager could have come in and do better..Nobody if you take the players word for it which some of you think you know the club better than them....Monk will get the job and rightly so as he deserves it, 5,000 plus took the time to come and see monk training the lads and all went home happy knowing the club is in good hands....Thank god the vast majority of fans are happy to give monk a go and we have a board and the fans trust who have nothing but praise for monk in the difficult situation he found himself in.
I don't think there's a need to be quite so abrasive. Simply because most seem to have a different view doesn't mean we're "talking out of our arse" or that what we say is "rubbish". I haven't seen any Swans fan with maybe the odd exception who would say he or she is a "Monk hater" it's just we have some very valid concerns for the future of our Club. Concerns that shouldn't be swept aside and labelled "rubbish". If Monk does get the job next season and proves us wrong I'd be up there admitting it with most everyone else, and be very grateful that Jenkins is in charge not me. Btw I'm not convinced the "vast majority" of fans are behind Monk at all. This forum may give a distorted view but the recent poll sugggested around 70% I think who wanted someone new in for the start of next season.
At the risk of putting my head on the block (I wasn't there and wait to be corrected), judging by photos of the crowd, most of the 5,000 were children under the age of 10 and their mums having a jolly in the Easter holidays. They wouldn't know if the club is in good hands or not. I wouldn't cite that as a major thumbs-up for the Monk cause.
Monk was put in a position he could not refuse. He himself had said he wanted to be involved in coaching/management one day. He has done an ok job and i for one wasnt to disappointed when he took over. But there is a vast difference between taking the reins till the end of a season to selecting and finding players that meet what the club expect. I just dont think he has is ready for that yet. I do think the manager matters to players when they are signing, not all but to some. I dont think he has that pull to attract the quality of players we want or need. If there are other clubs in for the same players with better known managers then i feel they will go to that club. (obviously money does play its part). I see Martinez has been mentioned as not being known when he started. Well we were then in league 1 and that is a marked difference. Whilst Monk has done fine, I just dont feel we can put our PL future in the hand of a total novice. Both in terms of coaching, buying and selling players and selecting match day teams and squads. I hope he remans at the club and learns from whoever takes over. Out of curiosity does Monk have the coaching qualifications to remains as manager. I know some get special dispensations to do an interim job.
What would you call it then when some on here think they know better than the players or chairman ? I call it talking out of their arse especially some who dont even go to matches. you obviously don't know the club as well as most of us do if you think monk dont have any backing. he has the support of most fans id you take the time to find out instead of surmising which a lot on here do...
It's clear from all recent polls that the vast majority of swans fans want rid of Monk as soon as possible before the club spirals deeper into the abyss that lies ahead. Ivor's appraisal of the situation was superb and covered exactly why Monk should go. Hasn't got the nous, talent or experience needed to manage a premiership club.
Out of curiosity does Monk have the coaching qualifications to remains as manager. I know some get special dispensations to do an interim job. That is a good point and something i personally inquired about and i was told that he dont have a great deal left to do but however he has to qualify before the new season starts and its indicated that he will have passed all badges before the new season...
What the poll on here yer right as most are armchair fans who dont have a clue what goes on at the liberty..
Its not about who deserves what, or about getting RID of Monk. Its about doing what's best for the Swans. As far as I can see Monk was entrusted with our premier league survival only and, IMHO, the Boy, our Boy, has done good. He doesn't deserve any sneering at all as he has almost succeeded in his remit, survival; so close I can almost taste it. As an inexperience manager he has done exceptionally well and he should be applauded, so it's a HUGE "WELL DONE GARY MONK, your team and your players" They all deserve high praise for getting us through a very difficult and tiresome year. Just like to ask, about those who haven't played under Monk, have we seriously missed any of them?? This year we've lurked for too long at the wrong end of the league and, I feel, if we are to avoid the stress of it all next year and establish ourselves as an established prem club then, imo, we definitely will need experience at the helm. Next year it looks like we will need to buy more players with some disappearing to sunnier climes and others cherry picked by those who can. We will need someone with ability and experience with a proven track record. Someone the players can trust implicitly. We all, or most, agree that this man, with all due respect to him, is not Gary, not yet anyway. Its important to appreciate that footballers have short careers which they temporarily entrust to a given football manager. A good player expects to learn from a manager, respect his views, listen when needs to and follow instructions regardless. They need to want to do this because the Gaffer knows best. Someone with little experience could never command enough loyalty, fear and or respect to be able to bend a disparate group of players with varying abilities and temperaments to his wishes. That's why in order to attract the right players to us we need an experienced man in charge, someone who has contacts and who people will listen to. Gary is not our man, in manger years he is still a boy, he's not there yet. He's been great for us but he has to do the 'time' before the likes of £15-£20m players will listen to him.
Perhaps you should try and look at other opinions Taff, ML rightly recognised with Getaffe he wouldnt win the league, same with Swansea, so what is wrong with going for a cup for the fans, the club and himself? Is there something wrong with ambition that forwards the club and himself? Same as Martinez, same as Rodgers? Or perhaps in your view we should be aiming to win the Prem with this bunch of players? I restate, he won our first major trophy, highest position in the league, through to the knock out stages of Europe, still in the FA cup after beating UTD at Old Trafford. We beat the likes of Chelsea Arsenal and Liverpool and Valencia because he is a supreme tactician, what did he get for that? The sack. I'm drinking double expresso Taff, think your are on valium sandwiches.
